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chelseypprimrose · 1 year ago

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Farmer Wants a Mistress / farmer!negan x richbrat!reader / 18+ / AU

Summary: Living the good life since you married into money, you’ve become desensitised to the more simple ‘live off the land’ lifestyle of your sister. Her husband Negan sets out to teach a harsh lesson for you not to be so judgemental.

Warnings: infidelity, brat!reader, smut, rough sex elements, use of “hayseed hick” which are derogatory terms for a farmer, degrading terms, outside/forest sex, spitting, choking, negan is a warning in its self, mean!negan, slapping, dumbification (slightly), oral (male receiving), slight hint of dacryphilia

A/N: i need sedating, this GIF, oh my good LORD. fyi, i do not condone anyone looking down on another person for their profession/how much they work or earn, this is purely fiction and the needed attitude for the brat character/reader! also i’m telling you now, reader is a BRAT, like ‘Wild Child’ Poppy Moore level of brat, if that isn’t your thing, this probably isn’t the fic for you! 🤍

“god, i don’t know why i even let you drag me here, we are in the middle of nowhere.” you huffed, using the inflight magazine you’d taken from the flight to fan yourself off, unaccustomed to the sweltering heat of texas this time of year. your sister’s grip of the steering wheel got tighter, trying to hold her tongue at your obvious annoyance.

“i’m so sorry it’s such a inconvenience for you to visit your only sister, which by the way, you only do once a year.” she sniped back, rolling her eyes. adjusting your sunglasses on your nose, you stared out at the crop farmlands as you drove past, a vast difference to the city skyscrapers you were used to back home. “look, i’m just not the biggest fan of farms, or farm animals. they smell and it’s just too much work! why you ever let yourself marry into this, i’ll never understand.” you quipped back, throwing the magazine down into your lap as it wasn’t doing anything to help your rising body temperature.

like she had said, you only ever made the journey from new york to texas once a year to visit your sisters side of the family, granted it was only the two of them. her and her farmer husband, Negan, born into a farmer family himself, he’d taken over the land once his parents had moved on, settling for a smaller place, unable to keep working due to age. him and your sister had married a year after you and your own husband had, the two men couldn’t have been more different if they tried.

your own husband was a banker, giving you a penthouse apartment, what seemed like a unlimited supply of money and multiple trips away every year to the most luxurious resorts and locations. growing up poor and then overnight having more money than you knew what to do with had changed you, you wouldn’t deny that.

you couldn’t remember the last time you had bought anything that wasn’t designer, having your hair done monthly and various spa weekends, keeping yourself in tip top condition. you and her led very separate and different lives, you couldn’t help but feel like she’d got the short end of the deal, slaving away on a godawful ranch seven days a week.

she finally pulled up to the front of the farm, the slightly open window forcing you to smell the various animals that were loitering around outside of the barn next to the rustic-styled house. the exposed white wood of the front porch, multi-coloured chicken wind chime made of bamboo hung off the plinth of the patio, making small clinking noises from the slight wind that gathered up the dust of the grain. all these elements together started to remind you that you were far from your own home comforts of proper electricity and pleasant smells.

you opened your door, being careful not to step in the mud that was right under your feet, your stiletto heel digging into the soft ground. walking around to the back of the car, you opened the trunk, taking out your louis vuitton suitcase, stopping in your tracks when you realised you didn’t want to put it on the muddy ground. “have you got something you can take these in on?” you questioned, your sister looking at you in disbelief.

“jesus christ doll, it’s goddamn mud! it’ll wash off, don’t get your panties in a twist.” you whipped your head around to the bellowing deep voice, eyes setting on him as he made his way over to the car. you moved one of your hands off the handle of the suitcase to your hip to jaunt it out at him. “oh i’m sorry! let me just put my bag, that’s probably worth more than your house, on the dirty ground. i take pride in my possessions Negan.” you retorted, your sister sighing in defeat, taking the bag from your hand and walking with it towards the house. you took your sunglasses off your face, Negan now stood right next to you, his arm leaning on the side of the car, looking at you. dressed in his usual brown cowboy hat, opened mustard yellow flannel shirt with a slightly off white tank top underneath, cargo trousers with a thick black belt to keep them up. the long, black leather pendant sitting just above his naval.

“i always love when the city mouse comes to visit, you ready for a week in hell, princess?” he laughed, rolling around a toothpick between his pearly white teeth. not that you had anything against the man before he married your sister but he absolutely revelled in mocking you whenever you came to stay, you imagined he saw you nothing more than a spoiled little girl, not understanding that you just preferred the finer things, even if you were a bit of a snob when it came to his way of life. not that you really cared for his opinion on you. you’d imagine that if circumstances had been different, you would have been attracted to such a handsome man, if only he’d change that usual cowboy get up for a nice three piece suit.

“if it isn’t the hayseed hick himself, how are you darling?” you threw your insults right back at him, this was just how you communicated with each other, both of you had tongues as sharp as swords. you grabbed your other bag from inside the trunk of the car, moving to take it to the house before his large hand grasped over yours that was on the leather handle. “let me take it, wouldn’t want you to break a nail, princess.” Negan laughed, before using his other hand to close the trunk firmly, causing you to jump slightly out of its way. you followed closely behind him, Negan taking wide strides, his hips moving slightly as his forearm muscles tensed from the weight of your bag in his hand.

“did you pack for the month or something? jesus christ.” he managed to huff out, even with how strong he was, it felt like you’d put rocks in your bag. “not all of us can just take a toothbrush and clean boxers on holiday with us, Negan. not that you’d know much about that, furthest you ever go is the farmers market, is it not?” you bit back, using your hands to push your hair back out of your face, having to put your sunglasses back over your eyes to avoid the harsh dust from getting into your retinas. you pushed past him, walking up the steps to enter the house, a small grimace on your face as you remembered how much your sisters place looked like Dorothy’s house from the Wizard of Oz.

it was honestly like you’d gone through a time machine back to the 1900’s, your sister didn’t even have a TV in the place, no wi-fi or good working signal. Negan followed up behind you, almost denting your case with how harshly he’d placed it near the staircase. “jeez, be careful with that would you!” you exclaimed, picking it back up off the ground, starting to make your way up the stairs, heels making it a difficult feat. Negan started to laugh at you struggling, causing you to turn around to give him a death glare. “i’m glad this is funny to you, most men would be gentlemanly and help a lady with her bags.”

“i would doll, but i don’t see a lady here.” he continued laughing at you, your mouth dropped wide at his rude statement, slightly growling you stomped the rest of the way up the stairs to your assigned room you always stayed in when you came here. god, you couldn’t wait for this week to be over but it was only the start.

“god honey, i know you don’t like the way they do things but this is your sister! she’s family, you have to respect their lifestyle. you are a guest in their house.” you rolled your eyes, your husband clearly wasn’t getting how annoyed and stressed out you were. “i’m honestly trying! you come here and get woken up by a damn cockerel at five am in the morning and see if your still saying the same thing then!” you crossed your arms over your chest with your phone held up to your ear, angrily pacing back and forth on the porch, the only place you could get one bar of signal. it was no use telling your husband the grievances as he’d only been here once and he always seemed to forget how hellish that week had been for him, how he sighed a breath of relief once you got on the plane home.

“you’ve only got a couple more days until you’ll be back here with me, i’ll set you up a appointment with the spa, give you some time to relax, okay?” you smiled, almost jumping with glee. “oh thank you! god knows i’ll need it after being around all these horrid animals.”

“goddamn it!” you turned your head towards a very angry Negan, the hosepipe he’d been using had sprayed all over the front of his clothes, causing the wet fabric to stick against his abdomen. he grabbed the bottom, whipping it over his head, using his strong hands to wring the water from the top. the veins in his arm were in full motion, you could see his muscles flexing, his toned abdomen now on display. the light of the sun caught his frame just right, the hot temperature making the light sheen of sweat mix with the water he’d just got all over his torso. you couldn’t take your eyes off his body, like a mirage in the desert. you’d never found yourself looking at him this way, his dirty mouth turning you off him from the very second he opened it but silent like this, he was a vision.

he could feel a pair of eyes on him, his gaze shooting up to look towards you. “honey? honey? are you still there?” you snapped back into reality, letting out a breath you didn’t realise you were holding in your throat. you turned your back to Negan with a quickness, heat reaching your cheeks as you realised you’d been caught gazing at him. “yeah, i’m here.” you answered your husband.

Negan softly chuckled to himself, already coming up with a rolodex of new material to tease you with.

two days, two days was all you had left to endure before you could take your leave and go back to new york. while you’d like to say you’d had a pleasant experience, that would be far from the truth. your sister had convinced you to do some grunt work while you’d been here and out of sheer boredom due to the lack of entertainment here, you’d begrudgingly agreed.

this had resulted in being bitten by a chicken when trying to retrieve its eggs, causing Negan to nearly die with laughter as you yelped out, a small trail of blood seeping from your finger. he’d took your delicate hand in his rough one to assess the damage, claiming you were being a big baby about it, giving a small kiss to it which made you freeze up at his inappropriate action. you felt it was more just to make you feel more embarrassed, knowing he loved to do things to antagonise you even further. you’d yanked your hand out of his, giving a small noise of disgust before stomping away from him to get a plaster.

you’d been given the more easy task of brushing the horses, claiming you didn’t want to get bitten again and your sister swore the horses were completely domesticated and not prone to acts of aggression.

you’d nearly finished when you saw Negan coming over to you, that small arrogance in the way he sauntered around this place. “any more injures happen today doll?” he asked, leaning on the barn doorway, that usual toothpick in his mouth. you sighed, dropping the brush back in the tack box and crossing your arms over your chest. “no, nothing for you to make fun of me today, i’m afraid.” he pushed himself off the doorframe, taking a couple steps towards you. “come on doll, let’s go for a ride. i need to go and get more firewood from the forest, live a little. i tell you, having the wind blowing past you when you are on the back of these magnificent animals, no feeling like it in the world.” your eyebrow raised a little, you were actually considering it for a good while.

you sighed, not like you had anything better to do. “okay fine! only if you do the actual work. i don’t feel like getting my hands dirty.” you agreed, letting him walk past you to get the riding saddles and strapping them to the horse. he did it with ease, stepping up with his large boot to get his foot into the stirrup, his long leg being thrown over the horses back. he put out his arm to help pull you up on the horse behind him, you’d hadn’t realised how close your groin would have been to his back with you sitting behind him, the feeling making your body betray you with how good it felt to be so close to him.

he started at a slow pace, guiding the horse out of the open stable door, setting off for the wood that you could see vaguely in the distance at the back of the farmland. you’d been holding onto the metal bar that was at the back of the saddle before Negan let out a laugh. “hold on doll!” your face contorted into confusion before Negan gently applied pressure into the horse with his leg causing it to accelerate into a fast gallop. you slightly squealed, taking your hands off the bar and threw your arms around his torso, nearly in death grip, scared of coming off the animal with how much bouncing around you were doing. your hands linked around the front of him, you could feel the hard abdomen muscles underneath his tank top, you knew he’d done this on purpose to either annoy you or try and get you to come off the horse.

the leather underneath you kept rubbing against your core, the bouncing causing your clit to keep hitting the seat, a small wetness gathering on the material of your panties underneath your flowy dress. well, at least horse riding was good for something, you thought to yourself.

you’d finally got into the wood, Negan bringing the horse to a stop, dismounting with you still on the back, tying the reign to a small stump of a tree. “can you help me get off please?” you asked, looking down at how far you were above the ground, getting a little nervous at getting off by yourself. “move your legs to the side and jump down, don’t worry doll, i’ll catch you.” he reassured you, his arms coming out, his fingers moving in a ‘come here’ motion, that stupid grin on his face at your obvious nervousness.

you brought your right leg to the other side of the horse, your palms digging into the saddle, you made no move to jump off, slightly worried about Negan actually catching you. he huffed, grabbing you by your thighs, causing you to let out a slight scream before he pulled you off the horse, his hands sliding from your thighs, trailing up your bodies sides as you slipped down from the height.

your legs were now wide open, your feet finally meeting the ground, Negan’s hands still placed on your waist as you looked up at him. you realised he was still touching you, before you pushed his hands off you, smoothing out your dress. “thank you but i was just about to jump down myself, i didn’t need you to manhandle me, farmer boy.” you snapped, walking away from him to pet the animal. he slightly chuckled, while moving to grab the axe from the satchel that was strapped to the horse.

“sure you were, princess.”

you’d been here for around half a hour, helping Negan by putting the chunks of firewood in the bag on the back of the horse. your hands were red from gripping the wood, trying to avoid getting any splinters, causing you to be quite slow at packing it away.

“you do know, you could go a bit faster doll, we’ll be out here until nightfall if not.” you rolled your eyes at his taunting. “i don’t want any further injuries thank you.”

he growled, obviously annoyed at how unwilling you were to pick up the pace. “look, you might be able to sit around doing absolutely nothing back in your fancy palace at home but i’d rather not get my ass chomped by whatever creature could be lurking in this place, so just pick up the pace, please.” you scoffed, turning around to face him, he had the axe in both hands, his hip slightly twisted to face you. “no, you look! i don’t know what kind of impression you’ve gathered in your head of me, but.. yes i don’t do much work, yes i’d rather play the pretty housewife than go out and bend over backwards for work. if that makes me lazy, then so be it. i can’t help i have a taste for a easier way of life.”

it was now his turn to scoff at you, he threw the axe down to the ground, taking large footsteps towards you, you back yourself up against a tall tree behind you, the sharp bark of it digging into your skin a little. he towered over you before bringing his face closer to yours, his arm just above and slightly to the side of your head, resting on the tree.

“you mean your pretty little life of faking orgasms for your dear clueless husband? faking pleasure so you can continue to use him for his precious fucking money, that the easier way of life you are talking about?” he taunted, you screwed your face up in anger, how dare he?!

“excuse me? how dare you make your false assumptions about my marriage?! who do you think you are?!” you shouted out at him, taking your hands off the bark of the tree to try and push him away from you. not even moving him a inch due to his strong frame, he grabbed your wrists, forcing your hands above your head, digging them into the rough surface.

“oh give me a fucking break sweetheart, you think i didn’t notice the way you looked at me the other day. looked like a damn fucking dog in heat, you need a proper man like me to teach you some fucking manners. the way you look down at me from your ivory tower, i’ve kept the peace for your sisters sake but now i’m getting fucking tired of it, princess.”

“i don’t know what the hell you are talking about! like i’d ever look at your hillbilly ass like that, Negan, you must be joking!” you slowly laughed, truth not really following your words and he could tell. he gave a gravely laugh back, he moved his hand off your wrist, now applying more pressure with the remaining one so you couldn’t move. he moved his other under the skirt of your dress, fingertips brushing your inner thigh.

“let’s take a wager doll, if your panties ain’t fucking soaking for me right now, i’ll let you go. if they are? well, you’re going to get a lesson in basic southern hospitality from good ol’ Negan, let’s see shall we?” you tried to come up with some sort of smart mouth retort, the pure lust in his tone had you silent. his fingertips finally moving over the lace of your panties, his mouth moving to a wide grin when he did indeed find that the material was absolutely soaking wet.

“well, well, well? would you look at that?” he moved the lace to the side, now running his fingers up and down your folds, his fingertips now slick with your juices.

“don’t fucking flatter yourself, farmer boy. i just haven’t had any in months.”

the hand he used to hold your arms quickly pulled off, a slight slap to your cheek, the skin underneath turning red at the motion before he grasped your chin roughly.

“you still never fucking learn do you, you fucking slut. wet over your sisters husband, ain’t so prim and proper now, are you? now i think the only way to finally shut you up is to stuff that pretty fucking mouth with my dick, get on your fucking knees.”

his voice dark, you swallowed hard to be rid of the lump in your throat. he whipped you around so his back was now against the tree, pushing down on your shoulders to get you to your knees, his large frame now looking even more scary looking up at him. he unbuckled his belt, undoing the button of his cargos to pull out his impressively large and already hard cock.

you cried out, small tears leaving your eyes at his size, it was bigger than you’d had before and the thought of it being inside you, scared you to death while also causing your panties to get even wetter.

he laughed, grasping your hair roughly into a painful, makeshift ponytail. “keep those tears coming princess, just makes you even sexier, down there on your knees for me, now open that fucking slutty mouth, i’ve got a present for you.” he grasped the base of his dick, his fingers pulling your hair even more as he guided his cock towards your mouth. you reluctantly opened as wide as you could, the salty precum meeting your tastebuds.

“goddamn! ain’t that the prettiest sight i’ve ever seen!” Negan grunted out, his hips rocking forward to force more of his cock down your throat, the whimpers coming from you making him hiss in pleasure. your spit gathered at the base of him, getting caught in the soft hair there. he was enjoying the sight of you softly crying on your knees for him.

he kept himself buried at the back of your throat, keeping you struggling to breathe, coughing and gagging around his length, Negan throwing his head back at how good your mouth felt wrapped around him like he was. your mouth bobbed up and down against him, you tongue tracing the underside of his length, as he rolled his hips, looking down at you, savouring seeing you completely obedient to his control.

he pulled himself out of your mouth, finally letting you breathe, your throat and jaw burning with the force he’d had held you at.

he forced you up by your hair, moving you over to a large, jagged rock, your back forced against the cold surface.

“spread those pretty legs for me, slut. i want to see how wet you are for me.”

you moved your legs open for him, your feet coming to rest on the side of the rock, knees bent. Negan pulled your dress up to bunch around your torso, he yanked the top of it down, exposing your tits to the cold forest air. he grasped one in his hand, flicking your nipple, giving it a harsh slap afterwards. you yelped at the pleasurable pain of it, your breathing becoming ragged and unsteady. moving your panties to the side again as he had before, he gathered saliva and spat right on your core, the dirtiness of the action causing you to moan. giving a slap to your pussy, you whimpered at the pain that shot through your chest, head thrown back before he threw your leg over his shoulder, pulling your head back by your hair to meet his eyes.

“none of that doll, i want you to look at me while i stretch this pretty pussy out. look at it squeezing for me, begging for me.”

Negan hardened his grasp on your leg, holding on to it, he released your hair to run a finger up your pussy, your juices collecting on them as he bought them up to his mouth, sucking on them.

“you taste fucking divine princess, i’d eat this pretty little pussy all day but you don’t deserve that do you? you need putting in your place, this ain’t meant to be enjoyable for you, now is it?”

he lined up at your opening, letting no time go to waste before he entered you, filling you up to the hilt. you softly moaned when his hips snapped against yours, tightening yourself around his length, the pleasure nearly too much for you to handle. your back scraping against the uncomfortable rock, knowing you’d have cuts afterwards but you were too focused on the situation at hand.

“goddamn princess, absolutely squeezing me, this is what you wanted isn’t it. you may not respect my lifestyle but you couldn’t wait for me to teach you a fucking lesson could you?”

you could only moan, his hand that wasn’t on your leg coming down to wrap around your throat, thumb pressing down on your windpipe, restricting your breathing. it would have scared you, but in a funny way you trusted Negan to guide you through the experiment of a intoxicating mix of pain and pleasure.

his thrusts built up in not only speed but aggression as well, your body contorted into a curve as he pulled you to meet your lips in a rough kiss, his tongue exploring your mouth, biting on your lower lip as his hand still wrapped your throat. your arms gripping onto his broad shoulders, pressing down your nails into his tanned skin.

“i can feel how wet you are, you slut. come on princess, i want to feel you soak my fucking cock.”

your mind was hazy, absolutely cock-drunk from this man, never had you had such pleasure in your marriage, never realising how much the thought of being used would light such a unknown fire inside you.

“nega-negan i’m going to cum, please, can i cum?” you begged, your voice almost stopped as he rammed into you, the pressure on your throat causing your begging to come out as a broken set of words. the thought of something or someone coming along and seeing your sisters husband and you in such a precarious position made your mind run at a thousand miles a hour.

“go on you slut, come all over my cock, i wanna see those pretty eyes roll back into that empty fucking head of yours.”

that was all the permission you needed as you let yourself go, your body trembling, overwhelming pleasure as the shame of what you just allowed your sisters husband to do to you washed over your brain. it was the first time you’d ever squirted in your life, your juices dripping over Negan’s cock as he followed close behind you to his own release.

he came himself with a loud grunt, small whimper mixed in as well. “yeah, let me fill that tight pussy up, want myself dripping down your thighs for the rest of the day princess.”

he let go of your throat, you both trying to catch your breath, your task being harder than his as his choking had almost cut off your circulation. he leaned against your leg, watching as his seed started to slowly spill out of you, laughing at the sight.

“that is fucking gorgeous, look at that! have you learnt your lesson doll?” you weakly nodded, your eyes meeting his.

maybe you could stretch to a couple more visits a year.

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plotandelegy · 1 year ago

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Practical and Unique Post-Apocalyptic Shelter Design Ideas for Fantasy Writers

You've decided to destroy civilization in your fantasy novel? Sucks to be your character. Now let's make their situation a little better or worse but at the least unique, practical, and resourceful.

Use What's Left Behind: The end of the world doesn't mean the end of human ingenuity. Think of what materials survived your apocalypse and how to reuse them. Crumbling skyscrapers can be reinforced and turned into vertical communities, or broken-down cars can be transformed into steel-tough barricades. Old school buses or train cars?

The Importance of Defense: Your characters aren't the only ones who have survived. Threats lurk everywhere. Design shelters that have built-in defenses. Your skyscraper community may have drawbridges between floors, or your train car home can be easily detached and sped away in case of danger. Remember the secret exits!

Incorporate the Natural Environment: Trees, caves, and mountains offer robust options for post-apocalyptic shelter. A hollowed-out hillside, for example, provides cover from harsh weather and is easily defensible. Make sure the natural element isn't in a highly radioactive environment. The trunk of a massive, ancient tree could house an entire family. Underwater habitats in the middle of a lake or an ocean?

Reinvention of Basic Utilities: How will your characters access fresh water, dispose of waste, or maintain a consistent food supply? A river or rainwater could be cleverly directed and filtered, or a salvaged solar panel can provide electricity for a makeshift greenhouse. Composting toilets aren't glamorous, but they get the job done. I may be too used to modern comforts because that last one is a big ew.

Adapting to Your Apocalypse: If you have a nuclear winter scenario, consider shelters with radiation shielding and heat sources. Alien invasion? Consider camouflage or underground dwellings. Zombie outbreak? Elevate your shelters; zombies can't climb! Well, I hope your zombies can't climb. If they do, you may be a sick unhinged person. Keep it up. Makes for better fiction.

Remember, It's Home: This is where your characters will spend a lot of time. Personalize these spaces to reflect the inhabitants. Maybe one character is obsessed with salvaging books, so there's a small library corner. Perhaps another is a mechanic, and there's a well-stocked tool area. Little details will make your post-apocalyptic shelters feel more like home. Or not. A lack of home-related details could add to a sense of impermanence. Having to pull up and run a lot, maybe leaving things behind in your haste, adds to the suspense.

No long ending paragraph today. Have fun writing!

-Indigo

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calinaannehart · 2 months ago

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maybe you're holding on too tight (the magic comes in letting go)

“Holy shit!” The exclamation slips from Buck before he can stop himself.

He knows that Dawn has money, the constant rotation of designer handbags, mentions of exotic vacation destinations, and the obvious but tasteful plastic surgery she’s had has clued him in, but he hadn’t quite expected this. The house appearing before them as he crawls the jeep up the long driveway is expansive.

Built on top of one of the crests in Laurel Canyon, it’s a modern barn house design with large floor-to-ceiling windows that Buck can already tell offer a 360° view of the city below. Its higher elevation means it’s not overlooked by the two neighboring houses, which is a good thing given that the first thing Buck spots as he pulls to a stop in the carport beside the pool house is a St. Andrew’s cross erected next to the pool.

It's not the only piece of equipment Buck notices as he climbs out of the jeep, there’s also a cage, a pillory, and even a suspension frame. Some are more subtle, blending into the surroundings, and could be easily mistaken for an art installation or sculpture, others are obvious in their intention. The fact that they are so brazenly on display for anyone who might visit is such a Dawn thing to do. The Dominant isn’t shy about her lifestyle.

“Damn, look at that view,” Eddie whistles as he steps out himself and looks over the city spread out before them. The smog level is pretty low today meaning that the skyscrapers of downtown LA can be seen clearly in the distance. “I wonder what exactly she does to be able to afford this.”

Dawn, as much as she likes to talk, hasn’t gone into much detail about the vanilla part of her life, as small as it may be. She and bitch live a full-time total power exchange dynamic, which means Buck had expected to see elements of the lifestyle around her home, but he’d thought she might have just had a dedicated dungeon room or something rather than for it to be spread out over the entirety or her estate. They know that she has her own company and that bitch is employed as her personal assistant, but beyond that it’s still a mystery.

“Whatever it is, she’s raking it in,” Buck looks up at the house as he pulls out his phone. “I wonder how much this place costs.”

“Please tell me you’re not about to look it up on Zillow?”

“Come on, you can’t tell me you’re not the least bit curious—”

Eddie plucks Buck’s phone from his hand and reaches around to slip it into his back pocket, patting the seat of his pants firmly. “At least wait until you get home, hm?” Eddie says, tone firm in a way that tells Buck it’s not a suggestion.

“Yes, Sir,” He grumbles reluctantly. It would be rude, he concedes, to google the value of the home of the person they’re about to have coffee with. “Hey, uh, it’s just casual today, right?” Buck asks, suddenly unsure. Eddie hadn’t given him any instructions to get himself ready for a play session, and it’s not that he hasn’t enjoyed the times they’ve been joined bitch, but he’s not feeling like playing today.

“As casual as things get when Dawn is around,” Eddie jokes, but he cocks his head as he looks at Buck, reading him. “But, no, we’re not playing today. The invite was for coffee only.”

“Cool, not that—”

“You don’t have to defend your choices to anyone, baby. You know I’d never insist on anything we haven’t already negotiated on.” Eddie leans in and kisses him softly, affirmingly.

Of course, Buck does know that. He trusts Eddie implicitly, with his mind, with his body, with his very life. “I love you.”

The smile that Eddie gives him is so fucking soft, it’s the one that always makes Buck feel like he’s falling in love with the man all over again.

“God, you’re sappy,” Eddie groans playfully as he takes Buck’s hand. “But I love you, too.”

Read on ao3

If you like, please reblog and help me reach more dashboards

#papi y puto #911 fanfic #fanfiction #911 #911 fanfiction #911 abc #911 on abc #kinky buddie #buddie kink #buddie smut #evan buckley #eddie diaz #piss play #sub evan buckley #dom eddie diaz #calina writes #calina anne hart #calinaannehart

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alexandraisyes · 5 months ago

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how much am i aloud to know about the Hunger Games AU :glancescutely:

TEE FUCKING HEE BITCH BUCKLE UP

And y'all this is gonna be so long but this is an AU I've been working on with Turbo for *months*. We love our TSBS hunger games.

So these are the tributes, this is just a sketch obviously

And here are the mentors, they haven't been sketched yet but have heights

And a few important people from the capitol (there will probably be a few more added later on as we work on developing the plot some more).

Each character will have several refs for the different parts of the story.

Information about the tributes. "Group" is the age group for the Games. In this world the age of maturity is 17, and once you are 17 you are considered an adult in the eyes of the law. Teens are between 12-16, Young Adults are 17-21, and just like in the States while they are adults there are a few restrictions on what all they can do, and certain jobs they can't work until they are 22. Adult is 22-29, and really the only difference between Y.Adult and Adult is that there's certain jobs you can't do when you're below 22 because young people aren't expendable like that according to this government. Elder is the last age group for the games, 30-35, and once you've crossed 35 you are no longer applicable for the Games.

(Poleart is supposed to say polearm)

Information about the Mentors. Then vs Now is how old they were when they won their games, and how old they are in the current narrative.

Tributes are selected by one female and one male tribute, in the lists for the tributes it says which group they represent in that aspect too. The government doesn't care what your pronouns are, they just care about if you're AFAB or AMAB because of tradition. The single exception is Harvest, who is lying about being AFAB and he was so vicious at the reaping about being with Blood that they didn't even bother to question it for the sake of their fingers.

We have done entire descriptions for the past arenas, but there's so much that I'm not gonna include here. Maybe in a separate post? Or when I open up a blog specifically for this AU since it's so convoluted. For an example of how long the arena descriptions are it's 5000 words. I will give you the description of the arena design for the one they're in during the story though.

72nd Annual Hunger Games Victor: Theme: **Apocalypse Forest** A post-apocalyptic wilderness where nature has reclaimed the remnants of civilization, turning it into a sprawling forest of tangled vegetation and decaying ruins. Set in the aftermath of a catastrophic event, such as a nuclear war or environmental collapse, this arena presents tributes with a harrowing landscape where survival is a constant struggle against both the elements and the remnants of humanity's downfall. The once-thriving cityscape has been engulfed by dense foliage, with skyscrapers now reduced to crumbling ruins and highways choked with overgrown vegetation. Tributes must navigate through the twisted remnants of urban infrastructure, facing hazards such as collapsed buildings, hidden traps, and radiation hotspots. The forest itself is a tangled maze of towering trees, dense undergrowth, and winding creeks, where tributes must contend with natural hazards such as toxic flora, mutated wildlife, and unpredictable weather patterns. The air is thick with the scent of decay, and the eerie silence is broken only by the distant cries of scavenging creatures and the creaking of rusted metal. Despite the desolation, pockets of life still exist within the forest, including desperate survivors, feral mutants, and rival factions vying for control. Tributes must navigate this hostile environment while also avoiding conflicts with other survivors, scavenging for resources, and deciphering the secrets of the apocalypse that brought about the forest's transformation.

There are ships, but they're not really a huge focus of the story. The main ones are surprise surprise, Blood/Sun/Harvest. If you've read my writing you should have expected this. There are a few background ships as well.

Unlike the uh canon Hunger Games, we're gonna give everyone the chance to talk to each other, hang out etc. Form alliances, friends, and rivalries. Instead of it all happening in three days before the arena, they get a whole month of training and publicity. Some parts of the story may be grueling for that reason, since we really want to give perspectives on all of the tributes. We're probably going to do a two or three-parter fic, before the games. The games. After the games.

We already know who dies, how they die, who lives, and how they live the rest of their lives after the games.

Oh yeah this is a bio-organic AU. Some of the characters are partially mechanical, like most of the celestial-based ones, but the rest are purely organic. The society is a mix of cyborgs, anthropomorphic animals, and humans.

Here's a few snippets of the plot that we have planned.

Sun and Moon are an oddity. Never has there been a set of (actual) siblings in the games before. Moon tried to tell Sun it would be okay when his name was pulled, and made sure to put on a brave face for the sake of Sun. He knew there was a 1/24 chance of him surviving the games. That was a risk he was willing to take. He would come back to Sun. You can only imagine the way his blood ran cold when they then pulled Sun's name and there was nothing he could do about it. He swore to himself he would find a way to get them free so he didn't have to see his little brother die in his arms. When Blood's name was pulled Harvest immediately pitched a fit. Blood had to pull him off of him so he could go up to the stage (and got bit for his futile effort). The second the female tribute was drawn Harvest volunteered for tribute. No one was going to kill his best friend unless it was him, thank you very fucking much. The guards tried to protest since he was coming from the male group, but they backed off after one almost lost a hand to sharp teeth. Ronty and Frank were from the same district but didn't know each other until they were both pulled for the games. Golden, Freddy's mentor, is his father. Freddy has two younger brothers who aren't old enough for the games yet. Foxy and Roxanne both have kids they need to win the games for to get back to. The Creator is the President.

#alex answers #answered ask #tsams #tsbs #the sun and moon show #sun and moon show #fnaf #fnaf au #tsams au #hunger games au #tsbs hunger games #long post #long answer #tsbs au #the lunar and earth show #the earth and lunar show #eals

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mauesartetc · 2 years ago

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Faux-compositing Hazbin Hotel for more visual clarity

A while back I recolored a screenshot from the Hazbin Hotel pilot to make the overall palette look more cohesive. Here’s the original:

And here’s the result.

And I figure, hey, that was fun, and folks (myself included) seemed to learn from it. Why not make some more? If you subscribe to the “every frame a painting” philosophy, this is the post for you.

I’ve always had two criticisms regarding Hazbin’s colors:

1. There’s entirely too much red in the environment. I know it’s Hell, but this is really overbearing. There are ways to make the setting feel oppressive other than bombarding viewers’ eyes, y’know?

2. The background characters have so many disparate palettes that they don’t feel like they belong in the setting. This could’ve been avoided by giving the fans who designed the characters a master palette to use as a guideline. Here’s the one I used for my hellhound designs:

It contains colors derived from canon Helluva Boss characters, which makes the new ones feel like they fit in the same world rather than hailing from completely different shows. For the faux-composite above, I sampled colors from Charlie and the background, and used them to rework the surrounding characters. For other shots, though, I may use the hellhound palette as needed since Helluva Boss is set in the same universe.

Let’s get to it!

To start with, there’s a lot going on in this scene. We have a detailed foreground character, a detailed background, and a middle ground character caught between them. In the left side of the frame, it’s hard to read the wolfman’s silhouette against the background elements since their values are so similar. Meanwhile, the cowboy stands out fine for the most part, though his hat brim gets a bit lost in the trim of the building behind him. So basically I needed a way to make all three layers look distinct from one another.

I settled on cloaking most of the background in shadow and doing the same for the cowboy, except for rim lighting and a glow from his cigarette to highlight his face. The wolfman and cart full of bodies have minimal shading; enough to give them some dimension but not so much that they blend in with everything behind them.

We then have more background characters to deal with at the news station:

In these cases, I simply painted over the crowd with purple on a couple Multiply layers (same as my initial recolor of these folks), erasing bits here and there to suggest rim lighting and glowing eyes. Charlie’s silhouette stands out much more clearly now that the heightened value contrast has cemented her as the focus.

I tried a similar approach with the demons outside the TV store:

While there was never any doubt that Alastor was the focal point here, I felt the ancillary characters’ color schemes could be more unified, and that their shading could reflect the light sources surrounding them (mainly the TVs in front of them, and the fire surrounding the horned skull demon). I also felt the wall on the right was blending in too much with the background, so I threw on some shading to make it pop.

Now we get to Charlie’s phone call:

I found it odd that the stained glass in the doors was illuminated from the inside when the previous scenes showed us that the hotel was dark. We did see a check-in desk with functional lights, but it was located waaaay down the hall from these doors. Thus, the glass is now in shadow, with some added texture on the edges to suggest its thickness.

Charlie is now also covered in shadow to fit the gloomy mood of the scene, though the rim lighting and her unshaded eyes keep her separate from the background.

Finally, the skyscraper windows in the second screenshot were way too bright, which gave them a contrast that drew attention away from Charlie. It’s never a good sign when animation backgrounds upstage the characters. So I slapped some color on them and shaded that front row of buildings to boost the overall gloom factor.

Then, Alastor arrives:

Given the darkness of the previous scene in the same location, I figured it’d make sense to kill the lights in the awning for this one. And now that most of the hotel is in shadow, Charlie and Alastor stand out a lot more (especially Alastor’s hand, which was practically invisible against the red wall). It really helps that the saturated yellow of the awning is toned down so it won’t be such an eye trap any longer.

Alastor makes himself at home:

...And the hyper-detailed background threatens to swallow him up.

Look, guys- I get that you’re proud of your rendering skills and all, and it’s admirable that you put so much love and care into these layouts. But, y’know, we don’t have to see the whole thing, especially not at the cost of the final frame. The portraits and wallpaper are especially distracting, battling Alastor for visual dominance. A little shading ensures Alastor is the focus without obscuring the portraits completely. Let ‘em be fun Easter eggs fans can study when they pause the video, not the stars of the show.

Alastor then regards the two grumps on the couch:

There was a noticeable lack of shading in this scene (except the default shadows on what I’m guessing were 3D models), making everything look flat. With the help of my good friend the Multiply layer, I gave the background some dimension and brought the characters forward.

Vaggie warns Charlie that Alastor is bad news, and Charlie takes it into consideration:

Again, we have the issue of background portraits attempting to steal the characters’ thunder. In the second screenshot, look at how much those bright greens and cyans stick out like a sore thumb against the dusky pink of everything else. Was it really necessary to keep all the colors of that illustration exactly how they were for the final product?

To remedy this, I desaturated the portrait’s colors and skewed them towards red so the image would better fit the context of the scene. And parts of the picture frame next to it were blending into the wall, so I added some shading there to make it stand out more.

Sometimes, changes made to a confined area can make a world of difference:

I muted the bright greens of the balloon and the flag so their saturation wouldn’t dominate everything else in the scene (again, eye traps), and shaded the stuff behind Alastor so his side of the frame wouldn’t look so busy.

I used similar tactics for when Niffty enters the picture:

For the first screenshot, I plunged the left side of the background into darkness, shaded the center with mainly lighter colors, and left the right side alone since that’s where the light emanated from. This resulted in a sort of gradient effect in the shading, which let Alastor and Niffty pop out a lot more.

In the second screenshot, the vase on the right was a bit distracting in how detailed it was compared to its surroundings, and it was the only pink thing in the frame besides Niffty. I shaded it so it wouldn’t steal the spotlight without disappearing completely. There was also the matter of adding shadows to the rest of the environment, particularly the stretch of hearth the firelight doesn’t touch, and the skeletons on either side of the furnace’s opening. Just some little touches to help the world feel more solid.

Then we meet Husk, and things get tricky.

Husk’s bar was a challenge due to its plethora of light sources. The green rim lights on Husk and Alastor suggest the light’s coming from the green blackjack table, but then we also have light coming through the window, lights in the sockets of the skulls above the bar, a yellow glow from the top of the bar itself, and a faint green glow from the top edges of the wooden wall. And in the third screenshot, the window grabs a lot of attention since it’s almost smack in the center of the frame and it sports some pretty saturated colors.

I did my best to shade things in a believable manner without using too much of a single color. I’m happy with how the purple worked to tone down the window, though I might change the brightness of the blackjack table. It’s still pretty saturated and a bit distracting from Husk and Alastor, though at least they stand out from the wall a bit better.

Now for the part where things get PINK:

Like wow, SO much pink. Holy hell.

I layered some yellow over Charlie and Alastor’s faces, bodies, and limbs so they’d be more discernible from the background, with extra emphasis on their faces to show just how enraptured they are during this musical number. I even left some glow in the negative space between them, representing how connected they are in this moment. Two auras become one. Or something. (Look, I am by NO means a Charlastor shipper; I just think a little more creativity in the visuals of a dance scene could convey more energy and chemistry between the partners. Especially when everything on screen is this monochromatic, like damn.)

Anyway, Sir Pent is here.

That blue in the tunnel of his airship was WAY saturated, and while the reds and yellows barely managed to pop out against it, I thought I’d give them more of a fighting chance. The body of the ship is also more consistently shaded to make it feel 3D, and I added some rim lights to the tips of Pent’s hood so they’d stand out against the dark tunnel.

But Alastor’s eldritch horrors dispose of Pent in pretty short order:

The extremely light glow on the left side of this screenshot caused the hotel to compete with the tentacles for dominance. And once again, there was the matter of the skyscraper windows being so bright they drew too much attention to themselves. I colored these windows with the same orange as the sky behind them, cloaked the hotel in shadow, kept a yellowish glow around the characters, and darkened the evil spirits to make them pop out.

Finally, we get the characters’ reactions to what just occurred:

Figured I’d handle both the normal lighting and the “horror” lighting for this scene. The normal version’s pretty simple: Color in more skyscraper windows, eliminate that weird ray of light that seems to come from nowhere, darken the top of the sky for more contrast with the characters, add some rim lights to Alastor to make his form more clearly defined, and remove the pentagram planet-thingy that looked like it was awkwardly resting on Husk’s hat.

The horror lighting involved some of the same steps, but with more addition than subtraction. The glow from the tentacle demons now hits our characters, lending them a greater sense of volume. Light purple shadows on the gang in the back offset the yellow glow, and Alastor now sports reflections in his shaded areas. There’s no character animation in the transition between the terror and the levity, so if a person wanted to paint this stuff in After Effects, then fade out its opacity to reach the regular lighting, they easily could. Hell, you know what?

Do with this information what you will.

So what’s the takeaway here? I guess, in a nutshell: Don’t let your animation backgrounds upstage the characters. Don’t make them so intricate or busy or saturated that they hog the spotlight. They don’t need to wow the audience with how impressive they are; they just need to serve the story.

Will the Hazbin series learn from past mistakes (including those made in Helluva Boss)? Fingers crossed. As always, I hope y’all found this post insightful or enlightening in some way. See you in the next one!

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel critical #color theory #critique #criticism #long post

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casp1an-sea · 5 months ago

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Cassander “Cas” Armyn My Spidersona

(the second one is what Ey looks like in Eir universe. Scroll all the way down to see more outfits and character designs)

Age: 18

Gender: Transmasc

Height: 5’1.75”

Pronouns: He/Him/Ey/Em

—————————————————————————

none of these are completely 100% accurate to how I view them in my head because I am always changing his character and universe

———————————————————————— Universe: 131313

best described as an abstract art piece that is alive. Gravity shifts changing up to down and down to up. like in the art piece “Relativity”. It’s almost like a normal city, but the gravity shifts cause it to look like skyscrapers are jutting out at random angles, or even just floating in the sky. (kind of think mirror dimension from Doctor Strange) color, ships and changes as if it’s a separate being creating, a black-and-white inky world with the floating colored shapes. some are small while some are big covering home buildings but they never stay in one place or stay the same shape or size for long. The color of this universe is almost alive. (Similar to the color in “Sith” the first episode of season, two of Star Wars visions) for example, touching an object, would push the color of the object away as the color of your hand displaces it. The color that comes off with your hand when you touch things is unique to every person. And it seems like it has a mind of its own, making constantly shifting works of art around you. Technology is about the same as our universe but the animals and foliage is otherworldly and everything has a painterly feel and the “line art” is always sketchy and smudgy similar to my own. The grass is purple and liquids float.

Canon Events:

Spider bite

Close person death

Commander death

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Extra:

Has been Spider-Man for roughly 4 years, in the Spider Society for 2

Movement signature: Uses alot of elements of acrobatics and gymnastics so tends to do complex jumps and flips. Enjoys falling as long as possible before catching Emself.

Goes by both his first and last name

Flaps hands when nervous or excited

Has Eczema and psoriasis

His color is bright orange

Produces web naturally so doesn’t need web shooters but in order to continually produce silk he does eat it

Has fangs but has no clue what they do as he has no desire to bite anything

Can see extremely long distances and also see in UV color spectrum

Carries a spiky shield on his back resembling a yellow kite spider (can also use it as a weapon by attaching a web to it so he can throw it and pull it back) (I swear I made this up before I got obsessed with Captain America)

Shoulder panels lift up on the suit and can shoot out small needles, inspired by the tarantula; they act similar to whistling birds from Star Wars, however they just knock people out rather than exploding

Suit is decorated in paint markings to resemble real life spiders; like most art in the universe they shift and change

Has heat receptors over the eyes on the suit

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Backstory: In Cassander’s universe Alchemax was a company that closed down years ago. Casander grew up with his parents and younger sister in brooklyn. They always had a strained relationship. When Cassander way 15 Ey moved into Peter Parker’s house where he was living with his aunt and uncle so that he could attend Peter’s school. Cassander was best friends with Peter and later Harry Osborn. Peter was often bullied at school and wanted nothing more than to be popular. He used his friendship with Harry as an In to the popular kid cliche but they really only ever teased him and Cassander often had to deal with the aftermath. Cassander never hung around Harry at school much because Harry was still friends with the popular kids like Ned Leeds and Flash Thompson. While Harry did try to get his popular friends not to pick on Peter they often gave him too much slack which is something he and Cassander argued over a lot. One day the popular kids told Peter that if he wanted to join their click he had to do an initiation ceremony. He had to stay the night in the abandoned alchemex building. Cassander tried to tell Peter that this was just to make him look stupid and asked him not to do it because it was dangerous but Peter refused. Cassander tried to get a hold of Harry but he wouldn’t answer so instead Cassander decided that he had to go in as well and make sure Peter stayed safe. That was the night Cassander was bitten after brushing the spider off of peter. They also stumbled upon a laboratory Norman Osborn had been using to make the green goblin serum, but saw nothing because of green fog that filled the room. Peter got cut on some glass So Cassander talked him into leaving. When they exited Harry had arrived. The next day Cassander discovered Eir spider abilities. That night Cassander snuck out and decided to return To Alchemax alone to try and find the spider. Instead He had his first encounter with a Green goblin. Cassander decided he would forget about his powers and try to live normally. Harry stopped hanging out with Ned and him and Cassander got together. The next Peter looked a little strange and was acting weird. Throughout the week peter began to act stranger and stranger. Finally one night Cassander realized he was acting like a green goblin and assumed the cut had become infected. Cassander revealed this to Peter, revealing Eir spider powers in the process. Peter wanted to return to Alchemax but Cassander said no. The next day Harry asked Cassander to go out and eat dinner with his Dad (Norman aka green goblin). Harry ended up running out of that dinner cause his dad is a bitch. Little did Cassander know he was going to Alchemax because he had stayed after Cassander and petter had left the other night and discovered his dads lab. Norman asked Cassander to stay in the desert. He reluctantly agreed but things got tense and. Norman started acting strange, violent even, Cassandee ran away in fear accidentally stumbling upon Norman’s green goblin mask. He rushed home to tell Peter but when he got home Peter wasn’t there Cassander knew that he had gone back to Alchemax. It was too late he had been killed by green goblin, Who Cas did not know was not Norman this time but Harry. Peter's death inspired Cassander to become Spider-Man. As spider man he often worked alongside police captain Gwen Stacy until she was ultimately killed when Cassander couldn’t save her. Norman Osborn as green goblin accidentally killed himself in a fight with spider-man who hid Norman was green goblin for Harry’s sake. Harry believed spiderman had killed him. infected by the goblin serum became mad hunting down spider man. The two ultimately found out each other's identities and it was revealed that Harry killed Peter not Norman. They’re relationship is on an indefinite break, but they haven’t technically broken up, it’s complicated. —————————————————————————

Other Cassander Outfits, I was too lazy to edit the pajamas

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Harold “Harry” Osborn “Green Goblin”

Unlabeled gender, He/They

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Peter Parker

Male He/Him

—————————————————————————

DR. Chuwi Quispe Mamani

(This universe’s Dr. Strange)

Agender They/Them

————————————————————Aaron Davis

—————————————————————————

@xen-blank, @thehollowwriter, @l7k-a, @ferris-the-wheel, @keii-starz

@krenenbaker @elenauaurs @the-banana-0verlord @edith-is-a-cat @dove-da-birb

@theosb0rnway @fizzydreamz @ravenwing0110

@diabollicallyangelic @xentari94 @tomatette

@dragonflies-draw-flame @sunshinechildskywalker @silly-little-goober-core

#cas’s ocs #spider verse #spider man #spidersona #harry osborn #aaron davis #peter parker #dr. strange #self insert

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god-of-this-new-blog · 1 year ago

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So Ive been thinking a lot about L’s giant-massive-fuck-off-skyline-ruining headquarters.

I am joining the conflict between L and Kira on the side of the construction worker.

Thinking purely about the timeline of construction, L apparently puts in the request for a building around the same time he meets the other task force members for the first time. That meeting happens on December 31st 2003, so I’d imagine he tells Watari to get in touch with whatever construction company they hired the same day. At the time, the other members of the initial larger task force had already walked out… so why exactly L thinks they’ll need to design a building to house 60 agents is unclear. Was he hopeful that eventually more people would join the task force? Was he imagining that he’d have to detain multiple people? 23 floors feels like complete overkill for such a small team. On July 23rd Light and Misa are let out of confinement when Soichiro performs the blank stunt (which. I have major issues with how that scene was handled. Will be doing another post about that at some point…). So the 23 story building was built between December 31 and July 23. 205 days, about 6 months. In every single construction form I could find, it takes about 6 months to build the foundation alone. Additionally, each floor takes about a week to complete, so add an additional 23 weeks to the timeline. However—these forms were only discussing safe and legal building practices. The Empire State Building stands out for having about 4 stories completed per week… but that too took about 410 days to complete. There are several buildings that have gone up in around 15-20 days (notably all post 2015), however, all of these buildings used “prefab elements” meaning that large sections of the buildings were pre-built off site (this process alone taking about 5 months for only 20 floors). So 15 days might not be an accurate assessment were one to start from scratch. Then again, it’s possible that L used some sort of construction like this. However, these sorts of buildings are typically very… regular. Apartments and hotels mostly. When you think about all the specialized elements of L’s skyscraper the “prefab” approach seems less realistic. This raises all sorts of questions! What building codes were broken? Was the site safe for construction workers? Probably not. Was anyone injured on the project? Likely. I feel like when we talk about whether or not L is a “good person” or if he “cares” about the people he’s saving, we exclude this very obvious example of him having little regard for the common person. Additionally, I just have a good time thinking about the conversations Watari would have had when trying to get a building permit—I doubt L’s little project follows Building Standard Law. I just know it. Of course Im sure they had some additional freedoms given the situation with… you know.. Kira. Still I am just deeply obsessed with how much shady shit is going on in this one little part of Death Note. It of course goes unaddressed because no one cares whether or not someone broke an arm or something on the site of L’s 23 story glorified hotel. But I care. I am joining the conflict between L and Kira on the side of the construction worker.

ADDITIONALLY. I like to think about how much empty space is in that building. All those hallways, and closets, and massive office spaces just completely empty. Are there lights installed on those floors? What about heating and cooling? Are there just several floors that are exceptionally cold? Are all of these rooms regular? Are several floors just a duplicate of the one below? And think about being confined to this space, unable to go outside, for weeks.

All those identical rooms.

I find this oddly creepy and off putting… rooms copy and pasted to essentially just take up space and approximate the idea of a usable office. I get a very House of Leaves or Hill House feeling from thinking about that building. Severance as well I think approximates what im picturing.

Most of that building, most of the rooms, must be empty. To this point, I also often think about how Misa must have felt to have a whole floor to herself. It was probably a fairly sparse place. Really, its impossible that a person could feel at all relaxed in so much SPACE. What were L and Light’s quarters like? They both had a floor to themselves as well. If what we see of the building from the manga/anime the decor would be, well, lacking. We know Light cares about architecture, I wonder if he ever had thoughts about this. I can’t help but think about how funny and disorienting it would be to live in such a massive space but be stuck six feet away from another person.

Again I am very aware that this isnt the type of thing people would focus on in DN. Which I get. I’m just weird and I love thinking about uncanny spaces. L would build the back rooms.

#death note #light yagami #l lawliet #misa amane #kira task force #anyway this is a weird #long post #from yours truly #is this #meta #sort of !#but mostly it’s my feelings

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bumpkinspice0 · 1 year ago

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Parallels Chapter 13: The Hunter

Miguel O'Hara x Spider!FemReader

No use of y/n

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 4148

Summary: Miguel needs your help stopping a Kraven the Hunter anomaly.

Warnings: Angst train (toot toot), references to hunting, Fighting, canonical typical violence (We'll get filthy again next chapter, I promise)

A/N: I made a bunch of references to the original Predator movie so... sorry if you haven't seen Predator.

Previous - Next

Series Masterlist

AO3

_______________

Chapter 13

The Hunter

Miguel hated the woods.

Well, maybe hate was the wrong word. He wasn’t used to the woods. Born and raised in a towering metropolis, he knew how to scale a skyscraper better than a tree. City’s were nice. There was order to everything. Direction and design and engineering. The woods were… well the woods.

Everything around him was sprawled out wildly and unpredictably. There was no sense in trying to memorize the map Lyla provided him when all the trees and rocks looked the same at every turn. What he wouldn’t give to have Lyla here now. Her signal barely reached this dimension. She still had limits to her abilities despite Gabe’s efforts to improve her code. Rather than have her glichely hoving at his shoulder, he had to save his watch’s juice for a portal home. He had to go after this villain old school.

A slippery variant of Kraven the Hunter.

He’d completely forgotten what the anomaly’s home dimension was at this point— Miguel just knew he didn’t belong here. There was no Spider in this dimension. No super-humans of any kind. A plain 21st-century reality. What would people of this dimension think if they saw a blue-suited man leaping through the forest canopy? Not that he really had to worry about running into anyone. The nearest people were miles away.

This Kraven was smart. He’d hid himself away deep in some protected national forests in the Pacific Northwest. Massive pine trees and towering sequoias covered the mountainous landscape. People didn’t venture this deep into the territory. Miguel wishes he had the time to stop and appreciate just how stunning it all was. Had he really ever been to the forest? Not one like this. Not since he was a child, he thinks. There weren’t many forests left in 2099.

He needed to get out of Nueva York more. This place wasn’t so bad. Almost like the city but… trees for skyscrapers.

Still, it didn’t make him any less frustrated with it all.

This Kraven anomaly had been here for over a month, evading Lyla’s already weak sensors in this distant reality. It was pure luck they picked him up at all.

The evidence of him was everywhere. There were some tacks even the seasoned hunter couldn’t hide. Miguel looks up at the pine tree that had been glitched into a mosaic of neon cubes and surreal patterns— one of the many he’d seen. Who knows what other damage this hunter had caused? He needed to get the anomaly out of here quickly before he caused the entire reality to implode.

Miguel’s enhanced senses were practically useless. Kraven was an expert in the wilderness. He’d disguised his scent and camouflaged his body. Even his footsteps seemed to blend in with the forest’s chatter. This man was a ghost. Miguel had been tracking him for days now and all he’d ever found was more glitched vegetation and mocking laughter in the distance. This Kraven was toying with him.

Miguel was out of his element— just prey in the hunter’s domain.

His watch alarm goes off. His 48-hour limit was up. Another 2 days wasted on this anomaly. Another 2 days he could do more damage to this reality. He lets out a frustrated grunt and kicks at the glitched tree, its neon appearance shifting wildly from the impact.

“Where are you?!” Miguel screams into the vast towering forest. No sense in hiding his location now that he had to leave. More deep mocking laughter echoes from the trees, seemingly coming from every direction. Miguel responds to the laughter with a powerful roar, whipping around and slicing through the glitched tree. It falls with a thunderous, pixelated thud.

This wasn’t just his frustrations getting the better of him. It was a threat. A show of power.

Kraven’s always hunted the biggest game— The most challenging apex predators. Miguel had to give him a reason to fight him instead of hiding. Kraven’s were prideful fighters. With any luck, he’d want to face Miguel when he came back. He’d want him as a trophy.

What better trophy than a monster?

The echo of the fallen tree dies down and Miguel is met with complete silence in return. Good. The portal home materializes behind him and he backs into it with a smug grin under his mask.

You wanna fight me now? He thinks as he’s blasted home. Miguel will be back soon enough— But he won’t be alone.

With his advanced senses obsolete against this opponent, it made things more difficult. Much more difficult. He hated to admit it, but Kraven had him beat in hand-to-hand combat. This man trained since childhood. He fought beasts for fun on the daily— and won. He had advanced strength, senses, and agility— Miguel’s equal, if not superior, in every way.

No, Miguel couldn’t track him down or possibly even beat him once he did have him— but perhaps he could get an upper hand with another sense. He needed help— desperately. He knew it from day one but allowed stubbornness and pride to get in the way. Now look where that got him. Days wasted wandering aimlessly through the forest instead of facing the problem that was actually bothering him.

He hasn’t talked to you for 2 weeks now. You haven’t been back to the tower since you left. Before, you both only ever reached out when you needed relief, for lack of a better term. But now…

It’s changed. The spider-sense is not the same as it once was. It wasn’t demanding sexual gratification as it had been, but it still wanted you. It longed for you, to have you near him. For the two of you to just be together— or maybe it was Miguel himself who wanted that. It was easier to blame it on the spider-sense.

That and… he would finally have to tell you it can all be over. That you can be cured and never have to see him again. That would be best for everyone, yet the prospect of it still gnawed at his instincts. He’s starting to doubt if he could even follow through with it now.

Did you feel the same?

Regardless, you still had to face each other again. This could be one last hurrah before you both go your separate ways. One more fight with you, side by side. Just one more day with you before he sent it all crashing down. That’s all he wanted.

Selfish bastard.

______________

“Okay, so have you met me in any other dimensions?”

“Not yet.”

“What about yourself?”

“Nope. Only spider-woman like me I know… so far.”

“Oh, that sounds creepy the more I think about it,” Jack shivers as he lays out the rug for the latest photoshoot.

In the wake of being jobless, you’ve found renting out your spacious living room as a photo stage to be a rather good filler. Jack had been complaining about wanting a studio for forever and you were happy to provide. That and it gave you and Jack more time together. Something you think you both needed.

He took the reveal of the existence of the multiverse rather well— all things considered. He sat in shocked silence, slowly drinking both bottles of wine and only asking the occasional basic question. You’re not sure how long you went on but for once in all your years of knowing him, Jack had nothing to say back. He thanked you for telling him and headed to bed while you slept on his couch that night.

You remember when you were brought to Spider Society. It was… a lot to process, to say the least. You weren’t yourself for a few days just thinking about it all. For Jack it only took him until the next morning— then the flood of questioning started.

“And the Green Goblin attack, what was that?” he’d asked.

“Anomaly.”

“That night at the restaurant with Ash and Sue?”

“Regular spider stuff… but a little bit of multiverse drama.”

“Is there a hot dog finger universe?”

And the questioning went on like that until he felt satisfied— Like a toddler learning about the world. It was honestly a little fun to get it all off your chest. Then of course, once he’d accepted all the ins and outs of your work across the multiverse, you finally got to the subject of Miguel.

You and Jack always loved to talk boys but this was… a much deeper situation. You didn’t want any solutions or advice on how to navigate this shit show— you just wanted to vent. Openly and unapologetically the way only best friends could.

You knew there was no possible solution here. You knew there was no way it could work, yet the heart wants what the heart wants. So many nights you’ve stopped yourself from calling him or just showing up in his lab. You couldn’t let this go any further— could you?

“Do you love him?” Jack suddenly asked the other week when you were first setting up the living room. The question caught you so off guard that you nearly dropped all of the multi-thousand-dollar equipment you were carrying.

“Wh– No! I just— I don’t know?!” You quickly set down the tote of exorbitantly priced camera gear. “You can’t just— Why would you ask me that?”

“Because he’s literally all you’ve been talking about for days . So either you want to kill him or in deep,” He said passively as he started setting up the backdrop stands, “Which either is fine, I’m always a fan of a good enemies to lovers. ”

“We are not enemies to lovers.”

“Fine, disgruntled coworkers to star-crossed fuckbuddies then.” Jack shrugged, “I don’t know what all the made-up rules of this multiverse shit are— and I’m still not convinced any of it matters but— there’s still only one obvious solution— you gotta be grown-ups and talk about it. The relationship and this gross serum thing. It can’t be healthy to just get rid of a part of your biology no one really understands, right? Just fucking talk to him, he can’t be that scary.”

You sighed and collapsed on the couch, “You make it sound so easy.”

“Because it is that easy, stupid.”

And he was right. But if you talked about it that might mean it’ll be over. He might backtrack like he did before and realize all the mistakes you’ve both been making. He might—

You and Miguel were clearly avoiding each other— again— for over two weeks now. Not a single call and you’d been taken off most missions due to your accident. You could call him too, though. You could walk into the tower whenever you wanted, yet you’d much rather stay here where you had control.

It felt good to be home. It felt good to be working with your best friend again— totally open and honest. Even if you couldn’t bring yourself to talk to Miguel, this was still helping. You needed this.

And like most pleasant things in your life, it only lasts for a finite amount of time.

You’re on the ceiling adjusting a spotlight when the tingling you hadn’t felt in weeks overtakes your brain— quickly followed by a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it! Must be the client. A little early.” Jack announces, scurrying to the front door. You jump down to stop him but he’s already flipped the dead bolt.

Miguel stands prominently in your doorway, his shoulders nearly wider than the frame, “Who the hell are you,” That familiar growly voice greets Jack as he opens the door.

“Excuse me?” Jack immediately bites back. “You knocked on our door, buddy.”

“Miguel!” You run up, pushing your friend to the side. You don’t miss the shocked expression on Jack’s face as you do so. “What are you doing here?”

“So this is Miguel,” Jack raises his eyebrows, gaze dotting between the two of you.

“Why does he know me?” Miguel is about to step past the threshold. You immediately place your hands on his chest.

“He’s my friend. Let’s talk outside.” You turn to Jack, “You, keep setting up. I’ll be back in a minute.”

You practically push Miguel out into the hallway and slam the door behind you.

“What are you setting up?” Miguel asks a little harshly.

“A photoshoot. He’s a photographer. I’m letting him use my place to do it,” You breathe, pinching the bridge of your nose, “What are you doing here Miguel?”

He’s silent for a moment, eyes darting between yours and the door. “I… Need your help on a mission.”

Admittedly you feel a little disappointed that he was here on business rather than coming here to just see you. But, then again, things always had to be business with Miguel. That’s how he justifies them, anyway.

“Oh?” You cross your arms.

“A Kraven anomaly. He’s been very… difficult to catch,” His gaze drifts to the floor, “And I thought a spider sense and a good teammate might be a great help. If you’re feeling up to it.”

And there it is. The faintest little hint of his feelings behind the decision. After everything he put out there after the accident, he was probably trying to get back into old habits again. You can’t blame him. You were too. He could have gone to anyone else, but he came to you. He’ll always come to you.

You stand there for a moment before letting out a long sigh.

“Wait here,” You dash back into your apartment and swing up to your bedroom, avoiding Jack’s eye contact at all costs. You quickly shimmy on your suit and practically stumble down the stairs. Man, you missed the nanotech suit. Jack’s waiting at the base of the stairs, arms crossed and a smile on his face. “Do not look at me like that.”

“I’m not doing anything,” He shrugs with that stupid grin.

“I gotta go,” You tug at the sleeves of your suit, “Think you can handle everything by yourself?”

“Go, go, we’re all good here,” Jack waves you off, “Remember to text me when you’re… done with him. How come you didn’t tell me he was that big? Is all of him that big?”

You groan and dash back out the door before Jack can make another comment you know Miguel can hear from the hallway.

“Let’s go!” you pull at Miguel’s wrist as you both make your way to the fire escape. You’d rather portal from the roof than make your entire floor go through another random tremor. Luckily you both make it to the roof without getting spotted.

“So that was your… friend?” Miguel tentatively asks as he crawls over the ledge.

Fucking men.

You sigh, “Yes, my high school best friend who’s currently planning to propose to his long-term boyfriend.”

“Oh.” His gaze drops from yours, “And he… knows about us?”

“Is that okay?” You raise your brow.

“Is he secretly an interdimensional super villain?” Miguel trying to lighten the mood with sarcasm? That was a first.

“You know, not that I’ve noticed,” You joke back.

“Then it’s fine.” he rolls his shoulders a bit, trying and failing to look more casual, “Gabe and Lyla know, it’s only fair you have someone.”

Fair. The scales must always be balanced with Miguel. It’s just the way he thinks.

“So,” You lean against the roof ledge, “Tell me about this Kraven.”

_________________

You loved the woods. You always made an effort to take a trip up north every year. A small tradition that carried over from your childhood. Your grandparents had a timeshare upstate where you spent a summer or two.

This forest was nothing like the modest hills of upstate New York.

You’d never seen trees like this. You’d never been to the Rocky Mountains. There was a fog that rolled in over the gray morning, the massive pine trees still towered out of the low clouds. You and Miguel sat perched in the tallest tree overlooking the blanketed valley.

“He hasn’t left this area for days,” Miguel tells you. You’re finding it difficult to pay attention to anything he says when you’re too busy taking in the stunning view.

“How long have you been after him?” you ask, dismissively.

“Six days now,” Miguel grunts in frustration, “He’s been here for weeks now. Put himself in his element. Has the whole woods memorized. He has the upper hand in every way.”

“Sounds like you should have called for backup sooner,” You respond cheekily. He grunts again and you smile to yourself. Always so stubborn. You can see his frustrations with this anomaly in his body language alone. He was hunched and glaring over the valley like some brooding, vengeful gargoyle. He’s been hanging out with Ben too much.

“You didn’t call.” You venture to say.

“Neither did you,” He turns his head slightly in your direction, “I thought… you’d want a little space.”

“I… guess I did, yeah.” You bite your lip for a moment, “No more space needed though.”

His only response is a small smile in your direction. And just like that, the message was received loud and clear.

I missed you.

I missed you too.

You peer down into the foggy pine valley. “So, you wanna try flush him out?”

“No, he has to want to come to us,” Miguel states, “He’s a hunter looking for a trophy kill. That’s us.”

“You didn’t bring me here to just be bait, did you?”

“Of course not,” He sounds absolutely offended at the notion. It’s a little cute, to be honest, “He’ll come to us. He’ll think he has the advantage. He doesn’t know how we fight together— How our sense works. I haven’t been able to catch him myself, but maybe with both of us… We have a shot.”.

“This whole situation is giving me Predator vibes . ” You joke, attempting to lighten the mood before you both have to get serious about this mission. He responds with a confused look. “Do you guys have that on Earth 2099? Ya know, the Schwarzenegger movie?”

“Was that English?”

“Technically it’s Austrian, I think.” You joke again to your oblivious partner. Maybe not the best call referencing a movie that was over 100 years old in his reality, if it existed at all. “It’s… It’s an 80’s movie– The 1980’s. I’ll show you sometime.”

“Are you suggesting a movie date?” he smirks.

“Maybe I am, O’Hara,” You pull your mask over your face, “First one to catch this guy makes the popcorn.”

He turns away with a grin, his mask materializing over his face, “You have a deal, Arañita.”

____________________

You wished he’d warned you how fucking cold it would be. Fifteen minutes into your swing through the lower valley you were already shivering. The nanotech suits had a heating and cooling system so he probably wasn’t even aware of the temperature being negative witches titty. You’ll have to ask him to make you a new one soon.

You were both making a show of your swinging, not bothering to be stealthy or quiet in the slightest. You wanted him to come to you after all, though something tells you the hunter has already spotted you.

The spider-sense hadn’t rung any alarm bells yet. You were both on high alert just waiting for him to make a move.

Miguel was right, this guy was good. Your advanced sense of smell could have tracked him down miles away by now. You would have heard his footsteps, his breathing— and there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was unsettling in a way. Like you were looking for a ghost.

Kravens usually stood out like a sore thumb. It was surprisingly easy to track down the smell of animal pelts and witch doctor herbs in the cityscape of New York— But you weren’t in New York. You were in his woods. This Kraven was already more dangerous than any you’d faced.

You didn’t like it.

The spider-sense pings a quiet alert. You both jump to a stop on neighboring trees and an arrow flies between you. You both turn to see your hunter proudly standing with bow and arrow in hand on a redwood branch, several yards away.

His typical animal hide attire was covered in mud and random vegetation. On his shoulders, he adorned the hide of a grizzly bear that you swear looked freshly killed. He places his bow across his back and pulls out a massive knife from his boot.

“Well, well! Look what I’ve found!” He shouts across the canopy, his voice dripping with the usual thick Russian accent, “Two spiders when I only thought I’d catch one. Moy schastlivyy den'. ”

Miguel is the first to pounce, and you follow quickly on his tail. Kraven doesn’t move as you swing towards him, a shit-eating grin across his mud-caked face. The spider-sense pings again but you seem to sense it just a second before Miguel does.

In one fluid motion, Kraven slices at something at his feet and grabs a vine just above him. He’s hoisted into the air as a massive log drops down in counterweight. It comes down directly on top of Miguel. He plummets to the forest floor under the giant thing and Kraven disappears into the canopy.

You quickly turn to go after Miguel. He manages to scramble out from the massive log and catches himself on the closest tree.

“Don’t worry about me!” He shouts from nearly 100 feet below you, “Go after him, I’ll catch up!”

You nod and redirect your momentum, looping around a branch and flinging yourself further into the canopy. Kraven had disappeared into the thicker branches but he couldn’t have gone far. You spot his movement instantly, bounding from tree to tree. You can’t get a clean shot with your webs— you have no choice but to pursue.

He slowly descends the forest levels as you chase after him. You’re gaining on him when you feel the sense again. Before you can even determine what for, you’re being flung in the opposite direction. A noose holds tightly around your ankle as it pulls you along. Idiot, he led you directly into another trap. You now dangle several feet above the ground by one leg.

Homemade traps, a muscular man painted in mud fighting beings from another world—You were right, this whole mission had big Predator vibes.

The hunter jumps to the ground in front of you with a throaty chuck, “Poor little spider, caught in my web now.”

You scream and shoot webs directly at him. He dodges easily but manages to grab the strands. Before you can disconnect them he pulls your wrists behind your back and spins you several times, effectively wrapping you in your own webbing. Well, this was embarrassing.

“Or caught in your own webs,” He spins you again playfully. “Just as good.”

So much for a spider-sense. Miguel was right, this guy had the upper hand in every way.

You’re about to kick him with your free leg when Miguel tackles him to the ground. The two massive men wrestle on the ground and you quickly squirm to try to free yourself. You have no doubt Miguel could overpower him but you had no idea what else this Kraven had up his sleeve. He had traps laid out. He had a strategy. The quicker you got out and helped detain him the better.

“You’ve been holding back on me, comrade,” Kraven grunts as he attempts to subdue Miguel, “I know a beast when I see one. A killer.”

Miguel claws into his shoulder and manages to pin the hunter to the ground. Miguel’s mask phases away, revealing a set of pearly white fangs.

“Shut. Up.” Miguel lurches down to sink his fangs into his enemy’s neck. Kraven manages to stop him. His forearm across Miguel’s throat and the venomous fangs less than an inch from his neck. Slowly, he pushes Miguel back— He’s overpowering him. You didn’t think that was possible.

“There’s more in you, my friend. Drink of the potion that made me,” Kraven grunts, “It will set your true self free. Then we can have a fair fight. A glorious fight!”

Green gas explodes from a capsule on Kraven’s belt, engulfing them both in a thick plum. You see the hunter leap from the mist and scale the closest tree. You work fast to try free yourself from the webs, only a few strands snapping in your efforts.

The sickening gas dissipates but Miguel does not rise from it. He sits hunched over and heaving, his clawed hands digging into the earth. Every muscle in his body is tensed and quivering

“M-Mig?” You call to him, your voice shakier than you’d like.

He turns to you, fangs still bared in an animalistic snarl. Crimson red overtakes the whites of his eyes.

Your Miguel… is gone.

____________

Moy schastlivyy den' or Мой счастливый день: My Lucky day.

____________

Taglist:

@ineedgarlicbread @pinkiemme @thesilenthill @bontensbabygirl @fallenangelsongwolf @raerorigel @littlefreakymunson @viriexo

@w33ni3 @del-ightfulling

Taglist post here!!!

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara fanfiction #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara x you #miguel o'hara x spiderwoman!reader #across the spiderverse #parallels fic #miguel o'hara smut #kraven the hunter

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dragonfiremagic · 5 months ago

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Turns out I really like Kaiju I have too many brewing interests pls help lmao I decided to design a giant literally edgy angsty robot birb because yes :>

Sekkō's info under the cut! v v v

Name: Sekkō Size: 400 feet (From tip of the tail to the head), total wingspan - 600 feet, 100+ feet from feet to head Appearance: Black metallic robotic avian kaiju with a pair of gigantic wings and a very long tail 3 times the size of its own body. The wings' metallic surface reflects a rainbow shine and slight turquoise coloring at the tips. Wing tips, body, neck and head are decorated with glowing blue orb like lights. Sekkō has 3 sets of eyes, 3 pairs of tail flukes, a crested head, strong well-developed forelimbs and legs with sharp large claws

Gender: Genderless (They/It)

Abilities: Compressed high density electrical orbs that are shot from the beak and its chest core, technology/signal override, massive EMP blasts and electrical shock surges, extraordinarily razor sharp body and wings made of sturdy titanium-like alloys of alien technology and metallic element origin, can reach flight speeds beyond mach 10, can create powerful gusts of forceful hurricane-like winds by flapping and adhesive acidic liquid that is excreted by the tongue syringe. It is intelligent, calculative and strategic Description: Solitary and hostile towards anyone/anything unfamiliar invading its nest and conquered territory. Doesn't seem to care for or notice human presence, unless actively provoked. Sekkō is often on the fly to gather material for its massive growing skyscraper sized tower-nest. It is known to actively seek after massive human-made combat robots known as garets that it may notice and tear to shreds to further construct its nest, so garet rivers are advised to be extremely cautious of this specific kaiju. No one has been able to reliably capture footage of Sekkō's nest-tower as any incoming signals are disrupted and Earth-based technology becomes badly damaged if it gets too close to the nest. No one seems to know where this robotic kaiju came from or whatever its purpose may be on Earth...If it has any programmed purpose at all and instead maybe gone rogue/erroneous. it is speculated to be of possible alien or interdimensional origins.

#kaiju #kaiju oc #kaiju au #kaiju art #robot #robot oc #fan character #ref sheet #reference sheet #digital art #art #my art

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visit-new-york · 1 year ago

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Chrysler Building - Influence on Architecture

Global Inspiration: The Chrysler Building's influence extended far beyond New York City, inspiring architects and designers worldwide to incorporate elements of its Art Deco style into their own work.

Skyscraper Competition: The building's construction added excitement to the height race with the Empire State Building, further shaping New York City's skyline.

Seamless Design: While visitors may not access the upper floors, the building's design seamlessly marries the machine age with elegance, capturing the era's fascination with progress.

Terraced Majesty: At night, the Chrysler Building's spire comes alive with illumination, transforming it into a mesmerizing spectacle that can be seen from various parts of the city.

Engineering Marvel: The construction of the Chrysler Building was an engineering feat, requiring the use of advanced techniques and materials to achieve its unprecedented height.

Enduring Legacy

Architectural Masterpiece: The building is often celebrated as one of the finest examples of the Art Deco architectural style, with its sleek lines and ornate decorations capturing the essence of the movement.

Machine Age Inspiration: The design of the building reflects the era's fascination with technology and innovation, showcasing the influence of the machine age on art and architecture.

Industrial Design Elements: Its exterior materials were chosen for their durability and aesthetic appeal, drawing inspiration from the industrial materials of the time.

Riveting Details: The building required an astounding 391,881 rivets and 3,826,000 bricks during its construction.

Distinctive Silhouette: The setbacks in the building's design contribute to its visual interest, breaking up the verticality and creating a dynamic silhouette against the sky.

Previous page Chrysler Building Next page

#Chrysler Building #new york city #new york #newyork #new-york #manhattan #nyc #ny #urban #city #usa #United States #buildings #travel #journey #outdoors #street #architecture #visit-new-york.tumblr.com

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adobe-outdesign · 1 year ago

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now with [SPOILERS] a new evo announced, can you review duraludon and its upcoming Urban Expansion?

I'll be honest, I've never been the biggest Duraludon fan. I do think the idea of a kaiju-mon that's basically the building that kaiju normally knock over is extremely fun, and it being able to drop down to basically become a laser cannon is also pretty neat.

However, it's just always been way too stiff for my tastes. I feel like being able to imagine how a Pokemon lives in its environment and functions is important, but with this design it's straight-up impossible to picture how it even moves. It's mostly just the body being a singular unit, combined with the legs having no joints, that really does it for me.

(Pictured: Duraludon, in the middle of realizing there's no way it can actually eat that plate of food)

Visually, it's alright—the zig-zag down its side is neat, the dark blue accents are nice, and the head shape is interesting. However, I do feel like it's hard to figure out what it's going for at first, and the random bit of red above the head adds nothing.

Admittedly, the g-max form is pretty fun. Obviously the stiffness thing is still an issue, arguably even more so, but at least the building theme's a lot clearer now. Not only is it a skyscraper, it seems to be The Shard specially, the tallest building in the UK:

Which makes sense thematically for a g-max, given that the entire idea is that it's a "bigger" version of the original both conceptually and literally.

Visually, I like the addition of the light blue accents, and how the stomach gains kind of a glass window-like look instead of the entire body. It's also neat how the head becomes a helicopter pad. I do think the dark blue areas on the hands should've become lighter blue to match, but still, this is an effective albeit silly improvement over the original.

Duraludon was kind of a weird choice for an evo, given that it was already pretty strong as-is, but I guess they wanted to compensate for it looking it's g-max form. And, thankfully, we did get a pretty good design out of it.

Archaludon's still too stiff for my tastes, but I do like it more than Duraludon and its g-max. It feels like a good blend between the two, wherein it has more of the subtly present with Duraludon but a clearer theme more like the g-max form.

First, it can form a bridge when it drops down onto all fours. This is a neat practical element that's fairly clear even in the base design. It's also neat because The Shard is also known as, to quote Wikipedia, "the Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower".

The additions of blue and red along the front really make the design pop more, and feel like a good continuation of Duraludon's more subdued palette. This color expansion, along with the forked tail, head spikes, and exaggerated limbs, do make it look stronger than it's pre-evo. Also, the little gold tips on the limbs compliment the eyes and are nice touches, while the strange arm shape now serves a clear purpose in the design. It's still not my favorite thing in the world, but Archaludon's definitely my favorite design out of the three, and the line as a whole feels a lot more complete now.

Anyway, overall: Duraludon has a fun concept, but is a bit too stiff and vague for its own good. The g-max is a bit over-the-top but is much clearer thematically, and Archaludon is the best out of the bunch.

#duraludon #gigantamax duraludon #archaludon #pokemon #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon reviews

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pillowbugs · 2 months ago

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Time’s Dividing Line, Spaces Altered: An Architectural Analysis of Opelucid City

Introduction

Pokémon Black and White are, in my own personal opinion, absolutely stunning games. A large part of that is due to the visual design of the environments - every city in the game is unique, with its own architecture and other fixtures that make these locations memorable. From skyscrapers to windmills, red brick warehouses to raised coastal boardwalks, a walk around Unova reveals buildings in every size and form. There is one location in particular, however, which is especially interesting in how the design of the city ties into the themes of the game, even beyond its significance in the plot; that place is Opelucid City.

The Site

Opelucid City is the location of the 8th Gym in BW, and the 7th in BW2. The local Gym Leader, Drayden, is the old and incredibly muscular mayor of the town, with the title of "Spartan Mayor". In White, the Gym Leader challenged, however, is Iris, an enthusiastic young girl who becomes Champion come the sequels.

The most notable aspect in the design of Opelucid City is that it differs significantly by game version, unlike most other locations. In Black, the city wholly follows a futuristic theme, while in White it follows a traditional theme. It is a city of two halves, past and future. What has been, and what can be. This design is meant to embody the themes of the games – the sole immutable truth, the one path which has already been taken, that which cannot be changed; and the evolving ideals, a world of countless possibilities, that no one can set in stone. The discussion in this analysis will hence focus on comparing the two versions with each other, as this contrast is the crux of the city’s theme.

This dichotomy is displayed in both the buildings and the urban layout of the cities; while, in practice, both cities have almost the exact same layout for gameplay and presumably convenience reasons – it is the same city, after all, and occupies the exact same place plot-wise – and the interactable buildings are very conveniently the exact same models but with different textures, the background elements tell a very different story for each city.

The Houses

As can be seen, the buildings only differ in texture between versions – from a purely technical viewpoint, that is. These textures however suggest differing architectural styles, with different materials used and potentially even different construction. As a whole, the materials used for the futuristic houses in Black seem to be steel (or some other undefined metal), glass, potentially plastic and reinforced concrete (RC), while the more traditional houses in White tend towards stone, specifically travertine (or marble), wood for the doors and glass only for the windows.

The first thing one might notice, common among all buildings, is that the doorways in Black are rounded, while those in White are very visibly rectangular. The doors appear to be portals in Black - obviously not an old style of door - and fairly traditional, wooden swinging ones in White. However, the shapes are reversed when it comes to the fenestration; houses in Black tend to have straight-edged windows, while those in White are implicitly arched, even those in the background.

There are 3 standard types of house models, as well as the unique mayor’s house, that are shared across both versions – namely, the cylindrical ‘towers’, Type A, the square buildings with a ‘floating’ top floor, Type B, and the non-interactable buildings in the background, Type C. Black has a 5th building type in addition to these few, Type D, though it is also non-interactable.

Type A buildings are either hexagonal or circular depending on interpretation; given the precedent for both building styles, there is a stronger argument to be made for circular specifically for White, while honestly anything goes for Black (I prefer to interpret Type A as circular for both; the reasoning for Black will be discussed later along with Type D).

Black features windows sealed with grilles on the second floor, as well as a glowing roof installed with lights (or, glass roof allowing light from within the building to shine out). The whole building seems to have a continuous plan between the two floors, though the windows on the second floor are set back slightly. Interestingly, there are no visible windows on the first floor, which is potentially a fire hazard, but this is the video game where you are forced to shoot out of a cannon straight into a wall and are completely fine afterward, so this is probably legally okay too.

White, instead, has a more obvious setback on the second floor; the arched windows are shielded by the overhanging roof and framed by pillars. This is reminiscent of classical and neo-classical rotundas, such as Donato Bramante’s famous Tempietto. The suggestion of the classical style in White’s architecture is going to be a recurring theme.

Type B buildings are a bit more oddly shaped upon closer inspection; the roofs are regular, flat and square, but the floors tend towards a frustum shape slanting inwards. It looks fairly standard for the modern houses of Black – one might envision the top floor, with its large, ceiling-to-floor glass windows, as a viewing deck that offers a full view of the street while those on the street are at an angle which makes it harder to see back inside. This is perhaps unconventional, but modern houses can be much, much wilder than this.

Meanwhile, in White, the arched window shape is further imitated by the series of arches supported by piers on the middle level, again another element associated with Roman architecture. This specific form is probably not something you would see in classical buildings, though, especially since the top floor’s cantilever seems to be too wide on all 4 sides to be structurally stable given the building materials and techniques available at the time. (Personally, I'm waiting for a remake with 3D models to confirm the intended shape of this house in both versions.)

Type C buildings, which are only found in the background, are fairly regularly shaped in both versions. Both window shapes are also consistent with the other buildings in their respective versions. Interestingly, however, the number of levels seems to differ between both based on the number of rows of (presumably) windows – Black has a 1 / 2 and 2 / 1 arrangement respectively, while White has a 2 / 3 and 3 / 2 arrangement.

Drayden’s house has a unique model, presumably because in both BW and BW2, the player has to visit it for plot reasons. (And, he’s the mayor.) It follows the typology of the rest of the buildings in the city. The square plan is altered by carving out pieces in the 4 cardinal directions on the ground floor, while the upper floors retain their regular shape but are arranged in tiers, culminating in a hipped roof. In Black, the top of the roof is flat, while in White, the roof is topped off with a dome. The White version of the house hence bears noticeable similarities to Andrea Palladio’s Villa Capra / Villa La Rotonda, a Renaissance villa built according to the architect’s own mathematical ideal and with heavy classical influence.

Buildings of Type D only appear in Black, as setpieces in place of the greenery in White. These buildings have a rounded form with windows on all sides. This could be influenced by retrofuturism, essentially “what people in the past hoped the future would look like”, which included rounded homes (as opposed to practical, regular ones). Alternatively, it could be referencing the somewhat-adjacent Streamline Moderne style of the 1930s, where designs for practically everything - cars, trains, appliances and especially buildings - were based around the idea of aerodynamics, which took the form of curves and smooth lines. Black’s variant of Type A buildings could also fall under this style; assuming a rounded shape, including the top, it bears some resemblance to a space shuttle.

The Urban Plan

As mentioned, Black uses Type D buildings where White uses greenery to fill the space. Because of the buildings, the place where Ghetsis makes his speech in BW appears much more cramped in Black than in White; the entire right side of the open space surrounding the central fountain in White is taken up by a building in Black (and the fountain is replaced with... something I can't quite tell from the pixels). The speech scene is admittedly less impressive in the latter game because of this.

Other places blocked off by signs or fences in Black also house extra trees in White; the intervals between Drayden's Gym and the two Type B houses in the north, the column in the east leading towards Route 10, et cetera. Drayden's Black house is missing the 2 side hedges compared to his White house. On the other hand, the area next to the Type A house in the northeast of the city, where the Youngster is standing, is technically free to walk on in Black and occupied by hedges in White.

Black has 1 more vending machine than White south of the Pokémon Center, which is further away and completely unnecessary, but it is a neat detail. Also notable is that Drayden's Gym, while retaining the exact same form in both versions, has the colours of the dragon heads reversed - the dragon matching the version's colour faces east, and the opposing dragon faces west.

Crucially, there is one quality in Black's favour in the circulation of the city, which is admittedly the main thing that inspired me to make this writeup. White Opelucid has varying ground levels connected by stairs, with the houses being generally raised and divided by areas of lower elevation.

In Black Opelucid, however, there is nary a stair in sight. The entire city is flat. Black Opelucid is far easier for people with mobility issues to navigate than the other, where one needs to traverse multiple flights of stairs to access most of the houses. Want to go to the Pokémon Center to heal your injured party after getting beaten up in Shopping Mall Nine in the west? Do you require a mobility aid? Are you in the White timeline? If so, you're out of luck - the Pokémon Center is on the east side, past two tall flights of stairs. Better hope the residents are kind enough to help.

Of course, an alternative interpretation of the flatness of Black is the urban planners flattening out the natural topology and creating an unnatural landscape for convenience’s sake, as opposed to White where this topology is conserved along with more of the greenery and old architecture.

Conclusion

White Opelucid represents a bygone age; the beauty of the past, with more nature untouched and buildings following a vaunted classical order. Yet, it has to be acknowledged that the so-called ‘golden age’ depicted was deeply unequal, and mostly served the white men who have been dominating discussions of architectural history in the anglosphere for centuries. Relatedly, Western fascists love their classical architecture, which does poison the entire water table when discussing the use of these elements in general (speaking as an extremely disgruntled Asian architecture student who loves history).

Black Opelucid represents a vision of the future – one possible future out of many, at least. The increased accessibility compared to White is a symbol of the shift of society towards a world where everyone, regardless of physical capability and anything else, is accounted for and accommodated. Even then, the heavy cost on the environment* has to be taken into account for these resources to be used by humans. Ironically, it is also the lack of trees that ends up dating this 'futuristic' city; greenery is known to be vital to mental health, and so many modern cities nowadays make it a point to have trees, rather than removing them. Not to mention that completely eradicating old buildings effectively erases a city's connection to its past; its culture and history are a vital part of a city's identity that should be acknowledged, though not necessarily honoured or glamorised, and it will be lost to time if newer generations grow up without any knowledge or proof of what came before.

Both versions of Opelucid City have their advantages and disadvantages. There is no version of Opelucid City that is perfect, only a 'better' or 'worse', and which one is which is completely subjective. Similarly, oftentimes there is no clear-cut 'good' or 'bad' side to a situation; things are not always clearly black and white, right or wrong - more often than not there are grey areas, nuances to the situation that cannot be dealt with in absolutes. This is the overarching theme of Pokémon Black and White.

(Of course, the two versions of Opelucid City are extremes; were it a city in our modern world, more likely than not, there would be a balance between preservation and urban renewal, with some old buildings, but not all, torn down for new, modern ones to take their place. The past can coexist with the future, side by side; in our memory, then, these two times are connected spatially, both part and parcel of the present identity of the city. )

*As a side note, the entire discussion on whether to conserve forests or not isn’t as black and white as simply Don’t Kill Trees; it has to be acknowledged that the main push for conservation comes from 1st-world countries who have already reached affluence through destroying their own environment – and in that same vein, the pushback against it comes from countries, usually those classified as 3rd-world, who have not reached that state yet. Telling them to stop mining their resources, i.e. stop developing, is essentially kicking down the ladder to prosperity that these 1st-world countries climbed along with a side serving of exploiting the people and preexisting natural resources in said countries previously. The way that conservation is being pushed especially heavily disadvantages those who have not had the chance to develop because of the exploitation of the colonial powers who lorded over them to develop themselves using their colonies’ resources. It’s a messy issue, not least because none of the most fervent Western proponents of sustainability care about anyone besides their own people and companies.

** I would not consider myself qualified to talk about race in the USA, especially considering I'm not from there, but I wonder if having Black represent the future and White represent the (heavily glorified) past, along with having one leader be a visibly POC young girl and the other a fair-skinned old man, was intentional (albeit, both gym leaders are fought in the opposite versions). These games were developed in Japan, however, so it's a bit less of a given that they would touch on this idea as compared to an American developer. Still a neat detail adding to the contrast between versions.

#pokemon #pokemon black and white #willows rambles #analysis #architecture #video game architecture #i am a 2nd year architecture student btw so this is not professional by any means #i did not expect to ever write about politics especially not in a video game architecture analysis #but here we are #pokemon b2w2 #long reads #submas #(adjacent at least)

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