#most of the time it's just choppy but pretty much straight

[coockie8]

"I think Kishimoto just doesn't know how to draw curly hair" ?????? wha???????????

These are two characters from Naruto that are, as far as I'm aware, supposed to be black:

Kurenai has curlier hair than they do, and even hers is just kinda wavy and choppy:

This guy in the circle (may have to zoom in) has the "frizziest" hair and from what I can tell by searches, it seems to be literally just this specific shot where it looks like that:

In pretty much every other shot I can find of this guy, his hair is straight but choppy like every other fucking character in this series. And this is what I mean by Kishimoto either straight up doesn't know how to draw curly hair, or is making the conscious decision not to.

[wannabe-cartoonist-blog]

Last Game hair style fixes, in order of who needed it most.

I've never liked the canon hair styles in Last Game. They're either hideous, or just simply don't fit the characters/style of the main series. I get its a (mostly different) art department and meant to age the characters up, but most of the time, they simply just look off-model to me. I know I'm not the only one who's got issues with the hairstyles in this movie too, so I did my best to fix them up and give them styles that I personally think suite them. Originals below cut as well as my explanations! Important to note, these are my preferences/headcanons for them so take everything I'm about to say with a grain of salt.

**Akashi isn't here, because believe it or not, I actually think his hair looks the best out of everyone in LG.

I wouldn't change it. I like to draw him with neater hair/his bangs pushed out of his face when I age him up, but for the summer after the Winter Cup - when LG takes place - the canon hair is exactly the sort of style I think he would/should have. I like the allegory that the rough chop is something he did when his mental health wasn't good, so now as his mental scars heal, it's growing back out. ❤️

Midorima

A neater/shorter hairstyle does fit Mido's character/personality, but the LG hair simply just doesn't look like the same hair type we see in the main series. Mido's hair has got the slightest wave to it (which I tend to over-exaggerate whenever I draw him).

With this in mind, I went and gave his hair some more body/volume by extending the sides. (You'll see a lack of volume/body is the key issue with the other LG hairs as well).

Murasakibara

Mura's hair in this movie looks so so flat and greasy. Now I didn't do the best job fixing it up, but this is basically how you'd go about doing it; just add more flowy strands. His hair is pretty pin-strait in canon, but there's lots of flowing strands, even when he's not moving much, which give it a clean-look.

When it's all just one limp form, like the movie does, it appears unclean as opposed to just long and sleek.

Momoi

Another victim of the lack of body/volume. The style they gave her is also simply bad, like she just took a pair of scissors and cut in a straight line. There isn't even really any style to it. Its kinda just laying there on her head, which is not what her hair usually looks like in the main series. There's always strands/some lift to it. Also Momoi has always had some sort of bangs/framing pieces in her face, so for her whole forehead to be out was just a tiny bit jarring.

I think the style I came up with is a little more mature while still having personality and life to it. Plus, LG takes place in the summer, so a shorter hair style would be more comfortable in the heat.

Kise

Kise I don't think I did a good job of fixing to my liking either. It was hard to edit it without making it look bad in general, because I really don't think this choppy sort of style suites him like at all, so it was too much to change. Now his hair is one of the better drawn ones in this movie for sure, but it feels more like a Kagami hairstyle than a Kise one to me. I just don't think his modeling agency would let him have such a choppy, hard-to-style haircut. I also think a more polished look fits his handsome, princely sort of appeal that makes him popular with girls.

Aomine

Alright, now its time for me to be playful and silly with some out-there hair styles. Aomine (and Kagami's hair) in Last Game I don't mind. After Akashi, I would say Aomine looks the best. BUT. We have NEVER seen Aomine with long hair, even in flashbacks when he's a child.

So for him to finally decide to grow out his hair - in the SUMMER HEAT - just feels like a weird move to me. Feels out of character. He strikes me as someone who likes his hair out of his face when he plays ball and just wants to roll out of bed and not worry about brushing/styling it or anything. The animators also aren't consistent in this movie and sometimes his hair looks particularly long in the front and back, which again, I don't think he'd like. This picture below and the ones above are from the same movie/take place within like a week of each other, yet look so different.

He looks cute and it definitely gives him a more youthful look; which is a weird choice, because they want to age up everyone else but Aomine in this movie. So, I think a fade would really suite him (I don't think I drew it that well tho). Keeps his hair short and out of his face but also ages him up a little more with a mature style.

Kagami

Alright, Kagami's look here is pure indulgence. @knbposting said "Kagami with a mullet" and I haven't stopped thinking about it. Sue me. His LG hair isn't bad and makes sense for his character and the time of year. But its just sorta plain. Honestly, Kise's hair style in this movie would probably suite Kagami more. I always liked how in the main series, Kagami's hair is a little scruffy in the back so I really wanted to lean into that.

Is a mullet suitable for the summer heat/something he'd like? Well, maybe not but I think it ages him up while also seeming like something he'd get at some point in his life. So here we are. I will end this with saying this is probably the longest he'd ever let his hair get.

Kuroko

Finally, we have Kuroko, whose hair I've barely changed. Now, the animators/artists do a really bad job of keeping his face on-model (eyes too beady, features too sharp) but that's a whole 'nother issue, and I managed to find a scene where they kept him on-model lol. I think a shorter, neat style is good for the summer and suites him, but a main feature of all the hair throughout the main series is the spikes/strands of hair on nearly every character - Kuroko especially - so I just added a tiny bit more here.

And that's the end! If you read all the way to here, thanks for coming to my insane-person rant.

[stuffnonsenseandotherthings]

CityBoy_Log: Blurring the Lines Between Fiction and Reality.

I was doing my daily scroll through YouTube one day when a thumbnail (this thumbnail) caught my eye:

Now, at first glance I'll admit there's nothing exceptional about it. In fact, it's so perfectly run of the mill that I actually thought it was a vlog from a new K-pop band that I hadn't heard of before at first. The name, the picture they chose, the title.... all of it checked out and I had no reason to be suspicious that it was anything other than it seemed.

Anyway, I was bored, it had been a while since YouTube had recommended me anything K-pop that wasn't a group I was already subscribed to and I was feeling nostalgic for a good K-pop vlog.

It was only 5 minutes

What harm could it possibly do?

So I clicked on it.

And then I feel down a rabbit hole.

CityBoy_Log: The Drama

So it turns out that "CityBoy_Log" is not, in fact, a K-pop group's travel vlog series, nor is it a vlog series at all...

Well, it is...

But not really.

It's actually an 11 episode BL drama.

Summary:

Idol Lee Jae Jun, model/actor Lee Ji Han, actor Seo Byuk Joon, and rookie model Ahn Hyo Sang start a vlog channel about their trip to Okinawa, Japan for a photoshoot. The four meet for the first time (aside from JaeJun and Byuk Joon, who are longtime friends) when they learn they will be sharing a home during the trip. Though Ji Han's introduction caused some tension within the circle, the group's feelings towards each other start to change and grow as they keep vlogging. The vlogs show how their individual friendships develop by the end of their stay and after coming back to Seoul, some even beyond just platonic. (Mydramalist)

On the face of things, "CityBoy_Log" is a pretty straight forward drama (some might even call it mundane). Four friends navigating their relationships with each other on a trip. There's a main couple and a side couple and plenty of pining and love squares to keep the audience and the characters on their toes. Really nothing standout in a world where Semantic Error, Love for Love's Sake, and Eighth Sense exist, right?

Except the format.... the format is something else.

Because when the summary says "the vlogs", it really means the vlogs.

"CityBoy_Log" is a BL drama told entirely in character.

Like your typical k-vlog, the majority of the content comes from hand-held cameras carried about by the characters, only occasionally interspersed with aesthetic shots from their "camera crew". The characters talk openly to the audience, updating them on what's going on and what they're thinking and feeling; transitions between scenes are choppy and periods of time are missed due to "unfilmable" moments that we either only catch glimpses of or are told about later (or in some cases, have to fill in the blanks ourselves); dialogue is choppy and sometimes even awkward (especially as they're still getting to know each other) and voice cracks, nonsensical lines, and awkward pauses are all over the place.

It is feels messy, lightly edited, unscripted, and, for the most part, very very real.

Blurring the Boundaries Between Fiction and Reality.

Seeing how far the creators of the show have gone to make this drama feel realistic is fascinating. All the episodes are posted as vlog episodes on the show's YouTube Channel, they post additional shorts that follow the latest trends, and even have celebratory lives where they talk to fans. And all of this is done in character.

They also have an Instagram page and on MDL there is very little information about the actors (who use their real names for their characters) and no information about the team behind the scenes (although I suspect they're linked to whoever made Semantic Error because that show gets name dropped a lot and they even "audition" for the upcoming drama made by it's creators) .

Given how much effort has gone into making "CityBoy_Log" pass as real it shouldn't be surprising that there are quite a few people who believed it was real for a time.

Now personally I am a huge fan of innovative storytelling techniques and "CityBoy_Log" has really hit it out of the part creatively (it reminds me a little of SKAM in that respect). I applaud the actors for just how realistic their characters feel (I actually can think of anything harder than having to pull off "act like you're not acting" and they do it flawlessly at least 90% of the time) and whoever came up with and executed the show really did something special too. It's an incredibly compelling watch (I binged it) and I immediately felt connected to all the characters in a way it normally takes a drama a few episodes to set up.

Do I have my doubts about how wise it is to blur the lines between fiction and reality so much? I won't lie, yes, especially as this show is rooted so heavily in 2 fandoms where those boundaries are already heavily blurred but for now I'll trust that they know what they're doing (perhaps more so than many other shows that draw heavily on fan service). It does seem like, at least for now, while everything feels real and in character, that it does exist in its own little bubble and that the actors involved are able to leave it behind when they get off work.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how it progresses, given that a second season has been confirmed and there was.... a very interesting reveal at the end of the last episode. I'm looking forward to how they continue to play with the format and getting to spend more time with Jae Jun, Ji Han, Byeok Jun, and Hyo Sang

🔗Here's a link to the channel if anyone wants to check it out:

https://youtube.com/@CITYBOY_LOG?si=CKqz8QdfzySCqRyL

CityBoy_Log: The Vlog

Team Hyo Sang all the way. All this puppy wants is for his hyung to notice him and he is adorable about it.

Tagging @lurkingshan @twig-tea @respectthepetty and @rocketturtle4 because I don't know if you guys have seen the show yet!

[assassinnumber9]

For the Director's commentary game...(pretty please!) from one of my favorite fics, Loid Forger is NOT a Cuddler:

Oh boy! Chapter 3 of Cuddler was probably one of the most difficult chapters for me to write, possibly tied with chapter 2 as I am neither a child nor a dog but had to basically go into what a child and dog would think/act like lol

It's been awhile since I wrote this one, but I do remember thinking as I was typing that Loid Forger would absolutely be the one to have a full conversation and/or argument with a dog (because it's canon as seen in Ch 58 of the manga). And because Cuddler is set after Loid and Yor are officially together and know each other's identities, I wanted to make Loid be open to admitting pretty much anything that wasn't the fact he was a cuddler - this time being that he spoiled everyone in the apartment way too much as well as how he enjoyed the hustle and bustle of family life.

This chapter was particularly difficult to write in terms of description, as the reader pretty much knows the apartment already. So, I had to rely on little details to make the flow not so choppy and to give a break from the quick and simple dialog, and what I decided to focus on instead was the sounds around the apartment simply because going from being by yourself to having a family involving a young child and a wife with a loud, annoying siscon of a brother would be a big change.

And the other way around is also correct - going from a full apartment to complete quiet with the exception of a pretty chill dog.

I remember writing it and wanting to capture how Loid, after so long of being a family man, would find the quiet now uncomfortable and unsettling, and so I added him reminiscing after Bond became distracted by the food in front of him as dogs do lol

I honestly think it's interesting how chapter 3 of Cuddler has been a favorite of at least a couple people I know while it's one I'm still uncertain of myself, but I did have fun writing this cute little scene! The Loid and Bond duo are always just so cute!

A little fun fact about Bond's meal - it used to be the one I fed my mom's dogs when I had to petsit. Now, they just straight up eat chicken from a can. That was actually a big inspiration for this scene, because those two are so spoiled.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little commentary! Thank you for the submission! 💕

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Books I’ve read so far in 2023!

Friend me on Goodreads here to follow my more up to date reading journey for the year!

___

196. The Alien by K.A. Applegate--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such an interesting perspective! I wasn't expecting it a few books back and was curious how Applegate would tackle it, especially since we know so little about the character. It definitely added a new pov to the story and I'm excited to see how they are represented in the future after more time has passed and more character development has happened!

I can't say too much because spoilers. But I am genuinely enjoying this series and can't wait to get to the next one!

___

197. The Grip Of It by Jac Jemc--⭐️⭐️

If there is one thing this confusing and jarring book did really well, it is the representation of what it might be like to slowly fall into madness. The way the characters worked off each other in their madness and the way the dialogue and chapters worked together to create a choppy and disorienting dialogue was genius.

What wasn't so genius was how confused I was most of the time. There are so many unanswered questions and the story is full of confusing moments. I know that Horror can sometimes truly be a hit or miss and that one person's horror won't be another, but this is the kind of horror that should probably be read more than once to fully grasp just what the hell is actually happening.

I will say that while the structure of the story definitely works in creating the mood of the story, listening to the audiobook was an interesting and frustrating experience. The chapters would end rather abruptly and would often leave me wondering what had just happened.

Overall, this book was everything I was expecting, but also underwhelming in its over-all presentation. It was wild and so brain twisting. I don't know if I'd recommend it, but if I did, I'd recommend reading it slowly and maybe more than once LOL.

___

198. The Island by Adrian McKinty--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE ISLAND was both exactly what I was hoping it would be and still completely different than what I was expecting. I knew it was going to be a ride, but I wasn't prepared for the level of wildness that this book would adopt.

Imagine that you're on vacation with your new husband and his children, shortly after those kids' biological mother has passed away. You're in a country you know close to nothing about (Australia) and being the tourists who should be featured in a horror film, you find yourselves on a small, private island being chased by a trigger happy and aggrieved family. What ensues is something straight out of Hollywood.

I saw this as a cautionary tale for "actions have consequences" and while yes, the consequences here are dire, we have to admit that the catalyst for this was heartbreaking. I think McKinty does a good job of showcasing the dangers of grief and the magic of morally grey characters. Let's be real, the MC and her husband are no saints. They do a pretty twisted thing in order to save their asses and while yes, I was rooting for them and the kids, a corner of my mind couldn't forget the awfulness of their choices.

If you're a parent, this might be a little bit of a rougher read since it does include younger kids in dangerous situations. We get to see an MC who grows as a character in order to make sure these kids survive, but I know some parents, especially those who have younger kids, might have a harder time with stories like this one. Keeping that warning in mind, there were some pretty badass moments, but also some very human ones, as well.

I really enjoyed this and I'm glad I finally picked it up!

___

199. Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

AESTHETICA was a lot and to be honest, I think that's necessary in the world we live in. So many young people obsessed with social media and their appearance on those apps are incredibly impressionable. What can help them be more famous? What can make them look more beautiful? The exploration of beauty standards and how they affect a young woman, in particular, and those around her can be relatable to at least one reader.

I think that Rowbottom's book is also a great look into generational trauma because of how the MC's mother raised her and how she herself had a level of dislike towards her mom that is a whole other side to this book. While we have the clear main story of the MC regretting the choices she made and dealing with that trauma, we also have her disentangling her love/hate relationship for her ill mother.

AESTHETICA was brought to my attention by an article presenting it as a horror story. In some ways, I can understand that. There is a certain kind of horror behind the trauma of selling yourself in the name of success. There is definitely a particular kind of horror in wanting to face all of the trauma you've faced, to the point where you're set on undoing everything that is the physical proof of that trauma.

Though this is a relatively short book, I think it carries a lot of weight. We see the power of social media and a naive mentality. We see the dangers of those who present themselves in a certain way. And we see the sometimes incredibly complex relationships between mothers and daughters and how deeply entwined these relationships and our own self worth can be. Also, a brief mention on the power of childhood friendships and how they can scar us if they end too soon, or shift in any way that is beyond our control.

I'd recommend this if you want a bit of an acid trip of an exploration into the above mentioned topics.

___

200. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

RE-READ: September 2023:

My library got the audiobook version, so of course I HAD to put a hold on it. I was a little scared I wouldn't love this book as much as I did the first time around, but I'm happy to say that I DID! ICEBREAKER is still one of my favourite romances, if only because of the level of communication between the characters. I also forgot how spicy and full of sexual tension this book was.

Overall, super happy I re-read this. Maybe it'll be a yearly re-read. 😌

___

201. Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham--⭐️⭐️⭐️

There's something interesting about an older man writing a young kid--especially when his MC mentions in the book that at 13 years old, boys don't even notice girls and actively try to stay away from them. LOL. I actually laughed at that because I was thirteen over twenty years ago and I distinctly remember that not being the case. I just thought that was hilarious and felt super disconnected. Not that I want a romance story in a middle grade book, but just...let's be real. And I mention this first because it happens pretty early on.

Anyway, the MC was a pretty cool kid--he knows everyone and even has a little side gig where he gives advice to his classmates. His smart take on the current case and his enthusiasm jumps off the page. I'm not sure how I will feel about the rest of the series, but we will see!

___

202. Misery by Stephen King--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I went into MISERY knowing that it's a fan favourite. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was a bit let-down. I think that while I did enjoy some aspects of this book and was genuinely freaked out at times, this kind of fell into the same category of THE SHINING for me. When I read THE SHINING, it was incredibly hyped up and even though it DID have a terrifying take on the fall of madness, it was otherwise meh for me.

One of the best things that King does with his writing (or at least back them) was his creation of madness in a character. He somehow knows how to take the most terrifying characteristics of humanity and integrates them really well into his characters. The brutality of this villain was something else, especially when we actively see her professing her love for the MC and then causing him bodily harm.

I think one of the downfalls for me in my reading experience of this was listening to the audiobook. It was disjointed and confused the hell out of me. Maybe physically reading it would have been a wholly different experience, but the disorientation of the audiobook could have either freaked me out or confused me and sadly, it was the latter.

Not my favourite King novel, but I can see why so many love it. Will continue on my reading journey with King's books.

___

203. Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Phew, this book was weird and wild and hooked me right from the beginning.

Huang explores so many topics in her skin crawling novel: Racism, social perception of beauty, the addiction the wealthy sometimes have when it comes to "self-care", unexplored sexuality, envy, and SA in the most unusual of ways but could also be an allusion to how the rich can sometimes use money when it comes to getting away with sexual crimes.

I never expected body horror when I picked up NATURAL BEAUTY, but here we are. I remember when that started to show up in the narrative, along with the changing physical body of the MC, I paused what I was doing (while listening to the audiobook) and became even more enthralled. This was such a creepy and genius exploration of societal expectations and the things people will sometimes do to be either "different" or "like everyone else".

There's also an interesting sub-story about the MC's experiences as a child musical prodigy and how that definitely played into her malleability as a victim for the people who would eventually take advantage of her. It definitely played into the stereotypes society has about young Asian children when it comes to classical music.

And somewhere along the way, as the MC is evolving (both metaphorically AND physically), she starts to discovery a side to her sexuality never fully explored. During these scenes, it truly reminded me of the "will they/won't they" that usually accompanies blossoming sexuality--the "I want this, but do I really? But should I? Do THEY want to?" narrative that usually flashes through our minds when we're right on the verge of making that exploration.

Anyway, I'm just rambling now. I really enjoyed this, much more than I thought I would because this book was WEIRD. Like, mind-bending weird. And if it was ever made into a movie, I'd be watching it with the biggest side-eye.

___

Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts!

___

Happy reading!

[mcclainwilla]

Writing Fight Scenes, Part 1

As someone who enjoys both writing and martial arts, I feel somewhat qualified to speak on the combination of both. Hopefully, this will help y'all writers to better understand how to structure and execute fight scenes!

I'll start with just the basics of a fight/the writing itself. In later posts, I'll detail the different styles of martial arts, common movements, etc.

TW// light discussion of injury

Do:

- Use short sentences.

They shouldn't necessarily be choppy, per se, but they should be shorter. Here are two excerpts of the same scene in my WIP Medic and Machine (Book 0 of my series). One is from my first draft, one is from my third.

"The two of them circle one another for a few minutes, thinking.  Ximena makes the first move again, throwing a low kick towards Rio’s ankles with her metal leg.  He dodges, but it costs him precious moments that Ximena uses to move in with a metal punch that catches him in the jaw.  His head jerks to the side, but he recovers quickly enough to throw a metal elbow upwards into her chin.  I wince.  Those had to hurt."

"Rio and Ximena circle each other for a few moments, thinking.  Then, Ximena throws a low kick with her metal leg.  Rio dodges the kick, but not the metal fist to his jaw.  But even as his head snaps back, he smashes a metal elbow into her chin.  I wince at the sound of mechanics on flesh."

Notice how the second excerpt is shorter, and yet, I describe the same actions! This is good because fights, for the most part, happen fast. By using shorter sentences, you can recreate that effect.

- Keep in mind the skill level of your fighter(s)

In my personal experience, I find it far easier to write fight scenes where both participants are trained ass-kickers. Someone who has been fighting for a long time will:

Know their range (they can tell, by visual inspection, whether or not they are close enough to land a strike/kick, because they know how long their own limbs are)

Ignore/block out weak hits. After a while, you begin to recognize which hits aren't going to land/aren't going to hurt, and you stop flinching from them/feeling the slight pain

Someone who hasn't been fighting for as long, however, will:

Not know their range (especially in children, they'll either rush straight towards their opponent and get hit, or they'll throw punches/kicks from wayyy too far away)

Flinch dramatically at any and all movements of their opponent. When you've never fought, the idea of getting smacked is scary!

- Keep in mind the body type of your fighter(s)

This concept will almost definitely get a post of its own, it's so important to me! There are three main things to keep in mind:

Short people will have less range, but they're generally faster and more balanced

Stocky people might (but not always!) move slower, but their hits tend to be more powerful

Flexible people = no flaws. (I mean maybe not but I can't think of any cons to being flexible. Greater range of motion is pretty much always a good thing)

Also, people with (proportionally) long limbs are at an advantage. They can strike from farther away, without having to move into their opponent's striking range.

Don't:

- Do not. I repeat, do not. Make your character do a backflip while fighting

I love you but I will hit you with a brick

Not really. But! Backflips/any other kind of tricks are very bad ideas during a fight, for a couple of reasons:

It requires you to take your eyes off of your opponent, which is a generally bad idea

It is a MYTH that flips/other trickery increase striking power. They do not. Your striking power comes from the ground - the more connected to the floor you are, the better (I will elaborate on this in a later post)

When you are in the air, you cannot control where your body goes. If your opponent decides to throw a hit, you Cannot dodge it

- Have your characters talk

Unless they're hot 'n sexy. Not kidding. The reader in me is a slut for some good fight scene banter, but the writer in me knows they're just unrealistic. For one, you're probably breathing too heavily to really talk. For another, you need to focus. And lastly, if your opponent decks you mid-sentence, you'll bite off your tongue or break your jaw. Unideal!

That's all for this one! I think my next couple of posts will be an overview of some different styles of martial arts, their effectiveness (in my individual opinion) and the types of moves they contain.

Feel free to reblog, just credit me and stuff :)

[griefabyss69]

Another one for the WIP weekend: familiarity

I think we haven't seen that one yet, and I want to know 💜

YES!!!! Thank you so much I'm really excited to share something from this.

From WIP Weekend! This is the last one, it's now closed (until the next time anyway!)

(Context: Trans fem Eddie (who has days where she's Edie and days where he's Eddie) runs into Steve at a bar a few years after moving away from Hawkins, and after some hanging out at they end up back at her apartment)

"Alright, this is where things get dicey," she says, slapping her hands on her thighs in a way that's supposed to mean she's casual and breezy about this.

Confident and ready to joke if she needs to.

Nerves twist in her gut and Steve scoots an inch closer, holding out one of hands, his palm up in an offering that feels like it'll break her apart if she takes it.

"Well, I don't know if you remember, but I used to be the Captain of a whole ice cream shop," he says, the corners of his mouth twitching up in a commiserating smile. "I'm used to choppy waters."

There's a helpless little giggle that she cuts off in her throat before it can come out and embarrass her, the nerves making it hard to relax even as Steve's clearly going for reassuring.

He sounds more like a dorky camp counselor, but she'll take that over how this usually goes.

"I'm serious," he says, wiggling his fingers. "Let's just have the kind of sex we want to have. Tell me what you want."

Fuck, okay. Straight to the point this time.

She takes his hand, lets him twine their fingers together like he's trying to become a part of her, lets him move in closer again. Now they're pressed up against each other, and he tilts his head so he's right in her space, but it's not like an intrusion, just an inviting presence.

"Well, for starters, I'm not really sure about that yet," she says, sighing.

Some of Steve's hair brushes against her cheek with his thoughtful nod, and she wants to sink her fingers into it, pull on it. It feels soft.

"We can experiment if you like, keep you in charge of everything. I'm pretty comfortable with most things these days," he says, another offering.

She's intrigued for sure, wondering if their definitions of "most things" are even comparable, and she sinks back against the couch, her eyes meeting his.

"Well uh," she says, sighing when he squeezes her hand. "Nothing's been changed, so. I'm not sure what you're expecting, but there's only two places you can put it, unless you want to try for a nostril."

Steve bites back a laugh, not letting her distract him from what she's actually saying.

"I didn't come into this expecting anything from you," he says, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand. "I just like you, and I'd like to make you feel good."

God, she can see where he got his reputation from. Maybe it's a little bit cheesy, but it works on her, makes her believe that maybe she's not going to regret this in the morning.

"Okay, and uh, you know what you're doing?" She asks, staring at his knuckles.

They've got scars on them, but they're not as stark as some of his other ones, as some of hers.

[thegothicarchitecture]

10,000 gecs - 100 gecs

10,000 gecs isn’t a perfect album, but it may be the ideal summer record.

That may be a strange declarative statement to start on, after all I’m reviewing the newest batch of tunes by snickering Hyperpop hooligans Lauren Les and Dylan Brady, who seem to not care at all what you think about them (or care deeply that you don’t think that they care what you think of them). 

But this album feels like Summer, or it at least sounds sunny. For as manic and colorful as hyperpop music has sounded for its first few years of existence, sonically a hyperpop album has never sounded this sunny.  Compare this with Brakence’s moody and self obsessed Hypochondriac last year, which seems to brilliantly evoke Autumn, or WhoKilledXIX’s misanthropic and boastful 19.  Even Food House’s debut, as much as I love love LOVE the production on that album, sounds like colorful and happy music you’d blast at in indoor rave in a cold, dystopian hellscape. The same way 90s techno was an escape for the queer clubbing scene from the masses but applied in a post Covid, terminally online world, Food House captures the storm before the calm.

The new attitude on 100 gecs latest release is just screaming “we don’t care.” The infusions of ska, hip hop, nu metal and bedroom pop are balmy and refreshing, and never feel pigeonholed by the hyperpop genre label floating over the duo’s head(s) since 2019.

In fact, this album branches far away from hyperpop at times.  I Got My Tooth Removed is a straight up ska song, no punches pulled and no apologies made.  The humor comes from the song itself, a funny melodramatic ballad about losing a tooth like a lover with all emotion snapped out of it under the weight of a heavy handed, ska laden chorus.

The Most Wanted Person in the United States is another hilarious song, Laura Les doing her best Kreayshawn impression with a bright and choppy rap verse.  The instrumental uses a glut of sound effects in a manner reminiscent of Aphex Twin’s Logan Rock Witch, utilizing a walky talky sound and a sample from “Insane in the Membrane” in lieu of the sounds of toys.  But also what might be the sounds of toys. It’s pretty crazy.  

The punches don’t stop coming for the fans of the original hyperpop “gecs,” as 757 might be one of the bands punchiest songs to date. I heard a leak of this song from concert footage, and got to see the band play this song at Outside Lands last year, but to my surprise the vocals sound even wetter and more reverb boosted on the album.  This might be one of my few nitpicks, but some of the EQ-ing choices make the vocals sound washed out (even for 100 gec standards) and contrasts with cleaner vocals at various points in the album. However, this doesn’t ruin what is, at the core, one of my favorite 100 gecs tracks from a song and lyric writing standpoint.  

The only song I didn’t really fall head over heels for was Billy Knows Jamie, which doesn’t seem to know how to get out of first gear.  The loud breakdown truncating the song at the end is interesting, but doesn’t seem to build off of anything preceding it and makes the song feel incomplete and a bit underdeveloped.  As a whole the song is still a cool Limp Bizkit pastiche, just doesn’t meet the high bar the group has set for themselves. 

Overall, if your looking to get into 100 gecs without the proper background this album is a great introduction. In fact it might be a better introduction than their last studio record, as there’s no obvious filler like I Need Help Immediately or gecgecgec to pad out the runtime.  This album is a lean 27 minutes to be blasted by the brave, fun loving and adventurous.  All killer, no filler.

Highlights:  Dumbest Girl Alive, 757, Hollywood Baby, Most Wanted Person in the United States, I Got My Tooth Removed

✮ ✮ ✮ ½ (Excellent)

[digitalmarketing3112]

Hair styling is an art form that teaches one how to come up with styles according to choice.

Hairstyle does not just mean mere following of the current trends and fashion; rather, it involves a personal selection of the most appropriate look that can be contributed to bringing out unique features, personality, and lifestyle at best. Hair art can be depicted through various conditions, such as face shape, hair type, or personal style, in order to craft a style that suits you and is both flattering and functional. This guide will explore how to select the most suitable styles for you, ultimately helping you achieve your ideal look.

1.Knowing Face Shapes:

There are several general face shapes, but the most common ones are:

Oval:

Oval is said to be the most universal face as you can try all sorts of styles in hairstyles, long waves, pixie cuts, or whatever you may want.

Round:

To elongate round faces, you need styles that have volume at the crown and long layers framing your face.

Avoid blunt cuts that will only draw attention to angular features.This could be in the form of a bob with lots of layering, for instance.

Long:

Bangs and curls in shorter styles can help to create width to balance the length of this face shape. Knowing your face shape will guide your choice of style toward flattering your natural features.

Hair texture-straight, wavy, curly, or coily, and hair type-fine, medium, or coarse -will tell you which hairstyles will work for you.

2. Hair Type and Texture:

Hair texture-straight, wavy, curly, or coily, and hair type-fine, medium, or coarse -will tell you which hairstyles will work for you.

Straight hair:

Tends to look sleek with blunt cuts, bobs, or long layers. This type of hair holds style well, making it safe for anything. END.

Wavy Hair:

Where a surfeit of choices comes in: surfer-inspired waves cut with layering for flow and volume.

Curly Hair:

Choppy layers to break up that bulk - and, of course, show off all those gorgeous natural textures. Super trendy short cuts are also very much on now for curly hair.

Coily hairstyles:

they really call for these shaped cuts, such as rounded bobs, tapered cuts. You'll probably have a much more relaxed and flatter hairstyle by choosing one that works with your natural hair type and texture.

3. Lifestyle:

Your lifestyle can also serve as a determinant in making the decision of your hairstyle. Consider how much time you can give to styling and all kinds of maintenance.

Low Maintenance:

If you have a very busy lifestyle, opt for hairstyles that have minimal upkeep, like long layers, textured bobs, or natural waves.

Professional Environment:

In a business environment, short sleek ponytails, classic bobs, or controlled curls fit the bill.

Active Lifestyle:

If you lead an active lifestyle, then perhaps hairstyles in which your hair is minimized, braids, buns, or a short cut may be fitting for you. Be aware of what you might want in your lifestyle; and how you can pick the hairstyle that will help you achieve that style and allow you to be yourself at the same time.

4. Personal Style and Preferences:

Your style is pretty much an expression of your personality, so you better have it represented in your haircut. Consider these:

Fashion Sense: A wardrobe with bohemian styles pretty much requires a softer textured hairstyle. Alternatively, if you have a more polished wardrobe, you need sleek refined hairstyles.

Color preference: Hair color can indeed play a great difference in the look. Whether you want subtle colors or bold ones, you should definitely opt for something that would fit your personality and appropriately go with your skin tone.

Consider different styles that you try out and how they make you feel. A hairstyle is supposed to be an extension of personal style; therefore, it will help in bringing out your individuality, and your confidence will mount.

Conclusion:

There is art in choosing a hairstyle that suits you. It requires the knowledge of face shape, hair type, lifestyle, and personal style. This criterion makes you select a look that will enhance your features and reflect your personality.

Don't be afraid to go to a professional stylist who will guide you based on your unique characteristics and recommend the perfect look. In any case, the most important thing is to choose a hairstyle that'll make you feel confident and comfortable. And remember, hair is a form of self-expression, so go ahead and let your creativity blossom into the style that actually represents you. As long as it is dramatic change or maybe a subtler update, this hairstyle is sure to reveal the best features of your personality and make you feel on top of the world.

[dsandrvk]

Thursday, August 15 - Wayag Islands

We tried to fit as much into today as possible, and pretty much succeeded. We had signed up for a kayak trip today, which was leaving at 10:45, so had time to do the first Zodiac trip of the day at 7:45, even though it wasn't our "color group". We had to get up at dawn for it to happen, but we are at the equator (actually just north here at our positioning - we can't anchor, so just use GPS and thrusters to keep in place). As a result, first light is quickly followed by full day, and by our launch time it was already warm and sunny.

We were lucky to have Jess as our Zodiac driver, and she and fellow expedition staffer Peter told us a lot about the rock formations here. Although things can look vaguely volcanic, everything here is actually limestone, laid down and compressed eons ago. Between the natural fault lines and the slightly acidic sea and rain, the rocks have been worn down, leaving these wonderful mounded islands. Further erosion from the sea has also led to the undercutting of these islands, leaving lots of "mushroom" rocks. Here the tide is only about a meter or two, so much of the erosion happens during the cyclone season.

The bare karst rocks have over the years become thriving plant communities, in some ways similar to our desert southwest, where plants will use every trick to gain a foothold in what seems to be bare rock, gradually adding to create soil through decomposition, and then stretching their roots to find soil and nourishment and growing straight and tall to seek the sunlight. Although our weather was beautiful, the seas were quite choppy and we had a fairly bouncy ride from the ship into the lagoon, but once there it was smooth and lovely. The combination of the dark rocks, intense greenery and turquoise and aquamarine waters made for a colorful trip, and we even saw little bits of purple orchids clinging tenuously to the rocks.

After a couple of hours we were back on board the ship and ready to do it all again, this time from a kayak. We took another Zodiac back to a beach we hadn't seen before and had a couple of hours to paddle around the different formations. We were lucky in that everyone was an experienced paddler and so we were able to cover a lot of ground (or water). We paddled under some of the undercuts and through narrow channels, before finally finishing on a different beach where we took a swim before heading back to the ship. In the intense sun, we are trying to keep mostly covered, so the picture of me is in my sopping wet outfit.

After lunch we once again took a Zodiac out to a reef to snorkel over to a Zodiac platform, looking for lots of fish and critters. I saw a couple of anemone fish (Nemo types - also called Clownfish) next to an amazing coral shaped like a perfect sphere with little patterns. Unfortunately, my water camera has malfunctioned and although it was closed properly, it still managed to leak, so it appears to be "dead in the water", and has most likely fried the SD card that had my first two days of incredible snorkeling on it, so no pictures now or probably in the future. Things happen.

The snorkeling, while wonderful, was not quite as clear as it had been at Gam Island yesterday, but the latter is considered one of the best in the world, so that's an unfair comparison. There are so many types of coral here, and so many fish, that I could have snorkeled for hours, but we only had 45 minutes in the water, and then had our 6th Zodiac ride of the day through the choppy waves. Splashing wasn't a problem since it's plenty warm, and we were wet already.

We finished off our day with a recap and preview for tomorrow and decided to go up to the club for a sushi dinner, which was delicious and relaxing. Tomorrow we are going to another set of karst (limestone) islands, but while similar, they are more eroded into fanciful shapes, and also uninhabited (like today) except for a few diving camp/resorts. We have signed up for another kayak outing in the late morning, so will get up early to do the first Zodiac at 7:45 again. It will be an early to bed night!

[rolandrockover]

Read On Me This Way

Or Referred Half-Knowledge With Read My Body and How to Get Rid of the Amount of Misinformation.

The practice to pull over Read My Body is a common, even more a finger exercise, among the hardcore Kiss fans all, to whose genre I must also confess guilty. Maybe not quite as hardcore as some others, but still enough to make me surrender to the inevitable atonement, and do what I have to do. And here I am Read My Body, and I take you as you are. And now you take me too, and I will be yours. More or less.

To that end, I intend first to check off what masses of Kiss fans have thoughtlessly regurgitated again and again on whatever forums, and what can that be but the assertion that Read My Body is not much more more than a pure Def Leppard Pour Some Sugar on Me rip-off. Well, yes. I don't want to accuse anyone of lying, but no one should expect a medal for the best ears on earth for this rather one-dimensional train of thought.

So what exactly connects Read My Body with Pour Some Sugar on Me?

First of all, let's take Kiss' chorus, which is probably the most obvious similarity in this consideration. Similarity is clearly there. And knowing Paul, this will definitely not be a coincidence. But let's wait and see.

And now let's take the vocals, or the rap, or whatever you like to call it. Joe Elliot, in my estimation, tends very much in the direction of Freddie Mercury in We Will Rock You, only a little more macho and perhaps more humorous. And every now and then his voice rhythm and tempo vary in order to remain original, because We Will Rock You only lasts half as long as Sugar. Paul Stanley, on the other hand, is clearly trying to rap. How well he succeeded in this is a moot point, and what he does there has only the slightest resemblance to Joe Elliot, let alone Freddie Mercury. Unless Queen were at that time already gone under the rappers. But you never know when fans feel like having a discussion.

And what about the guitar work? What Def Leppard's Steve Clark produces is straight, snappy and pure rock on supersteroids. Minimalist and choppy, underpinned by massive cyberdrums, thank Mutt Lange. What Bruce Kulick, on the other hand, knows how to play consciously is more rhythmic, and in my book can be described as quite agile and, above all, smooth, and thus clearly stands out from Pour Some Sugar on Me in pretty much every respect on this level as well. That certainly doesn't make Read My Body a better song, just something completely different.

But. Where did Kiss get the rap and the rhythm from? I have to tell you, somehow Bruce Kulick's guitar playing makes me think of Joe Perry. And believe it or not, that also brings us to the rap.

Once again Kiss steal it like an inconspicuous shadow, this time only from Aerosmith and Run DMC's Walk This Way. And that's not as clumsy as one might think, just listen to it, because that has always been their strength anyway. Since in terms of production Mutt Lang and Def Leppard certainly couldn't be fooled at the time, and probably Walk This Way more or less passed them by the backside, they naturally kept their nose in front, and clearly formed an intense gravitational point. So who is surprised by these permanent comparisons?

Not us, right?

I didn't put any highlights, but just listen to it and think about what I wrote:

Read My Body (1989)

Pour Some Sugar on Me (1987)

Walk This Way (1986)

We Will Rock You (1977)

If you are interested in listening to a real Pour Some Sugar on Me rip-off, here a little but very special treat. Hangin' Tough by the New Kids on the Block. But beware, they also rip off I Love It Loud quite incidentally and unnoticed!

Hangin' Tough (1988)

[trashcatsnark]

I mean, I think first and foremost- FC5 is just a villain fucker fandom. The Seeds for all their flaws and lord knows they're numerous are of course attractive which helps but also they're the game. They're the entire point of the story, they're the characters everything revolves around, who get the most lore as choppy as it can be, most additionally materials (books, comics, dlc) also center on them. So, they're gonna draw the most focus.

John in particular, and granted I love John but would consider him my fave of the Seeds, I think it does help that he's probably the most conventionally attractive of the family (Faith is beautiful as well, but Fandoms latch more heavily onto male characters)

I think he also tends to get humanized a bit more because A) he's often seen as the least competent herald, B) he's more emotional than the others, C) honestly I think the fact he seems to believe in Joseph the most also earns him extra sympathy

Going into each point in more detail - I think the fact he gets taken the least seriously makes him more prone to being "silly guy'ed" in the Fandom, like yes, he is brutal, he tortures people, carves off their skin, and he also does really cheesy lame infomercials, he builds a Hollywood sign of his favorite word, he threatens to huff and puff and blow down houses, he has a jacket with little planes on it- compared to Jacob, Faith, and of course Joseph, he's just a bit harder to take seriously.

Compare their broadcasts even. John's is the full scale infomercial- a stage, lights, flowers, a chanting audience. It's cartoony and over the top- even managing to somehow beam it straight into our skull at the top of a radio tower.

Meanwhile Faith's is just her in a dark little room, standing behind Burke, whispering in his ear as he stutter each one out in response in a bliss stupor. No frills,not theatrics, just proof of what she can do.

Jacob just puts a camera in the room, tells you and Pratt exactly what's going to happen to him.

Yet, despite his more theatrical silly sort of image, his actual approach to what he does is so much more brutal, physical, and in a lot of ways more realistic but also less terrifying in others.

On one hand, I can totally see and of course empathize that what John does is more akin to actual experiences of abuse, because he's not creating entire dreamscapes from drugs or conditioning people into murder soldiers- he's just hurting people, bloody fucked up torture.

And at the same time, that also feels less intimidating in some ways. John will hurt you. Jacob and Faith will change who you are. This isn't to undermine any form of trauma or abuse, just to say John's victims tend to walk away still feeling like themselves. Mary May, Jerome, Nick, and Joey all still feel like themselves at the end. Traumatized and survivors but unlike Pratt or Burke, they don't fundamentally feel like different people. John tortures people until they say Yes just to make the pain stop, he doesn't really care if they actually believe it (because this isnt about them) and other than already devoted peggies- no one else really does.

He just doesn't have the same impact as the other Seeds

Similarly, he's a lot more emotional and reactive. A lot of the things he does, feel like reactive temper tantrums. Drowning the deputy, flipping tables, etc. Faith is very placid and calculated until she really starts to feel the loss of control. Jacob is pretty calm until the end. Joseph only really gives into showing his emotions when grieving his siblings than a full scale tantrum when you resist

John leads with the tantrum. He's not a calculated man. He's angry, he hurts you. Which again is simultaneously, very realistic in a way, but also makes him feel so much less intimidating and in some ways easier to empathize. For some people, not everyone, it's easier to empathize with someone who doesn't seem in control of themselves or their emotions. In a weird way, I think John for a lot of way feels more genuinely unstable versus calculatedly cruel.

Of course, he does have control, he does have autonomy, he does have control- he could stop taking peoples skin at anytime, but also he's been given an almost free pass to skin people for God, so.... he's probably gonna keep doing it.

Which I think goes into the last thing I mentioned, John of the heralds... seems to believe in Joseph the most. Both Jacob and Faith express some level of doubt in Joseph. Jacob admits he's not certain if Joseph hears God, but he believes the world is ending someway somehow. Once Faith realizes she's losing, she fully flips the script- Joseph is the ultimate villain, no longer the loving Father she swore he was before but an abuser, he plied her with drugs, she was just a kid.

But John never really has that moment. Not a casual admission of doubt or a desperate switch in everything he's been saying. Up until his last breath, he believes in Joseph, the project, everything.

Which on one hand, one could argue makes him the least likely for redemption due to him genuinely being convinced of these things but I also think that honestly makes him more empathetic.

Jacob and Faith both have more skepticism in the beliefs they're spewing. A certain level of awareness in that what's happening here isn't actually helping anyone. And yet they still do it. Jacob doesn't know if for sure if Joseph talks to God, still kidnapping people, starving them, brainwashing them, culling the herd, and stands by it all because they'll need soldier to survive what's coming, whatever that is. Faith knows on some level that Joseph isn't the hero here, that she wasn't the first Faith and if she fails, she may not he the last, still she whispers in your ear how sweet and loving her family is. She drowns people in bliss, shaves their heads, and calls them angels- maybe because she's scared, maybe because a part of her likes the power, maybe both.

John however does buy into it all, maybe because it allows him to act some of his worst most violent impulses while still being mostly "good", still being a part of something, still having a promised paradise after the collapse- regardless of why, he does. He becomes fixated on getting the player to convert because he's told it's his only way to get to New Eden, seems genuinely excited at naming their sin, them saying yes. And yet, despite being the most bought into it- he's the one getting admonished the most by Joseph. Every interaction between them feels like he's a child being scolded, because even though he believes in this the most, even though he's atoned, he's still reactive, he's still impulsive, he's still fucking up- even in a family, a belief system that allows some of his most depraved impulses- he's still not good enough for a fucking "good job, atta boy, john"

Like, they're all committing atrocities, but Faith and Jacob don't even fully believe in the reason they're committed the atrocities, yet here they are arguably committing worse atrocities and doing a better job at it...

And of course, this is just my thoughts and speculation and feelings, I personally am not big on the redeem the Seeds train, I love them because I kinda just love fucked up little guys. But I do see why John gets that treatment the most beyond just his face- he's this incredibly odd mix of pathetic, brutal, sad, abusive, reactive, desperate, broken, violent, childidh, campy, clingy, weirdass man. That can inspire "oh I can fix him," "he can make me worse," and instant Cain instinct activation at any given moment.

And I can appreciate how that can feel frustrating to the treatment of Hudson, though I also think that's more a game issue than a fandom issue. Because while Fandom wise, i do think its worth saying that female characters just don't get as much love which sucks, I mean Faith gets absolutely the least amount of attention of the Seeds. The female gfh(Jess, Grace, and Adelaide) get little love as well. But I think for Joey it massively does not help that of our kidnapped allies, she doesn't get to interact with us as much. Pratt, having been completely broken by Jacob, talks to us in in nearly if not every one of Jacob's cutscenes, if only to prove how broken he is. Burke is in everyone of Faith's, even has a whole boat ride with us to try to convince us how good the bliss is.

Joey doesn't get that, every time she's in one of John's scenes, she's got tape over her mouth. Because John may have gotten a yes out of her once, but he knows, we know, she knows that without that tape she's not about to start telling us to say yes, confess our sins, or preaching peggie shit. John breaks skin, not spirits.

And I do think people empathize with her, I'm a Seedfucker to the day I die but when I first heard the tape of John torturing her, I wanted to cry and fucking blew up every stereo truck blasting it. But I do think just between how much the villains are the main characters in fc5 and how Hudson is really not allowed a lot of space to be a character until John is dead, it does mean a lot of the audience just isn't going to feel connected to her beyond that sort of empathy for her pain,

John Seed is a comfort character for some people. Folks like to ship him with their deputies or craft redemption arcs for him.

There's nothing wrong with that, obviously.

But I just can't wrap my head around it.

There's nothing comforting about the way John Seed treated Joey Hudson. I don't understand why the ordeal she went through doesn't seem to matter to fans of his.

She was bait for the rookie deputy and nothing more, because she wasn't going to give in and join the cult.

He terrorized Joey and the rest of Fall's End, stooping to the lowest, most inhumane levels to get his way. Some even theorize that he hurt the "sinners" in his care just because he wanted to, for malicious, sadistic reasons that didn't have anything to do with the cult. At worst, some people go as far as to speculate that he raped Joey.

It's easy to see why someone might come to that conclusion. The way he acts is deplorable and he makes everything feel extremely personal, sometimes in ways that can be interpreted as sexually charged. He'll do anything in order to get his way because "no" is antithetical to him. He regularly flies off the handle, so much so that Joseph is threatening to cast him out. All the touching and getting right up in the player's face is so uncomfortable and obsessive (which is the point, but I digress).

So why does he get to be redeemed and venerated by fans? Don't his actions warrant consequences?

Are people willing to let him off the hook because he's attractive? Because he had a horrible, abusive childhood? Obviously he's got a lot more lore than most of the cast. Is that something people are interested in exploring for him over other characters?

I'm not trying to come after anyone personally. There's nothing wrong with liking villains and Jacob, Faith, and Joseph have also done terrible things to innocent people.

Which is like, fine. It's a video game.

And I know that John, like Joey, is a victim of Ubisoft's choppy, inconsistent writing and storytelling. Things got changed and swapped and cut during development that got us to where we are, with the story we have. Flaws and all, not like it was ever going to be perfect.

But in my opinion, I feel like the adoration for John does a huge disservice to Joey. People make thirsty edits of him while she's literally tied up behind him. It's tasteless and makes the optics of her situation look even creepier.

Her pain has largely been ignored for as long as the game has existed. I can't for the life of me figure out why.

[mi4016tomberry]

Ouseburn Project 21

Here's the final animatic:

I've learnt a lot from this project with the dozens of mistakes that I've made with all of the rewrites and changes throughout its course. The animatic I've ended up with does the job fairly well, I wish I had more time to keep working at things like the pacing so that the shots aren't quite so rushed, primarily at the end with the closeup of the pigeon and his scream; I intended was that the pigeon staring straight at the ghost hunter would scare him off and he would run and bang his head and get knocked out but because I had to rush the ending and was capped on time, I couldn't quite get it to the place that I wanted. I also wish I could've gone with the original alcoholic ghost hunting idea but it just went too far over the time limit and as a result the idea was watered down more and more as the project underwent changes. I still ended up with something in the same vein and it was interesting trying some voice acting for the project. I also had a lot of fun making little characters that I would use to explore the pub and the character design itself came out in a really fun way. The frames themselves are all pretty good but they come out a bit choppy in the video and maybe if I had more time I could smooth things out but its only an animatic so its never going to be perfect.

Pros/ things I've learnt:

Character Design

Leaning Audition

Attempting to use cartoony sound effects

Using Maya as a template to speed up background work

Writing - although it was garbage overall I pushed myself to giving it a go and ended up with an endless number of failed scribbles but from this I'm figuring out what works.

Cons/ what I will improve:

Not entirely coherent and meanders around a little, the more I make these things the better I will get and it is still very early days so I just need to keep ironing out all of the bumps along the road.

Inconsistent voices, due to all the re recording of dialogue, the accent changed multiple times but in doing so I saw a glimpse into the process of character creation in totality from voices to visuals to dialogue that suited the character and what would make sense in the situation for that person. Ultimately, I cocked most of this up and its all over the place but this is a test run for future attempts in this area.

Lack of simplicity, I need to keep things much simpler so that I can focus my energy on fewer things and refine those skills rather than getting sidetracked every five seconds and wanting to try different things. In this project I ended up having a go at: using cartoony sound effects, close up slow motion fall, exaggerrated reaction face (the face after sniffing), minor shading on characters to see how much more time consuming it is, voice acting, etc... I had initially intended this project to focus on learning how to animate speech and instead had half a go at many different things.

I'm hoping that on the next project I can animate in something other than photoshop because I'm limiting myself to software not designed for animation and I need to get accustomed to real animation software. Adobe audition is something I feel pretty comfortable with now and I enjoy using the software. Overall, the animatic itself has a few pros despite me focusing mainly its flaws and its something I've learnt a lot from, at least this project is somewhat finished unlike my last project which was cut short and only made sense with additional context so there's definitely progress but I need to make something simple so it's cohesive because honestly it didn't really make much sense.

[iironwreath]

Wings [Ulysses]

When Ulysses and Dicentra entered the forest, Di had been an elf. Partway in, Di took her hand and laced their fingers. When they emerged from the shadows of the treeline, Di was a succubus. 

Uly did a double take. It was her first time seeing her in her natural state and whole . Before, she could’ve passed for a tiefling—she still could, but the way she carried herself went beyond mortal, dripping so much confidence that it became arresting. The wind tugged at Di’s patched wings, nudging her back and forth as if begging her to fly.

The cliffside dropped away not far from the treeline. They were well beyond the eyeline of Port Zoon—the area was clear of people, and the choppy, deep green sea free of boats except in the far distance. Visibility wasn’t great even if there were people there—the sky was a smoky grey, the clouds a vicious black boiling nearer with a threatening storm. 

Di stared down at the waves scattering against the escarpment. Uly trepidatiously followed her gaze from a few steps behind, gusts of wind teasing up her hair.

“I don’t plan on jumping straight away,” Di consoled her, flashing a grin that was too much teeth. “I didn’t spend all that time healing just to throw myself against some rocks.”

“Yeah, I’d rather not witness that.”

“But it’s pretty windy.” 

“We could wait until there’s better weather,” Uly offered. “Are you sure you want to do this at the cliffs? We could go back into the forest.”

Di shook her head. “If I have to wait another day, I’m going to kill somebody. Besides, we’re more likely to be spotted when it’s sunny, or above the trees. It’s better this way.”

Dicentra retreated to a safer distance. Uly backed away. Wings cautiously unfolded from her back. The wind immediately scooped into them, stretching the membrane, knocking her off-balance. Di gave a hiss, then reasserted control, flexing them once, twice—too slowly to lift off, but enough to test their strength. Uly watched in awe.

She flapped them harder—great big beats that plucked her weight off the ground. Uly bit into a knuckle, grinning. Di matched her expression, exultant, and pushed further, maintaining a good dozen feet in the air. It wasn’t the most elegant display, but it was a start, and Uly had bore witness to Dicentra in a far worse state.

She moved left, then dipped right. She whooped, kicked into a backflip, and shot off past Uly and over the cliff’s edge with a cool burst of air. Ulysses yelped, tucking into herself to stop from toppling over, then straightened and dashed to the ledge.

Di resembled a very large bat, but Uly knew better. The most prominent parts of her silhouette were wings, horns, and tail, moving too fast for Uly to catch much else in detail. 

Dicentra dove, wings folding around her like a shell, twirling into a corkscrew. From atop the cliff, it was hard to gauge distance, but what felt like too-close to the sea, her wings burst outwards. They caught the draft and stopped her from meeting death, propelling her upwards. 

She’d conquered most of her previous awkwardness. The wind still buffeted her here and there, but never caused her to spiral out of control. It was like she was more a creature of the sky than one of land—Ulysses never would’ve guessed she’d spent months without the ability to fly. Seeing it in action made her heart lurch—it was Dicentra unshackled, being seen as she was intended to be.  

Di disappeared before she whipped up past the ledge inches in front of Uly. A startled laugh escaped her and she made sure to give the cliff a respectable amount of space back. Di slowed above her, proud and breathing hard. She floated down to her feet in front of her, close enough that their chests touched. Uly barely had a second to appreciate how windswept and joyful she looked when she cupped Uly’s face and hauled her up into a bone-crushing kiss.

That joy and gratefulness lanced through the kiss instead, chasing away any lingering chill from the ocean. Droplets of rain began to dapple them. Di cut their kiss short and banded her arms around Uly’s waist, and with another flap of her wings had them both off the ground. Uly gasped, flinging her arms around Di’s neck. Her wings didn’t carry them far—just to the safety of the bower before the sudden sheet of rain could catch them. 

Di swooped up and deposited her on a tree branch. Her soles gripping into the bark, Uly stretched a hand for the trunk, shaking with laughter.

Di settled beside her, still panting, her closest wing folding over Uly like an umbrella. “You have no idea how good that felt.”

“No, I really don’t,” Uly said. “But it’s nice to see you this way.”

“I’m happy you get to see it.”

Di leaned in to kiss her again—softly this time, with a pearl of rain on her lips. She smiled dreamily as she drew away. “It was a bit ambitious of me to carry you with me, though. Now I’m extra sore.”

“That’s not my fault.” She stared at the drop beneath her. “I hope you feel well enough to get us back down.”

“You can’t get yourself down?” Di teased.

“Not unless you want me to break my arm and a leg, and then you’ll have to carry me all the way back.”

Lightning splintered the sky, breaking up the darkness with a surge of light. A rolling drum of thunder followed closely behind. 

“This is not a safe place to be, darling,” Uly said, with more urgency. 

Di laughed. “Okay, okay.” She lined up their sides, wrapping her arm again around Uly’s waist. Ulysses held tight as Di launched off the branch. It happened wobbly and the landing hurt her knees, but she managed to deliver them to the ground in one piece. Rain started to leak through the canopy in earnest. Uly pushed dampening hair from her face.

“We should make camp or I’ll catch my death,” Uly said. Di beamed. Succubus reverted to elf. Dicentra nabbed her hand, and the couple made a sprint deeper into the woods.

[tigerpeachs]

Deep Tissue Massage - Megumi Fushiguro

*PLEASE READ: No minors allowed. 18+ Only. All characters are aged-up in my work. I do not condone injured sex*

TW: 18+, Unprotected Sex, Non-Verbal Consent, Public Sex, Megumi in general 

Word Count: 4.3K

Female Reader x Megumi Fushiguro 

A huge sigh of relief fell out from your mouth. Thank God you were finally back on campus after that mission. You winced with each step and could feel Fushiguro’s eyes on you. He was sulking a bit ever since you both exorcised the grade one curse. Things did get a bit choppy resulting with you jumping in front of an attack for him. When the adrenaline was pumping through you, you barely felt the pain, but now your body felt so heavy and the bruise you sported on your thigh definitely had its own heartbeat.

As a sorcerer though, you didn’t regret it for a second. Although if you knew it would make Megumi this sad you would have maybe warned him or done something better to cheer him. It’s not like you two were super close but he was a bit more talkative when he wasn’t scowling and frowning.

“Fushiguro?” You called out, causing his head to snap up. His gaze softened instantly and so did the furrow between his brow. “You wanna report to Gojo Sensei?” Your head pointed towards the infirmary with the implication you wanted to head that way. “I need to ice and grab some painkillers since Shoko is asleep.”

“Yeah, sure,” He started with that pitiful look on his face again. “I’ll come check on you once I’m done briefing him.”

With a curt nod, he headed off towards Gojo’s office and you internally screamed with every step towards the infirmary. Shoko was most likely asleep already but being older and knowing a thing or two about health, she didn’t mind students like you using the infirmary. Rest, ice, compression and elevate, right? You looked around the room and saw a tub. An ice bath should be perfect for numbing everything, reducing swelling, and accelerating muscle repair.

You pressed on the ice bath and sighed just looking at the water swirl with ice inside of it. The water dropped in temperature rapidly whilst you grabbed a cozy towel to place beside the tub. You stripped down to your sports bra and underwear before dunking yourself into the 50°F water. You watched goosebumps cover your skin instantly as you tried to catch your breath and mentally count. The first two minutes are always the worst. The ache and throb of the bruise started to dull as the internal count continued.

You don’t know how much time has passed until you hear a knock on the door. Your eyes shoot open before looking at the door.

“Come in,” You called out before standing up straight. You regret your actions immediately. Although you got used to the whirling cold water, hitting the air and letting it rush down your exposed skin was something different. Megumi walked in as he gasped at the view in front of him. Water dripped slowly from your beautiful skin, tracing every inch of your body like how he wanted to. Your nipples were standing at attention and your thin white panties basically clung to you, displaying a silhouette of your pretty pussy. His face flushed red as you caught your breath and hopped out of the ice bath as gracefully as you could.

You just laughed as he turned around fast and scratched the back of his head. He wasn’t only doing it to cover his face, but for uh–

“Sorry, Megumi!” You laughed as you covered yourself in the towel. “I just thought the bath would help me a little bit.” You hopped up on one of the examination tables while drying off each limb. “I know you’re a humble man, buuuut you can turn around. What did Gojo say about the mission report?”

Megumi, although hesitantly, made it to the examination table and sat beside you in Shoko’s rolling chair.

“He said that he can’t believe you were so reckless and that I probably needed to be hi—, Y/N!” He didn’t mean to, but he rushed out grabbing your knee to steady it and look at the mark on you. “This is bad! Let me grab Shoko and Gojo! I-“

You quickly grabbed his bicep and yelled out, “No! I can last until morning at least! Let me handle it on my own.”

“But it’s my fault you got it!” he interjected, shrugging your hand off of him.

“It was my choice to jump in front of you! If you want to help, just grab some wrap so we can stop any swelling.” You kept a stern glance on him, watching him turn towards you and scratch the back of his head. He slowly compromised the more he stared at you.

Megumi grumbled, reaching for the ace bandage wraps and some lotion. You raised an eyebrow at him and he pointed to the growing bruise.

“Your muscles are too tight and if you can’t relax them the wound won’t heal properly. I think you need a massage before the wrap goes on.” Although he was being sincere, the thought of rubbing you down had him buzzing in excitement. A light blush continued to dust his cheeks and the tip of his ears.

You held no emotion in your face as you stared at him to see if he was serious. He didn’t hesitate to grab a smaller towel for the excess oil and look to you to lay back. ‘Confidence is key’ he mentally recited in his head as he advanced, yet still waiting for your consent.

“Fine,” You spoke, laying down with your hands at your side. “But if you make it worse, Yuuji, Nobara, and I are allowed to take turns bullying you tomorrow.”

He huffed and pressed the lotion into his palm. “You three bully me anyways!” He grabbed your hand and started pressing into the tense areas of it, leading up to your wrist, then elbow. You wanted to tell him you only needed your leg messages but as the pleasure surged through you, your words died at the tip of your tongue. His hands felt amazing and full of comfort. Plus, the need to rest was taking over you.

Megumi wasn’t thinking when he offered to give you a massage. He wasn’t thinking when he started pressing his lean fingers into your arm. He doesn’t know why, when he finally reaches your upper arm close to your collar bones, his thoughts swarm in a mile a minute.

You smelled so unique and sweet his mouth began to water. His gaze was fixated on your bra strap and he didn’t dare to look any lower. His breathing was off and when your eyes fluttered open he let go and moved over to the other side. While striding over, he took deep breaths to steady himself.

“Something wrong?” You questioned, raising your other hand for him to massage.

“No,” He sighed before collecting more lotion from the bottle. “Even your arms are stiff,” He deflected, “Don’t you ever relax?”

You smiled and closed your eyes as he pressed and soothed each tight muscle fiber. “There’s no days off when you want to be the strongest.” You opened your eyes to look at him again and noticed the light tinge on his cheeks. “Especially when I have to compete with you.”

Megumi’s blush spread to his entire face as he worked once more to your shoulder. He hummed in agreement before clasping his hand around your neck to lightly massage the area. He dug his fingers in at the appropriate pressure and tried his best not to concentrate on your breast. Each stroke made the globes of flesh twitch and jiggle. He swallowed deeply before slowing his movements and heading down to your feet.

Megumi rubbed and soothed your skin then moved over to your other leg. You didn’t realize how much you were holding your breath until he got close to your wound.

“Relax, Y/n, I’m supposed to be helping you relax everything, not tense up more.” He lightly worked the skin around your injury. You nodded and took a few deep breaths before he continued. He laughed lightly as you forced the breath out in a comedic fashion, trying to lighten the mood before chuckling yourself.

You were amazed at how soft Megumi could be with you. Each stroke had you melting into the table. He gently moved above your thighs to your hip bones. A shot of pleasure went through your spine to your skull. The buzz of lust made you gasp out loud and grab his hands. They clasped your hips, holding you secure, but that was the problem.

“‘Gumi m’sensitive there,” you slurred out. Thoughts of him grabbing your hips harder filled your head instantly. Bet it would feel so good being fucked into the table like a whore. Megumi hands are so big and-

“What, like ticklish? I promise I’ll be quick,” he tried to reassure you. He rubbed his thumb in circle motions, hoping to help you calm down. How were you supposed to tell him no? How could you tell him the real issue was it made you insanely turned on being held there?

“Oh, o-okay,” you choked out.

He continued to watch your expression before stopping.

“How about you turn over? I can just give you a full body massage, get you wrapped, then we can head to bed okay?”

Although you agreed, something in you knew that wasn’t the plan for the night. You could feel it deep inside of you.

Megumi pressed into your shoulders and his mouth dropped at the amount of tension there. “This section might take awhile,” he spoke out loud as he gently applied pressure.

You huffed as he delicately worked in each knot. “You can press harder, you know? I won’t snap in half or anything like that.” You taunted him, looking back at his annoyed face. Here he was trying to help you and you have the nerve to berate him?

“Do you really need more pressure?” He grumbled out, still hesitant.

“Gumi, I want a ‘deep tissue’ spa level massage. If you’re going to do it, do it right,” you jokingly moaned out at him. Internally you smiled at the thought of finally being free of all knots, aches, and pain. What you didn’t expect was for Megumi to straddle the back of your thighs, using his weight to press in deeper to your skin with no warning.

You clenched your jaw at the immediate pain that came from rubbing the tension out of you. Your nails scraped against the table and you bit your lip to keep from making any noise. A sharp exhale came from your nose as you tried to steady your breathing.

You thought he’d take mercy on you after seeing your reaction, but you were wrong. Megumi kept at it, grinding the palm of his hands into your soft skin. Every knot and tense muscle quickly dissipated from his assault.

Without even warning you he worked down the expense of your back, noticing how you finally relaxed into this touch. You gently rocked your hips from left to right under Megumi, feeling something poking at your backside. You gulped, enjoying the weight and rigidness against you. Did he even notice the weight he was putting on you? Or was he that concentrated on you?

Your consciousness slowly caught up to you as you subtly rocked back into him. A blush covered your face and you shoved it further into your folded arms.

“You okay?” He asked, slowly dragging his fingertips across your spine. A shiver shot through your body causing you to arch your back and turn to look at him. The lustful gaze you gave him already said enough but hearing your raspy voice let him know exactly how in control he was of the situation.

“Y-yeah keep going, please?” You ask kindly.

Moments passed of him running his hands up and down your body. Unbeknownst to him, you were doing your best to keep quiet, biting aggressively down on your fingers. The rock of your hips back and forth continued to make his cock swell against your ass. Megumi rubbed the straps of your bra.

“Do you want to take this off? Just so I can get more of your skin. I don’t want to miss a spot or anything like that.” He reasoned with you. The timidness from him was long gone. You nodded, not trusting your own voice. Soon enough the supportive fabric was tossed to the floor and your sensitive nipples twitched at the cool air. You quickly got settled again and as he rubbed your back his fingers dipped over your sides, close to the exposed flesh.

You arched your back, pushing more against Megumi’s cock and moaning out. You’ve had enough with the teasing. He smirked and pressed against the top of you again, forcing you down.

“What was that, y/n? You feeling good or something?” he whispered as he leaned down towards your ears. You turned your head back at him, scowling.

“Or something. It’s normal to make noise when you’re working my muscles! It’s as natural as your obnoxious grunts in a fight!” He rolled his eyes as you huff and move back to your previous position. He hums in agreement, ignoring your attitude.

His attention moved from your back down to your pert yet plump ass. His hands smoothed over it before he lightly dipped his fingers underneath the band of your panties. It barely dried from your earlier bath, showing off everything through the transparent material. He leaned back and bit his lip while kneading the skin there.

He slowly pulled his hands away, knowing he was crossing a line if you didn’t tell him you wanted this. Part of him still doubted that you wanted this, wanted him.

“G-gumi?” He lost his train of thought hearing your needy voice call out to him. “W-why’d you stop?” You turned to look at him once more, biting your lip with a smile. “Just do it.” You wiggled your hips back and forth, causing your ass to shake in his hands.

Instead of grabbing more lotion to work the area, Megumi forces your cheeks apart and spat directly onto your clothed pussy. You moaned out as he massaged his slick spit into your panties. His thumb pressed onto your clit and you basically purred as you bounced your ass causing his thumb to disappear and reappear as it pressed in and out of your folds.

Megumi was transfixed on the view in front of him. His thumb pressed deeper as he brought his other hand up. His palm met your soft flesh with a loud slapping noise. You gasped at the sensation and then moaned in delight.

You let your moans out freely now, actively working your hips for Megumi. You smiled looking at him while raising your hips up. You shot your hands out to force your panties down. He rushes to pull them off with your assistance. Once your legs were free, you spread your legs and reached back with both hands to spread your ass and folds. Megumi deserved a presentation from his favorite girl after all.

Megumi grunted, slapping your ass harder than before. This time you screamed out, forcing you to cover your mouth. Thank God that was your natural reflex because the sounds that were about to flow out of your were so vile and sinful. Pleasure danced in your stomach, slowly gaining weight all because of Fushiguro and what he was about to go with his mouth.

You squealed under your palm. Megumi’s tongue was securely stuffed into your asshole. He flicked the thick muscle up and down, swirling it before pulling away and sucking the skin along with all the saliva and drool that fell from his mouth. You breathed hard and rocked your ass back into his face.

Megumi replaced your hands on your ass and spread you even further. His tongue worked its way inside of you causing your eyes to roll back and your mouth to drop open. The weight in your stomach hardens all at once, forcing you to tense up. You cried out from the sensation knowing you were at your peak.

One more loud squelching suck against your asshole caused you to come undone on top of the examination table. You couldn’t even recover as Megumi sat up, removing his uniform and stripping down naked. He rushed with each article of clothing, palming himself gently for a second, looking at the mess he made.

You flip yourself over with whatever strength you could muster up and rested back on your elbows as your thighs dropped open. He removed his underwear slowly, feeling a bit nervous with how turned on he was. His cock was leaking already without you even touching him. Even with your cunt on display and Megumi’s pretty cock hard against his stomach, both of you stared into each other’s eyes with adoration.

You were the first to break eye contact, staring down at his dick. Oh god… it became very apparent why women loved the Fushiguro men. His cock was pretty with a pink tinged tip and the skin was smooth and veiny but the girth and height left your mouth watering.

Megumi dropped his eyes to your pretty slick folds. All words died in his throat as he saw the dewy pink flesh clench from adoration of his physique. He couldn’t help but wrap a hand around his cock and slowly stroke the hard flesh. He licked his lips before approaching you and climbing up on the table.

You smiled, moving your legs further apart and reached up to wrap an arm around his neck but he stopped. You were about to ask why until you witnessed him gently grab at your injured leg. You felt enamored as he slowly positioned it around his hip before continuing in his pursuit of you. Megumi bit his lip feeling your hot folds around his tip. The infatuation grew as he sunk inside, feeling his cock stretch your walls out.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.” He rasped the moment he bottomed out, dropping his head down. He shuddered, staying in place and taking in each twitch that came from your cunt. You smile at his timid approach and clench once just to see his reaction. Megumi instantly gripped your hip and shot you an annoyed glance. You couldn’t help but giggle at his frustration.

“You seem tense,” You giggled, a bit breathless yourself from all of this. Grunting, Megumi bit his lip and breathed out through his nose.

“And who’s fault do you think that is?”

Chuckling, you rolled your hips against his and delighted in the soft moan he let out. “I’m the one injured here and you’re complaining?” He gently stroked your hip above the injury, consciously reminding himself of it.

“M’not complaining.” He bit out before pulling his hips back, snapping them back and starting to build a rhythm while fucking you. You moaned out, feeling a delicious friction build inside of you from the drag of his heavy dick. You picked your head up, blushing at the sight of his cock repetitively slamming inside of you.

Megumi tried his best to keep his sounds low, wanting to hear you more. He groaned lowly, directly into your ear. You felt your body tingle at the sound and you pulled him closer by reflex. Each little sound he made thrilled you to the core; the idea that you were able to pull these sounds from him when he was usually so quiet excited you. One arm hooked around his neck and you pressed the other arm against the bed, raising and rolling your hips in time to meet his thrusts.

Megumi blushed and couldn’t help moaning out loud, watching you fuck yourself on his cock. You used all your strength to fuck yourself against him. “Wait, your hip-” He groaned, trying to still your hips. You shook your head, not caring about your hip as you focused more on chasing your high.

“That doesn’t matter right now.” You rasped out, speeding up and scraping your nails against the back of his skin. He cried out, resting his head on your shoulder and trying to keep pace. His cock twitched at the new speed all while you continued to take his breath away. If he didn’t slow you down, he was sure to cum at any second. He abandoned trying to keep both of you up, attempting to stop your gyrating hips by grabbing at them.

“S-stop!” Squeezing his eyes shut, Megumi fought to focus his mind on something else other than the pleasure going through his body and threatening to make him finish early. Counting backwards, thinking about Itadori - nothing seemed to be working.

You groaned, throwing your head back against the bed, “Megumi, my hip is fine!”

He glares at you, “This isn’t about your damn hip!” He tried taking more breaths, trying to calm himself but your walls pulsed around him, squeezing him tightly as if you were trying to milk the orgasm from him.

You caught on to his useless attempt of escaping an early orgasm and couldn’t help but smile at him. While he was concentrating on his deep breaths, you leaned up and pressed a sweet kiss on his lips. “Megumi?” You gently called out to him, caressing his face. He opened his eyes and watched you lean back, baring yourself to him. “Cum in me.”

“But Y/N-”

“It’s okay, I want you to feel good, Megumi.”

He let out a swear, slowly moving his hips and still trying to hold on for you. Your hands ran up his forearms, holding onto him as you roll your hips. He nodded his head before starting to thrust along with you. He dropped his head to your shoulder, abandoning his tactics on slowing down his impending orgasm.

He moaned out onto your skin as the need to release started to build up again. Your hand slid between your bodies to reach for your swollen clit, pushing you closer to your own release. Each stroke of your fingers on your clit along with the drag of Megumi’s cock brought you closer to finishing.

“Cum inside me please, Gumi?” You pleaded, nearing the end. He couldn’t find it in him to answer you, instead working on maintaining his pace.

He shakes his head, “I can’t.”

With your unoccupied hand, you grabbed the hair at the back of his neck, “Please, Gumi,” you begged, “it would feel so good, you’d be so good to me.”

Megumi shivered at the praise, his lips pressing firmly against your neck as his hips moved faster. You wrapped your legs around him, holding him so close he had no choice but to grind into you, rubbing his pelvis against your clit and pushing you over the edge you’d been teetering over.  As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t hold his orgasm back anymore upon feeling you come undone and with a few more strokes, he came inside you. Tightening your hold around his hips, you held him against your body, preventing him from moving away until he was finished.

You let out a happy sigh as he fell limp against you. You ran a hand through his hair, massaging his scalp with one hand and his back with the other. You hummed a tune, waiting for Megumi to come down from his high. “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

He huffed, pressing his hands against the table and pushing himself up. “How’re you feeling?”

You tilted your head to the side. “I came?”

He gave you an exhausted stare. “No, your leg.”

“Oh,” you giggled, “I told you it’s fine. I hardly feel it at all now. I promise,” You unwrapped your legs around him and allowed him to gather himself. He got on his feet and grabbed a damp towel to clean both of you up.

As he pressed the cool cloth against your sex, he said, “Promise me you’ll still get it checked out tomorrow though, yeah?” You nodded in agreement, watching him clean you off before getting dressed again yourself.

You couldn’t help but smirk, “Ya know, if I’d have known jumping in front of you would get me fucked, I would have done it ages ago.” You watched him tense up before he shot you a glare. The blush on his face only egged you on more.

“Shut up and go to bed!” He grumbled, walking ahead of you to open the door for the both of you.

“Yours or mine?” You joked only causing him to groan in annoyance.

[levforfakes]

forgot thalia and some others so we'll do her first: name is tom. short for stupid name thomas, which he hates. he's got the spikey emo cut going. with streaks of blue dye. maybe even the raccoon tail thingy.

connor and travis: connie and travis (travis is gn), they've got pixie cuts. travis being the older one has more of a rugged look to her, while connie's is very clean cut.

drew: again, drew is gn so we're keeping it. same as drew not genderbent, masc drew would be manipulative and flirty, hiding his feelings due to losing his older sister and also his probably toxic masculinity. he's got the guy hair, pretty short, very neat, very well kept.

zoë: love her sm. another one of my favs. we're keeping the name zoe. he's got longish hair, maybe shoulder length? a bit layered. all in all, very put together.

rachel: raphael, probably goes by rapha or raphie, still has long hair, basically the same. he definitely wears it up in a braid, only one though

ethan: ethel, ig. straight brown hair, bit past her shoulders with straight across bangs. she ties it up in a ponytail sometimes.

malcolm: gonna be honest with u, forgot he existed. don't know much abt him except that hes smart and pretty serious. mal probably. long enough to put in a bun when she wants, not very well managed, but never knotty or gross.

katie: kaiden. hes rly cute, like a cute short cut, wavy hair, wears jorts for no fucking reason just because i feel like it

mr d: im not changing any of the gods names bc theyre gods so theyre inherently above gender fuck u. shes got the messiest frizziest dryest curly brown hair ever. constantly looks like she slept in her car. chirons into it tho. im a fucking chiron x ms d shipper, whatever their genders are

zeus: fluffy, white and black striped, fucking long like down to her ass. a fucking whore j like regular zeus. wears orangy red lipstick and blue eyeshadow trend all the time. everyone hates it but they're fuckinng scared of her.

hera: he has the i-styled-it-for-hours-just-got-out-of-bed-look. kinda crunchy but zeus is fucking simp for it. she still cheats and hera is still the most faithful.

demeter: has the dryest fucking ass wheat colored hair. literally crunches. its not ok. dresses like a fucking scarecrow

poseidon: the most luscious long silky hair that smells fucking nasty. it smells like seaweed and rotten fish. but its so fucking pretty. black probably but i think she went for like that black blue color, yk.

hestia: chin length but pretty not a bob. like golden fiery and curly wavyish. he puts it in short braids a lot. v nice. also bandanna but not in the clarisse way, like in the silly guy way.

hades: i think hades rocks a femme fatale look. shes got the sharp bob, black silky hair. wears lots of sleek black or dark colored dresses (mainly red and green).

athena: short, close to military cut but a bit longer. very profesh looking. fucking buff too.

ares: short again, this time actually military. shes rocking the buzzcut, ok? she loves her motorcycle and leather jackets and will punch you in the face with brass knuckles.

apollo: longest prettiest blonde haired girl. genuinely spends so much time on it. she wears it with a golden laurel and the stupidest raybans. then when she's lester (ligora, which is where lester is derived from) she's got frizzy brown untameable hair.

artemis: god idk where to even go with this, j bc of her hatred of men. brown haired, longish, like supposed to be short but then he forgot to cut it length. wears camo and kind of looks like a loser. but in a scary way.

aphrodite: definition of pretty boy. long hair, dyes it a lot tho, mostly natural colors, but he's gone pink for valentines day. always braids it or keeps it up because when he lets it down he's too pretty.

hephaestus: again with the buff broad sholdered women. wears leather aprons and tools and forge things. matted hair, she doesn't even care anymore, eventually she j cuts it off because she cant with it. ends up with a choppy pixie cut, but not pixie at all.

nike: one of those guys who wears head to toe nike clothing, and not just cuz its his name. like one of those bitch athletes who has super expensive shoes and shit.

ask nicely if u want more.

bonus: meg, named matthew but goes by matt. sort of like a pageboy but more natural and less bowl cut-y. he wears neon zip up vests and shorts over leggings.

@genderbenduniverse

ok I'll start with percy, i like it when people have their original names so he'll have the nickname percy but be called like perses or smth more fem. she's got like a wavy sort of shoulder length hair? im thinking of book percy, so like she always puttingn her hair through it and pushing it to one side and shit, yk?

ok annabeth. idfk what kind of name, maybe like asher or smth, though not sure if that fits his vibe, im trying to go with names that start with the same letter so maybe like alexander. he definitely doesn't have like a really neat haircut, its like fluffy and frizzy and and messy and he never cuts it, im thinking sort of like magnus, since yk they're cousins.

next one is grover. her name's grace, her bf juniper calls her gracie. she's got body hair. shes half goat. shes got big fluffy hair, like shoulder blade length, and she'd wear smth like short skirts and long sleeve pretty shirts. and i think she wears it in braids or smth with flowers in it from junipers tree.

luke: luke's name is luka. she's still got short hair, sort of masc and def gels it, idk just feels like her vibe. she likes wearing pretty dresses like prom dresses and switches them off with tuxs and stuff.

ok jason now. i think jasons name would be Jay, like just the nickname, maybe she never learned her name when her mom left her idk. but she has a wolfcut, im obsessed with wolfcut jason either way so yk. (friend told me she prolly couldnt cut her hair during her time in new rome, so she had the most atrocious high pony tails and buns)

piper: i think piper is gender neutral so, it works. leo and jay still call him pipes and beauty queen and stuff. he's got long pretty hair that he always, i mean, always wears down. he likes wearing flowerey shirts and baggy pants. like a small shirt big pants kinda guy.

leo: my fav. leo's name is like león or leóna. but again, still goes by leo. shes got like a chin length cut, curly and shit. she wears her regular shit, dirty fucking clothes, but shes likes it when piper does her makeup (rly well bc piper's dad was hollywood shit). especially red lips and smoky eyes.

hazel: still hazel i think. honestly im so bad with names despite loving to come up with them. i would say hudson maybe? old fashioned and pretty. He's got the same hair, long and pretty, and he likes locks and likes having them with pretty hair rings with crystals on them (not sure if thats what you call them). he puts them up in big braids and ponytails.

frank: frances ig? i dont really like it but cant come up with something else. i think she still has a buzzcut, with her mom being military and all. she wears the same stuff and is still buff and fat and shes got broad shoulders and i love her sm.

reyna: honestly i think ryan would suck for him so like i found reina as a masc name, so... idc if yall dont like it. i do. so. he's got a shorter more military cut, like what that main percy fanart is? love him as well. they're honestly so similar.

clarisse: changed to clarice. with choppy oily and also dry hair at the same time. its like a bit past his shoulders but not very clearly because its so choppy. he always wears a bandanna too.

selena: adding her bc i love her. selenus maybe? going with greek inspired names but you all can give me ideas, so. i think he's got very nice hair, very smooth, very silky. cant decide if its long and he braids it like a pretentious bitch or he has it like a weird little anime boy. like the basic shiny shit, with bangs.

beckendorf: though his name is charlie. i think it would be charlotte obvs. she's got shoulder length braids because working in the forge is better when your hair is short. shes still buff again, still percy's bisexual awakening.

nico: don't know how i forgot him. niccolà. she has pretty short hair, only a little emo, i think she's got a strip of it dyed blonde that switches between bright neon colors and j blonde depending on the mood. will does it for her.

will: willa, or willow. so pretty. she always has it in a bun because she's a medic and you cant get hair in your face when youre doing a surgery. nicco def calls her willoughby. she also has bangs but pins it out of her face with bobby pins or shiny girly hair clips. sanrio hairclips. nicco uses them too. bc theyre girlfriends.

coach hedge: still coach hedge. but maybe hester bc i like it. same hair, basically j hedge but butch

chiron: legally cant sjow boobs but totally would bc centaut things. same name. long ponytail shes got greys and mr d fucking loves them. forced to put it in pigtails with the party ponies. french braids too.

last but least sally: sal. is still aspiring writer, still has a ponytail. he still is a heartthrob at his candy shop. not balding because hes a god jk but not rly. his hair is also greying both in a sexy way, like middleage dilf kinda thing.

i'll reblog with the gods and others i forgot.

@genderbenduniverse