#the defining feature of which is A VERY SMALL CHARACTER LIMIT

[thedreadvampy]

fwiw if you want to introduce more variety to how you draw faces I strongly suggest thinking really hard about noses

noses give you so much information about someone! they're usually one of the first things which define how we think of someone's face (after all - they're by far the feature that takes up most of it).

They change as we age - they take up more of our faces and move away from our mouths. babies almost all have round little tips of noses with no definable bridges, while depending on the type of nose an adult has they may get bonier and sharper or softer and flatter with age. nostrils widen, skin creases, eyes drop back from the bridge. I think often people try to age faces by putting wrinkles around an unchanged nose and it throws stuff off.

They're also a really racialised feature. like there is no one Black Nose or East Asian Nose or Desi Nose or White Nose, obviously, there's huge variation within and across ethnic groups, but there's a lot of overlapping trends in nose shape for different ethnicities and it's often a big contributing factor to people drawing characters of colour that kind of look like palette-swapped white people? like there are so many nose shapes that are super common but because they're relatively uncommon for white people, they're just not the noses people often learn to draw as standard.

but also a diversity of noses says so much about a character, the same way that their build or eye shape or face shape does. like. a long sharp narrow nose in a bony face? a round, slightly flat nose on a face full of smile lines? an upturned, softly rounded nose with freckles and no bridge? a long hooked nose with a curved tip? a crooked, broken nose? a bulbous, reddened nose? noses can imply strength, weakness, innocence, experience, childishness, wisdom, suffering, whatever you want to get out of a character design. don't neglect the nose!!!!

and like. obviously depending on how stylised the art is there's going to be information lost, but that's the thing - there's a real upper limit on how much variation you can put in eyes or mouths or face shape in simpler styles without making it overly realistic, but you can go really nuts on nose shapes! even with just one or two lines or one simple shape you can imply so many different noses by changing little things!

and yet really often I look at people who are trying to broaden variety on faces and they mix up everything except the noses, which stay like a circle or a triangle or a line or whatever their standard noise is, and as a result there's still this sameness to all the faces.

bc eyes and mouths and jawlines are all very well but noses are, in my opinion, the most varied part of the face. I can't think of any two people I know who have the same shape of nose except maybe me and my identical twin.

(and I'm not talking big Vs small, or hooked vs snub vs straight vs flat. really look at people's noses in real life cause there are so many variables)

(some leading questions under the cut)

how big is it? how long from the front? how far away from the face does it sit in profile?

does it have a rounded tip? how round? some people's noses have a profile that's basically a triangle point, some people's are basically a round tip with no visible cartilage above it, and everything in between.

What's going on at the bridge? in profile, is there a clear dip in between the brow and the bridge of the nose, or does the brow come straight down to meet it (or, if you have a kind of striking profile like Hangman Adam Page who looks like an early 2000s DreamWorks character, is your profile one line from brow to the top of your nose)? from the front, is there a clearly defined edge to the bridge of your nose or does it curve out? how much of the space between your eye sockets is nose, on a range from 100% to 0%?

What shape is the top of the nose in profile? Is it a straight line from bridge to tip? does it curve down? does it curve up like a ski slope? does it come to a sharp stop and angle out into a round tip?

does it have sharp edges? does it look bony, with a pronounced ridge? or is it all soft lines? Does it meet the cheek at an angle or at a curve?

does the tip come to a sharp point, or to a curve? does it angle up (so you can see the nostrils from the front), or down (so you can only see the line of the nose)?

how big is the base of the nose compared to the bridge? from the front, does it flare wide across the face at the bottom, or is it almost a straight line down? is it broader higher up the nose?

what are the nostrils doing? how big are they? are they round, or slit-shaped? do they sit behind the tip, with the noise all contained in a single pyramid shape, or do they sit to the sides? do they sit along the face, point forward towards the tip, or point up higher than the tip?

how does the nose interact with the other features? does it dominate the face? is it a tiny wee thing? does it sit over a very long upper lip with a pronounced philtrum, or is it almost touching the mouth? How much of the space between the eyes is taken up by the bridge of the nose? do the eyebrows curve towards the nose, or meet them at a hard angle? if they wear glasses, where on the nose do they sit?

colouration - is it all the same colour, or pinker at the tip or over the bridge? are the insides of the nostrils visible, and are they pale or dark pink? does the top of the nose get more sun - is it darker?

surface details - are there creases at the bridge or around the nostrils and cheeks? are they from scowling (vertical) or laughing (horizontal)? does their nose scrunch up when they smile, or flare when they're angry? is there hair? freckles? piercings? scars or breaks?

like the nose, jaw and brow are the structure around which the rest of the face is built. if you get to a place in your art style where you're comfortable playing around with that then you immediately add so much more diversity and life and verisimilitude to your characters!

also noses are just great. like they're so fun to draw and there are so many different gorgeous noses! I'm so into noses that usually the way I find how I want a character to look is to draw the eyes, draw the nose, then redraw the eyes and build the whole face around the nose.

(this advice is coming from the fact that the most common compliment I get on my art is the diversity and believability of characters and I would say that's like 50-60% in the nose/brow)

[novlr]

Tips on writing anthropomorphic animals? Been wanting to write a story/episodic novella based on my cat a la Sherlock Holmes meets Ghost Hunters. But I have no clue how to write non humans as humans.

When I was a kid, there were two books I absolutely adored. Stuart Little by E.B. White and Redwall by Brian Jacques. Both featured anthropomorphic animals, but they dealt with them in very different ways.

In Stuart Little, Stuart is a boy who is small and looks exactly like a mouse. He looks like a mouse and is the same size as a mouse, but despite his physical appearance, he is, for all intents and purposes, human. He is a single, mouse-like boy living in a human world.

In Redwall, however, the animals live in a world populated with animals that have human characteristics but retain a lot of their animal natures. The lines of good and evil in the series are stark, with the woodland creatures acting as the heroes of the story and the rodents and vermin as its villains. The species an animal comes from plays a big role in how they are anthropomorphised.

All that is to say that there is no simple way to write anthropomorphic animals. Much of it will come down to the type of story you want to tell and the story world your narrative is set in. With that in mind, let’s dive in!

Understand your story’s world

The world your anthropomorphic animals inhabit will greatly influence how they behave and interact. Are they animals with human characteristics or humans in animal form? Do they live in a world populated by other anthropomorphic creatures, or are they unique? Understanding the rules and limitations of your story’s world is vital in determining how your characters will act and think.

Here are some things to consider:

Will your character’s roles in the story be defined by their species?

Are your characters’ animals living a secret life in a human world, or is your story set in a world populated only by animals?

What level of technology exists in your world, is there a magic system, or both?

How do the animals interact with their environment, and are there any physical needs that need to be met by that environment?

What limitations does your world impose on the animals’ behaviour and abilities?

What political system exists in your world? Does it follow human laws and rules, or are there political systems unique to your story world in which the animals and their species play an essential part?

Answering some basic world-building questions will help you establish the rules and boundaries of your story world, making it easier to write consistent and believable characters and determine the level and type of anthropomorphism you want to commit to.

Decide on the level of anthropomorphism

The level of anthropomorphism in your story can range from animals with a few human traits to fully humanised animals. Consider how much of their animal nature you want to retain and how many human characteristics you want to add. Things to consider might include:

Will your characters walk upright or on all fours?

Will they have opposable thumbs, or will they use their paws, claws, or beaks to manipulate objects?

Can they speak, or do they communicate through animal sounds and body language?

Do they wear clothing, or are they covered in fur, feathers, or scales?

Will they have human-like emotions and thought processes, or will their animal instincts play a significant role in their decision-making?

How do they interact with their environment, and how does their species influence those interactions?

The level of anthropomorphism you choose will significantly impact your characters’ behaviour, abilities, and interactions with their world. A more humanised animal may have complex emotions and relationships, while a less anthropomorphised character may rely more on instinct and basic needs.

Consider biology and physical traits

When creating anthropomorphic characters, it’s essential to consider their biology and physical traits. How do their animal features influence their abilities, limitations, and interactions with the world?

For example, a bird character may have excellent vision and the ability to fly, while a mouse character might be small and agile, able to navigate tight spaces. Incorporating these traits into your characters’ personalities and actions will make them more believable. You might like to consider:

Do they have opposable thumbs? This will affect the ease and style with which the animals in your story may interact with their environments.

Do they walk on two legs? If your anthropomorphic animals walk upright, consider how this might affect their balance, speed, and overall movement.

How does their diet influence their behaviour and interactions with others? Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores may have different priorities and social dynamics.

What senses are heightened or diminished due to their animal nature? Keen senses of smell, hearing, or vision can significantly impact how they perceive and navigate their world, and the same goes for animals who traditionally struggle with these senses (I’m still waiting to write my superhero Mantis Shrimp story!).

Are there any unique physical features, such as a prehensile tail or venomous bite, that could be incorporated into their character development and actions?

Blending animal and human traits

When blending animal and human traits, consider how the characters’ instincts and natural behaviours might influence their human-like qualities. For example, a wolf character may have a strong sense of loyalty and a desire to protect their pack, while a fox character might be cunning and mischievous.

Balancing these traits will create multi-dimensional characters that feel authentic and relatable to readers. Additionally, consider how the characters’ animal traits might affect their relationships and interactions with others. Consider the following:

Identify expressly human traits: What qualities or behaviours do you consider uniquely human? Examples might include complex problem-solving, emotional intelligence, or the ability to use language.

Identify expressly animal traits: What qualities or behaviours are specific to the animal you��re writing about? For cats, this might include a love of napping, a curiosity for exploring, or a tendency to be aloof.

Preserve key traits within the context of your story: Decide which human and animal traits you want to preserve in your anthropomorphic character and how they will manifest in the story’s context.

Balance traits to create a cohesive character: Ensure that the human and animal traits you’ve chosen work together to create a believable, well-rounded character. Consider how these traits might influence their motivations, decision-making, and interactions.

Develop unique quirks and mannerisms: Consider adding distinctive quirks or mannerisms that stem from their animal nature. For example, a bird character might absentmindedly preen their feathers, or a dog character might chase their tail when excited.

Be aware of subtext

When writing anthropomorphic characters, be mindful of the subtext and potential symbolism associated with the way you use certain animals. Despite my love of Redwall, Brian Jacques did receive some very valid criticism about the black-and-white nature of his good vs evil.

By its very nature, anthropomorphisation applies human characteristics to animals, so it’s important to think about how this might also end up with real-world analogues. We stereotype animals, but if we use stereotypes in stories with animal protagonists to create a mirror of our own world, we run the risk of those stereotypes being harmful when applied in real life. Things to look out for might include:

Associating certain animals with negative stereotypes or using them to represent marginalized groups.

Reinforcing gender roles or stereotypes through the portrayal of male and female characters.

Perpetuating harmful myths or misconceptions about specific animal species (sharks will never recover from the bad press they received from Jaws by Peter Benchley).

Using animal characters as a proxy for discussing sensitive or controversial human issues without proper context or nuance.

Appropriating or misrepresenting cultural symbolism in a way that is disrespectful to the culture from which it comes.

[archoneddzs15]

Sony PlayStation - Rockman Complete Works: Rockman (Mega Man 1)

Title: Rockman Complete Works: Rockman / ロックマン

Developer/Publisher: Capcom

Release date: 5 August 1999

Catalogue No.: SLPS-02220

Genre: Blast-Em-Up Platform Action

In the future city of Monsteropolis, the use of robot labor has helped civilization grow more than ever before. At the forefront of this technology are Dr. Light and his assistant Dr. Wily, who are commissioned to build six robots to handle a variety of specific tasks. They are named Bombman, Gutsman, Iceman, Cutman, Elecman, and Fireman, in reference to their individual prime functions. Dr. Wily, however, has bigger plans and chooses to take control of the robots and let loose destruction in a bid for world control. Dr. Light fights back with the best tool he has, an experimental human-like robot, Rockman aka Mega Man, who had been tested to perform cleaning duties. Now properly armed, it's up to Rockman/Mega Man to take on the maverick robots, fight his way into Dr. Wily's castle, and end this madness.

Originally debuting on the Famicom, the Rockman Complete Works series contained enhanced 32-bit PlayStation ports of the first six Rockman/Mega Man titles (Mega Man 1 - 6) with extra bonus features including freshly arranged soundtracks, a new user interface, a hints system, and some post-game bonus content. Priced at 2,800 JPY each, the Rockman Complete Works range were eventually ported to the PlayStation 2, Game Cube and XBOX (including Mega Man 7, Mega Man 8, and two Mega Man arcade games) by Atomic Planet under the title "Mega Man Anniversary Collection", released exclusively in the West. The PS2 and Game Cube versions were released simultaneously in 2004, and truth be told, it has to be said that Atomic Planet did not do a good job with the PS2, Game Cube and XBOX ports. The PS2 version only supports 480i resolution, has most of the Rockman Complete Works features stripped, and has very noticeable volume issues. Plus, the PS2 version forces you to use the DualShock 2's analog sticks for character movement. No D-Pad action.

But it's not just the PS2 build that has issues. The Game Cube version does not feature remixed music at all, owing to the limited storage capacity of Game Cube discs which top out at 1.4 gigabytes per disc, and worse, famously has the backwards controls where the B button on the Game Cube controller is for "Jump", and the giant A button on said controller is to "Fire" the blaster gun. It's a shame really, but Atomic Planet wasn't done yet. In 2005, the XBOX version of Mega Man Anniversary Collection was released. The XBOX version has the same audio issues as the PS2 build in regard to audio distortion at high volume, but it supports 480p resolution. But the XBOX version also introduces graphical glitches that are not present in the Game Cube or PS2 version. Mega Man Anniversary Collection is a backward-compatible title for the XBOX 360, but when you play it on an XBOX 360, it has even WORSE graphical glitches!

*sigh*... Rant aside, Rockman's graphics aren't exceptional, but at least they look clean and well-defined. You'll face a wide array of enemies, but most are small, and some are as simple as floating blocks. The game provides unlimited continues, so you can always pick up right where you left off. Rockman's tunes are catchy and should bring back fond memories for long-time NES/Famicom players. It may not look like much, but Rockman's well-conceived gameplay has managed to withstand the test of time. The real meat and potatoes for this PlayStation port are indeed the arranged soundtrack and the Navi mode which actually gives the game a fresh new HUD and actually eliminates sprite flicker! How about that for cool?

Oh, and I have to make mention of the fact it does support the Sony PocketStation memory card gadget thingy. Sony's rip-off of the Dreamcast's VMU actually contained some minigames that you could transfer to from select PS1 games, and this game definitely belongs there.

[frodothefair]

How to make your "background" or "minor" characters pop, a brief primer by Nisilë.

Of note: This is merely my system, a set of guidelines that's worked for me, and by no means a universal directive. I'll mainly use Éothain as an example, who appears in all of one scene so far, and is mentioned obliquely several times. This system can be used as a starting point for developing major characters as well, and it's how I begin to create any character, "large" or "small."

To my way of thinking, developing a character hinges on specifics, specifics, specifics. "Minor" characters are no exception in this regard. As such, here is my list of things to think about in a very specific way for every character, but particularly the ones who don't get a lot of airplay. That way, the limited time you do have can be used to highlight the unique characteristics and make them a living, breathing being.

--Appearance: at least one feature that's memorable or different. Metaphors, similes, and other particularly evocative descriptors are helpful here, and you get bonus points if the descriptor somehow echoes the character's disposition. You can describe an especially prominent facial feature, a means of dress, or their hair. You can also describe a character's general "vibe" -- how it feels to be around them, an archetype that they resemble -- but again, make it a vivid, memorable image if you can. (Examples: Éothain has a long face and an intricately carved peg leg. Ainslie has "rain-colored eyes," echoing her sadness; rain = tears. For an example of "vibe," Walda presents "more like a grandfather bouncing his grandchildren on his knee than a healer." For an example of hair, Háma has a "molasses-colored" beard, which echoes his kindly disposition.)

--A unique mannerism or way of speaking. (Éothain likes to put his hand against the front of his coat, hook his thumb behind a button, and to drum his fingers. He also "draws out his vowels as the Rohirrim do on formal occasions" -- except he does this all the time :P).

--A bit of backstory, at least one event that defines how they got to where they are. (Éothain is a former rider who left his leg behind in Gondor and is now Éomer's secretary).

--Their MO in one sentence or less. One way in which they approach the world and their daily tasks. I believe it is Kurt Vonnegut who said, "every character should want something, if only a glass of water." No matter how "minor," it is always good to think about a character's motivation. What do they want? It doesn't have to be much, but desire informs behavior, and it helps a great deal in bringing a character to life. (Éothain is officious, a perfectionist, and a pedant. He clings to protocol "like it's some sort of lifeline," which suggests that he craves security and predictability.)

[sfblah]

blah I CHALLENGE you. To rank the noses of some of your OCs...whatever ranking system you choose, whether it's Shapeliest or Narrowest/Longest etc--- I must know your various rankings

Okay I love this lmao. Been trying to think up some good nose superlatives, and I think I have enough for a decent little uh. Whatever this is gonna be lol. I'll do a top 3 for each but even with a limit this is probably still gonna be long af

Longest

What it sounds like lol. Generally meaning longest from bridge to base, but also tip to face. Heh that rhymes.

Mina. I mean, who else could it be? lol. I haven't written too too much with her, but she's probably gonna be my long nose queen OC forever at this point. She's a witch with a pointy nose that sticks out really far, and that's just kinda it. Nothing really inherently magical about it, that's just how she is. She also has really long nostrils to go along with it, though they "only" go about a third of the way down and the rest is all squish.

Komithe. She has a "normal" long nose, but as a half-elf I imagine her having "long" features in general. I've also given a lot of attention to her having long, thin nostrils too. I debated having that be an elven feature in her setting, but ultimately I feel like it doesn't really matter and it's just one of her defining traits. Though in her case her nostrils would probably be considered abnormally narrow by human standards. Which is still hot imo.

Cyd. Robot girl OC who I haven't written about in An Age. Similar to Komithe I just figure she has deliberately elegant features, including a long nose. Hot office lady robot who can sneeze to clean herself out, but her sneeze is programmed to be "polite" more than anything, so she's rather dusty.

Honorable Mention: Tracy. Old old Adventure Club OC, and I think she might have been the first character I ever described as having long, thin nostrils lol. Definitely the first where it became a defining trait. There must always be one.

Widest

Again basically what it sounds like on the tin. Farthest from left to right lol.

Lena. Naturally her schnoz gets even bigger and wider in wereboar form, but even in her human form she's just got a big ol nose. She has a handful of traits that could be interpreted as her wereboar nature influencing her even as a human, i.e. chubby, wide nose, snorty laugh, but I imagine not every wereboar is like that and in some ways that's just her being her lol.

Kyase. Maybe this is cheating since her nose is only really wide sometimes lol. Basically she's an alien who in classic pulp sci-fi fashion is very similar to a human but with two or three little differences. One of which is that at rest her nostrils are effectively closed up compared to a human's, and when they flare they can get extra wide. And her nose isn't even especially narrow when un-flared, it's like average human nose width that can flare out a lot more.

Lane. Shame I never really did more with this character lol. She's a decade old by now jeebus. Probably the widest nose with nothing unusual influencing it, although she's basically an occult detective. Basically she's if resting bitch face was a person except with a wide, upturned nose that she hates and is self-conscious about.

Thiccest

Not necessarily the longest or the widest overall, but like the most filled out, the most shapely. I wish I could think of a more sexy word to describe this than "fleshy," but that really does encapsulate it the best.

Penny. She actually didn't start off this way in my imagination, but after a couple chapters of the isekai series I decided she should have a nice, pudgy nose. I guess pudgy is also a good word. She also has fairly small nostrils, giving her nose an even thiccer appearance.

Skasa. I really, really want to get back to her story sometime soon lol. I described her nose as "stocky" early on, and I think that's just a good look for her. I picture her nose having that sort of "blocky" quality to it, if that makes any sense. Like particularly it has a defined, squared tip and is more corners and flat surfaces than curves.

Bucket. Yeah time to promote the new girl. She just has a big ol chonker. Not the longest or widest nose, but still undeniably big. The kind that just looks squishy. She also probably bumps things with it a lot, even if it's not abnormally huge or anything.

Honorable Mention: Sophie. Kinda the jack of all trades, master of none nose lol. She doesn't hit any extreme, but her nose is long-ish, wide-ish, and filled-out-ish all at the same time.

Debated having a "most nose hair" category but that would just be Sophie in first with every other OC I've ever written tied for second lol.

Okay this was really fun. Can we make ranking OCs in various things a trend? That would be neat. Thanks for the ask!

[srmehranclub1]

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[the-river-delta]

Tangibility, Modules, and Minimalism; or how Mausritter makes me excited about TTRPG loot

When it comes to tabletop RPGs, I've never been particularly motivated by the prospect of Loot™ (a term I know might have some baggage, but that's not the discourse I'm trying to tackle here with this post) - gold and other valuables worth a bunch of cash, magic items like enchanted swords or spellbooks, and other such rewards.

Whether that's because I was more interested in the character roleplay, exploring the world, or telling a particular kind of story, the bits and pieces picked up along the way have never really been the thing on my mind when I sit down and join the voice chat for the session, whether as a player embarking on an adventure, or the GM who's had to prep it - whenever I get a new Pathfinder 2e rulebook or adventure from a friend (at this point basically not for playing anymore), I completely glaze over the obligatory 4-6 pages dedicated to new items included therein (for a few reasons that later parts of this post will contrast this with), and a lot of the Powered by the Apocalypse or Forged in the Dark games that I pay most of my TTRPG attention to these days don't feature this style of reward almost at all.

However, the figuratively and literally little roleplaying game Mausritter (which reimagines old-school fantasy adventuring through the lens of tiny mice in a big dangerous world, in the style of Mouse Guard or The Secret of NIMH) has been doing a few things that have had me coming around on the concept somewhat, and I wanna talk about them in this probably long and rambly post today.

So, what does Mausritter do that other games in its fantasy-adventure-dungeoncrawling extended family don't, for me at least?

For one, I think it has to do with its minimalism - the rulebook is less than 50 pages, split roughly between player and GM sections - and within this, maybe 6 are dedicated to items the player mice can start with, purchase, or find in the world - the game calls out its 15 magic spells as a selling point, and there's 10 magic swords listed in the treasure part of the GM chapter, and most of these have at most one or two one-line rules associated with them.

And yet, through the paradoxical power of "less is more", this is a much more exciting starting setup than the dozens of pages of stuff your PF2 blorbo can go shopping for in that game, to speak nothing of the hundreds of pages of things they can acquire on their journey from level 1 to 20. When there are this few things to pick from (and when modules sprinkle in new ones, more on this later), and when you can only carry a small handful of them (MR's Resident Evil Tetris inventory limits you to 10 slots across your body and backpack, which can also be taken up by gnarly conditions like exhaustion and curses), each one feels proportionally more meaningful - meanwhile a bunch of new items in a PF2 book just isn't making a dent in the game's already extant catalog, and are diluted across the game's 1-20 level range (and just simply don't feel very exciting when they amount to "a little bit of combat action compression, a boring but useful skill bonus, or a modest utility spell on a lengthy cooldown, all of which will likely become obsolete and need replacement in a few levels' time".

The thing is, a Pathfinder character can also advance in myriad other parallel ways (their stats, their skill proficiencies, their class and archetype feats, their spells, their companions and familiars, and so on), and given the game's pretty conservative game balance, each of those is only a small element of the power progression puzzle - there are scarce few elements in the game that are singularly 'build-defining', and the game generally wants you to think about them in aggregate and over levels-long periods of time, and that just isn't a mindset (or perhaps, attention span) that I have.

Meanwhile in Mausritter, items are basically the main (though technically not the only) means of handing out rewards, so they better feel exciting and significant to get! And beyond the fact that their minimal writeups are a lot more liberating and feel very no-strings-attached (like the sword that makes you invisible while you stand perfectly still, or the sword that lets you disguise yourself as any mouse-sized creature), the fact they are all presented as these cute little cards that you physically plop down and shuffle around your character sheet (with a doodly illustration, name, and usage to be filled and cleared) adds an extra layer of tangibility that legitimately makes me wish I could play tabletops in an offline fashion (but alas I have no players nearby nor the money to afford physical books and accessories).

...Which is further enhanced when you consider that this tiny core set of stuff in that zine-sized rulebook (15 spells, 11 creatures, etc.) leaves a wide open space for modules to expand on in bite-sized chunks, mostly done by Mausritter's vibrant third-party community (the game's author Isaac Williams has only published two official modules, and of those one of them was in collaboration with a bunch of 3pp writers), and the fact they almost always likewise include their additions in that same "here's a sheet of item cards to print out and pop out at the table" continues that sense of tangible rewards - but now with the added bonus of the different adventures' themes and visual styles making veteran mice's sheets a real collage and record of where they've been and what they've accomplished (assuming they've lived and held onto the stuff, anyway).

(Not to mention the organic emergent fun of bringing items from one module to solve problems in another in ways the authors of neither could have foreseen, I reckon.)

Also the fact that the majority of Mausritter modules consist of these pamphlet-sized sites that can each be finished in a few sessions each rather than sprawling multi-month affairs means that it's actually feasible to chain them together and see this stuff I'm talking about unfold in a timely manner - especially since Mausritter's world is so freeform and the relative lack of level scaling means that you aren't too likely to buy something that your players are either over- or under-level for.

I've only managed to run and play a tiny bit of Mausritter (tried to run a duet game for one of my girlfriends, and played with her in a cut-short game set in the Estate module that a friend GMed for us), but these and some other realizations make me want to do it again, sometime next year.

[jose-jeulandsg]

Hotel Photographer Singapore: Capturing Luxury with Jose Jeuland

A reliable high-quality travel-related photo can build or ruin a novel hotel’s business. In the constantly evolving hotel industry where visual content is paramount in attracting a guest, Jose Jeuland of Singapore has taken the business of hotel photography to a new and Gold Standard. It provides depth and coverage of each space, while a little more, captures the delightful mystery within a well-designed hotel or resort that is likely to impress every guest that decides to walk in through its doors.

The Importance of Hotel Photography

There is more to hotel photography than just shooting different angles of rooms; there’s a need for storytelling that encompasses the spirit and character of the place. In a fast growing hospitality city of Singapore, hotels are in a race to pivot new strategies to remain relevant. Here is where professional hotel photographers like Jose Jeuland come in. His strength lies in focusing on the architecture, luxurious interiors as well as the source of the hotel which is the uniqueness in the design and structure of the hotel constructs.

Hotels utilize hotel photography as an embedded piece of marketing strategy to showcase their brand, improve their online availability, and convert that presence into bookings. As per the latest recommendations, its website or social profiles have high-quality images that greatly define such an expenditure. Thus money spent on professional hospitality photography can transform a hotel brand and increase its revenue quite considerably.

Why Choose Jose Jeuland?

Jose Jeuland is an eminent photographer who is id located in Singapore and specializes in elegance and luxury in the images he shoots. In the portfolio he has worked with other luxurious hotels, including the Intercontinental Singapore, whose brand he turned into moving images complemented by Grand Hyatt. For example, Jeuland does not only take pictures as any other photographer; he takes into account the hospitality business which enables him to capture images that appeal to the prospective customers’ needs and wants.

Jose stands out from the rest when it comes to being a photographer simply because he blends the large scale of hotels, which captures the breathtaking beauty of the establishment among other things, and the small elements which are significant in their own right, and make a guest’s visit to the hotel memorable. Be it the opulence of the lobby in any given hotel, or the beauty of the luxury suite, or the elements of the beauty in the center tables – Jose makes sure that whatever is being shot is done to the full advantage possible. By doing so, he has mastered the art of storytelling through images enhancing the perception of the hotel brands allowing potential visitors to peek through the experiences that could be knocking on their doors.

Jose Jeuland performs the following tasks:

Jose Jeuland offers photography services which are peculiar to the hotels we work with. It comprises complete property shoots from exteriors and interiors to lifestyle photographs of the hotel’s recreational facilities like pools, spas and restaurants. He takes care that each picture taken is in accordance with the design of the hotel, however there is an overarching consistency in the type of style towards which the brand is positioned.

Furthermore, Jeuland also does commercial work which involves executing promotional shoots, covering events, or corporate events held at the hotel. His areas of expertise are not limited to stills in photography and also provides video services for hotels to develop marketing scope of appealing audio visuals for multipurpose use. His service in the field of tourism and travel photography helps him since he is able to showcase the best features of destination hotels, which is very useful for hospitality brands that are planning to target foreign tourists.

Apart from this, the volume of work is done very well, in most cases pictures are delivered, edited, and completed within 5-7 working days allowing quick use of the images by the client for that period. The post production crew is very particular about the looks of the images they edit and most of the time the images are as authentic as the experience the hotel offers.

Jose Jeuland: The Portfolio

Providing further evidence to Jose's outstanding and creative range of hospitality photography is his impressive portfolio. Some of the remarkable projects which he has handled include the Orchid Hotel in which he managed interior photographic design showcasing the luxurious warmth of the hotel interiors and the enticing architecture. His work for VOCO Singapore is lifestyle oriented and combines the unique architectural design of the hotel and the city.

He has also in the past worked with Eastern & Oriental Express the luxury train experience in travel project. For Law Francesco's this project captured the glamour of the train against all odds of Jose's instructions, but it emulated such travel as an faced dramatic warmth at every edge and luxury within vintage appeal. Illustrated here are more images of Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Alila hotels who Jose has also advertised which are high-end hospitality brands with visuals that promote the property but sells in an engaging way the highlight through the lenses as the guest experience

The Influence of Visual Storytelling Within Hospitality Business

As far as the heed for visual story telling goes, especially, within the space of hospitality in the current world kiosk, cannot be over emphasized. With the customer base in some way formed by social media networks which cultivates for instance Instagram, the pressure for hotels to create engaging and appealing content in pictures is at the highest it has ever been. Jose Jeuland’s talent lies in the capacity to arouse emotions through the images he presents to the audience. By understanding closely what the hotel management wishes to achieve he makes sure that every single shoot has a class objective and not merely for compositional merit but also tells a persuasive story that appeals to the targeted customers.

It is crucial to recognize, however, that Jose’s approach goes beyond simply design. He captures in his images the ambience of the hotel whether it is the comfort of a warm winter lodge or the glamour of a 5 star restaurant enabling the clients to place themselves in the ambient settings. His visuals are an added weapon to the hotels that are fighting in the battleground of competing for space and offering images that do not only appeal to the eye but also advertise the worth of the hotels and their difference.

Conclusion

Singularly talented in hotel photography services in Singapore, Jose Jeuland emerges as a preferred photographer for the hospitality industry seeking to enhance its visual branding. His knowledge of various years of practice in the industry, coupled with the imagination and technical skills he possesses, allows for each hotel he is part of to be presented in the best way. There is no doubt that Jeuland has vast experience in creating beautiful images of different types of hotels from luxury resorts to more intimate boutique hotels with other properties willing to engage potential customers while improving the company’s brand.

For those who are interested in a hotel photographer Singapore who knows how to photograph hotels like no other, Jose Jeuland has great options that can be customized to suit your needs. This work doesn’t simply sell hotels, it sells the entire experience, it builds worlds and invites people in with stories that last even when the images are no longer looked at.

[anilec-dragon-art-and-stuff]

Alright next character, here we go. Yes its been a while. But i havent been really motivated to do another one of these until now, sorry.

General Information

• Name: Cylieria Esper

• "Nickname": Esper (Most of the time the group calls her by her last Name. Elari started it, as it was easier to remember/pronounce and now they all do it)

• Age: 73 (the "human equivalent" would be somewhere around 19)

• Race: High Elf

• Class: Rogue

• Pronouns: She/Her

• Romantic Orientation: Biromantic

• Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Physical Appearance

(As always, you can check the included picture)

• Eye color: Blue

• Skin color: Very slightly tanned

• Hair color: Black

• Height: 1,62m

• Weight: 65kg

• Body type: Slim build with no clearly defined muscles

• Scars/Birthmarks: Almost faded slave brant on her right hand, its barely visible anymore

• Other distinguishing features: (Later on as the Story progresses: Her left arm is replaced by an enchanted wooden prostetic)

• Disabilities: Missing her left arm (happend during the Story, so thats why there is no pic of that yet)

• Fashion style: In casual situations goes for a simple clothing style. In a more fancy setting or a night out, likes to wear more elegant, often pretty revealing clothes

Drawing by me

Psychological Traits

• Personality: Cocky and way too full of herself. Overly confident in her own abilities. Often times flirty all the way to indecent.

• Temperament: Hard to get a rise out of her, she usually just counters with a stupid comment

• Hobbies: Later on picks up wood carving

• Morals/Virtues: She tries to help others if she can but wont always go out of her way to do so

• Phobias/Fears: Fear of losing the people she cares about due to her not being able to save them

• Bad habits: Very rarely takes things seriously. Will often make stupid or inappropriate jokes even in serious conversations

• Secrets: During the begin of her travels she keeps her life before adventuring a secret, including where she is from, what happend to her former best friend and why she left home. But as the "story" moves on, the others will learn of this.

• Regrets: Convincing her former best friend to the coming of age "challenge" that got them killed as well as letting them go in alone

Abilities etc.

• Physical abilities: Very dexterous, incredibly good at climbing (even with only one arm she is the best climber out of All of them), good at wrapping people around her Finger with her words, pretty convincing liar

• Magical abilities: No inherint magical abilities, but the prosthetic that she gets later on is magical, so that it functions like am actual part of her body

• Languages known: Common, elvish

Relationships

• Partner(s)/Significant other(s): During the events of the "story" none (but their might be some small things written after the adventure which might include a romantic relationship)

• Parents/Guardians: Cora Esper (mother), Rami Esper (Father)

• Children: none

• Best friends:

Former: Adriella (deceased)

Current: Elari

• Friends: The rest of the group

Short Overview of Backstory

She Was born in a small elven village near a "cursed" forest

In said forest there is a cave where something (no one really knew what) lived, that usually kills anyone who gets to close, any attempts du kill it had failed and so the elders of the village declared the area of limits (they didnt move away as the thing never seemed to leave the forest)

However over the years it became a test of Courage or thing among teenagers, to go over to the cave and have a Look inside (some came back, some didnt, that still didnt stop others from going)

When Cylieria was about 50 years old (human equivalent would be around 15) she decided she wanted to try it as well and wanted to take her best friend of the time, Adriella, with her

Adriella originally didnt wanted to go, but Cylieria was always very good with her words, very charming and convincing, so she managed to change her friends mind

They snuck into the forest and when they reached the cave, decided one should stand guard in case some of the adults were patrolling the area to stop teenagers from coming here.

It was Cylieria who would stand guard, Adriella was the one who went in

Tho she didnt stay in very long, instead she came running and screaming towards the exit but before she could escape the something pulled her back into the darkness and that along with the abruptly cut of scream was the last thing Cylieria ever saw and heard of her friend.

She ran back home, but completly in shock it took everyone a while to figuew out what she Was talking about had happend

The events caused her to fall into depression, since she heavily blames herself for the death of her friend. Her parents were very supportive and tried to help her out of it, but eventually she couldnt stand it anymore and in a fit of guilt, ran away from home, without telling anyone

So for the next 20 years she traveled the World, never really staying somewhere too long, since it was the thrill of New experiences, that allowed her to surpress her guild and memories of the events.

Her charming and laid back behaviour is now often used as a mask to fool others but mostly herself, into believing that everything is alright

She got into trouble with a criminal originisation tho in one of the cities, which let her to eventually meet Rúnya (so thats why i will write that properly at some point)

And from that point on she travels with the group so thats the point where the "story started", so thats as much as i will write in here for now 😅

[mountphoenixrp]

We have a new citizen in Mount Phoenix:

           Malea Kıvanç, a 26 year old daughter of Morrigan.            She is the owner of Babylon and Digital Desires Ltd.

FC NAME/GROUP: Ahn Hye-jin (Hwasa) / Mamamoo CHARACTER NAME: Malea Kıvanç, a.k.a Mal AGE/DATE OF BIRTH: 26 yrs./ 23rd July, 1996 PLACE OF BIRTH: Istanbul, Turkiye OCCUPATION: Owner of Babylon and Digital Desires Limited HEIGHT: 5’5/ 165.1cm WEIGHT: 120lbs/54.43kg DEFINING FEATURES: 6 various small tattoos on her body (photos upon request from mun), all tied to friendship or music, large back tattoo of black raven wings

PERSONALITY: Malea, called by close friends simply as Mal, is a woman of a business first, fun a close second nature. Focused and with an eye for growing enterprises she is always researching the latest in online trends and what keeps on audience fixed to their screens. This type of careful observation makes her also very aware when little things change among the people she keeps close to her in life.

HISTORY: Malea grew up in a household with a strong set of woman running it. The eldest of five sisters she was not with her fair share of playmates and later bright business partners, each one blessed with a knack for spotting what was up and coming in various areas of public interest. Her sisters branched into fashion, art, music, and technology with each excelling in their fields to the point that their last name became common to see marked on products.

Masters of their crafts. it wasn’t long before eyes shifted to Malea to see which direction she might take in her ventures. To say she picked an unexpected path would be the understatement of the year! With talent in videography at her forefront and a mix of the same genius as her sister in their chosen paths it was assumed that she might turn to making movies for the big screen. Shocking the sensibilities of her family and her city, Malea opened Digital Desires Limited, an online empire that was entirely woman run that specialized in adult content with a specific focus on ethical treatment of it’s entertainers. It boasts live shows, cinematic erotic films and a partnership with several companies of a similar movement worldwide. The digital empire had been seven years into it’s growth but it’s not until an awkward family dinner just before the companies eighth year anniversary when an associate slips up that her family learns of it.

Scandalized the family decides that they will not reveal to the public what the eldest is doing. In shock that her family did not choose to focus on the changes she was making in an industry that needed sense knocked back into it (and was notoriously male-run), Malea causes further upset by revealing that she is all too aware that she is not actually the first born of the family- and that she is also aware that she is gifted in ways that the family has been masking out of her since her unique abilities in fighting and outwitting people who often stood in her or her sister physical way showed themselves. Emboldened with spite she breaks from the family, and her city and branches out to find her true bloodline.

Her answers come in the form of a mysterious invitation to the edge of a dock from a person who claims to know just where her story actually began…

PANTHEON: Celtic CHILD OF: Morrigan POWERS:

Shifter; can shapeshift into a raven for short durations of time to better observe others around her

Startegy; incredibly gifted in planning and executing detailed strategies in the battlefield of business but also in actual battle

Strength; it’s what it sounds like! Malea is jaw-dropping when it comes to strength.

STRENGTHS: Business savvy, filled with curiosity, loves to share with others WEAKNESSES: Easily made bored, dislikes authority, quick to write someone off as a lost cause

[foxsfiction]

New IF; Howls of Rebellion.

Howls of Rebellion is a +18 WIP Interactive Fiction about anthro animals navigating a war.

Age rating; +18

I'm fairly certain that this will need some trigger warnings, so I'll add them as I write the scenes. Current triggers would be;

War

Violence

Detailed injuries and gore

(mentioned) Domestic abuse

Death

If you have a hard time reading about anything listed above, then this story isn't for you. Please, put your mental health first!

Demo will go here when it's ready.

Summery & Setting;

You are faceless, nameless in the sea of people yearning for change. The King of Selme, Eris, is heinous; rumors in his nation say that he's had affairs in attempts to secure a heir, that he's ate his children out of a paranoid fear that they'd overthrow him, that he's killed his advisor in cold blood during a particularly nasty disagreement. No one knows what is and isn't true.

Truthfully, you shouldn't be concerned by King Eris; you don't live in Selme. Though there is talk in the streets of Loa that the King will declare war on Seam, a neighboring country. That would drag Loa, and you, into to it; to protect and help Loa's political ally.

Under the threat of war, your childhood friend Clay has decided that it's time to take down King Eris. Ever the loyal friend, you follow along. Clay has been pulling strings in Selme to gain the upper hand, but secrets lay hidden just beneath the surface.

Will you discover them? Will you help lead a rebellion to victory?

Only time will tell.

Features;

Pick your species; are you a feline? Canine? Perhaps a Avian, or even Draconic?

Customize your appearance, personality, interests and hobbies

Define your gender and sexuality; Hetero, gay, bi, pan, aro, ace, demiro or demisexual.

Change history as you know it

Dive deep into Selme's secrets, or be a unwilling participant

Fall in love in the middle of a war; with possible poly options

Play matchmaker a bit

Characters;

Clay Harris (25, Agender, They/them, Not romanceable)

A tall deer with black fur and splotched with purple dots. Their lavender eyes are striking and intense. You've known them your entire life; they're your childhood bestfriend. They always apologize for dragging you into their war. They've always been there to pick you up when you fell; literally and figuratively. They're protective of you; you're really the only family they have. They'd follow off the face of the earth if they could.

Clover (27, Genderfluid, He/they, Semi-romanceable)

A small black cat that somehow always leads trouble to you. His yellow eyes are always moving, searching; for what, you can't tell. They seem to have a personal vendetta against King Eris, which lead them to join Clay and their army. They always tease the people around them, but know where the boundaries lie.

Ezra Kono (24, Gender-selectable, Romanceable)

A huge lion with fawn colored fur. They're a unusual presence in Loa; a healer in a land made for barbarians and warlords. They're very gentle and soft-spoken. When pushed, they can deliver a nasty wound; they've apparently mangled people before. They avoid the topic like the plague, though.

Wil Quille (30, Gender-selectable, Romanceable)

Selme's general; they're not willing to follow their king anymore. They're your mole; collecting inside information. A hippo that towers over everyone they encounter. You've learned the hard way that no part of them is plush fat. They, like Clay, are willing to follow you anywhere. They...aren't shy, to say the least.

Minx (32, Fem, Not-romanceable)

A average height Avian with black feathers. She's a strategist in Clay's army. She loves to share her knowledge; about anything. One of the more cheery people in the ranks, and one of three mages.

Maxim (????, Masc, Not-romanceable)

A short Dragon covered in purple scales that fade to orange, not unlike a pretty sunset. He's been your guardian for as long as you can remember. Another mage, he's been training you and attempting to train Clay...with limited results. He's amicable, but a bit distant. He dismisses folk legends and seems to dislike them overall.

[jadienjaystoriesandart]

Suppose It Could Be Worse

TW: Mind control, body horror (mild), horror elements, darkish themes, loss of Body Autonomy, and Swearing

POV: Second (You/Your)

Notes: There are 2 endings, one for each Boss. Written as an insert, because I didn’t have the ideas to put in a character. This is NOT a Slash Fic, this is a horror fic. No you don’t get a happy ending :) based upon @peachsodamaa spooky idea with Submas (Ingo and Emmet). Hope you like it.

Summary: You didn’t expect to end up here, running through subway maze like tunnels for your life. But, life likes to be unexpected huh? Even if in a way that would cost you your mind and very freedom. All you had to do was escape, once out of the Subway you’d be able to leave this region, and never look back. Which would be easy if you weren't being hunted by Depot Agents and the Subway Bosses. You just have to keep moving, and pray to whatever god listens you’ll make it.

You bring your hand to cover your mouth, muffling your ragged breaths as he press your back to the cold, cool stone wall. Though you know you’re silent right now, the sound of your heart beating in your ears was loud. Almost drowning out the sound of the footsteps nearby. You strained your ears to listen closely, trying to control your breath. 

“This area is off limits.” a very human voice said, but it's not human, no, it’s a monster wearing a human skin. With vacant eyes and a smile that stays, they were human, like you, but no longer did they work for themselves but for another. It moves like ink through water, poisoning the path it touches. 

They are looking for you, “The brothers are looking for you. They didn’t mean to scare you.” the controlled human said calmly, walking on past where you hid. On the back of their neck you saw the mark. It was shaped like an unknown, but was pure white with a black center. The white veins hugged onto the neck and spread out as a virus would.

Once they had left, You kept going down the tunnel, trying to be quiet so not to alert them to you. You were an idiot for trusting the brothers in the first place. But given their status and trust the public had in them, was it any wonder you did? The red flags though should have been obvious. Leading you down to the main area, where only employees go. They only said they were impressed with your battling skills, and wanted to show you around.

Ingo and Emmet were the Subway Masters, but only now did you see how true that statement was. Two strong trainers who ran Gear Station, whose most defining features were their void like eyes and a smile or frown they wore. They were very kind to people who rode the train, and to those who signed up for their Battle Trains.

You just wanted to improve your skills as a trainer, nothing else! If beating them meant to end up in this situation, you wished you could go back and lose instead! But you foolishly trusted them, and now you were trapped in a series of underground tunnels looking for an escape. After being surrounded by Depot Agents that worse frowns or smiles, and eyes blank and hallow.

New Job Opportunity your ass. More like ‘Goodbye Freedom’. Their faces were still ingrained in your mind, many eyes, sharp teeth, mouths that ran from their neck to their chest. They weren’t human, and it scared you. You ran out of the place, somehow managing to dodge anyone who tried to tackle or grab you. But you didn’t know this place, and felt like you were running in circles.

“Come out now!” a new voice called, you crouched low, and hid in a small nook area. “Running away wasn’t very nice, you need to be still for the process to work.” they said, a frown on their face as dead eyes looked around holding up a lantern for light. 

The person was no doubt controlled by Ingo. You had noted in your time running away, that depending on the face or color of the thing on them, was who controlled them. White was Emmet, obviously the man was decked out in it, and all his wore smiles. Ingo’s was black, and all his agents wore a frown.

Some were also more new than others. Ones that moved fluidly, like nothing hindered them, must be older agents. This one however wasn’t, their movements were jerky at times, and they had to pause once and a while. 

Void blue eyes gazed around again, “Hide and Seek was not the game chosen, and it’s dangerous to do so in the Subway.” they spoke, voice a little off, not as calm as the last one you ran into.

You slowly backed up, keeping aware of where you placed your feet so not to make too much noise. You had noted these things can hear a pin drop. Near super human hearing possibly from being controlled by whatever the fuck the twins were. 

Eyes trained on the one with his back to you, you nearly jumped out of your skin when you heard, “There you are!” in a chipper tone, and turned sharply to see another agent heading right to you. “SHIT!” You swore loudly catching the other’s attention now. And you took off down another tunnel. “FUCK!” your voice bounced off the walls.

One was heard scowling, “Language!” at your swearing. You didn’t bother to turn around as you ran.

“Please don’t run, you’ll hurt yourself!” one called out, the sound of two pairs of feet running after you! You had to lose them, you had to shake them off! You turned down another way, and willed yourself to go faster. Your lungs burned with effort, eventually the sound seemed louder as you turned down another way, and soon looked behind you.

It was dark, no light behind you, and silence other than you breath.

No one... you lost them. Your breathing was loud though, you took slow breaths to calm it and your heart. It wouldn’t doo good to be found because you breathed too loudly. Okay okay... not to get your baring's, where to go, obviously you can’t go back just yet, they might spot you again. But you didn’t know what was forward. At least forward might be safer at this point, as you moved quickly on down the tunnels. 

Some were colored with certain stripes you did note. Meaning there was a way to solve this. You just had to figure our how. Once out of here, you could slip into a crowd of people and escape. At least, you held onto that hope you could. Your ankles was really starting to hurt now.

You might have twisted it, but you didn’t have time to think about that with two psycho twins out for you. You gritted your teeth through the pain, and kept moving, trying not to think about it.  Maybe you could follow one line and get out of here? Well easier said than done when these Agents seemed Distortion Bent on making sure you got lost. Must make it easier to wear people down? A pit of dread at that thought, you didn’t want to think about it.

You kept your hand pressed to the wall, to make sure you didn’t get lost, and kept and eye out of the pink lines. “We know you’re here somewhere!” a voice echoed down the tunnels, shit... one of them. They had said the brothers were looking for you.  Trying not to give any hints, you kept walking quietly, “Please come out little human, we promise it’ll be easier. We’ll help you.” one of them said again, more like help themselves. Eventually another sound was heard, voices, lots of them. Meaning there was alot of people ahead. 

You held back a laugh, you were close to a station no doubt, they obviously took you away from people so not to be seen. Meaning a crowd should be safe. “We will find you.” came another voice from near the left ,far away as it echoed. “Don’t make us angry little human.”

**Emmet’s Ending**

A scowl formed on your face, they could fuck off, as he moved your way down the area, luckily no more Depot Agents were seen. And the lights were closer, as you came out to see people. No one took notice of you as you moved faster and into the people’s crowds. You weren’t going to celebrate yet, you still had to make it out of here. So finding stairs was next.

But, exhaustion was there, some relief filling your chest. You managed to get out of the tunnels, so that was a win in your book. Fucking assholes. This station had a way up, but you could easily ride the train without being seen by one of the agents and get to a bigger city. There were 2 here watching the crowd.

Maybe looking for you, but you kept your head down and pulled up your hood. Hari would be the easier way they could spot you. You weighed your options quickly, it’d be better to run off than to stay here longer. They had cameras everywhere.  You turned and went to head to the stairs, trying to act casual. The stairs were ahead, you kept your head down and trying not to put too much weight on your ankle and keeping close to the wall for support. 

But as you passed by an area, an arm reached out and gripped yours. You didn’t even have time to scream as you were yanked back into a door, “Employees Only”. A hand covered your mouth as you were pressed against someone from behind.  “Shhhh.” a voice said in your ear, “I am Emmet. And please, just hold still.” a smile that was scary and familiar was seen out of the corner of your eye. Something gripped the back of your neck, and sharply sank into your skin. You jolt, tears pricking as you let out a muddle cry of pain into the glove.

A whine from Emmet was heard, “I know it hurts, but the more you resist the worse it gets. Just relax your nerves please, and let yourself switch to autopilot.” His grip was inhumanly strong, holding you in place with ease, tears began to run down your cheeks.

‘No... this isn’t fair’ you thought, you were so close, it was right there. ‘Someone please... help’. you thought, but people had no idea you were in the service tunnels. No idea you were being turned into a drone for a man they adored. 

A hand petted your hair, “That’s it, just breath in and out slowly” something pushed at your mind, and you found yourself taking slow, calming breaths. You couldn’t stop yourself even if you tried, and trying made your body hurt. “Stop resisting my play-thing, and just be silent. Let me work.” he cooed in a friendly tone.

The hand moved away from your mouth, but any thoughts of screaming were meant with resistance. No, you didn’t need to scream, you were safe. That thought was met with a pleasing warmth. You felt exhaustion creep in, how long had you been running? Your legs felt like jelly now that the adrenalin was fading. 

‘I am Emmet... and you are safe.’ a new voice said in your head, ‘I’m here. I’ll keep you protected. Just let me do the thinking, and you just have to watch.’ it said in a very commanding tone, make your brain feel fuzzy.  You tried to move, but your nerves felt like they were on fire. You stopped trying to move, as Emmet brushed away the tears in your eyes. As your relaxed again, the warmth was back, like someone was hugging you in your head. Yet your nerves felt like there was press of arms that weren’t there. 

“Just relax.’ Emmet said in your head again. ‘And obey.’

Obey... that was easy to do, you felt so tired, maybe it would be easier to just go into autopilot? A pleased feeling, yes.... yes agreeing was nice. It made the pain go away, and replaced it with a nice warmth.  Something in the back of your head screamed in defiance, trying to kick and claw it’s way back. But you could barely hear it now, as Emmet smiled, “Remember to smile now human.” he told you.

You felt yourself smile at him, gentle and easy. You felt yourself move your mouth, but you didn’t think of doing it. It just came naturally, Emmet looked pleased, “I am Emmet, and the next step is normal and basic movements, but let’s get somewhere more quiet to do that, and to rest up you ankle, poor dear... just rest.” he told you, you felt a wave of tiredness rush over you.

The last thing you saw before blacking out was a smile with sharp fangs.

**Ingo’s Ending**

You scowled, fuck that shit right now, you didn’t care if you made them angry. You knew you had to be getting close, but the thought crossed you mind of agents being on the platform. There had to be a way for you to get in with the crowd, maybe there were doors that only employees used? 

Risky, but would be worth it. It would be a tight space, if a Depot Agent was there you’d have no chance to dodge and weave. But if not, it was a straight ticket out of this nightmare. You felt along the walls, and hoped that somehow you’d be able to find a door. The gravel crunched under you feet your ankle throbbed, you gave a quiet his when some slip form your feet and make it turn oddly. Tears sprung up but you push them down, now wasn’t the time to cry.

Eventually something brushed your hand, cold metal, it was round. You squint in the dark and felt relief, a door. Meaning this could be a service tunnel. You opened it with ease and tried to be quiet. Footstep behind you, as you hide inside.  You peered out form the small crack to see two people walking by with lanterns. “Human? Are you here?” they called out, ‘Come out come out.” the other said as they kept walking.

You smiled to yourself, looks like you lost them, now it was just getting out of this small tunnel and- Something gripped the back of your neck. Your body froze up in fear and shock. A squeak escaping our mouth was the only sound you could make. 

“Games are over.” a calm voice said behind you, “And looks like I win, Emmet will be pouty.” that was Ingo’s voice. You couldn’t move, terror holding you still, it was enough for Ingo to move closer and put his arms around your to hold you steady and still.  “Just breath, match mine, and you’ll be okay.” his voice was soothing in your ear, people always said they liked how he talked. It was more reserved than his brothers. Tears began to fall, it hurt to move, between whatever was digging it’s way into your flesh on your nape, to the arms squeezing you when you so much as squirmed.

Ingo was silent however, “It’ll hurt for a moment, but should you continue to struggle it’ll hurt worse. Just give in.” he told you in a blunt tone. Struggle. You had to- the nerves felt like fire when you tried to move against him. A whimper escaped your mouth, and the tears brushed away with gentle thumbs.

Many eyes looked at you in the darkness, you opted to not look directly at him. “I’ll admit, you were quick to escape your station. Unscheduled was your resistance. We underestimated you, but you did win against us, so is it any wonder?” he mused almost to himself.  Ingo then shook his head and tilted it, “Your strong for a human, you’ll fit in nicely. And I know you like pokemon battles, we’ll be sure to keep you happy and healthy.”

Words that should be comforting only made you want to sob, but that was met with your tears being wiped off by a comforting hand. The hand of the monster here to take away your freedom. “I promise you my Guest, I’ll be a wonderful Host to you. You won’t feel left out, unsure, or afraid anymore.” Ingo said to you despite his frown never leaving, “Good behavior is rewarded, and you’ll find with time things get better.”

You had no choice but to look at him, as in the dim light he looked human again. Blank eyes somehow easy going. “Let’s run through basic safety checks, then get your ankle looked at.” he told you. Stepping back for a moment to look at you. ‘Nod if you can hear me.’ his voice said in your head, and you find yourself giving small nods. It felt like your body was attached to wires, resisting them hurt, but allowing them to happen was a nice warm feeling. Like being hugged or under a weighted blanket.

‘Good’ Ingo praised clapping his hands, ‘Now just breath calmly, and lets see about your arms and hands. Move them as I tell you.’ 

The string tugged, and you reluctantly followed their movement. Flexing your hand, and moving your arm to wave. Ingo nodded, patting your head, “You’re doing great, we’ll get to the walking part after I’m sure your ankle is fine.” he told you, as you screamed profanities at him in your head. “Langue now, no need for that, it’ll be okay with time.” he told you again. “For now just rest up. And let me get you to station.”

And against you will, everything went dark.

-----

As time went on, things did get better, you learned quickly your job and what to do. Finding days blurring together. Your pokemon reluctantly had to listen to you, even if they noticed something was off. And each day resistance faded.

Eventually it was just easy to do as you were told. Obeying was met with praise and encouragement. You were given an hour of freetime for yourself, a stable job, and made sure to be healthy. 

Suppose it could have been worse. Some cried when they were released, but you strangely felt empty when it happened. It was easy, some said, to become dependent on the twins after so long. Some broke faster than others.

But... it was okay, you were safe, you were fine. That’s all that mattered. At least they were kind, and from how they talk about their species, you suppose you could have gotten stuck with worse.

Or maybe you were developing Stockholm Syndrome, who knows.

You greeted the passengers happily, though the smile/frown stayed on your face. And you repeated what the twins told you to say as always. Just another day at Gear Station. All aboard...

[wigglebox]

Are you aware the noses on your characters look like gaping mouths? You can barely see the real mouths underneath. The whole clown nose aesthetic is cheap and stupid looking. Your art would look so much better without it.

Okay sorry it took me so long to answer this nonny, I know you submitted it this morning.

The TLDR for you is: I don't care, move along.

However, I have a longer response. I wasn't going to answer this, however, I'm reminded that a younger me would have been very self-conscious over a comment like this. When I was younger, a comment like this would have prompted me to try and change my style to be 'liked' by people who were seeing it. Note, I would try to do this without realizing that I'm changing it for one person, despite many actually liking how I was already doing things.

You ask me if I'm aware my noses that I draw look like mouths, and that you could barely see the mouth? Yes, I was aware of that. There were two people two have made small jokes about that while also saying they liked the art overall.

Indeed, I'm okay with some constructive critique. I have been to art school, film school — schools where critique is needed to help you get better.

So, through this nasty little ask of yours, I did glean that yes maybe I should make the mouths more defined in some instances. I also need to work with color more to make certain things pop and blend. That's a perfectly valid critique, had I actually asked for it.

If you had a concern, worded it differently, "I like your art, it's cute — but I struggle sometimes to see the mouth" then that's not in my face, rude, and telling me that maybe I should adjust.

That's a good little critique.

But for the rest of your comments — you're asking me to care about your opinions, which I don't. Not when presented like this.

Do I have as many notes as other fan artists? No. But I also haven't drawn this much fanart in like, 5 years. And, I have seen other comments about my artwork that makes me smile. It makes me happy knowing that others find my artwork cute and soft. That's what I care about. I'm a fan artist, and the fandom's reaction is really all I care about, the notion if I'm making them happy or feeling emotional while looking at something I create (or write, in other cases). I'm not trying to get into the Louvre Museum.

Some artists want to be serious gallery artists. I do not. I like making art for characters I love, for a fandom I love, for a show I love. That's it.

"The whole clown nose aesthetic is cheap and stupid looking. Your art would look so much better without it."

I had comments like this when I used to draw like this [2015]:

“Why are the noses so red, why are they so skinny??????”

And when I was growing up, I had the same comments because I drew very long necks [2009]:

And then even recently, when I was doodling the last couple of years, I would see tags on reblogs of art like this, wondering why the bodies were so big:

Every style I wandered through throughout the course of my life has a story. Maybe one day I’ll tell you them if you ask nicely and not like you did in your ask right now. 

You’re asking me to change how I want to draw to fit your own silly little parameters in your own silly little head. That’s not fair to me or any artist you disapprove of.

Noses are weirdly important to me with art. You say my art would be better without the big honking clown noses I’ve been drawing, but I disagree. It’s the key feature of this style I’ve settled into and having fun with. I like drawing noses. I’ve also always colored them different than the skin tone. Noses sit at the center of the face and I often found it was sometimes the first thing I’d notice in a piece of art while growing up. Any style changes that I went through over the years always saw the noses change first [and always colored them red or pink! except that one example up there but that was a piece with limited color]. 

You want different options? 

I am the artist. It’s my style. It’s my choices. I’m not looking for feeback. 

If you have a personal problem seeing the face and not seeing the nose at first, then that’s your problem, not my problem. And the reason why I know it’s your problem is because only two people since I started drawing like this commented and thought they thought the noses were mouths at first, but then happily moved on. Everyone else has been supportive, and I’m grateful for their comments. But no one else has raised an issue. If they had, then I would re-evaluate how I went about things while trying to stick to a style that meant a lot to me. 

And, I would hope if there was a deeper problem with my art, people would approach me in a kinder way than you did. 

For any and all artists out there who have self doubt and receive comments like this: ignore them. 

I know I did not, lol, but I wanted to discuss this for others who may get comments like this and then get very self conscious about their art. 

If everyone drew in the same way, created in the same way, did everything in the same way, then the world would be a very very dull place. Draw how you want to draw. It will resonate with the audience it finds. And if some people don’t like it, then I’m hoping they just scoll past and don’t piss in your inbox like this anon did. 

I’m going to keep drawing my noses. I’m going to keep drawing the snuggle pictures and other little cute things because I can. It gives me joy. Others have smiled at it. 

I suffer from enough self esteeem issues when it come to my writing, but I’ve been drawing way too long to care about someone like you, Anon. 

[hieromonkcharbel]

Perseverance in the Crucible:

"'Patience and perseverance in the situation in which God has placed us.' The word 'situation' comprises everything that forms the framework of our life: persons, things, events big and small. 'In which God has placed us.' What exists and is real is willed by God and included within the design of his providence. The persons God puts at my side, the place, the time, health and sickness, the play of events, all of that moulds and forms me, oppresses me or lifts me up, makes me rebellious or sanctifies me.

The essential thing is to recognize the will of God here, to accept it with the suppleness of the reed blown in the wind, not shutting myself up within the frail confines of my own wisdom, but letting myself be moulded by the all-powerful hands of the Creator.

Patience and perseverance are . . . the fruit of great force and great faith. It is not resignation but the deliberate embracing of a dearly loved will: an act of love all the purer in that it has only one thing to say: fiat. Yes, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, Father, your will, not mine.

Christ saw his executioners as agents of his Father's will. We in our turn must learn to see this same will, this same love, in all the circumstances, pleasant or unpleasant, that surround our life.

We come here as to an ideal place in which all is planned and ordered in function of the search for God, and for the full blossoming out of love towards God and our brothers. Such is our expectation; but we carry within us a very idealized picture of its realization. And so many things turn out differently. There are those who come in search of tranquillity, shelter, a quiet life; on the contrary, they find themselves struggling with forces within themselves whose existence they never suspected. Our faults are a barrier; our brothers are imperfect and different from us; sin affects our relationships; the institution is ponderous and opaque; and God seems to take a malicious pleasure in thwarting our ideas.

In fact he is doing us the great service of stripping us of much of our egoism and childishness, of our attachments and disordered desires. In so doing he separates the sheep from the goats. Only when the secondary benefits we expected from our vocation are seen to be more or less illusory, can the essential aim, union with God, be embraced in all its purity - otherwise one leaves.

Perseverance in such a situation is conducive to contemplation, for we find ourselves poor and naked before the Lord, ready at last to receive the incomprehensible gift which he wishes to give us, and not a construct of our own imagination.

We have to know how to stand firm in pure faith when we seem to be only weakness, seem to be only sin. We have to consent in advance to all that, to the desert of the desert. We have to desire the purity which suffering alone can teach.

It seems to me perseverance is a great school of humility; a gradual coming to know this self which persist in time, whose features become defined, whose character traits recur, whose limits take shape. Through trial one discovers one's own heart, and becomes an authentic person situated in the real."

(A Carthusian)

[sugar-petals]

sub!Yuzu | nsfw alphabet

🌹 NOTE ⇢ content for our fave figure skater, the legend himself. mr. yuzuru hanyu is 1000% dom candy and i’m here to honor it at length ⛸

— WORDS. 5k

tags + warnings. dom/sub dynamics, femdom!reader, role reversal hc, smut, kinks, cum play, spanking, sex toys, very freaky yuzu, kitten play, mdlb, crying kink, food play, prostate orgasms, bondage, some deeper stuff & angsty bits, asthma mention, aftercare

  A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Once the cat ears come off, who is Yuzuru Hanyu not to remain in character for a while. For the shits and giggles, and because it’s cozy. Once a catboy, always a catboy, it’s the law of the land. Curling up, kneading at you for the head pats and massages, you know the programme. 

Also: Yuzu is famously soft-spoken and always finds the right thing to say. So, stimulating conversation for the cooldown. This is literally so nice. He’s unafraid to reflect everything in detail, say what he preferred, what you could change up together, what he wants to try next. The afterglow is not just physical, as in you give him something to drink, it’s 70% verbal which is very important to him as a consistent habit.

Of course, not to forget: Always gotta have a Winnie Pooh plushie ready. He embraces it readily and, as we know him, does some roleplay right then and there. Yuzu, professional cutiepie he is, is the kinda sub who treats all plush and pillow stuff as alive and breathing. You as his domme are in on the play and also treat his things as holy as they are to him. That Yuzu lets you into that world is the biggest compliment you can possibly get. 

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

We all know Yuzu’s godly ass and thighs. Or the staggering waist and beautiful black hair that makes him a total bombshell in his classic comb-back styles. His face is soft and expressive and so damn unique, his legs muscular and long, his back and tummy chiseled, the list goes on and on. Jesus, he has so many great features. All body parts a masterpiece. That are all capable of god-tier contortionism on top of that, gotta mention it in passing. Just so you know if you haven’t seen him bend his every limb into directions you wouldn’t believe are humanly possible. 

Interestingly though. If he chooses, Yuzu picks his feet: They are his most important instrument and weak spot. His ankles are where the magic happens. So, you taking care of them a little would mean the world to him, imagine a candle light massage. Not to worry, no-gross-alert. Yuzu has perfect and cute feet. That’s gonna be a Victorian moment, oh my god I saw his ankles. For his partner, short and simple: He likes a shoulder to lean on. He loves being touchy in general, all body parts are amazing to him. Being in a profession that’s all about the physics, Yuzuru knows about the wonders of the body.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Certified king of cumsluts, doesn’t even hesitate. The more, the merrier. If he’s not covered in sticky stuff, Yuzu would be underchallenged. It’s less about the taste, texture or any degradation, for him it’s the playing around with his tongue. Somebody wants his mouth preoccupied. Give the cat his milk. Feed him his own cum mixed with yours. He’s gonna lap at it and swallow.

Since Yuzu’s dream is a mommy domme baking him something, he just loves the smell of dough and hazelnuts and cinnamon and everything — you know what’s coming: Imagine the food play. Nuts indeed. Anything that even remotely looks like a creampie is something he wants to get his lips on. And Yuzu is not the type to be a foodie at all, let that sink in. Sexual-looking food is just too big a temptation, though. And you spoiling him that way... oh my. Surefire way to end up in bed right after. 

D = Dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Has a butt plug collection. Once almost went on the ice with one in. The more you know. Also— this guy is the kinda type fantasizing to get absolutely railed on a bed of plushies. He has troubles suggesting it to you because he doesn’t want them to get actually dirty. But the idea gets the two of you kind of horny. Sometimes, a thought is better as a fantasy than actually executing it. You can use it for riling up’s sake, whispering it to him during dirty talk. How you’ll bounce on him and ruin him and milk him while he’s splayed out so innocently on your bed. I smell corruption kink. 

Another secret Yuzu keeps is just how much he changed his mind about wanting his partner to control everything in bed. He grew up with a pre-defined ideal type of a cute, nice skater girl who’d let the reins very loosely around him, who he can speak Japanese to because he had problems with English, who is small and someone he will protect. It wasn’t something based on experience and trying things out: It was simply expected of him. People wanted the domineering Yuzuru on ice to be that way in private, and make use of his power, be a man, savior, boss. 

The reality being: He never felt truly as tough on the ice, nor was he gender-conforming in person. In fact, that is what he became famous for, and it reassured Yuzuru very often how people would accept and actually celebrate this side of him. Which is so refreshing, and a sight to see. The side that was dorky, clingy, childish, gorgeous, and cute has always been there, but now he embraces it more as his comfort place. He has to know what he’s doing in his skating programme and show competitive spirit to achieve his dreams, but that’s where it stops.

His former ideals are something people wanted to hear, it was an adaptation of the environment rather than thinking it through on his own. So, years later — oh boy have things changed. Yuzuru no longer defines his ideal type that way, saying whoever he likes is someone he’d be with. What was a fantasy template and filter is now gone and adapted to his newfound, own preferences. Yuzu is comfortably open-minded rather than being a copy to mainstream. He found fun in speaking English, opened up to the world at large, had more girls around him who he could befriend, grew more confident in his stature, and is well aware — turns out he’s the cute one. Who needs to be taken under a wing. He likes strong-minded girls and says if he had a wife, she’d dominate him. Yuzuru secretly wants her to be in charge entirely, she owns his body and soul. Not in daily life where things are just normal and everyone goes about their business. Sexually, where he surrenders instead, and is taken care of.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

The tale of an introvert. What he knows — he hides it well. Has eyefucked a whole lot of people and is the type to lust like mad from a far distance, and nobody will ever know. Crushes harder than peppercorns in a mill. If he loves someone, it lingers in his mind every split second of the day, may god have mercy on him. And if you know him: Yuzu aims too high to keep it light and easy and clumsy. He hates being an amateur, he’s terrified of starting out something. He dreads not knowing what to do, how exactly to behave, talk, touch, breathe, respond, negotiate, prepare. That’s a hundred percent like hell to him.

Ironically, he has a natural feeling for it and he’s literally amazing in bed, has a sense for social interaction is all the way cute with something valuable to say. But what he believes is something way different. Yuzuru is a diehard, nervous perfectionist. He can only think of it as a rated performance since his mind usually has to work that way to skate well. His esteem is on a knife edge depending on how well he thinks he does. So, the inevitable: He will shy away from sex altogether. He draws immense skating passion from staying celibate, in fact it’s his success secret, but it still eats him up from the inside and makes him frustrated beyond measure. Not even for the pleasure, since he’s so ambitious that’s almost forgotten about, but for being told he did well. 

That’s how much he believes sex is a drill and capability test. And it’s sad that he thinks it’s like his skating career, racking up points for the impossible things judges want and being in a deadlock when it comes to showing his artistic side. He feels thrown into cold water if he doesn’t know everything beforehand. If he ever works up the courage, which probably won’t happen, he will pay an expert to learn from rather than let something all over the place happen with a random person or even someone he might like. 

Yes, you heard that right. He’d rather see a sex worker than ‘mess up’ his first time according to his sky-high standards. So, Yuzu’s experience remains limited since he’s so 100% do or die, and so anxious, and so torn about social interaction, he doesn’t get how his peers can be playboys and get married and flirt with someone they like and all that. He sort of has an easier time with guys, but girls... he can’t approach. To top it off, he also feels like he’d burden his first time one somebody or embarrasses himself, so he will reject and avoid suitors. Those are usually not the people he crushes so hard on to begin with. It’s bound to be one-sided and he knows, so he will abstain and focus on career and use the cheers of his fans as a substitute.

Truth is, he feels helpless and distant from sex sometimes, especially with his practice-heavy lifestyle and hyper-smart mind, Yuzuru has an intelligence that exceeds what most people can grasp. He’s alone on the ice and Brian as a coach is often the only reference person who truly gets him, and leads him well without being controlling. But that’s professional life. Sexually, Yuzuru is metaphorically: coachless. He surely observed it well when Javier (the #1 ladies man, his opposite) was still active and a social butterfly helping him fit in, but Yuzu would always be worried about his extreme fame and spotless image when introduced to someone fangirling over him. He’d rather prefer someone who comes across as a mentor and solid, loyal-to-death person to look up to. So he would do anything to have someone benevolent like that. Most girls would expect him to be the sex god and expert, but he knows that’s only half of the story and based on his characters on the ice. Yuzu crafts these to counterbalance how he really is — withdrawn and indirect. 

Yuzu is extremely calculating and selective, he scans suitors well, protects his reputation, and is mortified of failure. So, he’d rather learn it by the book and from someone he’s not emotionally attached to. In a one-night stand that might also be the case, but he doesn’t know what to expect, and he’s absolutely terrified of sudden sexual vulnerability. He himself often says he values his own struggle between feeling so weak and being strong again 

Besides: He’d have problems squeezing hookups into his schedule and lifestyle, he’d have to cut down on things and create a double life. Plus, Yuzu is famously inept with social interaction up close, he flees the noise and unpredictability. So, it’s better to have a long-term partner. If he doesn’t know something yet, he has it down in one day like the single axel. Definitely counts on his partner teaching him.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

We know Yuzu’s signature move is the lean-back Ina Bauer. So, whatever position allows for an arch is the real deal (cough, taking the strap — oh my god his ass is made for it). But anyway, he can pull off anything with that stellar flexibility and core strength. 

If I think about it. Yuzu might like sitting on your lap very much. I know it’s not a sex position, I mean it can be once his inner lapdancer awakens or you use a strap-on, I rather mean... just for some sweet moments and making out. But yeah: Fathom Yuzu gyrating on your like that. Not in an outright lascivious manner or Chippendales style. The Hanyu way, with embellishments and all the grace. This is gonna be a huge turn-on and perfect foreplay position.  

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Not much to elaborate here: Yep, Yuzu is true goofball indeed. Really flustered and clumsy when eye-to-eye in missionary, and yet: He’s ultra serious towards the end, there’s gonna be an aggressive staredown before cumming. The feeling gets pretty intense, his duality between silly and ‘yeah, give it to me’ is no joke.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Would probably die from inflammation if he shaved clean under those tight suits and did all these chafe-heavy skating routines. Doesn’t have a lot of body hair to begin with, but for pits and pubes, it’s alive, wild, and decently long. Out of all people, Yuzu cares particularly about aesthetics, but in this case pragmatism will prevail. He doesn’t care too much about it either as long as it doesn’t get in the way of something. Having sex with Yuzu tends to be well um well all about a hundred types of friction so any stubble would be a bad idea.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

You haven’t seen a guy in love like that. It’s a figure skater thing for sure. Since he works to portray these sentiments on the ice daily, hardly anybody can play up feelings so delicately and palpably like Yuzuru. Emotion is what his entire career is built on. He knows how to express himself directly, appropriately, intimately. Couldn’t be any more romantic. Yuzu can’t go without it. 

Very passionate, ‘for your eyes only’ kind of atmosphere. Yes, he shows off on the ice, it’s his job (although of course, that word doesn’t really sum up what skating means to him). But private Yuzu is someone you can claim as yours. He will make it clear, he wants to belong to you, he’s yours, dedicated, devotion is the entire point. Less with a slant of what some subs like, very hands-on ownership of a mistress. It’s more emotional. He’s really attached and all smitten. Your private little haven is everything to him. 

Talking about little: Yuzu can be quite a pillow prince sometimes. At least when the initiative doesn’t go back and forth as it frequently does, you often alternate with suggestions and ways of tweaking an ongoing play session. You blindfold him or tie his wrists, He might be standard tired from practice or just fascinated to watch you work your magic on him. 

He also likes music to set the tone for intimacy, who’s surprised. Prepare: Yuzu likes dramatic classical music all the way. He’s probably one of the few people who can make it more than ‘classy’ and definitely more than cringe. He selects pieces very well. This is gonna be a practice template to cum together when the music reaches its peak. Makes the whole thing full of adrenaline.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Lots of fun to him. Would beat it 24/7 if the ice wasn’t calling him. Drowns himself in lube. This guy’s me-time is so rated R, Cardi B would be inspired to remix WAP to wet ass penis as an anthem just for him. A dry dick is a ruined day for Yuzuru, as is a session without teasing his prostate in whatever way he currently fancies. Once he tried it, he never went back. The intensity knocking him out is something that Yuzu thinks about all the time. Strokes like a pro, does all these little moans, can do it forever, loves the feeling, chases the high. Adrenaline junkie on the ice? No different with his hand around his cock. 

Will masturbate everywhere in the house and has to really get his head in the game to make sure he won’t ruin any carpets. So, he always has at least two towels with him. In the kitchen, in front of the TV, in the shower, the bed. Watches his fair share of eclectic porn, he gets really desperate. Especially before you started dating, Yuzu would shut himself in until the lotion ran out. Can jack off to something romantic (he starts crying) or something extreme (he loves shocking himself and ). 

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Very curious about sadomasochism. Googles a lot of things that make him hard during the day. Often jawdropped by his research, but once he tries things out with you, nothing can really shock him anymore. Absolutely wants to be collared, it’s his biggest fantasy. Another little secret he has, Yuzu is decked out in skating gloves, right. He wishes he could feel you wearing them, or he keeps them on for sex himself, the lacey transparent ones. Looks especially pretty when his wrists are tied so, major photograpy material. Oh yes, Yuzu likes the camera, he can work it. The guy is photogenic in any position and can strike any angle you want. Your phone background is a new Yuzu snapshot every week already, imagine your gallery, 5800 kinky pictures.  

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

I’m gonna say it. The frozen lake out of town, late at night, condoms and lube with you. A quickie that will leave your genitals frozen. Yuzu might get stuck inside you because it’s -15 Celsius. Call that fantasy on ice. Jokes aside: Come on, Yuzu is the biggest ever hermit homebody. The couch will have a bunch of indents after your week-long fucking sessions after he comes home training. Also, at his desk while he does work for university. You ride him, Yuzu studies. Double the ambition. His dick is completely sore. The lake out of town thing might go down, but without sex. Just skating together under the stars, Yuzu doing amazing spins and spirals around you, very very romantic.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Yuzu is a crazed Sagittarius. Have you seen these men? They just want it all. Must be the influence of Jupiter. Zeus was definitely vibing that way. And yes, Yuzu has borderline unhealthy gold medal thinking in bed. He wants to be not just good but damn good with pleasing you. If you don’t have a good time and head home without an orgasm, he’ll consider himself a failure. Yuzu won’t cut himself any slack there. You’d have a hard time changing his ways into something more chill and moderate. Instead, you will see the benefits of rolling with it once you see how improvement fuels him and does make sex really mindblowing.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Couldn’t do things like slapping you, spanking. Yuzu makes for a terrible daddy dom, it’d not suit him.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Cum-dripping oral mess, Yuzu is the brave kind. Totally into it, and can’t resist a good blowjob. Will act different afterwards, there’s a lot of erotic tension. “This evening again?” is what those eyes are saying.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Outstanding kinesthetic intelligence. Every inch of his body follows his intent, and yours if you have him take on certain ways of kneeling. Yuzu can do it all, whatever you want. Tantalizing, moderato, overwhelmingly fast. He can take it, he can portray it. And knows the value of a pause like a true connoisseur. Not just when he wants to prevent cumming early, also just because the moment is right. That’s why cockwarming is a staple, as well as you having him wait patiently for kisses. To top it off: If you give him a blowjob, building up the tension by doing nothing is damn effective. The ruined orgasms you’re gonna give him... delicious.

Everything’s gonna have nice transitions as well, no awkward climbing and rolling and tangling limbs. If he gets something from another room that you need, no slouching. The university course as good as the extracurricular activities. Being inconsistent with any subsidiary details? Not in the Hanyu household, he’s keeping it classy. Yuzu feels like if he makes the bridges to new positions even remotely messy, the feeling is killed and it’s as if he’d break character mid-skate. Although he’ll have to practice and refine and test a lot of things because he’s not super experienced and adapting to your own movements is an individualized thing to do, he’s a masterclass of quality, period.

Even when things get fast and heated, nothing feels off. Having that kind of body smartness also means: Yuzu learns by touch, whatever you do. He knows by the way you pull his hair what comes next. How much saliva drips off your tongue when you suck at his neck, he knows how hard you’ll to ravage him in five minutes. This guy observes things you aren’t even conscious of because his physical understanding is just so fine-tuned.

The sense of rhythm, and every skating programme of him will showcase that, unbeatable. Unless his mood is really impacted by something severe, your guy feels it in every bone. He’s an artist, after all, he listens to music all the time. Dissecting rhythms to turn them into movement is what his line of work is all about. The pace will always fit the mood. Everything is precise, but never crude. Instead, the way he moves is dictated by an inherent flow. With little accents that match right with any thrust, like putting his hands on your sides when you’re on top of him.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Hit it Shakira: Whenever, wherever! He seemingly carries an entire condom factory with him. Or, to be more exact: At least three of them.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

This one’s a complicated case. Yuzu being reckless on the ice may or may not mirror in your private life. He might need some downtime, so bring out the soft domme stuff. No trial and error stuff, just going through a routine of things you love the most. On the other hand, he always gives it all. This guy’s endurance at your hands is amazing. Advanced kinds of BDSM he will not feel deterred from at all. Rough toys, anal hooks, sounding, whips, why not is Yuzu’s motto. But then again. He has such a confusing mix of innocence and feeling like he’s completely hardcore. You might end up experimenting a lot, but also not daring the leap sometimes because the mood is different. And then rather go for softer hours, where Yuzu will be all shy shy and more bursting with excitement than ever. A good, interesting mix is what I’m saying.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Yuzuru, once he gets a bit of practice to gauge the situation... Viagra on two legs, absolute unexpected powerhouse. You might end up pondering to work out a little and go for a run because this guy is in a consistently outstanding shape to say the least. Olympic athletes are literally hard to fuck with. And since Yuzu is starfishing sometimes (which is very adorable), or he’s in bondage for some time, that presents a further problem: For a second round, he’s full of energy, while you already spent energy. So, you alternate with who’s active, and the other leans back entirely. He has to remind himself since his body is programmed for it: This is no contest — the point is feeling good.

You might ride him reverse cowgirl all the way while you watch TV, and after the overstimulation fades he will eat you out ad nauseam, full course slobbering, sweeping the whole menu. That way, it’s less about keeping up with him, which would be hard for most people not doing sports at his galactic level. He understands, Yuzu knows he’s not normal in that regard, you don’t have to worry. Some exercise still doesn’t hurt, just to further increase the quality of sex anyway.

Then again: Why go jogging and do some laps wasting valuable together time when Yuzu’s lap is the best workout? And running doesn’t guarantee your stamina in bed is perfect even if it does help. You rather wanna manage how to draw out the arousal. It’s a self-control thing, with the goal of having you match up in every aspect as good as you can. In which case, you can count on him to pull it off: Have you seen Yuzu doing jumps side by side with a bunch of female skaters? Copy paste. This guy knows how to synchronize with the ladies.

Something that has to be mentioned beside that, though. Yuzu has asthma since 2 years old, and it’s often a mind thing to him still these days. He doesn’t let it stop him from sleeping with you because as always, he’s not letting anything get in his way. He has learned to live and thrive with it. But you both have to mind the possibility of an attack, he prevents it with inhalers, and the mood plays a crucial role. Yuzu being comfortable and confident is so important to his breathing, and keeping a good rhythm rather than being chaotic in bed. So, you will plan most of your sexual activities rather than improvising. 

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Would stuff an entire sex shop into his every available orifice. Yuzu is a toy freak, he wants to try everything. Motto: a new one every day. Well, almost. But he can afford it. Buys stuff he uses solely on himself, things you use on him, things he uses solo and you use on him, and as the cherry on top, every possible high end vibrator on the market for you. Any size, too. This bitch will browse through the latest innovations, prepare to get off. He’s obsessed with seeing you use it on yourself. Yuzu owns a separate phone just for videos of you buzzing your clit, and him fingering you for minutes and minutes. 

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Extremely so. Loves to be a total brat only to get put into his place. He does it so you’ll pull the chin grab on him. He likes getting choked out as a punishment as well. Yuzu also tends to be very around the corner if you will when it comes to soft subbing, he lays over expecting cuddles but doesn’t say so. Buds his head against your chest, nuzzles, and so on. Lighter forms of teasing come to him very easily. Loves to prompt. Roughhousing, banter, favorite thing.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Moderately loud because his voice is very very light, but unsurprisingly — he’s just beautiful. What a nice tone. Gorgeous whimpering sounds. And when you go hard on him, voice cracks! And really heavy breathing. What’s gonna be the most striking though is his expressiveness. We know it from the ice and interviews, and he can really amp it up even further. No need for screaming, that face will speak the volumes.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

You’ll be blessed with him if you have a huge crying kink. Yuzu definitely opens the waterworks every other week in bed. Happy tears, horny tears, relief tears, aftercare tears, orgasm tears, masochist tears, romantic tears, subspace tears, he has it all. He also begs for the type of pain that makes it stream down his face for minutes. He’s touchy-feely all the way and feels like he can really connect with you that way.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

His ass twitching is kind of a spectacle, but I don’t have to tell you, do I. Yuzu has muscles for the gods in there. So voluptuous, you can’t call it any other way. Big booty boyfriend, Jesus you can show him off, he loves it. Around the house, he will flaunt them big ole athlete buns in particular, acting like it’s unintended. Um, Yuzu, those are joggings. Smack it, he is sure to moan. 

And may I respectfully mention as well — this guy has some major big ass balls figuratively and literally. How else would someone be motivated to jump a triple axel like it’s nothing. Not kidding, they’re big and round and ugh. His love for tight pants doesn’t help. He knows what your eyes like and dresses just to flex the goods. Screams for more spanking and pinching if you ask me. Yuzu is definitely serving it. Well-endowed, you lucky girl.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Mega horny, ready when you are. On a scale from zero to hundred? Breaching into the 90 percent right there. Yuzu’s hormones are literally insane. On paper he’s 26, but his dick wants the 18th birthday party. Jesus is he gonna be clingy when he’s in the mood. All wrapped around you in a backhug in the kitchen or when you iron a costume of his, and that’s sexy of him. He’s not gonna hide what’s filling out those sweatpants. He’ll desperately grind up against you like it’s Christmas.

Paired with his puppy eyes and little “Do you have some time... I’ll iron this tomorrow” — instant pounce. He’s admittedly a bit hard to keep up with sometimes, though. The reason: With that level of exercise, he has major pent-up energy. That machine is definitely running. Heavy sports changes your hormones, nervous system, and especially blood flow. Now take that to the scale of his performances and regimens? That equals a firework of horny. No wonder he masturbates all the time.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Takes some time. He cools down, sweats it out, chugs water. However, don’t underestimate how tired Yuzu can already be. His daily routines and competitions have a toll on him. Ironically, he’s not a deep sleeper, however. Yuzu might toss and turn and have sudden energy bursts, or ideas, or gets hungry. So, he needs his plushies, he needs a weighted blanket, warm pajamas, a hot cup of his favorite warm drink, a light snack, and you by his side. Spooning him excessively and sometimes even humming to him. Yuzu looks like a certified angel on his pillow, his well-deserved rest from everything is so important, too.

NOTE - hope i could indulge you, thank you for reading!

© 2017-2021 submissive-bangtan. all rights reserved. no reposts allowed. depictions fictional.

[translations-by-aiimee]

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Chapter 13

Original Title:  二哈和他的白猫师尊

Genres: Drama, Romance, Tragedy, Xianxia, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 13 - This Venerable One's Bride

No need to remind Mo Ran. Chu Wanning had already figured that out long ago.

Those people were chatting and laughing, but they didn't know where the voices came from. Those who were sitting or standing, gesturing and toasting; their faces were blank, just like paper.

"What do we do? Do we have to go in and drink with them?"

Chu Wanning was not amused by Mo Ran's poorly-timed joke, and he lowered his head in thought.

At this moment, there was a sound of rustling footsteps in the distance. Two long lines of people emerged from the hazy fog, slowly approaching the main building from the distance.

Chu Wanning and Mo Ran subconsciously ducked behind the rocks, and the two teams approached, led by a coquettishly smiling golden boy and girl. These two people had clearly defined facial features. Their faces were colourful, and in the night light, they looked like paper dolls burned for the dead.

Each of them was holding a red candle in one hand. The body of the candle was as thick as the child’s arm, with dragon and phoenix seals entwined on it. As the candle burned, the rich fragrance of the powder wafted to their noses, and Mo Ran almost fainted again. Fortunately, the wound that Chu Wanning stabbed in his arm still hurt, and he squeezed the wound again, finally keeping his consciousness clear.

Chu Wanning gave him a look.

Mo Ran: ". . .cough, this trick works."

After a pause, he wondered again: "Shizun, why don't you need to poke holes in your body to stay awake?"

Chu Wanning: "This fragrance doesn't work on me."

"Huh? Why?"

Chu Wanning said coldly: "Good concentration."

Mo Ran: ". . ."

Headed by the golden boy and girl, the two lines climbed up the steps. Chu Wanning moved his gaze back, looked for a second, and suddenly let out a low "Hmm?"

He was rarely surprised, so Mo Ran was immensely curious. He followed his line of sight to see, also amazed.

He saw that those who swayed in the procession were all dead bodies with closed eyes. They had pale skin and kept the appearance they had before alive. Most of them were very young. They were in their twenties, both men and women. One figure was very familiar--

The Chen family's eldest son, who was seen in the coffin before, appeared in the procession again at some point. His eyes were closed. He followed the scent of candles and walked slowly. Next to him was something different from the others. Others had corpses walking next to them, he walked next to a paper mâché ghost bride.

While Mr. Chen was not a big deal, when the procession came to the end and they saw the people at the end of the two lines, Mo Ran's face drained of blood.

Shi Mei and Chen Yao had their faces hung and were following behind the dead body. Both of them had their eyes closed. Their faces were as white as snow. Their walking posture was no different from those of the dead people in front of them. They didn't even know if they were still alive or not.

Mo Ran's mind exploded. He jumped up and wanted to rush over, but Chu Wanning suddenly grabbed his shoulders: "Hold on."

"But Shi Mei——!!!"

"I know." Chu Wanning stared at the procession slowly moving forward and whispered, "Don't move rashly. Look over there, there is a martial law barrier. If you rush past it, the barrier will scream and I'm afraid that all the faceless ghosts in the yard will rush at you, and the scene will grow out of control."

Chu Wanning is the master of barrier enchantments. He recognized these enchantments well and his eyes were razor-sharp. Mo Ran found that at the entrance to the banquet yard, there was a nearly transparent film.

The golden boy and girl walked to the front of the courtyard. They gently blew on the cupped candle flame, fluttered the flames, and then slowly - passed through the layer of barriers and walked into the courtyard.

The men and women behind them followed them one after the other, passing through the transparent barrier without any issue. The faceless people in the yard drinking wedding wine turned their heads, watching the men and women who entered, laughing and applauding.

Chu Wanning said: "Go, follow them. When you cross the barrier, remember not to breathe and keep your eyes closed. Also, no matter what happens, copy what the corpses are doing and never speak."

He didn't need to say anything more. Mo Ran eagerly wanted to save the others, and immediately followed Chu Wanning into the group of corpses.

The number of corpses in the two lines stayed the same. Chu Wanning stood behind Shi Mei, and Mo Ran could only stand behind Chen Yao. The lines moved very slowly, Mo Ran glanced over at Shi Mei several times. All he could see was his pale profile and a section of white neck that was helplessly drooping.

It was hard to keep up the act all the way to the boundary. The two concentrated and held their breath, smoothly following through to the courtyard. After entering, he found out that the area inside was much larger than it looked like from the outside. In addition to the three-story main building, the courtyard was lined with a hundred or so small rooms, each of which had a red letter of happiness in their window and a red lantern.

The faceless guests suddenly stood up. Salutes were fired and suona horns sounded.

A faceless salute officer in front of the building sang in waves: "The auspicious hour has arrived, and the bride and groom have entered the garden--"

Mo Ran was stunned. What? He dared to say that these two dead bodies are the bride and groom?

He turned his head to ask for help from Chu Wanning, but the brows of Beidou Immortal were furrowed. He was immersed in his own thoughts, unable to extricate himself, and didn't bother to look at Mo Ran.

. . . Mo Ran felt that all his uncle's hard work might be in vain. Going down the mountain to gain experience, with this kind of shizun, was really more damaging to his pride than if he had gone without a shizun.

Suddenly a group of laughing and joking tufts of children rushed out from the courtyard, dressed in bright red clothes, but with white head ropes tied in pigtails. They clustered like fish to either side of the lines and began pulling one person each, leading them to the compartments on either side.

Mo Ran didn't know what to do so he mouthed to Chu Wanning: Shizun, what should I do?

Chu Wanning shook his head, pointing to the tidal wave of dead bodies that followed the boy and girl scattered in front of him. The meaning was clear - follow them.

There was no choice but to let a boy with a bun pull him forward, stumbling into one of the compartments. As soon as he entered, the boy waved his sleeve in the air, and the door closed with a bang.

Mo Ran stared at the little man, wondering what the faceless brat wanted to do to him.

In his previous life, Chu Wanning rescued Shi Mei first and then broke the illusion. He didn't do anything the entire time then he easily removed the evil spirits. And then all he did was relish in the wonderful afterglow of kissing Shi Mei. Afterwards, during Chu Wanning’s report, he actually didn't listen much.

So now the situation had completely changed. He didn't know what was going to happen next, so he could only bite the bullet.

The room was decorated with a dressing table, a bronze mirror standing upright, and a black and red suit embroidered with Ruyi patterns supported on the wooden frame.

The boy patted the stool and motioned for Mo Ran to sit down.

Mo Ran realized that the ghosts here weren't very clever. They were pretty stupid. As long as he didn't speak, they couldn't tell the dead from the living, so he sat in front of the dressing table like the child wanted. The little boy rustled over and started to help him freshen up and change his clothes. . .

Suddenly, a begonia flower drifted in from the window and landed leisurely in the water inside the copper basin.

Mo Ran's eyes lit up. This begonia was called Evening Night Northern Star, which was specifically used by Chu Wanning for silent messaging.

He picked up the begonia from the water, and the flower instantly stretched and bloomed in his palm, revealing a gleam of light gold in the centre.

He twisted the golden light on his fingertips and put it to his ears. Chu Wanning's voice rang in his ears.

"Mo Ran, I have confirmed with Tianwen that this is the illusion created by the Master of Ceremonies Ghost in Caidie Town. It was worshipped by the villagers' incense for a hundred years and gradually cultivated into something more physical. As long as there are more ghost marriages, its power will grow stronger, so it loves to organize these wedding ceremonies. Those corpses lined up in two lines should be the ghost couples that the people of Caidie Town have put together under its witness over the past hundreds of years. It likes this kind of fun. Every night, it summons those corpses to the illusionary realm and conducts another ghost marriage, and each time it conducts it, it grows even stronger."

Mo Ran thought to himself - What a pervert!

When other gods are bored, they'll at most match up boys and girls. What kind of Master of Ceremonies is this? It's said to have an immortal body, but its brain must not have kept up with it. Its only hobby was to match up male corpses and female corpses. It didn't matter if they were already matched, the dead married corpses were summoned from the grave every night, again, again, and again.

Was this group of corpses that good-looking?

This bachelor god must be lonely enough.

Chu Wanning continued: "Its true body isn't here. Don't act rashly. Follow the instructions of the golden boy and girl for a while. Since it wants to absorb the power of their ghost marriage, it will inevitably show its original shape in the end."

Mo Ran wanted to ask: Where's Shi Mei? How's Shi Mei?

"There's no need to worry about Shi Mei. He, like Madam Chen, was bewitched by the fragrance powder and temporarily lost consciousness." Chu Wanning considered the problem very carefully and made it clear that what Mo Ran might be wondering. "Take care of yourself. I've got everything under control."

After speaking, the voice disappeared.

At the same time, the child also took care of Mo Ran's attire. He looked up and saw that the face in the bronze mirror was beautiful, the corners of his lips naturally raised, his eyebrows were clean and fresh, his collars were overlapped, his auspicious clothing was a flaming red, and the hair was long but tied back with a white hairband, and he really looked like a married bridegroom.

The boy made a gesture of "if you would" and the door of the closed compartment creaked open.

Under the corridor, standing a row of corpses in auspicious clothes, both men and women, it seemed that the clay head mould of the Master of Ceremonies Ghost wasn't enlightened yet. As long as he had pairs in the hall to be married, it didn't matter, regardless of whether it was a man and woman, man and man, or woman and woman. He didn't care.

There was only one line of dead bodies standing on this side of the corridor, and the other line was on the opposite side. They were too far away, and he couldn't see if Chu Wanning and Shi Wei had come out.

The procession was moving slowly forward, and every now and then the sound of the chanting of the officials in the building could be heard. The marriage of one pair after another was slowly being completed.

Mo Ran took a look at Chen Yao in front of him and felt that something was wrong. After pondering for a while, when the line was gradually shortening and the last few pairs were about to take their turn, the dirty bastard finally understood— —

Wait! According to the procession, does that mean the woman in front of him is going to be married to Shi Mei? Wouldn't that mean he's going to be paired with that little bitch Chu Wanning? This isn't going to work!

At that moment, the former emperor of the human realm was not happy anymore. He grimaced and unceremoniously pulled Chen Yao, and cut in line and stood in front of the others.

The little boy behind him was taken aback for a moment, but Mo Ran quickly put on the expression of a half-dead hanged ghost with a bowed head, drooping down and mixing in with the corpses. Those golden boys and girls with low cultivation levels were in a daze, probably too dumb to figure out what had happened so they didn't react.

This time Mo Ran was happy. He followed the line with great enthusiasm, ready to walk to the end so that he could meet with Shi Mei on the other side of the corridor.

At the same time.

Chu Wanning glanced at Shi Mei standing in front of him, and thought for a while, not knowing what dangers lay ahead.

He has always been hard-spoken and soft-hearted, though harsh to the point of being repulsive. But, in fact, as long as he was there, he wouldn't put his apprentice in any kind of danger.

As a result, he also tugged Shi Mei and pulled the unconscious man behind him while he stood in Shi Mei's original position.

It was his turn.

The ghost bridesmaid standing at the end of the corridor was holding a black and red tray. Seeing Chu Wanning coming over, he chuckled, his face without facial features making a girl's crisp voice.

"Greetings and congratulations to the bride, she is beautiful and white."

Chu Wanning's face instantly darkened.

Br-Bride. . .? ? Do you have no eyes?

He looked at the blank face of the ghost bridesmaid again and held back a shout.

He really doesn't have any fucking eyes.

The ghost bridesmaid smiled and picked up the red gauze veil in the tray. Raising his jade-like arms and pale hands, he covered Chu Wanning's face. Then he stretched out his cold hand, gently held Chu Wanning, and said with a sweet smile: "Bride, if you would."

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