#like. the cover on the new one isn't even all aligned to one side!

[coulsonlives]

The new Canada passport looks like baby's first graphic design project and it's killing me

[thankyouforthememoriesworld]

UNLTD represents her interests and gets her NIL deals while Midnight Dawn gets her coverage and makes sure it is all aligned with her values.

UNLTD - Azzi's agency. Nick is her agent and I've seen Jacqueline (director of marketing) also be on the trips when Nick isn't there. Also note that Nick is the former director of global marketing for Under Armour so I wonder if that's how this happened since UNLTD was co-founded by Nick.

Steph's full company is Thirty Ink. Thirty Ink is a holding company - essentially a collection of Steph's different brands, investments, and partnerships under one name. It includes but is not limited to SC30, Curry Brand, Underrated, etc.

Midnight Dawn is a communications (PR) agency and their biggest client is Steph Curry and Thirty Ink. They also have Azzi as a client. I'm guessing this happened via Thirty Ink.

While Azzi's deal is with SC30 back in 2021, it rebranded to Thirty Ink since then. She gets gear from curry brand, attends underrated events and follows gentleman cut bourbon, etc. Her camp recently had Nirvana Water, which Thirty Ink just invested in and is a brand ambassador. She also gets access to Steph's medical team and trainers. I feel like the SC30/Thirty Ink deal is way better than just signing with Curry Brand specifically and nobody has a deal like what Azzi has in college basketball. It is one of a kind.

Also because SC30, Inc. came first in 2017, funny enough, it owns the trademark for Thirty Ink even though his website shows it vice versa. https://trademarks.justia.com/owners/sc30-inc-3958086/

It seems SC30, Inc now has a new description. "SC30 is an athlete management studio specializing in athlete services, managing and maximizing marketing partnerships, and growing assets through expertise in digital strategy and content development. SC30 is committed to building for growth, market value, and legacy."

Long story short - whatever visions Azzi has in building her business off the court, they are going to help Azzi do it. I am excited that Azzi is getting that business degree because it really is going to make her street smart on the business side.

One last thing to bring to attention but also don't get your hopes up - Thirty Ink's media company Unanimous Media signed a deal with NBC back in 2022. Big East announced that they would have a media deal starting in 2025-26 with NBC. So if Azzi stayed another year, I could easily see Unanimous Media doing a documentary or something in partnership with NBC x Big East to cover Azzi's last college year if she chooses to stay. But of course, this is Azzi and I doubt she wants that type of attention but I'm sure her PR team does lol.

So, in conclusion, everything is rather interrelated or parallel for the most part. Hope that adds clarity!

I love you and your brain ♥️. I was almost right, and she has a one-of-a-kind deal because she's special like that 🦄.

[goinghostie]

Hoshiai no sola / Stars Align Ep. 13 Teaser - English Fan Sub

Disclaimer: I am in no way claiming credit for Hoshiai no Sola or Stars Align/Hoshiai no Sora. I put this fansub together because the original video did not include English subtitles, and many overseas fans do not realize it exists. If English subs are added to the original video, I will remove it.

There was no official English translation for the Hoshiai no Sora tribute video that was posted by the animation team to thank fans for supporting the series. As such, I am sharing a fan sub that I have translated (apologies for any mistakes!).

The first half of the original video includes a montage of scenes from the first half of the series and is available to watch on TBS' anime Youtube account. The second half includes this teaser portion, which confirms that there is more to the story than we were able to see. This is because the series, which was originally greenlit for a full 24 episode cour, had the second half cut last minute.

The creator, Akane Kazuki, didn't want to rush anything or alter the story, and so the abrupt cliffhanger we were left with in episode 12 was meant to show there is more to the series. As of February 2023, Akane-san shared that he still wants to bring the second half to life, it just doesn't seem likely since he has exhausted his options within Japan. He has thanked fans for their support and urges us to continue showing support - with enough voices, it is possible that a studio may pick up the second half in the future!

Stars Align delves into topics that aren't typically covered in anime, for example, Yuu's exploration of their gender identity and Maki's respectful explanation on Shou being a trans man. In addition to this, the series also shows harmful partening styles and the effect they have on children.

It approaches each situation carefully and never shows the abusive side of situations in a positive light. Each scene is raw, emotional, and incredibly realistic. I have respect for Akane-san and the production team for tackling issues kids don't typically see in a series - ones that may be struggling with themselves and aren't aware just how negative an impact they have on their lives since that is all they know.

Stars Align is a series you could say was ahead of its time. One that resonates with many who can relate to the issues and struggles presented. It isn't a show for escapism, like most anime. It is a series that faces real struggles head-on.

To some, this is a weakness. But to me (and the many other fans who resonated with a kindred spirit in the series), Stars Align is a series that makes us feel seen. It shows that anyone can be struggling, even if they might not openly show it.

Stars Align's premature halting of production fits all too well with an overarching theme on the show - the boy's soft tennis team was threatened to be shut down, and it took a LOT of hard work and dedication for the kids to grow and save their team.

As fans, we need to come together and show support for a beloved series that was cast aside, just like our favorite soft tennis team. To join together and show support so that the second half of the story can be made, as intended.

How can we show support?

1. Spread the word - the more people who legally stream the series will show streaming platforms that the anime means something to subscribers. Stars Align is available to watch on Crunchyroll!*

2. Start conversations about the topics presented and the impact the series has!

3. Create content - art, fanfics, edits, theories...posting content about the series helps spread the word and introduce others to the series. To this day, new fans are discovering the series and love it just as much as the original fans back in 2019!

skyofstarsalign is a Twitter/X account dedicated to sharing fan support of Stars Align - it documents all support or mentioning of the series on the platform.

*While it can be difficult to keep talking about a series years after it premiered, the tendency to move on is exactly what makes support dwindle and fade. The support needs to continue - shows can be brought back years later, as was recently seen by Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits. A second season was announced due to support shown by overseas fans. Crunchyroll urged the studio to make a second season based on the high viewership numbers on the platform.

Please join us in showing support for Stars Align by introducing more people to the series and sharing what you loved most about the first half. Together, we can help Akane-san make the second half a reality!

[dailydemonspotlight]

The God you cravenly revere is dead...

DAY 100

Race: Tyrant

Arcana: Devil

Alignment: Dark-CHAOS

The prince of darkness needs no introduction. The Morning Star, the Devil, the Fallen Angel who brought about so much to our demon-focused blog. Sure, I may be jumping the gun a bit by covering him only on day 100, but given that his closest compatriot, Beelzebub, was covered on day 50, I feel it's warranted. Lucifer is iconic to the SMT series, a legendary figure who serves a major role in many games in the series, being the perfect representative of one of the three major alignments: Chaos. In most games throughout the series, Lucifer plays a part, even in ones disconnected from mainline- if there is chaos, there will be the dying light of the morning star. Even in Persona, a series mostly concerned with Jungian psychology, Lucifer commonly appears as a late-game persona, and even a form of him in Satanael is the final form of Joker's persona in Persona 5, being a representation of freedom and rebellion- after all, what else is more rebellious and free than rebelling against God himself?

I digress, however. Lucifer is as important to SMT as he is to Biblical history itself, after all, and this is a blog about the stories of demons, right? Lucifer himself is a major character in the Bible, appearing for certain first in the Book of Isaiah, though his overall relevance spreads beyond that. Even in the Book of Genesis, the very first story in the Bible, it's believed that the serpent that tricked Eve into eating the apple of knowledge was Lucifer, cast down from heaven. This interpretation is supported by Paradise Lost, a story I'll likely be referencing a lot here, but its importance to Lucifer and his interpretations throughout not just SMT, but history itself, cannot go understated.

The Devil's conniving ways are depicted throughout the bible in several verses, especially in the New Testament, wherein he's seen as a figure analogous to the Buddhist demon Mara, a being tempting humanity away from their rightful path of sin/good karma to partake in their desire. However, this isn't to spell a connection between the two, as Lucifer himself is given a far different story than Mara, as he is with many other tempters in religion, even including some other biblical figures such as Mastema. Instead, what we should be focusing on is Lucifer's existence as a fallen angel.

Lucifer's existence in the Bible is strange, as the name Lucifer is a translation from the original Latin Helel, meaning 'Light-bearer.' His first reference in one of the most prevalent translations of the Bible, the King James Bible, goes as follows:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

This immediately points to Lucifer being an angel who fell for his own hype, so to speak- one who believed himself to be as strong, if not stronger than God, which led to him being cut down by the forces of Heaven. However, in Paradise Lost, it's shown that Lucifer was more than just vain- he held a rebellion, and when it fell, and he fell with it, he became Satan. I know, that's strange, but it's not really canon to the SMT interpretations of both characters- it just helps to shape Lucifer's characterization in the series as a rebellious figure who stood even against God himself. Strangely, adding on to this odd maze of interpretation, Lucifer was also commonly interpreted as the king of Babylon, the famously sinful city of evil described in the Bible. What I think all of this adds to is less a solid character of his and rather a general interpretation and idea that surrounds Lucifer- that of him being the embodiment of rebellion, chaos, and standing against the mold of society in order to partake in sin. There's a reason that his deadly sin, after all, is one of the most dangerous- that being Pride.

Lucifer's role in the Bible is strange, however, and many interpretations differ completely, whether they be him as Satan, him as the Devil, or even him as a tragic hero. However, as for SMT's purposes, it takes a very unique take, combining several aspects from several interpretations to make the Morning Star into a perfect prince of darkness. For one, it pulls a lot from Paradise Lost, giving Lucifer the role of a rebellious figure who rules over scores of demons, though it separates him from Satan in opposition to the poem. His sin of pride is intact, as he's shown to be a very individualistic figure throughout, valuing freedom and one's own strength above all else, tying very well into the purveying themes of individualism and might-makes-right that are constant in the Chaos ideology.

In terms of design, what is there really to say? Lucifer's design is utterly iconic- the six split wings, the gorgeous plays on the angelic aspects of his character, the great horns reaching sky-high, there's a reason so many were disappointed with his weird redesign in IV. Like, what were they doing? I get that he was meant to look offputting, but turning him into a skinhead was not the right way to go about it- well, whatever. Every design of Lucifer throughout the series has its merits, and I love how several games even have different human disguises for him- my personal favorite has to be Louis Cyphre, but I adore how each human disguise including Louis plays on the traditionally angelic traits of pale skin and blonde hair, though twists that on its head due to him commonly wearing all black.

Thank you all for tagging along with this series, and it is so ridiculously lucky that day 100 was placed perfectly on my birthday. There's gonna be more, for sure, coming soon, don't worry- but for now, I love you all, and goodnight. Or good morning. Whichever works.

You didn't even mention his role in Gnosticism!

Jack, I'm not touching on Gnosticism with a ten foot pole for the time being. I don't even know what's going with that half the time. Wait for the Demiurge analysis.

Coward.

[nancywheeeler]

‘Eddie Munson should have died at the hands of the government instead of the Upside Down’ please expound on this your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

okay, i am finally gonna release from the vault a text post i had drafted months ago about how reductive and bland i find eddie munson's "heroism" arc.

from a characterization standpoint, i totally understand why eddie declares himself a coward for running after witnessing chrissy (and later, patrick) die. his image of himself as a proud outcast willing to brandish a middle finger at societal norms, bolstered by playing a "satanic" game about misfits coming together to bravely face great evils, is completely shattered. however, from our viewpoint as an audience, eddie does what just about any of us would have done after watching someone die in a horrific, unexplainable manner and not knowing if what happened to them is about to happen to us.

...except the show then does this weird thing where it agrees with eddie's warped, guilty view of his actions. eddie is a coward for running. he should have...what? stayed, again not knowing if he would be killed next, tried to explain everything to hawkins pd, and gotten arrested? (which would have derailed the rest of the hawkins plot because, unless dustin & company staged a jailbreak, eddie then would have been in custody during fred and patrick's murders.) the plot demands he run, but to wring any sort of emotional catharsis out of his death, the writers want us to think "look! he's redeemed himself! this time he ran into the danger!" it equates self-preservation with selfishness and cowardice, which certainly isn't a new thing in media but it's boring and doesn't reflect reality.

and when you parallel eddie's death with billy's (and what i imagine steve's death would have been had they gone through with killing him in season one), it paints this uncomfortable picture that redemption can only be found through extreme self-sacrifice and ultimately death. boring! very boring! and again, why are we redeeming a character who doesn't need redemption?

i appreciate (and really like actually!) that the narrative dooms eddie from the beginning. there wouldn't have been a satisfying way to write him out of a triple homicide rap had he lived. that being said, i would have loved to see eddie survive the upside down, get arrested for the murders, and, while our intrepid heroes are expecting owens and his shadowy government contacts to swoop in, be killed by those same shadowy government contacts as a cover-up.

because that is all owens has been doing for the past three seasons: covering things up to save a fringe organization's ass. it's just been convenient for our gang that the cover-ups align with their interests, too, to the point they are over-reliant on owens stepping in with forged birth certificates and mall fires. only, in season four's case, eddie is the most convenient cover story. with owens left for dead in a bunker in the middle of the desert, what loyalty does the rest of this strange government operation have to the gang and to eddie that they would exert any additional effort concocting a more outlandish story than the easy one the town of hawkins has already bought into?

it would have been a great way to add additional stakes going into season five because the gang would have had absolutely no one to rely on or trust but themselves. no more clean-up crew to plant fake stories and file the paperwork. the government has never actually been on their side. it's hawkins against the upside down and the world, baby.

wow, this is so long and i am so sorry. i still have a lot of feelings about this apparently, even after all this time.

[yanderepuck]

Kinktober Day 20

AND WE'RE BACK FOR A FOURTH TIME. It's that lovely time of the year where I write mediocre smut with no plot for a whole month. So sit your ass down and take a few minutes to read some smut.

As always, kinktober is held by our local Napoleon simp, @xxsycamore

If you'd like to read the last three years, go here

Remember to reblog and tell me what you think

Food Play | Cum Play

Salaì holds your hands into bed as his cock slides into you. Your nails dig into the back of his hands but it doesn't seem to bother him.

"Ahh-fuck you're so wet," with no issue his cock slides all the way in you. "You were thinking about me all day, weren't you," he smirks.

"Y-yes. Now please just fuck me!" You didn't want to be teased. You wanted it as rough as he could give it to you.

Salaì starts to thrust, but isn't giving it to you how you want it. "Why don't you tell me what you've been thinking?" he purrs.

You whine. You didn't want to have to ask for it. You wanted it just given to you.

"I-I thought of you holding m-me down, a-and fucking me hard."

"There's got to be more than that," he thrusts a little harder, slightly rewarding you. "Tell me more."

He gets so close to your face that his lips graze against yours as he talks.

"F-fuck me, choke me, pull m-my hair, cover me in y-your cum. Treat me like your g-goddamn fuck toy," your face gets flushed after telling him what you want, and it's not even everything in your mind.

"Aww, my own little toy," his voice is playful for a moment before rutting into you, making your body jerk. He decides to get rougher before he gets quicker.

Letting go of one of your hands, he wraps his hand around your neck, squeezing the sides. "Being treated like a toy really gets you wet, doesn't it?"

You moan as he squeezes tighter. Your hips buck up, moaning louder as his cock hits a new spot.

"Ahh-hh fuck!" You squirm a bit. Salaì loosens up on your neck, letting you get a deep breath in before kissing you. You begin to move your hips in sync with his.

Salaìs other hand lets you go and he uses it to prop himself up, tugging on your hair in the process. Your hands immediately grab him, dragging your nails across his sides.

Breaking the kiss, Salaì sits up and grips your hips. His fingers dig into your skin enough to bruise, but he holds you in place as his hips snap into you.

You yell with pleasure and already feel yourself getting close. You've been on edge all day after all, it wasn't going to take much.

"S-so close!" You try moving your hips more but he won't let you. The moment you feel yourself about to reach your climax he quickly pulls out, letting out a load of his own cum all over your body.

The cum shoots up to your chest. You think you even felt some on your cheek, but that isn't why you're whining. You didn't get to cum. I'd he would have just stayed inside you for a second longer.

"Don't whine. You said you wanted to be covered in my cum."

He leans down and licks your cheek where his cum got on you.

"My toy will just have to wait to feel good herself. Now let's clean you up."

Before you could ask him what he's doing, he goes down on you, licking up his cum poured into your body. His tongue drags against the dips on your body where his cum has pooled, and even teased around your nipple.

You look down at him, completely flustered as you watch him clean up his own mess. He holds your hand while locking eyes with you. You suck in your gut as his tongue slides across your stomach.

You catch yourself holding your breath the whole time, worried about making a sudden move.

After licking it all up, his chin rests on your stomach and he sticks his tongue out to show you that he even swallowed it.

Your face wouldn't get much redder. He slowly sits up, still holding your hands. You didn't even realize he aligned himself with you until he slid back inside your hole.

Gasping loudly, your body squirms.

"I'll fill you this time. Don't worry."

[avonne-writes]

would you ever been willing to write more modern aus, they are so good! just can’t stop picturing drunken aemond at a club grinding all over luke when they aren’t even dating

Thank you so much! 💕 Please take this short drabble as my humble offering.

Standing by a pillar at the edge of the dance floor, Luke is waiting for Jace to get their drinks. They’re in their favourite club, the one Luke has been trying to lure Aemond to for months now, hoping that maybe, if the stars are aligned, they could finally get all the unresolved tension out of their systems. No luck so far, but Aegon promised he'd drag Aemond out tonight, so if Luke played his cards right and got Aemond jealous enough...

There's always hope, right?

He's dressed in a crop top and black jeans that hug his ass just right, hopefully a clear enough signal that he wants to get laid tonight but he's not desperate. He's fiddling with the dangle earring in his right ear when a large hand finds his right hip. Indignance and self-satisfaction battle in him as he contemplates his reaction. Unbelievable. This might be a new record for him - ten minutes in the club and he has already caught some pushy top's interest. He's not even tipsy yet, for Christ's sake!

He moves to turn around, but the guy's left hand finds his other hip and starts rocking him with the beat of the music instead. A warm exhale brushes Luke’s neck. "Hello, Lucy."

Luke jumps in surprise, but the hands hold him in place. "Aemond?!" He exclaims, craning his neck over his shoulder, and it is, indeed, his uncle, his sapphire-blue prosthesis glittering in the stroboscopic light. White-blond hair spills over Luke's shoulder as Aemond leans down to nuzzle him from behind.

"Hm." Aemond hums into Luke's skin, his lips brushing Luke’s pulse point as he continues swaying with Luke from side to side. Their rhythm doesn't even match the song blaring from the speakers. "Did you dress up so slutty for me, nephew?"

Aemond's mouth seals over a spot on Luke's neck with hot, wet suction. It makes Luke shudder. Fuck, but Aegon did make good on his promise, it seems.

"You taste slutty too." Aemond adds in a purr.

"What the fuck." Luke mutters, even as his palms settle over Aemond’s toned forearms. He's not slutty - in fact, he's in fairly plain clothes tonight compared to some of the other men on the dance floor. "Are you drunk?"

It's a rhetorical question, but it still annoys Luke that Aemond ignores it altogether in favour of grinding against Luke's plump ass. His pinkies slip under the waistband of Luke’s jeans while his hands slide up and forward to cover Luke’s bared stomach. Luke can feel him harden gradually, inch by inch, as he rubs himself against Luke in slow circles that vaguely resemble a dance.

Well. Luke can't exactly pretend he isn't pleased. It feels like a nice size.

He licks his lips. "Jace -"

Aemond's laugh sounds like a stroke of desire brushing Luke’s overheated skin. He slips a hand up under Luke’s shirt to pinch a nipple. "He's welcome to watch if he wants."

Jesus. A week ago, it was enough to feel up Aemond's thigh to make him storm away from the dinner table, and now he's ready to fuck Luke in plain sight? Fighting against Aemond's grip, Luke turns around to look at Aemond's face. He finds Aemond's cheeks flushed, his eye glassy from the alcohol as he guides Luke into a new dance that might as well pass for foreplay.

"Fuck." Luke turns his gaze to the ceiling for a second before looping his arms around Aemond's neck to draw him down. Aemond drops his head to Luke's shoulder and starts sucking marks into his neck. "You shouldn't be this drunk!"

He's going to kill Aegon before Aemond wakes up with a hangover tomorrow and kills him again.

"I'm not drunk." Aemond denies the obvious. "Let me fuck you."

Heat pools in Luke's belly, honey-thick and sweet. He stalls. "I wanted to dance."

Aemond straightens up to grab one of Luke’s hands, wedging his fingers between Luke's and pulling Luke's wrist to his mouth, pressing sloppy kisses to it as they keep rolling their hips together. Luke's cock throbs in his pants. "We're dancing, aren't we?"

He drops Luke's hand to press him against the pillar, leaning down until their noses brush. "Let's continue at my place. Wanna see you lose it, Luke."

Fuck it.

Luke is no saint, and Aemond is no damsel - this is happening.

In a teasing, meandering line, Luke's hand slides down Aemond's thin chest and stomach, then squeezes his cock. When Aemond groans, Luke gives him a smirk. He massages Aemond's length through the fabric. "Only if you're sober enough to remember how I like to kiss."

The hungry light in Aemond's eye shifts into something warmer. They've kissed only once before, long years ago, two confused teenagers unable to separate attraction and hate - but it still lingers in Luke's mind as a moment of perfection.

Aemond grabs his chin, careful but firm, and thumbs at Luke's bottom lip.

"I remember." He says, and seals it with a kiss straight from Luke's dreams.

Neither of them notice the outraged yelp coming from the bar.

[dollsonmain]

And the fucking decision paralysis again.

So.

I decided to free up floor/work space by putting dolls in the doll house for now, because fixing the doll house floor will cost money. Either I need to buy new floor boards or I need to buy two boards to press them between.

So that can wait.

I also thought about whether or not I'd want to change this side of the room or move anything from here to other walls and I think no. this is ok as it is. Those pieces fit in that space rather well. There's about a 12in space left in the corner, which is where I've stuck the lamp. There's no light on that side of the room for some reason, so I put in that lamp, even though I rarely to never turn it on.

I'd have to hire someone to install another can light in the ceiling and don't want to.

-

I also freed up floor space in front of the ponies by dumping all of the stands I had sorted back into the stands box. I'll resort them some other time.

Now.... Those four little end tables rearranged to be a horizontal line instead of a square could potentially be used as the pony display area.

It would be nice to have more room for the ponies so I could space them out a little. It's a bit too chaotic in the center segment for me.

I don't know if you can tell, but I prefer varying heights in my displays. I don't like everything to be the same height or all of the shelves to align across the book cases. That overwhelms me for some reason, when everything is too homogeneous. I need the line to be broken.

The four end tables would be a little wider than this unit because this one has a little overlap on the ends. Each of those end squares are, I THINK, the same size as the end tables and the center segment is just slightly wider than two end tables.

That would make the pony area a little more boring, though. I'd have to do more manual variation of the display with risers and boxes, and that's fine. I don't mind.

However, I don't think that TV stand thing would be suitable for my BJD. I need more room for BJD, not less.

It's overfull as it is, and there are nine more upstairs in the office right now...

Those same 4 end tables would be less than double the width of the existing BJD display area, but can be spaced out a bit and rely on the stair-stacked boxes as surfaces.

There is the issue of the staired boxes being too shallow for the stands I have a few of them on, though.

Another option is to put the toy box and coffee table side by side between the book cases, but that does again saddle me with the dead space where the toy box is.

The toy box is ugly. It has clowns on it, so I keep it covered up, and that's ugly, too. It is an option, but not one that I want to do.

I mean, the toy box IS full of stuff but it's completely inaccessible when there are things on top of it which makes it non-viable for doll-things storage which was my intent.

I would get rid of the toy box but my grandmother asked me not to and she's still alive. I'll consider it again when she isn't.

I could get a really cheap table cloth and cover up the toy box in a nicer looking way, but it's still dead space.

-

Anyway, I think what I will do is empty out, wipe down, and separate the little end tables and then push them around and see how I feel about them here and there. They're relatively easy to put back together if I decided I don't like how that turns out, where dumping off all the ponies and BJD to try things out would be a huge pain in the ass.

[csleko]

Boba Fett Helmet (Take 2)

Apparently I never actually posted the original on Tumblr. Hmm. Should I post it separately, or just combine it into this one about the new one? I'll combine them.

VERSION 1 (The not-so-good one)

I've gone into detail about advantages and disadvantages of printing in resin, and they all apply with this first attempt at printing the helmet. Resin printers generally have smaller build plates, and even though the Elegoo Saturn's main selling point was its large plate, it was still too small to print these pieces without further cutting them down. The two bottom pieces needed to be cut in half, and the dome had to be cut into quarters. Because of this, there were many gaps to fill in and seams to try to cover up, and some parts didn't line up 100%.

Also: in a rare case of the resin printer's precise detail working *against* me, you may notice a lot of polygons from the 3D model showing through despite my best sanding efforts. ALSO also: Yes, I do have to leave sticky notes for myself reminding me to leave things the hell alone while glue is drying.

My main method of filling in seams and gaps was to just drip resin into them and hit it with my UV flashlight. You can also do this to "weld" resin print pieces together, but I find it easier to use superglue to hold them together, then seal the attachment points with resin. If I spent a little more time, I probably could have completely eliminated those dome seams.

Time to paint. Did a whole coat of green, then taped the crap out of it to do the red visor part. Didn't bother taping the cheek indents because I was going to have to paint over them anyway, so it didn't matter if they got red on them. I ended up doing them by hand instead of spray painting. I also had to do the tan ear pieces by hand because I didn't have any tan spray paint.

You may notice the "brow" doesn't quite line up with the bottom, and because of that the antenna base that's supposed to sit flat against the side of the helmet...doesn't, and leaves a pretty big gap. Besides just looking wrong, this made it difficult to glue the piece on because it left a lot less contact area with the helmet. The left ear piece warped while printing, so that in addition to the brow sticking out too far kept it from sitting flat. And for some reason the antenna came out really bendy, so it drooped under the weight of the rangefinder.

So yeah! That's everything wrong with version 1, and why I decided to give it another try with my new printer.

VERSION 2

I'm glad I experimented with the Bo Katan helmet first, because I learned a lot of helpful things from that project. Like the fact that my head isn't as big as I thought, so I don't need to print large sized helmets. Also that it's better it to just wait out the hours for high-quality prints, than to rush them and try to fix the flaws afterward.

Because this helmet is slightly smaller than the first one, and my filament printer has a massive build plate, I didn't need to cut any of the pieces to fit. I was even able to print the whole dome. The helmet model consists of two bottom halves, a vent section that goes between them on the back, and the dome. Shockingly, printing them as designed does wonders for fitting them together and much more effectively minimizes gaps, seams and alignment issues.

Fortunately, the less detailed printing method made the polygons much less of a problem. Unfortunately, much sanding and filler is needed to smooth out those rough layer lines.

NOTE: I use a caulk called Kwik Seal for filling and smoothing, but if you go out to get some of this stuff to use yourself MAKE SURE you pay attention to the labels and get the white one. There's also a transparent version that comes in tubes that look exactly the same except it says "transparent." The transparent stuff SUCKS for prop making. It's VERY sticky, and according to the label it can take 2+ weeks to fully dry and cure before you can sand or paint it. The white stuff has a much more manageable consistency, isn't sticky at all, and dries in MINUTES. And yes, I did learn this the hard way. Luckily it didn't ruin anything.

And just to be sure it's absolutely as smooth as I can possibly get it, I hit it with two coats of Plasti-Dip.

And yeah! Pretty much the same painting process as the first one, since that actually worked out pretty well. Except I actually got some tan spray paint to do the ear pieces. And the stripes are actually orange this time. On version 1 the paint went on orange, but faded to an almost yellow when it dried. So I just used a darker orange. Not thrilled with how they turned out, but I decided to let it go before I ruined something trying to redo them too many times.

AND THE ANTENNA ISN'T DROOPING ANYMORE. Resin is weird sometimes. I figured it *must* have been something to do with curing it, but no amount of extra time in the UV bucket would make the first antenna less rubbery. I even tried reprinting it and modified it to make it detachable so I wouldn't have to rip the whole base apart again to change it out, but it still came out droopy. The good news is I never actually glued the rangefinder onto the first antenna, so I was able to just pop it off and stick it on the new one, and I didn't have to print another one.

The files to print this helmet can be found on Thingiverse.

[fatuispolaris]

headcanon time! i posted this on my old blog but it was a little bit outdated so i'll fix that right up. this post delves into how i picture childe's relationship with the fatui, with a particular focus placed on the other harbingers. i'll cover the tsaritsa and how he views subordinates as well. word isn't law with these as they can develop or we can plot different threads if you write one of these muses, but this is sort of a default that i'll approach unless we decide upon otherwise. as always, under the cut for length.

the tsaritsa - after feeling rejected by most of his family and village, childe views her as the one person that doesn't reject him. she welcomed him among the harbingers with open arms and kind words, and it's why he's so fiercely loyal. he truly believes that her heart is good and wishes to help her achieve her goals. he feels a kinship with her, and strives to do well in his role because of that. he's often been called the tsaritsa's dog because of his loyalty.

the jester - childe recognizes him as the leader but honestly doesn't think of him too much. he has enough sense to be respectful and obviously follows orders, but he doesn't feel any loyalty to him. he is a bit wary of him, because part of him believes pierro's ideals may not necessarily align with the tsaritsa's (as most of the harbingers don't). he would like to challenge him to a fight, though.

the captain - childe admires him greatly. he knows a warrior when he sees one, and he'd love to cross blades with him, even if it'll be certain defeat on his own end. he simply wants the honor of learning from a battle with someone like him. as a new recruit when he'd first joined the fatui, capitano was a bit of a hero to him. he views him a bit like a goal to overcome one day, despite his admiration. he wants to best him in his quest to become stronger.

the doctor - of all of his coworkers, dottore is among the ones that childe likes the least. he keeps his distance as much as he can, because the guy gives him the creeps. he doesn't know all of the details, but he's heard stories about all the different sorts of experiments the doctor and his segments (rip) get up to, and he wants no part in that.

the damselette - one of his comrades that he knows the least, he keeps his distance from her too as something just feels incredibly off about her. he's curious, of course, because he'd like to fight her too (he wants to fight all of his comrades), but there's a hidden darkness about her that gives even him pause. he mostly just doesn't understand columbina. a lot of his coworkers he believes he's gotten a pretty good read on, but he can't quite grasp what her deal is. he's not sure he wants to find out.

the knave - like most of the rest of his comrades, she's cold and committed to her own goals. more than the rest of them, she doesn't bother to hide that she has ulterior motives, and wouldn't hesitate to betray any of them. she seems to regard him with indifference.

the rooster - perhaps it is naïve of him, but childe truly believes that aside from the tsaritsa, pulcinella is the only other one among the harbingers that feels an ounce of care for him. he's one of the only ones that regularly makes conversation with childe, and since pulcinella himself spends most of his time in snezhnaya, childe often looks to him for updates on his family. pulcinella has never given him a reason to distrust him. he seems just as loyal to the tsaritsa as childe is, and has been nothing but encouraging from the start. pulcinella was the one that noticed him among the new recruits and helped him climb the ranks so fast, so childe is grateful to him.*

the balladeer - oddly enough, childe always felt a sense of one-sided kinship with him. although scaramouche and he often spared antagonizing words for each other (especially scaramouche, childe usually just responded to his scathing words), he knew that the other was a bit of an oddball among the harbingers, like himself, which is a funny way of putting it considering that all of the harbingers are odd already. he never knew too much, because it wasn't like they were friends, but he was aware that the two of them were seen more like assets/weapons. when he first was promoted to the rank of harbinger, childe tried approaching him and becoming friends because he thought the balladeer was young like himself. naturally, that went horribly...**

the marionette - she seems a bit similar to the doctor in his eyes, the mad scientist type that places their research above all morals and reason. they haven't crossed paths much, but he can tell the disdain is mutual. he figures sandrone, like most of the other harbingers, sees him as some idiotic and incompetent kid.

the fair lady - from the start, signora was always rude to him. she seemed to take joy in undermining him when she could, treating him like he was lesser—more than the others, even. he never knew much about her, as signora seemed to always present herself as some cold-hearted witch. given her place among the harbingers, he knows she has to have some sort of past too. he feels a bit of sympathy, despite everything.

the regrator - his feelings regarding pantalone are mostly neutral. childe tries to maintain a good relationship because he knows pantalone is in charge of the fatui's coffers. he likes to think they're on friendly enough terms since pantalone's entrusted him to oversee the northland bank from time to time, but he knows better than to actually trust a guy like him.

subordinates (skirmishers, mages, named/unnamed npcs/etc.) - childe doesn't exactly try to become buddy-buddy with his underlings (despite silently and unwittingly yearning for friendship/acceptance), but he does respect them. he doesn't actively try to harm them out of a sick sense of joy, nor is he the type to abandon them should a mission go awry. he listens to their opinions and often likes spoiling those that work directly under him. he likes hearing them talk about their families and will often share about his with them. just because he's a good boss to them doesn't mean he's a push over, though. he might not kill them like some of his comrades do, but he doesn't shy away from striking fear in them either, should he need to. because of his respect for them, they respect him, too.

* this is hinted at in scaramouche's voicelines about pulcinella, but childe is absolutely misguided in his view of him. i think pulcinella's closeness to childe's family/childe himself is a means of insurance. by maintaining contact with childe's loved ones pulcinella essentially has childe in the palm of his hands. i hc that pulci does this as a means of ensuring childe will work for him whenever he needs him to. childe's treated a bit like an attack dog, and pulcinella thinks it wise to have someone like that on his side.

** this depends on whether a thread takes place before or after the events of 3.3. if it takes places after, then childe does not remember scaramouche. also, i've inferred that scaramouche and childe might've talked quite a bit because of scara's familiarity with childe's family situation, as well as what he had to say about childe (calling him weak and dumb, lmfao). this coupled with his line to signora about her and childe always complicating things... he seems to, in his own roundabout way, express concern for childe (and signora) so... i won't say they were friends, but i think they definitely talked.

anyway like i said this is all sort of a baseline to how i approach interactions but i'm definitely open to plotting different stuff and absolutely 100% wanna write with other harbingers so! i want childe to have work enemies, work buddies, etc etc. if you write a harbinger/fatui let's ball c:

[autolifenz]

How Mechanical Breakdown Insurance Boosts Your Peace of Mind?

Cars are amazing machines that take us from point A to B (and sometimes way beyond B on epic road trips). But just like any machine, they're susceptible to breakdowns. Imagine this: you're cruising down the highway, music pumping, windows down, feeling the wind in your hair... then, a sputter, a cough, and your trusty car decides to call it quits.

Stranded on the side of the road, facing a tow truck and a potentially hefty repair bill - not exactly the picture of a relaxing drive.

This is where mechanical breakdown insurance (MBI) comes in as your knight in shining armour. Think of it as an extra layer of security for your car, offering financial protection against unexpected breakdowns and repairs.

Here's how Mechanical Breakdown Insurance NZ can boost your peace of mind and keep you cruising worry-free:

Financial Buffer Against the Unexpected

Car repairs can be brutal on your wallet. A single problem can send you scrambling to juggle finances. Mechanical breakdown insurance helps soften the blow by covering a significant portion of the repair costs.

With MBI, you'll only pay a deductible (similar to a down payment), and the rest is handled by the insurance company. This can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars, especially for major repairs.

Protection Beyond the Manufacturer's Warranty

New cars typically come with a manufacturer's warranty that covers repairs for a certain period. But what happens once that warranty expires? This is where mechanical breakdown insurance picks up the slack.

You can choose a plan that aligns with your car's age and mileage, ensuring you're covered for breakdowns even after the manufacturer's warranty runs out.

Peace of Mind on Every Ride

Let's be honest, car troubles are stressful. Mechanical breakdown insurance helps alleviate that stress by offering peace of mind. Knowing you're financially protected in case of a breakdown allows you to focus on getting back on the road, not on the potential repair bill.

You can enjoy the freedom of the open road without the constant worry of a breakdown turning your trip into a nightmare.

Freedom to Choose Your Repair Shop

Unlike some extended warranties, mechanical breakdown insurance NZ often gives you the freedom to choose a repair shop you trust.

This means you can take your car to a mechanic you know and have a good relationship with, ensuring a quality repair experience.

Breakdown Assistance - Not Just Financial Help

Mechanical breakdown insurance plans often go beyond just financial coverage. Some plans may include roadside assistance, towing services, and even rental car coverage to help you get back on track during a breakdown.

This comprehensive approach ensures you're not left stranded and can get the help you need quickly and efficiently.

Peace of Mind for Every Driver

Mechanical breakdown insurance isn't just for new car owners. It's a valuable investment for anyone who relies on their car, from daily commuters to weekend adventurers.

Whether you drive a brand-new car or a trusty pre-owned vehicle, MBI can provide the peace of mind you deserve, knowing you're protected against unexpected breakdowns.

Is Mechanical Breakdown Insurance Right for You?

Mechanical breakdown insurance isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. The decision to get an MBI depends on your individual circumstances, such as the age and condition of your car, your driving habits, and your budget. However, for many drivers, the peace of mind and financial protection offered by mechanical breakdown insurance NZ make it a worthwhile investment.

Do some research, compare plans, and find an MBI option that fits your needs. Remember, a little planning today can save you a lot of stress (and money) down the road!

Source - https://autolifecarinsurancenz.blogspot.com/2024/06/how-mechanical-breakdown-insurance.html

[kleinelan]

No, it's pretty obvious you're making fun of me, I just don't find jumping the gun, and calling anyone who dissents some kind of word salad of things you don't like, to be a very good joke. It's just mean and dismissive.

I don't really have to clarify what I consider mainstream or not--the OP's wording was "every single western news outlet." Does that include Democracy Now? Seems to!

Your arguments are all beside the point and kind of irrelevant. Like, I get it. You have something you believe in strongly. I believe in it too, I'm absolutely anti-Israel on every conceivable metric. You see the OP saying one thing, aligning and overlapping with that, and it's an opportunity to attach your pre-formed narrative. And so with each reply it's pretty clear the OP is actually irrelevant, because we're immediately far away from their points. But look at the OP's actual words. "Every single western news outlet."

Anyway, one could make the argument that because PBS isn't paywalled, it's just as if not more mainstream than CNN. I'm not here to make the argument that PBS is perfect, but I watch it so I'm capable of discussing it, and ... you seem like what you want out of PBS is one-sided coverage that only reports Gaza. I see in comments and reblogs the same criticisms of PBS you bring up here: relaying IDF talking points. But ... how do you propose that one factually accounts for everything going on without exposing the audience to what one of the involved parties believes in and uses as the justification for their action? Are you asking for zero context to be provided for the attack? Wouldn't not reporting on Israel's justifications actually be closer to what you're framing as unethical behavior, and be a Big Brother-esque lie via omission of one large portion of the reality of why the whole thing is even happening?

Using scare-quotes on balanced journalism as if to undermine the entire concept as impossible or suspicious is ... not self-evidently a good argument unless you propose what should replace it. Not covering Israel's byline at all is basically impossible in any standard of journalism. Are you, like, against journalism itself? What do you want as a substitute?

I don't only watch/read PBS, but I find it highly unlikely, if not impossible, for someone exclusively watching to not be able to arrive at the conclusion that Israel is in the wrong. In fact, the opposite seems far more unlikely to me, if not impossible.

Let's throw in another example. My local newspaper did a piece the other day on local restaurants--pretty indirect to the conflict. But the thrust was--how are Israeli and Palestinian immigrant restaurant owners and patrons reacting to the news? It included pro-Israel voices ... and it included Palestinian voices who went into detail about the terror campaign Israel has raged, and how barbaric it is.

This notion that the world outside of Tumblr is a dystopian nightmare of badthink is ... not entirely untrue, but engaging in misconstruing the truth of it is just that--misconstruing. I don't see how it's productive.

israel could literally nuke gaza off the face of the earth and blame it on iran and every single western news outlet would act as stenographers for the lie, the IDF's singular go-to-move every single time they perpetrate an unforgivable crime is to blame it on their enemies, a famous american palestinian journalist is assassinated by IDF snipers? Blame it on stray gunfire from hamas. Bomb 5 palestinian children playing soccer on a beach? Blame it on Hamas. Bomb 20 ambulances? Blame them all on Hamas. Bomb a convoy of 70 Gazans fleeing south because you told them to? Blame it on Hamas. There is zero pushback in the western press because America does not find it convenient to view Palestinians as human, it is a cold calculated dehumanization of an entire ethnic group in service of maintaining a relationship with a military partner.

[mlynar-nearl]

ohh i see i see i misinterpreted audie then but this still sounds cool as hell like the this is my husband, encio, and this is his bf, gnosis thing is still very cool! ans yeah audie sounds even cooler now holy shit he sounds jacked (metaphorically)

he sounds like a pretty tough guy as in like, mentally, cos he knows what he wants and he really works towards it? like uhm, idk how to say but like he would survive in the kjerag political climate, willing to do things for the result he wants.

sorry if this one is short im not quite sure what to ask anymore haha audie seems really fleshed out already (its not a bad thing im just kinda bit off tdy so sorry)

no don't apologize!! i appreciate all the asks and the appreciation for my boys :]

he is! he's surprisingly tough, even. i wouldn't say that the fact that he's sociable unlike his husband and co is a facade or anything, but he's developed a way to survive that's different and brings something new to the table for encio and gnosis' long-term goals. you just gotta appreciate having a tiny, unassuming fox on your side that's got you covered for pretending to be normal. like encio, he's always thinking a few steps ahead, but he hides it much better. in Break the Ice + his operator files it's hard not to look at encio and think "oh, that man's planned everything out perfectly and is just letting the cards fall into place." you don't get that as obviously with audie, but it's very much the same. their goals and feelings align considerably. encio's influenced by the fall of gaul and seeing post-gaul victoria to want to make progress with kjerag to keep it from falling victim to terra's other nations. audie feels very similarly from watching leithanien after the end of the witch king. even if you don't worry about neighboring nations, on terra, there's always a bigger fish. (sometimes the bigger fish is literal and it's ishar-mla.) either way, they have a very harmonious working relationship that's also turned into a harmonious relationship relationship. his lore and such is pretty fleshed out but i would say it's about as fleshed out as shealtiel, it's just that i gave him less of a cliffhanger than shealtiel has (because audie's stable right now and shealtiel isn't).

[vumming]

all of us are dead — yoon gwi nam “ocean”

requested by : 🏹 anon [ can i request another gwi nam one shot pls? (sorry i love him and there isn’t enough fics about him lol) kinda like a pt2 to my other request but they find a room together but can it be a locker room or just another room that has a bathroom with a shower? reader is covered in blood and gwi nam washing the reader and himself while he keeps praising her for small things like (ur doing so well, that’s it just relax, good girl that type of thing) and he gets her into new clothes that are clean and cuddles her to calm her down. ]

warning : cringe(?) g*i-na*m ooc, suggestive, rqst changed a bit, soft bastard

Gwi-nam lifted you to take a seat on the sink, his hands glide on your clothed soft thighs as he examines your messy appearance. Brushing a few dirt off of your face with the ever so usual tough look plastered on his features. “What exactly did you even do to get this much stuff on yourself.” He sneers at the grime on your face, wiping them off with napkins, disgust written all over his expression.

The white stained in brown and red as he draws them all over your face, holding your jaw to align it straight, his eyes that held nothing but ease and care oftentimes making in contact with yours.

“I escaped from the zombies.” You resisted the urge to roll your eyes at his words and you watched him groan before slapping himself on the face, massaging it until his eyes flutter open to look at you.

“Besides, shouldn't you be more worried about yourself? You're literally covered in blood! And not to mention your eyes!”

“It's not about me, it's about you, doll.” Gwi-nam muttered in response, deep voice barely audible if not for the closeness that you two have.

Frowning, your hands made in contact with his cheeks, cupping them like he does to yours as you stare at him with twinkling gaze. “You matter too! Of course I'll be fretting over you, you're my boyfriend!” Pouting as you shake him—his head to be exact, back and forth like a rag doll.

Gwi-nam's hand left your face to find purchase on your thighs, the other on the marble sink as he tries to stabilize himself.

“H-hey! Sto- stop!”

“No! Not until you realize that you're a mess too!”

“Yah! Stop it or I'll make you more of a mess!” He growls in warning prompting you to shut up and halt your attack, for the lack of better word. “Hmph, that's what I thought.” Gwi-nam adds when he watches your eyes grew bigger than saucers—registering his statement.

“Then make me.”

“What?” Now that, was something he didn't expected. Gwi-nam pinched your thigh with a look that tells you something. He knows for sure that you can be cheeky if you want to but it never fails to left his surprised whenever you'd do so of sort. Even after all the years that he had spent with you—Gwi-nam still felt aghast when you'd dare show him your bold side.

“I said, make me. Of course, unless you wanna chicken out-”

The boy pulls you to his body close by dragging your legs close, growling in your ear with a slight tease, “Be careful of what you're wishing for doll, or I might just take those literally.” Drawing giggles from your lips with you draping your arms over his shoulders, a silent invitation. Gwi-nam nuzzles further in your palm, kissing the inside while his gaze locked with your mesmerizing e/c eyes.

Gwi-nam hummed in contentment at the gesture.

The ambiance seems right, despite the apocalypse, everything is so calm and deadly sweet. He lets your hands map his face oh so calmly and delicately and he found himself leaning in for more of your touch. Eyes trained to yours while they twinkle in delight at the thought of you only admiring him, and him only.

Yeahh, that's right..

It's only him that you should look at like that; eyes set full of adoration and contentment. Gwi-nam, subconsciously knows—and he tries his best to push it all back, that you and him aren't compatible. He isn't enough for a girl like you. He knows it. Yet the boy wouldn't want to leave you.

He wants this, he needs this.

He needs you.

And Gwi-nam somehow came to slowly lean in to capture your lips in a soft kiss, eyes fluttering close when they made in contact. His thumb brushing circles on your thigh and the other supports your neck.

Your hands threads through his locks, tangled yet soft, there's a bit of a slick due to the blood but you pushed them into your mind, Lips parting in instinct when you felt him draw a lick to your plump lips, biting them a bit. Gwi-nam made an entrance, exploring every cavern and ridges, leaving nothing untouched as he fight yours for dominance—shifting your spot, you find yourself pulling him closer; his lean body pressed against yours as he tried to devour you, following along your tug.

Breathing through the feverish kiss, you fought along him. Winning in the end as you get to tangle yours with his, emitting a groan of pleasure to escape his lips, hands sliding up to the waistband of your pants to drop them. A cute small plop was produced when the fabric hits the cold floor of the bathroom.

Gwi-nam felt intoxicated—he feels so vulnerable when with you and he likes it, despite his usual gangster façade that is always on guard. You find yourself bare when he took your uniform off, him parting to take off his as well, unbuttoning them with your feeble hands.

Gwi-nam resume the kiss again, his lips drawing down to your jaw, chin, neck and collarbone. Sucking on the skin and feeling you arch your back, he couldn't help but chuckle at your reaction, vibration not helping. “Beautiful.”

Compliments that found themselves to escape his lips thrown to you when he saw your bothered expression.

Butterflies flutter profusely inside of your stomach, it is known that Gwi-nam causally compliments people, be it through bullying or teasing but this—God, it feels so genuine. So true that your heart can't help but twist in happiness.

With his hands fumbling to reach your undergarments before you stopped his eager hands. Breathing through the parting kiss, “Gwi-nam...”

“Yes, doll?” He breathes, eyes still in a fever along with yours. Your legs closing in on his waist when he tries to pull away from your hold.

“You stink.”

And your lover deadpanned at your words, moving away to smell his body, “Wha- no I don't-”

“With your heightened senses, I thought you'd be more self-aware.” Gwi-nam facepalmed, way to go ruin the room oh beloved y/n—now what?

He moves close to you before lifting you up in his arms, “Then we'll go continue this at bath, yeah?”

“H-hey! Let me go!” But he didn't listened, only grinning when you pout at him.

The two of you ended up warming under the shower, cold licks of water flows down your skin, Gwi-nam washing the blood that sticks to his eyes and face with a slight groan before feeling your warm arms go around his waist, chest against his back that made him crane his neck to look at you whose hair sticks to their skin, eyes looking up at him happily.

“Shit.”

He cursed under his breath when your finger starts to hover on his skin, drawing patterns and shapes as they map along his muscles.

“That tickles.”

“Really?” You giggled at his drawn expenses, hiding his face behind one hand before sweeping the wet hair that restricts his vision. Turning his figure to encase your smaller body into his. “You're brave today.”

“Only because I am with you.”

He hums, “That's right, I'll protect you after all. I said it before, yeah?” Leaning down to boop your nose eliciting a squeal from you. He remembers seeing your scared look when he found out where you hid, terrified and alert— yet almost ready to give up until they shine when you saw him. God, he was glad that you're by his side now. Gwi-nam sighed, his palm takes the curve of your cheek.

“Turn around then, I'll wash you.”

“But I can do it myself.”

“And I want to do it for you so,” following to his words, Gwi-nam gestures with his finger for you to turn around making you comply. Relaxing when his fingers massage your scalp and entangles the knots of your hair. A shampoo that is left from the sports team left there to use. “That's right, y/n. You're doing so well.” Foam and bubbles slides down from your head, the atmosphere made you forget that outside of this room is a battlefield for survival.

From your head to your neck and travelling to your shoulders to knead them, “Relax, doll.” He kisses the skin of your nape, soft and low tone that brought tranquility. His touched relieving you from your stresses, you remembered earlier how lonely you are, struggling alone until he managed to find you.

“Ease up. I'm here.”

And at his voice, your hand creeps their way to hold his. “Thank you, love.”

Your fingers laces with his and Gwi-nam let loose in the moment, laying his head on your shoulder. “Anything for you doll.”

[ms-demeanor]

Okay so you know how I'm constitutionally incapable of letting things go?

I'm still on about the Jake Parker Alphonso Dunn thing and I finally cracked and created a pacer account and downloaded the initial filing of the lawsuit. Here's my favorite quote from it:

"Pen and ink drawing, however, is not as inviting a drawing medium as pencil, especially for beginners or anyone new to drawing, for several reasons [...] This explains why there is a drastically limited number of comprehensive ink drawing instruction books and learning resources available today as compared to the hundreds, if not thousands, of pencil drawing books.

Upon information and belief, there are less than 10 widely known comprehensive ink drawing instruction books in the art community."

Every single link in that quote is a link to a comprehensive ink drawing book that is/was widely available. Even if you don't count the ones that are out of print (but are in libraries, art classrooms, and are available online) you're still looking at *at least* ten, one of which has been in continuous publication for 100 years and two of which are different books written by one author. Also I own two books that aren't even directly linked here (both about cartooning) that include comprehensive pen and ink techniques as part of a larger whole and cover materials materially similar to what Dunn is saying was plagiarized, and that's not even getting into the really specific and narrow "pen and ink animals" "drawing in ballpoint pen" "pen and ink landscape" "pen and ink for comics" "pen and ink and watercolor" "pen and ink and charcoal" books that are out there that also cover basic pen and ink technique in a pretty comprehensive way. There are so many pen and ink instruction books that attempting to open links to all of them in the various places that I found them crashed my browser.

He also really, really doubles down on "there is no functional difference between these sections and the layouts are identical" when A) there is a functional difference because Dunn wrote a technical instruction guide and Parker wrote a low-key how-to book for casuals that is primarily about motivation and mindset and B) Dunn's book has a strong vertical layout and Parker's is square.

It is making me bugfuck crazy that he's claiming these two layouts are duplicates.

One of these pages is twice as tall as the other. One has a centered brushstroke font as the header with descriptions under each of four tools; One has left-aligned text with a sans serif header and single-word descriptions next to nine tools. One has tools that are presented illustrated at an angle that points to the gutter of the layout, one has tools that point to the center of the page. We are, literally, not the same.

My second favorite quote from the lawsuit is this:

"Dunn has found many supporters online, who believe that Parker has committed plagiarism and infringed on Dunn's copyrighted works."

Friend, what your twitter followers think isn't legally actionable.

The suit claims that the uses of Dunn's work were numerous and far reaching, but looking at the images used in the filing it kind of looks like Dunn hasn't gotten a copy of the book and is still screencapping from the ten images on Amazon. Shoutout to this absolute maniac on Pinterest who not only did a side-by-side comparison of Inktober All Year and Pen & Ink Drawing but also compared Pen & Ink Drawing to a bunch of other ink illustration books. Also I'm pretty sure Inktober All Year Long is unreleased and the lawsuit is based on sales continuing until December 2020 but I can't find the book anywhere new or used and the few people who have reviewed it have claimed they got it because Amazon sent it to them on accident after delivery was cancelled and every seller that I can find that had links to it lists it as backordered or now has a 404 error for the book.

Here's another pertinent quote from the suit:

Authors instruct on pen and ink drawings in multiple ways. Dunn's work, however, is not the result of restating standard methods or formulae, but is his original expression born from his creativity.

I do continue to feel really, really bad for Alphonso Dunn, because it really seems like he spent a lot of time reinventing the wheel and is upset that a similarly popular artist is also making a wheel. Like, in the original video he REALLY fixates on the idea of "varying" strokes, and insists that the use of the word "varied" or "variable" must be plagiarized from him because he spent so long coming up with the right word to use for that technique - but the 100-year-old pen and ink instruction book I discussed earlier has a multi-page layout about varied strokes.

Anyway the lawsuit was filed in September of 2021 and so far it's been just a shitload of extensions to serve papers and motions to dismiss and motions to extend the time to respond to the motion to dismiss.

I don't think that Parker is perfect (I actually find him pretty annoying and I do agree that it is very questionable to claim exclusive ownership of an event that became popular because of millions of participants) and I don't think that Dunn is malicious, but in this case I do think that Dunn is wrong. This guy has a take on it that pretty much aligns with my opinion.

And I'm interested in the outcome of the case because a lot of the claims that Dunn made in his video and appears to reiterate in the case have to do with attempting to claim exclusive rights to teach art fundamentals using extant language, so that's actually pretty important!

Anyway I am going to continue to Be Weird about it.

[fruitsofhell]

Like look. I don't hate the idea that the Ancients weren't native to Halcandra, I don't hate the idea that Magolor wasn't native to Halcandra. I just hate the fact that it was pretty much the most logical conclusion for years - even up until RTDL DX because of the Jamba and "Jambandra" - and now all of a sudden, it's a maybe not.

And I specifically don't like the idea of information just being deconfirmed with nothing new in its wake. Like that's what I say about Magolor not being from Halcandra, it's destructive to his character. That conclusion being possible made so much room for others that could be drawn about his motives and person. Without him being native there, it breaks one of his connections to a defining setpiece of his game, and leaves us with kind of a vacuum of why he is the way he is. I just don't like it.

Magolor is a liar, Hyness was untrustworthy, but those games would tell you what they said, and then in other ways, make clear they extent of their bullshit. Other than the fact that he does lie, there's no reason to assume Magolor isn't from Halcandra, cause there's just... no reason to believe it's not true because it's a detail that isnt contradicted (besides a Halcandra allegedly being a ghost town when there are still plenty of alive looking enemies). Him being foreign and needing to take you to Halcandra under the guise of it "being his homeland" is like a whole new layer of extrapolation for the original game, when him living there aligns with motivation. And I think there's an obvious reason why his ORIGINAL coming clean did not even hint at that being a lie, and Kumazaki admits that story details come when they make them.

With Hyness, we explicitly understand how wrong his views on Void are through the pause screens, but there is nothing that ever conflicts with his lore dump, other than obvious bias from his side of the conflict. Which still leaves, "The Halcandrans were in two factions, and one banished the other" as a clear takeaway. If someday we learn Jambandra is named that not because of connections to Halcandra but because Hyness is faking that, or that Hyness is in other ways making up history. I will not be very happy, UNLESS that is filled in with an explanation.

It's tacky but fine if we learn these guys were lying more than was reasonable, but then I would want to know for sure, WHY they lied and WHAT they were covering up. Kirby lore is written as it goes, if the team comes back with a cooler idea that's fine, but come back with a cooler idea of where you're going and not just what you're retconning.

Twas fucking around trying to brush up on recent bunglings of the Kirby timeline, and I was trying to remember if it was ever explicitly stated: "The Ancients" - those Ancients, Ancients with a Capital A - "lived on Halcandra." Like, It Is Their Homeland.

And though that is technically never outright stated... along with all the general synonymizing of Halcandra and The Ancients, there is this line that once again kinda sets that idea in stone.

"Halcandran Vessel" "Crafted By The Ancients"

But then of course here comes my faaaavorite plot twist:

IAmNotGoingToBe"OrSoTheySay"ed! IAmNotGoingToBe"OrSoTheySay"-ed! IAmNotGoingToBe"OrSoTheySay"-ed! IAmNotGoingToBe"OrSoTheySay"-ed! IAmNotGoingToBe"OrSoTheySay"-ed! IAmNotGoingToBe"OrSoTheySay"-ed! IAmNotGoingToBe"OrSoTheySay"-ed! (slowly morphs into a corncob)