#even if I do sometimes think I should have narrowed down the design more so it's not as busy

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Month 10, day 26

For some reason I thought the render would finish tonight so I could put it together and work on final compositing, but no. No, I'm bad at math lol. So we do a dragon art tonight instead! :D

[griefabyss69]

Inside The Fall

Written for @steddiemicrofic!

[ AO3 ]

'FOOL' wc: 1987 | rated: T | cw: Mention of weed

(This is the April Fool's version of the prompt, it includes all of the words needed)

Steve's used to stepping up in life or death situations, but otherwise he's directionless. He isn't expecting Eddie to be so good at helping him figure out the other parts of his future.

(Continues after the readmore)

"Step into my office," Eddie says with a guiding sweep of his arm.

"You mean your bedroom?" Steve asks just to be annoying.

Eddie's smile doesn't dim but his eyes narrow, all sharp and shit.

"Yes, well, sometimes you have to mix business and pleasure when you're waiting around on the sweet cash that's supposed to be coming in any day now," he says, shutting the door behind them.

Eddie's bedroom isn't really like the last one, though Steve had only seen that in the height of insanity, when it'd been newly deserted and then torn through in search of anti-Vecna music.

This one is neater, though still pretty chaotic. Steve can't help but like it, even though he has to wait for Eddie to clear off his desk before he can conduct his business.

"Come, make yourself comfortable," he says, gesturing at his unmade bed.

Steve ignores the thrill in his gut as he carefully sits down at the edge of it. He doesn't make a joke about cum, or about making himself more comfortable, or about Eddie offering up his bed. He's on his best behavior because otherwise he's going to go too far and Eddie's going to think he's still just a stupid jock who has bad jokes, despite all of the shit they went through together; old habits and all of that.

Once Eddie's cleared his desk, he moves to the other end of it, leaning against the wall but resting his ass against the stack of milk crates he uses for shelving. He nods at the chair, his smile all menacing as if Steve was one of his players and he was going to give him a hard battle.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," he says when Steve hesitates, pulling a box out of his pocket.

Steve has to laugh a little bit, and moves over to the chair, settling in with his elbows on the desk. He has to look up to meet Eddie's eyes, and that puts another thrill in him, this one is harder to ignore.

"Don't let me win," Steve says, smirking. He knows that's not how tarot cards work, but Eddie's laugh is worth it, like he gets the joke and doesn't think he’s actually stupid.

"I'd never do that," Eddie gasps, bending to spread the cards out on the desk. They're all face down, so Steve can only admire the cool design on the back, but maybe after Eddie's finished reading into his future or whatever he'll let him look through all of them.

He explains some of what he's doing, and it seems simple enough. He asks Eddie a question, Eddie gets him to shuffle the cards, then there’s some kind of sorting thing, then he pulls a few of them.

"What would you like to ask?"

He's tempted to ask something… easy. Something that doesn't matter, and doesn't show Eddie the inside of his head. But Eddie had offered this in the first place because Steve had admitted that his thoughts have been all fucked up, he's been pretty lost these days.

"What should I do with myself this summer?"

Eddie nods, considering that as he gestures to the cards.

Steve carefully shuffles them around in a big mess, as instructed. It's kind of fun, and he takes his time before sitting back, relaxing.

"Okay, that should be all mixed up," he says, stretching his legs out and crossing them at the ankles. He's determined to try to be comfortable, even with Eddie looming over him, his arms crossed over his chest.

He looks really good from here.

"Good," Eddie says, bends to corral the cards back into order, tapping it into neatness before he sets it down. "Split the deck in half for me."

Steve leans forward, meaning to find the exact center, but he ends up going with his gut and splits it closer to the bottom. For whatever reason, he's more curious about what's buried deeper.

"Thank you."

Eddie chews on his lip as he thinks, eyes going from Steve to the cards and back against a few times before he smiles.

"Draw three cards from here," he says, tapping the shorter stack. "Place them face down in a row."

Steve follows his instructions.

While he doesn't really believe that the cards are magic or whatever, he does believe in Eddie's ability to create an atmosphere. He's not even being dramatic or loud or anything, but he's bringing such an earnest seriousness to it that makes Steve decide to take it seriously too.

"Okay. If this doesn't answer your question at all, we can do another run of it, with more cards," he says, leaning his palms on the table. "Though usually unless a question involves a lot of people or a lot of moving parts, three is perfectly fine to answer it."

Steve starts to feel nervous, so he just nods and watches Eddie’s hands, thinks about how clean Eddie's new rings look, wondering when they'll start to get worn in by life like the last ones.

Eddie turns over the first card.

"The Knight of Swords," he says, his dimples coming out even as he tries to suppress a smile. "Other cards in this suit can be a warning, but this one is generally good."

Steve swallows. He knows he doesn't want bad news, but Eddie told him this all wasn't like, his destiny anyway. It's more of a guidance thing, like he can choose to take it's message or not.

Eddie flips the next one.

"The Seven of Wands."

He doesn't say anything else about it yet, just thinks for a moment before moving on, flipping the last one.

"The Fool."

Steve's eyebrows raise, because that doesn't sound good.

"Okay," Eddie says, leaning back against the wall, playing with one of his shiny rings. "What I'm getting for this is that you're restless, and that instead of all of the freaky monster adventures you've had, you really need a good adventure. Something new, maybe something a little different than you're used to, but ultimately you need to relax and just do what you want."

Steve looks at The Fool, about to walk off a cliff, and feels skeptical.

"Won't I end up like that?" he asks, pointing at it.

"Don't take the pictures so literally," Eddie says, and Steve has to sigh at him. "Your energy is high, like a magnet for good things," he elaborates, pointing at the Knight of Swords.

Next he points at the Seven of Wands.

"You're probably doubting yourself, dealing with a lot of fear and uncertainty, but good things are in store if you just do what you're scared of anyway. You need to remember that you're in charge of your life now."

Steve gets a lump in his throat. He hasn't ever felt in charge of his life.

"And our Fool here, what he says is that you need to pick something and try it out, whether it works or not. Do it thoughtfully, but you don't have to think that hard about it."

"Oh," Steve says. He hadn't expected to feel so… encouraged. Taken care of. "That's nice of him."

Eddie laughs, his voice quieter when he leans back down against the desk.

"It sounds like it'll be a good summer for you," he says.

After Eddie had cleaned up the cards and Steve had successfully kept himself from crying, they went off on the first nice adventure of Steve's summer.

Eddie had put a couple joints in with his smokes, and then they wandered off on a late afternoon walk, right into the shady forest, where it's not too dark yet.

"You know," Eddie begins as they walk side by side even though the path is kinda narrow. "I think you'd make a good Knight."

Steve thinks it's so not fair how much that makes him blush. He has to duck his head and grin at the ground just so he doesn't like, tackle Eddie and kiss him on the mouth and plummet off of the cliff of his own foolish behavior.

"Yeah? Do you think there'd a Knight for a baseball bat with nails in it?" he asks, looking back up to keep up his eyes on the area. Mostly it’s tree branches and nothing tougher than a squirrel.

Eddie laughs, nudges up against him as he moves, and because it's like, June, it's warm enough that he's just in his new Hellfire t-shirt, the sleeves rolled up. That means the skin of their arms brush together and Steve's brain lights right up.

"A nailbat is kind of like a sword," Eddie muses, the warm look in his eye doing irreparable damage to Steve's self control. "I might be more interested in what kind of Fool you are, though."

Steve blushes harder, mourning how it'd started to go back down just a moment ago. There's no way Eddie could've known what he'd been thinking of doing, but he knows and so do the blood vessels in his face.

"Uh, I'm not sure," he lies, shrugging. "I guess we'll find out."

Eddie beams, slides an arm around his shoulders as he says something that gets totally lost – Steve's brain has honed in on Eddie's body and only that, his feet starting to trip over themselves as he takes in the solid way they fit together.

"Easy," Eddie murmurs as he makes sure he doesn't face plant. "Is it too hard to walk this way?"

It's a little awkward, but there's no way Steve's letting him go.

"Nah, just had two left feet for a second," he says, turning his face to smile at Eddie and – Christ – he's right there. He has to go cross eyed to get a good look at him.

His gut pulls hard but he breathes through it. If anything, he knows how to be a gentleman and not just do whatever the hell he wants. Maybe his instinct for self protection is pretty busted by now, but at least he's not about to go around kissing random men just because he wants to.

Eddie laughs, and his eyes must be going cross eyed too, because they dip down to stare at his mouth instead, his long eyelashes showing off their thick, sweet curve.

"Girls would kill to have your eyelashes," he says, pleased when Eddie opens his eyes wide, shocked.

"What?" he laughs, glancing at the path before looking back at Steve. He's glad that one of them is looking out for tree roots, because Steve can't bring himself to care about anything but the feeling of Eddie's breath on his face.

"Your eyelashes, they're really long and nice," he says, less afraid to compliment him than he'd thought. "Most girls wear mascara to get theirs to look like yours."

"Oh." Eddie grins, turning his head to duck it all bashfully, and Jesus, Steve recognizes himself in that. "Thank you."

Steve can see the stones crumble from the cliff under his foot, knocking their way down the side until they disappear. He's about to do something really stupid – foolish – but his composure falls away under the force of every side of Eddie he sees.

"Eddie?" he asks, waiting until their eyes meet. "Will you kiss me?"

Eddie stumbles, barely catches himself from landing flat on his face, pulling Steve half down with him.

"Uh," he says, a nervous laugh chilling the air. "Why?"

Steve swallows hard, planting his ass on the ground so he's not halfway between straddling him or getting up.

"Because even though I'm scared, I should ask about what I want, right?"

"Oh, okay," Eddie’s voice is thin and strangled. "Sure."

It's a yes despite how Eddie looks scared now, so Steve leans in and crushes their mouths together, falling freely among the stones of his trepidation. Eddie kisses him back like they’re standing on solid ground.

[holylulusworld]

Designed by pain (12)

Summary: Broken hearts are hard to put back together. 8 years ago, Dean lost something he didn’t even know he had in the first place. Will he get a second chance?

Pairing: former AU!Dean Winchester x fem!Reader

Warnings: angst, language, past break-up, arguments, daddy Dean

A/N: This was an alternative idea for the first chapter of my Bucky story: Monster-in-law masterlist. I decided to use it for a story with Dean.

Designed by pain masterlist

Designed by pain (11)

“That’s delicious,” Dean tries to break the awkward silence during dinner. He compliments the dessert you ordered but doesn’t look very happy. “Now that I tried British food, I must say it ain’t as bad as I thought.”

You watch Dean poke the pie you ordered. He makes a face before taking another bite. Dean almost chokes. He scrunches up his nose when sniffing at the mince pie.

“I can see that,” you grin. If not for all the chaos Dean caused over the last hours, you’d laugh because he looks adorable while forcing the unloved food down his throat. “It’s mince pie.”

“Mince pie,” Dean retches. He can’t get the awful taste out of his mouth. Not even after he drank his beer and a glass of water. “It’s…”

“We eat it for Christmas,” Michael grins. “Mommy thought it would be nice to order it for you. She said you love pie.” You pat your son’s head. He enjoys the struggle on Dean’s face as much as you do.

“Your mother is very,” Dean narrows his eyes at you, “nice. How very kind of her to order the most delicious pie I ever ate.”

“You can have another slice,” you point at the pie to tease Dean. “We have more than enough. I’m not much of a fan of pie.”

“No, thanks,” Dean rubs his grumbling stomach. “I’m full. I can’t eat more.”

“You barely ate anything,” Sam points out. “Don’t wake me in the middle of the night because you want to sneak into the kitchen to get more food. I know your stomach.”

“Shut up…” Dean grumbles and whispers ‘bitch’ under his breath. “I’m not very hungry today.”

“Dean Winchester is not hungry?” You cock a brow, pretending to not know about his aversion to the pie you bought. “I see, wonders do happen.”

Dean pouts and looks away. He won’t fall for your trap. “I do not eat all the time, sweetheart. Sometimes a man gotta work or clean his car.”

You wince at the pet name you tried to forget about. Dean does the same. It was a slip of the tongue, not meant to hurt you. “Cleaning your car is not work for you, Winchester. You love that car more than anything.”

“Not more than you—” Dean’s eyes widen at his words. He suddenly gets up and leaves the room, cursing himself once again. How could he just say something like that? After all, he’s done within the last hours.

“That was…” Sam clears his throat. He awkwardly looks at you, wondering if you are ever madder at his brother now. “Sometimes Dean speaks before he thinks. You must excuse him. It was a rough week. From mother revealing her role in your breakup to meeting his son.”

“Sam,” your features soften. You know Sam tries to help his brother out. Of course, he does. Sam loves his brother and would do anything to make Dean happy. The problem is things aren’t so easy.

“I know,” he says and glances at Michael. “Maybe you should…” Sam shakes his head. “I don’t know. I’d love to help you, though.”

“Mommy, can I meet my cousins? I wanna talk about cars with them,” Michael pouts. “Please. They sound so cool.”

“Michael, we will talk about this another time. It’s bedtime, okay,” you try to avoid thinking about meeting Sam’s children. If you get involved with Dean’s family, things will get even more complicated.

“Your mom is right, Michael. We can talk about this another time. You should get ready for bed, bud.”

Sam’s dad skills are showing when he tries to distract your son from the chaos his brother caused by coming here.

“Okay,” Michael yawns. “I’m going to brush my teeth. Can you check on my pillow before I sleep, Mommy?”

“I’ll fluff your pillow, baby boy,” you smile at your son. He had a lot to stomach too. From the Winchesters invading your home, over Dean’s fight with Ketch and the revelation that Dean is his father.

You step inside the living room, taking a deep breath. While putting your son to sleep you had the time to think about a few things and came up with an idea.

“I had time to think about a few things,” you say. “Michael wants to get to know his cousins.” You lick your lips. “I need to talk to Bobby about a job offer he made some months ago. I need a new job so…”

“You want to go to the States?” Dean questions. “Do you want to move back for the job or…just visit?”

“Dean, I hate it when someone interrupts my speech,” you snap at Dean. “After I talked to Bobby, and Michael had the chance to meet his cousins, I have to take care of a few more things.”

“What else do you want to take care of?” Dean swallows thickly when you sit next to him. You look at your hands, sighing deeply. “Y/N?”

“We could’ve been happy, don’t you think?” You suddenly ask. Dean is taken aback and doesn’t know what to say. “At least that’s what I told myself years ago.”

“I think so,” he murmurs. “I mean…you know me. I’m a mess and fuck things up sometimes.”

You snort. “Sometimes, Winchester?”

“Hey, I had my moments too,” he grunts. “For a while, I made you happy.”

“You did,” you pat his thigh. “I’ll book a flight for me and Michael tomorrow. Before we go back to Kansas I need you to know that I’ll confront your mother. She manipulated our relationship.”

“Y/N…”

“Don’t think for one moment that you are forgiven. It was still your decision to not look for me but,” you squeeze his thigh this time, “if your mother didn’t intervene, we could’ve talked things out.”

Part 13

Tags in reblog.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Zutarians adultifying Katara and thinking that's "empowerment" (and also outright lying) yet again: https://www.tumblr.com/longing-for-rain/760214836385824768/just-something-i-felt-you-should-know-about-five

The one and only thing I agreed is that at some point Katara is drawn with more, ahem, "developed" body. This started in Book 3, and... I honestly always concidered it to be the bad thing. Not because I'm a prude (although maybe I am), but because I thought the whole deal of main characters were that they are children. They are kids. Of course, a girl at fourteen can have curves - or not have it - the girls are all different, in the end, both of these cases are normal. But Katara is a drawn character, she looks the way the creators want her to look. And the thing that they drew her "pronounced breasts" and "wider hips" never sat right with me, it always irked me. It doesn't look empowering to me, it looks like sexualization, combined with the fact that in Book 3 she is always drawn with partly or completely loose hair, which is not good for battle at all, but looks more aestetically appealing (but that's only my point of view). I prefer her Book 1 and 2 designs any time.

What also irks me is zutarians obsession with "hot, sexy, horny yet naive Katara plus sexy experienced Zuko, the only man who can give her intense sexual pleasure she craves so much" idea. No wonder they cheer when Katara looks older and drool over her "revealing" Fire Nation outfit, it all aligns with their fantasies.

Also, the choise of proof screenshots is hilarious. Three of them are drawn by one studio, the top right one and the final one - by the other. "Wider" or "narrower" eyes are just the result of different drawing styles. For example - the same studio that pictured Katara as "honestly creepy, like a babydoll" draws her in the scenes with Zuko:

https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/cap-that.com/tv/avatar/109/images/avatar-the-last-airbender1x09_1138.jpg https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/cap-that.com/tv/avatar/220/images/avatar-the-last-airbender2x20_0904.jpg https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/cap-that.com/tv/avatar/321/images/avatar3x21_0391.jpg https://www.cap-that.com/avatar/321/index.php?image=avatar3x21_0413.jpg

The necklace scene, the catacombs, the battle against Azula. Same baby face with big eyes. And, dare I mention, in first two seasons her breasts are only slightly hinted at, which doesn't stop zutarians from sexualizing these scenes.

The lenghs they'll go to justify their sexual fantasies... Ew.

I'm gonna be real, Katara wasn't really sexualized by the show. I can only think of two scenes in which I got any kind of fanservice vibe from it (both included her bathing in a waterfall). People are just weird about girls, especially non-white girls, going through puberty, and zutarians in particular want to adultify Katara no matter what to go "See? She's too old for Aang, but not too young for Zuko, even though the age gap is the same!"

Acknowledging "Girls have breasts" is not the same as drawing her in a sexy way, much like not every scene of male characters firebending without shirts on was sexualization. The hair down also doesn't strike me as trying to make her look desirable, just a little bit older - the passage of time is not sexual.

For fucks sake, even a scene like Sokka clearly getting ready to "have fun" with Suki wasn't anything that would be inappropriate for children to see and it's just acknowledging the basic fact of "Sometimes teenagers wanna do more than kiss each other."

If you want to see the characters be sexualized, look at the Fire Nation teens, especially Ty Lee and Zuko - and I'm okay with that because they're not real teens. They're lines in a piece of paper. No minor is being exploited or put in an inappropriate situation, and considering Nickelodeon has a history of sexualizing REAL children in the live action shows, I just don't care that Avatar let Ty Lee wear a bikini or made Zuko attract a bunch of girls by dramatically taking off his shirt at the beach. They're not being harmed, just like no real child was harmed when Ozai disfigured his own son.

These characters age matters when it comes to understanding their reasonings and the ocasional "immature/naive" reaction, and nothing else. And once again, the show didn't really do anything too crazy.

[nightlyrequiem]

Be Still My Heart

Chapter 7- Conferences and Wine

Masterlist AO3

New Chapter Every Saturday

You're the best in the meth industry but a new product suddenly pops up. You and your boss, Valeria, must figure out who is making it so you can take back the market. All the while tension is building between the two of you.

A/N: I don't like wine. I don't care much for alcohol in general. I like to keep Reader as blank as possible so people can relate to them but sometimes I need to assign them hobbies and personalities, so apologies if you don't enjoy running and analyzing things!

Tags/Warnings: Illegal Substances, Boss Employee Relationship, Angst, Some Hurt/Comfort, Violence, Manipulation, Suggestive Themes, Smut (But Only in CH20.), Dual POV

"Hey, Sorry I couldn't-"

You walk right past Corra as she tries to speak to you. Eyes narrowed and only seeing the path ahead. A path without backstabbing bitches. It's been a few weeks since her return and you've done a good job at avoiding her so far. Not even wanting to see her face. She never got the chance to humiliate you but the fact that you said yes to a date in the first place is embarrassing. You have somewhere to be, anyway.

One of the newer grunts walks down the hall towards you. Instead of moving out of his way like you usually would - like he expects of you - you continue on your designated path. Tensing your arm in anticipation. His eyes flash with surprise as you slam into his shoulder.

"Watch where you're going." You snap at him. You're still reeling from the betrayal, and your anger is turning you mean. Well, you reflect, maybe you should be mean. What else have they been doing behind your back? You're weak, and they can smell it.

You broodily stride towards Valeria's office, head and chin raised. You're going to discuss the success of the sugar meth. You have to mentally psyche yourself up for this. That cruel, taunting voice at the back of your head mocks you. Deciding that you failed again without even hearing the news. You tell it to shut up. You reach the wooden door and pull it open without knocking, stepping inside the room. Valeria, Diego, and one of her drug runners are sat around casually.

"Glad you finally decided to join us." Diego remarks dryly. "Try to show up even later next time."

You feel a spike of raw hatred. He was in on it. Looked you in the face multiple times knowing what was happening. "It's only by ten minutes." You reply sharply. Never mind the fact that you've been punctual every other time.

Valeria gestures to a seat next to her and you sit down. Feeling more comfortable near her.

"Tell us how it went." She demands, looking at the dealer.

"A didn't sell that well, no one wanted more, it's a similar story with C, but B sold and even had people coming back for more." He says. "It's still not selling as much as that other crystal. But I think it's getting us back some of our clientele."

You nod, suppressing a smile. Elated and relieved by the good news.

"Good." Valeria replies, leaning back and spreading her legs to get comfortable. She looks at you, a calculating look crossing her features. "If you tweaked the… recipe then maybe it can outsell the other stuff."

You're not sure if that's the way to go.

"How much is it being sold for? The sugar meth." You ask curiously. An idea forming.

"Uh, three-hundred forty-six pesos per gram." One of the dealers reply.

"And the other stuff?" You prod.

"Two-hundred seven per gram." He says, scratching his chin. You look at Valeria, completely ignoring Diego.

"I think we should price match it to the super meth." You say bluntly. Before Valeria can even reply, Diego scoffs.

"Are you serious?" He asks, lips curling into a smile. "'Price match'? This isn't a supermarket, we'd lose money." He says dismissively.

You clench your jaw and ignore Diego's words, he's not the one you have to convince.

Valeria furrows her brows. "… You think that if we lowered the price more people would buy it." She says. "I think that could work."

"We're going to do that?" Diego asks, clearly skeptical. "Patrona, think about this, is that really a good idea?"

You know she's going to scowl before she even does. Brows lowering with irritation. "Quiet." She snaps. "You're not here to second guess me. Do you think I don't know what I'm doing?" She shakes her head. "Idiot."

You also glare at Diego. Valeria knew Diego longer, trusted him enough to run her cartel, and yet she sided with you over him. He makes eye contact with you, and you look away for a second. Flustered slightly.

"I'm just saying, I don't think she knows what she's talking about." He says quietly, trying to soothe Valeria's frayed nerves. You dig your nails into your palms. "Shut the hell up." You snap impulsively, the words spilling from your lips. "Focus on growing some hair before you talk shit. I'm not going to sit here and let a man with a goatee-" You sneer. "-try to shut me down."

The dealer shifts uncomfortably.

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" Diego stands aggressively. Making you a little nervous.

"An oaf." You retort, despite being nervous.

Diego takes a step towards but is stopped by Valeria.

"Sit down." She growls. "You're not a child unable to ignore schoolyard taunts."

Diego reluctantly sits back down. Stiff with anger. His hand hovers over his glock threateningly.

"So we're going to lower the price?" The dealer asks.

"Yes." Valeria says sternly. Looking at Deigo as if willing him to even try to contradict her. He doesn't. He's learned his lesson and keeps his gaze averted. "Now get out, I have shit to do."

It's like everyone can't get out of the room fast enough. Just as you step foot through the door Valeria calls your name, halting you in your tracks.

"Have a drink with me." She says. Beckoning you closer. Her invite catches you by surprise, but you don't decline. You walk closer and hover near her awkwardly. She gestures towards the chair next to her and stands, opening up a cupboard and looking over a collection of wine.

"I thought you had 'shit' to do?"

"Yes, like drink. Red or white?" She asks you over her shoulder, voice low.

"Um, doesn't matter to me." You answer. Valeria pulls out a bottle of red. Selecting two tall glasses to drink from. She blows into them, clearing out the dust. Valeria sits down next to you.

"I haven't had the time to sit and have a glass of wine in a while." She sighs. Setting the bottle and glasses on the table. She spares you a glance before pouring you and her a glass each. a droplet of the dark red liquid runs down the side of her glass. She collects it with a finger and brings it to her lips.

Valeria hands you your glass and raises her own in cheers before taking a sip.

"Good job." She praises. For all your bravado earlier, you suddenly don't feel very deserving of it.

"Thank you." You smile, taking a sip of your own drink. There's a long silence settling between you two. Valeria regards you, head tilted to the right.

"What do you do when you're not cooking meth for me?" She asks, watching intently. Valeria always has this… lilt to her voice. Like she's always mocking whoever she's speaking to you. You've come to learn that she just sounds like that.

"I like to run." You murmur. Valeria raises a brow at that and crosses one leg over the other.

"Really? Never took you for the athletic type…" She hums, eyes flickering over your body.

"I'm not really, cardio is good for you. Thirty minutes a day can reduce the risk of a heart attack." You explain.

"But do you like running?" She presses. Leaning forward and swirling her drink.

You think about it. About the burn in your throat and lungs, the panting.

"I suppose I do." Your head is so clear when you run. Even the burn feels good after awhile.

"Mhm." Valeria sips her wine. "Is running all you do?" Her voice is teasing.

"Well… I like to write essays… just analyzing stuff I'm interested in, like movies or other topics." You smile awkwardly. Valeria huffs a laugh.

"You enjoy writing essays?" She says disbelievingly. "I'm sure your languages teachers must have loved you."

Your smile softens. "Not when it came to writing formal papers." You shake your head. Of course, nobody finds it easy to write about topics they don't care about. "What about you?" You ask.

"I didn't care much for essays." Valeria flicks her wrist with distaste.

"No, I meant what do you do when you're not running a cartel?" You clarify. What would someone like Valeria enjoy doing?

She pauses and finishes her glass.

"I enjoy smoking good weed." She says. "I like to get high, then paint."

You feel surprised that she does something so… tame. "Are you any good?"

"Sometimes." She shrugs. Valeria leans back, eyes half lidded. "I like to paint people. Capture their faces on a canvas."

You finish your own glass and set it on the table, declining her offer for another cup. You have to drive home. "Painting is a good hobby, I like to analyze paintings as well, my favourites are Jean-Michel Basquiat's pieces."

"Haven't heard of him, painting is more of a casual hobby to me." She says. "My works don't have stories behind them but you're welcome to come over sometime and create one for them. Maybe I could paint you and add your face to my collection."

Her response catches you off guard. It sounds like a genuine invite.

"I'll keep it in mind."

[gnpwdrnfandoms]

bluff

- Mitch x ofc!Dallie

- 650ish words

-Set sometime before s1. Some use of curse words. Dallie is a tall plus size woman, you decide what that looks like for you. Picks up where what are the odds? left off but you don't have to read that to read this.

Mitch is aware of Babe watching him, can feel the old man's eyes boring into his back and he subtly shifts his weight to block his view of Dallie and her folder full of bad news.

Because Mitch is also pretty fucking sure what happens in Vegas is damn well supposed to stay in Vegas. Not stroll into his bar three years later talking shit and waving around a goddamn marriage license.

"What is it exactly you think we need to talk about, sugar?" He asks, closing the folder and giving it a push back across the bar to her.

She stares at him like he's lost his ever loving mind and maybe he has. He knows he should agree to whatever she wants and be shut of it, but he's feeling ornery about her just strolling in his bar acting like there wasn't a point in time, even if it was only a few days, where she was really interested in this washed up cowboy.

"This dissolution of this sham of a union for starters?" She questions, tucking the folder back in her designer bag that he'd bet costs more than the bar rakes in on a good night.

"It should only take a couple days. I'd compensate you for your time and pay for your flights to Nevada and back home as well. Now that I've finally located you, I'd just like to put this behind me, ya know? No offense to you, of course," she smiles up at him. "I just don't think either of us expected to have to deal with this?"

But the thing is, maybe he's not completely surprised by the news. Maybe there's a possibility he'd found a cheap gold band rolling around in the bottom of his duffle when he'd gotten back to Oklahoma but he had his pops to deal with and even though she'd definitely made one hell of an impression, he'd never even gotten her last name so it wasn't like he knew how to find her and he kinda just pushed the whole thing to the back of his mind.

And yeah, okay, maybe he had snuck out of the hotel room while she was still sleeping so it's definitely his fault they're in this predicament, he'll admit that much but if he'd stayed any longer he was pretty sure he never would've made it back to Oklahoma. He would've just followed her right on to Reno like some lost fucking puppy and fully integrated himself into her life. And despite the fact that she seemed to really enjoy his company, he didn't exactly get the impression she was looking to shackle herself to a fresh out of prison, no prospects, down on his luck cowboy.

But now that she's here? And he's made a tiny little bit of something of himself? Well, hell, he doesn't have to make it easy on her to just wipe her hands of him does he?

"I appreciate that, honey, I really do," he drawls, propping his arms on the bar top and leaning in close. "But I could pay my own way. If I was going, that is."

"If?" she splutters, her eyes going wide in shock before she narrows them at him in irritation. "What do you mean, if you were going??"

"I got the bar to run for one, and I got my pops to take care of for another," Mitch smirks, pointing his thumb over his shoulder in Babe's general direction. "I can't just up and run off to Vegas for a couple days."

"I know you think you're being real cute here," Dallie sighs dramatically. "But the jokes on you, cowboy. I don't have anywhere to be and nothing more pressing to do than get this taken care of so I hope like hell you've got a guest room where ever you call home because I'm not going anywhere until this is done and over with."

[stars-tonight]

hi there! just stumbled across your account :> i’d like to request for long haikyuu matchup, please! also, this is my anon emoji hehe: 🦑

main details:

firstly, i'd like a romantic pairing!

i am female (she/her) and i'd like to be paired with a guy. generally,

i prefer not to be paired with a character who's considered immature/childish (they’re better off as friends! 😭)

my ideal partner: 

the type of person that any parent would approve of immediately. like they would just ADORE him! (family is very very important to me!)

i’d also like someone creative, or at the very least appreciative of things like music, art, literature, you name it!

knowledgeable and nerdy guys are also really cute!! like YES talk to me about your interests!! also i'd like to be able to learn new things from them

would be nice if he's a foodie, or gives importance to sharing of meals together

good balance of listener and talker. overall a good communicator! <3

my personality traits:

my mbti is infp (mediator). conflict and challenge has me worrying and overthinking most of the time.

i am primarily influenced by emotional reasons/motivations (though of course, i still try to be logical).

i am introverted, but social and talkative when i'm comfortable with people. still need alone time to recharge, and by default, i am a reserved/quiet person.

overachiever, which causes me some anxiousness and stress sometimes bc of personal standards T-T (i need to be kinder to myself)

i try to be very patient and accommodating with others (but mostly it's also because i am a people-pleaser aaaaaaa)

hobbies: i’m a creative at heart! i love anything to do with:

music (listening, making playlists, playing electric guitar, producing)

arts/crafts (drawing, journaling, crocheting, graphic design)

worldbuilding (original character creation, self-inserts, writing, extensive research on franchise lore hahahaha)

love languages (giving and receiving):

words of affirmation and physical touch <3

sharing meals!

ideal date:

so hard to narrow this down tbh! i generally gravitate to the idea of casual café or home dates, because it's just chill and we could have meaningful conversations with each other.

but if we're doing something special, i would love an aquarium date! (oh my god i'm already imagining getting those cute sea creature plushies at the gift shop... WHY AM I SINGLE!!

likes:

food (if that wasn't clear enough hahaha), especially noodle dishes

colorful things! rainbowcore should give you an idea hahaha

stuffed toys and stickers. i collect so many of them oh goodness

learning about human sciences! psychology, anatomy and physiology, development, etc.

tabletop games! scrabble is my favorite hahaha

fav music is rock & kpop. generally, anything high-energy

other info:

my hogwarts house is ravenclaw

i'm a pisces (idk much about astrology though lol hahaha)

enneagram is 9w8!

hope this all helps! have a good dayyy <3

headcanons

🥛 mr. mature right here for ya

🥛 you can't tell me akaashi isn't the guy all parents want their child to date

🥛 he would totally get your mom flowers when he first meets them

🥛 he's so nervous he's shaking >_< (he's so cute, everyone needs an akaashi in their lives)

🥛 akaashi is a big literature guy and he'd definitely appreciate art of all kinds, including visual art and music

🥛 he's also very knowledgeable and i headcanon him as a little bit nerdy (especially about books)

🥛 while akaashi's not a foodie, he definitely hopes to eat meals with you and maybe even cook for you. mealtimes to him are always supposed to be spent with loved ones, as it's a time to catch up and just talk and be with each other

🥛 and he's a really good communicator :)

🥛 akaashi tends to be more logical in his thinking and decision making so you could balance out and help each other

🥛 you're both introverted overachievers which hopefully means you'd be able to relate to each other and help each other overcome these challenges

🥛 while akaashi is a generally chill guy, he is not a people pleaser and he will make sure you put yourself first!

🥛 he doesn't listen to music much because it makes it hard to focus on reading but if he ever needs inspiration he'd definitely put on some classical music

🥛 i imagine he'd be really good at arts and crafts (setting -> thin and nimble fingers -> good at precise-ness and stuff)

🥛 he'd love worldbuilding with you! he's an editor, so he's not necessarily doing the worldbuilding, but he has to be really good at it anyway. you can run characters by each other, it's always nice to have a second set of eyes on your work

🥛 akaashi is a words of affirmation guy, he's great at giving them but also needs them 🥺

🥛 i touched on the sharing meals part already but that'd also be very important to him

🥛 he's not big on pda but in private will for sure enjoy holding hands or cuddling

🥛 akaashi also definitely prefers calm or private dates; there's not as many people and it's not as loud or chaotic

🥛 he'd always keep an eye out for cute plushies or stickers and if he finds one he knows you'd like he'll get it for you! especially if he knows you've been having a rough week

runner up for you was kita shinsuke!

A/N: hi 🦑anon! i hope you liked your matchup, i had a lot of fun writing it! this was actually a really easy choice, and thank you for formatting your request so neatly (it was super visually pleasing lol)!

[dreams-and-drabbles]

hi!!!! im really loving your works!!

can you do a fic where we get to dom alhaitham?? sometimes i just wanna put him in his place yk? 😈

Of course, anon! I’m so glad you’re liking my works! As a writer, that means a lot!! I hope you have a lovely day!!!

(( Minors DO NOT INTERACT! !!! ))

Al Haitham was smart, you’d give him that. Still, you sometimes disliked how he acted as though he knew everything. As smart as he was, he could be rather inept when it came to speaking to others, which was exactly how you’d landed in this situation…

You’d had one job; accompany the Scribe.

You could at least say you’d stuck with him, though that hardly made you feel better about your current situation…

The two of you were currently stuck in Dori’s storeroom. Al Haitham had gotten into an argument with the merchant, and she’d opted to lock the two of you in, with the condition of letting you out when he apologized.

You didn’t think it was quite fair that you were written off as ‘collateral damage’ so quickly, but Dori was rather bullheaded. She wasn’t the type to hold herself back, if it meant she’d get something, and she seemed to really want that apology.

You sighed, observing the door.

“Okay, Mr. Know it all… Is there any way to pick this thing?” You asked, your tone thick with sarcasm.

Al Haitham shook his head, irritation evident on his face.

“No. As obnoxious as Dori is, she’s one of the most wanted traders for a reason. She wouldn’t lock us in here, especially me, if she didn’t have a means to keep us…”

Al Haitham explained, shuffling around in his bag for something. You glanced at him curiously, wondering if perhaps, he had some sort of hidden weapon. Whatever was fine, so long as it helped get you both out…

Then—

He pulled out a book.

Your brow twitched, and you stared at him unimpressed. “Just apologize.” You spoke, your tone clipped.

Al Haitham didn’t even bother looking up, opting to turn the next page of his book.

You withheld the urge to snatch the book, instead furrowing your brows in thought. You’d figure it out yourself, and then—

He could stay in here without you. You doubted you could surpass Al Haitham in a battle of pure strength, but you were quick. It came with the territory of wielding an electro vision.

Should you manage to get the door opened, you were confident you could manage to slam it in the prideful scribe’s face.

“Ah well, the prouder they are the harder they fall…”. You muttered to yourself, going back to observe the door.

Dori used electro as well, right?

Well, it was worth a try.

You narrowed your eyes, channeling your visions energy into the doorknob, as though it were a monument.

You noticed the scribe look up from his book, and resisted the growing urge to poke at him. You knew it wasn’t the time for verbal jabs, yet you couldn’t help but feel slightly frustrated.

The doorknob rattled and for a moment you were sure you’d done it, but then the rattling stopped. You sighed, running a hand through your hair. The scribe looked at the doorknob and then you, and laughed. Your lips formed a snarl, as the last of your cool slipped. Slight static built up in the air around you, likely due to your frustration affecting your electro vision.

“You think this is funny?” You spoke, your tone a masked calm.

Al Haitham raised a brow, setting down the book. His gaze met yours, and he smirked vindictively.

“It’s amusing. You’re trying incredibly hard. I wouldn’t have thought of it being vision related, but regardless… The doorknob is likely adapted to a certain frequency. More likely than not, a frequency designed to mimic how Dori controls her vision. As skilled as you are, given you haven’t seen her fighting style, you likely wouldn’t be able to replicate it.”

You processed his words, before sighing.

“Apologize.” You said, your tone soft with rage.

Al Haitham met your gaze defiantly, “No, I will not. Everything I said to Dori was the truth.”

His gaze trailed to the book, and you knew exactly what he was thinking of doing, so you moved.

You used a small burst of electro to enhance your speed, flashing across Al Haitham’s side, before snatching the book.

Satisfaction bubbled up in you, seeing the surprise that briefly passed his face.

You’d caught him off guard.

Good.

You likely wouldn’t have succeeded, had he be on guard against you. You scanned the back of the book, looking for a description, before sighing. You gestured towards Al Haitham, your gaze still on the overview of the book.

“I’m not surprised you’re bad with people, if this is your choice of literature. People aren’t like equations, though they’re just as complicated. Still, no human is quite this dry… Except, perhaps you…”

You spoke, your tone a blend of irritation and amusement.

Al Haitham glowered, stepping forward, his shadow enveloping your form.

“My book.” He spoke, his expression dark.

You rolled your eyes, slightly amused at the intimidation tactic. It may work on those he was unfamiliar with, but you’d had the unfortunate pleasure of playing babysitter for the past month.

You grinned at him, scanning the first pages’ content. “What about your book?”

Al Haitham’s brow twitched, and you donned an expression of mock disappointment.

“I’d thought the Akademyia’s scribe would have a more expansive vocabulary. What about your book, Al Haitham?” You goaded, hoping for him to take the bait.

Al Haitham’s hand caught your wrist, and he attempted to pull the book from your hand.

You grinned, channeling energy from your vision into the book, as though it were a catalyst.

Al Haitham pulled his hand back, his eyes narrowed in irritation.

You laughed at that, observing the frustration evident on his face.

“It’s irritating, isn’t it?” You asked, and he met your question with a deadly glare.

“Beyond irritating…” He bit out, his tone chilly.

You nodded, humming to yourself.

“Well, now you know how I feel~! You should apologize.” You said, your tone light.

Al Haitham crossed his arms, still glaring at you.

“I refuse. Unless, perhaps… You return my book.”

You laughed at his response.

“Why should I do that? I’ll give you your book after you apologize and we get out, or in a couple of days if you don’t. Maybeee I’ll wait a few weeks or months… Hmmm.”

You rebuked his statement, taking pleasure in the way his eyes narrowed.

“I can always get another copy.” He said, returning to his seat with an icy expression.

You grinned, looking at the book in your hands.

“That’s great~! If you can get another copy easily, it won’t hurt anything if I fry this one, right? I’m starting to get bored cooped up in here.”

Al Haitham’s eyes narrowed, his gaze falling on the book in your hand.

“Do not fry it.”

You rolled your eyes, before flipping through a few more of its pages, tauntingly.

Al Haitham took the bait, stepping forward. His face was incredibly close to yours, and you grinned.

“Man, Al Haitham. I never knew you were so forward. Consider me flattered and all that~!”

You quipped, your tone light.

Al Haitham scoffed, his gaze narrowed.

“You act as though you could live up to my standards.” He rebuked, and you smirked.

“Is that a challenge or an insult?”

You asked, and Al Haitham’s eyes widened a fraction before he leaned in closer.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” He returned, his tone silky.

You grinned up at him, meeting his look head on.

“I’ll pass.” You responded, a cheeky grin on your face.

You stepped back, flipping through the book once more. It really was boring.

Suddenly, a hand obscured your view of the pages. You rolled your eyes, glancing at Al Haitham, your expression unamused.

“Why’d you go through all that effort to rile me up, only to pass in the end?”

Oh, so that’s what this was about.

He wasn’t used to others saying ‘no’ , was he? Al Haitham was usually at the top of the food chain, so it wasn’t surprising.

“Says the one who has ‘standards’.” You responded, the jest falling easily from your lips.

Al Haitham’s eyes narrowed and his hand’s weight on the grew heavier.

Your eyes narrowed, as you glanced up at him.

“Fine, Al Haitham. I’ll prove to you that your standards are low.”

Al Haitham raised a brow, his expression one of amusement. “I doubt it. It takes a lot to live up to my expectations, especially in this regard.”

You hummed, glancing at the door, a wicked smile making its way to your face.

“If I prove you wrong, you apologize to Dori. How’s that sound? If you prove me wrong, I’ll return your book and I’ll take my leave for a week, so you won’t have to deal with me during that time.”

You wagered, your tone amused.

Al Haitham smirked, “You’re rather confident, aren’t you? Fine. Let’s see you back up those claims.”

You grinned, pulling off your top and slipping off your bottoms.

“Back at you, Scribe.”

Al Haitham scowled in response, harshly tugging off his clothing.

You smirked, bringing your hand to cup his cheek. You pulled his face forward harshly in a display of strength, that surprised even you.

Al Haitham’s eyes narrowed as you slammed your lips into his with a passionate fervor.

He returned the kiss, slightly frenzied.

You met his challenge, pressing yourself closer to his form, and digging your fingers into the skin of his cheek. You let your tongue trail across his bottom lip, before biting down on it.

Al Haitham’s eyes narrowed, and his lips twitched, yet he made no move to open his mouth.

He was making it hard, but that was fine—

You could work with that.

You slipped your hand down towards his back, harshly pinching his butt, before using the same hand to teasingly flit across his lower back.

Al Haitham’s mouth parted in surprise and you slipped your tongue in, feeling incredibly triumphant. Al Haitham’s tongue slid across yours, and suddenly his hand was gripping your shoulder. You drew your hand up from his back, snaking it around the wrist of the hand on your shoulder, and tugged—

Al Haitham stumbled closer to you, allowing you easier access to his form. You grinned, slightly feral, before teasingly pressing your leg against his cock.

Al Haitham’s lips parted once more, as he huffed slightly. You grinned up at him, pressing your leg down harder.

You let your trail down towards his inner thigh, as you lightly caressed his bare skin with your fingers.

Al Haitham jerked at the contact, and you smirked deviously, before pressing your entire body closer to his form.

“You’re…stubborn…”

He breathed out, his tone a low rasp.

You could feel the muscles in his body tense, and anticipation sparked within you.

You slowly trailed one of your fingers tantalizingly close to his privates, a vicious smile on your face.

“You’re one to talk… Apologize.”

Al Haitham grit his teeth, and you pressed your leg down harder, subsequently wrapping a hand around his member.

Al Haitham growled, his form slackening.

“I…apologize…”

At that moment, the door swung open—

[tamelee]

Hello Tamelee! Do you have any advice to give to beginners regarding drawing? Maybe some exercices that helped you to make progress? I’ve seen that you learn to draw all on your own, and that’s really impressing (and inspiring)!! ❤️

Hi!! 🧡 thankyou so much (ノ・∀・)ノ♥︎ Ah yes of course!!! I wanted to make this earlier but I waited until I finished a few drawings to see if I could come up with more tips and find out what really helps for me.

✍️;

 I did learn to draw by myself, but I watched a lot of speed video’s for guidance ^^ I used to slow them down a lot and really tried to study what artists that I liked did, but I wouldn’t recommend this for beginners. Especially when you don’t really know the program and you won’t understand why they do what they do.

I used to copy the greyscale method even though I knew nothing about color so I heavily relied on values only which made everything look very muddy.

It’s actually only recently that I’m understanding the things that I do and I feel like my anatomy/coloring is improving slowly because of it. 

So, first, I’d highly recommend to instead of copying only as a study method, (like faces for example) to understand why things are the way they are. If you know how planes of a face work, it’s much easier to remember why a certain perspective is like that, when something feels off and how to fix it or how to lay down shadows. The ‘Asaro head’ is a favorite for many, the free version you can find HERE a video on the topic is HERE and learning how to shade is explained very well HERE. Sinix Design has a great video that goes beyond that and it may help you for different kind of faces which you can find HERE. If you're more interested in Anime faces (though the planes work the same), you can find and manipulate 3D models for free HERE or HERE that you can use as a reference. Of course you should always make it your own but they can help with perspective. In fact, you can find many different kinds of models on Sketchfab. Your character holding a cup and you aren't sure how to draw it in that angle? Find one, manipulate it, screenshot and study the perspectives ^^ (I don't recommend tracing or copying.)

Learn about environmental lighting and color temperatures instead of value's (light and dark) only!!! Trust me, the earlier you learn this, the better >*chants* color temperature, color temperature, color temp-

Anatomy is interesting. A lot of tutorials recommend you use photo's to learn it, but it confused me a lot. Pictures aren't always clear enough to see how the body parts are connected and I always thought it was a bit pointless to learn muscles, but it really isn't. I'm not sure how to explain it well, but a picture is often too complicated and you have to narrow it down to find its foundation. I personally think it's helpful to find an artist you like and look how they do anatomy if they have shared any sketches.

Not sure if that makes any sense xD but what I'm trying to say is that for me, looking at pictures alone didn't help me understand much of anything else at all and in some cases made it even more confusing. Clothing makes much more sense in drawings when they're simplified, but this also depends on style!

You can use a napkin around you finger and bend it to get a quick fold reference for a sleeve or something!

Studying the body means... well, studying the body. Naked, in underwear or swimwear. You can find many free references! But there are special anatomy reference packs that are being sold like these.

I don't really do drawing exercises because my ADD just won't allow me to. My motivation immediately drops to zero. So I can't say which ones are very helpful but always feel free to try anything you want and see what works for you! But if there's anything you should exercise always... it's your hands.

Trust me on that one. The pain for ignoring your pain is a consequence you don't want ;-; and sometimes it even leaves you unable to draw for a long time. Avoid issues with carpel tunnel or RSI as much as possible. There are many video's but you could use THIS ONE for example.

I do practice though with everything new that I create. I always try to learn something.

I think the thing that helped me a lot in the beginning was by getting the habit to save everything that I liked. An expression in a movie? I saved it. Favorite art styles? I saved them. Naruto looked particularly adorable in that panel? Saved. Sasuke's hair spikes flawlessly there? Saved it.

If you're quickly overwhelmed though (like me lol) then it's not a good idea to save a bunch of screenshots in a folder because you'll have no idea what to even look for. If you do this then try to keep things as organized as possible so you actually have some use for it and even narrow it down as much as you like. Some panels for Naruto and Sasuke for example I have saved in several folders like 'expressions', 'manga style' or 'outfit' for example. I don't want to spend too much time looking for things, because unlike some of you think, I don't have that much patience xD

INVEST IN EXTERNAL SSD('s) and BACK UP REGULARLY!! Like, everyday if you can, but at least 3x a week. Once a week at THE VERY LEAST. You'll thank yourself one day. Save your art-files so you have access to full versions always but post smaller files if you're drawing in large 300DPI (or more) files. Whatever program you use you can learn to reduce sizes, you don't need to save every layer always when you've finished a drawing, but in Photoshop for example you can 'merge layers 'duplicate all visible layers' as a copy and put it in a progress folder in case you ever need it, like so;

Some other things that helped me a lot also was to create my own short keys to flip the canvas and making the current layer I'm working on visible or not. Personally I have the flipping on 'command+§' and layer visibility on 'command+1'. If you're working with Windows you can switch command key or pick anything else you think would be easy! Flipping your canvas horizontally helps a lot to find mistakes and layer visibility.... I don't really see anyone talking about it, but when I'm rendering over a sketch and get lost in it, I often use this short-key to see if I'm not overdoing it or losing the original perspective which can easily happen!

I hope some of these are helpful, I can't really think of much more right now, but feel free to ask anyway if there is anything in particular! 🌷

[kanobarlowe]

Werewolves and why shapeshifters suck

The big rant has overcome me. Let me explain the best kind of werewolves and why it's not shapeshifters.

The first thing to do is determine what makes a werewolf a werewolf and what makes that kind of werewolf good.

I think the best place to start is the origin of the word and concept of "werewolf" altogether. This is difficult to narrow down, as the topic comes across many cultures, with its own variations and forms, sometimes even different animals—but usually all taking on a similar function to culture and storytelling.

Let's focus on the 2 most common English words for this topic: werewolf, and lycanthropy.

Werewolf: Old English. Description of. Man+Wolf.

Lycanthropy: Greek. Affliction. Wolf+Man.

These two words at their most basic forms tell us a lot about what werewolves should be. The first one, while historically can be seen accommodating basic shapeshifter tropes, has a primary distinction: it is man first. There is no wolf without man. To have a werewolf, one must have man, which implies that the traits and clarity of man's presence is vital for the werewolf to be known and identified as such.

Lycanthropy, meanwhile, has an important difference that supports the Old English, by accident or by design: it is the affliction of wolf onto man. While lycanthropy is wolf emphasized, by its definition of being considered an affliction, notably on mind and/or body depending on literal or literary context, there must be man in the equation for the wolf to then be afflicted to.

Why does this matter? Who cares if man is in the equation?

Well clearly I care!!!!

Before I compare two well-known examples of werewolves in contemporary media, let me make it clear: based even on basic terms and definitions, the presence of man is key for the werewolf to function. How do you possibly make that clear to your audience?

By keeping man present.

If you decide to hide man from your werewolf concept and design, you're just making your end result a wolf. While the man may be present underneath, I would argue that the meaning of both words has now been lost and the wolf has now obscured the man aspect.

Next, we, can examine some popular contemporary werewolves and see what makes them truly horrific (in the best ways of course). Note that I will sadly only be going off of what I am familiar with: if I do not cover a werewolf that you think is good evidence one way or another, it's simply because I am not familiar enough with it to use. For this portion I will reference a top character list I found online.

Remus Lupin: ignoring any controversy around Harry Potter and Rowling, and ignoring his incredibly silly naming scheme, Remus is a classic werewolf. Is his story in book 3/movie 3 not compelling to audiences? I think many would agree that the mystery behind the man and the subsequent learning of his affliction and how he intends to get along despite it is worthy of acknowledging. Not to mention the danger that comes with it when the kids come in contact with him in this form.

David Kessler: I would argue David from An American Werewolf in London is the most iconic and amazing iteration of a werewolf to have existed in contemporary works. Not only are the transformation scenes brutal and grotesque, but the later ambiguity of the validity of his affliction, his lack of knowledge to if his affliction even occurring, not only is classic, but masterly crafted.

Larry Talbot: the OG wolf man and an iconic one at that. Due to effects at the time, the visuals are great for what they could do, and the story of a man who cannot resist the violent nature of the beast that overwhelms him is quintessential to what makes werewolf stories so good.

Daniel Osbourne: another iconic example to many of what makes a good werewolf. One who is meek in human form, but the monstrous side of the werewolf curse shreds through that with power and feats unknown. I can't say much more as it's been a while seen seeing Buffy, but I didn't want to leave Oz out.

Bigby Wolf: while a reversal of the concept, being a wolf inflicted with lycanthropy to give him the power to become a man, Bigby in both iterations of Fables and The Wolf Among Us is still a good example of the man and wolf nature. In the game, you get to see his progressive iterations of transformation, some being more extreme than others. Of course he does technically shapeshift, especially in his last form—but his earlier hybrid iterations are brought on by a unique variant: emotional transformation. When anger is left unchecked and out of control, his beast nature would rise out of the surface of man, which I find compelling. He is an interesting look at the affliction of man onto beast, which is what makes this more shapeshifter-esque nature more appropriate for his case.

Jacob Black: literally what is the point of him being a "werewolf" other than to be different from Edward. Other than giving him some mysterious nature it does little function - and it's an affliction he doesn't deal with at anywhere near the same capacity as the vampires do with theirs in the same book series. If I remember correctly, the only things that are an issue is he just kinda becomes a hot head who doesn't know his own strength? Okay? He's just a shapeshifter. He just turns into a literal wolf. What's the point. Lmao.

There are many more, and ones I wish I could touch on with better knowledge than I do (such as Teen Wolf, Being Human, the Vampire Diaries, and True Blood). But even with these few, I think it's clear that the afflicted, even in a unique role-reversal like Bigby, is far more compelling than shapeshifting. From what I have read about Teen Wolf, I believe it tries to strike a balance between being able to shapeshift when desired but also being afflicted by the full moon, but I would need to see it before I can comment. I am, however, not impressed with the ability to actually just turn into a wolf that is otherwise present. The monster versions look cool though.

Finally, to still rant and make some arguments but to try to not keep this too long, let's consider the impact of affliction vs shapeshifting as the function of the werewolf.

What does a shapeshifter really do to compel a story? In my opinion it renders the werewolf little more than a super power like any other kind—you basically have a 1 form d&d druid shapeshifter, worse yet if they eliminate the aspect of man and make it a full wolf transformation.

What is the impact of a wolf-man affliction? Well I mean... look at it!! Someone who may or may not know what happens to them, unable to resist or fight the bestial nature lurking beneath the surface, maybe even terrified and uncertain of all the death surrounding them! What of the overindulgence, of feeling terribly full, of the taste of meat and metal on the tongue? The horror someone would feel with this beast looming over them, claw and fang and hair and distortion on an otherwise human-like face, creating an uncanny valley effect of human-but-not for the victim.

To conclude: wolf-man is cool. Shapeshifters are also cool, but not for a werewolf narrative.

[20dollarlolita]

For people who are new, I have an entire tag on my blog called Petticoat Theory, which is about how construction of a petticoat impacts its final shape.

Okay, Petticoat Theory and _boringbb_'s petticoat she posted on tiktok, and how that relates to lolita fashion:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRb5GQ9T/

When I do a puffy skirt, I want it to be cartoonishly over-the-top, big, comically puffy, and I have yet to find a petticoat on the market that gives me the look that I'm going for. So, here's how I make my petticoat. If you make one, you can just reuse it for a bunch of dresses, so, one-and-done kind of situation here. Normal petticoats, they start very close to your waist, and then they have more that go away from your body as you go down towards your feet. I go for the inverse. I come from a ballet background, so I really like the tutu look, which is just kind of what I recreated with this petticoat. I have two layers of crinoline, and there's three layers of those two layers of crinoline, if that makes sense. So it's folded-over crinoline one, two, three, and the puffiest layer is close to my waist, and it goes in towards my body as it goes towards my feet. Having this volume right by your waist will give you the nice puffy look you're going for.

I've had several people ask me questions about this petticoat, so here's my takes:

Full disclaimer: I can't argue with success. Julia made a petticoat that she loves the shape of, so I'm not about to say it doesn't work. The fact that I don't personally construct my petticoats like that should not impact that she gets the shape she wants from hers.

So Julia's petticoat is three doubled layers of poof, all attached to a slip. The reason it looks relatively unconventional, when viewed from a lolita fashion viewpoint, is that the layers get shorter the higher up they go.

This isn't how a lolita petticoat is constructed, even when we're trying to reach the same shape. And we are, in fact, trying to reach the same shape.

I think the reason this petticoat is making its rounds in lolita fashion circles is that it's so different-looking from what we're used to. We're very familiar with how we make monster cupcake poof, so we're all a little alarmed when some other method shows up.

So, let's talk about what this does that is similar to what we do, and what it does that is different:

Here's one of a few different ways that lolita fashion will make that shape. I'm grabbing this style because it's very similar to Julia's up there: it's several layers of poof sewn onto a slip. I did a tutorial for this method here, and I have a petticoat made with this method that I use for lower-poof applications:

This is my less-poofy petticoat entirely because I constructed it to be that way; I have a petticoat made by Wunderwelt that is sometimes just too much poof for some of my skirts, requiring me to construct a lower-poof petti. As you can see, I still get the bell/cupcake shape where there's volume at the waist. It's not as much volume as Julia, but that's because it's designed to fit the skirts I made it for.

There is nothing that stops a petticoat of this construction from being enormously poofy. If I had used something stiffer like petticoat net or crinoline, instead of the crystal organza that I used, it would be a much larger petticoat.

So, how is our petticoat constructed that is different from Julia's? The main thing is that all of our layers end a couple inches shorter than the hem of the skirt we will be wearing over them. Every layer of the petticoat hits at the same hem length. This means that the top layer is cut longer than the following layers, and the closer to the hem of the slip they are attached, the narrower the layer is. This does, in fact, fit Julia's description of "they start very close to your waist, and then they have more that go away from your body as you go down towards your feet." However, the fact that the top layer of the petticoat is gathered directly into the waist of the slip means that we do, actually, have quite a bit of poof in the waistband.

In fact, the only difference between this style of petticoat and the petticoat that Julia made is where the individual tiers of ruffles end.

Which asks the question: if we're attempting to reach the same shape, why do our petticoats look like they do, and Julia's petticoat looks like it does.

Why is it that we want all of the layers of our petticoat to end at the same place, and why is that place 3-6" above the hem of our skirt?

First of all, we have our petticoats end several inches above the hems of our skirts because we don't want our petticoats to show in lolita fashion. You don't go to a tea party with your underwear hanging out of your skirt, now, do you? But, if we don't want them seen, why do we even bring the poof all the way to the bottom of the skirt?

The answer is pretty simple: hem support. I would like everyone who is able to please go throw a bed sheet over your nearest floor lamp with a lamp shade.

Okay, so I only had a towel, but we do what me must with what we have. And what we have is a towel that is supported part way down its length, but with no support as we get to the hem.

When we move, we do not want our skirt hems to be out flopping in the air with no support. We don't want the skirt to drop off.

In addition, we generally want our bell-shaped skirts to be more y=-x^2 instead of a square wave. We want poof at the waist, because that is the thing that makes a cupcake petticoat the cupcake shape, but we also want the poof to continue all the way until the end of the skirt. This is the same reason that a hoop skirt supporting a ball gown has a hoop very near the hem of the dress. The dress and the shape of the dress needs support.

Now, Julia has also made a couple of follow-up videos on this:

and

Unfortunately, instagram does not allow me to pause the reel the way tiktok does, so I can't easily transcribe the audio in these. However, what they do show is that she often wears additional layers over her petticoat in order to smooth out the shape. These additional layers, in this case, are what she calls "standard petticoats". They are longer than her petticoat, and they have additional volume at the hem.

You can see in this image, where she is intentionally wearing a sheer garment so that we can see how the petticoat stack works, that she's brought support down to the hem of the garment, and that her outermost layer is longer than her other layers.

Basically, Julia does understand how to construct a petticoat. Having no exposure to lolita fashion, she was not aware that petticoats designed with a lot of volume at the waist exist, so she decided to create that shape herself. She was able to understand how to make the shape that she wanted, and she didn't construct it in the conventional method because she knew she was using it in conjunction with other garments to provide hem support and a smooth the overall look.

Julia understands petticoat theory just fine and y'all need to stop sending me this video expecting to tear her apart.

Julia, you get a solid B+ in today's Petticoat Theory class. Points are deducted for two reasons: the phrase "50's inspired" and the phrase "the tutu look." I'm not an expert on 50's fashion, but I have written an entire blog about why you can't use 50's petticoats to make a lolita shape, so I'm guessing the fact that she's made a solidly not bad lolita shape means it's not particularly 50's inspired.

The other thing is that tutus are absolutely made with the longest layer on top, so that the top looks smooth. The tutu gains its perfect flat shape from having each layer stacked onto a slightly shorter layer. Basically, if you have a very short piece of netting gathered onto a tutu panty, it will stick out on its own. So, if you just keep stacking a layer that's only a little longer than the last layer onto the previous layer, they'll support each other, and you can get your 12-15" top layer to stick out perfectly flat. I'm only mentioning this because a lot of people don't know this, or that a ballet tutu will stick out flat without any kind of hoop in it. I just think that's cool.

As for "her petticoat only works if there's another petticoat on top of it", that's also how hoop skirts, panniers, bustles, bum rolls, hip pads, and so many other undergarments work! It's completely legitimate and it seems to work fine!

BTW, Julia, I think you'd do AMAZING in lolita fashion, and if you ever want to try it, please reach out to me. I think you'd really like it.

Anyhow, it's not conventional, it's not 50's, and it's not a tutu, but Julia saw a problem in the petticoats that she had, and she built her own little petticoat-booster to solve that problem. Perfect understanding of petticoat theory. Let's move on.

[crimsoncold]

Polls, Plans for a Future ASOIAF art series, and some Criticism of Antis and thoughts General Fandom etiquette ...

First of all thank you to anyone who participated in my poll on which pair of House Stark characters have the most underrated/underappreciated similarities or paralells (and for so many of you for taking the poll in the spirit it was intended and staying respectful in your tags- I always worry about that as part of the asoiaf/got fandom, particularly being a Sansa-stan and Jonsa shipper in general)

I was using this poll as a bit of research/inspiration for a future art series I wanted to do (there are just so many possible paralells/comparisons that I find intriguing or emotionally compelling, but i can only devote so much time to one specific art piece/series and was really struggling to narrow down the specific character pairs I wanted to focus on- hence the poll I made!)

So after getting an idea about which parallels resonate with people -and feel are underrepresented or unappreciated by fandom- and holding to the idea that if you want to see something specific or rare discussed or done in fandom/fanfiction/or fanart sometimes you just have to do it yourself ... I've checked the results and have decided I'm eventually going to do a cross-generation art series exploring certain characters' narrative parallels/similarities to eachother as well as a tribute to any canon relationship they have to one another...

It will include a Sansa & Ned piece, a Robb & Lyanna one, and lastly an Arya & Catelyn one.

Side note I'm also thinking of doing a separate Jonsa art piece that focuses a bit on the many ways their plotlines/arcs/dreams mirror one another.

(It's all going to take awhile- a few months probably but I'm very excited and I've already started brain storming ideas)

Ok now that I've expressed my appreciation and shared the more positive outcome from this poll now I want to take a moment to vent a bit about some of the negative backlash, address my general stance on antis, and give a little reminder about general fandom etiquette...

(I've tagged this accordingly so I'm unsure that any of the people this is directed at/could benefit from reading this will ever encounter it... but still I think its important to put it out there- even if only because it allows me to process my own thoughts and feelings on the matter)

(This may at times come across slightly bitchy- I'm alright with that but I decided I'd preface this by emphasizing... This is intended as a criticism of toxic stans... it is not the condemning of a specific character/certain character parallels, and it is not criticism of people who are simply fans of said character in general... everyone understand that? Good lets move on)

So I'm sort of feeling darkly amused about how (with I think a single nice exception?) the comments made on this poll (even multiple in a row from one user) were people wanting to complain that I chose to excluded some pair/parallel that they prefer ....

Instead of taking... what 10 seconds?... to read my explanation around why certain pairs were excluded from the poll- which would have apparently saved them a lot of grief...

(I.e. its not that the parallels between these pairs aren't present OR that I don't think they are meaningful... it's simply that I feel those sets of characters are very high profile and are frequently discussed in terms of their parallels by a significant portion of fandom and thus should NOT be included in a poll meant to consider underappreciated Stark character parallels)

...And then say deciding to either take this poll in the spirit it was intended (once again... to consider what is the most underrated/underappreciated stark paralells? NOT to focus on or reiterate some of the most talked about ones in all of asoiaf fandom?) or choosing to simply scroll past if they weren't interested in the options/design of the poll..

They instead chose to have a hissy fit in the comments about how offended they were that Lyanna was listed as having parallels with any Stark kid other than Arya (not just Sansa- which unfortunately is not exactly an unexpected response but apparently the idea of Robb + Lyanna having paralells was also deeply offensive. Who knew? I would have expected all the house stark boys were completely immune to the unecessary hate/criticism/dismissal that so much of fandom and many arya stans gleefully direct towards Sansa)

Or took the time to explicitly complain that I didn't include Arya being compared to.... whoever? Ned and Jon I think, maybe others? I've forgotten their explicit instructions on all their arya stan approved comparisons. Because isn't it sooo biased of me not to include these pairs because clearly Arya is the only character who can rightfully be compared to Lyanna or Ned... even in a post explicitly about parallels underrated by fandom!!! These commonly discussed parallels absolutely NEED to be an option even then... and if it isn't it has to be because the person who made it is prejudiced and biased-not because the pair/character parallels dont actually fit the poll criteria.

Really this just further justifies my disappointment in certain types of stans and makes me feel I wasn't being pessimistic or jumping at shadows when I listed my second reason for avoiding including those as pairs in this poll (i.e. wanting to avoid devoting space to pairs/paralells that bring out the worst in certain toxic stans- i just dont need to deal with that and neither does anyone else)

...when I say that certain character parallels bring up weird defensiveness/unpleasantness/stubborness in fans .. well these people choose to respond to such a statement by just literally proving my point.

If you dont like this poll instead of leaving comments to complain about it and its creator maybe go make your own Arya centric one?... would that not be a better use of your time? Or are you so lacking in creativity/the ability to think critically and express yourself persuasively that you can only ever complain about the content other's make and never actually be a productive or positive member of fandom through creating your own content?

All your actions do is make it less enjoyable to read or discuss said popular character or character parallels... you actively drive people away from the fandom discussion around your favorite characters/character parallels... which is an interesting choice to say the least.

I would love to plan out fanart that explores both the major and subtler ways the stark sisters echo both of their parents and even each other... but I am hesitant... Arya stans like these totally just reinforce both my concern that such content would not generally find acceptance/appreciation and my certainty that I would not even simply be peacefully left alone to explore or share these ideas without toxic stans invading my blog to bitch to me about... i don't know? How I'm awful for choosing to taint asoiaf things that sacredly belong only to Arya by including/linking them to evil incarnate Sansa or fandom nobody Robb? That I'd dare malign someone as precious as Arya by having the audacity to think or say that she has similarities to the useless female characters Sansa or Catelyn?

I'm a fan of all the stark kids (including Arya- i love the Stark sisters and wish more fandom discussion around their relationship was based in empathy and nuanced consideration rather than being mostly vitriolic and obviously biased) but stans like this make me not want to branch out beyond the more Sansa/Jonsa centric circles or content... because at least with this part of fandom I encounter people used to seeing/experiencing rudeness or outright harassment and who are not interested in behaving that way themselves (notice people weren't up in arms and taking to the comments in outrage about me choosing to not include and list Sansa and Catelyn parallels ... almost as if Sansa-stans don't harass or criticize people in their own posts... unlike many others I could list)

(including me!!!! I tag my content/art as in depth as possible not just to make it easy to find but also as a curtesy to be easy to filter or block for those who aren't interested in certain fandoms/ships/or even my art and content in general

I wish these people would remember that fandom is a hobby and we do this because we enjoy it... curate your fandom experience, scroll past things that don't interest you/filter any tags you want/block content or blogs that you don't like or don't care to see.

I am doing my part!

I am not willfully invading/infecting your space in fandom with my terrible interest in the starks/sansa/jonsa... use your damn filters and/or block my blog ... don't leave nasty comments for me or the other people to see)

Seriously!!!! Don't waste your energy on negativity, or your time on being rude or purposefully invading specific fandom spaces just to criticize and argue with people in fandom who you disagree with

... because I'm not going to engage with you or argue with you or in any way validate/reinforce your shitty behaviour, I'm not going to sink to your level by invading your blog or your posts to complain about you or your interests... I'm going to block you wearing a smile (just one less unpleasant person to run into in this fandom)

and lastly I'm just going to continue to post/enjoy all the characters/topics/ships that you hate.

and if I complain about what you've done or use it to emphasize my stance on specific antis or fandom conduct in general it will be only ever be in my own posts on my own blog- without explicitly identifying you/referencing your blog/or directing actual harassment or negativity towards you ... (I'm not going to make you feel justified in your negative opinions about/harassment of sansa-stans, jonsa fans, or just literally anyone in fandom who you disagree with... I'm not going to give you evidence/ammunition to slander or smear segments of fandom you consider undesirable... I'm just not going to lower myself the way you do... i have more respectful for myself and for other people in fandom... I'm content to let you look like the asshole and never have to think about you again)

if you failed to develope the ability to give enough of a shit about other people to be respectful in fandom spaces, filter and block accordingly, or at least be civil in your interactions please have enough respect for your own free time and at least care enough about your own emotional well-being and happiness to start acting this way ... Swear to god this will make things more enjoyable not just for others but for yourself as well

Now I'm going to go back to reblogging/making fan art of things I like... because it makes me happy and I don't wish to invest anymore time on negative things or negative people.

- Crimson Cold

[bismuthburnsblue]

Help me design a dress!

this is our fabric! (left is the product image, right is my actual piece of fabric- ruler on the left is cm, on the right is inches, to give you an idea of print scale) its the black version of the break up robe print, in a lightweight & crisp cotton. i have 4.5m (5y) so it should be enough to make most designs, though some will require consideration in the cutting- we will get to that later though. (the fabric is also narrow, i think its only 110cm wide. (its still folded in the picture))

my goal here is to make a comfy wearable dress, something pretty casual & everyday in silhouette, but i would also like if it was possible to style up for a more formal look. most of my inspiration for this project has come from 1950s dresses, because thats a style i lean towards for myself, though im not aiming for anything "true vintage" or anything. im also fond of lolita dresses, so im more than down to draw inspiration from those also!

also, the print is pretty bold compared to my usual style, so ive considered doing some kind of translucent (chiffon, tulle, mesh) overlay to tone it down so its more wearable in my wardrobe. this will entirely depend on it working with out final design, and even then, ill offer you the decision at the end! ultimately, i still want to be able to appreciate the fabric. (for sewing people: id intend to do it as a flat lining, so it sits right up against the fabric underneath, not as a complete separate layer. i find this makes it block out the design slightly less) doing this could also help with adding structure to the dress, which i already think some designs might need, considering how thin the fabric is.

ok now the brief is out of the way, onto the first decision for the dress: the shape of the skirt. if you want to vote based entirely on vibes, feel free to click away, but i have included some more writing about each option & its ups and downs in this particular project under the cut (also pictures of each style if youre not so familar with what they are!)

& the propaganda for the options:

Circle skirt: you can never go wrong with a circle skirt- theyre probably my favourite to wear overall & i especially like the low bulk join to the waist as i sometimes find things with gathers dont sit as nicely on me. the way circle skirts are cut also gives them a movement that the other two methods simply cannot compete with in my eyes.

The main downside is working a circle skirt with this particular fabric. the fabric is not wide enough to cut the entire front as one, so i would either need a centre front seam or to make it a 3/4 circle skirt- something im 100% ok with, i honestly find at midi length a full circle to be too much sometimes. (there is technically the option to have full circle but rotate it so the seams are at side, but that might then mean i have to do some shenanigans with where the fastenings go). also, because the design is directional, each quarter will need to be cut so the seams end up on the bias, which makes for an Incredibly inefficient cutting layout. (again, if theres a CF seam, thatll be on the diagonal of the design, which really defeats the point of putting in the effort in the first place, to me.) i think i would be able to get all the panels i need out of the piece of fabric i have, but i think i would be a bit more limited with top options as i try to make sure to use as many of the small pieces left over as possible.

Gathered skirt: these are by far the easiest to do in terms of sewing. in my research into casual 50's dresses about 90% of all pictures i saw featured a dress with a gathered skirt (or actually, a lot seemed to have tiny pleats that give the effect of gathers, like the coral one. if we vote this way, i would be tempted to go try them as i think it might solve my bothers with gathered skirts in general)

i generally find gathered skirts less flattering on me- they add bulk at the waist and then hang straight down off the hips (when not puffed up with a petticoat) and thats generally not something i like on myself. i could improve that though by bringing more fabric in to increase the hem, and adding horsehair braid to the hem to help it swoop without additional support (again, my goal for this project is causal day dress)

this pattern uses the least fabric i think, depending on how much you put in the skirt- i think i should get a perfectly satisfactorily full skirt from this with less than 2m of fabric used. (honestly might end up too efficient- id like to use up all the fabric i have in this, and i really dont need that much for a bodice. i can see myself adding 4, even 5 widths into the skirt to use up yardage. i dont particularly see that as a problem though)

despite my reservations because of gathered skirts ive made before, for this project it does have one massive point in its favour: the fact that its still a full piece of fabric. all other styles here all cut quite significantly into the design to create their shape, while this be one panel of the fabric from edge to edge. preserving the design of this fabric is pretty high on my priority list, after all, i bought this fabric specifically because it was the OFMD break up robe print. i want whatever design i make to work with that.

Tiered skirt: for me, tiered skirts are the best of both worlds in terms of the effect they give. the fact each layer doubles means they keep some of the swish a circle skirt gives (and, i find, they tend to have more of the A-Line shape of a circle skirt too) while not being quite so consuming of fabric as you cut. i couldnt find many examples of 50's dresses with them (though i did find some) so i do feel like this style pulls more towards the style of lolita dresses & that might be reflected in the options i offer in subsequent rounds.

if you know anything about petticoats, then youll notice that this style of skirt is essentially the same construction as them (though petticoats often introduce extra layers and ruffles and.....) when ive made this style of skirt in the past i have found that it holds volume much like a petticoat does, without the need for an extra undergarment- something thats great for a casual dress!

I was thinking three tiers is the ideal number for this dress, though i could make it only two. i dont think i would make it more as, if i keep them even (which was my intention, though i am also fond of the styles that increase with each tier like my example images) then each tier will probably be 20cm wide, which is already looking like itll cut into the features of the design. i think that is the single biggest downside for this style- i wont reasonably be able to do much 'fussy cutting' either to work with the print, its simply not practical to do on this scale.

At a rough estimate, i think this is gonna use 3m of fabric in the skirt, which puts it slap bang in the middle in terms of fabric efficiency. i should have plenty enough to do it, maybe even to increase it if i want to, while still being pretty unlimited about what i do with the rest of the design.

one last thing- trim! one unique feature of this design is the opportunity to play with trim on the skirt itself. i do have some bodice ideas that play around with trim, and it would be really nice to introduce it into the skirt too, if we go that way. it could even be a fun nod to the piping on the original break up robe!!!!

Something else (comment): while doing my research i came across SO MANY design ideas that i could play around with. for this poll i picked the three i thought would probably work the best for this project, but i wanted an opportunity for you to yell at me if you want something different entirely. feel free to suggest anything you like, but ive included a couple images as examples of styles i saw a lot. i especially saw a lot like on the left, with gathering or ruffles off to the side, but the front panel being pretty flat. this might be real fun for some designs like shirtdresses, but im not super confident on how itd look on me. either way, feel free to form a coalition in the replies to tell me how i totally should have offered you this one particular option.

(if you vote for this but dont comment, im discounting it from the overall stats as i have no idea what design you mean! your welcome to send it in on anon if that bothers you, but either way, ill need a description :P )

[cityandking]

1, 12, 14, 18 for dai, minah and vesper!

thank you my dear!! // questions about creating your ocs

1. What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)? 

DAI — theme. I knew I wanted to play a religious character and I knew there was a very Present religious order in airedon that worshiped the sky gods, so he was initially born out of the concept of this really grounded, rooted, earth-adjacent character looking up at the sun and the sky and loving it and striving towards it. everything else kind of slotted into place from there. MINAH — backstory. it helped that we got a whole bunch of campaign lore (plus just, y'know, there's so much DA lore to work with). I always knew she was gonna be a bit unscrupulous and dissembling and kind of went from there. also, fun fact! she was originally gonna be a he VESPER — name. vesper was born out of the ashes (well, a long period of tweaking and re-consideration) of my first inquisition playthrough, so in a lot of ways I had everything set out in broad strokes, but it wasn't until I had a new name that I really began building a new (and better imo) character.

12. What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits, etc.)? 

ok well besides the fact that I can't draw them the way I wish I could draw them...

DAI — his voice is a little stiff and he doesn't do joy well. every now and then I'll have a thought about something (usually a dairef thing) and I just can't pin him down enough to get into it. this happens less when we're playing, but every now and then he just stalls out. MINAH — the secrets she (and I) must keep. also artistic skill rip (I just want to design warden armor) VESPER — her color palette honestly isn't super conducive to edits. also I started writing her ages ago and sometimes it's hard to get back to her voice; I feel like I use to write her much more easily

14. If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be? 

DAI — first, he's upright in all things: morals, posture, obligation, kindness, vows. everything about him should feel like it's standing solid and straight-backed, like it could take a blow and stay standing. second, beneath all that honor and stalwart truth and hope is a deep well of wryness that he can draw from ad infinitum. it's where the bitchiness comes from MINAH — first, her gut instinct when talking about herself is always to lie or deflect, even when it's completely innocuous. there's usually at least one layer between what she says and what the truth is, even if the lie is only in the presentation or the performance. second, her loyalty goes deeper than she'll admit—she's fond of people and bonds easily, even though she tries to keep them at a comfortable arm's length VESPER — first, she is always ready to set herself on fire rather than see anyone else burn or freeze. she's got a martyr complex and a deep well of determination and the two don't play well together. second, she is so tired. she is so so tired. let her nap

18. What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC? 

DAI — oh lordy. most recent? it's either how hungry he is to know more about his family or how hungry he is to feel solid and real. I made a post a while back about 'how bloody is your OC' and looking back at that I think part of dai's problem in the astral sea is that he hasn't had a chance to get bloody—fighting himself was a good way to get into the meat of things (literally), and the god baby was better because it was tangible change. I think. I'm still trying to get a read on his mental state; he eludes me sometimes MINAH — honestly the cold-blooded mage murder was a surprise to me too VESPER — vesp has been so solid for so long idk what recent thing I've discovered about her. I'm sure I'll have new thoughts and feelings once veilguard drops

[choicesficwriterscreations]

September MC & OCs of the Month - Special Edition: Vivian Carrick

Help us in welcoming September's MCs and OCs of the month! That's right, plural! Most months, CFWC highlights one randomly selected MC or OC from our Meet My MC / OC List. (More info here.) But this month, we're doing something different.

In August, @lilyoffandoms hosted a Writers Appreciation Month, and we announced the September Writer of the Month would be selected from its participants. But all participants agreed - Lily deserved the honor! Still, we wanted to do something nice for the eleven writers who elected to participate to help uplift other writers in the fandom. So, this month, each of the eleven participants will have one of their MCs or OCs highlighted.

We will introduce each MC / OC individually, and once all eleven have been highlighted, a masterlist for the month will be created. We hope you enjoy getting to know all about them!

The fifth OC of the Month is @jerzwriter 's Vivian Carrick!

Learn more about Vivian below!

In your own words, tell us what you like most about your OC.

It's hard to narrow it down because I just adore Vivian. She was the first original character that I created in the Choices World, and I felt like she almost created herself. It was within my Delaying the Inevitable Universe, and we met her when she walked in on Casey in her son's apartment wearing his bathrobe. After Vivian realized Casey was being truthful, there was nothing going on between her and Tobias, she made it her mission in life to change that.

At that point, I didn't know I'd have a full T/C headcanon, much less have Vivian a part of it, but I couldn't let go of her. She's a strong, smart, powerful, intuitive woman. She's witty, quick thinking, and can verbally disarm anyone in a nanosecond. Sophisticated and worldly, but she has quite a backstory, that wasn't always her life.

Despite a sometimes intimidating exterior, she has the biggest heart. She will defend those she loves to death. The way she and Tobias banter gives me life! lol

Do you feel your OC is like you at all? How are you alike or different?

We have some similarities, but I wouldn't say a lot. We both think quick on our feet and enjoy bantering/teasing. We also love putting a bully or bigot in their place. We're both extremely loyal to those we love and understand they're the most important thing in life.

While we both grew up, not poor, but not well off by any stretch, I never had to endure the overt and systemic racism that Vivian did.

We both put ourselves through school and are quite proud of it, but she followed her dreams, and I allowed myself to be talked out of too many of mine. She's definitely got more confidence than I do. I also never married into extreme wealth lol, nor did I marry - and lose - the love of my life.

But we both adore our children and would do anything for them.

What is most important to your OC? What is their motivation in life?

Her family. There are other things - justice, equity, an intense desire to prove her naysayers wrong... but nothing comes close to her family.

What are their biggest pet peeves/dislikes?

Ignorance. Especially wilful ignorance.

Racism and sexism.

Dishonesty.

Her sons making her wait decades before they get their shit together and settle down. lol

If your OC could change one thing - anything - what would it be?

The one thing she'd like to change more than anything is her late husband, Charles's death. He was the love of her life, and while she's managed to go on and live a full life without him, no one knows just how difficult that's been. Even more so, she knows the toll his death has taken on her boys, especially Tobias, who was not on the best of terms with him when he passed. While this is her greatest wish, she knows it can't happen, and she doesn't even know if it should. She doesn't like the ending but has a strong faith and believes this happened by God's design, so she doesn't feel right questioning it.

For something she feels she has a bit more of an ability to impact, she'd want to make the world a better place for her granddaughters and children like them. She knows things like systemic racism and misogyny are so ingrained in our society that they'll be almost impossible to fully overcome, but she sure as hell won't let that stop her from trying.

Also, I see Vivian as a strong ally for LGBTQIA equality. She will admit this isn't something she understood well in her younger years, but she now has a bisexual daughter-in-law, and eventually, her son, Jordan, comes out, and later, her granddaughter, Kayla. Inequity and discrimination are things that she abhors, and when she begins to what the community faces, she is a vocal ally who puts her time, money, and energy where her mouth is.

What is your OC’s favorite quote or song?

Her favorite songs are:

Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World - that was her and Charles's song.

Diana Ross's Ain't No Mountian High Enough - Because she used to sing it with Tobias and Jordan when they were children.

John Legend's All of Me - Tobias & Casey's wedding song - and Vivian was certain her son getting married was a miracle.

Her favorite quote:

“Neither love nor terror makes one blind: indifference makes one blind.” - James Baldwin.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your OC?

Vivian is not perfect. Sometimes, her sarcasm and humor can be viewed as acerbic. She is a loving and doting mother, and as a grandmother, triple that, but she acknowledges mistakes she made when her boys were small. She and Charles had a love so strong that sometimes, it may have made the boys feel secondary, even though they never were. Also, she was determined to prove she belonged in her husband's world, not so much for herself but for those who would follow - most importantly, her children. But she acknowledges that sometimes she was so busy pursuing that agenda that she lost sight of little things that were, in the end, far more important.

She has so many accomplishments in her life that the list could go on for days. But the one thing she is most proud of is the relationship she has with her adult children, their partners, and her grandchildren. When she closes her eyes for the last time, she knows she leaves behind a legacy of love, and that's all she ever wanted.

[atanx]

one of the coolest things in games for me is when the game lets you make a choice yourself.

and I don't mean this just in the 'choose an option from a dialogue tree' way. like, that's definitely an important part of game design, but the thing that's made the largest impression of freedom for me is actively acting out a choice.

i'm finding this rather difficult to describe so here's an example: in the game 'Cloudpunk' you're a delivery driver of sorts, and one package you get is making very suspicious beeping sounds. you're left the choice of what to do with it: deliver it as intended or chuck it down a trash chute. standard choice here, but it's implemented pretty well. after the character you play addresses the beeping (while you play, not in a cutscene), she doesn't comment anything else. you're left with two markers: one at the delivery point, another at a trash chute. and the game lets you think about what to do yourself, without further probing, and then you have to drive all the way to the point you chose and explicitly choose to deposit the package.

in a way, what i described is also a narrow choice, but what makes it impactful for me is that you have to continuously decide what to do. It's not one click and then you've decided, you only have one marker and the other interaction isn't available anymore. no, you drive there and you can just decide differently halfway or even at the end point. it's more personal than just clicking an option, i feel, and it doesn't put as much pressure on the player that they have to decide right now what to do. at least for me, sometimes i just stare at a choice screen for minutes on end, trying to weigh which option i want to take.

obviously this approach doesn't work for every game type, f.ex. visual novels. but if you can make a choice more active for a player like that i think that's really cool. instead of making the player choose once, make them choose each moment until they've completed a choice, like in real life.

something i also think is important is not to take it for granted that the player has made a choice once they're in a certain location. Like, imagine once you hit a trigger around the marker area, you just got pulled into a cutscene that gives you no more input on what to do. stardew valley is a great game and i love it, but it has flaws, and one of those flaws in my opinion is that with certain items (like the lucky shorts), if you talk to the quest giver, they just immediately know you have it and take it off your hands. so i talk to lewis just to talk to him and suddenly the item is just gone. and i cant put it in a sewing machine or the potluck anymore. yeah, you can get more by placing a staircase in his bedroom but i just didn't know that until i read the wiki. i'm sure thought went into why it is like that and there is a reason, but it's just not something i personally like. i think it also should have been a 'gifting' interaction that you initiate.

anyway, thanks for coming to my ted talk