#look i could have made it neutral but it's way more funny is freelancer is masc like they are for me

[endless-nightshift]

Damien: yes I'm nervous to come out to our friends and tell them about hux and I, but I'm going to do it anyway.

Gavin: *looking over at his Freelancer Boyfriend who is currently actively trying to lure Lasko into a polycule with him & Gavin*

Gavin: ...

Gavin: if it helps your nerves, I can 100% guarantee you it will go fine

[consulaaris]

SHEPHERDS OF HAVEN RECRUIT FORM - RHIANNON VASI

(template by @shepherds-of-haven !)

.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFO

name + nicknames: rhiannon vasi - rhia (by red, and later the other shepherds), sunshine/frosty/ice-queen (by chase)

titles: captain of the shepherds, the hero of haven, the dragonslayer

callsign: aethereal (possibly glacier)

gender: cis woman

sexuality: bisexual

pronouns: she/her

racial heritage: hunter

age + flower day: 28 years + 12 leph (winter)

height: 5’3” (160cm)

“a female mage with waist-length tousled raven hair and attractive stormy grey eyes. you're wearing your shepherds uniform and sun medallion. you have a streak of white in your hair as a result of your hunter heritage, and your cloak sports a golden eagle clasp.”

.

BACKGROUND INFO

weapon: daggers

magic specialization: elementalist (aetherai)

birthplace: maj

education: circle-trained

.

MISCELLANEOUS INFO

past jobs: freelance mercenary, bodyguard, library assistant, tavern waitress (that one lasted like, a solid day and a half before she blew up on a rude customer)

likes: fancy cloaks, books, khav, stargazing, sweets & baked goods, picnics, cats, snowy or rainy weather, quiet days, inside jokes, cuddling with her friends & loved ones

dislikes: people prying into her past, pickled vegetables, enclosed and/or crowded spaces, swimming, being Known™ in haven

strengths: magic (both brute force & controlled), knife-fighting, working with children, speed, cleverness, quick-thinking, introspectiveness, honesty

weaknesses: social situations, overly stubborn, past injuries (particularly on her hands) sometimes make it hard to fight physically, brute strength, holds grudges, emotionally repressed + PTSD, has a major guilt complex & will push people away/get herself into dangerous situations to “protect them” (doesn’t consider her own safety to be an important thing, essentially)

hobbies + special skills: wood carving, studying magic/history/astronomy, writing poetry, impressive gambling skills (she’s good at people reading and has a great poker face; she just struggles when she has to like. actually talk LOL)

major arcana: the hermit

dnd morality alignment: chaotic neutral/true neutral; leans towards the good side there, though

meyers-briggs personality type: intj-t

.

PERSONALITY

heart of gold / will of iron (it’s a 52-48 split- very close)

rebellious / loyal

independent / social

tactful / straightforward

bold / cautious

charming / stoic / intimidating

witty / sincere

resentful / forgiving

self-preserving / self-sacrificing (rhia claims she’s self-preserving, but she’s really... not)

book-smart / street-smart

one-god / atheist / old faith

bright mind / silver tongue / razor wits / nerves of steel

overall personality: although as a child/teen she was confident and playful, ten years of life alone and on the run have hardened rhia and caused her to retreat into her shell. she’s always been headstrong and stubborn, but now she tends to come across as rather prickly or icy to people she doesn’t know or trust. when you do get to know her though, it’s clear she’s more awkward than intentionally mean, although her personality can still come off as snarky or abrasive when she’s in uncomfortable situations or around unfamiliar faces. rhia can be a bit temperamental at times, but (though she’s convinced otherwise) she’s a good person with a kind heart who’s incredibly protective of those she cares about, no matter how much she may try to deny or bury it- she never asked for the powers to save the world, but she’ll be damned if she won’t do it... regardless of the cost to herself. she blames herself entirely for the loss of her village and is terrified of hurting the people she loves like that again, but joining the shepherds is the biggest catalyst for rhia trying her best to open up once more. though she’s always cared for them in her own way she’s now beginning to truly trust them, and with red around she’s slowly starting to show her softer side again, too.

.

RELATIONSHIPS

best friend(s): red antiqua, halek prince, riel syndran, briony stormbreaker, caine

preferred mission partner(s): red, halek, blade (they butt heads, but rhia trusts his work ethic lolol), and ayla or briony. generally a team that she trusts to get stuff done & won’t give her a heart attack (i.e. working with chase or trouble can be fun, but rhia is Stressed)

friendly rival(s): probably chase a little bit, just because they tend to snark at each other a lot. they’re good friends though! she and ayla also get a little competitive since they’re both elementalists, but it’s the type of rivalry that pushes them both to improve.

love interest(s): red antiqua (ex and current)

first kiss scenario: okay but the fact that i could 100% see that being their first kiss as teenagers + a possible first kiss once they get back together... good shit. (and i do have a WIP where rhia gets injured... 🤔)

enemies: ebert, the endarkened, the autarchy, moonsilk (not really she’s just big mad + halek is her bff ajsjjsjsj)

.

REFERENCE QUOTES

“she’s got a passion for learning, that one. miss vasi was the best assistant i’ve had in ages, and though i often found her reading on the job she always finished her work. very detail oriented, too, although i do wish she hadn’t left so suddenly. it always did feel like she was running from something.” (- librarian from an unnamed city in Blest)

“rhiannon’s vicious in a fight, i’ll give ‘er that much. she’s not exactly the most chatty o’ folks, but if yer looking for a good bodyguard you ain’t getting’ much better than ‘er.” (- fellow mercenary)

“i think she might hold the record for the shortest amount of time a waitress ever worked here. to be fair, i don’t really blame her for throwing a drink in that man’s face and threatening to shove her foot up his you-know-where when he made that comment, but business is business.” (- owner of an inn in an unnamed city in Blest)

“rhia was always at the top of our class in the circle; she was confident and funny, and even when she got in trouble it was clear the teachers loved her! she was always happy to help anyone with their work, too- or anything really. she was great fun, one of the good ones. i do wonder what happened in those years she was gone though, because seeing her again, it was like she was almost... sad. like a light all burnt out. i hope she’s alright; i’ve been a little worried, and i know red and neon have too. red especially, if you catch my drift.” (-panrachus )

[excitedlysuffering]

I know I'm a mess for this, but can you do a black female character (the image I have in my mind is Gabrielle Union circa Deliver Us From Eva) who's a new employee at the Daily Planet who Clark falls in love with at first sight and leaves Lois for? Thanks!

Catching Superman’s Attention

Unedited cause I’m leaving to get Orange Leaf🥰 kinda got really into this ask tho😂

You already have quite a few writing accomplishments under your belt as a freelance writer by the time you meet Clark.

The Daily Planet had been trying to bring you in, and once you finally agreed they had you coming in almost immediately.

The second you walked in everyone’s eyes were on you, including Clark.

He watched as you were introducing yourself to everyone, a gorgeous smile on your face the whole time. He was amazed at just how in your element you were.

Just like Lois

The thought slipped in his head, startling him. He and Lois has been together for almost a year, why was he comparing you to her?

He brushed it off as a fluke, and went to go meet you. He was concerned with the way his heart was beating as he made his way towards you.

He couldn’t help but notice the way your ebony skin shimmered in the sunlight. He stared at your hair, it was big and so curly. He was in awe.

Lois shook your hand and he was snapped out of his reverie, how could he be thinking about another woman like that?

“It’s nice to meet you Ms. (L/N), I’m Clark Kent.”

He managed to keep his expression neutrally polite, well until you shot him a blindingly perfect smile.

“You as well! And just call me (Y/N), we’re colleagues now!”

You didn’t break eye contact with him for a moment, and if he didn’t know any better, (of which he convinced himself) he’d say you were trying to place him.

He promptly went back to his desk, where Lois was waiting, but the seed had already been planted in his head.

He looked so painfully familiar to you, and you did not easily forget faces.

The first week you worked there you spend your free time observing Clark, trying to figure out who he really was.

You noticed little things, the way his grip seemed to strong for his nerd persona, how he didn’t squint in the slightest when he took his glasses off...

It came to you as you were in the middle of an article. You pulled up a photo of super man on your phone and approached Clark with your signature grin.

“Hey! Wait... what kind of glasses are those, can I see them?!”

He nodded, handing them to you, a little confused. He looked down, avoiding your gaze.

Your assumptions were correct. Superman and Clark looked exactly the same. You handed back his glasses and left.

From then on, you took projects with Clark whenever you could, not only because of your newfound discovery, but you were also developing feelings for him.

The two of you grew closer, and you formed the final stage of your plan. Your desk was quite far away from his but you still had a clear view of him.

“Clark is Superman...”

It was whispered, meaning that only Superman would be able to hear it. You kept your head down, flicking your eyes u to catch his reaction.

He was frantic, looking around and you smirked. Gotcha.

(A/N) oh god this is getting long-

You kept it to yourself, you didn’t want to out him to anyone, not even to himself. The two of you did grow closer, much to the irritation of Lois.

It was a day like any other, except the two of you were leaving together. There was tension in the air, it had been inside thanks to the malicious glare Lois was shooting you and the awkwardness radiating from Clark now.

“I broke up with Lois yesterday.”

He blurted it out so suddenly you didn’t know what to do or say. Your heart was acting funny and your throat was dry.

“Why?”

He laughed a little, but it was nervous.

“I couldn’t keep dating her, knowing I had feelings for someone else...”

A new relationship had ended, but a new one was starting right here, but you still had one more thing to say.

“So, what’s it like doing news articles on your self?”

“W-WHAT?!”

[mxsinistir]

May I request a Good Omens Gabriel x Human! Reader please?

Pairing: Gabriel x [y/n]

Warnings: n/a besides the fact that the bad writing ™ becomes worse writing ™ towards the end bc it’s 2 am while I’m writing this. 

Summary: Freelance London Photographer [y/n] is friends with the bookshop owner Aziraphale, and happens to be sitting in one day when a mysterious stranger enters to have a meeting with her friend. Suspicious, this artist is ready to find out as much as she can about the man. 

Word Count: 2390

(tried to keep this gender-neutral but tell me if I screwed this up anywhere bc I probably did)

Hope you enjoy!

***

The first time you met him was whenever you were inside A.Z. Fell & Co., discussing a book you’d just read and returned (since you were aware he despised the permanent purchasing of his collection) over two cups of hot chocolate.

The moment he entered, you were intrigued. You turned your head to watch him saunter in, and some part of you screamed deafeningly that whatever he was, he did not belong here. That was saying something since unusual people were not uncommon in the little London bookshop. You’d known Aziraphale’s eccentric friend Crowley for quite some time now. 

“Aziraphale,” His voice was hearty, one you should have taken comfort in hearing. But in addition to his picture-perfect, incredibly fake smile, it set your nerves on end. “May I have a word?” Part of you decided this was your chance to run from the off-setting visitor, but that would leave your friend alone with him.

“Hi, I’m [Y/n],” You shoved a hand into space between you, “I don’t believe we’ve met before.” He looked you up and down, your eyes unwavering until he met your stare. His eyes - your stomach flipped, oh god his eyes - bore into yours, and you nearly recoiled when you noticed the color. A glassy purple with no signs of contacts. Just unexplainably rich violet that made the hair stand up on the back of your neck. 

“Gabriel,” He said, shaking your hand with a grip that was just a little too strong. You were too proud to coddle your sore hand, though. “I need a moment with Aziraphale.”

“Sorry, can’t,” You couldn’t leave Aziraphale with him! What if something happened? You’d picked up that Aziraphale had been involved with some sketchy people before, and what if this guy happened to be a well-dressed gang member? Well . . . well dressed wasn’t exactly the way to put it. You didn’t know what look Gabriel was going for, but it just added to his overall wrongness. 

Besides, Aziraphale and Crowley had always remarked on your excellent intuition. Warning Aziraphale about bad customers, giving Crowley advice on problems he hadn’t explicitly explained, knowing that both your friends were thinking at a given time - and at this time, Aziraphale felt very, very anxious about Gabriel waltzing into his shop.

“What do you mean, you can’t?” He half-snarled, his fake smile faltering. 

“My bike got stolen earlier,” You explained, casually turning to drink the rest of your cocoa before it went cold. You also needed something to hide your growing smile. “I told the police to drop it off here when they found it.”“Are you sure you didn’t miss them during your chat?” He said, “I swore I saw a bike parked in the front.” You stepped past him, putting your nose against Aziraphale’s window. Sure enough, a blue bike was leaned against the glass pane. 

“Well, silly me - Guess they just left it and had better things to do.” You laughed, turning back to smile at Aziraphale and Gabriel. “See you later, Zira!”

You walked outside, planning on walking home. You weren’t going to take some random bike from in front of the bookshop just because some guy had snapped and made it appear for you.

You didn’t own a bike. 

***

The next morning, before you even had the chance to ask questions about the purple-eyed man, Crowley had come into your studio, mentioning that he was bored, due to Aziraphale’s sudden occupation with work. Aziraphale had never been truly busy since you’d known him. 

“Crowley, do you know a Gabriel?” You asked, not looking up from the photo you were currently editing the lighting of, trying to decide if you could amend the conflict between the clashing color palettes. If anything, Crowley just hoped that you were too occupied with your work to even notice that you opened your mouth to ask the question. A few seconds ticked by, and then you stared up at the redhead. 

“Yeah, I know him.” He said under his breath, “He’s a friend of Aziraphale’s. Definitely not a friend fo mine. I’d keep your distance.” 

“What does he do?” Even without being able to see his eyes through the glasses, you sensed the panic in them as he proceeded to mumble out an answer. 

“Paperwork,” He steadied himself, easing into the lie now. “Some company Aziraphale used to work for. I think he’s kind of a jerk, but he and Zira go way back, so I don’t intrude.” 

“Funny, I thought the bookshop had been family owned for a hundred years?” 

“Part-time job, maybe?” Crowley stammered out. You just rolled your eyes.

“Is Aziraphale in . . . is he in any danger with this guy?”“What? No, no, [Y/n], you’re just being paranoid.” You weren’t so sure. You’d never heard Crowley so nervous about the subject of someone, and you’d certainly never heard of him willing staying out of Aziraphale’s affairs. It was common knowledge that he was the nosiest man in London, especially when it came to his friends. “Seriously, Just stay out of his way and it should be fine.” He had a certain voice he used when he wanted you to believe things were fine, even if they weren’t.

“I’ll just ask Aziraphale since apparently, you won’t explain.” That little taunt was usually enough to make Crowley spill everything. Not for this, apparently. “He listens to you, Crowley. Just make sure he doesn’t get hurt.” 

Just because he didn’t say the promise doesn’t mean she didn’t see him make it.

***

The second time you saw Gabriel wasn’t at the bookshop, but on a bench in St. James’ Park. You were currently looking over some pictures you’d taken of the vibrant area, the photographs dotted with jogging passersby and fluffy ducks that reminded you of Aziraphale. You stood up to walk by, snapping a few more when your camera focused in on a not-quite-familiar face.

“Gabriel,” You said, curiously approaching the benched man. “Fancy seeing you here,”

“[Y/n], is it? Aziraphale’s . . . acquaintance.” Who the hell used the word acquaintance anymore? You thought. “Is there something you need?”

“Just came to clear my eyes - I’ve been staring at this one picture I took for Aziraphale last week.” You briefly explained how one of the customers had split their coffee on one of Aziraphale’s old wall paintings, which he had sat on the table to clean the walls behind it. He had been furious, and though you knew you couldn’t possibly replace the expertly preserved painting - ruined by only human clumsiness - you’d offered to gift a photograph to him. Though he was obviously still disgruntled over the lost air, he did say that even something modern would eventually become history. You’d gotten to work. “I’m supposed to bring it to him this evening.”

“I was planning to speak with him this evening as well, actually.” The man remarked.

“Well, if you wanted, you could com toe hang out at my studio for a while.” You had a feeling that no matter what, this man would try to keep up appearances. Meaning he would accept your offer, even if only not to appear rude. Thanks to some information you’d gotten out of Crowley, you now knew that you wouldn’t be in any real danger as a human inviting him to your studio. He, on the other hand, wouldn’t be expecting the onslaught of questions you had for him. 

“That sounds great,” He said with clenched teeth, and so you just smiled and packed up your laptop and camera equipment, making sure to walk beside him all the way back to your flat. 

The square footage wasn’t much - you were honestly surprised you could manage to fit two people inside at once. Beyond that, every inch of the place was stacked high with frames and camera equipment and printed portraits. Your bed was usually just the couch by the window, and even then, you more often than not just fell asleep at your work desk, head draped over crossed arms. 

“I’m gonna be a little bit - I’ve gotta play with some finishing touches, and then I’ve got to print it.” You explained - Aziraphale had given you a faux-gold 18 x 21 frame, nearly identical to the one bordering the ruined painting. “You can sit on the couch if you still want to hang out. You okay with music?” You asked casually, bringing him a glass of water. You may be suspicious of him, but your mother had always stressed the importance of hospitality. 

“Do you like music?” He thought for a moment, staring blankly before nodding as if he’d been assessing whether or not it was the correct response to say so. “Queen?” He looked even more confused but nodded again. You synced your Spotify to a small speaker and set it to shuffle, sliding into your chair as We Are the Champions began to play. You snuck a glance over at Gabriel while mouthing the words and concluded he was possibly the only person in the world who didn’t know the lyrics. If anything, that just confirmed your suspicions of the man. 

Gabriel, on the other hand, was just as confused by you as you were by him. When you’d first met, he hadn’t known how to react to you. You’d stood up to him with no background knowledge, purely because you thought he had ill intentions towards your friend. Humans were always willing to throw themselves at things for no reason, but you were different - you had a reason, and that reason was nothing more than intuition to protect those you care about. 

And now, you’d carelessly brought him into your apartment - if he could even call it that. It was a glorified storage closet, filled to the brim with art and junk and beauty. He’d never been exposed to such a mess; heaven would have never tolerated it. He couldn’t even imagine that Hell was this chaotically organized. 

He could barely focus on that. How could he anymore, when there was you to look at? Smiling truly and losing yourself in the music blaring, snapping your fingers with bad timing, singing the guitar riffs, and constantly standing up just to pace around while mouthing the lyrics. 

You walked around him more than a few times, asking him random questions while leaning far back to see what your photo looked like from afar. He eventually saw that it was of an eggshell white duck in St. James, curiously floating alongside a dark goose that had landed in the waters. He could have scoffed at the symbolism, wondering if you understood the irony of it all yourself. 

Gabriel had never seen so much life in one plac.e It radiated from you, from your camera, from your fingers. It felt raw and unexplainably human, and not in the way that disgusted him with its mediocrity. There was nothing mediocre about you. You oozed with some sort of high that no angel could ever dream of finding themselves on. Angels were too flawless for something as uncontained as the day-to-day life you lead.

During the middle of one of your lyrical outbursts, you glanced over at Gabriel. He was drinking tea now, staring out into London from your window, sunbeams casting over his dusty hair and stunning eyes. Without a word, you pulled your camera in front of you and stepped towards him, snapping photos of him a quick succession. He whipped around at the sound, just quick enough to see you smiling. 

“Stay where you are - the lighting’s amazing.” You said, steadily walking closer to the man. He truly was a vision in an element like this. You leaned back to observe the picture he’d found himself in. “Do you think you could give me one with your wings?” 

And just like that, you watched the Archangel Gabriel freeze to the core as you shuttered a few more photographs. 

“Come on, everyone knows Aziraphale isn’t human.” And of course, there was no way Crowley could keep a secret like that once he was sufficiently drunk. “And besides, humans don’t usually make this pretty of muses.” 

He unfurled his wings gently, being careful not to knock over anything. All three pairs appeared in pristine, white condition, though when the window light scattered them, they reflected a spectrum of glistening violet. 

He nearly asked to confirm that you were human, though he knew the answer. No one but a human could accomplish this - a demon nor an angel could live in such harmonious chaos with their own little world, dancing to the raw beauty of it all and flourishing in the flaws you did not perceive as such. 

Gabriel had never felt love - a sort of ‘love for all humanity’, of course, but not the thrumming in his heart he felt now, looking at you in your element, high on the artistry of what you saw in him. On what no one else had ever seen in him. 

“I could have a photoshoot with you, you know.” You said, looking at your camera screen. “You look great on camera.” 

“There’s still a few hours before I need to meet with Aziraphale,” He lied - he was two hours behind schedule, not that that mattered. “He’d told me about this bakery beside his bookshop that he apparently adores.” He didn’t even like food. It didn’t matter - he figured you would. 

“Am I being asked out by the Archangel Gabriel?”“That’s strong wording-”“I’m famished,” You smiled, and as you walked over to your computer, he expected you to print and frame your imperfect perfection. Instead, you just saved the photo and eased your computer shut. “I can make something here, though. I don’t want to leave. Does the Archangel Gabriel want to watch a movie?”

He was about to make a snarky comment about your sarcastically calling him that, but he paused as you did the unexpected. You settled down on your couch right next to him and smiled. That was enough for him to decide that his meeting with Aziraphale could wait till morning. To hell with Heaven questioning him - him of all people - being off schedule. He would deal with that in time.

Right now, all that mattered was that he was sharing in on an artist’s high, and he wasn’t ever coming off.

[dr-astormylasthurrah]

DR:ASLH AMA (10/21/2020)

so today i decided to sit down and answer a whole bunch of questions on discord!

this DOES contain spoilers up through the end of ch5, just a warning! if you’re on mobile i’m so sorry.

Who is your favorite character?

THAT IS THE MEANEST QUESTION YOU COULD EVER ASK DID YOU KNOW THIS. This varies a lot depending on the day but usually... tied Chiyo/Tatsumaru. I love them both so much. I think Ryouji's my favorite to write, though. If ASLH were someone else's story, I think my favorite would undeniably be Chiyo, because I'm nearly always biased towards protagonists.

What’s been the most enjoyable part of the story process? Why?

Honestly? Getting to see how people react to it. It's the validation luv. Maybe it's selfish, but I really do like seeing how people are affected by my work LOL.

who is on what side of the pineapple on pizza discourse?

Likes it: Amal, Kanemori, Claude, Aster Neutral: Tristan, Tatsumaru, Sentarou Hates it: Ryouji, Chiyo, Ririka, Brendan Doesn't like pizza: Tiana, Hirono, Alexei, Tsukino, Iris Ryouji, Chiyo, and Ririka make fun of Amal.

For the trials of aslh, which trial has been your favorite so far? In terms of planning the case itself, plot beats, character developments, anything really. But which one still makes you lose it when you think about it.

That's a tough one, I don't like writing trials. I liked the structure of ch3, though. The way that the trial stops being "who killed Amal" and instead becomes "who is Aster". The Tatsu POV. The story title drop. And the way the execution just wrecks everything, immediately? Yeah, vibes.

I also feel like ch4's trial deserves a special mention because of how I wrote it while I was sick with the flu, and yet if you ask me that was still probably the most emotionally intense trial- wait I forgot ch2- and ch5- y'know what, forget it. At least it's on par!

If you could change anything about aslh on any level, what would it be & why?

In general, I think it needed more planning. I'm a very on-the-fly planner and writer, but there were a lot of unknowns I didn't consider until late-game that made it hard to bring up and resolve cleanly. It could also probably have used a little bit more clarity with regards to the lore - things like "how does the memory replacement work" weren't decided until super late in the project. I didn't have a backstory for Tatsu until I wrote ch2 or ch3, so before that point their scars were much less extensive and I think they were cut-shaped instead of burns? That was kind of important for at least continuity's sake, and it irks me.

Also, Hirono deserved better. I didn't plan out her arc as extensively as the others (she was, pre-story, the last survivor to be locked and she had traded with Kanemori), so she sort of stagnated in the story. Which wasn't a bad thing, because not everyone's going to get shoved off a balcony or watch their friend get shot, but it kind of sucks that the most "defining" moment she had was that Ririka and Iris died, neither of which she actually witnessed, or the name confession in ch4 trial which kind of got brushed over. Like all the rest of the survivors have Big Defining Moments, except her.

To be honest, ASLH is the first huge writing project I've ever completed, so there's a lot of things I could have done better. But it was also the first huge writing project I've ever completed, so I'm cutting myself some slack there.

What's your philosophy, or even your strategy when it comes to character design? What do you go for first or emphasize, where do you think you could experiment more?

Most of my designs are based around a core "ooh I want to try this thing". Sometimes I take character inspirations, sometimes it's a cool garment, sometimes I'm just redesigning characters. I mostly emphasize clothing, patterns, and colors, but I also reuse a lot of the same clothing styles and patterns. I could definitely experiment more with shape language and silhouette - usually, that's like the last thing I think about, but one of the more important things to have in an ensemble cast. Mostly, though, I just like drawing clothes.

What do you think is the crowning moment of aslh? Like if someone asked you what would be a moment that gets to the heart of the story the most. What would it be?

DEFINITELY the ch5 execution. Like, the emotional resonance? The narration shift? The drama of it all? Peak ASLHcore.

what factored most into your decision-making progress? why did you decide this death order and this mastermind(s)?

My decision making process is entirely me sitting in a fugue state mumbling out details that I need to fix and then sporadically sitting bolt upright and screaming a parallel or tangent I've pieced together.

The mastermind question is easier to put together - I'd always had in mind that this was going to be a revenge game, and that one mastermind was so difficult to take seriously it wasn't even funny and that the other decided to bail halfway through. So I built the characters around that. The points I usually pay attention to with fangan planning (these days) are: ch1 is to establish the status quo and tone of the story, ch3 is to overturn the status quo, and ch5 forces ch6 to happen. So the ch3 case revolved around Sen dying, and then I was like "how can I fuck up the status quo more" and killed Amal and Aster too.

The biggest factor in my decision making process is "what would be really cool". I tend to make a lot of decisions that fuck up the structure of what a fangan "should" be because I think it goes hard as hell when we throw out rules that the characters are unaware of anyway.

was there a draft of aslh that looks drastically different from what we ended up with?

Great question, and fuck you for reminding me!

ASLH actually started as a bullet point fangan called What Tempestuous Despair. It was a much more international cast until I was like "fangans are supposed to be mostly Japanese casts!" and changed a bunch of characters' nationalities, which in hindsight was dumb. Ririka, Kanemori, Tsukino, and Iris were victims of this. Also Amal was the protagonist and I am SO GLAD that didn't stick they are SO DIFFICULT to write the POV from.

I've spoken on a few occasions about how the cast itself changed, and I never got around to plotting out arcs (other than "Amal learns to trust people and allows themself to truly grieve Rin after holding everyone at length for so long"), but some assorted things:

The cast had a bunch of characters who were swapped out. Included in this tally are Rin Matsumoto (whose personality was recycled into Hisaichi, Ryouji's cousin, and their name was recycled into Shuichi's school friend), Leon Mercury Kahahawai (who’s in CYAH), Haywire Asturias, Puck Ganka (who’s also in CYAH), a few characters/designs who I ended up giving away... And also Hayato Kikuchi.

Iris was always a killer, because I really wanted her to have a downfall-that-wasn't-a-downfall-but-rather-a-reflection-of-the-true-self arc. This was always a lategame case so I'd have time to establish her as terrible. Originally, she killed Leon.

Tiana was also always a killer. I think he killed Hayato via electrocution, so as you can tell that's always been around in some form or another.

(Tristan killing Chiyo in ch5 in the current version, btw, was specifically to mirror Tiana's murder. While Tiana killed to get themself out of the KG, Tristan killed to get everyone else out.)

who was considered for mastermind throughout making aslh? what would their reasons have been?

The masterminds have never changed, except that the characters for them didn't exist back in WTD. But the personalities of the characters they replaced were about 1:1 anyway, so yeah basically they've never changed.

what is one thing you really loved about the beta and what is one thing you really hated about the beta

One thing I really loved about the beta was the ch3 case (which I've spoken about at length before), but other than that... honestly Tiana? Tiana's the one character that I had fully developed as of WTD, they just sprung into my head completely materialized. Their entire personality and design somehow stayed the same since conceptualization.

One thing I really hated? I would say "all of it", but specifically, we don't talk about white Tristan. That was so bad. I was trying so hard to design him so that he'd look nonthreatening and I was like "why is this so hard" and then I changed his ethnicity and I was like "oh right, white gamer boy characters just have cursed energies" and moved on with my life.

what would be an ideal day for tiana murdock. what would make them happy.

An ideal day is honestly one where they get a lot done. They're not one to relax or know what to do with free time, but they get a lot of satisfaction out of being productive, so if they manage to finish a lot of work and not end up exhausted? They're happy. They've probably gotta work on learning to enjoy their free time. They do like traveling, though, and- oh my god I should make them friends with Tsukino.

What would the cast's careers be if they lived to be adults?

Chiyo: Elementary school teacher and scifi author! Really wish I'd leaned more into the fact that she loves scifi, honestly. Amal: Journalist, probably, except they'd actually take classes in it this time instead of just writing op-eds constantly Tatsumaru: LIBRARIAN TATSU TRUE ENDING!!! Sentarou: Freelance pianist/composer. I have this whole headverse where he and Alexei are somehow friends with Claude, and together they plot to kill Enji Sekisada. Or Claude and Alexei plot to kill Enji and Sen sits there with his head in his hands. Iris: In universes where she's able to reconcile with academia, she works in ecology + chemistry. In universes where she doesn't, she's a florist. Aster: SERIOUSLY depends on the AU because every time I try to put Aster in a normal AU they're different. Jokes about becoming a flight attendant to travel with Tsukino. Claude: Secretary. No, seriously. May have something to do with killing Enji Sekisada. Hirono: Photojournalist! Photography reminds her of Ekuko. :') Alexei: Veterinary assistant for a specialized bird clinic Tsukino: Pilot, obviously Brendan: Mechanical engineer but sometime around age 30 has enough stress to just quit and become a college professor instead. Tiana: Museum docent, he's coworkers with Laurent Sinclair thanks Ryouji: He's... not sure. In normal AUs does take up food service for a while before getting uncomfortable with his family and quitting. In ASLH canon, he skips this step and goes into law with the intent of helping other killing game survivors sort out their lives. Tristan: Web designer, still makes a few games on the side with his friends. Mostly point and clicks because he ain't about this life Kanemori: Volleyball coach, because he knows a lot more about that than soccer honestly

what part of aslh was the hardest to write?

Deadly life. Always. I can crank the chapters out really fast, but I hate the case part of fangans and they're painful to plan.

For each case, what is your out of universe reason for wanting each person to die when? Like not counting the motives or anything, but why you wanted each person to die then?

- Brendan: He was the OC I had the longest. He had to die. Goodbye you little shit. - Kanemori: He was actually a survivor originally, and Hirono was the ch1 killer for the same "OC longevity" reason but then I realized I don't have anything for Kanemori to do. So... Sorry dude.

- Claude: Y'all ever notice how no one... EVER... puts plot relevant information in ch2s? Anyway. - Tiana: As discussed, they've always been a killer. Putting them as a killer here was a good balance - far enough from ch1 to build up their relationship with Tristan, but also not so far into the story that it conflicts with the general endgame fall-apart-ness.

- Amal, Sentarou, Aster: This case sprung into my head entirely materialized. Like, this was the one that BUILT the story, so it didn't change much. Mostly I just thought it'd be narratively fun to kill off the deuteragonist, the mastermind, AND the ??? in one go. I didn't plan for Chiyal to be a thing so when that became a thing this chapter got better/worse.

- Iris: I always wanted her to be a killer to really expose that "she's not a good person" stuff (she was more of a snake in WTD), but she didn't become a victim until when I was actually writing. She was supposed to have a trial and then I got sick of writing her. Whoops. - Ririka: I had arc ideas for everyone else, and it could have gone either way between Ryouji and Ririka getting that "close to my best friend who is now dead"... in the end it went down to gender balance in survivors. At the time it was Ryouji or Ririka + Kanemori + Tsukino + Tatsumaru, but then once Kanemori got swapped to Hirono just... yeahhh Ririka got stuck in ch4. Sorry. - Alexei: Special shoutout, he was supposed to die in ch4 as just an "oh no this is what happened, how sad" but then it was super narratively unsatisfying and now he's alive.

- Chiyo: For the sake of pain. But like, poignant, meaningful pain. I don't believe in making plot decisions just because they hurt, they've also got to mean something. Considering that a major theme of the story is "death before its time is a complete tragedy", and Chiyo's motifs include death... uh. Yeah... yeah. When it came time to ask myself who'd die in ch5 for this motive, well. I miss Chiyo. - Tristan: Meant to mirror Tiana's killing in ch2, as stated above, had the "selfish kill vs selfless kill" thing. Look if you're going to have a duo in a fangan and don't get to make cool dichotomy/theming what's the POINT. Ended up surviving because when there were only four survivors, there were... really no stakes for the ch6 trial.

- Tatsumaru: I just wanted them to be alive. I didn't know WHY, exactly... I just knew I needed them to live. So. I guess they're alive? Also I thought it'd be really interesting to have a killer protagonist, and a remorseful killer protagonist. - Ryouji: To be honest I didn't have a solid arc for him, aside from Ririka's death I'd decided I was going to figure it out as I went. And I guess I did? I love him. And not gonna lie, since Tatsu became the protagonist and Ryouji's still pissed at them, the perspective/dynamic became VERY INTERESTING. - Tsukino: Originally in beta!ASLH, her schtick was "gilded exterior with a heart of jerk with a hidden, smaller heart of gold" but that didn't transfer over to ASLH itself. Then when I realized "oh shit Tsukino wants to be a hero" it was all over. At first her arc was very "tone yourself down and stop rushing into things" which wasn't... ideal, I think you can still be enthusiastic and upbeat while being mindful and that was not how I had gone about it lol. Fun fact, Tsukino's survived every draft of ASLH, including the beta one - I think she and Amal were closer friends in that. - Hirono: See Kanemori, I just thought she had more survivor potential than him. The problem was that by the time I made the decision to swap them, everyone else was sort of locked by necessity, so Hirono became a survivor by default. Again, I didn't quite have an idea of what she was going to do other than get leeched off of by Iris. Ririka wasn't even part of it, we just had that cooking thing in 2-3 and Ririka was like "this is my problem now" and I was like "what?" so now we're here.

What's everyone's coffee/tea/other preferences?

Coffee: Tiana, Tristan, Brendan Tea: RYOUJI, Tatsumaru, Chiyo, Iris Hot chocolate: Claude, Sentarou Soda: Amal, Ririka Soda but only fruit flavored: Tsukino Water, thanks: Aster, Kanemori, Hirono, Alexei

What was the hardest decision to make, writing wise, for aslh? Like you wanted the story to go one way, but you couldn't force it, or a scene you felt you needed but was difficult to decide upon, anything like that?

Hm... okay see the thing is I'm generally pretty good at writing on the fly so if I make decisions I CAN force them to happen, so there's really not too much that comes to mind. Mostly this happens with trials - I make outlines for my trials and drag my cast along with it. Except they tend to go off-topic, and then I have to drag them back on topic. And sometimes the points don't make sense when you go out of order so I have to ad lib stuff. Ch4 trial was the most off-script one, it was supposed to be a lot slower and made more sense but then the cast just went out of order and I was bonking my head against the wall trying to get it to make sense.

The only real thing I had consistent difficulty with is locations. I did not fucking plan any of this shit and hate making maps so much- oh my god I need to do the ch6 map still.

who would deliberately salt their coffee and who would accidentally do it

Deliberately: Tristan, Tiana, Tsukino, Hirono Accidentally: Kanemori, Amal, Sentarou, Chiyo, Brendan, Iris "Why?": Claude, Alexei, Aster, Tatsumaru, Ryouji, Ririka

[anr-art-blog]

Some Fanart Pieces and its inspirations

One thing I’ve only briefly mentioned is that netrunner has an amazing fan community, and that that community puts out art and game stuff (tokens and so on) all the damn time. The biggest example of this is fan-art for cards (usually IDs, as they’re the most friendly for other players). So occasionally I’ll be posting fanart - especially if I can find who made it/get comments from them.

A particularly excellent example in this latter regard is what I’m posting today (partly because he sent me them ages ago, partly because of writers block), as the artist provided me with an in-depth look at why each piece is the way it is (and did non-ID cards). Working knowledge of the actual cards ideal but not essential. I wrote none of the following words:

"Just some headcanon descriptions of some of my alts and why I depicted them the way I did. Thought it’d be a good way to show off how I imagine characters inhabiting this world.”

Jemison Astronautics

My alma mater is Purdue University, and outside Armstrong Hall, we have a large bronze statue of Neil Armstrong himself sitting on a slab of stone similarly to this one. Virtually everyone in the college takes a picture exactly like this one, sitting next to him and looking up at the first man on the moon. Jemison Astronautics was named after Mae Jemison, the first black female astronaut. FFG has always been good about the importance of diversity in their games, and but this hidden reference really stirred my imagination.

Here we have a young black girl, looking up at her idol. It’s personable and intimate in a way that few scenes in the setting depict. She’s young, and her legs are spread wide because she hasn’t yet been conditioned by society on the way a woman is ‘supposed’ to sit. Pure innocence.

But maybe it’s not so pure. If you look carefully, you can see a cluster of pins on her bookbag. They include, among others, logos for Weyland, the Oberth Protocol, and the SXC (the Space Expeditionary Corps). The SXC is the space-oriented version of the Marines in the setting. Once you realize this, the scene gets flipped on its head.

It’s admirable that Weyland named their flagship astronautics program on Mars after such a paragon of space exploration. However, they are also using and exploiting her image to recruit young minds to militarization and imperialist expansion.

The quote, “Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination,” is an actual Mae Jemison quote. It’s truly inspirational, and in context, it’s a striking rallying cry for continued excellence despite adversity. Weyland removes this quote from its original meaning, and with knowledge of all the devastation the megacorp has wrought, the quote is used as a sign of their continued arrogance and hubris.

Estelle Moon

I was absolutely enamored with Estelle’s appearance when I saw her card for the first time, and resolved to make an alt of her. If there’s going to be a card that warps the meta as she did, I’m at the very least happy that it’s featuring a kind of person that isn’t normally depicted in sci-fi spaces.

In my picture, we have Estelle slurping the HB purple slushie in a rather ritzy part of town, the Laguna Velasco District. She’s showing her megacorp loyalty by wearing a Lakshmi Smartfabrics dress, white and short, fully proud of her body. She must have checked the time recently, because her watch is still showing an auspicious symbol; the signature logo for Women of Netrunner.

I love Estelle Moon. I love that she’s a non-petite Asian woman in a sci-fi setting, the kind of setting which normally doesn’t make room for people like her. I wanted to show her just having a day off, and being normal in a cyberpunk world.

Valencia Estevez

Her story about everyone deserving redemption was extremely appealing to me. Hers was the first story of true altruism in a world of gray and black morality. Why is she so selfless? what led her down this road of Investigative Journalism and Government Investigations?

I latched onto the undercurrent of pain in her arc. She helps a nameless person out in her story, but it seems as though she’s helping someone she wishes she could have helped before. I placed her in a Catholic church, owing to the religious allusion in her name and the predominance of Catholicism in Latinx communities. She’s lighting a votive candle, a sign of respect, sorrow, and redemption for those she’s lost. Behind her in an alcove is a shadowy statue, echoing her moniker of The Angel of Cayambe.

IPO

This one was kind of a struggle. It’s such a boring concept for a card, but I also knew everyone would want more, so I buckled down and tried to come up with something evocative.

I’d just played New Angeles, and I’m stronger with figurative art, so I leaned on the two megacorps in that game that aren’t the Big Four in ANR. Melange Mining Corp is a well known neutral card, and I figured I’d save GlobalSec’s executive for a more action oriented card.

In IPO, we have Yuri Talunik watching his profits rise as the public offering goes off splendidly. He looks dour and somewhat informal, but signs of his wealth abound in the surroundings. He wears a jacket of genuine animal leather, a rarity in a world full of Jinteki soybeef. His glass of whisky (which can only be properly distilled on Earth and had to be imported) rests on a large slab of authentic dead-tree wood. It would have cost a fortune to get actual wood up the Beanstalk to the moon, where everything is made of plascrete. All the while, his He3 mining operation continues without a hitch in the background.

Diesel

This one doesn’t have a huge connection to the lore of the game, but it’s funny because I drew this at the same time as IPO. Diesel took three hours, IPO took well over twenty, and I think Diesel came out as the better piece of art, lol.

This one was inspired by watching the people in my office drink can after can of Monster Energy Drink and watching out trash can overflow with the crumpled cans. My favorite one-off character, soybeef taco dude from Freelance Coding Contract, continues to code well into the night in the background.

Temujin Contract

This one didn’t have any description, though apparently it’s based really closely on a batman cover/iconic moment

Art by Patrick Burk (BlueHg on slack and other places)

[charity-angel]

On Buns and Ovens (16/?)

[Part 1]   [Part 15]

[Read on AO3]

The med droid had provided Clovis with a comm unit, Ahsoka revealed over drinks, which had put him into direct contact with Dooku. The files that solidified the evidence against the heads of the Banking Clan had come directly from him.

Clovis submitted them to the Senate, and promptly got himself the sanctions he needed in order to become the new head of the Banking Clan.

“Which means I get a temporary change in employment,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve got a skillset that lends itself to being a freelance bodyguard, and Clovis has had bounty hunters after him for days now. We all know it was because they wanted to get him here with his evidence, but they don’t know that. Now he’s the head of the Banking Clan, he can play the ‘important person’ card and claim a bodyguard that he trusts. And I’ve technically got no ties to the GAR, the Jedi, or the Senate.”

“Except that you keep hanging around with vod’e, jetiise, and senators,” Jesse pointed out, snickering.

“Except all that, yeah. I’m off to Scipio tomorrow, with the 104th lurking nearby as backup.” She knocked back a mouthful of her drink before adding: “I’m pretty sure that Palpatine would notice Anakin’s absence at the moment, otherwise I’d love to have you along instead. The creepy little fuck couldn’t resist turning the screws a little tighter as soon as the session was over, asking him to keep watch on Clovis because neither of them trust him. At least Skyguy knows about all the messing now.”

She didn’t sound altogether confident on that count, and Kix had to agree with her. After all, Skywalker had said it himself: knowing that there were things wrong in his head and being able to do something about it were two completely different things. The second took a lot of hard work, and generally required outside assistance.

Not something Skywalker would be lacking, but he had to accept it first…

“We know too,” Rex assured her. “We’ll keep an eye on him.”

“And,” Jesse added darkly, “if things go wrong, we’ve got experience of mutinying against crazy Jedi.”

Kix smacked him around the back of the head. Rex looked relieved, probably because his gut response was more likely to be along the lines of punching Jesse in the face.

Umbara wasn’t not talked about, because that way lay madness. But they had lost far too much for anyone to joke about it. Even Jesse.

Not when Rex or their jetiise were around anyway: they all blamed themselves. Skywalker and Ahsoka blamed themselves because they weren’t there and they had trusted Krell to look after their men; Kenobi because he felt he should have noticed that something was wrong with the 501st (despite being busy trying to direct his own forces in a communications blackout); Rex blamed himself most of all because he knew something was wrong but didn’t see the full picture until it was too late. And because Dogma had taken the shot.

Ahsoka surprised them all by chuckling, although it was very much gallows humour. “I guess you do. Be nicer with him, though? He’s still my ori’vod, and he’s not being a di’kut on purpose.”

  .oOo.

  As it turned out, Ahsoka was wrong on one count. While they clearly couldn’t overtly take a whole battalion to Scipio, Senator Amidala was permitted an escort. And, while Palpatine insisted that she take at least one member of the Senate Guard with her, she was allowed three members from the 501st – clones she was familiar with – to accompany her.

Skywalker immediately assigned Rex, Jesse, and Kix. And, somehow…

“CT-7560 reporting for duty, ma’am.”

Amidala’s eyes flickered from the newcomer and his perfect salute to Rex. Some time ago, she had asked about fraternal relationships between clones, and they had explained the concept of birth-squads to her. And it looked like she had not only remembered that, but Rex’s ID number too, because she had clearly noticed the similarity and realised that this trooper would be known to Rex.

Kix knew there was a reason they all liked her so much.

“What’s your name, trooper?” she asked kindly. “And please feel free to remove your bucket.”

He was grinning as the helmet came off. “Thank you, ma’am. My name is Lingo and, if I may, it’s nice to see you looking well again. I was worried for a while.”

She gasped. “You’re the one! Kix mentioned that you contacted him.” She shook her head. “You’re the one to blame for the fact I’ve had him hovering over me for weeks.”

Lingo looked completely unrepentant. “I’d much rather have you in good health, ma’am, and there are much worse prices to pay for that than Kix’s bedside manner.”

Kix made a mental note that next time he ever had the opportunity to be responsible for Lingo’s care, he would really experience what Kix could offer in terms of bedside manners.

Amidala merely raised her eyebrows. “Indeed? Kix, it appears your vod’e do not bring out the best in you. Perhaps you need some better patients?”

He kind of wanted to kiss her for that, not only because she was defending him, but because it completely broke any ice with Lingo and brought him firmly into the fold of their little expedition.

“Perhaps I do,” he settled on instead, keeping his expression neutral, thoughtful. “Oh, to have patients who follow my advice instead of avoiding me, or trying to sneak out before they’re fit, or interpreting ‘light duties’ and ‘light exercise’ creatively.”

Jesse rolled his eyes. “Oh, to have a medic who looks after himself as well as his patients and doesn’t need sitting on so that he rests. Come on, let’s get going.”

Lingo was left blinking at that as he stowed his kit and they all took their seats for take-off. “I can’t decide,” he said softly to Rex, “whether the innuendo was intentional or not.”

Rex shook his head. “Normally with Jesse it would be, but on this occasion, no.”

Jesse, because of course he overheard, turned and grinned from the pilot’s seat. “Don’t be so sure, Rex – sometime the whim takes us that way.”

Kix groaned. “I’m so sorry, Senator. I swear he’s not all this crass all the time – he does know how to behave.”

She smiled. “I would honestly be more concerned if Jesse was. At least by being himself, I know that Lingo is aliit to you and will probably be a good fit for this mission.”

Lingo inclined his head by way of acknowledgement. “Thank you, ma’am. And it’s nice to be with vod’e who are a little less tightly wound than the Senate Guard for a change. I swear, being on Coruscant permanently does funny things to some brothers.”

Amidala, Force bless her, didn’t react in any way other than a slight frown. “Really?”

Lingo’s mouth did a funny little twitch as he nodded. “The best thing I can come up with is that it’s because we were raised for combat and we don’t really see any of that here. But…” He hesitated, looked at his hands as if they could give him the answers (once upon a time they would have held a datapad that probably could have, if not to this particular question). “I don’t know, ma’am. That’s how I rationalise it to myself, but something tells me that’s not right.”

“That’s troubling – I certainly wouldn’t want to think that by ensuring our safety, your brothers are being caused mental anguish. Can you tell me more?”

  .oOo.

  As Republic soldiers, none of them were allowed into the banking facility, but they were met on the landing pad by Clovis and Ahsoka, so at least there was one reliable set of eyes on their senator. Rex occupied them by making sure the arsenal they had packed into the shuttle was accessible and functional, and had them all on the alert for anything that might be even a whiff of Seppie activity.

The arrival of Senator Lawise caused a little consternation, but Senator Amidala had warned them to expect him. Just as she was representing the interests and approval of the Republic senate, Lawise would be there for the Confederacy.

The broadcast that interest on the Republic’s loans would be increased was unexpected, but not necessarily surprising – Rex quickly reasoned that this would be Clovis playing along with Dooku, each trying to reel in his catch. Kix felt that was a horribly public thing to announce for something that should have been a clandestine operation.

It was Lingo who spotted it on the sensors first:

“Here come our uninvited guests.”

Jesse barely had time to key the coded comm broadcasts to Amidala, Tano, and the 104th before the droids were on them, coming in hot. Rex grabbed Lingo and pulled him into cover behind Lawise’s ship while Kix went the opposite direction, behind a set of cargo containers. He prayed they didn’t contain fuel, otherwise he could be toast. Literally.

Jesse, on the other hand, got the ship into the air to meet them head on.

The landing pad was becoming littered with droid parts as the three of them took out the first few waves with a combination of sheer firepower and droid poppers. It left Kix glad they had planned for this, because anyone else probably would have been caught unawares.

“Hey, Lingo,” Jesse said cheerfully as he chased down an airborne vulture droid, “you still missing active combat?”

“I didn’t miss it!” Lingo protested, without losing his sight on the droid he promptly took out. “I was never cut out for all this crap!” He rolled a droid popper and disabled six more. “This is for insane people like you!”

“Looks to me like you’re doing just fine, vod,” Rex said, chuckling as he made headshot after headshot at a rate that their progenitor would have been proud of. “We’ll make an ARC of you yet.”

“But I like my job,” Lingo wailed as he continued shooting droids at a respectable rate. “I get to learn things, and I’m not completely insane.”

“Wish we’d introduced you to Echo,” Jesse commented, casually shooting down a bomber. “How many languages did he speak again?”

“Nine, I think,” Kix said. “And he was working on another two or three.”

The platform shook as something in flames collided with it, close by, and Rex cursed fluently for a few seconds.

“Lingo?” There was no point in asking Rex himself – he wouldn’t tell the truth.

“Right shoulder,” Lingo reported crisply. “Maybe a dislocation? He’s up and shooting tinnies with extreme prejudice, so he’ll probably be fine.”

Kix flicked a popper at a pair of Rollies before responding to that. “Remind me to tell you about the day he tried that with a sucking chest wound.”

“Which completely proves my point about ARCs being insane.”

“Yeah, but they make life more interesting,” a new voice cut in. Kix’s HUD identified it as CT-63-8521 of the 104th. “Speaking of interesting, care to share your fight?”

“Eris, I will blow you if you get some of these droids off my shebs,” Jesse promised unreservedly.

“Is that an open invitation to any pilot offering assistance?”

Kix was lucky he had battle instinct working in his favour, because otherwise that voice could have frozen him long enough for a droid to get an easy shot at him.

“Sir, as long as Kix agrees with me playing away from home, I am willing to try absolutely anything. I’ve heard dorin gas is pretty fun to play in.”

“TIME AND A PLACE, JESSE!” Rex roared, making Kix’s comm squeal in protest before dimming its audio output.

“Come on Rex, the general offered.”

“I know I said I’d let you try things out,” Kix said, “but I have to draw the line at autoerotic asphyxiation. But I wouldn’t say no to some assistance: these droids are relentless.”

A wing of grey-accented fighters, led by a blue-and-white striped Aethersprite, flew over his head shooting down enemy craft left, right and centre. Somewhat tragically, it was the Aethersprite that took on the two that were tailing Jesse’s craft.

  .oOo.

  Things settled pretty soon after that. The 104th didn’t put any men on the ground until the Scipian authorities gave them permission, but once that was granted they swept the surrounding areas for any surviving droids.

Kix confirmed Lingo’s initial diagnosis of a dislocated right shoulder for Rex, along with some significant bruising and reddening of the skin where his armour hadn’t quite stood up to the massive impact or the heat of the flames. He popped the shoulder back in slathered bacta over the minor burns, and tied it into a sling. (Rex glared, exasperated. Kix glared back. Kix won.) The armour wasn’t going back on, though – Rex needed a lot of new panels, and his bucket was significantly worse for wear.

Wolffe joined them and General Koon, and they were finally permitted to enter the bank. Apparently the Muuns wanted to take statements.

There wasn’t an awful lot to say: they had picked up the approach of the Seppies on their scanners only a scant few seconds before they had arrived, reported it to Senator Amidala, and the four of them had done their best to hold off the invading fleet.

Wolffe reported that Count Dooku’s flagship had turned tail once the battle was going badly. He sincerely looked like he had wanted to pursue and rip it to shreds.

The Muuns thanked them for their timely assistance, and for respecting their neutrality by not landing Republic forces without their consent.

Senator Lawise then informed them that the invasion had not been sanctioned by the Confederacy senate, and that Dooku was acting on no-one’s authority but his own. The Separatist Alliance respected the neutrality of the banks, and hoped that this incident by a rogue would not be held against them as a whole.

“As a gesture of our good faith,” he continued, his yellow eyes flickering around the assembled audience, “we will honour the promise Dooku made, and begin to repay the interest on our loans. It does not seem fair that we are being held to different terms than the Republic.”

Clovis inclined his head. “Thank you, Senator Lawise. I know you are a man of your word, and I would be very glad to return both loans to their original, fair terms.

“Senator Amidala, does that meet with your approval?”

She smiled graciously. “It does. Thank you, Director Clovis.”

  .oOo.

  Ahsoka was in the middle of explaining how Lawise had known about Dooku’s discussion with Clovis, and that Clovis had been open with the Muuns about the fact they were trying to flush out a conspiracy, when the news flashed through, announced by Chancellor Palpatine himself:

“The traitor ARC-5555, has been killed on Talchios IV.”

[jennphotoblog-blog]

Less is More and Instagram Beauty

Hello all! In this post, I wanted to cover some observations I’ve made regarding beauty photography. There are many ways to shoot a specific look, but I thought why not share my thoughts on some reoccurring trends in the field.

LESS IS MORE

We all know the cliche “Less is More”, but nothing could be more true when it comes to beauty…at least, beauty photography. I often get asked from fellow photographers who are starting out shooting beauty (however, I still consider myself starting out as well!…fun fact: I have been shooting beauty for only a little over a year now so I still have lots to learn!) if there was one tip that I could share. My biggest tip would be to think in terms of Less is More. Take your concept and simplify it as much as possible. Oftentimes people assume that in order for an image to be considered beauty, it has to include a green lip and blue eyeshadow and huge false lashes and glitter and crazy hair and blush and and and…. *breathe*. Take ONE aspect and focus on that. If you want green eyes, then just do green eyes and keep the lips and skin clean. If you want to do a bold lip, keep the eyes nude with maybe a quick swipe of mascara or some natural-looking falsies. The nice thing about shooting neutral shades is that you are able to play around with both lips AND eyes without it looking too heavy. One benefit of keeping things simple is that it helps the viewer stay focused on one area of the face. Don’t overwhelm your viewer by highlighting too many areas within the frame…it becomes too chaotic.

 Some examples of too many things going on at once:

 Now, if you want to go crazy and do black lips or a bright eyeshadow, you do you girl. But remember that simple can be just as powerful- if not more - as going over the top.

 Here are some examples of bold looks executed in a clean and simple manner:

 (image by the talented Ben Hassett)

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 (Image by Ruo Bing Li)

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 (Image by Ben Hassett)

 These images obviously still pack a punch visually, but they have a very high-end, minimal feel.

 Again, go crazy! Have fun with colors and paint strokes and glitter! But remember to pace yourself and keep your audience interested in one focal point.

  INSTAGRAM BEAUTY VS. EDITORIAL BEAUTY

 Another trend I’ve noticed is the Instagram makeup artist (often times these are talented freelance makeup artists who practice on themselves) posting images of gorgeous eyeshadows and sharp eyebrows. While this look is very popular, I wanted to bring this up because there is a stark difference between this particular look vs. what is expected of an editorial beauty photographer. I have noticed more and more photographers and makeup artists approaching these types of looks and using them for beauty editorials. While this is definitely a subjective matter, I don’t see this becoming a trend in major publications or beauty campaigns. What do I mean by this?

 Example of Instagram Beauty

Clearly these are 2 completely different looks, but the execution and style is distinctly different. The modern trend of sharp eyebrows and heavy glam is not something that I predict will catch on in the editorial world. With that said, I find it best to keep the beauty looks for editorial creative and fun! Not something you would necessarily wear out and about. Editorial gives you the opportunity to play around and be messy! Don’t stick to the cookie-cutter eyebrows and thick lashes. Try starting natural and glowy and moving up to something edgy and crazy (while still keeping in mind Less is More). Keep the ultra-glam eyeshadows and lashes for the club or a night out on the town. One look that ALWAYS looks great when starting out shooting beauty is just a simple red lip and just a little mascara. No eyeliner or blush. This is a modern take on a classic look, and is flattering on pretty much any face.

“Fresh Finish”- Concept Development

This is my first post of my new BTS (behind the scenes) blog!! I hope that through this blog, myself and fellow photographers alike, will learn and grow through my experiments and..ahem..mistakes. In this blog, I will be sharing photos, lighting diagrams, concept building and random tidbits relating to shoots! Now, lets get on to the nitty gritty..

 For this first post, I want to focus on the concept building of a shoot. This isn’t the most exciting part for some…but for me it is almost like a high. When a concept is developing in my head, my excitement is comparable to the feeling a child gets on Christmas Eve. I love it!

 I recently shot a personal editorial that I titled “Fresh Finish”, focusing on 4 different skin finishes: matte, natural, glowy and wet. Usually when starting out with a concept, the idea develops from either an outside influence or image that inspires me. The funny thing about inspiration is that it can totally change direction once you get going with the brainstorming process. Inspiration can also come from literally anywhere, and this instance it came from photos on h&m’s home line:

See? I told you it could come from anywhere. Anyways, what intrigued me about these photos is the use of different elements to create a soft, tranquil backdrop for the bedding. I wanted to take this idea and apply it to beauty (my main focus of work), so I thought it would be neat to create a story matching skincare to a different backdrop: wet look on brushed metallic, matte on woodgrain, natural on crinkled paper and glowy on soft draped cotton.

 I passed the idea by my friend and one of my primary makeup artists Jadyn Ngo, who loved the idea! Next step was to research images for makeup/hair/model/vibe to create a moodboard. Many of you will know this, but if you are like me (who moved to LA without any clue what a moodboard was lol), a moodboard (or storyboard) creates a mood and showcases different looks to show the client/team when putting together a shoot. A moodboard helps develop the story more and guides the team into creating looks more accurately based on the overall theme. I usually find that Pinterest or beauty/fashion specific sites like fashiongonerogue.com or whowhatwear.com are great places to get inspiration photos. I also like collecting clippings from magazines like Harpers Bazaar and Elle for makeup ideas.

 Here is the moodboard that I put together for this particular shoot-

Usually my moodboards will be a bit jumbled and chaotic, but with this shoot I felt it was important to separate it by looks so that on the day of the shoot I wouldn’t suddenly have a brain fart and forget which look goes with which backdrop. As you can see, the images aren’t just for the makeup and hair stylist, it is also a good preview for the types of angles/poses I’d like to go for. I also like to add in brief descriptions of each look to pass along to the agencies when I’m reaching out about testing with them. Agents get TONS of emails, so I want to make sure I stand out from the rest by creating a story that is not only well thought out and unique, but also beneficial to the model and the agency. When I moved to L.A., I had the aspiration to continue shooting conceptual work that I was used to shooting in Arkansas (conceptual in this case meaning extremely outlandish and creative, oftentimes pulling from surrealism or theme specific ideas). I quickly learned through one rejection after another that not only was conceptual work not wanted in the model’s portfolio, it was actually almost impossible to book any work because no one wanted it. I had to readjust and refocus my sights on something that would allow me to get work in L.A….and here we are! Anyways, a moodboard is crucial to a successful shoot. I think I have shot maybe 3 shoots since moving here without a moodboard, and each have been a little confusing when it comes to describing looks and mood.

 After creating a moodboard and sending it out to various agencies, an agency will either say yes and send me a “package” of models who are available and testing, or will politely say that they are not interested in the concept not send a package. When a rejection does happen, it is hard and painful, but don’t give up! Keep pushing on, think of reasons why the concept may be a bit too specific for the agency, and try again.

 From there, a model is selected based on the look I’m going for, a date and time for the shoot is made and a callsheet is sent out with all of the info for the shoot. Here is what my callsheet looks like:

 From there, I get confirmations from everyone on the team and then we are good to shoot come the shoot date!

 Preparation for this particular shoot was crucial, as I had to purchase the specific materials for each look (which again were metal, wood, cotton and paper). I began at Home Depot and picked up a large piece of brushed sheet metal and a large piece of wood that had some beautiful grain. I bought the fabric at the craft store, as well as a large roll of craft paper. When I got home, I realized I wanted the fabric and paper to be a beige rather than stark white, so I tea stained the materials to the desired color. After soaking the paper in the tea, I laid it in a wrinkled pattern on a drying rack, which created some awesome texture. In the end, the metal didn’t really work out so much because the light reflected way too much in it, despite changing the location of the light. So in the images, the backdrop looks a bit flat in the wet looks, but thats okay! I am taking it as a learning experience and will keep practicing with different methods of shooting on metal. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share!

 Here is the finished product. I wanted to put the images in a layout similar to what you would see in a major magazine, so I created a titlepage and little captions for each look (thanks to Jadyn for the help!). I am super pleased with how all of this turned out, and I can’t wait to share more concept processes with you!

 I hope some of this was of some use to those of you curious about what I do, or are pursuing photography yourself! Thanks for reading :)

   “Fresh Finish”

 Model: Emily Tender @ Nous Models

 Makeup/hair: Jadyn Ngo (jadynngo.com)

 Photography: Jenn Collins (jenn-collins.com)

  BONUS PHOTO

 Jadyn and model Emily preparing a look, while Bandit looks on adoringly. :)

[douchebagbrainwaves]

THE HUNDRED-YEAR LANGUAGE DESIGN

This is not as bad as it sounds, however. The biggest startup ideas are. By living really cheaply they think they can make the remaining money last five months. Everything would seem exactly as he'd predicted, until he looked at their bank accounts. Till about 2002 you could safely misinterpret it as promising that clock speeds would double every 18 months. Judging startups is hard even for the best investors. So the total number of new shares to the angel; if there were 1000 shares before the deal, but because if other investors are interested, you must be worth it to them as a web service.

Some people like certain kinds of work, like designing software. They may not be quite as smart or as well connected as angels or venture firms; and they may not be possible to invest it all. And that required very different skills from actually doing the startup. 7%.1 I doubt you could ever make yourself into a completely universal person, if only to get this one to act.2 Nor do we have the social distinctions there were a hundred years ago. Anything funny or gripping was ipso facto suspect, unless it was old enough to be hard to separate the things you like from the things you're impressed with.

We think of the techniques we're developing for dealing with large numbers of people will change the way they make a living, it would seem the noise is caused by the fan. So in a world of startups, elite universities will play less of a role as gatekeepers. I think that's the audience people are implicitly talking about when they say a work of art sets expectations by its level of finish. And I'm pretty sure that the notation is not the brand name or perhaps even the classes so much as the people you meet. There is room for a new fund to break into this group. Now the results seem inspired by the Scientologist principle that what's true is what's true for you. I'd be willing to eat the apple the world's population had voted most delicious, and I'd probably be willing to visit the big company, so they know who might be sitting across that conference table from them. But the smarter ones restrain themselves, if they know that some of the biggest IPOs of the decade? And this is a naive and outdated ambition. At this point there is nothing the rich like more than convenience. Try this thought experiment.3

Angels who've made money in technology are preferable, for two reasons: they understand your situation, and they're a source of contacts and advice can be more important than programmer productivity, in applications like network switches.4 It probably takes at least a pure one. A will decide.5 Total in their careers. Happens all the time and we got better at deciding what was a real problem, my friend would have known about this cyst her whole life and known it was harmless, just as professional magicians are. You don't expect photographic accuracy in something that looks like a quick sketch. This metric needs fleshing out, and it is the Internet, not cable. Just imagine that conversation. Empirically, it's not made equally. In the future this mess will gradually be replaced by a single, huge pipe. There are three main disadvantages: you mix together your business and personal life; they will probably use small problems, and the more ambitious ones will stop at nothing to achieve that. In these situations, the deal is handed over to corp dev unless a you want to sell your company right now?

But Apple created wealth, in the form of powerful, inexpensive computers, and programmers immediately set to work using it to make money as a freelance programmer.6 In this example I stretched things out to show multiple sources of funding in action. If you have an empty slot in your schedule, why not now? Dealing with competitors was easy by comparison. You get paid by doing or making something people want, and those who make more money by building a site for Harvard undergrads to stalk one another.7 At the moment those two functions are separate. When they demo it, one of which won't surprise them, and lose half a day's work; or we can try to avoid meeting them, and startups were selling them for a year's salary a copy. So they decide to start talking to VCs. Empirically the way you get a product visionary as CEO is for him to found the company and demand that it take immediate action to cure any past violations of securities laws.8 And for us founders it blunted the terrifying all-or-nothingness of a startup, you had to compress them into a single piece of advice, it might not merely add expense, but change the outcome. That's what these ideas say to us. They don't really grasp the risk they're taking till the deal's about to close.

A complex macro may have to save many times its own length to be justified. Now we think of now as cancer. In a way.9 The company that bought them was not a courtier but an industrialist. GMail has become painfully slow. This picture is unrealistic in several respects. 8 unvested option pool 264 13.

Notes

Robert V. The Civil Service Examinations of Imperial China, during the Bubble.

They don't know how the stakes were used. Some who read a draft of this type are also the fashion leaders. In principle yes, of course. A great programmer than an ordinary programmer would never guess she hates attention, because a part has come is Secretary of Labor.

Or rather indignant; that's a rational response to their situation. The idea of getting rich, purely mercenary founders will usually take one of them had been trained that anything hung on a valuation. But in this they're perfect. Companies often wonder what to do wrong and hard to grasp the distinction between money and disputes.

What you learn via users anyway. Most computer/software startups are simply no outside forces pushing high school you're led to believe this much. The idea of evolution for the tenacity of the web and enables a new, much more depends on them, if the potential users, however, you don't go back and forth.

But they've been trained that anything hung on a weekend and sit alone and think. They may not be true that the word that came to work your way up.

A doctor, P. Steven Hauser. Ian Hogarth suggests a way that makes curators and dealers use neutral-sounding nonsense seems to have moments of adversity before they ultimately succeed. After Greylock booted founder Philip Greenspun out of just Japanese.

Possible doesn't mean you suck. Something similar happens with suburbs.

Emmett Shear, and the editor, written in C, the more accurate metaphor would be to say Hey, that's not relevant to an audience makes people feel confused and depressed in their standards that they're all that value, don't make users register to get into the star it was because he writes about controversial things. But it could become a manager. If you're the sort of person who would never have worked; many statements may have now missed the video boat entirely.

Words: I once explained this to realize that in effect hack the college admissions there would be enough. Whereas the activation energy to start a startup. I assume we still do things that will be maximally profitable when each employee is paid in proportion to the inane questions of the iPhone too, of course it was true that the only audience for your side project. The disadvantage of expanding a round on the admissions committee knows the professors who wrote the first couple months we can't believe anyone would think twice before crossing him.