#could spin his upper body 360 degrees)

[florshedworf]

how the fuck did it take me this long to realize that thunders torso works not like a solid but more like a slinky.

[niuniente]

Anon who asked me 3 strangest (paranormal) thing ever happened to me

I’m sorry, I completely forgot that I made a promise to answer them when it’s not like 3am. But here you go now. Thanks for the ask back then, I guess it’s been 2 or 3 week already (sob, I’m sorry).

I’m actually going to tell 4 as a compensation. 

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Uninvited Sleepover Guest

This happened perhaps 7 years ago. I had a wide bed, wide enough for two people. I need lots of space as I toss and turn and spread like a starfish to every direction when I sleep.

I woke up and I noticed I was sleeping on my right side just at the edge of the bed. Very strange as I always sleep on my back, tangled with 8 pillows and 1-3 blankets. When I got my eyes open and realized my unnatural sleeping position, I felt how the mattress moved behind me. The same way as when someone gets up and leaves the bed.  A big person, a grown up.

“Good, now it left!” I thought myself and turned around to spread all over the bed, and I fell asleep happy that I could sleep freely again. Apparently I had slept at the edge of the bed some time already and felt sore.

It wasn’t until morning when I woke up and remembered this and went “...WAIT WHAT, WHO OR WHAT WAS SLEEPING IN MY BED WITH ME?!”

I still don’t know was it something to be called what or who, because in Finnish we have 1 gender pronoun “hän” but yet everyone is simply called “se”: it. I’m it, you are it, he is it, she is it, they are it, god is it, president is it, God is it.... 

I don’t know either why it was on my bed. This has never happened before or after that.

Countess of Brune

This happened when I was 19 or 20. It’s a long story so I tell a short version of it.

I had vision while sleeping (not a dream). I met my inner child, who told me that I had been countess Brüne in 17th century. So in 16-something-something. I also saw a short vision of that life time. 

After waking up, I had a feeling that Brüne was a German surname (so not a name of a place of a manor), and it’s written either with U or Ü. I had never heard that word before, so I wanted to research it. Back then I didn’t have good internet access. I could use my landlord’s computer and internet but only for a few minutes. I found only a short mentioning that Brune was a medieval German surname. 

Fast forward to year 2019. By that time I had visited Berlin many times and wanted to start German studies, as I had fallen in love with the language. I visited nearby second hand shop and there were - first time ever - books in German, meant for teenagers. I thought I will buy one as it’s only 1 euro. It will help me with upcoming German studies. 

I opened the book and saw the name of the previous owner:

Markus Brune. 

The first evidence ever that Brune is a German surname. I told about this in a post here  and also here . German followers told me that Brune and Brüne are indeed surnames in Germany. I did some research and found out:

- Brune/Brüne is a medieval surname which later rose to be a noble German family line. - Napoleon had an officer in his army called Brune (in 1804). He was a count.

So, Brune is a German noble family line that has counts and countesses in it.

Perhaps in some gallery or in old German manor there’s a painting of me or my husband count Brune there. I’m sure I could dig out more information if I had fluent understanding of German and money to travel freely around Germany for research.

The Shadow Creature

This happened more than 10 years ago. I woke up not feeling well and by the time I was walking to catch my bus to school I decided to skip this day. I went back home and back to bed. 

As I was laying on the bed I heard noise coming from the hallway. I listened it and suddenly I hear my door being opened. It’s 7am, dark winter morning. First I thought it might be my landlord but why would he come in? He has never even seen me. Then I thought it must be my mother! Perhaps she’s heading shopping to a big city and wants to see if I want to go along!

I turn on my back. My front door is behind a corner next to my bed. I see how a really tall shadow figure with no facial features sneaks in, half-crouching, behind the corner. I think it’s mom and I try to say that she can turn on the lights as I’m awake.

But I can’t speak.

The tall figure notices me. It’s skinny and it has got really long limbs.  It comes very slowly to my side and bends down, just in front of my face. It curiously looks at my face tilting its head (it has no face, it’s just a shadow). It’s just a few inches away from my face when I finally manage to make “HMMH”-sound. It spooks and disappears hastily, and I get my eyes open.

I’m laying on my bed like “....Okay, that definitely wasn’t mom.”

I have seen the same figure once after that. Both of my siblings have seen it, too, in different locations. It seems to be a “race” of its own. They are harmless, curious and very shy, running away as soon as someone spots them. I heard they are curious about people who have sunny, happy energy. 

I have seen one photo taken from an American man’s basement, which featured the creature. We saw the photo together with my sister and we just looked at one another and went “That’s it! That’s the Shadow Thing! I can’t believe someone has photographed it!”

Here’s the photo:

Out of Body Experience (OBE)

I had this when I was 19 or 20, in November. It’s very remarkable and long, close to near-death experiences people have. I will tell only a short version here.

I was laying on the floor on a mattress on my stomach. Suddenly I felt like someone would have been yanking my legs upward. I thought it’s not physically possible, knees can’t bend like that. On 3rd yank, I sprung out of my body.

I ended up in a place of nothing. Just darkness and not even darkness, because nothing existed there; not even the darkness. No direction, sound, temperature, weight.... Nothing. I heard later that this is the space between physical and death realm but I didn’t know where I was. 

“Oh fuck, I’m out of my body!” I said to myself. I could feel that my body is somewhere really far away, like on the other side of the globe. I had no idea how I can get back.

I had learned about angels as guardian spirits so I yelled them to help me. Two gigantic(!) angel men, one with blond hair and one with brown, came to me immediately. Brown haired guy took my left hand, blond my right. Suddenly I was out, in a summer scenery and I was watching myself from 3rd person perspective. I had 360 degree vision with no limitation, which I had never heard (I heard about it from NDE-person when I was 30. She had experienced the same. Until that I thought I had imagined it). 

I thought that I what if my hand slips? If it slips, will I be yanked somewhere horrible again? The blond angel heard my thoughts and said to me; “Don’t worry; I can carry you.”

Then we were back in the dark nothingness with him and he was holding me in his arms. He was so huge I fitted his upper arms and my hands didn’t reach even near around his neck. He was probably 5-6 meters/ 16.5 - 20f tall.  I was boggled that he was so kind and concerned of me. I managed to say my thanks and tell him that I’m really scared and would like to go back home.

“I’ll take you there,” he said.

I saw my body and my vision was spinning as I came back. I felt how I was placed gently within my body. I could see cupboards and the whole room, even when my eyes were closed. When I was placed back to my body, the angel said “Ok. Now you can start to gently wake up”.

My eyes shot open but my vision didn’t change, as I had already seen the room with eyes closed.

I was so afraid it would happen again I didn’t dare to go to sleep for hours. I later learned that the blond angel is my guardian angel.

[creativerogues]

Swordmanship: Describing How You Swing a Sword...

Swordsmanship is the art of attacking and defending with a sword, but there are MANY ways to describe just how you swing a sword, or parry a deadly blow, or how you stab and slice up a bad guy real good.

So here’s a few ideas and examples from real life fighting styles that you could use in your game, hope you enjoy!

As a note: This is in response to an earlier post I made about how to encourage spellcasters to act out how they cast their spells, so take a look at that too if your more sorcery than swordsmanship...

Fencing Moves (and/or Swashbuckling)

Offensive Moves

The lunge is the most basic move, and involves attacking the opponent by taking a step forward in a striking form.

The feint is a move in which you provoke the opponent into lunging or making a mistake, so you can attack first.

An attack is a thrusting attack made by extending the front leg, and propelling the body forward with the back leg.

A disengage is a move used to trick the opponent by attacking a specific target, and moving in a semi-circle arc to attack a different area. 

It is commonly countered with a circle-parry. 

A remise is a second attack after the first has been parried or deflected.

A flick is a technique used to bend the blade so as to strike the opponent.

A beat Attack aims to beat the opponent's blade continuously, and attack the target area with the intention of disturbing the opponent's aim.

Perhaps describe how you use your first attack to beat the blade of an enemy’s sword to disturb their aim, or how you bend the blade around the enemy archer’s arm to cut the string of their bow, rendering their main weapon useless...

Defensive Moves

A riposte is counterattack made by the defender after a lunge. The defender either strikes back using a lunge or a parry.

A parry is a counterattack to lunge, and lets you block the attacker with his sword. In this manner, the attacker is pushed back, and the defender retains his position.

A circle parry is a move in which the sword is bent in a circular manner to catch the tip of the attacker's sword and deflect it.

Maybe describe how an attacker’s blade misses you as you catch the tip of their blade with your sword and quickly deflect it away, or perhaps describe how you push back an attacker after parrying their strike.

Sword and Shield Fighting (AKA Broadsword Fighting)

This is a style of fighting with a broadsword and shield. Most of the moves are based on stances and quick sword attacks.

The feet should always be at a 30-degree angle, while the hips are cocked slightly to give support to the shield.

The sword should be held in the hand that corresponds to the trailing foot, and should be kept with the blade edge down.

Mobility is a good strategy to employ. Shift your weight in such a way that it's concentrated on the balls of your feet, which gives you the advantage to move to either side at a moment's notice.

So if your character is high mobility or dexterity and wields a sword and shield, maybe take a look at some of these techniques to employ in your game. 

After all, your character has probably been trained in certain fighting styles anyhow...

So if you’re trained in something like the ‘Protection’ Fighting Style, or you’re proficient in shield, then maybe take a deeper look at this style of fighting.

Japanese Sword Fighting (Dueling & Two-Weapon Fighting)

Japanese sword fighting focuses on one-on-one fights, so if you’re playing a Rogue or a Swashbuckler or something similar, this is probably for you...

Japanese Sword Fighting Moves

The most basic move is the forward slicing cut, that begins from the overhead position until it makes contact with the opponent's shoulder or head.

The swing is executed by positioning the sword behind you, and making an arc to cut your opponent.

While practicing kenjutsu or kendo, the harai waza technique is used to flip the opponent's shinai (wooden sword) with your own, and then strike them.

The maki waza technique of Japanese sword fighting, involves connecting the shinai with that of your opponent's, and spinning the shinai in a 360-degree angle.

The basic strikes in kendo are do-uchi (a strike to the body), mein-uchi (a strike to the wrist), and kote-uchi (a strike to the wrist to disarm the opponent).

So when wishing to describe how you disarm an opponent, describe how you slice and cut at their wrist until the are forced to drop their weapon...

A quick-draw move of iaido is the nukitsuke, which involves drawing the blade to cut and place the sword back in its scabbard.

Longsword Fighting

Fighting with a sword that can be both two-handed and one-handed is a very difficult technique, but the attack moves are similar to fencing, with various thrusts, parrys, and strikes. The basic defense moves involve blocking and stepping.

Stepping

If your back foot passes your front foot in a passing step, it's a burst.

If your front foot passes your back foot in a passing step, it's a lunge.

Stances

The ox ward is a stance done by putting the left foot forward, and the sword held close to your face and aimed towards the upper regions of the opponent's body.

The plow ward is a stance done by putting the right foot forward, and placing the sword near the knees, with the blade aimed at the opponent's chest.

The fool ward is executed by beginning in a left foot forward stance, with the sword aimed towards the ground in front of the left foot.

Attack Moves

The high blow is a vertical blow against the opponent's head.

The wrath blow is executed by swinging the sword from above, and diagonally aimed towards the opponent's ear.

Perhaps deafen a creature by literally cutting off an ear with a sword blow?

The middle blow is executed horizontally, either from left to right or right to left.

A low blow is executed by swinging the sword from below, and aimed towards the opponent's arms.

The overhead thrust is a move in which you jab the opponent with the sword, single-handedly.

There are four types of slashes when fighting with a longsword - the Oberhau, Unterhau, Zornhau, and Mittelhau. 

Oberhau is an upper strike launched from above. 

Zornhau is a diagonal upper body strike launched from above. 

Mittelhau is a middle strike launched from either side. 

Unterhau is a strike aimed from below.

Defense Moves

Voiding is a defensive move used to step either forward, backward, or sideways, out of the sword's attack range. Voiding a slash involves the same concept as voiding a thrust, with the added element of the arc of attack instead of the line of attack. Uppercuts are voided by dropping the blade to your side.

Using sword-fighting techniques in your game...

So, it sounds like a bunch of gibberish about swords right? What can you use in your game?

Well any Battle Master Fighter is definitely gonna find these useful, as the Battle Master Maneuvers definitely reflect these types of sword-fighting.

And a Bard or Rogue or even just a Fighter with a rapier is gonna find the fencing moves quite fun to act out, as you describe how you effortlessly catch the tip of the enemy’s blade with your sword and quickly deflect it away, before performing your own counterattack while talking smack about their mama.

Anyone fighting with a Sword & Shield can use the Broadsword Fighting style to add a bit of narrative flair to their character, describing how they hold their shield and how they always have their sword blade down...

And the Broadsword Fighting style is also cool for the more speedy people in the group, whether it be physical speed through things like a high base speed or the mobile feat, to things like teleporting around the battlefield.

And even monks could describe how they manage to shift the weight of their body in one fluid motion just fast enough to not only avoid that incoming arrow, but pluck it out of the sky like a grape from a vine...

The stances of longsword fighting are probably the coolest flare to add to your fighter or rogue or monk or whatever, and it allows a player to almost perfectly describe how their character sets themselves up for the next fight.

So, there’s some cool stuff that you could use in your game to describe how your character swings their sword!

Maybe I’ll do more posts about other weapons, like describing how you shoot an arrow from a bow or crossbow, or how you swing an axe or quarterstaff, or maybe just a whole posts for monks about how to describe punching a bad guy for the 1,500th time...

If you have any suggestions for the kind of posts you want to see in the future, leave a comment or reblog with your thoughts!

[psychopersonified]

Can your AI do this?

Post Are we ever going to talk about this? and Where was the wooing? (AO3)

Highly recommended to read the series first to get emotionally invested in their story arc. This short piece will feel a lot more satisfying once you know their backstory. But you can still read this as a stand alone.

Q-Branch gets a pet (for science! purposes). Bond tests a new vehicle, and Q gets thoroughly... well you know 😉.

Tags: *Ahem* Fun-times content (be responsible), newly established relationship, humour, fluff with feeling, banter.

-------------------------------

SIS Building - Q-Branch

The little bug eyed bright yellow creature stares up at him from inside its glass terrarium. From that angle, it looks like its smiling up at them.

Q closes the cover after replacing the water dish, “We’re studying its movements and ability to adhere to surfaces. With all the sensitives around drone use and anti-drone capabilities these days, we’re thinking a robot that is a little more discrete would be more effective. Something small, quiet, that won’t trigger existing alarm systems and a much longer battery life. Potentially it might not even need to enter the premises, it could make its way up the side walls and observe from outside.“

“You’re just using that as an excuse to keep something cute.“ The creature raises itself on all fours, head head high, staring at Bond curiously.

“Well I’m not denying it’s good for morale as well.” Q waves his fingers at the creature and it responds by licking an eye with a pink tongue.

“Not mine. I’ve seen your little machine learning side project. You’re working on replacing me with an AI, and a robot gecko. So much for job security.”

“Oh don’t worry. Not until we can fit a miniaturised poison dart gun to the robot, we’ll still need you around.”

“Thanks,” Bond huffs, mildly put out. “So is there anything I can do for you at the moment? Or have you called me here just to insult me?”

Q isn’t fooled, he knew Bond was looking for any excuse to cut short his meeting with M and 009. Agent 007 has a low tolerance threshold for bureaucratic meetings; once past the hour mark, his attention span wanes significantly and he becomes disruptive.

Q smiles at him, “Believe it or not, I’ve actually called you here for legitimate reasons. This way please 007.”

——

London River Thames

They’re standing on the dock under the SIS building. Bobbing in the water attached to a boat is what can only be described as a watercraft bearing an uncanny resemblance to a dolphin.

“It’s a modified Seabreacher; we’ve enhanced its submersible capabilities up to 15 ft and of course added a light weapons system. We’ve also given it an electric motor for low speed stealth mode.”

Bond turns him, expression hopeful. Q has to quickly clarify, “Before you get excited, it’s not assigned to you. But I do need a test pilot today.”

Bond exhales; a put upon sigh. As if he wasn’t internally itching to get into the machine. Q waits for him to change into something more comfortable. When Bond returns, he is in a black turtleneck that showcases the muscles of his upper body to great effect. His holster worn over it and he has driving gloves on. He looks every bit the rouge he’s accused of being.

Q nearly looses his tablet stylus to the Thames when it drops out of his distracted hand and rolls perilously close to a gap between the planks of the dock. He saves it by stepping on it quickly.

They tow the Seabreacher a short distance upriver, somewhere between Battersea Bridge and Chelsea Bridge where river traffic is a little less busy. Bond has an excellent time testing out the craft, quickly getting the hang of barrel rolls, executing spin stops and 90 degree surface breaches and finally, porpoising through the water mimicking the movements of real dolphins. The stealth submersible mode works excellent too, but the Thames has disappointingly poor visibility so there’s not much to see. However it gives them a chance to try the newly installed underwater sonar navigation system. Pity they didn’t get to test the weapons system - the London City Council and the London Port Authority wasn’t too keen on allowing that.

All this acrobatic splashing about draws a crowd among the park visitors on both sides of the river and from the few boathouses docked on the northside of the bank. When the test ends, Bond pulls the craft up along side the waiting boat. He exits the cockpit to a smattering of appreciative applause from a passing tour boat - Americans on holiday likely. Native Londoners are unlikely to be this emotive. Bond smirks and gives them a curt wave.

He’s in such a good mood that once he’s jumped on board the tow boat, he stalks over to Q who had just finished tethering the craft, cups one side of his face with a gloved hand and pecks him quickly on the corner of the mouth in front of everyone.

“Can your AI do that?”

“You’re impossible,” Q lightly shoves him away. Mindful that they are still on the clock.

“And you love challenges.”

“Not impossible ones.”

“Says the man who is trying to replace me with a gecko.”

“You know what, I probably could program an autonomous mode into the thing. For starters, it’ll be far less infuriating.”

“I wasn’t talking about the craft...,” Bond reaches for Q again, this time swiping a thumb over the corner of his mouth where the agent just kissed.

“Get a room!… Sirs.” Nish yells at them from the helm of the tow boat. He’s still peeved that he lost money on the bet about them getting together.

——

Quartermaster’s Residence - Sexy times

Bond’s good mood extends all the way to the evening when they get home. Dinner was abysmally quick because a randy agent wouldn’t let Q sit down to eat; pressed up against him from behind, groping and palming him between the legs as he rushed through his food standing at the kitchen counter.

A quick shower later and they‘ve exiled the cats and seconded themselves in the bedroom.

“Talk to me about the Seabreacher again,” Bond instructs as he lowers a well prepared Q into his lap. The entry is tight but smooth. The heat of Q’s waiting body intoxicating.

Q savours the breach, the feeling of invading fullness as Bond pushes in. “Hmm... turns you on does it?“ Q wraps his arms around Bond’s neck and kisses him playfully before sucking on his bottom lip and nipping up the line of Bond’s jaw to give the agent’s earlobe a playful bite.

“How many horsepowers?” Bond rumbles, squeezing a fleshy cheek in retaliation and to prompt him along.

“300 from the twin supercharged intercooled ICE alone…,” Q breathes into his ear, “…another 50 from the electric motor... Ah!” Q grinds down to meet his upward thrust.

-Fuck YESSss-. He didn’t think it possible, but Bond feels himself stiffen further. He snakes a hand from behind, into Q’s hair and tugs his head back. “Weapons?” He mouths against the delicate column of Q’s pale exposed neck, latching on and sucking with every intention to bruise.

“Ngghhh!… Dorsal mounted assault rifle. Ah!... Two rounds of compact mini underwater torpedos.. Ooh... with blast force that could sink a yacht—“ the next thrust sends Q wailing “—Jaaaames!” Feeding right into his ego.

Bond kisses Q deeply. -God how he loves this man-, “Manoeuvrerbility?”

“Jet nozzle trust vectoring— *gasp*…full tail articulation… *gasp* …giving the pilot complete control to execute high speed 360 degree barrel rolls—“ Bond changes angle suddenly, “Fuck! James!” Q’s grip around the agent’s shoulders tightens to brace himself against it. The things this man does to him! The sudden intensity of sensation as Bond hits the right spot brings tears to his eyes.

“Mmm… What else can it do?” Bond demands, pulling Q downwards even as his hips snap up - growling with the force it.

It takes a few seconds for Q to recollect his thoughts, gritting his teeth, eyes squeezing shut. “High speed, 90 degree underwater to surface breaches… Oh God!… Submarine mode up to 15ft dept …*gasp* …electric powered stealth mode up to five…*gasp* …five nautical miles—,” Q buries his face in the crook of Bond’s neck moaning, “… Bullet proof cabin pod.”

Q is panting hard now, fingernails biting into the muscles of Bond’s back, riding through the staccato rhythm the best he can. “James, please. I can’t think anymore…” he begs.

Bond tips them over onto the bed so he’s on top and continues their practiced rhythm. Alternating between deep and shallow thrusts. With most of Q’s weight now supported by the bed, Bond can put all of his strength into his hip movements.

The intensity has Q gasping his name at every inward shove, which just fuels Bond’s possessive fire. It turns into a blaze - spurring him on; harder, deeper. Q’s previously restrained cries turn into outright wails and Bond has to muffle them with deep consuming kisses lest they scare the cats or the neighbours call the police on them.

Soon, the friction between their bodies along with the sweet repetitive drag of Bond’s unyielding girth and length inside him, angled just right, has Q whimpering for release; for mercy. His entire body is shaking -Too much!- “Please James!… Please… I need…. I need…,” Bond swallows every word of his plea with greedy possessive kisses, all the while not missing a stroke.

When Bond finally responds, his voice is low, gravelly and teasing, “Yes love, what do you need?” The gentleness of his tone a direct contrast to the unrelenting strength of his thrusts. The bastard knows exactly what he needs!

Frustrated, Q bites down on a thickly muscled shoulder, but that serves only to stoke Bond’s cruelty. His pumping slows, turning into deep powerful grinds. The pleasure is agonisingly drawn out, the sustained feeling of fullness, arguably more torturous.

“Oh God! Jaa—mees please!… I can’t… Ah!…” Q sobs in desperation, his body strung so tight, clawing for release, wanting, needing.

“Sshhh…” Bond soothes, strong hands caressing the length of Q’s body but his hips do not relent. Then comes more deep claiming kisses - stealing the very breath from him before Bond finally reaches down between them, grabs a firm but gentle hold of him and starts stroking, from root to tip, milking him exactly as he likes it.

Q moans brokenly. Body shuddering. One more deep angled thrust and a slow swipe of a calloused thumb over his leaking tip and Q arches his back in absolute unconditional surrender.

Pleasure rips trough his body, muscles tightening and spasming with his release - clamping down hard around the fullness still inside him for long seconds before slowly going lax. His brain shuts down into safe mode.

When he first comes to, he’s vaguely aware that James is still thrusting into him, face buried in his neck. With a final stuttering push he too tips over the edge, rooting deeply and coming in long spurts. The loud rapturous moan that escapes him is one of unreserved release. Never has Q heard him this vocal on missions, the sounds of pleasure usually only coming from his marks - 007 is himself usually silent, a few grunts and he’s done.

James collapses on top of him, their chest rising and falling in synchronised rhythm. Once they’ve finally caught their breaths, they’re kissing again, slow languid kisses of pure affection. James is still on top, propped up on his elbows, Q’s head cradled in his hands, his heavy warm weight a secure blanket. Q has never felt this completely possessed yet this utterly worshipped at the same time than when he is with James.

With a final noisy kiss, Bond reaches for the towel he’d set aside the bed earlier. Q’s brain finishes rebooting while Bond gently disengages and cleans up the mess between them.

The first coherent thought that comes to Q’s mind is, “You know, I think there might still be space to fit an auxiliary air supply unit to extend the submersible range.”

Bond pauses his clean up ministrations to kiss him again, “Careful love, keep saying those things and you just might instigate a second round.”

Q grins cheekily up at him, “Oh you like that do you? Wait till I tell you about the car we’re planning for you... Ah! James!!”  

The next day Q has to wear a hideous brown and grey stripped turtleneck to work and explain to Ops why MI6 received a notification that a police patrol unit was dispatched to his residence at 12:30am that morning.

——FIN——

If anyone would like to name the gecko, I’m open to suggestions.

Notes: If you liked this story, there’s more on the blog or AO3. Please like, reblog, comment etc. Enjoy!

[dicenne]

Succulent Tart Fire Fest performance 6/24/17

Music:

Dicenne strides onto center stage dressed in nothing but a black leather harness with a few small flasks strapped to it, matching black wrist cuffs, black shoulder pauldrons secured by the harness and pair of tight-fitting black leather briefs whose sole purpose was to keep this a family show.  Not a whole lot was left to the imagination, as was his typical style during his performances and while there isn’t much to the outfit, one could certainly draw the conclusion that he is imitating a warrior.  His menacingly tall and heavily muscled frame is already covered with a sleek oil, causing the contours of his musculature to sharpen even further as the nearby cauldrons of flame flicker brightly against his slicked up form.  

His lengthy, orangish-red hair is swept away from his face and secured by a black leather strap and the red tribal tattoo covering the entire right side of his body is *almost* completely on display thanks to his lack of garb.  The red markings seem to be more pronounced than usual tonight, shimmering with a golden sparkle every time the firelight hits them from the right angle, especially in the dimming light of day.

 With him he carries two black spears approximately four and a half feet in length.  Both ends of both spears house a sharp, double-edged silver blade and up from each of those are unlit fire wicks.  Obsidian-rimmed eyes gaze sharply out over the audience as one end of each spear is held close enough to one of the cauldron of flame in order to light the wicks in a sudden burst of flame.   From there he raises those fiery ends until they sit mere inches away from his face while holding the spears perpendicular to the ground.

As the first set of dissonant notes sound out, Dicenne tilts his head back and parts his lips before the fiery wicks gently graze against them, leaving a lingering flame in his opened mouth.  The spears are separated and the unlit ends are fanned out to both sides in an upwards swooping arc before being brought to the enduring fire between his lips.  The bare wicks immediately catch ablaze before his mouth is shut to extinguish the remaining burn.

As the second set of those same dissonant notes play, both spears are once more fanned out to either side as hands hold tight to the center grips.  The pair is brought back in towards the middle of his chest, crossing one another at their centers and snapped in place to make a giant ‘X’.  One foot plants behind the other to bring him into a slight crouch in a more warrior-esque stance before he stills completely.

 He holds the position as his intense gaze sweeps over the audience and muscles tense in anticipation of what was to come next.  Ever so softly, a more frantic pace of the music starts to build and with it he begins to freely rotate the X-shaped spears in front of his person.  As the music gradually crescendos, the speed of the spin also increases until the four separate flames become one blurred circle of yellow and orange.  

As soon as the main melody blares back in atop the frenetic pace of the strings, Dicenne purses his lips together and tilts his head slightly upwards to blow a constant stream of billowing fire out of over the heads of the audience through the rotating spears all while maintaining the steady but strong exhale until the melody fades once more.  

 Dice continues the fast-paced spin with only one hand as the other unclasps one of those flasks held to his harness to drink from quickly before strapping it back into place.  With both hands on the combined spears, he now raises the X above his head to spin it parallel to the ground.  Just as the melody resounds once more, he tilts his face upwards and angles the spears so he can exhale another massive wave of surging fire up towards the sky, extending the length of the fiery breath until the melody fades.  The man has got some lungs on him!

He takes a deep breath, keeping his gaze fixated up on the spinning weapons as knees bend into a slight crouch in preparation.  As a louder drumbeat begins to pound, signaling an incoming climax in the music, Dicenne tosses the rotating weapons high up into the air.   The moment it leaves his hand, he jumps backwards and spins his body a full 360 degrees, landing on the back of his shoulders with hands nearby before he performs a kip-up to get back to his feet just in time to catch the falling X above his head.

He immediately rips the spears apart from one another and brings them into a quicker rotation, one in front of his body and the other behind.  Always moving and making use of the stage, he stabs the spears outwards at an unseen enemy, freezing in that stance before resuming the rapid spins.

Dice doesn’t just use the fiery weaponry, he uses his entire body to make the most of his performance:  Constantly pivoting and spinning, slashing the blades through the air as if he were continuously cutting down hidden adversaries.  A snarl curls onto his lips as he strikes and holds powerful stances before immediately slicing the weapons across the front of his body.  All of his actions are more akin to those of a warrior caught in the middle of a battle rather than those of a fire dancer.

When the music breaks into a more dulcet and softer tone, his actions become more fluid to match as he turns his back to the audience, using the slight break to catch his breath.  He spins both spears in opposite directions and ensures they stay on different sides of his body as he slowly raises and lowers them in unison - arcing them from the front to the back and then side to side.  Hardened muscles flex and shift with every sinuous movement as a sheen of sweat now collects atop the oil coating his form.

He pivots to face the audience just as the music begins to swell.  Both spears are held parallel to the ground at his sides with forearms tucked flat against them.  He readies his stance before turning away from the crowds, drawing up his left knee and jumps off his right foot, kicking that leg out in an arc-like fashion as he violently turns his hips mid-air to land on that kicking leg to complete the 540 jump before jabbing both spears diagonally down towards the ground.

He resumes the more sharp and precise movements, tossing one spear into the air as the other spins from front to side before ceasing the rotations of both to jab in opposite directions of one another. He crosses the sharpened points together behind his neck from the front of his body, then snaps his hands closer together to cross the blades at the front of his neck, just barely grazing his bare flesh with the sharp edges, and with another outwards snap of his arms the spears cross behind his back all in quick succession of one another.

The music grows more hectic now, beckoning even more from the performer than he has already given.  With a short dash across the stage he pivots around and swings the upper half of his body downwards then sharply up, using the momentum to kick his feet out from underneath him, rotating his body in a 360 degree twist in a flatspin before landing back on his feet to complete the butterfly twist.  There was no rest between that and his next actions, immediately bringing both spears back into their frantic spins as he works his way center stage.

It was at this point the outer wick had nearly burned through, revealing a more silvery, rough looking wick beneath.  Just as the main melody wailed over top of the music, those silver wicks made of steel wool caught fire, causing a shower of shimmering sparks to spray out in every direction!  Double pinwheels of yellow and orange cause a cascade of fiery bits to fall down upon not only Dicenne, but over the audience as well.  Should any sparkles touch anyone, they would neither burn flesh nor ruin clothing, but only cover them in a deluge of glitter.

He’s barely discernible through the shower of bright sparkles at this point as he maintains the swift rotations, occasionally shifting from one side of the stage to the other in order to ensure *everyone* nearby was nicely coated in his downpour of glitter.

He holds both spears together, one atop the other before bringing them into a more deliberate rotation as the melody dies out into a more pulsating beat, swinging them from one side of his body to the other and up over his head before tossing them into the air and catching them both in one hand.  He turns his back to the audience, holding both spears in his right hand as he inhales a deep breath.  

With a short prep, he stretches both arms high above his head before performing a round-off, but the moment both feet hit the ground he immediately launches himself into a high-flying backflip!  Instead of keeping his legs tucked together, he kicks them out into an X while both spears are brought between them mid-air only to be yanked in front of him and separated before landing.  He drops down to one knee as he slams one spear against the ground while the other is held in front of his lips to exhale one final, giant fireball out towards the audience as the last note ring outs.  Along with the downwards slam, a sudden barrage of colorful fireworks light up the evening sky to signal the end

@succulent-tart

[shineeoffical]

are you going to make a fan account of the concert?? :)

omg i didnt think anyone would care aksksknjf but okay i’ll do one here!!! honestly this was my second time seeing shinee and i really cant believe their level of mastery theyre so good at what they do i’m so blessed to have been able to see my ult group twice and i’m really going to try my best to see them again if i ever have another chance; but ANYWAY i’m putting this into a read more and i’m gonna separate this into members: 

minho: SHINEE’S OWN HYPEMAN HE IS SO ENERGETIC AND HE DOES EVERYTHING TO GET THE CROWDGOING I LOVE HIM he really made sure to wave to EVERYONE; top tier, back rows, people on the side, people in the front EVERYONE. AND i noticed this the first time i saw shinee too: he makes it his priority to leave the stage last and to say goodbye to everyone and he even blew a kiss 🤕 and his singing voice is honestly so beautiful? i really heard an angel i still cant believe this… and really.. he goes OFF when he dances he does everything to a higher degree (HONESTLY? HOW DID HIS PANTS NOT TEAR APART HE WAS PRACTICALLY DOING THE SPLITS EVERY SECOND?) he’s so jumpy and runs around and at one point he was dancing with the back up dancers because shinee had no choreo for that song and the back up dancers were laughing with him? truly an angel. ALSO omg? no one ever mentions this but my baby is so confident in speaking english? he has a few set phrases but he seemed so excited to speak in english and when we cheered after he talked he was beaming 🤧 it was so precious? AND LMAO I’M SORRY THIS IS SO BIASED BECAUSE HE’S MY ULT…. HIS RAPPING…. THANK G O D HE REALLY TRULY SAVED MY LIFE HE PUTS ON THIS PERSONA? WHEN HE RAPS AND GETS REALLY INTO IT AND HIS VOICE IS SO LOW N ITS REALLY TRULY INCREDIBLE…. and related… he does this thing when he’s really into a song and like…. makes this glare face i really…. he’s so dynamic and incredible what a legend jjong: HES SO SWEET? HE WAS TALKING THE MOST AND HE MADE SURE HE WAS TALKING IN SHORT ENOUGH SENTENCES SO THE TRANSLATOR COULD GET EVERYTHING? jjong really also made a point to say that he saw beautiful faces in the crowd AND handsome faces? an icon. anyway jjong is really so powerful his voice is incredible and he really makes it his priority to produce the best vocals that he can i really cant begin to explain how beautiful his voice is in person. also may i add the man has some Upper Body Strength LIKE WHEN HE CHANGED INTO THAT SILK SHIRT? WAW. ALSO omg when the technical difficulties happened during prism he really said “WE NEED YOUR VOICE!” in english to the crowd it was so cute 🤕jinki: I ALREADY SAID THIS IN THE TAGS OF THAT VIDEO BUT JINKI IS REALLY THE CUTEST TJING TO WATCH DANCE HE ALWAYS MAKES CUTE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND HES BEAMING A SMILE EVERY TIME HE REALLY WAS HAVING SO MUCH FUN I COULD FEEL HIS ENERGY I LOVED IT SO MUCH. ESPECIALLY during everybody? its one of the hardest dances for shinee but like during the propeller part he was making a scrunchy face it was truly adorable. ALSO when jjong and jinki had their solo stage? they KILLED IT it was so beautiful and soulful and jinki looked so sullen n it was really a piece of art. ALSO ksjddjnd jinki… he really goes off during ready or not and i swear to god it SCARED ME he was spinning so violently and when him and minho had to go up the stairs on the platform he was walking so carefully he must have been dizzy BUT then when he did the spinning moves on the top of the platform? he had to hold onto the wall at the end and minho came over to him to check on him but man he scared me but he was also just really hype apparently.. whatta man  key: KEY!!! HE IS THE KING HONESTLY AND TRULY!!!! key being the fluent™ english speaker became the mc for the show he was so funny skejke he talked about how him minho and jinki went to niagara falls and then exposed jjong and taem for sleeping in ajdksjd it was cute. key also mentioned how he was into watching shinee reaction videos online and he was saying that he feels like he’s seen some of the people he watched online in the crowd and then minho was like WHERE and they started pointing in the crowd (jokingly) AND he also talked about instagram live and how its fun but difficult to do it at a time thats good for everyone but he was mixing up his words and ended up saying “its difficult to turn on when i want to” and the crowd giggled because it sounded so suggestive and minho laughed too it was really funny skdjkd ALSO he seemed to be really surprised at how hard the crowd went to lucifer he made sure to mention it and was like “wow you guys really like lucifer huh” (KIM KIBUM WE LOVED EVERY MOMENT THANK U) and lastly i really have to mention his stage presence is amazing he is so talented when he raps he shuts it down i love it and also? that dance move in prism? you all know what i’m talking about. its lit. taem: BOOOOOOOY TAEM IS SO SOFT SPOKEN N QUIET BUT HIS ENTIRE DEMEANOUR CHANGED IMMEDIATELY WHEN HE PERFORMED SAYONARA HITORI? like at the beginning when they were introducing themselves he was so tiny n quiet and introduced himself but when he got on stage and did sayonara hitori? FULL 360. HE IS SO POWERFUL AND HIS DANCING WAS INCREDIBLE DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE SEEMED REALLY TIRED? LIKE HE REALLY DID ALL THAT AND THEN SOME IT WAS AMAZING? okay also? taemin again. quiet. and at the end of the ments at one part key asked taemin to introduce the next song and he spoke so quiet and jjong literally took taemins head and pushed it into the mike so he would talk louder skskdn taem was laughing i really.. those two. and again. BOy his VOICE. despite the mics not working properly? HE WAS INCREDIBLE? i also feel like there may have been something wrong with his in ears because he took them out and it looked like he ended up turning off the battery pack too at the end but he still performed so incredibly i really cant believe it

[batmagines]

Resurrection Part Two

Resurrection Part 2

(Part 1-> http://batmagines.tumblr.com/post/155554222783/resurrection )

Relationship: Jason Todd x Reader

Warnings:LONG AFFFFF, lots of fluff, I did a thing, some angst, cocky mufucking Jason Peter Todd, kinda crappily written but I finished this @ 1:30 AM

A/N: I kinda filled in some blanks like names and favorite foods but I hope you don’t mind it kinda just helps my flow of writing <3, Ps sorry it’s so fluffy, idk why but I felt like there should be some fluff bc I’m trying to make the next parts a little more Angsty. Also I’m sorry it’s cheesy/cliche.

~~~

You wake up screaming. You’re in a green body of water and your whole body aches. A man is screaming too, and he’s climbing up a wall in the cave. You don’t know why but you follow him and even when he jumps out of the window you still follow him. When you hit the ground the two of you look at each other’s mummified bodies and your memories come back to you.

“Jason?” You ask your voice hoarse from being, well dead.

“Y/N?” He asks stepping towards you. You fall into his arms and he hugs you tight as you start to sob.

“What happened to us?” You ask quietly. You then heard wolves howling in the distance and you looked up at Jason.

“I don’t know but we should get out of here. Don’t wanna become Puppy Chow.” He says before grabbing your hand and leading you in a direction that would hopefully be some type of shelter.

—

5 years had passed since the day you and Jason had been brought back from the dead in the Lazarus pit and you were back in Gotham. When you arrived you were strictly off the radar. You and Jason even had a child. Her name was Adeline and you both promised each other she’d never have to go what the two of you went through, and she definitely wouldn’t be partaking in Jason’s ‘Red Hood’ activities until she was at a good age and was heavily trained, that is if she ever wanted to. Hopefully if you both were lucky, the little 6 month old in your arms would never want to go out into the field with her father. But she already seemed to show Jason’s stubbornness even as an infant.

Right now Jason was out holding a meeting with a bunch of drug lords trying to get them to work for him instead of Black Mask. You sat at the multiple computer consoles and helped Jason out. Though you didn’t need to help out as much tonight seeing as it was only a meeting and he definitely had the upper hand. The main console you seemed to be watching was the one that allowed you to watch things from his ‘eyes’. The two of you had installed 360 degree cameras in his helmet so you could help be his second pair of eyes when things got bad. You watched as the drug dealing thugs argued as they tried to decide who had set the meeting up.

“Time for your dramatic entrance babe.” You said spinning in the chair making silly faces at Adeline and she made silly faces right back at you, to the best of her ability anyways. You listened as your husband made his entrance and then started his AK-47 when the drug lords tried to shoot him. You quickly covered Addie’s ears and blew raspberries on her stomach to mask the sound of the gun. She giggled, and then Jason laughed quietly before getting back to his business.

You laughed as Jason sarcastically answered the man who had asked Jason if he wanted to die. “Been there, done that.” You said answering the man even though he couldn’t actually hear you. Jason told the scumbags his deal and when you heard the thud of a bag you covered Addie’s eyes, not wanting her to see the grotesque heads that were in the bag. Sure she might not be able to actually remember or know what that stuff was but you still didn’t want her to see the things that went on after dark. He then shot the AK and left the premises.

“Baby will you pick up some milk please?” You asked him as you watched him grapple from building to building on his way home.

“Sure thing doll, want me to pick up a new teething toy for Addie?” He asked you.

“She has enough Jaybird, you already spoil her enough.” You laugh as you placed Addie in her bassinet by the computers and handed her one of her teething rings.

“What about the gel numbing stuff, I heard that stuff will take away some of her pain.” He asks as he ducks behind a building and pulls off his hood and mask before walking across the street to the local corner store.

“I read that the stuff might make her throat a little numb and cause her a hard time swallowing.” You say recalling the article you had read last week.

“Don’t want that, what about dinner tonight? I’m thinking Spaghetti.” He ponders. “It’s your favorite.”

“Jay you’ve already had dinner.” You laugh.

“Too late now, I’ve bought the stuff and I’m coming home.” He tells you. Moments later he’s crawling through the fire escape window with a bag in his hand. He puts the small amount of groceries on the counter. Then he walks over to Addie and pulls out a new teething toy from behind his back.

“Jason!” You say laughing and lightly smacking his chest. “What can’t a guy spoil his girls?” He asks before kissing your lips and placing a rose in your hand.

“I love you.” You say smiling against his lips.

“I love you too.” He says as Addie coo’s in her bassinet. He smiles at her before picking her up and bouncing her on his hip. “And I love you.”

Addie giggles and then the computer beeps, a warning sign going off signalling that one of his deliveries had been ambushed ruining the sweet moment. You watch the console that shows the security camera’s for that area and quickly spot Batman and Nightwing trying to defeat Amazo.

“God Da-” Jason starts to say but he receives a dirty look from you as you gesture to Addie still in his arms.

“Language dear.” You say taking Addie from Jason so he can go stop his guys from talking. She starts to cry but stops when you hand her a stuffed toy yet again from Jason.

“Sorry doll,” He mutters kissing your lips and placing a kiss on Addie’s small head. “I’ll be back Princess don’t you worry.”

“Go get ‘em tiger.” You tell him placing a light smack on his butt for an extra pep in his step. “I’ll even make you an extra diner.”

“I’ll be back even quicker than.” He smirks before placing his helmet on his head and exiting through the fire escape.

After putting Addie to sleep and cooking the spaghetti for Jason you hop into your chair placing your comm link in your ear before typing away at the computer. “What’d I miss?”

“Just going for a late night drive that’s all.” He says and you roll your eyes.

You let out a little yelp when you see the large grapple enter the hood of the car and you watch as Jason swerves trying to escape it’s grasps. When the car is lifted off of it’s front two wheels you start to get worried but the worry is quickly vanished when Jason pulls a lever and gets rid of the roof. He crashes into Axis chemicals and Batman follows.

After Batman stands still for a moment reminiscing the moment the Joker had been created Jason speaks up.

“Hard to forget that night huh?” He says pointing a gun at Bruce. “In a way Batman this was the sight of your first great failure, maybe your greatest, but certainly not your last. Right? Ah memories.” He then turns his gun to the car and shoots it causing it explode along with some chemicals.

“Jesus Christ Jay, careful!” You say as he turns and runs away before the rest of the building can explode to smithereens.

“Always am sweetcheeks.” You can practically see the smirk on his face when he speaks. When Jason gets home you hack into Arkham Asylum’s security camera’s knowing that Batman will be heading there to interrogate your father. When you looked at the man that had aided in your existence you sadly saw the sickening resemblance. The green hair and although your skin wasn’t ghostly white like his it sure was pale. You looked over at Addie and gave a small smile thankful that she looked more like Jason. She was to innocent to look like the mad man who was your father. You felt Jason come up behind you with Addie in his arms, he handed her to you and you clutched her small body close to yours as Jason cut off the footage of your father now laughing on the floor. He then hugged you close comforting you in his arms.

“I won’t let him hurt her, or you.” He whispered into your ear. “He won’t hurt any of us again, I promise you.”

“I want to be the one to kill him.” You said authoritatively. “It has to be me that kills him.”

[well-good-490144139-yahoopa-blog]

Is this weird workout device the next TRX?

Every time I attach my TRX to the rickety door frame in my apartment, I think my landlord might evict me. So when I heard about Disq, a new anywhere exercise device that claims to help users turn up the intensity on body-weight workouts—without having to hit the gym or anchor equipment at home—I decided to give it a spin (er, pull).

At first glance, Disq’s harness-and-pulley system could easily be mistaken for mountain climbing gear. It’s not. But its design does provide a 360-degree range of movement, which makes it possible to add resistance (AKA turn up the heat) on almost any exercise—from a yoga flow to jumping jacks.

“The most innovative aspect of Disq—and what makes it the most effective—is the constant resistance throughout every movement,” says its designer Robbert Boekema, a former Dutch speedskater. Boekema based his design off the elastic resistance bands he often used in training—but with one major improvement: You won’t need different colored bands for different movements, since the resistance is easily adjustable from one exercise (or person) to the next.

The strength training you’re getting from the constant resistance is more intense than it looks.

I was initially hesitant to set up my Disq because it looked complicated AF, but I was pleasantly surprised by how fast and easy it actually was. Once you read the instructions the first time, putting it on for subsequent workouts takes maybe 30 seconds.

With it on, you can hold the handles and do upper-body exercises you’d do with a resistance band, like flies or rows. Or hold the handles still and do lower-body exercises, which will still come with added resistance (that’s easily adjustable), since the pulleys are connected to your feet.

The strength training you’re getting from the constant resistance is more intense than you’d expect; I could feel it burning during the sessions, and also after. And having total range of motion is helpful—it looks like it would get tangled or caught as you punch and plank, but it doesn’t.

Disq costs $169 and comes with a 10-week program that includes 30 different workout videos—3 for each week—that are all about 30-minutes long. You can follow the specific program or just pick and choose. Unfortunately most of them are very cheesy. But you can also easily take any body-weight workout—say a sequence of lunges, bicep curls, squats, and rows—and use Disq instead of weights, resistance bands, or a TRX.

While it lacks  the efficient simplicity of the TRX, I could see it being a great strength-training option for someone who is newer to working out (or who doesn’t have room for dumbbells).

Another major bonus: You don’t need a place to hang it (other than your hips).

While you’re considering ways to switch up your fitness routine, check out these new research findings that may change how you exercise entirely. Or try this imaginative trick Elle Macpherson uses when she’s in a workout rut.