#i already did something like this; i just redrew this to change the text from the milk

[dailyhatsune]

sje full of milku...

[osakafromazumangadaioh]

(This is a post I made on my cohost a lil while ago, I lightly edited it for clarity)

You've seen this post about Hidamari Sketch right? It's kind of famous, at least it is to me. If you can't click through to see the link text here it is.

Remember how Hidamari Sketch aired during the DTV transition, and SHAFT knew exactly what to do with the new real estate for the widescreen version?

This was a fact that bounces around in my brain like a DVD screensaver. Hidamari Sketch aired in Japan between January and March 2007 during the DTV transition and they prepared two versions for broadcast, one that was HD 16:9 and one that was SD 4:3. I've heard of things going wrong during this transition like the shot of Mugi getting cropped out in the 4:3 broadcast version of K-On but this time period isn't super well researched in the admittedly small digging I did.

So it makes sense that a studio during this time would make these changes right? Your show is going to appear in two very different formats, you're going to want to make sure it looks fine in both. Anyway I was reading the replies of this post one morning and I read one that gave me pause.

This started me researching the analog to digital transition in Japan which I won't get into here but long story short, yes it did air during the analog to digital transition. There was an analog digital simulcast of both signals in Japan that started in about 2003 and ended in 2012 when all analog transmissions were shut down. So there was a period where broadcasters were putting out both HD 16:9 and SD 4:3 to serve people/areas who had not made the jump to the digital signal.

But it got me thinking, some people in the replies were talking about not being able to find proof that it aired in 4:3. Chances are they just didn't know where to look. Anyway I just looked on nyaa and lo and behold.

So I had the original broadcast versions of season 1 and 2 in 4:3. (i was unsure what the second torrent would be, it didn't have any information in the description and "TV broadcast" could have been the 16:9 broadcast bc there was a simulcast but it was the 4:3 version).

Anyway I was curious if there were any other changes, I kind of doubted that there were since it's already a lot of effort to produce two different versions of scenes but maybe there was something that the person that put together the original comparison missed.

If you, like me, believed the truth of that original post I'm about to tell you Santa Claus is not real. I compared these with the BD and found 2 of the frames from the original post. (the other I presume is from the first episode of season one also). And, they're,,, cropped from the 16:9 version.

In hindsight this makes perfect sense, I know sometimes they will redraw or reanimate certain scenes for the blurays because production is sometimes very fucked and they don't have the time to make things to their usual standards but if you're working for TV schedules why would you give yourself more work to do?

I'm sorry im sure this is interesting only to me but "Shaft redrew the wide character shots for HD during the DTV transition" is something that had the same veracity in my brain as, water is wet and i thought about it about as often. Two things make this very funny.

The image is cropped from what I assume is the original which makes it more obvious that it was a joke.*

the person that made that edit (presumably on 2ch or a/ on 4ch) didn't like, make the entire image 4:3 they popped the background out so it wouldn't appear squished. Which is such an insane effort post that you still see people go, oh yeah no it has to be real no one would go to the effort to do that. (read this post, people go to insane lengths for zero reward all the time)

I cooked up a very quick comparison in photopea to show what I mean. At this point it's trivial to remake the background, it's just a repeating pattern anyway.

*I would love to tell which is older but google recently changed how reverse image search works and it doesn't show you pages with the list of dates of when that page was last crawled so it's a little hard to figure out and I don't want to spend a bunch of time figuring out an alternative. So whoever cropped out the obvious joke part is one of histories greatest pranksters in the relatively small pond of people that give a shit about slice of life anime. tl/dr two people, the person that made the original image and the person that cropped off the obvious joke part have combined their efforts to fully prank me 10 years later and I don't think anyone else I've told about this has felt owned or surprised to the same extent as me so I feel like histories greatest fool here

[moonandsunwoo]

Too good at being friends | K.Y.

Kang Yeosang x reader | angstish fluff

♬ - EX by Kiana Ledé

“I’m sorry could you...oh hi.” You could only stare up at him, at a loss of words.

“Uhm...hi.”

You hadn’t expected to run into him, as no one expects to run into their ex. Yeosang scratched his neck awkwardly, eyes flitting over your face in the speed of light. It was uncomfortable, the vibe between the two of you, not tense but awkward. Like you would expect it would be, between two people who once knew so much about each other and now suddenly so little.

Finally, you cleared your throat.

“Sorry but could you move aside a little bit I just need to get some crackers...” Yeosang frowned confused. What did your crackers have do with him?

“They’re behind you.” You sighed, a small smile tugging on your lips now. He’s always been a bit daft around you, a tad oblivious. That much hadn’t changed. But his hair had, it was now a bit longer and dyed in a dark shade, parted neatly in the middle. It looked good on him, really.

“O-oh right, I’m sorry, sorry.” He stuttered out immediately, a lovely shade of pink creeping up his neck and blossoming on his cheeks. “Sorry.” He mumbled again, giving you free way to your crackers.

“Hey uhm I...sorry but could you help me with something, just quickly. If you have time and...” you smiled reassuringly at him, stopping his nervous ramble.

“How can I help?” He took a relieved breath before fumbling a crumpled up piece of paper out of his pocket.

“I can’t read Joong’s handwriting. He’s not checking his phone, I texted him like five times already but...” you took the paper from his fingers and carefully flattened it out against your leg.

“Just because you’ve always been able to read it.” Yeosang added much too late, way too quiet. You’ve heard it though, you remembered.

“I think...he meant pajeon. Or maybe…no I’m pretty sure. Does he mean the mix or are you supposed to buy the ingredients?“ Yeosang shrugged helplessly.

„I have no idea…but knowing Hongjoong-hyung he’d probably have the mix? Or maybe someone actually wants to give it a shot…I don’t know.“ you tilted your head. “Well I’m no expert but I’m sure you’d need eggs and maybe...wheat flour?” Yeosang considered for a second.

“I mean...I could look up a recipe but...” you chuckled lightly before gently grabbing his arm and pulling him towards where Yeosang suspected the ready-mixtures were.

“Let’s not make a fuss. I’m sure no one actually has the time to prepare them in the first place, not from scratch anyways. I mean with your comeback approaching and all...” Yeosang almost tripped over his own feet.

“You know about our comeback?” You turned your face away immediately, slightly embarrassed dropping his arm. Of course you had, it had almost haunted you. Wherever you looked you’ve seen promotions and your YouTube recommendations were full with it.

And besides, you would’ve kept up with them anyways...but that was a different story.

“Yeah.” Was all you mumbled, shying away from his eyes now. Yeosang could feel his heart skip a beat at your confession before he followed you quickly.

It didn’t even take the two of you ten minutes of talking to catch up. Everything you said and did seemed to snap back into an old, familiar rhythm, like two pendulums falling in perfect sync with each other.

„Not in a million years, Kang!“ You laughed, smacking the package of chocolate drops out of his hands. He grinned smugly, quickly holding them up so you wouldn’t reach them.

“You like them!“ You huffed, trying to get them out of his hands again. „I don’t think you understand the concept of being a broke student living alone in a flat for two.“ Yeosang frowned lightly. „Those bills don’t pay themselves alone and chocolate drops are not helping.“ His frown deepened. 
“Alone? What’s with your roommate…“ you sighed, giving the chase up.

“She moved in with her boyfriend a few weeks ago. I’m still looking for someone new…i’s getting too much to pay.“ You admitted with a simple shrug. Yeosang nodded slowly.

“You know…if you ever need help…“ you gave him a small smile. “Thanks Yeosang. I can make it, don’t worry. Now…“ he shook his head, throwing the package of sweets into his own shopping chart. “You’re not buying them for me, right?“ You asked a but suspicious and Yeosang just shrugged. “S’my chart isn’t it?“ And with that he pulled you along.

Yeosang didn’t just buy the candy for you, he bought all of your groceries without exception and without listening to your complaints and protests for one second. He just wrapped an arm around your shoulders and stared down at you until you decided to give up, flustered as you were.

You didn’t wanted to be his ex. The two of you were way to good at being friends and you were even better at being more than friends. Both of you knew this when you parted, in front the supermarket. He’d have to go right and you left. For a few seconds no one said anything, both of you just awkwardly stared at each others shoe tips.

“It was…really nice meeting you again.“ Yeosang finally admitted shyly, looking everywhere but you. You smiled softly, nodding a few times. “It really was fun. Please tell the boys I said hi. Maybe remind San to change his pillow case once in a while since he…“

“Keeps forgetting that when making his bed. I will.“ Yeosang gave you a small smile, a sad one, a smile filled with memories of what once had been.

“They miss you. Maybe…maybe come for lunch one day?“ A shadow of something flickered over your face and Yeosang quickly redrew his suggestion. “If you feel like it. I obviously understand it if you don’t feel like it. I mean it’s a stupid idea kinda anyways, I’m sorry.“ Yeosang could feel his cheeks burning in embarrassment and he’d rather have the earth swallow him whole than stand in front of you any longer.

“You know…I don’t think that it’s a stupid idea. I’d like to see them again. And you, of course.“ You were talking quiet and collected but there was a shy edge to your voice, and it melted Yeosang’s heart to a puddle.

“Really? I’m glad to hear that. Do you still have the same number…?“ You nodded lightly, briefly wondering how he could’ve saved you contact.

Was it just your name, plain, distanced and simple? Did he save you as: ‘don’t call’ like you had saved him under for some time? Or did he perhaps leave the small heart...well no probably not.

“Alright then...” you tried to shake the awkwardness from your shoulders and gave him a crooked smile. “You text me?” Yeosang nodded quickly.

“Sure will do. Unblock me tho.” He added with a cheeky wink and you gasped, hitting his arm.

“I never blocked your number! What are you talking about!” He just giggled in response and went in for a hug.

“I was just joking.”

You hummed into the fabric of his jacket and perhaps stayed a little longer in his arms than necessary. “Thank you for paying. I’ll pay you back tho, you just wait.”

Yeosang’s shoulders shook lightly as he laughed and he pulled you tighter for a second before letting go.

“Whatever you say.”

Walking away from each other felt as awkward as running into each other and you had to stop yourself from turning back around to look at him go. Finally, the urge was too strong and you swiftly whipped around to spare a small glance at him - just to see that he must’ve had the same idea. Your eyes met and widened simultaneously before he decided to bow his head a bit, sending you heart pulse spiralling upwards. When he turned back around and kept on walking. Walking away from you...the scene seemed familiar. But this time, this time you knew that he hadn’t tears running down his face. You looked down at your bag of groceries.

Matter of fact, you hadn’t either.

-`m.list´-

[lexiseigneur]

Chapter five: Acts of mercy

Ao3

The hardware store sat at the edge of an abandoned mall. Just after the Fall, the entire town had been cleared of its inhabitants. They had been trucked away in an orderly fashion. Shops had been closed by humans who thought they would live another day and come back. Lexi reviewed the list again. If the hardware store did not provide them with the more specialized pieces of equipment, the computer shop might. The beam of her small flashlight stopped on each item lined on the shelves.

This trip was the result of the first conclusions drawn from Goodweather’s texts. They needed materials to build the devices and those were unlikely to change even with the adjustments she thought they might need. Screws and wires would stay the same. Lexi was relieved that they were finally taking their first actions for the plan despite her slowness.

Exhaustion made her inefficient in her work and daily sparring did not help. The woman kept catching herself reading the same paragraphs over and over again. Numbers floated on the screen without meaning. At best, she managed maybe an hour of real intellectual focus per day.

Boredom did not suit the Dhampir who either cared for his weapons, attempted to decipher the Occido Lumen, or read the books Lexi had lent him. Every few days, he interrogated her on her progress which added to her stress. Their mission appeared like an impossibly huge task. In addition, when she obsessed over it instead of sleeping, pieces were still missing. And it bothered her.

“How are we going to find him?” She asked.

The Dhampir walked in darkness without need for a flashlight.

“He made himself vulnerable. He is exposed.”

“That’s not an answer, Quinlan.”

“Strigoi cannot be coerced into giving up their Master’s whereabouts. His oversight was taking human ”

The reason why Quinlan had neglected to bring up this issue earlier smacked her in the face.

“You want to coerce a human into telling us where he is?”

Lexi wanted to turn the light toward him to see his expression but that seemed too rude.

“I do.”

“And by ‘coerce’ you mean torture?”

“If need be.”

Her flashlight illuminated Plexiglas sheets which they would need. She put them into the large trolley. Was it worth it? However evil the actions of those collaborators might be, did they deserve to suffer at the hands of the Dhampir?

“Sometimes one does need to be cruel.”

Unconvinced by those words, she walked on.

“Is there any other way?”

“I cannot think of another way at this moment. If any such other option arises, I will consider it.”

“I have a feeling that the reason isn’t based on an ethical dilemma.”

“No. Humans are treacherous creatures. They would certainly try to deceive me in order to alleviate their suffering. I would prefer more reliable methods.”

Of-fucking-course. Their searching continued in awkward silence. The woman did not want to think about this matter any longer. What could she possibly do to stop him if he ever decided to hurt someone again? Nothing.

Soon they returned to the hall of the mall with a full trolley.  She matched every item to the words on the list and ticked them while Quinlan transferred them to duffel bags.

“OK we’re done here…Let’s go to the supermarket.”

If any unperishable foods remained intact on the premises, they would be fools not to take advantage. For some reason, she had whispered the words but Quinlan replied at a normal volume.

“You can go ahead while I load this in the truck.”

Lexi froze. In the past, she had had to leave the safety of her bunker. This would not be any different. Then why was she suddenly so cold? She could not read his face as he stood against the light of the large windows.

“I will be back…”

He took the heavy bags off the floor without apparent effort.

“I promise.” He added more gently.

Lexi blushed as he disappeared. Her booted feet were loud on the tiled floors. She lifted dust with every movement. Just before reaching the glass door of the large food store, she sneezed loudly. Something shattered in the obscurity of the windowless supermarket. The door had already been pried open. Her stomach fell but she hardened herself, both mind and body. There was a smear of blood on the handle. Lexi drew her gun and swiped the safety off with her thumb. Strigoi did not need or care for old cans or bags of rice. But not all humans could be trusted. The image of the driver appeared in her mind and she pushed the thought of the collaborator away. Quinlan had been very clear that he could not be seen. They had at the very least been heard. Could she do it? Take a life in cold blood to protect their mission? Not even that…to extinguish the remote possibility of being discovered that way. But he had also been clear that memories could be stolen. Was he close? Could he hear her?

“Quinlan…there is someone here.” She whispered.

There was movement just behind a shelf of stale bread. A mop of dirty blonde hair and the shine of fresh red blood on naked skin. The silhouette was small. Lexi’s chest contracted painfully. It was a woman…no. A girl. Not even a teenager or so she seemed. It was likely that her growth had been stunted by at least a year of malnutrition. The child was alone, hurt and afraid. The gun’s safety clicked back on.

Quinlan reinterred the large building after a glance at the gunmetal sky. Clouds churned menacingly. They would need to leave soon to avoid the brunt of the storm. The musical sound of breaking glass reached him. He flexed his ear to concentrate on its source. Lexi was not usually clumsy. He expected a swear but instead, he heard her call his name. Her voice sounded very faint and scared.

“Quinlan…there is someone here.”

His heart accelerated and the world came to a grinding halt as he ran to her. Of course, his newest ally would get herself killed in a matter of weeks. Humans always needed babysitting. There was the smallest pang of guilt as he remembered her face when he had walked away. She knew she was not ready to be left alone but he had ignored it. As he always ignored her discomfort. He needed to push her, did he not? Every day, while she redrew the schematics, while she redid the calculations and especially during the training sessions. He ignored her pain and her growing fatigue. Quinlan also paid little mind to her general dislike of him. The very words she had uttered above that corpse had given him permission. No need for kindness. Lexi stood by the glass doors, raising both hands in his direction. He stopped running and cocked his head in interrogation.

“Put your hood and your glasses. It’s just a kid. Don’t scare her.”

Quinlan took a deep breath and the coppery smell of blood burned the back of his throat.

“She is hurt.” He said.

“I know. Stay back, please.”

She took a medical kit out of one of the pockets of her cargo pants and entered the large room carefully. The Dhampir covered his features as asked.

“Hey, I know you’re in here. I can help you. We have shelter nearby.”

Quinlan winced at how readily she had disclosed this information.

“Are you alone?” Yelled the girl.

Her voice was shaky and high pitched. Lexi was right, she was merely a child.

“No. My friend is waiting outside. He is always grumpy so it’s better if we talk alone.”

He raised a smooth eyebrow at the quip.

“I’m cut.” Whimpered the child.

“I know. I can make it better if you let me.”

There were tentative footsteps. Lexi gasped quietly and her heartbeat exploded into a gallop. Quinlan disobeyed her request and came to stand by her. The child had stepped into the fading light but stopped when the Dhampir had appeared. Her eyes were bloodshot, her skin clammy and greyish. Blood had poured heavily from her neck down onto her shoulder and arm. Worms crawled under her skin, obvious to him but invisible to Lexi. Nevertheless, his associate knew. Lexi’s eyes filled with tears. Quinlan reached for his sword. Small fingers grabbed his hand. She placed her other palm on his chest in a calming gesture. The pointy chin trembled.

“Don’t. Please.” She murmured.

Her eyes begged. A single tear exploded on her jacket and she quickly wiped her face. Quinlan, against his better judgment, dropped his arm. He peered into the supplicating eyes. He thought he would enjoy it, the moment she would ask for something without that constant defiance. This was not enjoyable. Her pain and discomfort were acceptable when her spirits stood proud. This pain, he wished he could have avoided her. The woman took a deep breath and turned to the child.

“Let’s clean you up!” She boomed cheerfully.

With wet wipes, she cleared the blood away from the girl’s skin, careful not to touch it even with her gloved hands. She chatted away about the bed the girl would soon enjoy, the warm shower, the movies, and the music. Why was she doing this? Quinlan’s patience was being tested with her pointless chattering. He would never allow the child to step foot near the compound.

“I even have a cat!” Lexi said and for the first time, the girl smiled.

 Why lie about this?

“What’s his name?”

“Her name is Jules.”

She applied a large bandage on the wound and put her own jacket on the child’s shoulders.

“If you want you can find her a toy or a treat. Then she will like you right away. I think they are down this way. You go ahead while I pack my medical bag.”

The girl’s smile widened. She put her skinny arms inside the sleeves before turning away. The little human felt safe. Her future was suddenly bright with all that she desired. She made it four steps before Lexi took out her gun and removed the safety. She aimed carefully and pulled the trigger. Quinlan flinched at the sound. It was always painful in closed spaces. The little head cracked open from the force of the shot and its contents spread on the white tiles. Lexi turned away from the body and packed her bag. Then she left to another part of the store, out of Quinlan’s sight.

Cans clinked and dried cereals rushed into plastic. The crinkling of bags stopped and she sobbed softly. Throughout her pillaging, she cried and Quinlan attempted to ignore it. Lexi was making great efforts to be as quiet as possible. When she came back, he took most of the bags from her and they exited the store. It felt very much like leaving a tomb. Had she been kind? Was it really better for death to come without notice? He thought about the children he had once loved and decided that yes, she had been very kind.

Lexi wiped her face a last time before stepping into the frigid air. The country had been cold since the nuclear explosions had lifted dirt into the atmosphere. Today it was frozen and dead even more than usual. No. She was frozen and dead, the weather was the same. The crimson blood spattering the white floor was seared into her mind. More nightmare material. Quinlan grabbed her arm and growled lowly. At this very moment, she could not be bothered by his bullshit. Lexi tried to pull herself free from his grip.

“She was followed.” He whispered. “We must hide.”

She had no idea what he meant. The parking lot was clear and their truck just a few meters away. They should just drive off. Then the wind carried the snarls and rapid footsteps coming from just around the corner. Lexi felt sick. She could never run fast enough. His arms closed around her waist and shoulders. They whizzed through the air like an arrow. The Dhampir’s gloved hands dug too deeply into her muscles and she whimpered in pain. Then only one arm held her tightly and metal broke with a clank. Her feet left the ground and she fell against his chest. Eyes wide open, she could see nothing. She lifted herself on her hands and knees then froze. Quinlan lied just under her. She gathered her thoughts. They were in the trunk of a car. He had broken the lock with a single hand. When she reached, cold metal encircled her uncomfortably close. There was not even space for her to lie next to him. She swallowed painfully and opened her mouth. His gloved finger landed across her lips. Even in her state of panic she understood. Remain quiet. He could see. This was somewhat reassuring. Opening or closing her eyes made no difference. All was black. Outside there was the rapid smacking of footstep on hard ground. It quickly disappeared.

She waited for several minutes of silence before allowing herself to shift position. The uneven metal was digging painfully into her knee. A loud metallic creak made her grimace. Suddenly his hand spread on her mouth completely, muffling a “oof” of surprise as he pulled her to his chest. Lexi found herself lying flat on top of him with their legs intertwined. His hand left her mouth but instinctively, she pushed back against him. The arms were unrelenting shackles. She gave up and lied still. The powerful arms fell to his sides. His chest was firm and too warm, as if he was running a fever. He smelled faintly of lemons. The forced contact felt deeply wrong. Nevertheless, she attempted to relax her muscles as she could feel a cramp forming in her back.

Raindrops on the metal above made her flinch. When their sounds intensified and filled the trunk she finally managed to undo the knots that were her back and legs. In her left ear there was the splatter of water and in her right, the thud of Quinlan’s heart. After a while she shivered. It was just above freezing temperature and she did not have a jacket anymore. His body heat did not reach her back. Low ambient temperatures were slowly robbing her of her warmth. The trembling reached her teeth. Quinlan’s coat closed around her. His fists kept a firm grip to prevent the fabric from sliding off her back. She sighed in relief and relaxed again. Heartbeats coming from him were steady. Surely, if that was the case it meant they were safe? The pumping heart and chatter of the rain were pushing her into a trance. For the first time in a year, the obsessive thoughts did not arise after she closed her eyes. The tired woman fell asleep.

“Lexi?”

His voice was very far and the pull of unconsciousness too alluring.

“We should depart now.”

He could go if he wanted to but she would stay right there and sleep some more. The coat fell open. She moaned in protest as cold air smacked her back. Quinlan’s chest vibrated with quiet laughter and she frowned. Why was he so goddamn annoying right now? The gloved hands rubbed her shoulders. Gently at first, then vigorously when she did not react fast enough. With a grunt, she peeled herself off of him and pushed the lid of the truck open. Lexi grimaced at the light and the needles it sent through her eyes. Her feet hit the dry ground and she stared in confusion.

“I thought it was raining?” She asked.

“It was.”

The Dhampir made no sense. They walked to the truck and she breathed the coolness in with delight. Her head was heavy from the staleness of the enclosed space.

“How long was I out?” She asked and stretched.

“About twelve hours.”

She interrupted her stretching and looked around. The light was low and the sky as clear as it could get. It was obviously a new day.

“That’s not possible.”

Quinlan did not answer and retrieved the few grocery bags which had not been too affected by the downpour.

“They were searching for that long?”

Certainly, the girl’s body would have been hard to miss. Her eyes stung at that thought.

“No. But you needed to rest and I prefer not to travel at night.”

Lexi blushed and took a big gulp of water from a bottle she found under her seat. The last time she had slept this well and this long she had been at home. Her real home, and in her real bed with him. Even the pangs of hunger could not spoil how good she felt without the constant pressure of exhaustion.

For two days Quinlan’s associate worked better than usual. Her sparring was also significantly improved. Quick decisions were made quicker but also smarter. The most noticeable change had been her obvious enjoyment at running and slashing. She smiled and even laughed at her newfound strength. Quinlan had been right to let her sleep as the benefits had surpassed his expectations.

After dinner, she closed herself in her bedroom and played the piano. It was the very first time she touched the instrument since Quinlan had met her. The first five minutes were clumsy but she soon found her bearings. The tune turned steady and true. After four songs, Quinlan caught himself enjoying the music. All of the songs were melancholic and hauntingly beautiful. She played for another quarter of an hour then went to bed.

Quinlan decided that he would attempt to do the same despite the last song playing in a loop in his mind. Would he still be able to find the right keys? It had been so very long. The Dhampir removed his boots, belt and vest and laid them carefully on the unique chair in his bedroom. The bed was uncomfortable but sufficient for his needs. He crossed white fingers under his hairless skull and mentally drew a music sheet of the tunes.

Despite his focus, her stirring and sighing sometimes caught his attention. He had found all the notes and compiled them into his memory. Quinlan had taken his time and rather enjoyed this little mental exercise. In the other room, she still moved. Her tossing intensified with her frustration and the Dhampir frowned. In the morning, she would be a shell of herself once again.

That would not do. They were making much better progress now. Maybe some drugs could help? The woman grunted and left her bed. She paced her room for a minute and opened her door. Would she work through the night instead? No, her light footsteps were getting closer. She was standing in front of his bedroom and Quinlan’s brows shot up in surprise. She knocked. Once. Very much like the caress of a knuckle but clear as a bell for him.

“Yes?” He said and the door opened.

Lexi’s blushed face appeared. A blanket hugged her shoulders. Quinlan was reminded of a child seeking reassurance after a nightmare.

“I can’t sleep.” She whispered and took two steps in his direction.

What could she possibly think he would do about this? Knock her unconscious?

“Can I stay here?”

The last word was barely audible. Her heart was beating madly, slightly muffled by the duvet. How would that help? Then he saw the begging eyes and the pride tossed aside. She was not in pain but once again, this was not enjoyable. No…clearly he had been wrong in thinking that this would be satisfying. Defiance suited her best because despair made her appear too fragile. Could he be kind? Just this one time? Without a mocking glare, a sharp remark or a smirk?

“Do as you wish.” He finally said and remained immobile.

She huddled on the small strip of unoccupied mattress. He returned to his mental exercise and wrote the notes of another song. Slowly, as if Quinlan were some kind of wild animal, she crawled closer. His concentration broke when her small fist closed on his shirt. She pressed her face against his heart.

How could this possibly help her? The healthy smell of her skin filled his nose and he made his inhalations shallower. Her heartbeat slowed and soon, she fell asleep. Just like two days prior in the trunk where they had hidden. On that day he had thought that the crushing fatigue had tamed her anxieties. Now he had to revise this assessment. His role in that event was undeniable.

The small woman felt safe against his chest. Her cheek so close to the stinger she had called fascinating. Quinlan did not know what to make of this. During trainings, he had wanted her scared of him. Now it struck him that instead, he had demonstrated the extent of his self-control and how very little danger she was facing in his presence. More than this, every time she had been in perceived peril, he had stood between her and the threat. And now, at her most vulnerable, she trusted him implicitly. It was rather strange.

[idrkwhatthisisimsorry]

A Secret Scent pt. 5

Summary: Dean is a Beta, and asks Y/N out, assuming her as such. She takes suppressants because she is embarrassed of being an Omega and says yes to Dean because she doesn’t want to ruin her relationship with him by saying no, hoping it can work out. That all goes down the drain when she find out Sam is an Alpha and has been hiding it for the same reasons she has.

Pairing: beta!dean x Omega!reader, alpha!sam x Omega!reader

Warnings: fluff, smut, cheating, A/B/O

Word count: 1,813

A/N: This one is kind of short, so sorry about that, but I hope you guys like it!

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

You waited until the two of you got to the car before you talked about it. Why wouldn’t she give Sam the reading. What did she mean she didn’t want to give the same reading multiple times. It just didn’t add up.

“Why would she say she didn’t want to give the same reading twice? What was your reading?” He asked, still angry and confused about what happened. “I don’t want to say.” You said. It said you’d betray someone very close to you. She actually, later on told you that it would be your current boyfriend you betray with your soulmate, basically. Which you could only assume meant that you’d cheat on Sam’s brother. “Why?” Sam asked, curious what reading you could’ve gotten making you so clearly embarrassed. “Please don’t tell anyone.” you said, turning to Sam in the car that the two of you hadn’t even started. Sam held out his pinky finger, which you intertwined yours with. “Promise.” He said, smiling. “It said I would cheat on Dean. With my soulmate who would be revealed to me.” You said, looking directly into Sam’s eyes. “Wait, wait, wait. What were your cards?” He asked, shifting in his seat, possibly making a realization. “Uh... betrayal I think. Uh, unmasked or something like that and...kindred soul.” You said, confused. “Why?” You said before it clicked. The same thing twice. “Those are the same cards I got. I drew them and she told me she just must have shuffled them weird but when I redrew the cards I got the same thing again.” Sam said, smiling that he figured out what the lady meant. “What the hell does that mean?” You asked, still really confused. What the hell did it mean? “Let’s go.” You said, turning back to face forwards in your seat. Sam didn’t protest, just as confused and hopeful as you were. Did that mean-? It wasn’t possible. One of you would have known if the other was their soulmate by now.

You got home around 5:30 and went straight up to your room to change into the most comfortable pajamas you owned. After that, you texted Sam about dinner.

You: Hey, sorry. Earlier was weird and I just wanted some time by myself to think. Pizza sound good? We haven’t had it in a few weeks.

Sam: Yeah, sounds good. I’ll order. And it’s totally fine. I kind of wanted some time to think, too.

You: Glad we’re on the same page ;) But you’re definitely not ordering pizza. You’ll order a vegan or vegetarian pizza or something. I want like a meat lover’s pizza or something like that. I’m ordering

Sam: Meat lovers huh? Jk jk. It’s fine by me. Just maybe at least one vegetable...

You: Tomato is a vegetable

Sam: no.

Even after finding out that you and Sam may or may not be soulmates and you might cheat on your significant others with each other, you were still the same. No awkwardness or anything. Maybe you were soulmates.

After Sam picked up the pizza and went downstairs, starving already. “Pajamas already?” Sam asked, looking you up and down. “Yes. These are my favorite pajamas on planet earth. Don’t judge me I wanted to be comfortable.” You said in an attempt to defend yourself. “Whatever.” Sam said, smiling at you. “Why are you smiling so much?” You asked. He hadn’t stopped smiling since you came downstairs. “No reason.” Sam said, still smiling.

--

“Fuck!” Sam shouted from the bathroom. You ran down the hall to see what the issue was. The door was wide open, so you looked in to see what happened. He didn’t seem hurt, but he was looking inside a pill bottle.”What’s wrong?” You asked him, worried. “I forgot I was out of suppressants. Shit.” He said, still angrily looking into the bottle before throwing it against the wall. “What’s the big deal?” You asked, confused why he always wanted to hide his scent. “Are you really asking me that? You do the same thing. Unless you want to share yours, you can’t say anything.” Sam said, angrily, immediately regretting it. “Sorry.” He said. “No, it’s fine. I understand. Not completely because I actually don’t know what you present as, but I don’t like mine either. It’s embarrassing.” You said. “I don’t really feel embarrassed by mine, I’m embarrassed with the people associated with it. Total assholes. I know that might give it away but it will probably be about a whole week before my new ones come in. Goodnight. Love ya.” Sam said, putting his hands on your shoulders to move you out of the doorway so he could get to his bedroom.

After about 10 minutes, you got a text from Sam.

Sam: Almost forgot to tell you. If you smell an unfamiliar smell, it’s probably me. But check just in case it actually is an intruder. But I’d probably already be on it. But you probably knew all of that already. Goodnight <3

You: Got it. And Sam, I just want to let you know that whatever you present as, the people who are the same aren’t you. I don’t care what you are Sam. You’re Sam. My best friend. Goodnight. Love you <3

Sam: Thank you. And I want you to know the same. You’re you.

You: This is probably something we should talk about in person, but it just makes me feel vulnerable.

Sam: We can talk about it in person if you want.

You: Na, I’m tired. Let’s just go to bed. ttyl

Sam: ttyl

--

You woke up around 9:30 which was late for you considering Sam getting ready for his run at 7 always woke you up. You thought that day would be a good lazy day, so you stayed in bed. For as long as you could. You loved being wrapped up in the covers watching your favorite TV shows and reading your current book. It was heaven. Until that scent slowly started creeping into your nose. Alpha scent. Even putting your covers over your head and pressing your face into your pillow didn’t stop the scent from finding it’s way over. You wanted it to smell bad. A bad alpha smell. But it wasn’t. It was the best thing you had ever smelled. Far better that Dean’s beta smell. You tried pushing those thoughts out of your head, but you couldn’t stop them from flowing in. And then the cramps came. The most painful ones you had ever had. Before you passed out, you tried rushing to the bathroom to take some of your suppressants and maybe an advil or 6, but you couldn’t keep yourself from falling to the ground from pain. Sam was down the hall in his room when he heard you suddenly run down the hall and collapse.

He ran down the hall towards you, scared to death you had hurt yourself. “Y/N!” He said, running to your side, seeing you lying on the floor, curled in a ball. The second he entered the bathroom though, he got a whiff of your scent. “You’re an omega?” Sam asked, genuinely surprised. “Yeah, and you wouldn’t know if your goddamn scent hadn’t brought on my heat. Did you know that I’m on the strongest suppressants in existence?” You said, chuckling a little bit. “Are you okay?” Sam asked, sitting you up. “Sam Winchester; do I look okay?” You said, looking into his eyes. Another one of those looks. He leaned down and kissed you. Much more intense than the previous kisses you had received from him. You broke the kiss as you felt another painful cramp in your stomach. “Sam.” You said in a low voice, and he knew what that meant. You needed him. It was his fault you were like this, and he needed to help you.

Sam lifted you up, wrapping both your legs around his waist, kissing you hard. “You’re my omega.” Sam growled, throwing you onto his bed. “I’m your omega.” You said. Your favorite pajamas needed washed after this. You knew that your slick had no doubt soaked through your bottoms. But, they were soon ripped off of you and thrown onto the floor. You and Sam practically ripped each other’s clothing off, you needed each other so badly. “Sam, please.” You begged, as Sam kissed down to your stomach towards your dripping pussy. You writhed underneath him as he placed kisses on your thighs right next to where you wanted him the most. Finally, Sam got the hint and brought his mouth to your core. Helicked up and down your folds, tasting every bit of your slick before taking your throbbing bud in his mouth. “Fuck!” You cried, loving the feeling of Sam’s mouth on you. As Sam continued to suck on your clit, he pressed two of his fingers into you, earning a hearty moan from your mouth. Soon, Sam had you screaming his name in pleasure as you came. “Fuck, yes! Sam!” you screamed. He kissed back up your stomach as you came down from your high. “Sam.” You said, wanting him inside you. “Who?” Sam asked, his eyes filled with pure lust. “Alpha.” You moaned, as Sam gave you what you wanted. Sam lined himself up with you and slammed into you fast and hard. Keeping a fast pace, it wasn’t long before you were screaming again. “Yes! YES! ALPHA!” You screamed as you came again, Sam not letting you come down easily this time, still keeping the pace. He leaned down and growled in your ear, “My omega.” He said, making you moan. “My alpha.” You said, grinning at him. “Can I kn-” Sam said before you cut him off with your own words. “Knot in me, Alpha.” You said, returning him the same lust filled look he had given you earlier. “Fuck!” Sam growled, coming as his not expanded inside of you. He just lay on top of you, waiting for the swelling down as he began kissing and sucking at the sensitive parts of his neck. “Don’t mark me, Sam.” You said, although you did want him to. “Why?” Sam asked, looking hurt. “We need to talk to our significant others first. Break things off. You know how hard that would be to hide?” You said, sudden guilt washing over you, realizing you had just fucked your boyfriend’s brother. “I get it. That would be kinda hard to hide.” Sam said, chuckling. “Sam, believe me, if I had it my way, you would have claimed me a long time ago.” You said smiling at him. Sam, his knot finally swelling down, pulled out of you and rolled over next to you, pulling you into him. “I love you so goddamn much and I’m so sorry that I didn’t do anything about it sooner.” He said, kissing you on the lips.

Part 6

[maiji]

Process and wip images for A House That Holds Long Limbs (Part 2) 

See Part 1 process and wip documentation

Read the pages for part 2 here (full complete version will be linked from YYH North Bound master post) 

As a story progresses, I tend to become more comfortable with jumping ahead and around in my so-called process. This is mainly because the idea of getting deeper into the action is exciting and I want to get to drawing the pages as quickly as possible. The downside is that it usually results in a lot of “oops” and rework on what was supposed to be a final page.

Here you’ll see that script/pagination/thumbnailing and final pages are all starting to drift even more than in Part 1.

The (last version of the) script

Earlier versions were even more point form and incoherent with typos. But, it only needs to capture enough that I can recognize key actions, points of dialogue, the mood, things to draw in the panels, etc. A few specific items to point out:

“[new part 2]”: The script originally had no exposition on rokurokubi - it went straight to Hokushin telling Raizen he was leaving. It occurred to me later, after I’d started thumbnailing, that inserting a few pages of storytelling narrative right here would help to further solidify the kaidan (traditional Japanese ghost story) effect and mood. More importantly, it creates a baseline reference for what the reader will know about rokurokubi for the purposes of this story. I was lucky that Part 1 and Part 2 were cut neatly enough that this wouldn’t be jarring.

I’m still not entirely happy with the text for this section, mainly the “features of note” about rokurokubi. Not just the fact that it’s oversimplification and slight adaptation of actual Japanese folklore - which can’t be avoided unless I want to write a historical essay here. I’m mainly not super keen on how each of the three items has been phrased. It’d be nice to make the three points more parallel in terms of length, but I couldn’t seem to edit, increase the number of points (by splitting them up), or reorder it effectively without negatively impacting other aspects of pacing and information reveal. More points would draw out the pages longer than I wanted, and some points were clearly sub to other points. The final here is the “good enough” version. JUST GET IT DONE ALREADY SO THAT IT CAN GO OUT INTO THE WORLD.

Sooo many word choice changes. The biggest one, done at the last second, was “They are almost always female” to “They are rarely male”. Other phrasings I debated - “They are very rarely male”, “They are almost never male”, etc. Lemme tell ya, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds… Anyways, the main reason for this was because after I drew it and ran the text through my head, the originally-intended juxtaposition of Hokushin on this page with the word “female” felt too subtle. I felt it would create a brief moment of cognitive dissonance that didn’t serve the flow of the story, so I changed it to create emphasis on the same gender instead with the rationale that it will flow more smoothly and allow the reader to focus their attention on the fact “males are very rare” more than the mental hiccup of processing the juxtaposition. DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE?? It made sense in my head.

Anyhow, I’m sure there are people who will disagree with many of the decisions I’ve made, but at least you can see what I was trying to do.

Thumbnails

As mentioned, these thumbnails were done BEFORE I decided to insert the exposition at the beginning.

The first two rows on the left hand page are actually the same set of pages - you can see little arrows pointing down or to the right whenever I’m dissatisfied with a thumbnail and attempt to redraw it.

WIPs

I really like how Hokushin turned out in the last panel here; I like the pencils more than the final inked version. It’s also another example of changing text up to the last second. In case it’s hard to make out, it says (along with what happened to them in the final):

First thought bubble: Ugh, whatever… (moved to the next page, seemed to work better as the end exclamation for this sequence of thoughts before he turns his attention to something else)

Over Hokushin’s head: Aaaargh (moved into the thought bubble)

Second thought bubble: He’s not my responsibility anyways! (no change)

First arrow:  *already feeling bad* (no change)

Second arrow:  *too responsible* (dropped, since a previous panel already said “too responsible”. Too redundant)

Next to Hokushin: All he did was tie me up in a tree (no change)

The above panel “And at night...” was a thrilling and scary thing for me lmao.  I don’t usually tackle large patches/fills of black, since many of my comics are scribbly in style (pencils, hatching) or colour. I’m too lazy for screentones, traditional or digital. It’ll be interesting as parts of the story coming up will involve poorly lit/dim/dark spaces. I’ve been reviewing how other artists handle it, particularly those with styles driven by pure-ink or minimalist type approaches. Two immediate examples from Yu Yu Hakusho that I’ve been going back to are the dark room fights during Genkai’s successor trials (I’ve taken a similar approach here), and the haunted bedroom case in volume 19. Hardcore cross-hatching seems like a likely route, but that freaks me out when I have to do it over faces. I’d like to minimize or avoid screentoning out of principle, but I still want to create a clear mood, so we’ll see how it goes...

This was my view while inking this page - holding the book in one hand while inking Hokushin with the other. Using the more freehand, sketchy inking style for this comic was so helpful in terms of reducing my inking anxiety and allowing me to work faster.

It’s always great when you can find a reference for period armor (because I find armor very difficult) that is so close to the pose you’re already drawing. There are some small differences - for example, Hokushin’s head is turned more to the right; his left arm is turned and raised more as he’s pulling the sword upwards. But it’s close enough.

Also, spotlight on a few of the books I’ve referenced over the course of working on North Bound in general and this part specifically.  

Clockwise from top left:

日本服飾史 女性編 and 男性編 (History of clothing/costume in Japan female and male editions). This marvelous set of books highlights Japanese fashion throughout history. I’ve actually been referencing these photos for a long time before I ever picked up these books - you can see them at the Costume Museum’s website here, alongside helpful line drawings and translations of some of the details. But the books allow me to see a lot more detail.

Hokusai manga vol 1 (this book is published as part of a set of 3). Sketches by Hokusai. This one focuses on “The life and manners of the day” and includes drawings of youkai, including rokurokubi, as well. You can check out the drawings online at places like The Pulverer Collection Online Catalogue.

Action references!! Real Action Pose Collection 02 (focuses on sword fights) and my favourite Samurai & Ninja Action Scene Collection. Not used as much in Long Limbs, but was helpful in some of the other chapters. The time frame is really much later than what I need for ideal clothing references, but it’s helpful for things like movement.

Kekkaishi volume 32. SPOILER a key flashback takes place about 500 years ago, which is actually a few centuries off give or take from but at least it’s closer than the Edo period. I’ve been looking at it for houses, some clothing.

Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix - Civil War parts 1 and 2. I reference this so much while working on North Bound in general. It has scenes with peasants and commoners and some appropriate street and interior environments, not just stuff focused on the aristocracy or warrior classes. Just have to remember that they flipped all the artwork in the English version lol

Bunch of Yu Yu Hakusho manga and anime references from the end of the series, mostly for Raizen, the kudakusushi and just to check against things he or Hokushin said. The actual clothing and environments are not helpful at all lol

Last minute edits

After I posted, I discovered a few mistakes (of course). I used to freak out a lot and drop everything to fix it. Now I just sigh and laugh (and still freak out a little bit, depending on the mistake) and then decide what’s important enough to fix and what is like, “Oh well, whatever, move on with my life”.

I feel that seeing other artists share their frustrations and mistakes helps a lot of people feel better about it when they realize IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME TO EVERYONE (including professionals. There are errors like this in professionally published series, like Yu Yu Hakusho, too). YOU’RE NOT ALONE. 

So, these ones bugged me enough that I quickly redrew them on the computer.