#catalog cover model

[warpedwings]

Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles through the years before Supernatural.

1994

Misha in University of Chicago yearbook. [Front Left]

Jensen on cover of Boy Scouts catalog. [Back Left]

2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1992 1991 1990 1987/1989 1985 1982 1978

[kalach-cha]

yet another brief lil fact about growing up in a modelling family:

you become VERY elitist about it VERY fast

[rottenpumpkin13]

If one were to pull down the pants of A/G/S, Zack and Cloud, what kind of goofy (or not) underwear would they be wearing?

Sephiroth: After an exhausting 20-minute struggle with approximately 6 belts, buckles, and various leather straps, you'd finally give up in frustration. He'd maintain an unbothered composure the entire time, before politely informing you: "If you had simply asked, I would have told you I'm wearing standard-issue SOLDIER athletics wear."

Zack: Proudly displays bright yellow boxers covered in cartoonish sunflowers with "Hey, check these bad boys out! Got them on sale in Wall Market. They've got matching socks too. The vendor said they bring good luck, and you know what? Beat my personal best in squats wearing these! Plus, they're great conversation starters!"

Genesis: Without even attempting to stop you, he'd dramatically pose and announce: "Behold, limited edition signature collection by Midgar's finest designer. The fabric is infused with rare silk from—wait, where are you going? I haven't finished explaining the artisanal craftsmanship that went into them." *Proceeds to follow you while brandishing an underwear catalog he modeled for*

Cloud: Desperately clutching his belt while backing away because he's definitely wearing the chocobo print boxers (complete with "Kweh!" speech bubbles) that are a gift from Zack, who bought a matching pair for himself. Cloud refuses to admit they're actually quite comfortable, and has somehow never "found time" to buy new ones.

Angeal: Simple black boxers, practical and dignified. He'd then launch into a 20-minute lecture about the importance of proper athletic support during training.

[deatherella]

Deatherella does DOTY 2024 - Round 4

Here's the items I did up for Round 4. I made recolors, conversions, and a few new meshes. Most of the furnishings are IKEA based items since Steve-O's parents went shopping at their local IKEA store to furnish his study.

Let's start with recolors, shall we. Recolors on several Maxis poster meshes (Surf's Up and Yummers for my Tummers), the BV travel poster, and Veranka's Otter Be a Star painting.

Various rugs. Only one is in my entry. I had other ones to put in there and forgot to place them. There are square, runner, Maxis PS, Maxis Bull's Eye, 3x4, and 3x5 rugs

Sailfindragon's Santiago blinds recolored with IKEA's banana print fabric. I think I got the meshes at Affinity Sims so my link for her goes to her MTS profile.

I did a few 4to2 conversions. LightningBolt's Sega Genesis and game cartridges. It doesn't have a controller - the one in my previews and entry pics is from @2fingerswhiskey.  Peeled Orange from Surely-Sims. Floppy disks from Carabiner's Computer Lab set.

New stuff !!!! IKEA HALLSTA. Straight off the cover of their 1985 catalog. HALLSTA is actually a sofa cover, not a sofa. But I made it a sofa since I am not talented at bending faces around enough to make it a slipcover. It comes with recolors in 13pumpkin's IKEA pallette. In my downloads folder, there is an .rar with the seamless fabrics if you'd like to use them on your own creations.

IKEA Tarnaby chair. I made this from the Karlstad chair since they were a lot alike. Only one texture from the IKEA ad for it.

Chia Pets !!!! Can't get more '80s than that. One for putting on your surfaces and one for sprucing up your yard - flamingo move over, chia pet is here!

Now your teens can be the cool kids in the hood with their very own (deco) Sony Dynamite 8-track player. I made this mesh from scratch and it turned out fairly well. Little more poly than it should have for a 1-tile object but I didn't want it to look all boxy. Recolors in all Sony's colors for it - yellow, blue, red, white, black. Let's not forget those 8-track cassettes. I made these with a model from turbosquid. I deleted all the parts that wouldn't show in our games and it comes in rather low poly. There are three 8-track cassette meshes - one laying straight, a slanted one, and two together. "Deatherella_8TrackCassette" is the master for all of them. Lots of 80's bands' albums recolors.

Download ALL Round 4 items ! If you'd like to pick and choose from the items, you can find all in the Round 4 folder. Hope you have as much fun using these as I did making them.

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

Gentleman caller

Sanji x reader. NSFW!!

This fic was inspired by Usopp visiting Kaya at her mansion at night. One Piece of course is not that sort of story, but... what if things were allowed to get a little more spicy?

TAGGING @holymusicalmothman @b7717 @mcereal @aamon47 Thanks for asking!!

*****

"Are you sure you don't want a glass of warm milk before you go to bed, miss?"

"I am sure, Kyla." you answer politely. The truth is you haven't drunk a glass of milk to help you fall asleep since you were ten (that is, almost half your life) but your governess keeps asking, every single night, and every single night you answer no; still, you know she does it out of worry and affection for you, which you sincerely appreciate "I think I'll go now; will you tell my father good-night for me, when he returns?"

Kyla promises she will, and returns to the kitchen to clean up after dinner, while you walk out of the villa's large dining room, cross a long corridor and climb the stairs to the upper floor, finally reaching your bedroom.

Except for Kyla in the kitchen you are alone, since the cook and the gardener, who do not reside in the villa, already left, and your father is as usual busy with a business dinner. You don't feel lonely exactly, since that state of affairs has been going on since your mother died when you were still too young to remember her, but it does feel a little weird to live in such a large place, no less than twelve bedrooms on the first floor alone and at least six other rooms that have been closed for years since you literally don't know how to occupy them, when it's only the two of you... a waste of space, even though you and your father often host parties and receive many guests.

And the most important of those visitors by far is going to arrive soon, a person your father has no idea has already visited so many times before...

You take off your shoes, and spend a few minutes in the en-suite bathroom refreshing yourself before closing the bedroom's door behind you. You sigh, happy and excited, as you let yourself fall on the bed, observing the room you have slept in since you were maybe six and that you will soon leave: the desk cluttered with paper models, scarps of fabric and sewing tools; the two mannequins wearing your latest creations, a green cocktail dress and a simpler but elegant light blue men's shirt; the bookstore full of sewing manuals, fashion catalogs and the biographies of your favourite designers; the large poster on a wall, depicting a famous, elegantly dressed model... and the glass door that, only a few minutes after you have retired to your room, starts being hit by tiny pebbles, picked from the garden below.

Your guest is here. You happily stand from the bed, glance quickly to the full length mirror on the wall to make sure your hair is combed and in order, and reach the glass door to quickly step onto the balcony.

Standing in the garden under you like a suitor ready to serenade you, more handsome than a fairy-tale hero and beaming as if about to see all his dreams come true, is him. The former assistant cook of your family, your best friend in the world, your...

"Sanji!" you call out to him, voice barely rising above a whisper as you wave your hand at him, a greeting he returns in kind, clearly happy to see you, hidden among the trunks of the centuries-old trees; the night is particularly dark, heavy clouds covering the crescent moon and most of the stars, but his smile is brighter than any other source of light.

"Are you alone?" Sanji asks urgently as he glances all around him; no one has reason to visit the garden at this hour and the balcony is oriented towards the back of the villa, far from the main entrance through which your father would come in, but you both know how imperative it is to keep your rendez-vous secrets.

"I am; my dad hasn't returned yet and Kyla is in the kitchen. You can come up."

When you decided you would meet in secret at night, five years ago, you had offered to find a rope for him to climb, but Sanji never needed it. Tonight, as usual, you look on as he nimbly climbs the tree closest to the villa's wall, clinging to the huge trunk and then to the largest branches until he's jumping above the balcony and directly in your arms.

You embrace each other, your profiles standing out against the light filtering from the room, and for a full minute neither feels the need to talk. Sanji's arms hold you close by the waist, his lips pressed against your temple in a chaste kiss; you lose yourself in his scent, the costly perfume you bought for him because you knew he liked but couldn't afford it and and that never fails to make you shiver, as you enjoy the sensation of his slim but strong body pressed against yours.

"Do you have it?" you ask after a while, pulling away just enough to look at him in the eyes; you thought about nothing else for days, more nervous than if it had been your own future career at stake "The answer from the school. Did you receive it?"

"I have."

"... and?!"

Sanji, as usual neatly dressed in one of the dark suits he wears at work, smiles at you, his fingers brushing against your face; a small backpack hangs from his shoulder. "Can we go inside before we talk?" he proposes "I have something for you as well."

Knowing he brought you a treat from the restaurant he works at makes you happy, but nothing beats the simple, pure pleasure of his company. Wordlessly you take his hand to lead him inside, leaving the now empty balcony behind.

*****

Your friendship with Sanji began exactly one decade ago; you were the only daughter of a powerful politician, living alone with him at the villa and whose pathological shyness had left her virtually friendless, him a newly orphaned boy your father had decided to hire as assistant to the cook, so that he could support himself. One afternoon, you visited the kitchen to ask for a snack, since you were starving and dinner was still hours away; the cook told you that he was sorry but your father, already then worried for your weight, had strictly forbidden him from feeding you between meals. You noticed Sanji, busy scrubbing a large pot in the sink, but he seemed so focused on his job you decided not to disturb him to introduce yourself.

You left, disappointed but unwilling to insist, out of respect for both your father and the cook who was just following orders, but a few minutes later, as you studied in the library, he joined you, a nervous smile on his face and a salami sandwich in his hands.

"Please don't tell anyone, especially not your dad." he told you as he put it in your hands "I hope you liked it, I put some mayonnaise on it because I saw the cook used it to prepare your school lunch yesterday."

You did (and still do) like mayonnaise on your sandwiches, and in that moment you were doubly astonished: that he heard your request for a snack even though he had looked so engrossed in the cookware to wash, and that he had decided to risk your father's wrath to help you, less than a week after being hired.

"Thank you, I... thank you so much! That was very kind of you." you told him, for once forgetting your shyness "My name is (name). What's yours?"

"I'm Sanji. And don't worry; I'm sure your dad means well, but no one should starve, especially not at our age. Don't tell anyone, ok? I know he forbade the cook from feeding you snacks, and i'm not supposed to visit the family's wing of the villa without a valid reason."

You obviously kept his secret, and from that day on, you and Sanji quickly became inseparable, spending together all your free time from school and work; he secretly fed you every time your father's concern about your weight made the cook limit your meals, and you used your allowance to buy him cooking books he studied to pursue his dream of becoming a famous chef. Apart from your father, you had never loved anyone like him; Sanji was the other half of your soul, an acerbic but steadfast feeling that made you sure you would never feel alone, as long as he were by your side, and you would not have left him for all the treasures, and the good food, in the world.

Your father, who was happy you had finally made a friend and didn't mind you had chosen the kitchen boy and not one of your school mates, who belonged to the city's most affluent and prominent families, never had anything against it... at least until you were both fourteen, when he suddenly decided it was inappropriate for the two of you to spend so much time together; as a sign of peace, he found Sanji a more prestigious job in a famous restaurant at the other side of the city. That, in your father's opinion, would have meant the end of your friendship, but it obviously didn't: and after all, with all the sandwiches and portions of dessert he had snuck you, hadn't your friendship been based on secrecy since the very beginning?

For five years Sanji has spent with you almost every evening he is free from the restaurant; he climbs the trees next to your balcony and you let him in, and sometimes you spend the whole night talking, or leave together to visit a bar or go dancing. Is it dangerous, should your father discover what you are up to? Undoubtedly so, especially since you know he only worries about you, whether it is about the food you eat or the places you visit in a large and dangerous city; but you are an adult, more than old enough to decide how to live your life, and Sanji is always ready to protect you when someone bothers you in a club, and he would never feed you something that could seriously endanger your health. You don't know why exactly your father has suddenly decided you mustn't be friends with him anymore, but you are determined not to lose him, especially now that your relationship has started evolving beyond mere friendship... and your own dreams risk separating you forever.

*****

"So? What did the school say?" you insist as Sanji closes the glass door behind the two of you; your heart is pounding, wishing with every fiber of your being you could change the decision the commission must have taken days ago "Did you get in?"

For years Sanji has dreamed of attending the most prestigious cooking school in the country, the Baratie Culinary Arts Academy in the capital; this year he has finally reached the required age to enroll, but the entrance examination, that your friend has taken two weeks ago, is notoriously difficult, especially for who, like Sanji, also has to apply for a scholarship. Your friend was meant to receive the results of his exam today, and you had decided you would also share your own secret with him... and then, hopefully, you would both have something to celebrate.

"I'll tell you in a minute."

"Sanji, please... I haven't thought about anything else all day!" you complain, fearing your friend's reticence is due to shame for his failure; Sanji, busy emptying his backpack on your desk, smiles, before rubbing the back of his head.

"The truth is... I haven't opened the letter yet." he admits "I hoped we could do it together... mainly because I don't have the courage to do it by myself."

There is nothing wrong with wanting a friend close when one is both scared and excited for something, but in that moment your heart breaks for Sanji: he has lost his parents, had to take care of himself since he was still a child, and while he has a good job and could try again next year, being refused admission to the Baratie would break his heart.

You wait patiently as Sanji quickly sets the table for the two of you: cutlery, napkins, glasses, a bottle of water and his latest effort in the kitchen: two portions of a delicious chocolate cake, bigger than what your father would allow you to eat but still relatively small, since your friend does care about your health.

"This looks delicious, Sanji!" you exclaim, as always happy to taste your friend's latest creations "But wait..."

You walk to the small fridge next to the door, almost hidden under a pile of scraps of fabric left over from your latest creation and that you will find a use for one day, and retrieve a small but expensive bottle of champagne that you have bought in the afternoon.

"I thought we could use it to celebrate; I have also taken two flutes from the kitchen." you explain.

"I still don't know if I got in, (name)."

"I'm sure you did. And if the chefs at the Baratie can't see, and taste, how extraordinarily talented you are, it's their loss." you point out "You wanna open it?"

A minute later you are sitting face to face at your desk, cake and champagne ready to be enjoyed, the white envelope Sanji took from his backpack in your hands.

"Shall I?" you ask softly; your friend, who has never looked so pale and so young, nods.

"Please."

You both hold your breath as you open the envelope and then unfold the single sheet of paper inside. You make sure Sanji cannot see your face as you read...

"So? What... what does it say?"

"Sanji, I'm so sorry..."

"Oh, God..." your friend, heartbroken, stares at you for a moment before slumping on his chair, face hidden in his hands "I can't believe it... I was so sure..."

"I'm sorry because you have some very difficult years ahead..."

"... what?"

"Of course. Nights spent studying, sharing a room with six other people, waking up extra-early to go to class... Really, I don't envy you..."

Finally you look at him, beaming, while Sanji's eyes grow bigger as he slowly catches the meaning of your words.

"You mean...?"

"You got in! And you got the scholarship as well. Oh, Sanji, I'm so proud of you! I knew you could do it!"

You stand and embrace, laughing with shared delight. "I can't believe it." Sanji murmurs, still as he looks at the admission letter, signed by Zeff, a famous chef who is the Baratie's headmaster "There were so many people at the exam, and at one point I was so nervous I spilled a bowl of vinaigrette on my apron..."

"As I said, an important school like the Baratie, with so many experienced chefs, couldn't not recognize your talent." you point out, happier than you remember ever being "Classes start in a month, you'll have to give your notice at the restaurant."

"Yeah..."

Sanji takes your hands in his, kissing them devotedly. "I could have never done it without you." he murmurs, with the sort of gaze and inflection that, years after your first kiss, still makes you shiver "All the books you have bought me... and it was you who convinced me to apply. I owe you so much, (name)."

"You would have done the same for me; and we both know the two of us are beyond this sort of talk. I am so happy for you, truly; I know you will become a great chef."

Sanji smiles, circling your waist with his arm as he uses his free hand to pick one of the flutes from the desk. "Shall we celebrate, then?"

"Actually..."

"Actually?"

"Actually, I also have something to tell you." you admit, a new, excited smile opening on your face "You know that important fashion school in the capital, the one many of my favourite designers attended?"

Fashion has always been your greatest passion; you have designed clothes since you were a child, and thanks to a family friend who owns a large tailor shop you have learnt the basics of the trade, how to cut fabric, sew and tailor an item of clothing. Your father, who approves of your interests, has offered to introduce you to some fashion designers his friends or associates are acquainted to, but you are determined to accept no recommendations and take no shortcuts; just like Sanji, and any person who has to work hard to realize their dreams, you will pursue your education, earn an apprenticeship at a fashion house, and in time, hopefully, open your own and make a name for yourself as a designer. It will take you years and fashion is a famously difficult field to break into, but you are determined to give your all, so that whatever the future may bring you will be free from regret, and live doing what you love.

"Of course; the Nefertari Vivi Fashion Institute." Sanji promptly answers; miss Vivi is one of your idols, a ground-breaking designer who has revolutionized the fashion world and then focused on teaching, establishing one of the best-reputed educational institutions of the field "So what?"

You smile, still excited almost a week after receiving your own letter, that you asked your father to open for you.

Sanji gapes. "You are kidding."

"I am not!"

Your friend laughs. "And you didn't tell me anything!" he exclaims, and you apologize, telling him you didn't want to disappoint both of them in the not unlikely event you were not admitted.

"But you were?"

You still can't believe it yourself. "I was! There was no exam; I only had to send miss Vivi some of my creations, and a few days ago I received the acceptance letter."

"(name), that's amazing!"

"I know! I can't wait to begin. I also apply for a scholarship, but unfortunately I didn't get it."

Sanji asks whether you plan on asking your father to pay for your classes, but you shake your head: you need to learn to take care of yourself, living alone once you'll move to the capital and earning money to support yourself. To this end, you have contacted a friend who lives in the capital and owns a bookstore: she has accepted to hire you, and you have sold your jewels to pay your tuition fees.

"(name), you didn't!" Sanji exclaims, flabbergasted "Those were your mom's things..."

"I know." you sigh, still feeling saddened and a bit guilty even though you know you did the right thing "But this is my future we are talking about, the opportunity to build a career, and a life for myself, without my father taking care of me or using my family's money to buy whatever I need or want. I want to earn my keep, Sanji; I want to prove I can take care of myself, and that I am more than a spoiled little girl."

Sanji softly points out that no one who knows you could ever think that; he smiles, his handsome face expressing a joy too great and deep for words, as he takes you in his arms once more. "So we are both moving to the capital to study." he mentions "And pursue our dreams. Which means we'll both be very busy..."

"... but we won't have to hide our relationship anymore." you happily finish for him, having already reflected on the matter; you plan on living in a student residence, since their rooms are cheaper than other types of accommodation, and guests are usually not admitted, but at least you will be able to meet in the open, having dates like any other couple instead of having to hide like a married man with his mistress, lest your father learns about your relationship "I can't wait! In a month we'll both be living in the capital, studying with the best in our fields, and nothing will stop us from being together. I... I don't think I've ever been so happy!"

"Me neither." Sanji agrees, one of the flutes in his hand once more "Shall we drink to our future? And then enjoy the cake?"

You agree, but you barely have had the time to clink your glasses together when a sudden noise reaches your ears: an unexpected, but otherwise innocuous noise, at least for who, unlike the two of you, has nothing to hide...

A soft but firm knocking on the door.

Sanji looks at you, suddenly tense; you turn your eyes to the door, wishing to be able to see beyond it. "Yes?"

"(name), it's dad. May I come in?"

The flute almost slips from Sanji's fingers; terrified as if a whole army were standing at the other side of the door, ready to barge in and tear both to pieces, you both nonetheless act quickly, having prepared for such an occurrence since your first nocturnal meeting. Your friend quickly retrieves the flutes and the champagne bottle, while you do the same with the cake plates and the other things placed on your desk; a moment later, Sanji has slipped under your bed, a dusty and uncomfortable hiding spot where nonetheless he'll be safe from your father.

I hope.

"(name)? Is everything all right?"

"Just a moment, dad! I'm coming!" you answer, hoping you sound less nervous, almost terrified, than you feel; you quickly glance all around you, making sure no trace of Sanji's presence is visible, and finally go open the door.

"Hello, dad. How was dinner?" you ask, approaching to kiss him on the cheek; even though he interrupted you and Sanji, you're happy he came to say good-night to you before retiring to his own bedroom.

"Pretty good, even though the lemon cake was not up the restaurant's usual standard. Are you ok?"

"Yes, of course; I was... preparing to go to bed." you answer vaguely, before something in your peripheral vision makes you tense; it is Sanji's backpack, placed where your friend had left it less than half an hour ago: on the bed, perfectly visible.

Shit. SHIT. Shitshitshitshit...

You move a step to the right, so as to prevent your father from noticing the backpack; it is not as compromising as if he had found Sanji's tie, or his shoes, but he could notice the backpack is a men's model, and inside he could find your friend's personal documents, five years after he had forbidden you from having further contact with him. Don't look at it. Don't see it. Please please please...!

Thank God your father, a clever and perceptive man, seems unconcerned with out-of-place objects in your room. "I was thinking tomorrow we could go buy a new suitcase for you; you need a large one, since you'll have to bring most of your things when you'll move to the capital. I hope you'll allow me to pay for that at least."

You smile, grateful for the offer and even more for the intention. "Of course, dad. Thank you."

He smiles, taking your hands in his. "I am so proud of you." he murmurs "I have always known you had a great talent for fashion, but being admitted to such a prestigious school... You'll become the greatest designer of your generation, I'm sure."

"Dad..."

"Please, let me be happy for you. You know I'm always there if you need something, right? I know you have found a job, and you are smart and mature enough to take care of yourself, but if you ever need money, or you want to come home, you can do it; no judgement. Oh, I wish your mom could see you..."

You bite your lip, suddenly unable to talk; a lump of emotion blocks your throat. You are happy, and grateful, that your father supports your desire to move to the capital and attend the Nefertari Institute, especially since he's so protective and you know he wished you would one day follow his footsteps and go into politics, and while you can't wait to start your classes and enjoy life in a big city, the thought of leaving him, and the house where you were born, fills you with sadness... and guilt.

"I... I will never thank you enough for everything you have done for me." you murmur, stepping closer to him to hug your father "And I'm sorry if... if I ever made it hard for you, especially after mom died. I love you very much, dad. I'll be back often to visit, I promise; and I'll miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too, my darling girl." your father answers; he's moved as well, but better than you at hiding it "But I'm so proud you're beginning your life in the world. And I hope you'll let me visit you as well."

"Of course! Every time you can."

"Good. Now, we should both go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

He kisses you on the forehead, and soon after he's closing the room's door behind him. You are still staring at it when, a minute later, Sanji joins you, resting his hands on your shoulders.

"Are you all right?" he asks softly; he has known you long enough to perceive what you are feeling, the love for your father and the guilt for the relationship you are carrying out behind his back, the efforts you are making to build a life for yourself away from his protective but constrictive influence and the way you'll miss him terribly and feel guilty for leaving as soon as you could.

"Yeah, just... I was just thinking."

You sigh, turning to face Sanji, desperately trying to return to the carefree joy of five minutes ago, and drive away the melancholia filling your heart. After all, it is normal for children to find their way in life away from their family, and your father is still young, dedicated to his job and career, and has many friends and a new partner he is very close to; he'll be all right, and whatever loneliness and melancholy he will feel, you know he will accept it.

"Your father is a good man." Sanji points out as you both retrieve your drinks and plates from the wardrobe you had hidden them in "He didn't even know me, but he gave me a job when I was alone in the world, and then he found me an even more prestigious one at the restaurant; every berry I ever earned I owe it to him. I'll never forget all the help he gave me."

You smile, happy to hear your friend talk well about your father. "You still have a good opinion of him even if he forbade us from being friends?"

"Well, I shouldn't resent him for that, since we never stopped seeing each other. And he only wanted to protect you, which I can understand."

You blink. "... sorry? What are you talking about?"

"Right, I... I never told you, did I?"

Sanji rubs the back of his neck, suddenly bashful. "You never wondered why your dad was suddenly against us being friends?"

You had. "Well... I thought it was because we weren't children anymore... and you a boy and I a girl..."

"Exactly, but... there was something else. When I was fourteen, I... I wrote you a letter; there was something important I needed to tell you, but I couldn't find the courage to do it in person. I left it on your pillow one day while you were in school, but your father found it... and read it."

You wait for Sanji to elaborate, but he seems focused on staring at the floor, avoiding your gaze. "It was... something inappropriate for a father to read...?"

"Nothing vulgar, if that is what you are wondering; but... it did say I wanted us to be more than friends, and this is what your father opposed, not that I was an orphan without money and prospectives, but because he thought you were too young for that sort of relationship. So... so he asked me to leave things between us as they were, and when I refused, he decided it was better to separate us, and he found me a job at the other side of town, forbidding me from contacting you again, at least until you were of age."

He looks at you, tense since he has no idea how you could react, but the truth is you don't know either. "He sent you away because he didn't want us to date?" you recapitulate in the end, flabbergasted "What would have been so wrong about that? Lots of girls get a boyfriend at fourteen, and he knew you, he knew you would treat me well..."

"Well, he's always been protective of you. Sorry, maybe I should have told you before..."

"It's ok." you reassure him, even though you are not completely sure of it yourself; you understand your father's reasons, and appreciate he didn't simply kick Sanji out in the street, but at the same time you can't believe all of it was to stop your best friend, a boy he knew posed no danger, from confessing his feelings "I... I'm so sorry, Sanji..."

"Well, it wasn't so bad; and as I said, I really don't have a reason to complain, since we did end up becoming more than friends. I felt guilty lying to your dad... but I couldn't give up on you."

He smiles, as he picks one of the flutes up from your desk again. "Now, can we please have a toast to our future?"

You do, happily enjoying your late-night snack; you delicately clink your glasses together before taking a sip, and then feed each other cake, your knees touching under the desk.

Silence has fallen on the room, and on the two of you, as usual when you are with Sanji a comfortable, peaceful silence that you don't feel the need to fill with small talk; you smile at each other, both happy and excited at the future opening in front of you... a future that you will face together as you have always done, finding strength and support in each other.

"Does chef Zeff teaches any class at the Baratie?" you ask after a while; you know the extent of Sanji's admiration for the principal of the cooking school, and it would be amazing for him to learn personally from his idol.

"Not for first-year students; but I heard that he sometimes gives one-on-one classes, if he finds a particularly talented pupil."

"... which means he'll leave all his other classes to tutor you exclusively, as soon as he tastes your True Bluefin sauté... or your salami sandwich."

Sanji smiles; he knows how much faith you have in his cooking abilities, and he never stops being grateful for it. "You're exagerrating."

"I'm not." you very seriously protest, as you clean your dish from any crumble of cake; you know watching your diet means taking care of your health, but you would happily eat three more! "A month and he'll let you skip a year or two, I promise."

"Well, if you are so sure..."

A few minutes later Sanji is putting the dirty plates and cutlery away in his backpack, while you observe the sky out of the glass door, leaning with one shoulder against the wall.

"Once we both live in the capital we won't have to hide anymore, but we'll be so busy with school..." you consider "I'm afraid we won't have a lot of time to spend together."

"Still, it will be an improvement from what we have now. And all the city's school dormitories are in the same campus, which means we can visit each other every time we want."

You nod, still pensive, and a moment later Sanji's arms are circling your waist, his chest pressed against your back.

"It's going to be all right." he murmurs, his lips brushing against the shell of your ear in a way that makes you shiver in such a pleasant way "We are going to be all right, I promise, no matter how busy we are."

"Oh, I know; believe me, I'm not doubting my feelings, or yours. We have waited for so long to be able to live our relationship in the open, and I can't wait to be able to see you every day, even for five minutes between classes or to cram together at night. It's just..."

You turn in his embrace, almost apologetic as you smile at him. "I feel so happy, as if all my dreams were coming true: attending a great school, not having to hide what we share. It is almost too good to be true; and I'm almost afraid to wake up and find out it really was just a dream."

Sanji is too kind to make fun of your fears; he considers them as he holds you close, equally aware that no matter how steadfast your feelings for each other are and even though both of you have rightfully earned admission in the schools of your dreams, you are both beginning a new chapter in life, and neither knows what future may have in store for you.

Still, it is pointless to worry about tomorrow, and Sanji decides that more than reassure you, he wants to make you forget your fears, even if just for a minute. "You know what I'm thinking about?" he asks after a minute, his tone pensive "That I've been here for at least thirty minutes, and I haven't kissed, or been kissed by, you, even once."

"Ah, that won't do."

"It really won't. So..."

He grins, happy to see you smile as well, and when he lifts your chin with his fingers you obediently close your eyes and offer him your mouth to kiss.

Almost three years have passed since your first time, in this very room, and kissing Sanji still makes your heart tremble; he is sweet but passionate, not aggressive but intense enough to leave no doubt about his feelings, and his intentions. You enjoy the feeling of his mouth on yours for a moment before kissing him back, Sanji's lips hot against yours; you feel him smile, his hands now holding you by the waist while yours gently caress his hair and neck.

"Gods, you taste so good..."

"It's the cake, Sanji."

"No, it's not. You are delicious, (name); absolutely... mesmerizing..."

You keep kissing for a while, as your hands start moving on each other's body; Sanji whispers your name, suddenly breathless, as your mouth descends towards his neck, at first gently pecking at the delicate skin of his throat, and then sucking hard enough to make him moan.

"(name)..." he murmurs again, and you smile, circling his hips with your arms; you nuzzle at his chest, the soft fabric of his shirt so familiar and comforting against your skin, and wish you could stay like this forever.

You feel Sanji's hands move on your hips and back, his fingers brushing against the hem of your skirt.

"I like this one." he murmurs in your ear; he is aware of the effect he has on you and exploits it mercilessly "Is it new?"

"Made it myself." you answer proudly; you had seen the skirt on a fashion magazine, and rather than buying it you had decided to see whether you could recreate it "Does it look good on me?"

"You look absolutely ravishing, my darling..."

And ravish is exactly what Sanji seems intent on doing; a minute later your back is pressed against the wall, with a very handsome, very amorous young chef intent on making you forget your very name.

Sanji's back and shoulder muscles are taut under your hands as they run all over his body, like a beautiful clay statue molded by your touch; you can feel his heart pounding against your chest, the tenseness in his body as he tries to restrain himself in order not to unsettle you, not to take more than what you would be ready to offer. Dear Sanji, you think fondly as you arch your back to press your chest against his and finally, finally feel his hands grab at your buttocks, don't you know at this point you don't even have to ask?

Sanji's jacket is the first item of clothing to go, falling on the closest chair after you helped him take it off; he returns the courtesy freeing you from the heavy sweater you wear, leaving you with a tight camisole, the different colour of your bra visible under it. He smiles, clearly appreciating the view, but a moment later his expression turns serious, almost reverent, as he gazes at you, almost as if he couldn't believe he's really holding you in his arms.

"I love you so much, you know that?" he murmurs, and no matter how many times he has already uttered those words, you know how deeply he means them, how utterly and hopelessly devoted he is to you and to what you hope to build together. To be the object of such an intense ardor is... humbling, since you're not quite sure you deserve it, and you could even feel guilty for it, if your feelings for Sanji were not equally deep and strong. You don't remember a day in which you didn't love him, ever since he risked your father's ire (and, consequently, the job he had just gotten) to feed you, there has always been a special place for him in your heart, a place no one else could ever occupy; Sanji is the other half of you, someone who you don't need in order to live but who you want to share your life with. Without him you could go on; but you know you'll never feel complete ever again.

And to express everything you feel -all the love, the joy that fills your heart when he's by your side and the hopes you cherish for your future together- you are unable to say more than...

"I love you too, Sanji."

... and that is more than a little frustrating.

You know what you share goes beyond physical attraction, but you can't deny it is flattering, and exciting, to know you can have that sort of effect on Sanji, a man attractive and charming enough he would have no troubles attracting a date; you sometimes think about the girls he meets at work, or the clients he could easily flirt with when he has to cover for a waiter at the restaurant, but you know he is being sincere when he swears you're the only one he cares about, and that he has never betrayed your trust. On the other hand, you are not good with words and Sanji doesn't care for expensive gifts, which makes you fear, sometimes, you could do more to prove how much you care for him, and how committed you are to your relationship; the truth is, you love him so much, a feeling deeper and more encompassing than anything you thought you would be able to feel, that you lack the words to express it, and any declaration, no matter how grandiose or romantic, would fall short of your actual feelings.

Then, you suddenly realize, maybe you shouldn't tell him; after all, like your father always says, actions do speak louder than words...

Sanji's stares, eyes wide open, as he sees you take off your camisole. A moment later, he hurries to unbutton your shirt, and you move to help him, and somehow, maybe because you're in a hurry or because your hands are shaking, you tear off a button.

"Oh, Gods..." you stutter, embarrassment filling you "I'm so sorry, I... I'll sew it back on, I promise..."

Sanji shakes his head, as if to say you needn't worry; he is a sight to behold, short of breath, his usually pale complexion turned pink with excitement - with lust. He looks at you, he looks at your hands still holding the two panels of his shirt, and orders:

"Tear it off."

"... what?"

"Rip it off me. (name), please, I want you to undress me."

"Are... are you sure?" you ask again; the idea is more than a little exciting, but the experienced seamstress and future fashion designer in you hesitates at the thought of ruining a perfectly serviceable item of clothing.

Sanji grins, desire and affection filling his brown eyes. "Yeah, sure; it's an old one. Please, darling..."

"As you wish..."

A sound of tearing and ripping fills the room, and a moment later Sanji's shirt, now missing every single of its buttons and irreparably damaged, lies on the floor, while he's naked from the waist up - and Gods, just looking at him is enough to make you forget any hesitancy you may have... including the ones regarding the presence of your father, in his bedroom at the other hand of the corridor.

He smiles, more than aware of the effect he's having on you, as he shamelessly stares back at your body. "Come here, my beauty." he invites you, and a moment later he has taken you in his arms once again, your hands moving on each other's newly exposed skin.

"Let's move to the bed." you propose in a whisper between kisses, and laugh softly as Sanji hurriedly picks you up, bridal style, to carry you and delicately lay you down on the light blue sheets of your bed. A minute to take off your shoes, and he has joined you; you are kissing again as he makes quick work of your bra's clasp, but Sanji stops to admire you, lying under him, and for a moment he seems unable to speak.

"You are so beautiful." he murmurs; he looks you in the eyes, to gauge your reaction and make sure he's not overstepping, before letting his hand brush against and then close around your breast "My (name)... I've waited for this moment since I was maybe twelve, you know?"

"You could have told me before."

"A gentleman never asks, he waits for the lady to offer."

You smile, shamelessly enjoying the sensuality of his touch, the delicious sensation of Sanji's warm hands caressing and stimulating and gently squeezing the warm flesh of your chest; he sees you jolt when the pad of his thumb finds your nipple, and smiles, and you smile with him.

"Well, this lady is offering." you point out a moment later; you want there to be no doubt or ambiguity about what you want "I want you, Sanji. Will you make love to me?"

Unexpectedly, and while you can see the desire in his eyes as he looks at you, he hesitates. "You know we don't have to do it." he softly points out "You don't... owe me anything; I don't want you to think this is something we need to do in order to make our relationship last, or since we have been together for a while..."

"I know. I... I just want to live this with you; I want you to be my first, as well the last. I want you, and I'm tired of hiding it."

"(name), I..."

"Sanji, please."

That last word, as well as the tone you utter it in, being begged to take you in his arms and make you scream, would make even the most dispassionate man forget himself, and Sanji is far from that. In a whisper, he asks you to lift your hips, and takes both your skirt and panties off; he licks his lips as he looks at you, as if anticipating what he is going to do to you, and delicately lifts your foot in his hands. His first kiss is placed on your ankle, and then the second at the bottom at your calf, and the third a bit above it, and then on your knee and on your thigh until Sanji is lying on the bed between your open legs, and the sensation of his tongue and hips doing magic on the most hidden part of you is so delicious, so lurid and at the same time heavenly, you have to press your hand to your mouth to keep yourself from screaming. You can feel the wave mounting inside you, and you couldn't stop it even if you wanted to, and a minute later your first real orgasm hits you, and you are shaking in Sanji's grasp as he licks you like a man starved, proud and excited by the pleasure he was able to give you.

Your eyes meet above your heaving chest; you are both smiling, breathless. "That was... amazing." you whisper, and Sanji grins as he reaches to kiss you once more, neither bothering about the taste.

"We have just started." he assures you "Will you help me with my clothes, darling?"

He stands from the bed to let you take his trousers off, smiling softly as he sees how your hands shake; a moment later he's finally naked, and you can't help gulping as you gently take his erection in your hand, heavy and hard. You swallow, and instinctively lower your face to it to lick the tip.

Sanji jumps. "Shit..."

"I'm sorry, I thought... that was ok..." you stammer, suddenly alarmed "Did I hurt you?"

"Hurt?" he repeats, completely breathless, as if he had never heard that word before "Quite... quite the opposite. I... (name), I..."

He can't find the words to describe what he wants, but thank God you know it already, and this is miles beyond what you had already experience in, but you must be naturally talented, or perhaps this is one of those things you simply know how to do. You keep Sanji's eyes in yours as you take his erection in your mouth, swallowing it almost to the base and using your lips, your tongue and even (cautiously) your teeth to give him pleasure; he moans, bucking his hips, his hands caressing your hair.

"God... you're so good, baby... you take me so well..."

Emboldened, you wish you could make him climax with your mouth, but Sanji asks you to stop after a while, smiling as he sees you pout. "As much as I love the feeling of your mouth, there is somewhere else I'd rather come." he tell you as he cleans your lips with his fingers "Let me take care of you."

A silent nod is the only answer you feel able to give, and the only one Sanji needed; your hand guides him back on the bed where, a slight and natural awkwardness covered by your kisses, Sanji lies above you, gently caressing your hair as he lifts your leg above his hips.

"I love you." you murmur; you feel barely able to breathe, but those words easily leave your lips, as natural as a breath "Sanji, let me be with you forever."

He smiles, pressing his forehead to yours; he isn't inside you yet, but the intimacy of that moment goes beyond what you could describe in words, the marvelous feeling of being one, a closeness born from love and passion and trust and empathy. You doubt you will ever feel anyone as close as Sanji is in that moment, and that makes you happy.

"Nothing and no one will ever come between us." he murmurs "I promise."

*****

You spend what feels like hours locked in an embrace, exchanging lazy but hot kisses as your hands explore each other's body. Your fondling makes Sanji grow turgid once more, and he has to use your pillow to suffocate his screaming (yes, screaming) as you do get to make him come in your mouth; he gets even a minute later when you both find out that you really enjoy your chest being sucked, which Sanji does until you are a moaning mess, begging for mercy, and he has to gift you your third orgasm, this time using his fingers, to make you calm down.

This night is perfect; this night feels as if it would never end. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and an hour before dawn, after he risked for the second time to fall asleep with his cheek pressed against your chest and your fingers in his hair, Sanji reluctantly abandons the warmth of your bed, and of your body, to get dressed. You both know it can't be helped; if your father discovered him in your bed, even now that you are an adult and about to go live on your own, the consequences would be catastrophic.

"Things will be different once we have moved to the capital." you reassure him as you pick up what is left of his shirt to throw it away "I want my dad to visit, but we can tell him we met again on campus and decided to date; he does like you, and he'll accept I am old enough to have a boyfriend."

"I hope he will." Sanji considers, as he ties his shoes; he hesitates for a moment, and then: "What if I wanted to tell him the truth?"

"You mean...?"

"About us, yes. I could have never given up on you, (name), but I didn't like lying to your father; I owe him so much, and I'd like give his blessing to our relationship. Don't you?"

Nothing would make you happier, even though, you must admit, the prospect of having to confess you have deliberately disobeyed him for five years is not pleasant; you love your father, and the last thing you have ever wanted was to disappoint him, even though there is no price you wouldn't have paid if it meant being with Sanji. You admire the fact your boyfriend wants to be honest with his benefactor, and you need - no, you want to be as brave as he is.

"Then we will tell him."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. It's not going to be pretty, and I know he'll be very angry, but he deserves the truth. We all do." you point out with a sigh; then, seeing Sanji is almost done getting dressed: "Wait..."

You stand as well, and walk to the mannequin wearing the men's shirt, an elegant light blue model with white collar and cuffs. You return to Sanji to offer him the shirt. "Here, wear this."

"... are you sure?"

"Of course, I had planned to give it to you to celebrate your admission to the Baratie. Try it on, let me see how it looks on you."

It looks great, even though it is perhaps more because of Sanji's good looks and physique than anything else; he carefully buttons it, and happily looks at himself in the full-length mirror. "My favourite tie will go perfectly with this."

"I know, why do you think I chose this colour?"

Naked as you are, you don't feel cold, especially as you feel Sanji's gaze lingering on your body as his brown eyes admire the flesh he has lost himself in just two hours ago, but that he's not yet sated by.

Soon, your smile tells him as you return the gaze, committing the beauty of his lithe but strong body to memory, as soon as we have moved to our dormitories, or as soon as my father has to leave for one of his work trips. I want you again too; I think I'll never stop wanting you.

As usual Sanji seems to understand you without the need for words, because he smiles once more and, as soon as he is done admiring himself in the mirror (which you cannot blame him for; the shirt does look amazing on him!) he takes your face in his hands to kiss you once more. "I am so happy." he murmurs "Happy we got to share this moment. I... I do want to be with you forever, but..."

"... but you are happy I was your first, and you mine. I know, Sanji; I feel the same."

You spend a precious minute like this, your foreheads touching, your fingers intertwined, as you breathe in each other's air and savour that new form of intimacy. In this moment, you are not afraid Sanji can doubt your feelings anymore; but in any case, you promise yourself, you'll still make sure he knows how much you love him, every day from now to eternity.

In the end, it's time for your boyfriend to go. He takes his backpack and insists you put your nightgown on, in case one of the neighbours looks out of their windows, before you accompany him on the balcony, where a last kiss sees him climb over the parapet and cautiously reach the tree's closest branches.

"Thanks for the cake! It was really delicious."

Sanji winks at you, mischievousness dancing in his eyes. "I think you thanked me enough already."

"Oh, you are so vulgar..."

Your laugh follows him as Sanji quickly climbs down the tree, finally reaching the ground safe and sound; he looks up at you and waves, and you wave back, and "I'll be back soon; I promise." he says, and you nod as he starts walking away, and remain where you are until Sanji has disappeared, hidden in the murmuring darkness surrounding the villa.

[doomtrooper77]

The Responsibility of a Man's Boots

I had been at this off-the-beaten-trail truck stop for 10 hours. My last ride had let me out here since he was heading west, and I needed to head south. He wasn't a bad guy, but he was a bit timid for my liking. He gave me a ride, and I gave him a little something extra for the road. It was nothing like I was looking for, but it got me another 200 miles to my destination.

The day was overcast and starting to get cold. Some cold gray clouds moved in, and the wind picked up. I started thinking that I might not find a ride today when a big all-black 18-wheeler pulled in. It was black on black on black. It was one of those newer Peterbilt models but tricked out. Mat Black paint, with black-on-black flames that seem to shimmer in the light, black wheels, and black smokestacks. The custom trailer was the same.

The truck pulled into one of the parking lanes, the door opened, and the first thing I saw was this big boot step down out of the truck. It was followed by a massive shirtless man. FUCK, this guy was a monster. I watched as he closed the door and headed toward the truck stop store and restaurant. 6'5 built like a fucking Mac Truck! As he got closer I could see the Wrangler jeans fit him like they were painted on, he had no shirt on and was covered in tattoos. Big thick silver chain around his neck and a wide-brim black cowboy hat. The thing my eyes locked on was the big black cowboy boots. He had that power swagger in his walk that only those massive powerlifters had. Fuck, he was getting closer and closer. I need him to be my next ride. Even if it is going in the other direction!

When he approached, I was trying to figure out what to say. My mouth opened, and I said, "Sir." He stopped, and his eyes turned to me—clear grey like ice chips. They bore into mine. I wanted to ask what direction he was headed, to ask if I could hitch a ride. Hell, I wanted to know how big his bicep was. However, my mouth said, "Boot shine, Sir?"

His eyes stared at me for a few seconds, and then he looked me up and down. It was like he reviewed and cataloged me in those seconds. I was expecting him to tell me to fuck off, but instead, he said. "Go wait by my truck," and continued into the store. His tone was that of a man used to his words being followed. I got up on shaky legs; damn it, I was nervous and walked over to his truck. I actually had a nice shoeshine kit in my bag. When you've got a thing for boots and the men in them, you never know when you will need it.

Hilariously, I found myself standing by the side of his truck, back straight like I was in the army. Shaking my head, I tried to relax. This guy was just a ride. I lived on the road and met all kinds of people.

Ten minutes later, he came out of the store with a couple of big bags clasped in just one of his big hands. I watched as he power swaggered back to the truck. He didn't look at me and walked past and opened the door of his truck. My heart fell, thinking he would just get in and drive off. That he had been fucking with me. Suddenly, I was both angry and disappointed. I was about to say something when he closed the door and turned around to look at me. He was less than a couple feet away. My anger drained as his attention focused on me.

He gestured to the stairs leading up to his cab and said, "Sit." I found myself moving around him and sitting at his command. SHIT! There I sat, and he looked down at me. His massive frame blocked out a good chunk of the sky. We were both in shadow, and his eyes were even brighter. "Where's your kit?" he said. I just stared at him, and he repeated himself, his voice more forceful. "Where is your kit."

I can't believe it, but I actually said, "Huh?"

"Your shoe shine kit?" he asked. Blinking, I said, "Oh!" and grabbed my duffle. I found my kit. It was a good size. It was in a nice leather case with compartments. I had leather cleaners, saddle soaps, different kinds of polish, brushes, and polishing rags. I took out the items I needed and set them on the wide cab step next to me.

I then looked to see where he could place his boots for me to polish them. I was looking around when his boot kicked my knees apart, lifted his big booted foot, and planted it right in my crotch. The heel of his boot rested on the steel step, and that size 14 EEE boot pushed down on my cock, stomach, and the pointed tip of that big boot ended somewhere in the middle of my pecs.

I froze and was holding my breath. I wasn't expecting this, it was like some kind of perfect kinky dream. I was just staring at his boot and not moving. I felt him push down on my cock with the heel of the boot and the sole of it pressed down on my stomach and chest. I looked up at him, and he bent down to where the brim of his black cowboy hat was inches from my forehead.

He ran his tongue over his teeth and said, "I take my boots seriously, boy. I put on my boots when I wake up and take them off when I sleep. In that time between, I eat in 'em, work in 'em, fight in 'em, and fuck in 'em. " He said, his eyes hard as ice. He turned his head slightly and spit. He then turned back and, grinding his boots left and right, he continued, "These are one of my favorite pairs. They feel good and look good." They did look good. Black Snakeskin. The pattern was tight and even. "I've been on the road for 3 weeks now, and they do look like they could use a good shine. You were very observant to notice that and kind to offer to shine them for me." he paused for me. "But when you offer to shine a man's boot, you are responsible for doing a good job. I take that kind of responsibility very seriously. Do you understand what I am telling you, boy?"

His face was stern and grave. I nodded and said, "Yes, sir." Those eyes bore into mine for seconds and he finally nodded and said, "Then get to it, boy."

He stood back up, pulled a cigar case from his back pocket, took out a nice, big cigar, and lit it. I picked up my cleaning brush and started. I wasn't nervous about the job I was about to do. I knew how to service and respect a man's boots—this man's boots. He stood there with his massive arms crossed over his chest and watched me, not saying a word. Even as a couple of other truckers passed by and saw what was happening, they looked at me, then at him, and moved on.. This was not a man's whose business you fucked with. I was pretty sure one of the truckers looked at me with envy.

When I was finished with the first boot, and he took it off my crotch, my cock was so hard that the outline of it pushed my jeans up, and there was a wet spot from me leaking. It couldn't be missed. He didn't miss a beat; he lifted his other boot and roughly placed the heel on my hard cock, and rested his boot up my torso. A groan escaped my throat, and my body shivered. He heard it and saw me tremble in pleasure. He ground his boots left and right on my cock, and I could feel the precum leaking freely, and the wet spot grew. I repeated every step on his second boot. When I was done, they shined. Not that artificial shine, but one where the leather was nourished and treated as it should be.

I looked up at him and said, "Sir?"

He removed his boot from my crotch and set it back on the ground. The light reflected off the supple, polished leather. He looked down at his boot, turning them left and right. He turned and looked at me, cigar sticking in the corner of his mouth, a slow, thick stream of smoke wafted slow and thick from his lips.

"Pack your kit up, boy, and get in the cab," he said, moving toward the truck. I packed my kit and was in the truck. We were driving down the road before I knew it. He hadn't asked where I was going; he didn't care because he decided I was going with him. I didn't ask where we were going because I was going with him.

I smiled now, even as I sat on the floor of his leather closet, polishing my fourth set of his boots for the day. That was four years ago. I can still feel the sole of his boot on my crotch to my chest just thinking about it, and it never fails to make my jeans wet.

[wake-up-lieutenant]

mod tutorial: Connor's android hands

some info: the visibility of Connor's android hands is controlled by "invokes", which can affect textures and certain submeshes and when/if they appear. some other notable uses include Connor's open collar and lack of tie vs closed collar with tie, and bullet wounds and blood that appear dynamically.

Step 1: Accessing the Lua bytecode

you can do this by using the texture tool from deadray. in the tool, under "Catalog", search for Connor. you will see multiple entries, but "CONNOR_INT02" is the Connor's most frequently used game model, so i'll use that one as an example.

select CONNOR_INT02, and click "Enable Editing".

(explanation: the texture tool decompresses the model's data and appends the more easily edited data to one of the game files, .d26.)

once you've enabled editing on the model, open up the .d26 file from the Detroit: Become Human folder in a hex editor such as HxD or 010.

you will be greeted with something like this:

search for (Ctrl+F, case sensitive) the text "LuaQ". if you find this string near the text CONNOR_INT02, you're in the right place.

Step 2: Finding the invokes

once you scroll down a bit, you'll find a lot of strings that "HIDE" or "SHOW" things, or turn things "ON" or "OFF".

for Connor's android hands, we are looking for "Evt_RETRACT_SKINHAND_LEFT_OFF" and "Evt_RETRACT_SKINHAND_RIGHT_OFF". Change the bytes 46 46 (the FF in OFF) to 4E 00 (N and a null character, resulting in ON). Repeatedly turn all the instances of OFF to ON in each occurrence of the RETRACT_SKINHAND phrases until you reach the end (signaled by the text MESHDATA).

make sure you have a clean backup of .d26 and .idx for uninstallation. save the new .d26, and place it in the DBH folder after you've moved the old one to a different location like your desktop.

Step 3: Removing the synth skin

open the .idx file (located in the same folder as .d26) in your hex editor. search for the hex-values 00 00 08 B5 00 00 00 01 00 00 7B 88. change the following four bytes (which are 22 1A 40 00) to 99 99 99 99. save it and replace the unedited .idx, like with .d26.

Start up the game!

the method explained in steps 1 and 2 of opening a model catalog, editing OFF to ON or HIDE to SHOW can work with a lot of other stuff.

for example, you can make Connor's android hands glow:

or give him a lot of bullet wounds, like i did in this post.

you can also have Kara showing up in A New Home covered in blood. or have Markus be literally on fire during the entirety of Crossroads. the possibilities are endless.

happy modding!

[girlactionfigure]

🚨EXCLUSIVE NEW DETAILS ABOUT THE PAGERS - A THREAD:

Just when you thought it couldn't get crazier, Reuters released brand new details about Mossad's brilliant pager operation against Hezbollah in September. I will break down the most important parts and the exciting moments. 

Let's start with the construction of the pagers themselves. The explosive component, Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (otherwise known as PETN), did the most damage. Mossad technicians found a way to insert a very thin square sheet of PETN between two battery cells and a strip of highly flammable material to act as a detonator. This entire package was placed into a plastic sleeve, which was encapsulated in a metal case roughly the size of a matchbox. 

When the command was given, the flammable strip generated a spark to light the detonator and trigger the PETN to explode. The explosives took away some of the battery's power, which Hezbollah noticed when the battery would drain faster than expected. However, they never put two and two together and continued to use and issue the devices. 

The complexity of this construction is essential for one primary reason: without metal components like a standard detonator or wires, the explosive element was utterly undetectable by X-ray. Israel knew that upon receiving the pagers, Hezbollah would likely check them for tampering or explosives, which is precisely what happened. Using airport-style security scanners, Hezbollah did indeed check the pagers, but thanks to Mossad's ingenuity, the explosive was not detected. 

Now we get to the really interesting part, which is the lengths the Mossad went to create a cover story for their ruse. The PETN battery pack that Mossad constructed had a label on it: LI-BT783, and this was an issue because that specific battery did not exist. The Mossad started by creating a custom model for the entire pager, AR-924. They approached a renowned Taiwanese brand, Gold Apollo, to add it to their catalog. 

Hsu Ching-Kuang, the chairman of Gold Apollo, was approached by a former employee and her new boss named "Tom" to inquire about adding the model. Ching-Kuang said that while he wasn't impressed by the AR-924 when he saw it, he agreed to grant a license under the brand and add photos and a description of the product to his company's website, thus unknowingly establishing the legitimacy of the Mossad's pager. 

In September 2023, a website named came online with the AR-924 listed as a product. The site was tied to a Hong Kong-based company, Apollo Systems HK, of which no record exists today. In late 2023, two additional online states came online with the LI-BT783 battery listed in their product list, amongst other legitimate units.

Users in two online forums discussing batteries even made posts about the LI-BT783 and the AR-924, praising its "great performance" and ruggedness for field use. When Hezbollah searched for a new pager, their procurement manager chose the AR-924. The salesperson who brokered the deal offered a "very inexpensive proposition" and continued reducing the price until the Hezbollah manager agreed. 

In the wake of the explosions, Hezbollah launched an internal probe of what went wrong. However, the senior official leading the investigation, Nabil Kaouk, was himself killed in an Israeli strike just 11 days after the pagers went off. The internal investigation is supposedly still in progress... 

@JewishWarrior13

[oldschoolfrp]

Grenadier Models 1978 catalog, cover by Ray Rubin. This early catalog included the 25mm "Wizzards and Warriors" fantasy miniature range, the "Space Squadrons 2998" spaceships, and the 25mm "Starsoldiers" figures which were "inspired by G R Dickenson's Dorsai series, The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, and Starship Troopers by R A Heinlein."

Alongside the 25mm Western Gunfighters are a number of historical wargaming ranges that disappeared from later Grenadier catalogs -- 25mm Ancients (Sumerians, Egyptians, Republican Romans, Carthaginians, Imperial Romans, Gauls, Dacians, plus a gladiator set), 25mm English Civil War and Medieval Chivalry, and 15mm American Civil War.

[viharmons]

What would be ur recs/advice for those who wanna start dressing like violet? I started the show less than a week ago ( late to the party, I know lmao ) but I already love it and she really stands out to me as a character.

Ps: I think ur posts are so cool!!

thank you! better to be late than never come i guess. :,)

if you're looking into violet's style and just want to dress like her, i recommend doing research on all of her outfits. she dresses very grunge-like at times with a twinge of girly and boho style. a great example of this is her outfit in “home invasion”, where she wears a dress and a flannel paired together.

the way she wears dresses is slightly influenced by 90s style. in “home invasion”, violet asks the girls if the tights they're forcing her to wear are vintage. it's clear that violet loves vintage style clothing. this photo is from a 1996 delia’s fall catalog, which is similar to violet's clothing style.

model A is definitely wearing something violet would wear. as violet loves to pair short-sleeve dresses with long sleeves. she also often wears combat-style boots with dresses, or vintage-style ankle boots. she wears ballet flats a few times, giving her outfits a feminine look. she also does wear a few blouses. violet is more on the girly side when it comes to dressing up.

for shoes, violet wears a lot of boots and ballet flats. her most common boots worn are her urban outfitters ecoté equestrian ankle boot. she wears them with almost every outfit with leggings, tights, etc.. with most of her outfits, she does wear combat-style boots. a great example of this is her boots worn with her ymc dress and the boots worn with the joie cardigan. she does wear ballet flats a few times, once with the spending time pullover and once with her free people fit and flare burgundy skater dress. only once in the show she wears sneakers. she also wears black, lace up oxfords with her a.p.c dress, which are never worn again after that.

violet often wears patterned clothing. the most common pattern violet wears is floral. almost all of her dresses have floral prints. her tights also have floral patterns. she often wears paisley print tops as well, such as the free people regal macrame asymmetrical tunic and the paisley ruffle top worn underneath the banana republic striped cardigan. she likes stripes as well, her socks are striped as well as some of her cardigans and sweaters.

another thing to remember is that violet always layers her clothing. underneath sweaters, she always wears an undershirt. underneath dresses, she wears long sleeves, and so on. underneath tank tops, she often layers two long sleeves or rolls up the sleeves.

she most often covers up her body when wearing dresses. she always wears something underneath her dresses to avoid showing any cleavage. she always makes sure to wear long sleeves with dresses as well to hide her cuts. when wearing sleeveless dresses, violet will pair cardigans or long sleeves underneath a dress to avoid showing her arms. when wearing shorts and dresses, violet always wears tights or long socks. it's clear that violet doesn't like to show a lot of skin. when wearing tank tops or short sleeves, she always wears something underneath unless she's by herself or with tate. only a few times in the show violet shows some skin, but not very much.

violet also loves graphic t-shirts. she wears a few of them like the j. crew lake erie boating club henley, the custom-made kinks tee, and the nordstrom chloe k. multicolored feather print tee. when wearing these, she always wears a long sleeve top underneath. as for long sleeves, violet likes to wear burnouts, such as the free people floral burnout henley and the free people striped long sleeve burnout in sand.

as for color, her outfits are never really vibrant. most of the time they include colors with dark hues. she wears a lot of black, purple, burgundy, gray, and beige from what i've seen. most of her outfits consist of muted color schemes.

for accessories, violet wears a lot of hats and bracelets. she wears the urban outfitters bailey of hollywood cosgrove wide brim pork pie hat a couple times. she also wears a lot of knit beanies or berets. when wearing bracelets, she really just wears whatever, such as pearl bracelets, knot bracelets, hair ties, and so on. she likes to wear scarves too, and she wears a small wrist scarf around her wrist a few times. with every outfit, violet wears silver hoop earrings, which aren't too noticeable unless she pulls her hair back. she also includes different bags, such as her rothco book bag and her ecoté backpack.

another thing about her style is that she often wears a lot of free people and urban outfitters brands, such as pins and needles, staring at stars, bdg, ecoté, and so on. free people is a mainly boho style clothing brand, and violet does wear a lot of boho style clothing as well. once in the show, she does wear a crochet white beanie, which stems from the whole 2010s boho style.

she wears crochet tank tops, paisley patterns, floral patterns, macrame vests and tank tops, ponchos, crochet dresses, lace tops and dresses, fringe cardigans and bags, the list goes on. her style overall is a mix of 2010’s boho, grunge, and vintage style clothing.

if you're looking to actually collect exacts, then before you start collecting, i would recommend doing your research on violet's outfits so you don't get the wrong exact. i've seen people buy the wrong colorway of the trapeze slip dress, so you should probably do your research first.

to start collecting violet’s clothes, you may want to start with some common items. such as the items listed down below. do keep in mind, as the years go on, the availability of some exacts are getting more and more limited as they age, so get these while you can.

• free people intimately voile and lace trapeze slip dress in storm.

• anthropologie moulinette soeurs anthro horkelia shift dress in orange.

• free people fit and flare burgundy skater dress.

• free people lost in the forest knit pullover in tan/faded rose.

• free people spending time pullover in ivory/cream.

these items are almost always available, these are some casual staples in your collection that really capture violet's unique style. new collectors usually get these anyway because if and when any rarer items are on sale, older collectors usually strive to get those because they've probably been looking for them for a while. as you slowly start to build your collection up, you can start to buy rarer exacts.

i recommend searching for items on other apps such as mercari, poshmark, vinted, curtsy, and ebay. if you search hard enough, you can find these items for really cheap. you can type in the brand name of an item you're looking for with a vague description of it, just like this. you can even use image searches on poshmark and ebay if you want.

you can find really cheap exacts this way, but if you can't find anything, then don't be discouraged. mapleavenues has been selling exacts since the early 2010s, and she still does to this day. she's on depop, poshmark, and ebay. however, her prices are high, so if you're not willing to pay that much, then you may wanna start searching with this method.

this is pretty much all i have to say about dressing like violet. this was a bit rushed, but i tried! violet's style is so unique and it always surprises me. so don't be afraid to change up your outfits every now and then like violet does. hopefully i explained this well enough, but violet's style doesn't have a main theme, so it is very, very complex and hard to explain. :,) hopefully this helps.

[wutheringheightsfilm]

interview with the vampire art history lesson part 2:

Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, Francis Bacon, c. 1944. Held at the Tate Britain in London. Here is its catalog listing.

So! This is the painting that has been on the wall of Louis and Armand's apartment, and that Season 2 makes a point to emphasize that they're selling. Full disclosure, modern British art history is not my forte, but I have covered this in a British art history survey class, and this is arguably one of Bacon's most famous works, so there's a lot of literature you can find on this. Let's discuss!!!

Now, one claim that you can try to make here about the relationship of this painting with Armand specifically is that Armand is now connected to two 'Christian' artworks (see my post on The Adoration of the Shepherds with a Donor here): one that marks the beginning of Christ's (semi)mortal life, and one that marks the end of it, which is definitely interesting, but the thing is with this Three Studies piece is that Francis Bacon put a lot of emphasis on the fact that this is a crucifixion, not the Crucifixion. Francis Bacon was an atheist, however, a lot of his work does revolve around either critiquing or dealing with Christianity (this is not his only work to reference/allude to or show the Crucifixion, as well as his other very famous work, Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X). It was a very nuanced, complex topic for him that is way beyond the scope of this post.

Interestingly, though, Bacon has made a point to say that "faith is a fantasy" [1]----which is definitely something interesting in relation to Armand...

What Three Studies is definitely associated with, though, is World War II and Greek tragedy.

The catalog entry from the Tate spends a while discussing the process of this painting, and how Bacon may have drawn from his various experiences during World War II (he was in the ARP during the London Blitz), as well as other works made around this time (namely, Figure Getting Out of a Car and Man in a Cap) referencing various Nazi imagery that Bacon had seen impacting his process for creating this triptych. Various scholars have cited Bacon as interested in the dynamics of power and violence, and the imagery of the triptych can be interpreted as either the perpetrator and/or the victim [2]. Bacon has also confirmed that this painting references the Eumenides (the Furies who are responsible for enacting revenge in Greek mythology) [3 + 4].

Now that we've covered the very basics of this work, let's discuss how this might relate to Louis and Armand. This work being present in the show has raised some interesting points for me, and some questions:

The show makes a point of emphasizing that they're selling this work. Since this work is so closely related to World War II, and Louis and Armand are currently trying to relay their experiences during World War II, is the selling of it symbolic of either 1) 'selling' their story to Daniel or 2) finally closing out that chapter in their lives?

It is interesting that in their apartment, there is only modern and post-modern artwork and architecture. I wonder how deeply this ties to Armand's trauma, since he himself was modeled (whitewashed as he was) in Late Renaissance/Mannerism artwork from the 1500s. How much of that experience drives his taste in art?

Bacon's juxtaposition and struggle with violence, power, and the dynamic of the perpetrator/victim is extremely interesting... the thoughts are still cooking about this one.

What do u guys think.... i've been microwaving this in my head all day along with the other painting!

Works Cited + Referenced:

[1] D. Farson, The Gilded Gutter Life of Francis Bacon, London, 1994, p. 134. [Taken from this JSTOR article, further cited below] [2] Referencing the catalogue here, which cites: Ziva Amishai-Maissels, Depiction and Interpretation: The Influence of the Holocaust on the Visual Arts, Oxford, New York, Seoul and Tokyo 1993, pp.189-90, 225-6, 354. [3] M[ichael] C[ompton], letter to Francis Bacon, 6 Jan. 1959, Tate Gallery cataloguing files. [4] Francis Bacon, letter to Tate Gallery, [9 Jan. 1959], Tate Gallery cataloguing files. [5] Arya, Rina. “The Primal Cry of Horror: The A-Theology of Francis Bacon.” Artibus et Historiae 32, no. 63 (2011): 275–83. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41479747.

[bananaofswifts]

01 - Taylor Swift

No one in the music industry wielded more power over the past year than Taylor Swift, who made history at stadiums, movie theaters and on the Billboard charts, leaving even the most seasoned executives speechless. While they’d long celebrated her staggering popularity as a singer, songwriter and performer, her force as a strategic business leader suddenly came into sharper focus — and industry veterans took notes as they watched some of her bravest and most innovative business risks reap remarkable rewards.

At 34, she is one of the music industry’s most charismatic and influential leaders — and she rewrites the rules.

“The piece of advice I would give to the other executives on this list is that the best ideas are usually ones without industry precedent,” Swift tells Billboard. “The biggest crossroads moments of my career came down to sticking to my instincts when my ideas were looked at with skepticism. When someone says to me, ‘But that has never been done successfully before,’ it fires me up. We have to take strategic risks every day in this industry, but every once in a while, you have to really trust your gut and take a flying leap. My rerecordings are my favorite example of this, and I’m extremely grateful to my team and fans for taking that leap with me because it absolutely changed my life.”

Sage advice for an industry in which instinct has largely been supplanted by metrics and data analysis.

In December, Time named Swift its 2023 Person of the Year. In September, after encouraging her 279 million Instagram followers to vote and linking to vote.org, the nonpartisan nonprofit said it received over 35,000 registrations. She appears on the cover of this issue of Billboard and in the No. 1 spot of our annual Power 100 issue because her force across the business of music is now unparalleled — and because she models commitment to innovation that the rest of the business will need in order to tackle the big challenges ahead.

Swift’s gambles have paid off handsomely over the past year.

Her massive The Eras stadium tour, which began in March after she controversially put all the tickets on sale at once, crashing Ticketmaster and sparking mass hysteria, grossed an estimated $906.1 million in 2023 and is poised to become the highest-grossing global tour of all time before it wraps in December, according to Billboard.

The Golden Globe-nominated Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film, taped during her six-show run at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., in August, has grossed over $261.6 million worldwide since its October opening, according to AMC Theatres Entertainment. In January, the publicly traded movie-house chain announced that the film’s box-office take made it the highest-grossing concert/documentary picture ever released, surpassing Michael Jackson’s 2009 This Is It. Once again blazing a new path, Swift made a groundbreaking distribution deal directly with AMC Theaters instead of linking with a film studio.

Swift has shaken up the catalog market, too. When Scooter Braun infuriated her by acquiring the master recordings of her first six albums through his Ithaca Holdings and then sold them to investment firm Shamrock Capital at a profit, Swift rerecorded the albums with loving precision and added bonus tracks to the new releases. They performed phenomenally well, as she deftly used her tour to promote them. When her latest rerecording (and 14th studio album overall), 1989 (Taylor’s Version), spent its fifth week at atop the Billboard 200 at the end of 2023, Swift beat Elvis Presley’s record for the most weeks at No. 1 by a solo artist. Her industry market share last year was 1.72%. If she were her own genre, she’d rank ninth for 2023 — bigger than jazz.

“She’s the smartest artist I’ve ever worked with,” says Messina Touring Group’s Louis Messina, who promotes Swift’s tours and has worked with her since 2005. “She outworks everybody and she has always had this vision. If you’re around her, you can’t help but believe in her.” —Melinda Newman

[valleydoll]

The new Bild Lilli book has arrived from Switzerland and features amazing pictures of the original Bild Lilli fashions, modeled on Peter Isler’s amazing collection of Bild Lilli dolls (including some ultra rare brunette and redhead Lilli’s).

The cover mimics the original Bild Lilli fashion catalog from the 1950s:

And the back cover features an old advertisement suggesting a gentleman could get a Bild Lilli doll as a cute gift for a loved one:

I’ll only post a couple of pictures from inside, the one below shows a couple of the brunette Lilli dolls:

And of course the tennis outfit:

And my gorgeous Lilli’s getting ready to browse the book:

For anyone interested the book can be purchased at www.lilli-book.com directly from the author/owner of all the beautiful dolls inside.

[achronalart]

It's my birth month, so as a fashion history treat, here's the cover of a 1928 wholesale catalog from I. Arbus & Sons, New York, who I think were connected to the famous photographer Diane Arbus, who would have been five years old when this catalogue came out.

The catalog is 24 pages, sepia-toned black-and-white, of various styles of dresses fashionable in summer 1928, 14 by 21 cm (5.5 x 8 inches). Many of the fashion illustrations appear to be photographs, but the dresses the models are wearing are either painted on or very heavily retouched. There are a few purely painted illustrations.

I'm going to see about loading up more pages this month. Meanwhile, here's a start.

[chic-a-gigot]

Le Petit écho de la mode, no. 8, vol. 23, 24 février 1901, Paris. 1. Toilettes d'intérieur. (Création des Magasins du Bon-Marché, rue du Bac, rayon spécial des Peignoirs et Robes d'intérieur.) Toilette de bal (Modèle de Mlle Thirion, 47, boulevard Saint-Michel, Paris, Mme Audigier, successeur.) Ville de Paris / Bibliothèque Forney

(I.) Robe d’intérieur en zenana ornée d’applications en drop brodé et volants de mousseline de soie.

(II.) Robe en zenana ornée d’applications de mousseline de soie et de guipure; pli Watteau garni de petits rubans comète de velours noir.

(III.) Toilette de bal (Modèle de Mme Audigier, 47, boulevard St-Michel, Paris). Cette ravissante toilette de jeune femme est en tulle point d’esprit à pois en relief. La jupe ronde, plissée à plis lingerie, est garnie de neuf petits volants bordés de comète de satin blanc. De mignons bouquets de roses en mousseline de soie sont semés en application entre les plis lingerie. Le corsage, décolleté en rond, froncé légèrement, est garni d’une berthe brodée en paillettes nacrées; à gauche, chou de tulle blanc et nœud Louis XVI en velours.

(IV.) Robe en satin antique broché ornée d’un col modern style et d’une cascade de mousseline de soie coupée par des entre-deux de Valenciennes.

(V.) Robe Empire en satin Bengale plissée du haut à plis lingerie, recouverte par un boléro en velours miroir corail entouré de guipure.

Envoi du catalogue des peignoirs sur demande affranchie.

—

(I.) Zenana house dress decorated with embroidered drop applications and silk chiffon ruffles.

(II.) Zenana dress decorated with silk chiffon and guipure applications; Watteau pleat trimmed with small comet ribbons of black velvet.

(III.) Ball gown (Model of Mme Audigier, 47, boulevard St-Michel, Paris). This lovely young woman's ensemble is made from point d'esprit tulle with polka dots in relief. The round skirt, pleated with lingerie pleats, is trimmed with nine small ruffles edged with white satin comets. Cute bouquets of chiffon roses are strewn between the lingerie folds. The bodice, round neckline, slightly gathered, is trimmed with a berthe embroidered in pearly sequins; on the left, white tulle and Louis XVI velvet bow.

(IV.) Dress in antique brocade satin adorned with a modern style collar and a cascade of silk muslin cut with Valenciennes interlaces.

(V.) Empire dress in Bengal satin pleated from the lingerie pleated top, covered by a coral mirror velvet bolero surrounded by guipure.

Sending the bathrobe catalog on request, prepaid.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Simulated universe previews panoramas from NASA's Roman Telescope

Astronomers have released a set of more than a million simulated images showcasing the cosmos as NASA's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will see it. This preview will help scientists explore Roman's myriad science goals.

"We used a supercomputer to create a synthetic universe and simulated billions of years of evolution, tracing every photon's path all the way from each cosmic object to Roman's detectors," said Michael Troxel, an associate professor of physics at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, who led the simulation campaign. "This is the largest, deepest, most realistic synthetic survey of a mock universe available today."

The project, called OpenUniverse, relied on the now-retired Theta supercomputer at the DOE's (Department of Energy's) Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. In just nine days, the supercomputer accomplished a process that would take over 6,000 years on a typical computer.

In addition to Roman, the 400-terabyte dataset will also preview observations from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, and approximate simulations from ESA's (the European Space Agency's) Euclid mission, which has NASA contributions. The Roman data is available now here, and the Rubin and Euclid data will soon follow.

The team used the most sophisticated modeling of the universe's underlying physics available and fed in information from existing galaxy catalogs and the performance of the telescopes' instruments. The resulting simulated images span 70 square degrees, equivalent to an area of sky covered by more than 300 full moons. In addition to covering a broad area, it also covers a large span of time—more than 12 billion years.

The project's immense space-time coverage shows scientists how the telescopes will help them explore some of the biggest cosmic mysteries. They will be able to study how dark energy (the mysterious force thought to be accelerating the universe's expansion) and dark matter (invisible matter, seen only through its gravitational influence on regular matter) shape the cosmos and affect its fate.

Scientists will get closer to understanding dark matter by studying its gravitational effects on visible matter. By studying the simulation's 100 million synthetic galaxies, they will see how galaxies and galaxy clusters evolved over eons.

Repeated mock observations of a particular slice of the universe enabled the team to stitch together movies that unveil exploding stars crackling across the synthetic cosmos like fireworks. These starbursts allow scientists to map the expansion of the simulated universe.

Scientists are now using OpenUniverse data as a testbed for creating an alert system to notify astronomers when Roman sees such phenomena. The system will flag these events and track the light they generate so astronomers can study them.

That's critical because Roman will send back far too much data for scientists to comb through themselves. Teams are developing machine-learning algorithms to determine how best to filter through all the data to find and differentiate cosmic phenomena, like various types of exploding stars.

"Most of the difficulty is in figuring out whether what you saw was a special type of supernova that we can use to map how the universe is expanding, or something that is almost identical but useless for that goal," said Alina Kiessling, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California and the principal investigator of OpenUniverse.

While Euclid is already actively scanning the cosmos, Rubin is set to begin operations late this year and Roman will launch by May 2027. Scientists can use the synthetic images to plan the upcoming telescopes' observations and prepare to handle their data. This prep time is crucial because of the flood of data these telescopes will provide.

In terms of data volume, "Roman is going to blow away everything that's been done from space in infrared and optical wavelengths before," Troxel said. "For one of Roman's surveys, it will take less than a year to do observations that would take the Hubble or James Webb space telescopes around a thousand years. The sheer number of objects Roman will sharply image will be transformative."

"We can expect an incredible array of exciting, potentially Nobel Prize-winning science to stem from Roman's observations," Kiessling said. "The mission will do things like unveil how the universe expanded over time, make 3D maps of galaxies and galaxy clusters, reveal new details about star formation and evolution—all things we simulated. So now we get to practice on the synthetic data so we can get right to the science when real observations begin."

Astronomers will continue using the simulations after Roman launches for a cosmic game of spot the differences. Comparing real observations with synthetic ones will help scientists see how accurately their simulation predicts reality. Any discrepancies could hint at different physics at play in the universe than expected.

"If we see something that doesn't quite agree with the standard model of cosmology, it will be extremely important to confirm that we're really seeing new physics and not just misunderstanding something in the data," said Katrin Heitmann, a cosmologist and deputy director of Argonne's High Energy Physics division who managed the project's supercomputer time. "Simulations are super useful for figuring that out."

TOP IMAGE: Each tiny dot in the image at left is a galaxy simulated by the OpenUniverse campaign. The one-square-degree image offers a small window into the full simulation area, which is about 70 square degrees (equivalent to an area of sky covered by more than 300 full moons), while the inset at right is a close-up of an area 75 times smaller (1/600th the size of the full area). This simulation showcases the cosmos as NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope could see it. Roman will expand on the largest space-based galaxy survey like it—the Hubble Space Telescope's COSMOS survey—which imaged two square degrees of sky over the course of 42 days. In only 250 days, Roman will view more than a thousand times more of the sky with the same resolution. Credit: NASA