#since I tend to only use one (1) singular brush | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

btsandvmin · 3 years ago

Text

Vmin song analysis - Winter in August - Part 4

Since this analysis ended up being so long it has been divided in parts. This is part 4. If you haven’t read part 1, 2 or 3 yet I recommend doing so. This is the final part.

This started as a Spring Day analysis, but it has since grown immensely. I actually rather call it a thematic analysis or something, and while Spring Day is still at the core of it all, I go through many songs and details outside of Spring Day connections.

Taehyung obviously loves Spring Day a lot, and Jimin does too. It might seem weird to make a Vmin analysis out of Spring Day, but I just felt there was enough surrounding things to talk about. Even if they might be coincidence I do personally think they fit it very well with the other song theories I have made, and I have even mentioned Spring Day a few times before. As usual I suggest reading my other song analyses before you get into this one. You can find them all in My masterpost

I am going to talk mostly about connections that Taehyung has made and how he seems to use a lot of similar themes and references, but also things possibly connecting Vmin and Spring Day.

Lyrics and theme

Choreo and MV

Taehyung’s (and Jimin’s) love for Spring Day

Connections to Vmin’s songs

Overlapping themes

Other connections to Vmin

Taehyung's songs not being all he wants to say

Taehyung’s mixtape

Summary

In this part I will focus on Taehyung and things he has mentioned in regards to making songs. Mostly I will speculate about the mixtape and then there is a final summary of this series of posts and the things I found the most interesting to keep in mind.

This is the last part and also the shortest one. I’ve had a lot of fun writing this, so before anything I just want to say thank you all for reading, and hope that you found this analysis worth your time.

7 - Taehyung’s songs not being all he wants to say

This isn’t related to Vmin, but I also want to mention how it seems some songs of Taehyung might be a bit held back, or at least that he might not fully be able to express all he wants in them.

The first example is how Namjoon says this about 4 o’clock in his fan café post:

"Through this song, Taehyung may not be able to express all of his emotions, but I hope that we'll be able to express it as much as possible. I hope it is the closest expression of Taehyung's dawn!"

To me this all sounds like an important moment for Taehyung, with emotions he wanted to express. And Namjoon points out Taehyung might not be able to express "all of his emotions" as read in his fan café post. If this was all I might not react because I can understand it might be difficult for someone else to truly understand and fully express something that comes from someone else. For Stigma Namjoon also said it "sounds like Taehyung has his own story". But of course for most of their solo songs on Wings we didn’t get to hear all that much of the meaning behind them.

But somehow there are a few of these expressions and examples where it really seems like Taehyung might be held back somewhat, perhaps in particular when it comes to songwriting.

There is of course the Christmas song, and that is probably the most direct example. Even more so relevant from a Vmin perspective because it also touches on the subject of romantic expressions between Vmin because of the lyrics being “not fit for two men to sing” and being denied for that reason.

Then we also have the way Taehyung spoke about Sweet Night and Inner Child.

First in this Vlive with Namjoon, where he said he tends to write what he has felt himself when speaking about Inner Child.

In the same clip Taehyung also said it was difficult to get to express the things he wanted. That the staff had a hard time and that he wasn't able to realize what was in his mind. But it’s very difficult to say if this was about sound or lyrics/expression.

It’s really impossible to make a song analysis for Vmin and not reference other analysis of other songs at this point... But I’ve talked about Sweet Night before in Sweet Night - Song analysis and HERE.

But then he later on also confirmed in an interview that Sweet Night in particular was meant for his mixtape, and thus not meant for the drama. Once again it’s a song that starts from Taehyung’s feelings.

We know that Taehyung likes to write things he has felt, and we know he has sometimes seemingly had struggles to express those things. I don’t know if these other examples (except with Happy Christmas) are more about being unable to express it because he doesn’t know how, but it could also be him not being able to express certain things.

Because then there is the "Tone it down" comment he apparently got to hear from Bang PD which Taehyung mentioned in relation to the making of BE when talking about his own mixtape.

Yoongi brings up a valid question, because while we know that Blue & Grey is a song that talks about Tae’s hardships and that BTS in general can bring up “darker” topics. We don’t know if this was a comment on a particular song or if Tae had several and we have no clue to what kind of details they might want Taehyung to tone down. I do know many (not just Vminies) have wondered if it might be LGBT+ related, but again we only have speculations here.

Speaking of LGBT+ I also can’t help but notice that there are 3 possible LGBT+ references in Taehyung’s songs. The first and most obvious being the lyric reference to the movie Moonlight in 4 o’clock, secondly the cover of Confessions of a mask seemingly being used as inspiration for imagery in Singularity, and thirdly the “You make me want to be a better man” line from Snow Flower being a possible reference from the movie As good as it gets. On top of this there is of course Happy Christmas basically being denied because it’s romantic lyrics that isn’t “fit” for Vmin to sing together.

I think that the music Taehyung makes is very important and personal to him, as he has said as much. I think it says very much that 4 o’clock and Happy Christmas involve Jimin to some extent at least and that Taehyung has many times talked about giving Jimin songs. If Taehyung is held back, it’s understandable that he would get frustrated. I think we even have a direct example with how he expressed the problem with his Christmas song live to us all.

What Taehyung gives us is things he wants to talk about and express, which to me is just another example of why looking at Taehyung and what he says and does kind of brings a bit more weight to any shipping or relationship conversation about him.

Lyrics like “sharing my fragile truth” or “I'll be back to tell another story of mine” to me in combination with the way he emphasis wanting to be honest and write about things he has felt is just another layer to Taehyung’s songs I find interesting.

What all these examples brings to mind to me as a Vminie is the Vmin Unit interview and Taehyung's "As honestly as possible".

For me it feels like Taehyung is telling us his story and his feelings “as well as he can” by expressing things through his songs, but that there could be reasons he isn’t saying everything he wishes he could say and perhaps even that the company might advise him to keep some things a bit more vague.

8. Taehyung’s mixtape

There are a few interesting aspects about Taehyung’s mixtape and what we might get on it and this section will be more speculation and theories about upcoming things.

First of all we know that Taehyung said there is a song that will be very similar to 4 o’clock on his mixtape (he talked about this the same day as Vmin’s unit interview for Friends). Another translation explains it as more of a “continuation” of 4 o’clock, which is definitely interesting if that’s the case.

Then there is just the general fact that Vmin seem very interested in collaborating and show a lot of interest in each other’s music in general.

We also got Taehyung mention he is writing a song for sleepless nights when he had a conversation with an ARMY on weverse May 4th 2020, meaning after the release of Sweet night but before Blue and Grey.

We did also get a snippet of the song “Sleep” on April 21st 2021 (at 4.24 am) so that could also have been the song he was talking about. Regardless Taehyung is really using this theme a lot.

We also got some interesting things from Taehyung which people wonder if it might have to do with his mixtape and a new song. It started on April 1st when Tae came back to Weverse after a while and, amongst others, commented on this post by an ARMY.

This is a very small detail, but the ARMY mentions Jimin as “a soft sunny spot of a spring day” and Taehyung as “the gentle breeze that brushes against your skin...” and Taehyung’s reply uses spring flowers (cherry blossoms) fluttering in the breeze. To be fair this is a reach, and it wouldn’t be weird if Tae didn’t think about Jimin’s role being in spring at all.

Then he tweeted about a song called Loop (by Peakboy) along with some cherry blossoms and a new expression.

Most interesting here is perhaps the line about “I am starting to feel more comfortable in the darkness.” As we know Taehyung seems to find the night sweet now, and this is another example that might point at it being something that has changed over time.

Then there is the "I flower purple you", which seems to be Taehyung's new name for cherry blossoms (or he just didn't have any better emoji). And if so the possibility of what that love means and how it can connect to spring and possibly Jimin (through his “Not Tata. It’s the face of I purple you” comment).

So we have the purple flower on the cover of Snow Flower and then Tae using Cherry blossoms together with the new tag. I am just saying that if Spring is a possible topic for a song on Taehyung’s album, I will be very curious to see what it says.

We also have Jimin drawing a Cherry blossom tree on his shoes in ITS. If Taehyung has been thinking about adding a song to his mixtape which uses references to spring or even more Cherry blossoms in particular, it’s possible Jimin was perhaps thinking of this song while choosing his motif. But this is definitely a reach and likely has no bigger meaning except that Jimin finds Cherry blossoms pretty.

And just recently at 4 o’clock in the morning on August 27th 2021 we had Jimin post “I miss you every single day” which does match with the lyrics of Spring Day “보고싶다”, though I definitely think this is too common to mean anything.

Still, there are a lot of small things to find, and either I am just finding things because I am looking, or there might be something to it. There are just a lot of matching things at this point, and I don’t know if they all can be random coincidences even though I am sure some of them are.

I don’t know if Taehyung will release his mixtape, or if he does if it will be what he wanted or at least started originally, but I hope he can release and sing the songs he wants to sing. Either way I will look forward to whatever he decided to share and am curious what stories he will sing about next.

9 - Summary

Spring Day was released in February 2017 as an addition to the Wings album on You never walk alone. Meaning it also comes very soon after Lie and Stigma which both have these themes of being in pain and feeling bad about themselves. There are also a lot of songs from Taehyung in particular (but also Jimin) about wanting to be together with someone but either having to wait or being unsure about the future. The time of release is the beginning of 2017, more precisely in February which was also a very good time for Vminies, not the least since we got the Soulmate claim. It was in other words during the Spring Day/Not today era where Vmin first claimed each other as soulmates in public.

If we put together that Taehyung both references the scene in 4 o'clock which Jimin is linked to, and uses scenes from Spring Day for Scenery it's possible Taehyung has done these references because they have personal meaning to him. And it's possible that since one of those references (4 o’clock) might be connected to Jimin that the other one (Spring Day) might be as well. Again, keep in mind the lyrics of Spring Day and in particular how it includes "you're my best friend" and how Taehyung has also used “Are you my best friend?” in the lyrics of Sweet Night which is also romantic.

Now of course this is all under the assumption that Winter Bear and Scenery too could be Vmin songs, but even if they aren’t at the very least it does seem to be examples of Spring Day being very important and inspiring for Taehyung. He references Spring Day directly for his own promotion of both Scenery and Winter Bear and considering the lyrics and themes I do think the songs could have connections through inspiration at least. If you want to read more on why those songs have other connections to Jimin you can also read my posts Vmin - Scenery, Promise and song connections and Vmin - Winter Bear analysis.

What we end up with are these:

Possible similar themes and lyrics between Spring Day and other Taehyung songs.

Possible thematic similarities for Jimin's songs as well.

Jimin and Taehyung both loving Spring Day and creating moments with each other during it.

Hobi referencing Spring Day in reaction to a Vmin moment.

Spring Day possibly being referenced for 4 o’clock release.

Spring Day being directly referenced in relation to Scenery twice.

Spring Day being referenced with the release promo for Winter Bear.

The possible scene between Vmin in the park from 4 o’clock being referenced in Scenery (also the release time of the teaser), meaning in extension Spring Day references to Scenery could have a connection to the same person.

Vmin both having a certain love for the winter season and night which they have used in their songs.

Friends including "Cold winters" as something they have gone through together.

Friends including them saying they want to stay together forever.

An interesting timeline with how Vmin was during Spring Day era and what songs Tae wrote around that time.

Many of the expressions in Taehyung’s songs matching how he talks and thinks about Jimin.

12 out of 13 songs having either the theme of Night/Day or Winter. And 4 out of these songs having confirmed direct links between Vmin.

As usual there are a lot of things in the details that are much more difficult to know if they have meaning or not, but at the very least there are many things that fits with the narrative that Spring Day means a lot to Taehyung and that he could be influenced by the themes and how they also match well with Jimin in particular.

If I would sum it up with Vmin as characters in this ongoing narrative in their songs it would look something like this:

Taehyung's perspective: It's difficult and he wonders what the future holds. He's unsure and doesn't know if he can pull Jimin closer even if he wants to and even if Jimin seems to feel the same it seems like a double edged sword. Being hidden or them not being able to be together as more than friends is something he struggles with. He wants to express himself and he tries through his songs. But even if they have each other now and he seems to gradually get more used to the "Night/Winter" over time, it is a constant struggle. He wishes that he was stronger, but Jmin being there with him helps him.

Jimin's perspective: We don't have as many songs from Jimin, so perhaps he doesn’t have as much of a need to express himself outwards in general. He is better at being ok with what they have, or at least at seeming like it. 'I say that it's all okay. But maybe that's not what I truly think.'. He can "sleep" early on and he smiles even though the smiles aren't always happy, and in contrast Taehyung can't. Basically what Jimin is doing is being better at hiding it. But Jimin also wants Taehyung to be his own light and night. In it all he also promises to stay and that Taehyung is his and expresses how he wants to be together when BTS is over.

I guess you could say that winter has been a hibernation period for their relationship. In particular for Jimin. But now they can both enjoy even this period because unlike earlier they are waiting together, they have reached each other, they can hold hands and give each other warmth when they need it. They know where they stand and have mostly reconciled with the thought of waiting to be together properly. Even if it's always going to be difficult.

I might be taking some of the lyrics a bit too literally. Either way it seems both of them are more ok with the current situation compared to before. To me if there is a Vmin perspective here it seems to slowly change with time in how they express it but that the want and wish to be together has always been there. It also seems possible that finally after all this time and uncertainty some things have become easier, and that there might even be change towards something even better in the future.

I’ve been working on this theory for a long time. Like I said, the original plan was to post on February 13th for the anniversary. But it was a lot bigger and took more time than expected. I also didn’t expect Taehyung to give me new reasons to raise my eyebrows. One being this new song 'Sleep' with it’s lyrics, and the other being the cherry blossoms he posted about. I am very curious to see what we might get for KTH1 when it comes out.

Spring is coming.

(Ok sorry for the joke but I am actually scared if Spring would be coming in regards to Taehyung's song narrative. Way more scary than Winter coming if you ask me.)

#vmin #vmin analysis #vmin song analysis #vmin spring day analysis #part 4 #vmin gif #Vmin song analysis - Winter in August #btsandvmin #my post #long post

53 notes · View notes

stalkerxyou · 3 years ago

Text

♡ How BTS Would Eat You Out

a/n: a ‘head’canon — literally 😉

warnings ⚠️ graphic smut, dom/sub dynamics, femdom, voyeurism, period sex, face-riding, hair-pulling

📷

Jimin ⇢ Slow, tantalizing, the sloppiest among the members. Not afraid to get all dirty and extra, whatever idea is your request — Jimin will just giggle and go for it. You don’t wanna know what he’s truly capable of, do you. He got hooked the first time he made you cum like that, now he’s straight-up possessed. No going back, and he keeps on learning new things and stimulating new spots every time to create a big moan-worthy surprise.

Prettiest and immensely vocal when it’s getting so, so sweaty, on the brink of exhaustion. Most likely, Jimin’s finishing with smudged eyeliner. Does it best with music playing in the background, but that’s obvious: Oral equals dancing to him. Prone to lack of confidence while getting started, so your guidance is always in dire need. Best matched with a domme who can don a firm grip on his neck and shoulders. Face-riding all day every day.

📷

Originally posted by jimiyoong

Taehyung ⇢ Not the soft teddy everyone believes him to be. Singularity revealed to us that really, we were mistaken. Full of mischief, out of the seven members he is the cockiest by far when it comes to oral. Does it best underneath the table or when you order him to go for it in the car. The backseat of course, with Yoongi driving — sternly! — because nobody else is as hard-boiled and like “yeah he’s giving head that’s more normal than brushing one’s teeth”.

And Taehyung, well he just enjoys having someone listen to him going down on you. It usually means twice the praise as 1) hardly will he be unable to fully please you and 2) head-master Yoongi approves anyways, Tae is a natural. Goes berserk the second your back arches. Moans a whole lot, likes to switch locations all over the house each time. Ultimately has to be tamed and held in place by squeezing his head with your thighs, hard.

📷

Originally posted by attacked-by-bangtan

Jin ⇢ So suave. Tender loving, lots of food involved to play around with. Has a very sensitive tongue, so he won’t do anything too wild. The advantage being that he can have a taste and accurately guess your mood and current level of vitamin E intake or something. Those soft lips don’t help, he’s just super gentle and makes sure you rest on as many pillows as possible. Might even use loads of chapstick because JK told him that’s a good idea.

Generally speaking, Seokjin is probably the only guy on this planet who can make his partner feel like she’s in a movie. A little bathtub romance will accompany your evening, although it’s important to mention that Jin is also at his best when the sun rises. With some tea on the nightstand, it’s gotta be classy. He just never disappoints, to be exact. Easily responds to any demands or suggestions, but infuses it with plenty of personality.

📷

Originally posted by theseoks

Yoongi ⇢ Ace of slow tongue-fucking and sexy slurping noises. You’d think he’d be the one to do it fast because eating you out is just like doing a verse. Nuh-uh. He can bob up and down for ages and still have enough tension in his tongue to penetrate deep enough. Always makes an effort to clean up in between because so much drool is getting in his eyes, that rascal is not afraid to dive in not seeing anything. Will use his damn nose as well.

Won’t stop until his bangs are sticky against his forehead and you — satisfied twice, because once is never enough. It’s his orgasm that you get instead if you will. Yoongi won’t care what his dick tells him and what it wants. His first #1 sexual asset is his tongue and it’s married to your clit and labia. The stimulation reaches its peak when you pull his hair and twirl it at the base of his neck. The more it hurts, the better, it really pushes him to the limit.

📷

Originally posted by sugasuite

Hoseok ⇢ Fast and lowkey furious, a true challenge for a domme. This slippery tongue is all the rage, an engine of its own class. While Yoongi does it slow and good, Jung fucking Hoseok is all about fast and good. Can’t wait until you finished showering, even. He slips right in and who are you not to seize the opportunity. Makes up for lack of patience with lots of technique and putting on a show which can get pretty loud. It’s not giving head, it’s thrusting head, in fact.

All day if you only say the word, Hobi exceeds a vibrator with high-performance batteries. Yeah I know, I can’t stop comparing him to a freaking machine but that’s what he is. Second in sloppiness, although he will gobble it up fast. Definitely an eager swallower and dirty talker. Could aptly school any man about the faulty belief that giving your gf head is not the main event. Matches high passion type of encounters where you are sure to bring a leash.

📷

Originally posted by jitonic

Namjoon ⇢ Eager and obliging. Feels compelled to serve you, but needs clear instructions. Do this, do that, more to the left, lower your arm. Or maybe because he wants to serve, your wish is his exact command so he won’t do anything you dislike. It’s a promise, Joon can make you feel so good. Treats it all with utmost respect, but will loosen up once getting the hang of it. Won’t crack under pressure either, RM can be stern and quite like a workhorse to give you everything he’s got.

Although, it won’t feel like a chore because it’s all spontaneous. Doesn’t tend to be sloppy, his tongue movements are quite precise and use mostly… tip. Delicious. It’s a rapper thing, but also very Namjoon. Most likely to eat you out on your period cause since his MVs we all know he likes a little freaky shit. Believes that if he doesn’t do all the work, his duty is not fulfilled and he has to start from the beginning. Well, why not, actually.

📷

Originally posted by thisisjustforfunval

Jungkook ⇢ Wow. This is like a trip to the spa, and all for free. Always does it to unwind you. Like Jin, a very sensual approach is default. No stress, he reserves a silent hour for it each day if you please even if he’s sleepy. This is not Hercules Kook who thinks everything in life is a competition, nope. Oral sex is like bunnies munching on salad for him, he does it all the time, just for the sake of it, something nice to savor. Thanks to his athletic skill and stamina, virtually any bizarre position is possible, no limits here.

You wanna do it up in the air and he just lifts you with two hands? No problem noona, as you wish. He also thinks it’s healthy for some reason, don’t ask why. Rather vocal in a way that he is pretty breathy most of the time, even huffing. You have to remind him that sometimes, two workouts a day are more than enough. Hence he pauses quite often, and so pleasing you is a matter of not a dozen minutes, but way longer. In love with your taste and the adrenaline.

📷

36 notes · View notes

d0llhousess · 4 years ago

Text

⇢ fandom: run with the wind (kaze ga tsuyoku fuiteiru) ⇢ pairing: kiyose haiji x f!reader ⇢ genre: fluff ⇢ warning/tags: fluff, overworked!haiji, overworked! reader, mild language (probably like..one cuss word), first date, established relationship, two busy idiots in love

⇢ summary: kiyose haiji is a planner, yet he could never plan around the mishaps that always seemed to happen every time the pair of you would agree to a date night.

⇢ word count: approx 1.6k

⇢ a/n: Welcome to Day 1 guys! I decided our favorite runner was the perfect way to kick off the week, and who doesn’t love Haiji fluff? Technically this is a continuation of this scenario, but it can be read without any knowledge of that post. I hope you guys do enjoy this!

⤆ Back to Week of Fic’s Masterlist

Sometimes life tends to escape you.

It wasn’t rare that you lost track of time, or became so busy with not only school but also your part time job that you were late to events or even forgot them all together. Yet, you made sure to not forget your first date with Kiyose.

It’d been weeks since he’d confessed to you, a moment you held close to your heart, and even though the two of you knew the status of your relationship, there was just no time for the pair of you to have a proper first date.

He was the team parent, often overworking himself to near death by taking care of his friends and teammates, and you were in your busiest year of university. So when he texted you in the early morning of one of your few days off, informing you to come to his dorms in casual clothing during the evening, you made sure that you were on time.

Adorned in your favorite pair of jeans that never failed to boost your confidence up another notch, you’d entered the track team dorms and were met with a site that you were certainly not expecting.

Instead of seeing your boyfriend in the foyer of the building, putting on his outside shoes, your sight was filled with a nearly chaotic dorm as most of the boys nearly burst down the only bathroom in the building. Your brows lift in surprise, but before your lips part to ask what on earth was going on, your boyfriend appears at your side.

Your eyes roam over his disheveled appearance, and when you met his forlorn gaze, you knew that your date had been canceled. You tried to not let the disappointment show on your face, yet you couldn’t help the way your shoulders sagged.

“I’m sorry, but-” Kiyose began to say, but you shook your head, halting the words that were tumbling out of his mouth. A soft smile spread onto your lips and you give him a knowing look.

“Stomach bug?” You guessed, hands smoothing a stray strand of your hair behind your ears.

Kiyose shook his head, “Food poisoning. The twins attempted to cook.”

Soft laughter falls from your lips and you nod, understanding the slight severity of the situation. You meet Kiyose’s warm gaze once again, noticing the slight irritation in his dark gaze, and it puts you at slight ease.

He was just as upset as you were, but you knew that he felt an obligation to take care of his friends. While you didn’t completely understand the man that stood beside you, you knew what you were getting yourself into the moment you felt his lips press against yours that evening in the park.

Stepping closer to you, Kiyose’s lean fingers trailed up the side of your bicep before the rested on the back of your neck. Your senses are filled with the comforting scent of his cologne, and the smirk he’s giving you causes your mouth to dry. The effect he had on you was truly unfair.

A slight shiver travels up your spine, and you watch as his lips spread into the soft smile that made your heart stutter in your chest. His lips brush against your cheek, causing a soft giggle to leave your lips.

“Rain check?” He whispers to you, and you nod, your smile mirroring his. Lifting your head, you place a chaste peck against his lips.

“This is the only rain check you get, okay?” You whisper back to him, resting your hands on his chest as you push him away slightly, yet he doesn’t budge. His previously playful gaze shifts into something more serious.

The wicked glint that never seemed to leave his warm chocolate eyes is more pronounced as the light grip he had on the back of your neck tightens, prompting you to lift your head up even further.

Lowering his head, his lips ghosts over yours, and you inhale sharply. His eyes briefly flicker away from your eyes to your lips, and your body nearly vibrates in anticipation. Yet before he can press his lips against yours, a loud bang is heard coming from the kitchen. A heavy sigh leaves both you and Kiyose’s lips as he steps away from you. Your time with him has come to an end and he is unfortunately needed elsewhere.

“I gotta…” He trailed off, and you nod in understanding.

“Yeah, I understand,” You responded, a light grin tugging on your lips to assure him that you were not upset. You noticed the way he lingered, and you felt your chest warm. He didn’t want to leave your presence, but he was needed elsewhere.

With much reluctance, he places another soft peck against your cheek, bidding you a soft goodbye that has the sense of disappointment settling over your heart once again. Yet you shake it off. It was just a mere rain check; you were absolutely sure that you and Kiyose would have time to go on your first date soon.

Unfortunately, time appeared to not be on your side.

The next couple of weeks you were swamped with work and Kiyose wasn’t fairing well either. It seemed like every time the two of you would align your free days together, a new problem arose. If it wasn’t your boss calling to ask you to come in on your day off, it was Kiyose becoming caught up with the track team and helping them progress.

Even when he’d managed to escape the busy lifestyle of taking care of everyone in his life, you were too busy trying to complete a mountain of assignments to give him the attention that he and you craved.

Sure the two of you messaged each other throughout the day, and you heard his melodic voice through the speakers of your phone late at night; hell there were even days where you had dinner with him and his teammates. Yet, it just wasn’t the same as spending proper alone time with him. You craved to spend a day with just Kiyose, and Kiyose only, but with the way everything was panning out you’d be lucky to get a date by the end of the semester.

You couldn’t help the sense of dismay that clouded your mind, because, fuck, all you wanted to do was spend a nice evening with your boyfriend. Yet, the both of you couldn’t even manage to find the time to be together.

“Was your relationship doomed before it even truly began?” You wondered to yourself as you entered your small apartment, sighing from a rather long shift at your part time job. You briefly glanced at your phone, noticing a message from the very man that never seemed to stray away from your mind.

Opening the message, your brows shot up in slight surprise as you read over the message inviting you over to his dorms. Shooting a quick message stating that you would be over in around thirty minutes, you began to discard your work uniform. You shot through a swift routine of showering, changing your clothes into something that was appropriate for having a late dinner with your boyfriend and his friends.

Even with your quick change of clothes, it didn’t take you long to arrive at the track team’s dorms. As you entered the building, you noticed how eerily quiet it was. The laughter that you were accustomed to didn’t greet you, and your brows furrowed in slight confusion. As you took your shoes off, you allowed yourself to peek down the hallway, keeping an ear out to see if the guys were just still in their rooms, freshening up for dinner.

“Haiji?” You called out, as you placed your shoes near the door, walking down the hallway.

“In the kitchen,” You heard him respond and as you rounded the corner, your eyes landed to the singular candle that was lit on top of the table, illuminating the dinner for two.

Your eyes flickered from the twinkling candle light, before they settled on Kiyose who was exiting the kitchen. The previously confused expression on your face melts into one of pure warmth as your eyes lock with Kiyose’s gaze.

“Did the twins cook again?” You tease as you sink to the ground, eyes shifting from his gentle, yet penetrating gaze, to the food that was neatly arranged on the table. Kiyose’s melodic laughter fills your ears, and you can feel your body practically melting. You hear him sit beside you, prompting your eyes to move from the food back to his smiling face.

“No,” He answered, “I can’t have you breaking up with me just yet.”

Your brows raise as a giggle leaves your lips, “Oh? Is that so?”

Kiyose nods his head, his own chuckles leaving his lips. Once your laughter subsides, you lick your lips as you look over the room, once again noting the lack of extra noise in the dorms.

“So I suppose no one else will be joining us, hm?” You questioned, turning to look back at your boyfriend. You note how the gleam in his rich brown eyes seem to twinkle in the warm candlelight. He leans into you, lips spreading from his usual smile into something much softer; a smile he only seems to give you.

“I might’ve convinced them to go out for a couple of hours or so.”

Another burst of giggles leave your lips as you mimic his actions, “Convinced or ordered?”

Kiyose holds your gaze, fingers smoothing up the length of your arm before cupping the back of your neck. His thumb grazes your jawline as you relax into his touch. You watch as his eyelids lower as his gaze shifts to your lips.

“Does it matter?” He whispers to you, and your lips part to respond. However, before a syllable is uttered, his lips pressed softly against yours. As your eyelids fluttered closed, you found yourself agreeing that it didn’t matter at all.

#run with the wind x reader #run with the wind #Kaze ga tsuyoku fuiteiru #kiyose haiji #kiyose haiji x reader #oneshot #nghts week of fics

85 notes · View notes

coffeeandcalligraphy · 4 years ago

Text

Witness State & Coup de Grâce | Feeding Habits Update #3

Hey People of Earth!

Before we get into this update, TRIGGER WARNING that this chapter discusses attempted suicide, mental health issues, animal cruelty, toxic relationships, and some nods to starvation, so if these are topics you’re sensitive about, I would skip out on this update!

This chapter was a slight nightmare to draft as it went through many, many iterations due to a real struggle to attain the desired emotional arc, and also because of a few logistical problems. In total, it’s about two and a half months of work as it combines some scenes from the old chapter two while also patching areas I cut with new content. Despite the difficulties, I am so happy I pushed through because the final product is quite strong. Here’s a scene breakdown:

Scene A:

We start at the “beautiful place” AKA the cove Lonan and Eliza frequently visit. The last time we’ve seen Lonan was at the end of chapter two, when he had his mild “public freakout moment” on the steps of a cathedral.

On the beach, he rests on the shoreline while reflecting on all the things he’s been tormented by since chapter two (wicked children, fathers, parenthood etc).

He sees an illusion of his father who is obviously not there (he’s very dead!) which propels him to converse about him with Eliza (remembering that Eliza and Lonan’s father were once romantically involved).

This conversation goes south as Lonan is able to unpiece some of Eliza’s mistruths until Lonan finally admits he wants to see his father again, insisting he’s still “alive” through the darkroom abandoned in Oregon him and Harrison failed to destroy in ch. 1 of Moth Work.

Scene B:

Lonan watches a moth through the window (that moth motif tho). Here he recounts what occurred at the hospital in ch. 2--the mother and her three kids taking him there, and then eventually being whisked away by Eliza.

Lonan heads to the kitchen to drink an acetaminophen but quickly realizes he’s not alone in the main apartment. His father sits on the couch looking over photo albums, each leaf holding the same photo: the postcard of Eliza that Harrison initially finds in chapter one of Moth Work. This vision obviously does not exist and is prompted by sleep deprivation but he doesn't know that lol.

Seeing this photo and his father prompt him to believe that he can only get away from this feeling of being haunted without Eliza in his life and further bad decisions ensue which I won’t get into!

I explained the meaning of the title HERE.

Excerpts:

Here’s the opening bit which is the most recent addition to the chapter:

The water is never murky, but today it doesn’t sparkle. Like it’s taken a low dose of cyan, it foams pale against the shore, an offering that wets the tips of Lonan’s shoes. He sits under the cove with one hand pressed into the current, each singular wave like a finger tottering over his veins. Today, their beautiful place is only an arched wall of stones and roily ocean.

Eliza is sunbathing. She lies on her back in the centre of the cove, where its mouth opens to a ceiling of sun. On the drive from the hospital, they both remained silent, Eliza’s hands taut like leather around the steering wheel, and Lonan’s head soldered to the cool window. Even when she pulled into the lot of a diner, named after a vague Canadian city or perennial flower, she said nothing, exiting the car to return to it with two crayon-coloured slushies, his red, hers orange. By the time she pulled up to the beach, her drink was half empty, his fully melted, urging against the brim of the cup. He followed her when she exited the car, parked against a row of pebbles, and placed his hand palm-first against the water the moment she lay against the sand and closed her eyes. Now, water puckers over the shoreline and between each of his fingers, a sort of absent massage. The water is a dull, vitamin-like blue. Warmer than he’s expected for the middle of February, pleasantly pruning his fingertips.

This is a direct continuation of that:

The sun has started to set. It flares against the horizon, its orange singeing the water’s blue. Like in front of the church, it fills him, its heat a comfortable grip around his throat. Though it should remind him to keep awake, its warmth lulls him closer to the sand until he rests his head just where the water laps. He knows it says nothing. He knows he has not slept in days. But to him, its rays nurse his skin like the loop of a nursery rhyme, and when he is parallel to the sky, he closes his eyes and welcomes the sun like it’s an infection. As colours pulse underneath his eyelids, water soaks the crown of his head, and it truly is like being buried at sea, just him, the sun, and the water at his perimeter.

The next chapter in this update is chapter four, aka Coup de Grace. This chapter was an absolute joy to write after struggling to get a handle on chapters two and three, and I’d consider writing this chapter to be, by far, the best writing sessions of my life. In this chapter I feel I really figured out the “crux” of Lonan’s character/his darkest secret, and that’s essentially that he believes all children are the wicked stems of adults, a belief he actually doesn't want to have, and actively combats until he sort of becomes absorbed by it. I learned a lot about my boy in this chapter and learning such important details about a character I’ve been writing for five years feels like a gift!

This chapter plays with form/the timeline a bit because we jump around on the timeline, almost like a movie that begins at the end. This was difficult to do in fiction, but I think I pulled it off, and am really happy with the chapter. Bear with me tho as this breakdown may be confusing:

Scene A:

We start with Lonan rapidly making his way to his father’s darkroom which sits in the middle of a forest. He’s brought supplies with him to destroy it.

The first line of this chapter mimics the first line of Moth Work, which you’ll see below.

Scene B:

We jump back in the fictive past to the morning that would’ve occurred right after the end of chapter three. Lonan goes about his morning routine but is disrupted by a loud thud from outside. Anya, the woman he’s befriended from chapter two, has jumped from the roof of the apartment complex. This attempt is unsuccessful.

His first reaction is to run to Anya’s apartment to see if her son, Joey, is okay.

Scene C:

Less of a scene and more of an internal monologue of Lonan reflecting on Anya’s attempted suicide, and that he feels in some ways, she’s administered her own “death blow”.

Scene D:

Eliza takes Lonan to his father’s cabin to “get him away” from what’s happening at the apartment since he’s really taking the news badly.

Eliza tries to get Lonan to eat something because he hasn’t eaten much since Anya’s news, and they have a conversation about Eliza’s motives in volunteering Lonan to help Anya in the first place.

Scene E:

A flashback where 14-year-old Lonan and his father are at the cabin, about to kill a fish using the ikejime method. His father has informed him the fish is dead, but Lonan knows this is very much a lie.

Scene F:

The fictive present, where Lonan lies on a couch inside the cabin, Eliza tending to a fire. He has a bad feeling (he’s right about that lol)

Scene A2:

We continue the events from scene A as Lonan enters the darkroom, only to find out it’s been cleared out save for three pictures hanging that tell a story and reveals a lot of Eliza’s secrets.

All you need to know about these photos is that it makes their romance feel somewhat like a lie lol.

Eliza finds him at the darkroom despite telling him not to go alone, and Lonan tries to process the new info/secrets revealed.

Scene G:

In the fictive present, Eliza cuts off Lonan’s hair and together they burn each weft. They discuss a few things (his father, the women he’s befriended, future children, mating habits of the praying mantis)

Scene E2:

Back to the flashback where Lonan and his father have killed, cleaned, and eaten the fish. They rinse their hands off in the lake before his father knocks them both into the water.

Excerpts:

This is the opening, ft. the mirroring first line which makes me a lil too giddy:

The darkroom isn’t haunted, but a dead man owns it—and he knows exactly where to find him. Through the woods, Lonan brushes past bushes of gooseberries and wild rhubarb, a gas can sloshing rhythmically in his hands. In his teeth, he holds his flashlight so its beam brightens the pathway. It is not yet dawn.

This is a description of the darkroom that leads to the end of the scene:

He shouldn’t know where he’s going. The forest is so dense and unanimous, a duplication of itself, nothing more than repetitions of the same tree, same flower, same stream. But he doesn’t need to see to know where his feet take him—he doesn’t even need the flashlight. He’s memorized the direction to the darkroom like the pattern of veins on his own arm.

He is not surprised to see it still stands. As if protected from rain, thunderstorms, the fallen trees that crisscross at the walkway; it’s always been a divine place. The air is damp, and particles of mist cling to his throat.

He sets the gas can in front of the steel panelling that makes the door with urgency. He does not need to rush but cannot take his time.

Wildflowers burst from in between the cracks of concrete the shed sits on and he knows each species like they’ve been bred in his blood. Wax flowers, thistles, clusters of asters he’d sometimes gather as a boy and leave as offerings in the heart of the forest’s most prominent clearings, like an offering, or a ransom.

Lonan kneels once the first thread of sunlight leaks between the whisper of trees. He is familiar with this forest, the cabin not too far away, the messages the water speaks to him when he sits at its edge most nights, why the darkroom was his father’s favourite place and why it always will be. So when sunlight hits his eyes, he presses his fingertips against his lips, and looks to the sky for mercy.

Lonan watching his fave TV show that leads into Anya’s jump:

He turned the television onto its usual program while on his last three mandarin segments and looked on as a herd of caribou dotted a waterway. They moved like the current, pattering along the prairie, worriless. He should have heard the part where a wolf caught up to the herd, the same wolf that would later go on to single out a young fawn and silence it with two teeth in its throat like bullet wounds. He should have seen the part where the prey was consumed, its flesh a desperate shade of red. But the thud distracted him. Maybe not even a thud, more like a crash. A sound he felt in his temples, a ringing in his ear, like a chickadee. Lonan set the skin of the mandarin onto the coffee table and stood slowly. It’s his body that moved him, no force of the mind, toward the balcony. In one movement, he unlocked and shoved open the glass sliding door, rucking it forward with his body weight when it stuck. On his lip, he tasted citrus and salt, a mixture of fruit and sweat.

He heard death before he saw it. The way each identical sliding door of the apartment units around him shook open, just like his. What a woman on the sidewalk declared, her tone so shrill, he couldn’t tell if she was delighted or horrified, something like, “I thought she was a bird—I thought she was a gift from heaven.” The garbled sound of an infant, confused by the sound concrete makes when a human batters it.

We get Lonan’s first response and some Joey and *that stunning motif tho*:

Lonan did not deescalate the stairs to the ground floor to join the growing crowd. He did not call an ambulance or rush to perform CPR. He ran upward, scaling flights of stairs as if airborne, with little effort. Once he reached her unit, it was the tin of madeleines he noticed first, sitting unopened, untouched, dare he thought, neglected on her welcome mat. It’s this that lulled him, freezing him in place for a moment. He recollected nothing of bringing the madeleines to her the evening previous, of leaving them neatly tucked against her straw welcome mat. Innocently idle there, his gift unrecognized.

Joey sat on the couch. The television was on, projecting technicolor polygons onto the boy’s face. Lonan did not register what it was he watched, which animated shapes pounced and danced on screen. Joey did not cry at first. He sat, staring wondrously at the screen like it was a trap door to a different dimension. The socks secured around his miniature feet looked freshly ironed, and his hair smelled like his mother did when Lonan first met her—like coconuts.

The buzzing of onlookers and neighbours sounded like the caribou running. A constant drumming of a snare, a guttural kind of ambience. He thought of Anya the day previous, her desperate excitement to paint over the wall, the way she mixed that orange juice drink, incredulous, experienced. He thought of the sourdough he never picked up, and there on the counter they sat, one torn down the middle like it was ripped bare-handed, the other skewered with a chef’s knife. He thought of Anya’s hospitality, her coy excuses to help them both avoid embarrassment, the way each part of her apartment transformed into gold. He thought of their conversation, Anya’s initial instruction when she left him alone with her son. So when Joey cried, Lonan knew exactly to reach for the remote and tick the volume up until his sobbing quieted, like the last few minutes of a rainstorm, passionately loud, then stunningly silent.

Here we briefly reference 2 Kings 21:6: “And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.”

Anya will never be the mother she once was, in the capacity she longed to be. Joey will grow up without a father and with a mother who cannot mother him in the ways she’d always hoped; he’ll have no one to recreate. That is the real loss—what could have been. Anya burned herself into an offering, administered her own kill shot, provoked her own fate; either life or death, and her fate chose neither.

The following mirrors something Lonan’s sister, Reeve, says in Houses With Teeth about hunger:

The day Anya jumped from her balcony onto the sidewalk below, Eliza took Lonan to his father’s cabin. In a daze, he watched her pack a bag with enough things to tide them over for a month, and in that same daze, they reached the cabin before sunset. That night, Eliza rifled through the cabinets to put together a meal, and her findings assembled as a can of tuna topped with crumbles of saltines—cheap take on a deconstructed pâté.

She served him his dinner on a set of plates he vaguely recognized—terrazzo with a scalloped edge, maybe held a scrambled egg or halved tomato when he was a child. He stared through the French doors, down to the water that padded below. Even when she tried some for herself, putting on her enjoyment in exclamations like “It’s a culinary masterpiece. Refined. Daring. A little spectacular,” she couldn’t convince him to eat. His appetite disappeared when Anya fell from the sky; there would be no hunger as penance.

This is the fish flashback:

Lonan knows the fish is not dead. He is fourteen but not naïve. Sun warms the back of his neck; maggots shimmer over the gummy slick of the water’s surface. Today is what someone would describe as the perfect day. Trees whisper secrets amongst the spines of their leaves. Birds teeter on the neck of birch trees. A butterfly dusts its wings of the shore’s sand and nips at his childish knuckles.

The fish is not dead. This is fact. In his palm, it expands, its gills like the crescent cut of the moon. The fish is not dead. Its mouth kisses the air like it’s a divine thing, each blip of its lips greedy, like the air tastes of gold. The fish is not dead. Its scales grate against Lonan’s palms, shimmering, its prettiness its last defense mechanism. The fish is not dead.

More with this fish memory:

“It’s dead. It does not even know the taste of life. Why save it?”

“I don’t want to save it,” Lonan says. His father’s wedding band digs into his forehead. To an onlooker, it may look like he’s about to dip him forward into the water, not a drowning, but a baptism.

“What do you want to do with it?”

Mourn it, he wants to say. Pity it. Sacrifice it.

The water whistles ahead of them, all the uncaught sunfish gloriously slashing naively in the water. They are unaware of their future demise, and the current demise of their loved ones, bodies all piled into the net as if on display. Lonan’s eyes sting with lake water, a streak of it dripping onto his lip so when his father reaches over him and secures his hand like a marionette around the screwdriver, he tastes salt and doesn’t stop tasting it.

And the end of part A of the fish memory that gets a little gory:

“It dies for us,” his father says, his voice dampened, like the distant blip of the lake. “So we give it mercy in return.”

As the screwdriver’s tip lowers closer to the fish, Lonan licks his top lip and asks, “Why do we need to show it mercy if it’s already dead?”

“Le coup de grâce. A death blow. To end the suffering of the wounded.”

“But it’s already dead.”

“Even the dead still suffer.”

Lonan does not register when the screwdriver impales the fish’s brain. He does not register when his father uses both their hands to slit the fish’s gills with a hunting knife or register the warm spurting of its blood up their knuckles. He stares at the fish’s glasslike eye, and as he and his father gut and scale the fish, puppet and puppeteer, he imagines the way he’ll feel with its head in his mouth.

Here’s a section from the fictive present:

Seven days after Anya jumps off her apartment’s balcony, Lonan lies on a pig’s leather couch his father once towed in from the city, a damp washcloth doused in eucalyptus essential oil pressed to his forehead.

At first, he fears the blinking comes from stars and that the cabin’s roof has been removed. But as he comes to, he smells it, the earthy crack of wood, the wisp of smoke, and he knows the light that pulses is a fire.

Lonan opens his eyes. As he’s thought, he lies on his father’s couch, essenced water dribbling down his temples from the washcloth. Eliza sits hunched on the stone of the fireplace’s ledge, her shoulders ripening under the orange heat. She’s burning something. The scent of scorched film is not unfamiliar to him. Like his mouth, it is dry and acrid, like the lick of a battery.

“You promised,” she says, as if sensing he’s awoken. Lonan does not move, even as the eucalyptus soak drizzles into his eyes.

Eliza no longer wears the parka. She’s stripped to a pearl-coloured camisole, her feet bare and propped flush against the brick. Glossy red lacquer colours her toenails, reflects the light in ovular patterns along its surface.

“A false witness shall be punished, and a liar shall be caught,” she says. “Proverbs.”

Going to leave this tea here casually:

The darkroom was misplaced. This was Lonan’s first thought when he yanked open its steel panel door and entered to reveal its contents. He did not need the glimmer of a flashlight to confirm his instinct. This was not the same darkroom he’d known as a child, or the darkroom he found his sister in, or the darkroom him and Harrison tried to destroy. Everything was slotted away, puzzled back into a configuration so unknown to him, so wrong to him, that the organization felt more like war.

Unlike when he and Harrison had last stepped foot inside of the darkroom, lugging the gas can along with them, not unlike what he did then, the photos that used to string clothespinned in no justifiable order were now taken down. The bricks of photo paper forming a maze around the developing tables, the amber bottles of chemicals—all of it, meticulously put back in places Lonan knew they never had. Under his boots, he did not feel the crunch of glass or slip of forgotten negatives. The darkroom had been swept clean.

Lonan dropped the gas can at the darkroom’s entrance, and removed the flashlight from between his teeth, thumbing it off. He worked his way around the shed like he’d been wounded, staggering, stopping to hold himself upright. Nothing was in its rightful chaos. Expired film lay stacked in a waste bin he’d never seen before. Bad paper cuts had been shredded. The photos he’d been so accustomed to not looking at, all gone, except for three, evenly clipped on the last three lines.

In the distance, an eagle cawed. The stream trilled. Tadpoles cricketed along the embankment.

Lonan approached the remaining photographs like they’d electrocute him. They were displayed one after the other, each on its own line. The first, a picture not unfamiliar to him. Eliza standing in front of a colourful street of vendors. Her loopy signature on the back a jagged indication of where she signed it, most likely wobbling on a train, or in the back of a taxi. He picked it off its clothespin and held it up to a hole in the roof where sun bled through. Nothing had changed from the photo since he’d taken it last year, and he was almost grateful she’d left it fossilized when she took it from his pocket. His gratitude did not last by the time he saw the second photo, so unexpected, he had to glance twice.

His father stood arced slightly behind him, his hands not visible. Lonan knew where they were—one secured around his forehead, the next urging a screwdriver up a stone. Sun scalded the water’s surface, wrinkled it with light. He remembered the song his father whistled as he fried the sunfish on a birch branch, truly less of a song and more of a reminder as he hummed up and down each minor scale, not once stopping to check his work, like he knew better than any instrument.

Lonan plucked the photograph off the line and held it closer. Though he was shaded mostly by his father’s back, he knew they were both in it. He shouldn’t have been surprised when he turned it over to find that same looping signature inked onto the back, smudged, like she’d forgotten to let the ink dry before handling.

It would’ve been easier to think about the second photo’s implications had he not seen the third. He could’ve excused it—a shot taken by a neighbour, though the cabin was remote. A shot that fired itself, the camera discarded on the ground, though it was taken at eye level. A shot signed with familiar initials E.L.K, as if those letters could stand for anything but Eliza Louise Kiang. It would’ve been easier to excuse her presence. To excuse her knowledge of him, to forget she’d ever told him she didn’t know his father had children, that she swore she’d never have been with him had someone informed her. It would’ve been so much easier.

The last photo was not a photo at all, not in the same capacity at least. The ink had gone purplish from the elements but swirled, almost horror-like around the photo’s frame. He could have pretended the white swishes of colour were strands of lace, or the awkward scratch of photo blur. He could’ve pretended to not understand. But there it was. The light funnelling down on the black and white shape so he understood it was not a photograph he looked at, but a child.

I have already shared this line a few times, but it’s my favourite thing I’ve ever written oops!:

When she looked at him, she grinned, and he turned his face to the ceiling where a hole in the roof caved around a branch. The sun’s eye disappeared behind the bullet of the wood, leaving only its outer edges to skirt the sky, a veiling that felt less like an eclipse, and more like evidence of an exit wound.

Obligatory “I’m the grass” shoutout:

“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field,” he says without once reading what’s actually written on the page. “Isaiah.”

“Isaiah was onto something, don’t you think? Poor grass, poor flowers—they all die in the end, but they have their God. They have their saviour. Everything dying except for God and his word.”

Eliza cuts another clump of hair. The fire welcomes its feed with haste.

“What does this have to do with children?”

“Do you feel you’re the God of these women, Lonan? Are you their saviour?”

Lonan shakes his head. “I’m the grass.”

And to finish:

After they eat the fish, Lonan and his father rinse their hands in the lake. This is respect. This is self-ordinance. This is a holy act.

His father stoops farther into the stream than he does, water nipping his knees. The sun has disappeared beyond the horizon, the sky now coloured periwinkle, silvering his hair. The taste of sunfish coddles Lonan’s tongue, oiled and briny with saltwater. They share a bar of orange glycerin soap, its scent cloying, like a rotting fruit basket. His father peels the bar between his palms, scrubbing until his fingers disappear under suds.

That’s it for this update! Hope y’all enjoyed! :) I’ll be back soon to update on chapter 5!

--Rachel

#writing #amwriting #writeblr #writerblr #writingupdates #fostered #mothwork #feedinghabits

28 notes · View notes

shippostshitpost · 5 years ago

Text

“Boyfriend” does my make up challenge part one.

“I need a boyfriend….” Izumi Midoriya mutters more so to herself. The greenette was normally content with her life as it was, but she had made the mistake of looking at the tending makeup challenges. She, like any streamer, wanted to make sure she kept up with what was trending. It just so happened that with Valentine's Day coming up everyone was doing the “my boyfriend does my makeup videos and streams.”

She never really considered dating. Growing up she was the quirkless kid on the playground, the living punching bag. Kaachan may have backed off but that didn’t mean everyone did. So dating never crossed her mind. Then when Kaachan gave her the idea to start her own makeup channel and talk about heroes her life became busy. She would pick a hero, work on a basic analysis or break down a singular fight. She would spend days making sure she had the look planned out and enough allowance if she needed to pick up something. Then one for all entered her life, crash training had dissolved any free time she had left. Attending UA it was only that much worse. No, she never had the time and she didn’t have the time now. She scolded herself for even thinking about it. It couldn’t happen.

And even as she told herself that, she found herself drifting away in her own mind as she watched what had to be her 20th video in a row. Her favorite are the videos with the shy boyfriends. They always seemed anxious and worried, like they truly valued how important make up was to their girlfriend. They would apologize and fidget, even going against the rules of the challenge to check with the product was for. She also enjoyed the joker ones she called them jokers because they seem to make a joke out of everything. They openly admitted it they knew absolutely nothing about makeup and we’re just winging it. She thought it hilarious the ways they would use some of the products. Sometimes it be brow powder as an eyeshadow, and then they would be confused as to why it wasn’t super pigmented. One guy, and she wasn’t sure how this happened, tried to use liquid liner and lipstick. It was the only time his girlfriend said absolutely not. She couldn’t help but imagine if she had a boyfriend like either of those. Given that she herself was pretty shy, she wasn’t sure A shy boyfriend would be a good idea. But she did like the idea of a bold boyfriend with a good sense of humor. She could imagine herself pushing him away as he tried to insist that a product was for one thing when it was for another. The two of them laughing as he reminded her that he knew nothing about makeup. The third category a boyfriend she came across were the ones that seem to know how to do make up. In one video it was a Gothic boyfriend, he was amazing with the eyeliner. She was almost jealous of how well he did, she still couldn’t get her eyeliner to be a sharp as his was.

“...Or a girlfriend…” she sighed, letting her mind jump. Her favorites included, the shy bashful girlfriend who is good at Sweet looks, lots of pinks and soft blues maybe a little bit of purple here in there and a lot of white. And maybe some face jewels, the kind that were stickers you could get at your local crest store. Not the glue on ones, never the glue on ones! She had tried that once and regretted it. She also loved the challenges we’re both girls were doing the others makeup. They will do matching looks based on famous couples or even TV shows they liked. She also had a soft spot for the girlfriend that just couldn’t do makeup. The one who had the more natural look that wore the red flannel, and combat boots. The lumberjack girlfriend. Izumi giggled at the idea but swooned all the same.

She pulled at her bottom lip muttering at several hundred words per minute. Her thin bows were pulled tight together while freckled cheeks were dusted pink, her green hair slightly messy as the curls broke away to do as they pleased. She was completely oblivious to the world around her, and the fact she was in the common room.

1-A was in utter shock. Had she really just said that? Izumi Midoriya wanted a boyfriend? Or girlfriend? She wanted to date? They could hardly believe what they were hearing! It would be a lie to say that none of them had tried. Bless her heart, the green haired girl was a bit dense. She was incredibly intelligent in matters pertaining to heroism. She excelled in strategy, went above and beyond when it came to quirk history, she could tell you anything you wanted to know about any quirk including her own, using this knowledge to try and dominate the battlefield. But when it came to other people, and subsequently romantic interests? She seemed to know nothing or maybe she was just ignoring them? They found it hard to believe that she would brush off their feelings without acknowledging them. And she always seemed worried about hurting people's feelings, no they had decided that she was just oblivious.

But now? This was a complete game changer. The poor girl didn’t realize what silent competition she had set for her classmates. And there wasn’t a single one that wasn’t taking it seriously. While she scrolled away day dreaming the class seemed to be planning.

Tenya Iida of course began devising a strategy. Being that they were close he knew her schedule, her common interests, and when she had free time. After all regardless of romantic attraction he didn’t want to intervene with her personal schedule. And certainly not with her school or training schedule! Though he did have the advantage of being a class representative, meaning he could easily ask for her help on something. What exactly? He wasn’t sure. He also began scrolling through her social media trying to find things she might be excited about they could make great conversational topics. As well as sending a text to his older brother. Izumi was a woman not a girl, he couldn’t expect her to swoon over any position he held nor his family name. No, he would simply have to show her that he was a superior option to the rest of his competition.

Ochaco radiate confidence. Izumi was her best friend, and have been since they started at the prestigious hero school. If anyone knew her it wa Ochaco! She knew it would be effortless to get her attention, she could simply ask for a little help in a class here or there. If there was one thing she knew about the mumbling angel, it was that just by being her friend she could gain the attention she wanted.

Tokoyami began conversing with dark shadow. The two were trying to figure out a strategy to show their little ray of light that the darkness was a safe place to be. Tokoyami was always a little anxious about his power, but he wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to win the girl of his dreams. He could already see them strolling in the moonlight, him dressed in a dark cloak and her in a pure white kimono. The thought alone was enough to motivate him. He would write her poetry, letters, and pay her compliments. Traditional love languages were the most effective.

Mina was already working on a playlist. She and Midoriya enjoy the same music, and it just so happened that a new album had dropped. They could listen to it together Mina would have the opportunity to show her that she could be the fun girlfriend. The girlfriend that she could let loose with.

Momo wondered if she even stood a chance against the others. She was more shy, and really lacked the confidence that Midoriya seem to carry. Then again that wasn’t always a bad thing, after all Momo could be the shy one, and Midoriya could be the outgoing one who had all the confidence. She began to daydream about that dynamic, they would surely be the cutest couple on campus.

Kaminari and Sero had decided to work together. After all, they were both very aware that she was out of their league. But maybe if they could both get her laughing she would choose one of them. They also didn’t mind if she chose both.

Shouto didn’t even bother to think about it. He didn’t want to think of the how, he only thought of what would happen after they got together. Surely if they got married he would take her last name. And they would be the power couple of UA. He would show her how deep his love was, using both of his powers to rise to the top with her. He would be a good husband unlike his father.

Kirishima, well his plan was simple. He was aware of how strong she was, and the fact that she didn’t really need a man to complete her. She wasn’t weak or fragile and had more than once kicked his ass. No his strategy was to show her how well they work together. That they could be an unstoppable team.

While the class plotted, and Izumi watched her video, Katsuki had a moment to reflect. He wasn’t unaware of the intentions of his classmates. He had always known that half-and-half bastard had a thing for her. And it wasn’t hard to figure out that almost everyone else did too. But where did that leave him? He was under no illusions, he had put her through hell and made her life miserable. She didn’t owe him forgiveness and he wasn’t going to ask for it. he wasn’t sure how he felt about her, she was his childhood friend. And he did truly believe that. Regardless of how he felt, he wasn’t going to let anyone in that room just try and waltz into her life. They would have to get through him first.

“Game on extras, may the best man or woman win…” He thought with a smirk. This was going to be fun.

173 notes · View notes

suicidalcatz · 5 years ago

Text

DOG DAYS ARE OVER : CHAP 7

Pairing : Jake Kiszka x reader

Genre : College AU

Previous parts : Prologue ; Chap 1 ; Chap 2 ; Chap 3 ; Chap 4 ; Chap 5 ; Chap 6

Masterlist : here

AN : You’re so gonna hate me for the ending. And the twins are Taurus just like me so I based some of their personality traits after some knowledge I have of our zodiac sign... I’m writing part 10 atm ! Please feel free to message me or tell me what you thought of this part! I can’t say it enough, thanks for the love and support ! Each week I’m more excited to post the new chapter.

Chapitre 7 : Won't you come over ?

Replying to Jake's texts after what had happened felt wrong, but I couldn't leave him on read. Our relationship was great so far and I couldn't sabotage it for a misunderstanding with Josh. What I could do, on the other hand, was talking to Josh. So I started testing the waters when I met Jake in front of the school the next morning. It was the last day we were giving out flyers. The festival was coming soon and then we were all on Christmas holidays so we had to give as much as we could today. It was exhausting but every minute spent with the brunette was worth of everything else.

- Just ask.

We were both quiet before he spoke out of the blue, leaving me confused. Did I think out loud ?

- I can see there's something bothering you, he said without looking at me. Shoot.

With a defeated sigh, I let myself slouch, taking a break from our activity. Jake did the same, sitting on a step and gesturing for me to join him. Not many people wandered outside at this time of the year, and the stone was so cold under my butt I felt a shiver run down my spine. A few more minutes sitting there and it'll get anesthetized. Jake must've caught it because he gently rubbed my back in a vain attempt to keep me warm. I couldn't feel it through all the layers of clothing I had on my back but it felt good nonetheless. His caring attitude always succeeded in making me feel better.

- Have you heard anything from Josh ?, I asked tentatively.

The boy next to me raised his eyebrows in a knowing way before interrupting his back rubs, taking a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket and politely offering me one. He lit his own when I declined his offer, and took his time blowing the smoke in the air before answering me.

- Not after his lunch extravaganza from yesterday.

The choice of words made me wince a bit. He didn't sound as patient as he had been the day before.

- I don't know what got into him, admitted Jake while admiring the park before us. He wouldn't talk to me when I got in our room after school, so we just kept silent. He can be very stubborn and never explains what upsets him, expecting you to guess. I tend to be the same, so I know it'll pass. Don't you worry about it.

Even if Jake's advice was to let it be, it bothered me too much to just wait for things to become less awkward again. Was it really siblings' rivalry ? I couldn't tell. And as much as I understood and respected Josh's choice of not wanting to adress the issue, it wouldn't solve anything at all. I couldn't possibly just sit here and wait for him to come talk to us. What if he did that with every little things we did that upset him ? We had to talk it out.

It was now my time to admire the scenery in front of us. The peacefulness of it calmed me a bit. When all the students were already lining in front of their classrooms, the quiet melody of the wind brushing the trees' leaves accompanying Jake's soft inhaling sounds put me at ease. The singular smell of tobacco didn't threw me off, in fact it mixed weirdly well with Jake's perfume. There was something very him in that mix. Tobacco, shampoo, incense, and something that I could only describe as his scent. Something I'd love to make a scented candle of. Sometimes, after spending entire hours together, I could smell it on my coat, or hair, and at times like these I'd smile to myself thinking how it'd be nice to sleep on his shirt, to bath on his scent.

- Mama are you listening ?

- I'm sorry, what ?

Daydreaming of him when he was just a few inches near made me embarrassed enough for my cheeks to turn pink and my voice to crack a little. As someone who tended to be lost in his thoughts a good portion of the time he didn't take offense in it and got on his feet, repeating the part I missed.

- I said you must be real popular because half of the flyers were taken by the Illustration Department.

Always the polite one, Jake offered his hand to help me get up and I took it this time, enjoying the light squeeze of his fingers under mine as he got me on my feet.

- Not really. But I manage to get along with everybody, curiously so.

- I don't think that is.

The brunette spoke seriously, stuffing his cold hands in his pockets as he lead the way to the nearest entrance. Can't say I was a fan of cryptic messages but I couldn't bring myself to ask him for precisions either. Truth to be told, deep down I understood the subtle praise but acknowledging it would mean falling for him even deeper than I had already. And it scared me.

Nobody came to what Mandy had baptised The Lunch Club today. And it wasn't because of the overly obvious movie reference but simply because the four of us weren't comfortable enough to eat or even hang out together given the current situation. Josh would probably skip it because he was still upset, and getting together without him just didn't feel right. Of all things it would just prove Josh's point, if I had understood it correctly. And I would lie if I said that eating in the dorms wasn't convenient. It had a lot of advantages. First of all, the heater. Comfort. And actual warm food.

Mandy came back from the workshop just as I was making pasta, already exhausted and looking like she didn't have a proper night of sleep in days.

- Are you alright ?

- I'm so tired you have no idea, I worked all week-end to finish a stupid dress.

Poor girl, she couldn't feel her fingertips and her hands were covered in band aids. She sinked into a chair and I patted her on the back to try and bring her a little bit of comfort while she explained everything that I missed over lunch, keeping me updated. We didn't have much time to talk these last few days since we were so busy working on our assignments, and also because I went home for the week end.

- By the way, she said with a mouthful of pasta, How's Jake ?

The death glare I gave her only made her grin grow wider as she set her plate aside. To be fair maybe I owed her an explanation because she got caught in that extremely awkward Kiszka situation last time and she doesn't even know anything about it. Well, she did know a bit of it but we didn't have time to properly gossip yet.

- Well... We text sometimes and he's... I don't even know how to put it into words dude, he's dreamy.

Mandy motionned for me to give her my phone so she could look at our texts and I did. There wasn't anything private in here anyway, just friends chatting. Sometimes getting cocky. Studying her face and biting my lip, I saw her blinking a few times, opening her mouth in false shock, or whistling.

- Oh my, you guys get along, don't you ?

I shook my head in disbelief.

- We do. But there's nothing that interesting-

- Not yet, she cut me with a raised finger. But I can tell you're going there, just be patient. Or maybe be more daring, you know ? Test the waters.

Of course I took note of that. Mandy didn't seem like it but she was of very good advice (most of the time). And she had way more luck with boys that I did. Hell, she even had luck with girls. Being more daring, noted. Jake himself, without being flirty, liked to tease and wasn't afraid to sound over-confident, so being bold wouldn't do me any harm, I guess. I'll show him that two could play this game. But right now, my mind was set on something else.

- Do you know where I can find Josh ? I'd like to talk to him.

Pausing, Mandy squinted her eyes, thinking hard. Every hint was good to take, the school wasn't as big as most campuses, but there was enough students to form a small town.

- Try asking Jake ? He must know, she shrugged. Last time I met him was this saturday night, he was carrying snacks and wandering around the school in his Pjs. Man he must love those cheese balls.

Although the last sentence was more rhetorical than directed to me, it made a lightbulb lit up in my brain. Without any explanation, I put my plate in the sink, excused myself, grabed a coat, my sketchbook, and stormed out of the dorms. Saying that I was running to my destination was a bit of an overstatement, but walking very fast was an accurate description. My coat was halfway wore and hung loosely around my shoulders, allowing the cold air to caress my neck and make my skin tingle. My hair must've looked like a mess because I had tied it while cooking, and don't even get me started on my panting, lungs frozen and cold sweat running down my spine because I hurried like someone was after me. By the time I got to the vending machine near the cafeteria, there wasn't anything I wanted more than to nap right here right now. But at least, I caught Josh on time.

- We need to talk.

Was it the heavy breathing or the way my back fell completely against the candy dispenser, I didn't know, but the boy jumped, letting go of his change in the process.

- Fuck you scared me ! What the hell are you doing, surprising people like that ?

- Trying to chat with my friend.

I kept my eyes on Josh as he knelt to get his money, studying his back tense and his movements stop. The boy let out an audible sigh before raising his head to me, searching for something into my eyes, probably sincerity. He couldn't hold my gaze more than mere seconds before focusing on his candy again, and a wave of panic started hurtling my body, setting in my stomach, tying it in knots.

- I'm sorry.

It wasn't me speaking, it was Josh. The boy nervously scratched his neck, refusing to look at me.

- I shouldn't have snapped at you, it wasn't fair. It's not about siblings rivalry or anything, you know ?, he murmured while idly twiddling his bag of chips. I guess I was feeling a bit left out, got a little jealous...

His voice was barely audible now, and seeing him looking vulnerable and ashamed to admit the truth had my heart tighten.

- I can't ask of you to tell me when you text my brother, I don't have any right to do that, it's just... It was stupid, I...

- Josh, I interrupted. It's okay. I'm sorry too. We should've included you or tell you. It wasn't fair of us, and I don't want you to feel left out.

My hand found its way on his shoulder, and I felt him relax a little under the comforting touch. Maybe he knew I was being honest, because he gave a small nod and a bashful smile, a look I didn't know I'd see on his face one day. It gave me the courage to keep up my momentum.

- You know what ? Why don't you drop by our dorm after school ? We'll chat and have a drink. Just the three of us.

Mandy wasn't bothered at all my our improvised get together, on the contrary. She loved the guy, in a friendly way. We both did. When I texted her this afternoon in the workshop she got so excited she said she'll buy some beer when she got out of her lecture. Josh and I had exchanged numbers too, so all misunderstanding was clarified now, and receiving both of their overly enthusiastic texts got me in the mood too. By the time the teacher said we could pack up, I was already at the door, jumping out of my shoes and tidying the room as much as I could before Josh's visit. He needed the key to enter our building, so Mandy picked him up while I was putting some music, and both were already very loud by the time I heard them climb the stairs, laughing and exchanging jokes while carrying huge bags of booze.

- Do you know it's an honor for you to get invited to our lair ?, said Mandy as she put the beers in the fridge. You're actually the first person we ask to come over.

- Are you serious ?!, Josh inquired, pretending to be shocked. Ladies, it's an immeasurable pleasure to be your first. I'll be worthy of it, I'll behave, and you'll be so amazed by my charming self that you'll keep asking for more afterwards.

The dirty joke made us snort real loud, and even made my cheeks color, as I yelled his name, outraged by his unabashed and salacious humor, looking very proud of himself. It was something Mandy and I often used to question a few weeks ago, his flirty behaviour. And whereas we thought he was a womanizer at first, it turned out that it was just his usual self. Josh was over confident, much to handle, loud, energetic, witty, kinky, and all over the place, but damn was he right. The boy was a delight to be around. We went from cracking jokes, to confessing shameful sexual anecdotes, to having passionate conversations about the meaning of life, all the while drinking, and it was amazing and fascinating. The more time passed, the more I was sure we were gonna be long time friends, and it filled me with an indescriptible sense of bliss.

- If you’ll excuse me ladies, I have to go to the bathroom, could any of you show me the way ?

Mandy got up to accompany him to the hallway where the public toilets were, and I took the opportunity to clean the mess we made on the kitchen, putting beer cans in a plastic bag and carrying it outside, with the rest of the dorms' trash. Living in the dorms wasn't exactly what you'd call quiet, since everybody invited everybody to stay for the night, have a movie, sex, or booze. What was great, on the other hand, was all the freedom we had. We were all 18 or above, so the school let us be, not being bothered by boys and girls mixing, or what we did in here, only sending a supervisor once in a while to check for any drugs or broken stuff. In times like these... we all were in trouble. Like a shitload of trouble. It happened a few times, of course, but most of it we behaved, only throwing some parties once in a while.

I put the trash in front of the building, then got back inside, gradually hearing their loud voices giggling maniacally the more stairs I climbed. They probably had way more drinks than necessary and didn't even bother closing the door to our room, voices so heavy I could hear them clearly one floor below.

- Come on, you're telling me you girls are single ? Can't believe it.

- Do you really think we have time ?, replied Mandy incredulously. Besides, she's more into long-haired, most-of-the-time-disconnected-from-reality brunettes.

Okay. This wasn't smelling good. I had a really bad feeling about this conversation. I didn't want to believe it, but deep down I just knew where this was going. Adrenaline rushed through me when I heard Josh's confused voice so out of it he didn't understand why Mandy was being so precise, and it was even worse when I couldn't hear them at all. My shaky legs ran, leading up the stairs, nearly tripping over at the last step and turning right to enter the dorm, not even taking the time to close the already ajar door behind me. They weren't in the kitchen. Why weren't they in the kitchen ? I heard noises and a low admirative whistle in the other room, where our shared bedroom was. Oh no, no no no no no no.

- Mama you've got some real talent, said Josh while glaring at something.

Lump in my throat, I took a step forward to see what he was intently staring at, only to discover a huge painted canvas of Jake's face. My heart skipped a beat, my eyes went wide. Mouth agape, I could feel all the color leaving my face, only able to stay frozen in place, watching our guest trace the outlines of his brother's long hair on the canvas with his fingers, admiring every bump of paint, every detail of the portrait I made. Never have I been so ashamed in this moment. All I wanted was to disappear, to go far, far away. There was no way he couldn't recognize his own twin. My brain, in a last attempt to save my dignity, did the only logical think it could think of at the moment. Lie.

- Why, thank you sir, it was a lot of work. Wasn't too pleased about forgetting all my magazine pictures at home, I had to use what was left. Unfortunately, a selfie of Jake. We should avoid telling him, by the way, he'll get too cocky.

It physically hurt, lying like that. First because I was keeping this secret from Josh, and second because it wasn't true. Jake would never be my last choice, ever. And speaking foolishly about him even if he wasn't here made me feel bad. It was bullshit. It wasn't a lot of work, and I didn't have a picture to look at. All of this, I painted it using my memory, only closing my eyes and remembering the glimpses I captured of him, relishing the memories... But even if it felt wrong to lie, I just couldn't tell him the truth. It was fucking creepy, he'd probably freak out or worse, tell Jake about it. Mandy must've realized her mistake because she went very silent and didn't dare contradict me when I gave Josh that false explanation. With a bit of luck, Josh won't even remember it tomorrow.

#gvf fic #gvf x reader #gvf imagine #gvf fanfic #jake kizka x reader #jake kiszka fic #jake kiszka imagine #josh kiszka fic #jake kiszka #greta van fleet fic #greta van fleet imagine #greta van fleet

43 notes · View notes

xexilia · 5 years ago

Note

I notice when you do your comics, it applies a certain level of toner. I ended up deciding on the route of using paint brush india ink, and charcoal for toner instead. Does this aesthetic difference change the marketability of graphic novel, compared to just using toner? In the context of the prologue in this web comic, it is used to denote a fog atmosphere. In the upcoming chapter, I might use it for graveyard fog.

I think first I need to establish that what you mean by “toner” is “shading”?

I do use tones, but tonER is the stuff used in and by physical printers. Print tones refer to the dots, lines, etc. that are present in the majority of my work and that Roy Lichtenstein emulated in his paintings. Tones are dots because that’s how printers print; Thousands of dots. The closer together, the more solid the shade or color is. I’m not trying to correct you on terms, but knowing this difference will help you later because I promise, if you buy toner online and expect to get tones, you’ll be disappointed by what arrives in the mail!

So, I think you’re falling into a common trap webcomic artists make in the beginning, which is focusing on the wrong parts of the project. You asked me if this changes marketability; But you didn’t tell me:

What medium do you want to publish in? Do you want to ONLY have your comics online, or do you want to print them?

Who is your target audience and age group?

Do you want to sell or profit off your webcomic?

The first question is important because far too often, webcomic artists design for the web/screens first, foremost, and only; Later, they decide to print a book, and this is when all hell breaks loose. Lots of media (Charcole, watercolors, etc.—media is the art term for materials) can look both better OR WORSE on a screen—this is where technology comes into play, like the scanner you have, the DPI (dots per inch) its able to scan things in at, and the size of scannable area. A lot of my favorite media and mediums (I like pencil on paper), are really delicate drawings—and like a lot of artists who favor these materials, scanners just never seem to do them justice. Lots of fine artists I talk to admit that they feel their work looks best in person, and no matter how high the quality scanner, small, delicate details get lost. Part of it can be a cheap scanner, the wrong DPI setting, but the other part can be the wrong medium (That’s the term for things like canvas or paper), or the wrong SIZE medium.

Size matters; Both in terms of the scanner surface area AND the size of your medium. A lot of people (And I did this myself for a lot of the first book), work on standard size paper—8.5 by 11 inches; But professional artists, print or not, are always better off to work at a LARGER size than the end result will be. When I printed my book, I didn’t come out too terribly for the size I worked in, because manga book page sizes are smaller than their American counter parts. I also knew I planned to print from the first page onward, so everything was designed for print first and web second—this is much easier and less time consuming to do than the reverse, because a lot of print errors can occur that don’t appear on screens—and literally can’t—and can take hours, days, weeks or more to fix, depending on how bad and common the issue is and how many of your pages have this problem. A big one is called moire, which DOES NOT show up on screens; This happens when an artist applies on tone directly over another. Because most of us work digitally these days, it’s even easier for artists to start doing this and not realize the consequence until you print a book. . .and discover all places where tones overlap create this weird square pattern within them—which is called moire. This is why it’s critical to use separate tones for different shades and such, because unlike solid color printing, you cannot overlay tones like you would layers in Photoshop or other such programs. Ignore this at your peril!

My first suggestion before you go to far is; Of you want to ever, EVER print this, print out a copy of a page at home. Even if you’re happy with it, consider how you may be printing or mass producing these things; If you’re going to make them via a copier at Kinko’s, take a page down to a copier at Kinko’s and see what quality you get. If you don’t like it at full size to the ratio you worked in (In other words, printing on the same size paper you created it on), you can get some improvement by using smaller pages—but going UP in page size will cause quality to drop. I now work on paper—digital or not—that’s always 11 by 17 inches AT LEAST. For anything I make, I try to work in a size 3 to 4 times larger than the end result will be.

When I first began, I made my comics with a copier at Kinko’s, and discovered while my ink wash method looked good, it looked better with color printing; Color printing is ALWAYS more expensive, hence why when digital comic creation tools (Like Clip Studio) got invented, I was an instant convert! It saved a lot of time and money (Tones and such are all expensive), the environment (No trees died for my drawings), effort (Tones are REALLY tricky to work with by hand), and it’s no wonder that manga artists now are nearly ALL working digitally.

Also, for the disabled (Like me), digital allows us to work from beds, at home, etc. instead of in front of a desk, all hunched over. I don’t accidentally smudge ink, my cat doesn’t drink my ink (Yes, it’s a thing cats do!), and if I mess up, the power of Undo/Redo/Copy/Paste/Transform CANNOT be understated. I’ve mentioned it before, but I believe in working smarter, NOT harder. This is why I draw out a lot of backgrounds (Which you can’t see on the free copies online, but you can if you buy a physical copy or the Amazon eBook), separately, and I can just drag and drop them around as I need. That way, I can focus on drawing the characters and not on drawing a giant cathedral for every damn appearance it makes or scene change I do.

As for marketability; A lot of this depends on your target audience and age group. Even so, people tend to grow to like something even if it may be atypical of the general stuff they like. I’m generally not a fan of shoujo-ai—but many of my favorite anime and manga ARE in this genre! Turns out, if the story is good, I don’t care about the sexuality of the characters!

A lot of people expect or want color comics these days though, which is odd to me, since the manga produced in Japan is in black and white (Color printing is expensive—even for a major publishing company!) People still read it, and those who expect an artist to make a free webcomic with color pages and update several times a week or month aren’t aware of the time, effort, or consequences. Generally; No, they will NOT buy a book they’ve read for free online (As much as people love to say to support us creators, they rarely actually do), and they damn sure won’t pay for the extra cost of color printing. If you want to see the difference, check out Ka-Blam comic printers and do a price comparison between printing pages in color versus black and white.

Yes, there are people who do a Kickstarter and such and get these funds up front; They are exceptions, not the rules. Consider them—and most artists who make comics or art they make of their own choosing (Not commissions, but only originals), the same as you might someone who plays a sport and decides that they are GOING to play professionally for some orginazation or team—which is, they are counting on being in this LESS THAN 1% of their field. Yes, some people pull it off; The vast majority don’t—and skill isn’t the biggest factor in the end. Just like an athlete with all the promise in the world can have their career ended before it’s begun by an injury that never heals right, art itself is a career path with MANY hidden pitfalls and problems—and health is a major one. Too many of us don’t eat right, don’t exercise our bodies and minds, and so on; It adds up. I personally really recommend a diet with a caloric/carb intake ratio that works within your activity levels; In other words, if you’re determined not to work out (Which—don’t make this mistake), you can’t eat as much as you’d like—not only will you gain weight, but it impacts your health health, your blood sugar—it can be a recipe for an early, but preventable, grave or a LOT of suffering that could be avoided. I try to jog at least two miles a day, meditate daily, and really put my health as the main focus in my life—even before my art. I can’t draw anything or write more stories if I’m dead, after all, and I can’t produce my best work if I’m not in the best condition I can manage. With an autoimmune disease, there’s only so much I can do or control and I’m often still very sick and in a lot of pain; But I still do all I can to run or walk two miles—at least, and even if it takes me an hour or more—and to keep my heart rate at 120 beats per min. when I do. There’s a lot of days where this is about the ONLY thing I can manage and where my pain is so bad I cry and cry—because right now I don’t have a lot of means of relief; This doesn’t happen to everyone, but it means that health—no matter what you do in life—can make or break you at times. Audiences aren’t always understanding of these circumstances and yes, ones career can dry up as a result. Just because someone manages to play for the sports team of their dreams doesn’t mean their health can’t or won’t turn on them, or a serious injury will end their career; We do not live in a world where people will continue to support you because of a series of or singular unfortunate event.

This brings me to the last point, which is if you plan to sell or profit off your work; We all want to, but often making sales can come at the cost of producing something that we, as the creators, really love or are passionate about. I decided from the jump that, while profiting was nice, I’d much rather make the title I wanted to make rather than the one that sells the most copies; If I were concerned with it, trust me, Eternity Concepts would be a wildly different story, with different art, etc. I’d have written a formulaic story that was entirely predictable and changed so many aspects, you’d never recognize it; Manga fans tend to be teens, so I’d have made the cast all teenagers! It’d be set in school! Someone might magically transform to fight evil or some such thing.

I didn’t want that; If you do, there’s no shame in that, but audiences will keep buying and reading what we keep producing, and if we’re too afraid to take a risk on a chance that our story won’t make a dime—because making a dime is the most important part for you—then we can’t be surprised when it’s what people keep buying—because we aren’t even attempting to sell anything else.

Publishing houses (With novels and such) can be really guilty of pushing for changes based on market research; The thing is, the research is often based off past sales of what’s already in the market. Plenty of novels that became classics and best sellers got rejected for years and years until a publishing company was willing to take a chance and discovered that people can, will, and do enjoy new and different things. They might also do market focus group testing—but these are small sample sizes of average people—and your audience may NOT be average people.

All creative pursuits involve risks, at the end of the day; You just have to decide what rewards you want or are willing to sacrifice if you take them.

As for aesthetics, there’s no accounting for taste and I’ve seen plenty of paintings I hated sell for insane amounts of money, plenty of art styles I hated become popular titles, etc.

I will say this; When I, PERSONALLY, see a comic with tones or color, usually that’s digitally produced (It cuts out the need for a scanner!), it looks to me like it’s professionally made—by someone who is on their way or already at such a level.

While a lot of newer artists try to make do with other materials, again, the world is not a kind place and making do is just that—making do. Yes, there are a million and one reasons why one can’t get their hands on better or more professional materials—but sadly, people don’t want to hear excuses, and many successful artists got their tools by working jobs they hated, saving up, living in their cars—making major sacrifices to get to where they are now. There’s no easy road or shortcuts to the end; Yes, I do, sadly, think the mixed media approach you’re trying won’t be favorable towards your marketability—but I could always be wrong (Look at how many MS Paint comics made it big!) There’s a first time for everything.

Comics, though, is also about production speed, and traditional materials can come at the cost of working quicker. I’m a big fan of suggesting people save and wait and invest (And it IS an investment) in serious materials and tools if they wish to be seen and taken as seriously; This means making sacrifices and at the end of the day, plenty of people still won’t like what you make, no matter what tools you have or plot you employ. The person who NEEDS to like it most? . . .Is only you.

You cannot please all of the people all of the time, and the faster you accept that, the happier you’ll be with what you make.

1 note · View note

sugar-petals · 6 years ago

Text

♡ How BTS Would Eat You Out

a/n: a ‘head’canon — literally 😉

warnings ⚠️ graphic smut, dom/sub dynamics, femdom, voyeurism, period sex, face-riding, hair-pulling

Although, it won’t feel like a chore because it’s all spontaneous. Doesn’t tend to be sloppy, his tongue movements are quite precise and use mostly... tip. Delicious. It’s a rapper thing, but also very Namjoon. Most likely to eat you out on your period cause since his MVs we all know he likes a little freaky shit. Believes that if he doesn’t do all the work, his duty is not fulfilled and he has to start from the beginning. Well, why not, actually.

#sub!bts #bts imagines #bts x reader #bts smut #bts headcanon #bts in bed #bts #bangtan #bts scenario #bts imagine #jimin smut #taehyung smut #jin smut #yoongi smut #jhope smut #namjoon smut #jungkook smut #bts scenarios #bts reactions

1K notes · View notes

moonlitgleek · 6 years ago

Note

I would love to hear your thoughts about Fire and Blood when you finish it! (Or not even when you finish it, just whenever, cuz you're amazing!) 💕

I have the best friends in the world! Love and hugs, lady.

I am halfway through and I intend to go back and reread each chapter once I finish since I keep blowing through pages because I want to know all the things, which is not very good for proper processing. But a few of the things that jumped at me so far:

(spoilers for Fire and Blood volume 1 under the cut)

1. Gyldayn seems more rambly and prone to ponder sexual scandals than Yandel. He spent waaaay too much time talking about that, and while sexuality is at the heart of some conflicts, the way he went on about the story of Coryanne Wylde and the sordid details of how she was “examined” really undermines his position as a historian and makes me overly iffy on him. Also, there are private conversations between Jaehaerys and Alysanne that I’d really like to know his source on.

2. Speaking of authors, what the actual fuck George? You’d think that in a book that goes so into detail about unconfirmed scandals he’d have the room to expand on someone like, idk, Argella Durrandon? He had the chance to make her story a bit better but he not only did he uphold her forceful loss of voice being the last we hear of her, he compounded the matter by also having Marla Sunderland’s tongue removed before she was packed off to the Silent Sisters. Literal stripping of women’s voices for defiance, by their own men no less, when it’s so unnecessary and so singular in its gendered use in the plot infuriates me. There is a lot of overlap between gender and silencing of voice in this (Argella, Marla, Ceryse Hightower, Rhaena Targaryen). UGH.

3. On the topic of women, Torrhen Stark’s daughter not only does not have a name, she is completely unmentioned in Jonos Arryn’s rebellion, nor by her nephew (?) Alaric with either Alysanne or Jaehaerys. Looks a bit peculiar since Alaric obviously brooded on the consequences of Targaryen decision for his family in the case of Jaehaerys and those he sent to the Wall, so is there any particular reason Torrhen’s daughter goes completely unmentioned even when the topic of marriage was raised and southern matches brought up, George?

4. Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys are outright referred to as the three heads of the dragon. It’s no longer symbolic or understood but an explicit connection. That’s way too obvious for me to buy that Rhaegar’s Aegon and Rhaenys don’t point straight to a recreation of the Conquest Trio.

5. The war of escalating atrocities between Dorne and the Targaryens is terrible but I feel like there is a conscious effort to make the Targaryens seem better somewhat? The mention of them trying to negotiate at this point before actually utilizing dragonflame is weird because it is not consistent with anything in the Conquest. I don’t know what to do with that part.

6. The First Dornish War makes Daeron I’s folly in the conquest more obvious. Dornish terrain is as much an element to conquer as Dornish people and it costs a lot to manage it. Keeping conquered Dornish ground is bloody hard even with dragons. Daeron even leaves a Tyrell in charge just like Aegon.

7. Is it just me or does the Targaryen succession look weird in early days? Jaehaerys is referred to as the rightful heir by all rights then a few pages later it’s nope, Aerea is then suddenly we’re talking about Rhaena’s claim even though every reference to Targaryen succession before that points to a male-preference primogeniture. Alysanne takes issue with Jaehaerys treating Aemon as his heir over Daenerys even though Jaehaerys’ accession is tarnished based on that principle. There is a distinct vibe of seeing the son of Rhaenys the Queen Who Never Was as the expected heir of Aemon rather than Rhaenys herself (though this could partly because Princess Rhaenys and Lord Corlys wanted to put forward a potential male heir to offset Baelon being seen as the natural successor - since when was Baelon seen as the natural successor though? That apparently wasn’t only Jaehaerys’ sentiment so was that a popular view while Aemon lived or a reaction to Baelon avenging Aemon? Was Aemon aware and that’s why he made a comment to Rhaenys about liking a grandson, or was that regular era preference of male heirs?). Main takeaway though is that Jaehaerys passing over Rhaenys had nothing with extant competing claims but was about regarding Baelon as a natural successor for his gender, age and prowess. Jaehaerys pretty much didn’t even consider Rhaenys. Headdesk. You’re killing me, man.

8. I feel like the characters of Rhaena Targaryen and Alyssa Velaryon are being walked back. The point where apparently Septon Barth comments that Alyssa undoubtedly wanted to do the right thing but didn’t know what that was flies in the face of her previously established actions. I don’t like how she was taken down from an active and conscious political player, to a confused and almost secondary player next to Rogar (much preferred him when he was Robar, both the name and the person) till their final tiff, to a womb and another casualty of childbirth with the emphasis being on her children. Rhaena may have called out the latter but the whole thing feels like a punishment for Alyssa for first opposing Jaehaerys and Alysanne then opposing Rogar. As for Rhaena, she swings between political sacrifice for the greater good to treating Jaehaerys and Alysanne with contempt for it. Resentment is perfectly normal and understandable but Rhaena surpasses that. She is purposely cast in an unfavorable light and her sexuality is strongly used to frame it.

9. There is a bit of exoneration after the fact to Jaehaerys sentencing most of Maegor’s Kingsguard to the Wall on contradicting arguments. I get his point about oathbreaking but punishing those who deserted Maegor because they didn’t uphold their vows to protect hum while also punishing those who didn’t desert him for defending and enabling a murderous usurper is extremely contradictory. That the two knights who deserted Maegor then deserted the Night’s Watch and a caused a conflict that claimed the life of Walton Stark neatly brushes this quandary off because it demonstrates that Jaehaerys was right.

10. I love how Septon Barth and Alysanne often work as a team in pushing Jaehaerys towards one policy or another. On more than one occasion, one of them makes the argument and the other comes with the definitive final strike. I love the women’s court and Alysanne’s Laws though I think there is a certain vagueness in the way Jaehaerys codified inheritance in the Widow’s Law. I’m still midway through Viserys I’s tenure though so I don’t know if this will be raised in any sort of legal argument for the Dance but it’s a non-issue so far.

11. I hate how Daella Targaryen was written. I hate how we keep adding names to the “death by childbirth” list. I hate how the child brides keep getting ignored. This is too conspicuous in the case of Daella and her daughter Aemma Arryn. Queen Alysanne held herself and especially Jaehaerys to blame for Daella’s death because she felt that, at 16-17, they wed her too early and that contributed to her death in childbed. But it’s treated like a non-issue that Aemma married Viserys at 11 and was bedded at 13.

12. I’m indescribably charmed by how Baelon the Brave got his epithet by booping a dragon on the nose. Also, the relationship between Aemon and Baelon, and Baelon and Alyssa. Too bad we can’t have nice things.

13. I already lost my shit over this in DMs with you but still, Aerea Targaryen! Aerea Targaryen! Oh my god. I was equally horrified and fascinated. A speculated trip to Valyria that resulted in the princess’ body being inhabited by “worms with faces” or “snakes with hands” made of fire and heat that cooked her body from the inside. This surpasses Valyria being a thin place or geophysically unstable. This means there is a Lovecraftian horror capable of using human bodies (and non-human bodies, Balerion was wounded as well but dragons are fire made flesh so that probably protected him) as vessels to… spread? Take over? Turn people into dragonic/fire abominations? Also, also, is that take over possible for anyone or is whatever is dormant in Targaryen DNA that tends to emerge with the use of magic in the form of babies with dragon-like qualities (though it appeared in non-magical cases) makes them more susceptible?

COMPARE TO THE OTHERS. A Lovecraftian horror made of ice and another made of fire. Blood magic probably behind the creation (calling?) of both. We still don’t know how the Others came to be and there has been legitimate rebuttals to the show’s version of their creations BUT I think what could be taken from the show is the suggestion that this is blood magic gone wrong.Both take over human bodies though differently (is this linked to living bodies being warm and dead ones growing cold? Is that why the fire-based monstrosity manifests in living creatures while the Others trades in dead bodies? The things beneath Aerea’s skin burst out either when they felt the cold of the ice bath the maesters put her in or when she suffered cardiac arrest and died. Either way it’s connected to cold) The cosmic balance between ice and fire has deeper roots….. now I’m really curious as to the nature of the magic of the Wall that keeps ice and fire firmly separated.

14. We are slowly building a succession history for the Starks: Torrhen Stark -> son (?) Brandon -> son Walton -> brother Alaric -> grandson Edric -> Ellard of undetermined relation. That’s how as far as I got in the book but that’s too far from the Benjen Stark that starts the Stark family tree in TWOIAF. Cregan Stark was already Lord of Winterfell by 129 so that’s a period of 28 years between that and the Great Council that also fits the aforementioned Benjen and his son Rickon, Cregan’s father and grandfather.

15. I’m so not a fan of the art in this book. It ranges from blatantly inaccurate (Aemond and Luke during the Dance, SIGH), to exaggerated (Elinor Costayne is weird in that art with Maegor. Also, did she wait to react till she climbed the entire Iron Throne? And Jaehaerys was cool and measured in his response to Maegor’s supporters after landing in the Red Keep. WHY does he look like he is yelling in the art?) to weird (Which of the Black Brides is dressed like a septa and why? Why does Jaehaerys look like all of 8 at his coronation when he was actually 14?). Perhaps that’s a bit nitpicky but I’m not impressed tbh.

16. GRRM overdid it with Jaehaerys’ reign imo. There is writing conflict because peace and prosperity is dull to write, and there is cramming every possible conflict under the sun in the story. Was there anything missing? I count family drama, political intrigues, succession questions, plague, policy changes, financial crisis, winter, and mini-rebellions. He reigned for a long time so I get it but at one point it was one conflict after another that I’m having trouble reconciling what I read with previous descriptions of Jaehaerys’ reign.

17. There is a lot to talk about with Jaehaerys and Alysanne but I want to get the timeline straight and give it some more thought. But I will say that as delighted as I am with all the women in Alysanne’s story and with Jaehaerys and Alysanne’s relationship reflected in policy, it’s monumentally disappointing to read about his relationship with his daughters. There was an underlining gentleness in how he treated his mother Alyssa and Rhaena that was sorely missing with some of his daughters. I came out of this part feeling really off and unsettled. And sad. So very sad. WTF, Jaehaerys. Just WTF.

That’s my preliminary thoughts on the first half of the book. It’s mostly feelings with a side of unsubstantiated and unresearched spiraling. Politics, worldbuilding and themes tend to appear on later reads.

(Edit: part two is here)

#joannalannister #ask box #fire and blood #fire and blood spoilers #fire and blood volume 1 #asoiaf #asoiaf speculation #asoiaf criticism #jaehaerys i targaryen #alysanne targaryen #aerea targaryen #rhaena targayen #alyssa velaryon

41 notes · View notes

incandescent-creativity · 6 years ago

Text

My Fae Worldbuilding, Pt 1

For my fantasy series entitled The TREE Series

Previous Worldbuilding Posts: One / Two / Three / Four

Okay, first I’m going to outline the concept I originally came up with for my fae, and then I’m going to go into the details lovely Tumblr users like yourself were interested in!

There was a lot to cover, so this post is really long, but I’m happy with it. Glad to have everything in one place, because before this, I didn’t have anything!

The number one thing you need to know about fae is that there are four main tribes, clans, groups, whatever you call them. They are the Midnight, the Dawn/Morning, the Day, and the Dusk/Evening clans of fae.

They differ in a few ways that I’ll get into, but there are a few similarities between all faeries:

First of all: a singular entity is referred to as a fae, multiple are faeries

General appearance: tiny humans. delicate limbs, usually short hair, a pair of wings with hypnotic patterns. (more on that later)

Faeries are beings of magic, but their magic is so concentrated in tiny bodies that it manifests as a sort of glitter. It glows with magic, and is the origin behind the soft glow that happens when they fly and the myth of pixie dust.

Lifespan: about two years. They take the first year to mature, and then they are adults at the end of that year. They spend that year partying and building up to the Fae Flights...

Fae Flights are mating rituals that happen at significant points in the year. Equinoxes, solstices, eclipses, full moons. There are... a lot of them.

Fae Wings and their Patterns

@ratracechronicler and @owlsofstarlight asked about wings, so...

Yes, faeries have wings and yes they can fly! My faeries have wings that are rounded on the top and tapered at the point, sort of like this but with a sharper edge on the bottom.

They’re pretty large, considering the tiny skinny faeries. When they fold, they don’t fold up completely against their back or body like birds; instead, they fold up thin and the edges often brush on the ground.

Fae wings are always glittery and covered in the magic dust I mentioned earlier. They are always holographic and shimmery in terms of color, though the colors themselves depend on the clan. Darker, cooler colors in the night and dusk clans, and warmer, lighter colors in the day/dawn clans.

The patterns are often spirals and swirls, and glow with magic during Fae Flights. The patterns in general are hypnotizing to humans, so you have to make sure you don’t look too closely or stare too long. But they’re also used during the Flights, to attract mates that will be good matches.

Social Customs and Setup

Suggested by @writing-at-dusk @elliebrie (and an anon!)

There are elders that are in charge of each clan. Nobody knows why the elders live longer than regular fae, but they live for a decade as opposed to a couple years. Elders are the ones that fae go to with their problems first; if the elders can’t solve it, elder and upset fae both go to TREE. Elders don’t have any notable magic, they’re just like regular faeries, but they live longer.

A typical family can consist of two or three adult fae, who are the most likely to stick together. Their parental role consists mostly of raising a young fae until the child can fly. This usually takes about two to four months. During this time, it is the parent’s job to care for the child’s health and teach them to fly.

I’m throwing @msmeaghanrey‘s question about the fae’s approach to gender here: They don’t adhere to the Western binary, no, but as of tonight I’m not sure what they do adhere to. My hesitant answer is that there are generally four accepted categories: female, male, both, and neither.

But there are of course those individual fae that fluctuate and are fluid, too.

Faeries Relationship with TREE

Thank you @no-url-ideas-tho for the questions!

In general, a fae’s opinion on humans is just that: an opinion. It differs from individual to individual. On the whole, they tend to respect the fact that humans can cause great harm, despite the occasional kind one among them.

This general trend of “try and keep a healthy distance” is definitely a more recent thing. Faeries used to have more lands and be more plentiful than they are now. This is almost completely caused by humans encroaching on their land, like deforestation almost.

Faeries used to be more active and more open to contact with humans, which is why fae rings used to be a thing. Unfortunately, most of those sites have been destroyed now. Which sucks, because they were the sites for the Fae Flights. Since that time, the faeries have had to sort of improvise where they hold those rituals.

The only reason the fae have not declared outright aggression on humans is because they believe that TREE truly wants to help. And if the humans of TREE want to and can help, then perhaps there is still a reason to hold back.

As for the other fantasy creatures in this universe, the faeries are pretty respectful. They kind of recognize that the magical beings need to stick together in this day and age. They're not above pulling some magical pranks or causing some mischief, but they're always harmless.

And I think that does it for this post! Part Two tomorrow ! That post will be on the differences between the four fae clans :D

Final tags are @homesteadhorner @post-productivity @halfbloodlycan and @idreamonpaper for this!

#my worldbuilding #inspo: faerie #oh god what else #tree series

51 notes · View notes

carina-debayle · 8 years ago

Photo

Immortal Flames vs. House De’bayle: Part II

Log Date: 1/31/17

OOC Note: The text in these logs are strictly for the readers enjoyment. Anyone using the knowledge displayed within this text without the participants knowledge risks the potential of blacklisting from future communication and roleplay. Please do not meta-game!

Tags: @halone-from-the-otherside

After Claire retired for the evening, new idea’s in mind for her brooch, it seemed others did not share quite the same enthusiasm as I had. Noticing Armont’s brooding mood, he finally spoke up on his heavy heart…

Armont De'bayle took in a deep breath before slouching into the couch “It would seem mine life is built for fighting Dragons, and not much more.” He sighed out, closing his eyes in thought.

Carina Roussos stands up from her seat in the kitchen, moving around to rest a hand to the man’s arm. “Armont… that isn’t true. There were so many things to consider during these spars. They were far heavier in armour compared to you, and you were unable to use your aether, something crucial for a Dragoon.”

Armont De'bayle looked to Carina with a pained expression, though was quickly removed with another deep breath. “A spear can only play in your advantage with distance between the holder and his foe. Once that gap is bridged ones life is forfeit. I must rely on Aether to best those whom I fight against, but that is not natural strength.” He gritted his teeth. “I have a style of fighting far different then most have seen or heard, but it is one that depends on Aether heavily.”

Carina Roussos hums out some, rubbing a hand to her husband’s arm, “perhaps you should expand your arsenal? Pick up more weapons?”

Armont De'bayle wiped a hand over his face. “I need to… sooner than later. Of all the weapons I am trained to use, none are as agile as a spear when flight comes into play, but none are as crippling.”

Carina Roussos: “Training yourself in other forms of combat will benefit you greatly,” Carina sat down beside him, resting a supportive hand to his knee, “what did you have in mind?”

Armont De'bayle: “I simply do not know. Perhaps the bow, but it is the same as the spear… I feel as if the sword and shield would best suite me. Would still be able to leap as I normally do, but not to its normal duration.”

Carina Roussos: “I mean there are no limitations to what you are able to learn Armont. I think you may benefit just yet from perhaps doing both? I have some training with a sword and shield so I can practice with you.”

Armont De'bayle: “All of the De'bayles are trained to wield all weapons that Ishgard had to offer at the time, but it has been some time since I last held it for practice or combat.” He let out a huff of air from his nose, calming down some as he looked to his wife. “I would appreciate that. Denz’s win or loss, you are still the victor and best combatant our House has.”

Carina Roussos smiles gently, “and you are strong in your art, but perhaps it is time to expand. I think perhaps when we visit Hito, that he can help you as well.”

Armont De'bayle: “I think our visit to him is long overdue. Aye.”

Carina Roussos: “Soon… I just…” Carina purses her lips, shaking off the thought, “maybe he can teach you to be a Samurai?”

Armont De'bayle canted his head to the side in question. “Samurai? What is that?” He asked curiously.

Carina Roussos clasps her hands together, “well… where he is from, they wield these long swords known as katanas. I am also certain they reside from the Far East. A very disciplined teaching, Hito is quite set on his teachings.”

Armont De'bayle: “A long sword? A single sword?” he tapped a finger to his chin. “I assume they are agile yes? Holding a singular sword without a shield sounds like a nimble art. You said these teachings also exist in our realm, to the far east. I wonder if Shirayuri or even your father would have further information on the art and history.” He chuckled, looking to Carina before placing a hand on her lap. “You are Doman too, so I would take your word over theirs.”

Carina Roussos: “They may, I know the world of Vana'diel and the world of Eorzea are not quite so different. There are even Dragoons there.”

Armont De'bayle reached forward to fill Carina’s cup of tea before pouring himself a small cup. Taking a small pull from it, he’d look back to her eyes. “Tell me more about ‘Vana'diel’? I know you have mentioned there are similar races, but are there any that are not in ours? You must understand that the thought of another world is enough to drive someone mad, but I am curious to hear more from it.”

Carina Roussos smiles some, “even talking about it to someone who has never seen it, who could not comprehend it, could drive someone to insanity. The Au Ra do not exist there, female Roe’s do not exist there, male Miqo'te are like myths. Slaves to the females. It is… interesting, to say the least. How similar and yet how different our worlds are.”

Armont De'bayle squeezed her leg playfully with a cheerful toothy smile. “You have not brought me to insanity yet. Maybe you have beat that out of me?” He winked, bringing a finger out to poke her nose softly. “What are your plans for tomorrow? Or rather, what is on your agenda, my lady.”

Carina Roussos: “Maybe you’re already there and you have yet to realize it!” she smirked, reaching over to give his nose a gentle flick back, “I am not quite sure yet. Plenty of work I am sure, why did you have something in mind?”

Armont De'bayle: “I say we should pay Jancis a visit, if that is not in the realm of possibilities, then we shall venture out into the Shroud with swords in hand.” He smirked, brushing his tickled nose some. “Do you prefer Lady De'bayle or shall I refer to you as my mentor?”

Carina Roussos: “From you? I quite like 'Carina’…” she smiles some, glancing into his eye, “I would like to visit Jancis… she has often taken care of me when I needed her, I wish to do the same. As for venturing into the Shroud, we will see how much daylight is left to spare for such an expedition, hm?”

Armont De'bayle: “I suppose so! And I admit, I do like Carina a lot.” He chuckled… mostly to himself. “I know we just gave Denz a basket, but we should come with soup for her. Hestia should come too. She does like tending to others just as her mother does.”

Carina Roussos: “Soup might be nice, or sweets! I know she likes sweets…. Hestia has drawn her plenty of her pictures.”

Armont De'bayle: “We could bring both. Something savory, and sweet. Hestia can drown her in toys as well. 'It help’.”

Carina Roussos: “It does help! I can vouch for this, I feel far more comfy with all of her stuffed toys snuggling me,” Carina laughs.

Armont De'bayle: “Did you feel better after drinking the medicine you had prepared?”

Carina Roussos shrugs, “considering how many times I have been sick in my life, it certainly wasn’t the first time. And I doubt it will be the last,” she smiles.

Armont De'bayle: “It has been long since I have last been sick… though if we are venturing out to Ala Mhigo, I might contract something there. Dust and dry heat have never been allies of mine…”

Carina Roussos: “Potentially, new and foreign lands with foreign germs tend to do that. I will have to be ready to prepare medicine when there…” she murmurs out, tapping a finger to her lip before blinking toward him, “are you anticipating travelling to Ala Mhigo?”

Armont De'bayle: “I feel as ifwe will be forced to if this war is ignited. We cannot simply hold ground. As a whole we must push those who oppose us, less we wish to be trampled by them.”

Carina Roussos nods, “I would have to agree… unfortunately. Hopefully this venture into new land doesn’t prove to be nothing but war.”

Armont De'bayle sat back into the couch again. “Wartime is never pleasant… and to think Ishgard has just ended the Dragonsong War… and yet we plunge into a new one. It is depressing to say the least, but we are sworn to serve in defense of Eorzea.”

Carina Roussos sighs, “I just… wonder what we should do with Hestia…”

Armont De'bayle: “Continue on. I promise you she will not change too much. I was born and raised in wartime… at least she has far more hope of this one not lasting a thousand years.”

Carina Roussos: “I can only hope so. Would we bring her with us?”

Armont De'bayle: “If the area is safe enough, aye, we will take her. If not we will operate out of Gridania as planned. Would you not agree?”

Carina Roussos nods, bringing a hand up to her mouth to yawn some, “maybe she will enjoy adventuring, after all I am sure we along with the rest of the House will be there ensure her safety.”

Armont De'bayle would reach up to pull the eyepatch off of his face and place it on the table. “Aye. As you have seen tonight, we have quite the talented group.”

Carina Roussos: “I have faith in them…” she smile, leaning into her chair comfortably, “it’s getting late.”

Armont De'bayle nodded. “I agree… I will check on Hestia before I join you in bed. She will likely be out like a rock as usual.”

Laying in bed that night, I truly wondered if Hito would teach Armont. If he would even want to see me. I wondered… if I wanted to see him. If I wanted to bring those memories and feeling back again. Glancing over to my sleeping husband, I brought my hand to rest within his larger one.

Armont treated me with far more kindness than I deserved.

#journal #de'bayle #The Beast & Her Dragon

5 notes · View notes

kokania00 · 5 years ago

Text

The Evolution of Healthcare Mystery Shopping

Patients answer quiet fulfillment review addresses dependent on their discernment, but then there is restricted setting for the medicinal services supplier. It leaves one posing the inquiries - who were they interfacing with, information exchanged, when did it occur, and how competent and dependable was the patient to make those elucidations? So as opposed to gathering a board of trustees to investigate the purposes behind poor scores, social insurance puzzle shopping gives medicinal services customers the examination knowledge expected to make ongoing upgrades. clorox healthcare

In a time of significant worth put together acquiring with a concentration with respect to inpatient stays, I have evaluated that over 80% of the lives contacted by wellbeing frameworks in this nation are not patients by any stretch of the imagination, yet rather relatives, guests, outpatients, and customers of everything from gear to Starbucks. By all methods make the patient room condition as perfect and quiet as would be prudent, discuss adequately with the patient, and guarantee that they are completely arranged to be released, yet the accentuation should even now be on the patient's discernment. Perceptions, assessments, and at last buyer choices get from that source.

The raised significance of patient fulfillment information implies that as the information is processed, an ever increasing number of questions will emerge. For example, a study will let you know there is a worry with the agreeableness of the radiology staff. Rather than making an expansive brush client assistance program for the Radiology Department, the consistent subsequent stage is to decide how the division is being seen by end-clients, what the office's social shortcomings are, and who on the staff is showing those practices. clorox healthcare

Together patient fulfillment information and social insurance secret shopping can start to concentrate on significant arrangements that reason suppliers to state, "We know from tolerant fulfillment there is an issue and from riddle shopping we realize what that issue is and who is principally dependable."

While it is suggested that supervisors search for instructing openings by watching their representatives in real life, anticipating that them should adjust the administration culture is more outlandish since - generally - they made the way of life. Since this kind of research is carefully buyer discernment, it gives a fair-minded perspective on an office or association's way of life. This gives directors an outsider point of view that builds training openings.

Sorts of Healthcare Mystery Shopping

From those beginning of human services riddle shopping, social insurance supplier solicitations have gotten increasingly imaginative, more focused on, and progressively refined. For instance, a customer may demand something as widely inclusive as a 24-hour inpatient remain in which the customer is conceded for a 24-hour time span to assess the patient experience from enlistment to release. Or on the other hand customers might be approached to call doctor workplaces to make meetings with the aim of deciding to what extent it will be before they can be seen binds the exploration to progressively effective utilization of assets. clorox healthcare

In 2008, social insurance riddle shopping got noteworthy national press when the American Medical Association endeavored to take up a situation on the training. What was not as promptly revealed was the way that the issue was postponed inconclusively. Indeed, it was at that point the custom of one of the main suppliers (before the allegation that human services secret shopping was pointlessly occupying doctor time) to use what they call process perceptions. This type of riddle shopping, which is best in Emergency Departments, abstains from occupying significant patient time by having a customer join a patient as a companion as they experience the patient experience.

Two of the most helpful sorts of discernment research are: 1) shopping the challenge, and 2) assessing singular representatives. Call it spying, many do, yet it is essential to know your opposition's way of life. For instance, what do they put stock in and how is it moved to the patient, and can the recounted stories you've heard be confirmed?

A lot of significant worth can be gotten from leading assessments of individual workers. For various reasons - cost absolutely being a factor - this works best in a departmental situation and gives administrators logical correlation of every representative in accordance with explicit guidelines, i.e., is Cindy almost certain than Jeff to welcome patients promptly (setting up a training open door for Jeff)? Or on the other hand, does Jeff work admirably of strategically pitching administrations and ought to be lauded? clorox healthcare

Human services riddle shopping likewise gives supervisors solid instances of the particular conduct that "turns patients on." This sets up the ideal chance to present to staff the practices the association might want imitated while offering credit to the worker who showcases them.

Quantitative and Qualitative Appeal

Medicinal services puzzle shopping advances to supervisors and heads whether they are left brained (numbers engaged) or right brained (story centered). From one perspective, riddle shopping is about narrating. Fred Lee wrote in If Disney Ran Your Hospital, "What is by all accounts a significant segment of both faithfulness and disappointment are stories. A fulfilled individual has no story to tell." Stories are significant in articulating the who, what, when, where, and how of the patient or shopper experience. The correct cerebrum way to deal with riddle shopping enables customers to obviously observe the distinction between a totally agreeable encounter and all the different features that went into it, and those components of an encounter that activated dismay or dissatisfaction. clorox healthcare Simultaneously, human services puzzle shopping is a compelling consistence apparatus. Norms that are explicit to the social insurance industry, and thusly can be benchmarked, are blended with hierarchically explicit measures to make a quantitative amalgam that can be information grafted in any capacity fundamental. Human services secret shopping basically responds to the accompanying inquiry - How well does your association perform on the practices and procedures you told your kin are significant? Moreover, it gives associations a chance to quantify those gauges against observation based objectives.

The Flexibility of Healthcare Mystery Shopping

Quiet fulfillment studies are, generally, static. They are constant which is as it should be. Then again, social insurance puzzle shopping is substantially more adaptable. It tends to be planned as a program that estimates similar gauges or procedures after some time, or studies can be created to decide precisely what practices or procedures are being performed. clorox healthcare

Human services riddle shopping can likewise be diverted 'on the fly' if the ideal destinations are not being met. For instance, shockingly, a doctor practice that was requesting that customers make arrangements discovered they weren't tolerating new patients. Another training that was assessing the client assistance of their enlistment centers found that none of the calls were being replied by a 'live' individual. In the two occurrences, the training put on the brakes until they could fix the issue. One emergency clinic was having customers go to their site to search for explicit data and after that having them demand a reaction. What this revealed was that the solicitations were collecting on a PC that was not being utilized. This discovering enabled the clinic to abstain from upsetting many shoppers who felt they were by and large inconsiderately disregarded.

How can one know whether a help activity is truly working? Human services secret shopping is a fantastic supplement to any help activity. It very well may be coordinated so that it gives constant confirmation that the activity is being successful. Anything from a release procedure to valet administration can be shopped at different occasions to guarantee that the activity's message was gotten and executed. clorox healthcare

Adaptability doesn't, notwithstanding, stretch out to inward projects. Now and again for the sake of setting aside cash, social insurance suppliers will dispatch a do-it-without anyone else's help program. They endeavor to get representatives or volunteers to play out a similar capacity that expert human services secret shopping firms do. This only every once in a long while works for any length for clear reasons. Insiders have inner inclinations and, regardless of their best goals, are never again ready to be objective. The other explanation this isn't viable is that representatives (and even volunteers) can think about a million things they ought to do or would prefer to do. Furthermore, the absence of backbone for a do-it-without anyone else's help program puts an enormous weight on the supervisor allocated to direct the undertaking. clorox healthcare

What Clients are Looking For

Clinics, wellbeing frameworks and doctor practices search out human services riddle shopping sellers for various reasons. Sometimes, they need to approve "uplifting news." For instance, one wellbeing framework customer went into a long haul association with the essential objective of demonstrating that their administrations were better than the challenge that was additionally shopped. An ongoing wayfinding investigation of more than 300 'shops' directed for a huge emergency clinic on the east coast reasoned that under 76% of their representatives got a top box score of five for welcome customers with a grin. This finding was demonstrative of a culture that was not treating purchasers in 'an individual and essential manner.' However, human services puzzle shopping managed them the upside of approving their unique concern, disengaging where this worry is most pervasive, and utilizing the customer's language to pass on to staff why welcome individuals was basically critical to generally speaking discernment. Much like fulfillment studies, medicinal services secret shopping can screen improvement after some time, yet with the additional advantage of narrating to pinpoint issues. It can likewise be instrumental in deciding the particular idea of the worry and distinguishing where shortcomings exist.

A social insurance secret shopping official, who is experiencing treatment for bosom disease, wrote in a blog as of late, "What makes a difference to human services associations are things like what number of steps it.

for more about clorox healthcare visit our site

0 notes

petsupplyandmore · 6 years ago

Text

6 Suggestions To Practice a Cussed Canine

People are social animals and thrive within the firm of others. All of us love mates, households, and completely different relationships. The enjoyment of being collectively and understanding that we’ve got somebody who cares for us is just distinctive. The draw back, although, is that we don’t take being ignored kindly. It hurts and might get irritating after a degree.

Now, think about your finest good friend doing that to you. And, we aren’t speaking about human finest mates, we’re speaking about our furry finest mates. Canine take advantage of superior companions ever!

If this bundle of pleasure refuses to hearken to you or come to you once you name him, you’ve got an excellent cussed good friend. It could be okay for some time as a result of each canine, like each human, has a singular persona and we should embrace it. The issue, nonetheless, arises throughout coaching. Cussed canine don’t reply simply to coaching and might have particular consideration. This doesn’t imply that they’re harmful canine! There isn’t a such factor as a harmful canine. They only want extra endurance than a median, supremely excited canine.

Is coaching actually required?

Earlier than we soar into the guidelines, we wish to discuss concerning the significance of coaching as a result of many individuals have particularly requested us about it. They appear to suppose that canine don’t want coaching and can “simply be taught” the methods of life. Please perceive that irrespective of how a lot you’re keen on them and irrespective of how shut they’re to you, they’re nonetheless animals.

They don’t perceive the foundations that people created, and they don’t seem to be born with a pure intuition to simply choose up no matter home guidelines you’ve got. Fido must be potty skilled, to not pull on the leash throughout walks, and learn how to act when there’s human meals round. All that is potential provided that you train your canine.

6 Tricks to Practice a Cussed Canine

Now, let’s learn to prepare a cussed canine who merely refuses to budge on command. It gained’t enable you to or your canine if you happen to get pissed off and yell your head off. It would assist solely once you act. Prepared? Let’s go.

Go step-by-step and be very affected person

We’ve already established that your canine is cussed. So, speeding into the coaching course of will solely irritate him and annoy you. Cussed canine want plenty of endurance, and it’s essential to settle for that. Make him get used to the rewarding system with acquainted behaviors. This may train him that coaching shouldn’t be punishment and that he might be a really, superb boy if he learns what you are attempting to show him.

It’s completely acceptable to begin with the easy command to sit down.

1. Present him learn how to sit or level on the ground. 2. Use your individual methods and the second he sits, reward him. three. Attempt it once more. four. Give him plenty of treats and be light with him.

As soon as he begins seated, you may make a minor change in your routine. You may have another person come into the room whereas coaching and see if he nonetheless sits once you ask him to. Attempt it a number of instances, and he’ll begin specializing in the coaching whatever the distractions.

It’s essential to take it gradual and regular as a result of if it will get too tough, your canine will surrender. He’s a cussed man, and any pressure or damaging vitality will trigger him simply to place his foot down. If he reaches this stage, issues will worsen. So, it’s essential to keep away from it at any value.

Consistency is vital

Coaching a cussed canine can take a number of weeks or months. However, this will simply stretch in case your coaching strategies lack consistency. We’ve observed that canine homeowners complain to no finish that their canine simply doesn’t be taught. Nevertheless, their pup isn’t at fault in any respect!

Knowingly or unknowingly, each member of the family provides your pet completely different cues for sure habits. This makes your pooch confused as a result of he doesn’t know whether or not he’s doing the precise factor!

For instance, think about you’re ten years outdated and in a classroom. Your English trainer taught you that your notes can be thought of full provided that you employ blue ink. Your science trainer, then again, provides you full marks although you used black ink by mistake. Now you’re confused about whether or not you should use black ink or whether or not it’s essential to persist with blue!

You may solely ask your trainer and do no matter informed. Your canine, nonetheless, doesn’t have that selection. The confusion will frustrate him and possibly even find yourself making him aggressive!

these easy, healthful treats are good for any coaching session

To treatment this, be certain that all your loved ones members are concerned within the coaching. In case you are coaching him to get his meals solely when he sits down, all your loved ones members ought to do the identical. If somebody provides him a deal with when he’s leaping, and/or scratching their leg, it’s again to sq. one. The identical rule applies to couch privileges, peeing exterior, and so forth.

Constructive reinforcement is important

Do you know that yelling and punishing will solely create anxiousness, concern, and aggression? Punishment doesn’t work in any respect, and it’s hopeless to attempt it. Sure, your cussed canine can get in your nerves typically however keep in mind, you’re all he has! He lives to please you and would by no means do something to anger you. Canine are harmless like that. However, it takes coaching and plenty of love from you to grasp what you count on from them.

So, embellish each coaching session with loads of treats after which see how shortly your canine learns. Let’s have a look at this with one other instance. This time let’s speak about walks and the way canine have a tendency to tug on the leash.

1. While you take him out for a stroll, cease on the door and look forward to him to look again for you. 2. Don’t yell at him to see you or something. three. Simply stand and look forward to it. four. When he does (and he’ll), give him a deal with. In case you are utilizing a clicker, click on after which deal with. 5. Now, stroll a little bit additional and repeat.

Cease, click on, deal with.

Stroll once more and when he begins to tug, cease. When he appears to be like again, click on and deal with! Proceed this on daily basis, and over time, he’ll cease pulling with out you yelling your lungs out or threatening to hit him.

Preserve Him Targeted Through the Coaching Session

In case you are coaching your canine in a room, ensure you take away any and all distractions from it. This contains toys, objects that he would wish to chew on, pointless noise, and so forth. Even well-behaved and a correctly skilled canine will get tempted by toys. Moreover, cussed canines particularly search for distractions. Make it straightforward for you and your pooch by eliminating this chance altogether.

In case you are coaching him within the yard or outdoor, placing him on a leash is essential. In any other case, he could run when he sees a hen or begin chasing somebody he finds thrilling or suspicious. All the time having a leash useful will reduce such mishaps.

Make It a Behavior

Coaching on your canine must be like brushing your enamel for you. It ought to grow to be a behavior. Simply doing it for a month or so and forgetting about it is not going to assist. It gained’t take greater than a few days on your canine to neglect all the things and behave nonetheless he needs to. Since he’s cussed and tends to love doing issues his method, that is much more necessary. As soon as it turns into a behavior, it can grow to be a lifestyle for each of you. Then, it is going to be extra snug, and your companionship will enhance as properly!

Take the Assist of a Coach

Whereas we strongly suggest that you just prepare your cussed canine your self, typically a little bit assist can go a great distance. If in case you have an grownup canine or if he’s displaying indicators of tension, it could be a good suggestion to depart it to the specialists. Rent knowledgeable coach with plenty of expertise and good critiques. He/she’s going to have the ability to information you and your canine to happiness.

Don’t settle with simply any coach. A couple of trainers use punishment to coach canine, and as we already talked about earlier than, that may have an effect on your canine badly. Select a coach who follows reward-based methods. Ask for references and converse to them so that you just get a transparent concept. Additionally, don’t hesitate to ask a number of inquiries to clear all of your doubts. When you find yourself assured, go forward.

Bonus tip – Buy scrumptious treats and comfy gear akin to leashes. Don’t use shock collars and different such instruments to coach your canine. A wholesome canine is a contented canine!

We hope you observe all these tricks to prepare your cussed canine. There’s nothing higher than to see you and your canine spend a contented, loving life collectively with none kind of frustration. In spite of everything, our pups are our greatest, most loyal mates, and deserve nothing lower than all of the love on the earth!

In regards to the Creator Kritika Ponia: I’m 30% human and 30% pug. The remainder of me is loopy blended in water. When I’m not writing professionally, I’m writing personally or forcing cuddles out of my pug. I’ve extra doggy-friends than human mates, and I am keen on writing about pet care and well being. What else do I write about? (Human) healthcare & wellness, expertise, biology, physics, social media, style, and oh, emotional wellbeing!

from Pet Supply and More http://petsupplyandmore.com/index.php/2019/02/25/6-suggestions-to-practice-a-cussed-canine/

0 notes