#they have the appropriate size difference which is important.

[lurking-latinist]

having another Aubreyad phase apparently, I am very fond of the books but unfortunately can never watch the movie because ever since I art-baited @heimeldat into drawing Jack as hypothetically played by Colin Baker, I cannot see him as played by anyone else

[nicoliine]

When Charlie found out that she is now a big sister.

☆彡 Your lover is an idiot; he can be a cute one or an annoying one, never in between, and right now you wonder which one he is as you are in the middle of one of their idiocies.

☆ Reader is g/n.

☆ Warnings: mild swearing? just Angel being Angel. Kinda crack, Charlie cries and it's all your fault.

No proofread.

 

 

You could ask anyone in and out of the hotel and get the same answer. Every. Single. Time.

Who is the biggest supporter of you and Lucifer's relationship? Charlie Morningstar.

 

Not that there was much competition; truth be told, she was the only one who cared enough about your relationship, always asking how your dates were going and if her father was treating you right.

And of course, Angel, who was suspiciously very interested in your partner, but you weren't planning on answering his questions, you prefer to keep his dick size to yourself.

 

That is why you find it unnecessary, so weird, to have the whole hotel's residents in the lobby waiting for the so-important announcement that Lucifer wanted to make; you love him? Yes, you will always be by his side? Definitely. Now, does that mean you want to? Right now, you are not sure.

Right before everyone's eyes, you stand beside your lover, who looked so excited and you could swear was about to jump in joy. Your energy doesn't match his, and you only give Charlie a small smile every now and then to let her know everything is alright.

He cleared his throat. "Now, you may wonder why we reunited you here today," he said, his voice denoting mistery. That made you chuckle. He is such a showman. "My love and I have big news!"

 

"We're having a baby!" He said it with one of the biggest smiles you had seen on his face.

 

"What!?"

"I'm having A BABY BROTHER!?"

 

"Well, not exactly," you interrupted before anyone else could speak or Lucifer started his theatrics again. "I think the appropriate word is "babies."  The comments started again.

 

"Damn, I knew that dick was good," Angel said.

 

☆◦ •◦☆

For someone who loves you so much and could kiss the ground you walk on, Lucifer was hard to convince to go on a walk with you. He surrenders the moment you say you are, in fact, going on with or without him, following after you.

You could see in his face that he was not having the time of his life. You remember the first time he stepped on the hotel, doing his best to not call it shit right there, and the streets in Pentagram City were not different from that; in fact, it was worse.

You just couldn't help it. It was nice to go on a walk around the streets; it was something you always enjoyed. Your lover's presence scaring away every soul who looked in your direction was just a treat.

 

When you suddenly stopped, Lucifer, who was following a step behind you, called your name with curiosity.

 

You couldn't find many animals in hell—well, not in the pride ring—but when a hellborn brings an animal, it is common for it to be the pet of someone. That's why you're now standing there, surprised to see at least five baby ducks on the side of the walk, running around.

"Look at those cute ones!" Your lover exclaims besides you with a babyish voice, as he kneels to take one of the ducks on his hand. "Darling, look! Is so precious!" You smiled, the image before you so breathtaking; you followed his actions, now rubbing one of the little ones head with your finger.

You counted six ducks; they seemed to be no more than three days old. Looking around, you tried to get a glimpse of the ducks mother, but it seemed like they were all by themselves; it nearly broke your heart.

"Darling! We can't just leave them here!" You turn your head to look at Lucifer, who was trying to hold all of the ducks in his arms; it was actually cute.

 

☆◦ •◦☆

To see the King of Hell walking around the hotel with six ducks and one Niffty following him as if he were a mama duck was something nobody expected, but they seemed to be getting used to the idea.

Husk mentioned he is, in fact, the mama duck, and you were the father.

What really took you off guard was to see Charlie resting her head on Vaggie's shoulder, crying over the baby brother you guys allegedly made her think of.

Likes and reblogs are appreciated 💞

[mmhcs]

Girl Dad! Miguel O'Hara

Warnings: Miguel is an emotional wreck, one use of (Y/N), one mention of reader being pregnant (otherwise can be interpreted as surrogacy, adoption, etcetera)

Miguel was absolutely and utterly in shock when he found out that you guys were having a child. Whether it be through surrogate, adoption, or you carrying the child yourself—once he found out that his greatest dream of starting a family was going to become a reality, he's so happy.

It's very rare that Miguel gets emotional. The vulnerability that he'd been displaying in your relationship was a feat in itself. However, once he hears that he's going to become a dad, Miguel can't help but shed a few tears. It's a bit weird seeing the tears stream down his face but there's a smile that collects them and stops them from staining his shirt.

"Un bebé!" Miguel exclaims, laughing in between his sniffles. He grabs you by your waist, pulling you into him. "Vamos a tener un bebé, querida! Un bebé!"

Again, it's very rare that Miguel is emotional. But when he walked into the Spider Society following the revelation, he couldn't maintain his usual stoic demeanor. He tries his best to keep the news quiet for as long as he can but one day he cracks.

"Miguel, did you need something?" Jessica Drew asked as she entered his laboratory. She glanced up, down, and at each corner of the room, searching for some possible incentives for her summons. Upon failing to find anything, Jess stopped in the center of the room, putting her hands on her hips. She opened her mouth to demand further explanation but was stopped by the sound of the door opening once more. "Hey, Miguel!" Peter B. Parker lifted an arm to send a floppy wave at his self-proclaimed best friend. His other hand moved underneath the baby carrier strapped to his chest, as if his wave would cause the entire thing to collapse. "What's going on?" Jess asked, getting back on track before Peter B. could steer it off-course. "Is something wrong?" Miguel turned to face both Peter B. and Jess. He didn't bother lowering his platform—he liked it this way. This physical distance was about to make up for the emotional olive branch that he was about to extend. "I've summoned you two here because of a very important matter," Miguel started, placing his hands behind his back. "Not only do I hold a certain level of respect for you two, but I feel that you two would be the most qualified and capable to provide me with insight on this matter," Jess and Peter B. exchanged curious and worried glances with one another before returning their focus to Miguel. He sighed, feeling the emotional constipation building within. "(Y/N) and I..." He inhaled a deep breath, "We're having a baby." Jess sputtered while Peter B.'s hands flew to his face, which elongated from how far his jaw was dropping.

When Miguel finds out that you two are having a girl, he is, once again, an emotional mess. Just tears of joy as he stares at the ultrasound photo.

"Mi bebita," he says, tracing his fingers along the white curves of the background. "Ella es hermosa."

As the months pass by, Miguel comes up with different nicknames for the baby. He's one of those soon-to-be-parents that likes to compare the size of the baby to different fruits. (You even catch him shedding a few tears while looking at a mango in the kitchen once).

Miguel's new favorite hobby is decorating your daughter's nursery. He isn't stingy when it comes to the time, money, and effort spent making it a room fit for a princess. Even though she isn't born yet, he makes sure that the room temperature is appropriate for a newborn, that all of her outfits are neatly organized in their rightful place, and that there's books, books, and toys galore for her to play with.

Each and every day, Miguel talks to your daughter. It doesn't matter if her ears haven't developed yet—that's his daughter and he'll be damned if he doesn't ask her how her day was.

"¿Tu estás bien ahí adentro, princesa?" Miguel asks, rubbing his hands along your stomach. "¿No estás cuasando problemas, verdad?" "Miguel," you giggled. It was so cute seeing him like this. "I don't think that she can even hear you yet,"

Miguel doesn't shy away from any milestone activities. Including a baby shower. For the first time, Miguel allows a party to be held at the Spider Society so that everyone may celebrate the impending birth of your baby girl. While the Spiders know better than to acknowledge it, everyone can see and feel the pure joy radiating off of Miguel even if he does keep his stone-faced exterior plastered on for the day.

In addition to enlisting the help of Jess and Peter B., Miguel also turns to parenting books. He reads so much that one would think "advice for first-time parents" is his favorite genre.

The baby books cause Miguel to be prone to bouts of anxiety, which more often than not ends with you comforting and reassuring him, just as he would do for you.

"Hey, hey," you say, stroking his cheek. "Don't worry. This baby is about to have the best dad in the Multiverse."

As the time gets closer, Miguel starts to exhibit nesting behavior. He wakes up every morning, spends some time with you, and then disappears into the nursery until the sky turns dark. Does it matter that there's nothing to do in there? Nope, he's gonna fold and organize and then reorganize anything and everything that he can. Everything can and will be perfect for his baby girl.

When your daughter is born, Miguel is just a mess. An absolute mess of tears and faint chuckles. He rotates between kissing your forehead and thanking you for allowing him this precious gift and admiring your daughter.

"Hey, princesa," he coos softly. "Nice to finally meet you."

Your daughter isn't even a week old when she has Miguel wrapped around her finger.

At the tiniest sound, Miguel is jumping to see what's wrong with her. During her first few nights home, he doesn't leave her side.

"Miguel," you say, leaning in the doorframe of the nursery. "Don't you think you're bothering her? I mean, she just got here; give her some space!"

Bonus:

You stumble awake, extending an arm across the bed, only to find the spot next to you cold. As usual. While you already know where Miguel is (or rather who he's with), you don't have to second-guess yourself as the distant sound of cherubic laughter fills the air. Slowly, you climb out of bed and pad towards your daughter's nursery. You pause in the doorframe, not wanting to disturb whatever moment your daughter and husband were having. Every day was something new, something beautiful and heartwarming, a reminder that you started a family with the best possible man in the Multiverse. This morning's sight was nothing short, Miguel repeatedly holding your daughter up in the air before bringing her back down to kiss her forehead. "Mi hermosa," he says as he lifts her up once more, earning a squeal from her. "Mi princesa," he coos as he brings her back down. "Mi bebita," He brings her back up, this time, gently moving her around as though she is an airplane. "¡Y mi angelita! ¡Papi te ama mucho!"

[ascxer]

Let’s remember what agere is, and that it’s not one size fits all.

I feel like a lot of people forget that at the end of the day, agere is often a coping mechanism for people with significant trauma. Which means the experience is going to be different for everyone. Different tastes, coping mechanisms, different Everything.

With such a vast diversity of people, a little curation on your end of your personal experience is needed in order to ensure your agere feed suits you.

I’ve done so personally for media I feel uncomfortable about , and often see in sfw agere, but the last thing I will do is expect them to not use a tag they have any right to use just because my personal experience with what they like is a negative one, I’ll just block and move on. It’s important to use appropriate tags, but with how tumblr works, (admittedly tags aren’t exactly tumblrs strong suit) things you don’t like are going to slip through the cracks regardless, so action on your end is ultimately required when it’s all said and done.

Let’s not bring the silly drama adults have over likes and dislikes here, because at the end of the day we are all sharing the same space. We can’t possibly expect to curate what fandoms, music, aesthetics, characters, etc etc, appear in Sfw agere.

Everyone is comforted by different things, and they have any right to share that with like minded people whom they can relate to.

I don’t always feel comfortable around some of the fandoms I see in SFW agere, but I realize that it’s a personal thing on my end, which requires action on my end (such as blocking), and I know that they have as much of a right to be in sfw agere as I do. As long as someone is experiencing Sfw agere and sharing sfw agere art,fiction, photos, etc, then they have any right to post in sfw agere regardless of what fandom, aesthetic, and interest, it may happen to be. I for one hope that anyone who happens to have interests I am uncomfortable about, find meaningful interactions and connections through SFW agere.

This is a sentiment I really wish i saw more of. Despite our differences, we all deserve the same experience, and none of us should have to limit ourselves to fewer tags when we very well all deserve to be here.

[talenlee]

3e: Eberron is A World Of Locks

Hey, do you know the world of Eberron?

Eberron is, in my opinion, probably the best setting Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 ever had. This is partly because of what it presents as available, with its world-native Changelings and Warforged. Another part of it is that it was (at the time) a fresh world which wasn’t already filled edge to edge with Important NPCs you needed to recognise and respect and route around, which like it or not, is one of the predominant things about the Forgotten Realms that stands out in my memory. There’s a wealth of ways players can anchor themselves in that world, with its recent civil war, its dragonmarked houses, and its various discarded, collapsed empires. There’s a lot of stuff to interact with, a lot of means to have a place in that world.

In addition to all that though is an interesting addition to the world that may be a bit less obvious because of how it changed a 3.5 D&D skill in the context of the whole world, and made room for characters who were in a way, trickier.

That is, Disable Device.

If you’re not overly familiar with the way the skill system of 3e D&D, it was a point-based system where your class informed how many skill points you got each level, plus more for your intelligence and plus more for weird extra reasons. These skills then added to your ability scores as appropriate; to jump required Strength, to Hide required Dexterity, all that sort of thing. Sometimes you got advantages based on traits about your culture, like your size or your gross physical qualities, sometimes you had cultural background advantages. It’s like how Elves got a bonus to Listen, Search, and Spot, while Dwarves got a skill bonus to who cares, they’re dwarves.

The skill system was elaborate in a way that didn’t usually wind up producing necessary results. This is a structure that often gets referred to as fiddly. It was worth having 5 skill ranks in a skill you didn’t plan on using because of how it improved another skill, but also that didn’t necessarily matter most of the time, meaning there was a sort of budgetary exchange that once you got it, kind of just dangled there. It also had the weird effect where skills spread out across a bunch of things – being good at jumping, riding, and climbing were all different skills even though fundamentally, those were kinda the same thing and reasonably, being better at any of them would make you a bit better at all of them.

There were some skills that were fantastically specific, like decipher script (that could be used to uh, decipher scripts), or very broad like use magic device (which could fake all sorts of nonsense and work as a skill check for making almost any kind of spell available to the people with the skill). And in this space there was a skill that served to show how skills could be setting specific.

In conventional D&D, high fantasy worlds like Greyhawk, machinery was okay-but-not-worth-it. Disable Device largely lived as a sort of ‘pick locks’ skill, which was usually useful for disabling traps in a dungeon delving environment, or opening doors you didn’t have access to. These two applications steadily became less and less important as magical ways to open locks and close them show up starting as the players level up into the higher level material of level 3. At around that point, the capacity of Disable Device to meaningfully address a need of the party becomes somewhat token, as you can use Knock to bust magical and nonmagical doors and locks, and traps start becoming magical and therefore, best addressed with spells and spellcraft.

It’s a shame too because in terms of an actual skill, like ‘a thing people can do’ Disable Device is pretty cool. It indicates a skill and thoughtfulness that seems like it should be applicable to more things. Toolkits were sometimes connected to the skill, armour repair sometimes but the actual craft of being good with devices was orphaned for its impact in the world and its application to adventurers with a degree of experience.

Welcome to Eberron then, where everything is high magic, sure, but the magic is used to catapult past the industrial revolution. This is a look you may know as Magepunk (which I think is reasonable to use as a term for describing my own setting, Cobrin’Seil). In Eberron, there are trains. There are machines. There are devices that people use in their everyday life, and with that comes a more widespread vision of the applications of disable device.

Now, this isn’t to say that I’ve grabbed the entirety of the Eberron compendium and dug through it for every single time Disable Device is used for every kind of system or interface. But rather that I know, as a GM, in that world, when people are surrounded by trains and chains and industrialised components, and the creation at the scale that suddenly, you didn’t need to consider things like unique, individualised magical creations to keep things safe or secure or operate things.

This has an effect of turning most forms of leaders and threats, people who have spaces that players want to approach and interact with, suddenly don’t have to answer a kind of outsourcing question. If magic is what makes a place dangerous, the people who command dangerous places are going to trend towards being magical. Wizards are the ones who have menageries and laboratories and fancy alchemy stations and whatnot, and those are the things that sites tended to need.

Except if suddenly, locks and tools and machinery exist that mean that you can have a site-based challenge that cares about material components without necessarily everything being a bespoke magical construction, and that means that suddenly the boss that runs this place isn’t the wizard who makes it work, but instead the person who has the power, the means, and the access to construct that sort of space.

Disable Device becomes more useful as a game tool, but also, the world is a place that allows more people to have access to the status of being a kind of ‘boss monster’ character at the end of a character’s narrative. And that’s all through the transformation of the world-centering power of characters.

High fantasy, unconsciously or not, directs all the attention towards the wizard.

Which is a pretty sad trick.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[redesigningxmen]

REDESIGNING MIRAGE

That’s no mirage you’re seeing, that’s our group taking on Dani Moonstar, aka Mirage! One of the New Mutants from the 80s book, Dani has long been that team’s leader and served in different leadership roles. She’s most notable for being one of the X-Men’s most prominent Native American characters. Her identity is so central to her character, she refused to wear the standard New Mutants training uniform without adding pieces from her Cheyanne heritage.

Our team considered both Dani’s unique power - the ability to manifest someone’s greatest hopes or fears into realistic illusions - and her Indigenous background when redesigning her. Taking on a character so strongly rooted in such a specific - and non-White - culture meant approaching the design with respect, and of course always with an eye towards an exciting design!

Give all our talented artists a follow on social media!

Rake | @/pastelrake

"For Dani I drew on two prominent western themed pieces of media from my childhood. Firstly my father's favourite John Wayne film;  1965's The Sons of Katie Elder and secondly, the 1987 ridiculous children's cartoon BraveStarr. Both of these properties, whilst flawed, gave me a love of Americana/ Wild-Western aesthetics. With this in mind, I wanted to create a vintage-style western movie poster that centred Dani as the protagonist. In particular, I imagined her in the recognizable role of Sheriff, given her established characterization as a protector."

SSTArtwork | @/sstartwork

"I did two looks for Dani, one is more of a practical field uniform, with padded armour sections and oversized gloves. I've added an extra skill to her power set, as well as creating arrows and bows, she can now create a psychic vulture, which I envision swooping onto an enemy and ripping at the fears and drawing them out, or the desires, to varying effects. The second look is more Valkyrie based, with more opulent armour and headpieces harkening back to her initial days as a Valkyrie. In this state, all her powers are boosted and her bird becomes much larger, around about the size of a very large condor. She can use the bird as an aid in battle, for gliding, shields etc etc."

Alex Buckland | @/blueromanticss

"Dani's culture has always been really important to her so I tried my best to incorporate that into my design! "

Thwwip Stickers | @/Thwwip_Stickers

Dani is one of my top two most fave New Mutants and a character I’ve always loved in the comics my entire time as an X-Men reader ( since I was 6…I’m old lol)

"I had two Goals with this redesign.

I wanted to move Dani into a cyberpunk futurism feel…as I feel like it’s time for all the X-Men to be ushered into the age of CyberPunk.

I really wanted to grow Dani up. My goal wasn’t to do an entire redesign from the ground up, but rather take what she’s had and mature her. Dani, as well as most of the New Mutants, have a tendency to to revert or be written like teens again and it was high time that we start viewing Dani as the strong, mature, dynamic member of the X-Men she truly is.

I wanted to use style lines and shapes that evoked Indigenous Futurism without (seeing as I am not indigenous) just covering her in a bunch of patterns and regalia that might not be appropriate for Dani as a member of the Cheyenne Tribe. I wanted to really make her seem like a hunter while still honoring her indigenous and mutant roots."

[hellyeahscarleteen]

"The kids are all right: The bill is not a solution to the problems of social media, and in fact, will make the internet much worse for young people. If you’re a young person unsure of where to stand on the bill, here’s a short explainer. 

KOSA’s main goal—to limit access to harmful materials—is unworkable and will lead to censorship. The vague “duty of care” to prevent harms to minors will require overly broad content filtering. We know already that this sort of filtering fails, both at the platform and the user level. Platforms are notoriously bad at content moderation at scale, frequently allowing content that violates their terms of service while penalizing users who post benign content that’s misidentified as dangerous. 

Under KOSA, this sort of flawed moderation will come with legal force. Platforms will be pressured by state attorneys general seeking to make political points about what kind of information is appropriate for young people. So not only will the moderation be inaccurate, but it will sweep in a variety of content that is not harmful. Ultimately, this bill would cut off a vital avenue of access to information for vulnerable youth. Platforms will be required to block important educational content, often made by young people themselves, about how to deal with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance use disorders, physical violence, online bullying and harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, and suicidal thoughts. 

Lastly, KOSA would have the practical effect of enabling parental surveillance. The law would unreasonably bucket all people under seventeen into a single category, despite the widespread understanding that older minors should have greater autonomy, privacy, and access to information than younger children, and that not every parent-child dynamic is healthy or constructive. 

Since KOSA was first introduced, it’s become even clearer that online platforms impact young people of varying ages and backgrounds differently, and one-size-fits-all legislation is a bad approach to solving the ills of social media. In March, the American Psychological Association (APA) released a “health advisory” on social media use in adolescence that makes clear that “using social media is not inherently beneficial or harmful to young people.” Rather, the effects of social media depend on multiple factors—in particular, “teens’ preexisting strengths or vulnerabilities, and the contexts in which they grow up.” 

KOSA has laudable goals, but it also presents significant unintended consequences that threaten the privacy, safety, and access to information rights of young people and adults alike. Teenagers already understand that this sweeping legislation is more about censorship than safety. Now we just need to make sure Congress does, as well."

[waltwhitmansbeard]

20. “What were you like before I met you?”

Hmm… let’s make this interesting. Keyleth meeting the Mighty Nein and getting to know them.

20. "What were you like before I met you?" so this happened bc, not for the first time, i read "mighty nein" and saw "bells hells," and, not for the first time, saw "bells hells" and thought "orym." so basically, this in no way resembles the prompt, but it is what i have lol

All of the most important people in the world are leaving, scattering and coalescing into their various war rooms and private councils. The Hells are getting sidelong looks, which Orym can understand; yesterday, they were strangers, interlopers, nobodies—today, they're heroes.

He watches Dorian fall into conversation with his father and tries not to use his keen lip-reading ability to follow every word. He imagines a thousand different ways that conversation could go, but it's up to Dorian to tell him about which one it ended up being, if he wants to. Chetney's been flagged down by one of the Sanctuary's scalebearers, and Orym just has to see the phrase "C-POP" on his lips to know he wants nothing to do with whatever that is. Braius is being reconfronted by Highbearer Vord, but Orym has learned in their scant few hours together that if anyone can lie their way out of trouble, it's Braius Doomseed.

So he takes this moment to find the Voice of the Tempest. He appears at her elbow silently, making the Dwendalian representative she's speaking with jump, but the Tempest doesn't even flinch. "Hello, Orym."

"Tempest." He ducks his head. "Do you have a minute? I don't mean to interrupt."

"Of course." She bids goodbye to the Dwendalian and leads Orym away. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, uh, first I wanted to thank you for those titles, the ones you gave my friends. It...means a lot."

The Tempest snorts ungracefully. "You should have seen the first six drafts." She smiles down at him. "It was my honor, Orym. I know what it is to have the fate of the world on your shoulders. The very least we could do is acknowledge it appropriately."

"What were you like before I met you?" Orym asks.

The Tempest laughs. "Orym, I've known you since you were the size of a housecat."

He flushes. "I know, I mean—what were you like when you were...like me? Part of a group with the fate of the world on its shoulders?"

She drums her fingers thoughtfully along her staff. "Hmm. Well, I was younger," she quips. "More optimistic, I think. Definitely more naive. I really thought that if we tried hard enough, if we cared enough, we could stop all the bad things from happening." She smiles again, this time wryly. "My secret, though, is that most of the time? I still think that way."

Orym's heart sinks a little. "So...you never had any doubt? You just always knew you were going to get the job done?"

The Tempest throws her head back and lets out a barking laugh that draws the attention of the surrounding dignitaries. "Oh, fuck no, are you kidding?" She crouches down then, gets to his eye level in the way that has never once felt to Orym like a parent condescending to a child, but rather someone speaking to their equal. "Orym, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the doubt is there literally all of the time. Even today, putting forth that plan with Vex and Allura, I had no idea how that was going to go, if the others would accept it, if it's even going to work. But the alternative is doing nothing, and I have never been good at that."

"Is that why you're so strong? Because there is no alternative?"

"I am strong, Orym, for the same reason you're strong." Her fingers dance briefly between them, and suddenly, she's holding onto the stem of a pearly white snowdrop. "I'm strong because there are people counting on me to be strong. People I love. People I couldn't bear to let down." She hands him the snowdrop. It is soft and alive in his fingers. "You have those people. I know you do." He doesn't miss the way her eyes flick over to Dorian, who is just now walking away from his father. "And a word of advice? From someone who waited and will carry the regret of that waiting for the next millennium?" There's a twinkle of something almost mischievous in her eye. "Do not take too long to let those people know how you feel. You and I know better than most that you never know how long you have with them."

She stands then, tall and regal, gives him a wink, and glides away, leaving Orym speechless and holding the flower. He watches her disappear into the throngs of the Platinum Sanctuary, and then his eyes catch Zeru Wyvernwind walking down the steps. He stuffs the snowdrop into his pocket and jogs after him, suddenly finding himself with quite a bit to say.

[crescentfool]

so you want to use OBS

hello! i’ve decided to compile information on my OBS setup and some resources that have helped me along the way.  this is mostly for personal reference, but maybe others can make use of this information!

some notes before i get into it:

i use OBS for both offline recording and (twitch) streaming. any footage i record is edited using DaVinci Resolve 18, which is free.

most of my OBS captures are of video games (through a USB capture card, specifically elgato), and the occasional screen/application capture (like clip studio paint, and sometimes PC games).

as such, the information here is reflective of these experiences. this post is not comprehensive to all of OBS’s features- this is just an overview of the settings and configurations that are most relevant to me.

with that out of the way, all the information will be under the cut!

Basic Setup

file format:

how to change: settings -> output -> recording -> recording format -> press “apply” once finished!

I save most of my recordings as .mkv files- it supports multi-track audio! i prefer .mkv over .mp4 because if your power goes out, you still have a recording to work with. 

.mkv files can be read by DaVinci Resolve without an issue- but for Adobe software, they'll need to be remuxed to .mp4 within OBS! (file -> remux recordings -> press the … to select a file -> press the “remux” button)

video resolution and framerate:

how to change: settings -> video -> output (scaled) resolution

my obs canvas is @ 1920 x 1080p (16:9)

i switch between 720p and 1080p as needed! if you're concerned about space, you can probably just go for 720p. i also record at 30 fps, simply because that’s what my capture card supports.

video bitrate:

how to change: settings -> output -> encoder settings (located in both the streaming and recording tab) -> press “apply” once finished!

bitrate is a bit of a doozy to explain, but the most important thing to know is that bitrate affects your video’s quality. lower numbers = lower quality, while higher numbers = higher quality. 

generally speaking, you'll want higher bitrate when you're recording things with high depth of information (e.g. you’d want a higher bitrate for something fast-paced like splatoon, compared to a slower-paced game like animal crossing).

my video bitrate is either set to 3000 or 4000 kbps! and here's some of my other (related) settings while i'm at it:

you can put your bitrate at much higher values than me if you're a stickler for quality- but keep in mind that a higher bitrate means:

bigger file size

more information to upload (when streaming)

your computer will need to encode more

i’d recommend reading twitch’s guidelines on encoding, bitrate, resolution, and framerate to get an idea of what values to pick. for people who are doing offline recording or streaming on a different platform, i suggest googling the appropriate resources!

multi-track audio:

this is mostly applicable to anyone looking to do video editing!

multi-track audio basically allows you to separate your audio sources (e.g. discord, game audio, and your own microphone) into different tracks. 

this is an immensely helpful tool because it lets you adjust audio levels in post-production (editing). some examples of how this can be used:

increasing someones microphone volume if they speak too softly

increasing/decreasing game audio

muting swear words/sensitive information

completely muting voice call + microphone if you want to upload a no commentary video

and more!

to set this up, take a look at your audio mixer panel, and press the ⚙ icon. this will bring up advanced audio properties.

by checkmarking a track box, it puts the audio on that track. to make the above screenshot easier to digest:

track 1 consists of ALL three audio sources- desktop, elgato, and microphone.

track 2 only has the microphone audio.

track 3 only has desktop audio (i use this for voice calls)

track 4 only has the elgato capture card audio (game audio). the volume has also been lowered so that any speaking voices can be heard clearly.

tracks 5 and 6 are unused.

you might be wondering, “why do all three of these have 1 checked off?” this is what i call the universal audio track. i recommend having a universal audio track for a few reasons:

when you stream from OBS onto twitch/youtube- you have to select ONE audio track.

it’s also a nice backup in case you didn’t separate your audio correctly.

if for whatever reason you need to move around your individual audio tracks in editing, the universal track acts as a nice reference point.

mark off your audio tracks for each audio source as you see fit! once you’re finished with the advanced audio properties, go to settings > output.

for the streaming tab, you’ll want to have the number of your universal audio track selected. in my case, that will be audio track 1.

for the recording tab, checkmark all the audio tracks that are applicable to you (in my case, audio tracks 1, 2, 3, and 4). by default, only audio track 1 is selected.

if you don’t check off the additional audio tracks in the output > recordings section, you will not have access to those audio tracks in editing, and you won’t be able to edit your audio tracks independently of each other. so don’t forget to do this! 👍

custom browser docks

custom browser docks are a great tool for when you’re streaming and want to have access to your twitch chat and/or activity feed! (or if you wanted to have some other web browser on OBS).

to create one, go to docks -> custom browser docks.

you’ll be given a table interface that asks you to put the dock name and URL. for streamers who want to have chat and alerts available, do the following:

on twitch’s homepage, go to the upper right and click your icon

then, click creator dashboard

once you’re on your dashboard, go to stream manager

click the vertical “...” on my chat OR activity feed.

press “pop-out chat” OR “pop-out activity feed”

copy and paste the link into the table back into OBS

press apply once you’re done

click and drag the docks around at your leisure to put them where you like!

if you ever decide you don’t want to have something on your OBS dock (or want to bring something back), go to the toolbar, click “docks,” and click the appropriate dock!

third party things

a section of optional things that you may enjoy having.

streamlabs alerts

this is basically for anyone who streams and wants to have their chat and/or follower notifications visualized on screen!

streamlab alerts can be added to OBS by adding a browser source into your scene, and the specifics can be customized on streamlabs itself. it’s pretty self-explanatory, so i’ll just leave a link to streamlabs website, where you can log in using the streaming platform of your choice: https://streamlabs.com/

discord overlay

this is a browser source that can be set up to show people who are in a server's voice chat and who speaks. i recommend this to people who make multiplayer content- it can help viewers distinguish who is who but also it can be helpful in editing.

to set this up, go to https://streamkit.discord.com/overlay, click “install for OBS,” and after logging in with discord, go to “voice widget” and click the server and voice channel you want.

you are able to apply CSS if you'd like more control over the visuals, but the standard layout tends to work fine for me! a search of “discord overlay css” on youtube can help you get more information.

veadotube mini

this is a pngtuber software that a friend recommended to me! no webcam is required- mouth opening and closing is based on your microphone input!

you can download it here (it’s pay what you want!): https://olmewe.itch.io/veadotube-mini

for a proper tutorial on how to use it, i recommend checking out the app's documentation, which you can read here: https://veado.tube/help/

source record

have you ever wanted to stream something with a chat overlay/layout, but wanted your recording to ONLY be the gameplay? or maybe you wanted to record BOTH your gameplay AND your webcam so that you can have a crisp zoom-in on your webcam!

source record is a third party plugin that can help you with that!

the general gist of source record involves applying the “source record” filter on either a scene or source, and customizing the encoding settings accordingly. the exact details of how to set it up is beyond the scope of this post, so I'll just direct people to this video instead (it was very helpful to me):

⚠ a quick note about source record: this plugin can be intense for your computer. be sure to do test recordings and the like to see what your computer can handle (and see if the recordings come out the way you like). it took me a few tests before i settled onto something i liked!

you can download and install source record here: https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/source-record.1285/

vdo.ninja

have you ever wanted to do a collaborative video or stream where you feature someone else’s video on your stream? or maybe you’re doing a multi-person streaming event! vdo.ninja is the perfect tool for you!

vdo.ninja turns your OBS virtual camera into a browser source link- which your collaborator can add on their stream! this is a new tool that i’ve added to my arsenal recently- since my friend and i are planning to stream a side order challenge together! i’ve still got to iron it out a bit more, but i like what i’ve used of it so far.

try it out for yourself at their website here (with documentation and demos available on the homepage!): https://vdo.ninja/ (no downloads required!)

ok! i’m set up! what now?

and with that, that’s all of the settings and tools that i thought would be worth mentioning! while most of my setup was written with video games in mind, some of these plugins and setups may be applicable to other types of videos (e.g. tabletop gaming with a physical camera)!

now that i’ve outlined all these settings, i have one more thing i have to say: regardless of what you're using OBS for, do a test recording before doing anything “official” with it. this recording can be as short as 30 seconds. it’s a good habit to develop that can make sure your streams/recordings turn out the way you want them to!

here are the kinds of things i like to check! it’s not an exhaustive list, but this can be a starting point:

video:

does my video look the way i want it to (and can my computer handle that)?

can my computer handle the load of encoding? - OBS will note in the bottom if the encoding is overloaded. if it can’t handle it, turn down your bitrate or adjust other encoding settings (e.g. i had to toggle psycho visual tuning OFF because it was causing lag)

this is especially the case if you're recording PC games- you don’t want to have slowdown on either your game or the recording!

audio:

are my audio sources (e.g. desktop audio and microphone) correct? - if you plug/unplug devices a lot, be sure to check this (settings -> audio).

are any of my audio sources muted? - make sure you don’t have anything on 🔇 if you don’t want it to be muted! otherwise the audio will be lost forever… (i lost my friend’s VC audio once… it was sad)

are my audio tracks separated properly? - requires you to boot up your editing software, but it's worth doing! for the test recording, just have something from all your sources playing at once, and see if your editor has things separated into tracks.

can i hear the voices clearly? or does the music and/or game overpower them?

if for whatever reason your OBS crashes, or you want more information on anything “critical” or “warning” worthy in your set-up, you can go to help > log files > upload current log file > analyze. crash logs currently can’t be analyzed by the log analyzer- but they’re a valuable tool when asking for help on the OBS forums!

and that’s all! for real, this time. i hope that some of these tools and settings can help anyone wanting to get more out of OBS. there’s definitely other things i didn’t touch upon (e.g. audio filters for noise compression, suppression, etc.), so i suggest doing your own research and trying things out!

happy recording/streaming, and thanks for reading! ✨

[gemsofgreece]

Do you have any reliable sources about beauty in Ancient Greece that you can recommend? Something that would help a person draw mythological characters with more credibility?

For example, something that would help someone draw a character described as beautiful or very beautiful (Helena, Achilles, Penelope, Aphrodite, etc.) and actually look like they would be seen as beautiful or very beautiful in the context of the work. Or even clothes and accessories! The popular idea of Greek clothing is kind of generic (you know, that idea of "just put on soft-looking white fabrics, put a laurel wreath on their head and they'll look Greek enough" and even women, even high-class ones, having rather simple hairstyles.)

I don't intend to post, it's more for practice. So if the source you know is very dense, it's okay because, as it is an exercise, the study part is important. In case you respond, I would like to thank you in advance for giving me some of your time.

Do I count as a reliable source? XD It's just that all the knowledge I have about this comes from snippets of information throughout my life and not so much a targeted study, the sources of which I would have kept.

I would argue however that most of the information you can find on the Internet (apart from ones manipulated by political motives, both western appropriation of the Greek culture AND wokism) is fairly reliable, because thankfully it is based on the very scripts and statues of the Ancient Greeks, so it's hard to go that wrong. Those are the legit sources.

For example, Homer uses two epithets to characterize Greeks again and again; καλλικνήμιδες and ευπλόκαμοι. The former means "with beautiful legs" and the latter means "with beautiful long hair". Both were apparently beautiful features Greeks took pride in. The leg one is particularly used for warriors, which means they had toned, long, lean and strong legs. The hair is used for both sexes, as both sexes had very long hair until the classical period, often worn in many braids. In general, up to the Archaic period, the beauty standards weren't dissimilar to the ones of Minoan and Mycenaean times. The long hair Greek men had before the classical era (and beyond it for some Greeks, such as the Spartans) is rarely seen in modern representations. I don't know if it was the beauty standard or the universal truth but Ancient Greek depicted themselves almost always with wavy or curly hair, almost never straight or curly with very tight rings.

The skintone difference between men and women was also a totally legit beauty standard - handsome men were tanned, which was a sign they were roasting under the sun doing tough, manly things, warring, sailing, farming etc Beautiful women are constantly called λευκώλενος which means "with white arms, hands". Women showed their noble demeanour or descent by staying at home being dutiful wives, avoiding the harshness of the sun, dust and dirt. Being fair was the beauty standard for women. This differentiation between men and women was ongoing from Minoan up to Classical times, and most likely beyond this as well.

Beautiful women are also described to have doe eyes or cattle eyes, meaning expressive and elongated almond eyes. Having quick-glancing, clever, shining eyes ("ελικώπις") was very valued too. Goddesses such as Athena are often called "γλαυκώπις" which means "bright, white eyed". Of course it doesn't literally mean "white", unless Athena was indeed imagined like that, but with bright, light eyes. Other than that, the eyecolour is not often mentioned. The majority obviously had brown and hazel eyes, however there were blue and green eyes, there is scant art about it. But it isn't clear what the beauty standard for eyecolour was - what interested the Greeks more was the shape, size and expression of the eye. They were charmed by spirited eyes. "The eye is the window to the soul" type of thing.

Being blonde was considered a sign of noble or even divine descent, therefore it was considered very beautiful and not very common. There are sources that Greek women in later antiquity died their hair with some dyes to make them appear a little lighter. So a beautiful Greek man or woman could be blonde, but not Scandinavian or grey blonde, more like dirty blonde, gold blonde, strawberry blonde.

Throughout all sources in existence, Greeks were very interested in the health and good physique. A handsome man had to be lean, strong and toned. I mean, there are countless six pack ancient statues at a time it was crazy hard to achieve this. Greeks weren't fond of the bear type of strong though, all male bodies in sculptures look lean, even the heracleian (herculian) ones which are sturdier are still lean compared to the modern very muscular or the bear type. Greeks also found proportions and symmetry very important.

On the other hand, according to statues of the Classical period and onwards a beautiful woman should have some fat on her, be juicy and soft, especially in the belly and the hips, signs of fertility. Nice arms were meaty and soft and nice breasts were perky and round. Legs were comparatively leaner and long, since as I said Greeks took pride in that. A beautiful woman could either be a little plump or toned, depending on the region again.

Based on the statues, ideal facial traits was a straight (not curvy), proportionate nose and medium or full curvy lips.

From the classical period onward it all became about the beard for men, in place of their earlier fascination with beautiful hair. A handsome mature man kept his hair neatly cut and had a strong, thick beard, not very long. Before a young man could grow a decent beard, the beauty standards for him were more feminine, with a boyish softer youthful charm (still ripped af though XD). Cheeks in young men and women are round, however the chin is usually well defined.

As for fashion. Fashion was indeed modest and somewhat plain after the archaic times, it is not a stereotype. What you could play with to make the outfit fancier is the accessories, jewellery, belts, pins etc. If you want something more special, draw early Archaic or Mycenean or Minoan women, whose clothing was very interesting and vibrant, with a lot of geometric cuts and bold colours.

Good make-up involved an emphasis in making the face appear whiter (chalk and lead hazard), charchoal for eye-liner and thickening of the eyebrows and red iron oxide for the lips.

Yes, please, skip on the excessive laurel wreath usage, not that it wasn't a thing but we can have enough of it.

Late Archaic kouros. Note the sixpack, the tall toned legs, the long braided hair.

Different skintone standards between men and women. Helen wears some fancy outfit here as well.

Large expressive almond eyes in a Minoan woman. Also the make-up. Minoans are pre-Greeks, but they had similar beauty standards and fashion sense with the Mycenaeans and then they mixed with them anyway.

Idea for elaborate Late Myceanean - Early Archaic fashion. Souce here, you're gonna like it.

The Caryatids in Amphipolis are IMO some of the prettiest female statues in Ancient Greek art. This is a relatively recent discovery and the monument has not yet opened to visitors.

Medici Aphrodite (Venus de Medici), Hellenistic era. Aphrodite was juicy.

You might as well reach fifty, the sixpack and v-line are ALWAYS there. Beauty wise, men might have actually had it harder than women in Ancient Greece XD

Ancient Greek jewellery with dates for reference.

The statue of Antinous in Delphi is a statue we definitely do not talk enough about. Even though the body is toned and the muscles are defined, a beautiful young man is portayed with cheeks and softer angles in the face.

This is what I know, I think it's a pretty safe summary, however any followers with specific sources can add them in the comments. Hopefully all this will help you out with your practice!

[louisupdates]

The Habit He Can’t Break 3/4

IQ 123 | Gordon Masson | 9.11.2023

We Made It

Making sure that the Faith in the Future tour delivers Tomlinson to his growing legion of fans, PM Sherwood’s first long association with the artist manager, Vines made him the obvious choice when the artist first began his solo career.

“I remember doing a lot of promo dates around the UK and US before we started touring properly,” says Sherwood of his work with Tomlinson. “In fact, one of the first shows I remember doing with Louis was in Madrid when he played in a stadium, and I could see it was a taste of things to come.”

The partnership between Sherwood and Vines is crucial. 

“In terms of the show growing, our biggest challenge is keeping costs down, because we’re extremely cautious on ticket pricing,” says Vines. “We don’t do dynamic pricing, we don’t do platinum ticketing, we don’t do paid VIPs, we don’t increase ticket prices on aisle seats – all those tricks that everyone does that most fans don’t know about: we don’t do any of those.”

“So, when it comes to the production side of things, we need to be incredibly careful. But I’ve been working with Craig for a decade, and he knows the importance of trying to keep costs as low as possible. For instance, we’ll run the show virtually a number of times, so Louis can watch it with the show designer, Tom Taylor, make comments and tweak things. Then we’ll go into pre-production. But we try to do as much in virtual reality as possible before we take it into the physical world.”

Sherwood states, “Basically we started out with two or three trucks, but now we’re up to nine, and things seem to be getting bigger day by day.”

Thankfully, Sherwood has amassed a vastly experienced crew over the years, allowing them to handle even the most unexpected scenarios. “I’ve been touring since the dawn of time, but the core crew I work with now has been together since about 2010, and I trust them implicitly, so I’ll leave it up to them who they hire, as long as they think I’m going to like them, and they all get along with everyone. So far, it has worked well,” Sherwood reports.

And the veteran crew has dealt with some terrifying weather extremes on the current tour, including a show at Red Rocks in Colorado, where the audience were subjected to a freak, storm with golf ball-sized hail stones injuring dozens of people. 

Elsewhere, the crew has had to act quickly when the threat of high winds in Nashville caused problems on that outdoor run. “We didn’t want the video screens blowing about above the heads of the band, so it must have been amusing for the audience to see us taking them down,” Sherwood reports. 

Indoors in Europe, the environment has been more controllable. The production itself involves an A-stage set 180° across the barricades, although Sherwood says that on occasion, a catwalk is also used by the perimeters. 

“It’s a great lighting show and fantastic for audio, as we have phenomenal front-of-house sound engineer – John Delf, from Edge Studios – who makes life very easy for the rest of us,” says Sherwood. He also namechecks Barrie Pitt (monitor engineer), Oli Crump (audio system designer), Tom Taylor (lighting designer), Sam Kenyon (lighting technical director), and Torin Arnold (stage manager), while he praises Solo-Tech for supplying the sound, and Colour Sound Experiment (CSF) for taking charge of lighting, video, and rigging equipment.

Indeed CSE has 10 personnel out with the Faith in the Future tour. “We have eight screens on the road – six on stage plus two IMAGS that we use wherever appropriate, the company’s Haydn Cruikshank tells IQ.

“We need to tweak the rigging on a daily basis, as we move to different venues, but other than that, it’s a fairly smooth process thanks to Craig Sherwood. He is old school and planned and worked on the production very far in advance, which is a great scenario for all involved. Craig is definitely one of our favorite production managers to work with.”

Garry Lewis at bussing contractors Beat The Street is also a fan of PM Sherwood.

“Craig split the European tour into different runs. So, from Hamburg to Zürich, we had two super high decker 12-berth buses for the tour party and two 16-berth double-deckers for the crew,” says Lewis. “After the show in Athens, we still have the two super high-deckers, as Louis knew them – he prefers to spend time on the bus, rather than in hotels – but we also have two 12-berth super high-deckers for the crew, as well as another crew 16-berth double-decker.”

Lewis continues, “We’ve worked with Craig for a good few years, and we have a great relationship with him. He plans everything way in advance, so it means it’s all very straightforward for us with no issues. So, we use single drivers for each bus, except on the longer runs, or when our drivers are scheduled for prolong breaks, and then we’ll fly an extra drivers as needed.”

1/4, 2/4, 4/4

[noel-levine-fan]

Witch's Heart Heights

So, I was playing Witch's Heart recently when I walked up to the the little thing in the fish fantasy space (the one where you go fishing with Monster Daniel) that is like... one of those boards with holes cut out so you can stick your head in them. One of the holes has you put your head into the face of a witch riding a broom, the other, a shorter one (probably meant for a kid) has you put your head in the face of a cat sitting on the broom with her. Hopefully you know what I'm talking about. I was playing as Claire, and her face fit pretty nicely into the hole for the witch's face. But when playing as Wilardo, I did it again and realize his head seemed a bit too high for it. Then I was like... Are the Witch's Heart character sprites different sizes?

That may seem like a silly question to ask, but I've played a fair share of games where all the sprites are the same size regardless of character height, and I hadn't looked closely enough at the ones in the game to tell whether or not it was the case, so I looked at all the sprites and found something interesting: there are 6 sprite sizes in Witch's Heart, ranging from 21-26 pixels tall (measured based on the character's front facing still sprite). (I wish I could demonstrate this to you, but I couldn't think of a way to show it without doing image editing...)

The other thing I noticed... is that it actually follows the canon height order. It made me wonder if perhaps I could use this 6 size system and their comparisons to the characters with canonical heights to determine a rough height range for characters we don't know the heights for, so that's what I'm going to do.

Note: I'm providing images of each character, and tumblr has a 30 image limit (when did they add that? I used to be able to post way more), meaning this post had to be split into two parts.

Disclaimer: Judging character heights by small pixel sprites like this isn't usually a good idea. Obviously, pixel sprites don't have much room to work with, so it can end up with various scenarios where the pixel heights don't line up with the real heights at all. As I said earlier, in some games, the sprites are all a fixed size so a character nearly a foot taller than another one has the same sprite size, sometimes the creator didn't compare sprites and didn't realize that the taller character ended up shorter than the shorter character in the sprite sheet (or maybe the shorter character needed more detail so their sprite was made slightly larger), and most importantly, sprite height differences just don't translate well to real height because they're so small. I've seen people judge fanartists for making a character much taller than another character just because that character is only 1 pixel taller in their mini-sprites, but like, there really would be no good way to represent a character being that much taller than another without making the sprite too big and messing up the way they play within the game (it depends on how big the sprites are, but in these cases they were fairly small). However, I find it appropriate to do here because we actually do have 9 canonical character heights and every single one of them does actually line up with the real height order of the characters, so we could at least determine a rough range.

With that out of the way, let's start with the heights we do know (from shortest to tallest) and which sprite size they adhere to.

Charlotte: 4'8" / 142cm - Size 2 (22px) Zizel: 4'9" / 146cm - Size 3 (23px) Rouge: 5'2" / 158cm - Size 3 (23px) Lime: 5'3" / 160cm - Size 4 (24px) Claire: 5'4" / 162cm - Size 4 (24px) Wilardo: 5'6" / 169cm - Size 5 (25px) Sirius: 5'7" / 171cm - Size 5 (25px) Ashe: 5'9" / 177cm - Size 6 (26px) Noel: 5'11" / 182cm - Size 6 (26px)

Okay, now onto the important part... The characters!!

Before we start, I just have to make a note: these measurements only work for human(-looking) characters with upright sprites. Nonhuman characters do not have a consistent sprite size and can't be included. I think the one I can't include that people will care about the most is Sheila, who as a mermaid has a sprite bigger than a lot of the human sprites despite (presumably) not being bigger than a human (at least I assume her head, torso, arms, etc are regular sized). Other than that, I've included every character that has the kind of sprite needed for this measurement, including ones that barely speak and nobody remembers. I also included past versions of characters, even if the past/present versions are the same height. Let's start!

(If you're wondering why some heights overlap in inches, for example, 4'9" being solidly a size 3 height but also within the range for size 2, it's because cm is a more precise measurement than inches. 145cm and 146cm are both 4'9", it's just that only 146cm and above are confirmed for size 3, 4'9" heights below 146cm are unknown. I hope this isn't too confusing... Some ranges that have cm just don't have inch equivalents for this same reason, 159cm is the only unaccounted for cm between Rouge's and Lime's heights, but 158cm, Rouge's height, and 159cm are both the same height in inches, 5'2", meaning there is an above range in cm but not in inches... Again, sorry if this is confusing, just trust me. Also worth noting that it seems like some heights in inches have been rounded up, Claire's height being 5'3".8 being rounded up to 5'4" and Charlotte's 4'7".9 being rounded up 4'8", so any height with a .8 or higher will be rounded up for the sake of consistency.)

Size 1: 21px

The shortest characters, and the only one that doesn't have any character with a canon height in this category. All that we know is that they are somewhere under 4'8" / 142cm because that is the maximum height of size 2.

Known range: None Possible range: 4'7" and under / 141cm and under

Characters: Child Claire & Child Noel.

Size 2: 22px

The second shortest! For characters with canonical heights, this category only includes Charlotte, who is 4'8" / 142cm.

Known range: 4'8" / 142cm Possible range: An unknown amount under 4'8" - 4'9" / An unknown amount under 142cm - 145cm

Characters: Charlotte, Past Charlotte, Child Wilardo, Child Sirius, & Lilia.

Size 3: 23px

Still on the shorter side, here we have two canonical characters, Zizel (4'9" / 146cm) and Rouge (5'2" / 158cm).

Known range: 4'9" - 5'2" / 146cm - 158cm Possible range: 4'8" - 5'2" / 143cm - 159cm

Characters: Zizel, Rouge, Young Thief, & Older Thief

Size 4: 24px

Onto more average heights, we have two here: Lime (5'3" / 160cm) and Claire (5'4" / 162cm).

Known range: 5'3" - 5'4" / 160cm - 162cm Possible range: 5'2" - 5'6" / 159cm - 168cm

Characters: Claire, Lime, Past Lime, Dorothy, Fiona, Ashe's Mom, Nicholas's Maid, Coco, & Lucy

Other characters that have no face sprite: Ashe's Classmates (Female), Nicholas's Maid (a different one from the brown haired one), Lime's Fellow Prisoners, Cinderella, Witch from Cinderella (her sprite is just slightly edited from Dorothy's), Cinderella's Stepsisters, & Cinderella's Stepmother.

Because of the tumblr image limit, sizes 5 and 6 had to be put into this post.

[answersfromzestual]

Information on Testosterone Hormone Therapy:

As you prepare to begin treatment, now is a great time to think through what your goals are, as the approach to hormone therapy is definitely not one-size-fits-all.

Do you want to get started right away on a path to the maximum safe effects? Or, do you want to begin at a lower dose and allow things to progress more slowly? Perhaps your long term goal is to seek less-than-maximal effects and you would like to remain on a low dose for the long term. Thinking about your goals will help you communicate more effectively with your medical provider (an endocrinologist is the best way) as you work together to map out your care plan.

Many people are eager for hormonal changes to take place rapidly- understandably so. But it's very important to remember that the extent of, and rate at which your changes take place, depend on many factors. These factors include your genetics, the age at which you start taking hormones, and your overall state of health.

Consider the effects of hormone therapy as a second puberty, and puberty normally takes years for the full effects to be seen. Taking higher doses of hormones will not necessarily bring about faster changes, but it could endanger your health. And because everyone is different, your medicines or dosages may vary widely from those of your friends, or what you may have read in books or in online forums. Use caution when reading about hormone regimens that promise specific, rapid, or drastic effects. While it is possible to make adjustments in medications and dosing to achieve certain specific goals, in large part the way your body changes in response to hormones is more dependent on genetics and the age at which you start, rather than the specific dose, route, frequency, or types of medications you are taking.

While I will speak about the approach to hormone therapy in transgender men, my comments are also applicable to non-binary people who were assigned female at birth and are seeking masculinizing hormone therapy.

There are four areas where you can expect changes to occur as your hormone therapy progresses: Physical, emotional, sexual, and reproductive.

Physical

The first physical changes you will probably notice are that your skin will become a bit thicker and more oily. Your pores will become larger and there will be more oil production. You’ll also notice that the odors of your sweat and urine will change and that you may sweat more overall. You may develop acne, which in some cases can be bothersome or severe, but usually can be managed with good skin care practices and common acne treatments. Some people may require prescription medications to manage acne, please discuss this with your provider. Generally, acne severity peaks during the first year of treatment, and then gradually improves. Acne may be minimized by using an appropriate dosing of testosterone that avoids excessively high levels.

Your chest will not change much in response to testosterone therapy. That said, surgeons often recommend waiting at least 6-12 months after the start of testosterone therapy before having masculinizing chest surgery, otherwise known as top surgery, in order to first allow the contours of the muscles and soft tissues of your chest wall to settle in to their new pattern.

Your body will begin to redistribute your weight. Fat will diminish somewhat around your hips and thighs. Your arms and legs will develop more muscle definition, with more prominent veins and a slightly rougher appearance, as the fat just beneath the skin becomes a bit thinner. You may also gain fat around your abdomen.

Your eyes and face will begin to develop a more angular, male appearance as facial fat decreases and shifts. Please note that it’s not likely your bone structure will change, though some people in their late teens or early twenties may see some subtle bone changes. It may take 2 or more years to see the final result of the facial changes.

Your muscle mass will increase, as will your strength, although this will depend on a variety of factors including diet and exercise. Overall, you may gain or lose weight once you begin hormone therapy, depending on your diet, lifestyle, genetics and muscle mass.

Testosterone will cause a thickening of the vocal chords, which will result in a more male-sounding voice. Not all trans men will experience a full deepening of the pitch of their voice with testosterone, however. Some may find that practicing various vocal techniques or working with a speech therapist may help them develop a voice that feels more comfortable and fitting. Voice changes may begin within just a few weeks of beginning testosterone, first with a scratchy sensation in the throat or feeling like you are hoarse. Next your voice may break a bit as it finds its new tone and quality.

The hair on your body, including your chest, back and arms will increase in thickness, become darker and will grow at a faster rate. You may expect to develop a pattern of body hair similar to other men in your family—just remember, though, that everyone is different and it can take 5 or more years to see the final results.

Regarding the hair on your head: most trans men notice some degree of frontal scalp hair thinning, especially in the area of your temples. Depending on your age and family history, you may develop thinning hair, male pattern baldness or even complete hair loss. Approaches to managing hair loss in trans men is the same as with cisgender men; treatments can include the partial testosterone blocker finasteride, minoxidil, which is also known as Rogaine, applied to the scalp, and hair transplantation. As with cis men, unfortunately there is no way to completely prevent male pattern baldness in those predisposed to develop this condition. Ask your provider for more information on strategies for managing hair loss.

Regarding facial hair, beards vary from person to person. Some people develop a thick beard quite rapidly, others take several years, while some never develop a full, thick beard. Just as with cisgender men, trans men may have varying degrees of facial hair thickness and develop it at varying ages. Those who start testosterone later in life may experience less overall facial hair development than those who start at younger ages.

Lastly, you may notice changes in your perception of the senses. For example, when you touch things, they may “feel different” and you may perceive pain and temperature differently. Your tastes in foods or scents may change.

Emotional state changes

The second area of impact of hormone therapy is on your emotional state.

Puberty is a roller coaster of emotions and the second puberty that you will experience during your transition is no exception. You may find that you have access to a narrower range of emotions or feelings, or have different interests, tastes or pastimes, or behave differently in relationships with other people. For most people, things usually settle down after a period time. Some people experience little or no change in their emotional state. I encourage you to take the time to learn new things about yourself, and sit with new or unfamiliar feelings and emotions while you explore and familiarize yourself with them. While psychotherapy is not for everyone, many people find that working with a therapist while in transition can help you to explore these new thoughts and feelings, get to know your new body and self, and help you with things like coming out to family, friends, or coworkers, and developing a greater level of self-love and acceptance.

Sexual changes

The third area of impact of hormone therapy is on your sexuality

Soon after beginning hormone treatment, you will likely notice a change in your libido. Quite rapidly, your genitals, especially your clitoris, will begin to grow and become even larger when you are aroused. You may find that different sex acts or different parts of your body bring you erotic pleasure. Your orgasms will feel different, with perhaps more peak intensity and a greater focus on your genitals rather than a whole body experience. Some people find that their sexual interests, attractions, or orientation may change when taking testosterone; it is best to explore these new feelings rather than keep them bottled up.

Don’t be afraid to explore and experiment with your new sexuality through masturbation and with sex toys. If you have a sex partner or partners, involve them in your explorations..

Reproductive system changes

The fourth area of impact of hormone therapy is on the reproductive system.

You may notice at first that your periods become lighter, arrive later, or are shorter in duration, though some may notice heavier or longer lasting periods for a few cycles before they stop altogether.

Testosterone may reduce your ability to become pregnant but it does not completely eliminate the risk of pregnancy. Transgender men can become pregnant while on testosterone, so if you remain sexually active with someone who is capable of producing sperm, you should always use a method of birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Transgender men may use any form of contraception, including the numerous options available that do not contain estrogen, and some that contain no hormones at all. There are many contraception options that are long acting and do not require taking a daily pill. Transgender men may also use emergency contraception, also known as the “morning after pill”. Ask your medical provider for more information on the contraceptive and family planning options available to you.

If you suspect you may have become pregnant or have a positive pregnancy test while taking testosterone, speak with you provider as soon as possible, as testosterone can endanger the fetus.

If you do want to have a pregnancy, you’ll have to stop testosterone treatment and wait until your provider tells you that it’s okay to begin trying to conceive.

It’s also important to know that, depending on how long you’ve been on testosterone therapy, it may become difficult for your ovaries to release eggs, and you may need to consult with a fertility specialist and use special medications or techniques, such as in vitro fertilization, to become pregnant. These treatments are not always covered by insurance, and can be expensive. Uncommonly, testosterone therapy may cause you to completely lose the ability to create fertile eggs or become pregnant.

Risks

While cisgender men do have higher rates of cholesterol related disorders and heart disease than cisgender women, the available research on transgender men taking testosterone has generally not found these differences. Most of the research on risk of heart disease and strokes in transgender men suggests that risk does not increase once testosterone is begun. However, longer term, definitive studies are lacking. It has been suggested that the risk of other conditions such as diabetes or being overweight is increased by masculinizing testosterone therapy, however actual research supporting these claims are limited.

One known risk is that testosterone can make your blood become too thick, otherwise known as a high hematocrit count, which can cause a stroke, heart attack or other conditions. This can be a particular problem if you are taking a dose that is too high for your body’s metabolism. This can be prevented by maintaining an appropriate dose and through blood tests to monitor blood and hormone levels.

While available data are limited, it does not appear that testosterone increases the risk of cancer to the uterus, ovaries, or breasts. Because not all breast tissue is removed during masculinizing chest surgery, otherwise known as top surgery, there is a theoretical risk that breast cancer could develop in the remaining tissue. However, it can be difficult to screen for breast cancer in this tissue, and there are risks of a false positive test result. Your provider can give you more information about breast cancer screening after top surgery.

Cervical cancer is caused by an infection with the human papillomavirus, or HPV. HPV is transmitted sexually, more commonly by having sexual contact with someone who has a penis. However, people who have never had sexual contact with a penis may still contract an HPV infection. The HPV vaccine can greatly reduce your risk of cervical cancer, and you may want to discuss this with your provider. Pap smears are used to detect cervical cancer or precancer conditions, as well as an HPV infection. Your provider will make a recommendation as to how often you should have a pap smear. It is unclear if testosterone therapy plays any role in HPV infection or cervical cancer.

If your periods have stopped because of testosterone treatment, be sure to report any return of bleeding or spotting to your provider, who may request an ultrasound or other tests to be certain the bleeding isn’t a symptom of an imbalance of the lining of the uterus. Sometimes such an imbalance could lead to a precancerous condition, although this is rare in transgender men. Missing a dose or changing your dose can sometimes result in return of bleeding or spotting. Some men may experience a return of spotting or heavier bleeding after months or even years of testosterone treatment. In most cases this represents changes in the body’s metabolism over time. To be safe, always discuss any new or changes to bleeding patterns with your doctor.

Fortunately, since you do not have a prostate, you have no risk of prostate cancer and there is no need to screen for this condition.

If you have had your ovaries removed, it is important to remain on at least a low dose of hormones post-op until at minimum age 50. This will help prevent a weakening of the bones, otherwise known as osteoporosis, , which can result in serious and disabling bone fractures.

Most people using masculinizing testosterone therapy will experience at least a small amount of acne. Some may experience more advanced acne. Often this acne responds to typical over-the-counter treatments, but in some cases prescription medication may be required. Acne usually peaks within the first year of treatment and then begins to improve.

While gender affirming hormone therapy usually results in an improvement in mood, some people may experience mood swings or a worsening of anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions as a result of the shifts associated with starting a second puberty. If you have any mental health conditions it is recommended you remain in discussion with a mental health providers as you begin hormone therapy.

Other medical conditions may be impacted by gender affirming hormone therapy, though research is lacking. These include autoimmune conditions, which can sometimes improve or worsen with hormone shifts, and migraines, which often have a hormonal component. Ask your medical provider if you have further questions about the risks, health monitoring needs, and other long term considerations when taking hormone therapy.

Some of the effects of hormone therapy are reversible, if you stop taking them. The degree to which they can be reversed depends on how long you have been taking testosterone. Clitoral growth, facial hair growth, voice changes and male-pattern baldness are not reversible.

Testosterone treatment approaches

Testosterone comes in several forms. Injections are usually best given weekly to maintain even levels of testosterone in the blood. Studies have shown that using a smaller needle and injection by the subcutaneous, or under the skin, approach, is just as effective as the intramuscular approach, which involves a larger needle injecting deeper into the muscle. In addition to injections, there are gel and patches that can be applied to the skin daily. The gel is applied to skin and once dry, you can swim, shower, and have contact with others. The patch also allows swimming, showering, exercise, and contact with others. All of these forms work equally well when the dosing is adjusted to achieve the desired hormone levels, and the decision about which form to use should be based mostly on your preference.

Another option for testosterone is the use of pellets under the skin. These are inserted every few months via a minor in-office procedure. Ask your medical provider for more information about this approach.

Recently, an oral form of testosterone, taken as a pill twice daily, has been approved for use. There are potential risks of high blood pressure when taking this medication, so extra steps need to be taken to monitor your health if you choose to use this form of your testosterone. Ask your medical provider for more information about this approach.

Regardless of the type of testosterone you are taking, it’s important to know that taking more testosterone will not make your changes progress more quickly, but could cause serious side effects or complications. Excess testosterone can result in mood symptoms or irritability, bloating, pelvic cramping, or even a return of menstruation. High levels of testosterone also result in increased estrogen levels, as a percentage of all testosterone in the body is converted to estrogen. In general estrogen blocking medicines are not used as a part of masculinizing hormone therapy.

Other medications that may be used include progestagens, which are hormones similar to or identical to those made by the body to maintain a balance in the lining of the uterus. These hormones can be used in cases where periods continue after testosterone levels have been optimized. These hormones can cause mood swings, bloating, and other side effects, so it is recommended that you discuss these medications further with you provider if they are to be used.

Final thoughts

And finally, please remember that all of the changes associated with the puberty you’re about to experience can take years to develop. Starting hormone therapy in your 40s, 50s, or beyond may bring less drastic changes than one might see when beginning transition at a younger age, due to the accumulated lifetime exposure to estrogen, and declining responsiveness to hormone effects as one approaches the age of menopause. Once you have achieved male-range testosterone levels, taking higher doses won’t result in faster or more dramatic changes, however they can result in more side effects or complications.

Now that you have learned about the effects of masculinizing hormone therapy, as well as risks and specific medication options, the next step will be to speak with your provider about what approach is best for you.

Source

[cyanide-latte]

Get to know my TWST OCs pt. 1

"What Are They Twisted From?"

💫💫💫

Figured maybe doing a series of posts like this would help friends and mutuals get to know my OCs better!

(I'll also throw in some of the other characters aside from my main boys, given they're also important, even though I've not mentioned them much!)

Copper Benoit: Though this wasn't originally my intention, Copper wound up being a double twist! Initially he was a twist of Penny from The Rescuers and this remains set in his backstory and aspects of his appearance and design, as well as how he interacts with others early on. But during a lot of the brainstorming process with my wanting to incorporate elements of Penny continually finding so much pirate treasure during her captivity, I realized that a lot of his development took a totally different turn, and ultimately he becomes a twist of Captain Barbossa from the PotC movies.

Mr. Gorgania Stone: Copper's abusive captor, twisted from Madame Medusa from The Rescuers

Mr. Hiram Lurk: Stone's lackey, twisted from Mr. Snoops from The Rescuers

Augustus & Octavian: Stone's pet alligators (nicknamed Gusty and Tavie by Copper,) twisted from Brutus & Nero from The Rescuers

Old Flynn: an elderly cat beastman who worked at the orphanage where Copper spent his early years of his life, twisted from Rufus from The Rescuers

Wei Renqiao: while some details will be subject to adjustment and fine-tuning as I continue to do research and study appropriately, WRQ is twisted from Shan Yu from Mulan!

Wei Xinyi: the bigender/genderfluid older cousin of WRQ and fellow community leader, Xinyi accidentally wound up being a twist of Fa Mulan from Mulan! Happened before I realized it and honestly I like it too much to not just embrace it.

Wei Gang: the uncle of both Wei Renqiao and Wei Xinyi and fellow community leader with them, he has aspects twisted both from The Emperor of China and the First Fa Ancestor from Mulan

Hé: a young dragon secretly being raised by the Wei family, Hé is inspired by the Great Stone Dragon that was accidentally broken by Mushu with personality elements from Cri-kee (though they can shift to travel size for convenience~) from Mulan

Chrysanthos Shroud: while I think it's safe to say that all born members of the Shroud family have aspects of Hades in them (which is such a huge part of why I love them and I wouldn't have them any other way,) a great deal of the snappier aspects of Chrys's personality and his vulnerability issues are twisted from Meg from Hercules. Chrysanthos; his friends call him "Chrys", at least they would if he had any friends.

Ilias Shroud: Chrys's father, twisted from The Fates from Hercules

Kallisto Shroud: Chrys's mother who married into the family, twisted loosely from The Muses from Hercules

Debating whether to do OC nicknames from Floyd and Rook and the reasons behind them next, or whether to go over Signature Spells/Unique Magic for each character next.

The Anatole Siblings: more recent OCs, these three are twisted from the kittens from The Aristocats

Taglist: @tixdixl @ramshacklerumble @inmateofthemind @changeofheart69 (I know y'all already know the majority of this but still) @blithesharem @thehollowwriter @theleechyskrunkly @snailsrneat

[mogai-sunflowers]

otherspirit!

otherspirit-

PT ID: bold title text reading ‘otherspirit’. End PT ID.

a term under the otherkin umbrella where one physically identifies as one species/thing (which can be human, but does not have to be), but spiritually/in their soul/heart, identify as a different one. one physically identifies with a certain species or thing, but they view their spirit/soul/heart as being something different. it can be described in this way- one envisions their body as species/thing A, but their spirit/soul/heart as species/thing B. Your soul is the manifestation of one thing, while your physical body is a manifestation of another.

alternatively, otherspirit can describe when one physically and spiritually identifies as the same thing, but they feel a much greater connection to the spiritual/soul/heart aspect of their identity or place greater emphasis on it.

as an example- i fully physically identify as human. i am comfortable with my human identity on a physical level, but i envision my spirit as that of a raven’s spirit. i am a ravenspirited human.

this term may also be called othersoul!

terminology/examples-

PT ID: bold title text reading “terminology/examples”. End PT ID.

otherspirit/otherspirited/othersoul/othersouled: “i am otherspirit/otherspirited/othersoul/othersouled”

spirittype/soultype: “my spirittype/soultype is (x)”

(x)spirited/(x)souled: “i am ravenspirited/i am ravensouled”

disclaimer:

PT ID: bold title text reading “disclaimer”. End PT ID.

This term is NOT related to the term “spirit animal”. “Spirit animal” is a culturally appropriative term that misunderstands, makes light of, tokenizes, and often fetishizes the cultures of Indigenous people around the world, but especially Native Americans and First Nations people (you can read more about this here, here, and here ). This term is not at all about appropriating important concepts from Indigenous cultures, and is just in reference to personal identity. It is about personal identification of one’s spirit/soul/heart as something, not taking others’ cultures and using them for fun. As such, please do NOT use the term “spirit animal” to describe your identification with this term. Instead of saying “(x) is my spirit animal”, say “(x) is my spirittype”. If I see anybody using this term to disrespect Native people and cultures, I will not hesitate to correct you, and I ask that if anyone else sees that, that they correct them as well. 

[Image ID: A flag with seven equally-sized horizontal stripes. From top to bottom, the colors are purple, blue, bright cyan, white, pastel golden, red-pink, and purple. In the center of the flag, there is a black symbol. It is an outer black ring with a black square ring inside it and a black 8-pointed star inside that. End ID.]

[Image ID: A black symbol. It is an outer black ring with a black square ring inside it and a black 8-pointed star inside that. End ID.]

tagging @kiruliom @neopronouns @epikulupu @revenant-coining @gender-mailman @dreamythism @delusielle @crying-roses @lovesse @blood-moon-night-coining @lovesickangelguts​ @starznvoidz​  @adoraboy

[notyour-valentine]

His World ~ Tommy Shelby X Reader (Fluff)

[Masterlist] [Taglist]

Summary: When Tommy wants her to join him in his world, she agrees, even if the thought made her skin crawl

I do not consent to my work being translated, copied or posted elsewhere on this platform or any other. This hasn't been beta'd so I apologise for typos or mistakes

Warning: societal sexism, heavy flirting

Wordcount: 3727 words

The gravel crunched under her feet as she tried very hard not to run the short distance from the western exit of the house towards the stables.

They had already been grand, but Tommy had expanded them as soon as he had signed the contract to make this house theirs.

That had been more important to him than all the other renovations, or the reshaping of the garden or the furnishing. For all that, he had given her a blank check and the promise that he'd love whatever she chose anyway, sealed with a kiss to her cheek.

But the absolute regency did not extend to the matters regarding horses. Anything and everything to do with them went over his desk and his desk only, from the expansions on the stables, to the manufacturing of the saddles, to food and hay.

Any staff they hired had faced harsher tests and trials than those that might have been hired for the King's household, only the punishment for mistreatment would be far harsher on the grounds of Arrow House than Buckingham Palace.

Polly had told her once, about the first man Tommy had ever wanted to kill, back before he really knew what killing was. He had been barely more than a malnourished, small boy from the streets of Birmingham, who had somehow managed to wrestle the bullwhip from a man thrice his size after seeing him use it on a frightened horse. According to his aunt, Tommy hadn’t stopped even when hardly anything remained of the man’s shirt but crimson coloured rags.

At first, she hadn’t believed it, after all Thomas Shelby was not a cruel man, nor did he enjoy the sight of suffering, unlike many people she had the displeasure to meet.

But he was also a man who, when pushed to the threshold and faced with the abyss, was fully capable of crossing it without batting an eye.

The man who had owned the horse all those years ago was not the last who had learned that to their peril.

She found him outside of the stables, but she had nearly missed him in her hurry, as he stood amidst the tall and proud animals, almost blending into their group to the point of nonrecognition.

Sometimes, she thought that this was his intention.

The man she saw there, was different to the one he showed the world, who entered board meetings and business negotiations, no matter if they were held at Number 7 Watery Lane or at the polished mahogany tables of the London offices of Shelby Company Limited.

To all those who only knew him as the man from the paintings in the house, he would be entirely unrecognisable now, but also because they had never truly learned to look.

Tommy Shelby wore no suit and no jacket, no riding habit of his own.

His dark trousers had gotten stained and crumpled, and the sleeves of his simple, collarless shirt had been rolled up almost carelessly, with his clasps on dark suspenders slightly lopsided. The hours spent in the sun had made a thin sheet of sweat appear on his brow to which a few loose strands of his hair clung.

With any trace of the shrewd, sharp businessman forgotten, it made him look younger than his years.

(Y/N) watched, as he caressed one of the steed's fur, rubbing the side of her neck while whispering soothing words into her ear - words she would not have been able to understand even if she stood right beside them.

She had always liked horses. Their proud posture and noble stride had captured her imagination ever since she had been a child, whether it be from looking at the life size portraits of long dead warriors and kings, or when she herself had begun her riding lessons at the appropriate age of six.

She had liked the warmth and the softness of their fur, and later the feeling of freedom when she could gallop down a green hill, ever trying to outrun her instructor.

But she had only grown to love them when she learned to see them through his eyes.

Tommy preferred their company to that of most people, and sought them out whenever the world of men turned too loud for him.

There was some form of sanctuary they could provide his ever restless soul that he would never find anywhere else, not even her arms.

That had been a hard truth to accept, and if she loved him any less, she would have let any affection she had for the animals turn to hate.

But she couldn't hate them even if she tried, not when she saw how his eyes lit up and how the corners of his lips twitched into a small, almost boyish smile.

(Y/N) had fallen in love with the man he was, but that did not mean she did not relish these moments in which she could see the glimpses of the boy he had once been.

Here, with the horses, in the open air, far away from all the smoke and noise, she could see him, truly see him.

But even now, his carefree and sometimes even playful nature, did not mean he was any less diligent. He was patient, yes, more patient than she had ever seen him, but still precice and strict.

And so (Y/N) had soon learned not only how to rub down a horse, but how to clean its fur, how to refill their hay and even how to clean out their hooves. It wasn’t a task she was naturally suited to, nor one her parents would have allowed her to attempt, but it was one she took upon herself gladly if it meant she could spend more time watching him in their presence.

When he was in their company he was so much at peace, she could not only see it in his features, but feel the tranquillity and calm radiate from him.

It was not something one could often say of Thomas Shelby.

Stillness yes, but tranquillity was not a luxury he got to experience often, let alone share.

“Hello you.”, he greeted, his back still turned to her.

“And there I thought I was being sneaky.”, (Y/N) mused as she allowed herself to step closer, leaning against the only recently painted fence.

“Not quiet enough for her.”, he said, patting the steed’s side.

“How is she?”, she wanted to know, a slight frown forming on her brow. She was getting so large now, it was a marvel she could still stand upright.

“Restless.”, Tommy said, “it won’t be long now, before the foal comes.”

That filled her with an almost giddy excitement.

“Shall we put the veterinarian on alert?”, she asked. Tommy had found a man from Dorset he liked, who took thrice as much money as the usual rate. But he was good, and apparently he had treated the horses in France too, which made Tommy trust him above all others.

He only shook his head.

“When we get closer, I’ll call Curly up. He knows more.”

With a final whisper, he patted the horse on the side and turned to face her fully.

A sly smirk spread on his face as he saw her.

“So you decided to wear fancy dress then, hm?”, he asked, as he climbed through the fence, glancing up and down. “At least you left the circus hat inside.”

The circus hat was what he called the black tophat and net which had accompanied every single riding habit for at least two centuries. So much had changed in the war and after, and the fashion hadn’t been exempt, but still the riding habit stayed the same. Tight leather riding trousers under wide dark skirts and a matching jacket, a blouse, a black ribbon and a tophat.

“You said we were going riding.”, she reminded him as he took her hand, leading her back in the direction of the stables. As they walked, her dark green skirts brushed against his legs just like they did against her own.

She found Dancer already outside, lounging in the shade. But there was no other horse.

“Tommy, what’s this?”, she asked, glancing at him suspiciously.

“A horse.”, he only said.

“Well I can see that.”, she huffed, “but why only one?”

“Because you’ll be the only one riding today.”

There was something in his voice that told her she was missing something, but never mind what she was missing. The horse was missing something too.

“I’ll go fetch the saddle.”, she said, but his grip tightened slightly, not nearly enough to hurt her, but enough to stop her hand from slipping away from his grasp.

“No need.”

She sighed.

“Tommy, I know you are able to ride a horse without a saddle, but I’m not.”

He smiled softly, and there was that glint in his eyes again - that glimmer of mischief and that tell tale sign that he had planned something.

“Well today you’ll learn.”, he said.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him in utter disbelief.

“You want me…to ride a horse without a saddle?”

“Yes.”

She shook her head.

“Tommy, I can’t. It won’t work. I’ll just slip off.”

There would be no way she wouldn’t, not even if the horse moved as slowly as possible and a trot would send her flying.

“Not if you ride properly, you won’t.”, he mumbled.

Only then did she catch his meaning.

“No.”, she said, shaking her head. “I can’t…it’s not allowed.”

He snorted, almost rolling his eyes at her. She knew all too well that he saw no value in what society taught her to consider proper. He even hated the word when it came from her lips.

“I know you’re wearing trousers under there so just get rid of the skirt and we are good to go.”

She wanted to argue again, to explain to him that if they were to be seen it would be a scandal, that her parents would never allow it, that it just wasn’t right, but she bit her tongue and watched how he began to rub Dancer behind the ears.

When the horse gave him a playful nudge, he grinned in amusement.

This was his world, and he was asking her to be a part of it.

(Y/N) knew she would be a fool if she didn’t sacrifice a small part of the world she came from to appease him.

“I’ll need your help with the buttons.”, she finally dared to say.

They were small and many, and right at the back.

As always, Tommy was more than happy to oblige.

When she stepped out of the dark green fabric that had pooled at her feet, she couldn’t help but feel - naked.

She still wore trousers, but they were far tighter than any trousers those daring flappers and fashionistas in the cities wore, who preferred men’s clothing over women’s.

And her face burned.

“Whatever you want to say,”, she hissed under her breath, “don’t.”

“You might have liked what I wanted to say.”, he teased.

She glared at him.

“This is already daunting enough, so please don’t make it any more difficult.”, she admitted, as they approached Dancer.

“No need to be scared.”, he assured her. “People have been riding horses without a saddle for far longer than they have been riding them without.”

(Y/N) gave him a doubtful look.

“Are you sure about that?”

He only shrugged.

“At least they’ve been riding without one far longer than they’ve put women in those things from the carousels.”

The wave he gave was nothing short of demeaning and so was his almost childish tactic of not dignifying things he despised with their appropriate name.

Her riding habit was ‘fancy dress’.

Her tophat was the ‘circus hat’.

Her aunt with her archaic values and constant recommendations was only referred to as ‘old bat’, her father’s valet as ‘head clown’.

And so her side saddle was that ‘thing from the carousels’, because apparently if one rode side saddle, one wasn’t riding at all but merely sitting on the horse the same way one would do on the painted one’s at the fairs.

According to him it was unnatural, illogical and not really riding, but all that didn’t make it any less daunting, as she approached Dancer.

She wasn’t the tallest horse they had in their stables, but by no means short, and very capable of going at a rather swift and daring speed if she wanted.

Almost in preparation, her loins began to ache.

“Don’t worry.”, Tommy assured her, coming up right behind her.

“I’m right here, eh?”

“Well, then you might tell me how I am supposed to get up, because you’ve not only forgotten the saddle, but also the stepping stool.”

He grinned as he laced his hands together.

He can’t be serious, she thought, but he was. And so she had nothing left to do but place her knee - and her trust- in his hands.

With one smooth motion he hoisted her up the horse.

And then she sat, frozen in place with her hands braced on the back of the horse. Her legs were spread wide over the back of the horse, stretching the muscles in her thighs like they hadn't been before.

But she also felt the warmth of the horse against her legs, with nothing, no saddle, no skirt and no posture to separate her body from that of the animal.

"You good?", Tommy asked, walking around Dancer to see if she was sitting properly.

"Well, I don't think it will get better.", She confessed, as her heart thundered in her chest.

He attached a rope and began to lead the horse away from the stables and towards the green plains.

She had spent countless hours on the back of horses, but this might as well have been the first day she had ever seen one, that was how different it felt- how foreign.

When she sat side-saddle she could feel the horse's movements as well but now she could feel the muscles work.

Every tensing and relaxation, every single shift, it was almost as if they were no longer two separate bodies but one, single being.

Once they had left the gate behind them and were out on the green grass, Tommy began to step back, letting the rolled up rope slip through his fingers.

"Now you urge the horse not with the reins but with your thighs.", He said.

I know, she wanted to mumble, but that didn't make it any easier to do.

"A bit more. The horse has to be able to feel it. Don't be shy."

Her face burned as she tried not to think of how inappropriate all of this was.

"Good.", Tommy said, as Dancer began to move forward. "Off you go."

As long as I'm not going to a hospital next.

Even if Dancer was only leisurely trotting, she was jostled with every step and feeling ever more like a sack of potatoes. Inelegant, undignified and untalented.

"Put your right shoulder back.", Tommy advised.

No matter what she tried, she just couldn't keep her posture, and soon the instruction came once more.

"You're leaning again.", He warned her.

So (Y/N) moved her shoulder back, only for Dancer to dip slightly in her trot, making her gasp and lean over to keep her balance. But in her instinct, she overreached and for a frightening second she felt herself slip.

It was over in a heartbeat, but not fast enough for Tommy not to notice.

With a single spoken command, he got Dancer to slow, giving her the time to compose herself again.

"That's what I mean with leaning. Sit up straight.", He told her.

"I'm trying.", She confessed. "It's not nearly as easy as you make it look."

"Just try to move with the horse and not against it."

Well that fixes everything, she thought, but kept her complaints to herself as she urged the horse on, with her thighs and not the reins.

(Y/N) had barely circled him once more when he corrected her again.

"If you keep that up, you will be sore tomorrow. Move with the horse."

"I am moving with the horse.", She argued, making sure to keep her back perfect.

She circled him once more, then Tommy began to roll the rope up again, approaching both her and Dancer.

"I'm getting cramps just watching this.", He said.

(Y/N) bit the inside of her lip and glanced down.

She hadn't exactly had a great time today, not nearly as much as she would have had if he had let her saddle her horse the way she was used to, and she had tried.

But now, the cold, biting feeling spread in the pit of her stomach, spurred on by the fact that she had failed- worse, that she had disappointed him.

"Hold this?", He asked, shoving the rope into her hand.

"What are you doing?", She asked turning her head as he reached up, one hand in front of her, the other behind.

(Y/N) had needed help getting up, but Tommy Shelby managed to get on without much of a struggle.

"Don't mind me.", He said, his breath hot on the back of her neck as he reached for the rope. Not only was his chest right behind her back, his legs brushed against hers from behind.

"I'm just the passenger.", He assured her. "You tell Dancer where to go. Use your legs."

Her heart thundered in her chest, as she squeezed her thighs. Relief flooded her when the horse started to move.

"Good.", He praised.

"It's always easier to learn something than to unlearn it."

"Huh?", She asked, but by then his hand had already slipped in under her arm, a palm reaching up and pressing against her right shoulder gently.

"You're trying to keep the balance the way you did with both legs on one side so you overreach.", He explained calmly.

(Y/N) inhaled sharply and shuddered as his other hand ran down the length of her back, two knuckles on either side of her spine.

When she tried to evade his touch, the hand on her shoulder kept her in place.

"Don't tickle me.", She insisted with a breathless giggle.

"Just making sure you're back's straight.", He assured her, unable to hide his amusement.

When his lips pressed a soft kiss to the back of her neck, it made her stomach flutter the same way it had done when he had kissed her there for the very first time.

"Straight as an arrow. Like standing to attention. Keep it that way.", He instructed, before allowing both of his hands to drop.

Now, in the absence of the rope, she had to guide Dancer through the curves on her own, applying more pressure with one leg than the other.

"Speed up a little.", Tommy asked, before dropping his head into the crook of her neck, on the right side- the one she had been leaning over too far.

While her shoulders were and stayed in line now, a second problem soon became apparent, because with every step, she felt herself bounce to the point where it began to cause an ache.

"You need to move your hips with the horse. Don't try and force them to be still."

"Sorry.", She mumbled.

No bouncing. No stillness.

Still, she didn't know what to do with her hips.

With a hum, his hands found her hips, intent on guiding.

"Don't tease me.", She insisted, as she felt the pressure he applied, and the rhythm he applied it in.

"I'm not teasing.", He argued.

"Yes you are!"

Her face was burning again.

"No. Feel the difference?"

To her shame, she had to admit that she did. It didn't hurt nearly as much, although it broke all the rules of what was right and proper and what she should be doing or how she should be moving anywhere, let alone in public.

Even when he removed his hands, she continued the movement, rocking her hips in sync with the horse.

It wasn't made easier by the fact that he was right behind her, brushing against her, legs and hips and backs and all.

She knew she should be focussing on her hips and her shoulder and her thighs, but she couldn't focus on anything but him.

It didn't help that he didn't exactly keep his hands to himself.

Not that he was actively doing something- his hand was just resting on her thigh, as she moved the way he had instructed her to move.

With him behind her, she felt safe enough to try to go faster, and even leave the green plains to ride along the treeline. He let her, leaning into her and whispering advice and encouragements in her ear.

"Back to the stables now.", He finally said once they reached the river side.

She turned the horse around and guided Dancer back.

They rode the distance in silence, apart from whispered breaths and the clicking of hooves.

Once back there, he jumped off and took the reins from her.

"Good girl.", He praised.

"Me or the horse?", (Y/N) wanted to know.

"I'm talking English, aren't I?"

"Oh,", she mumbled as she felt her cheeks heat up for the upteenth time today.

Tommy only grinned as his hands clasped her waist, lifting her off of the horse.

She leaned into him as her legs began to quake.

"Careful now.", he warned, his arms curling around her tighter.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed.

"The things you make me do, Thomas Shelby.", She mumbled into the fabric of his shirt.

He smelled of green grass, of horse and hay.

"Well, you always enjoy them in the end.", He reminded her.

"Am I enjoying this? I can't tell.", She mused, only lifting her head be able to see his eyes, and the slight smirk he wore on his lips.

"Can't you?", He asked.

"No.", She said. "And I have the haunting suspicion that I will be very, very sore tomorrow."

Humming slightly, Tommy's hand found her chin, his thumb just barely brushing along her bottom lip.

"Let's see if I can do something about that, eh?"

The End

~

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed. As always, I loved to hear from you all!

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