pinkberrypunch

[phereshift]

12. describe your process while drawing

Ask game here.

Honestly... do I even have a process... this is a difficult question haha. It does change from artwork to artwork, depending on how much time I plan on spending on it. Some things are just sketches, you know? Sometimes I also just start painting and keep going until I'm done, no structured process at all.

I actually wrote a massive block of text for this oops, but I've put some progress photos from various artworks in there too. This is just my process for more in-depth or lengthier artworks. Tl;dr. I start simple and build up from there, breaking things down as much as possible. Focus on clear shadow shapes and composition/finding my focal point. Figures are gesture > anatomy > detail. Colouring I have fun but focus on values. Overlays and noise gets added when I'm done.

I start as simple as possible. For larger projects I always have an initial idea that I'm working with, so I can collect some references and inspiration photos. Recently I've been using my personal artwork as an opportunity to study other artists, so these inspiration photos are a must have. I start with sketching out my idea to figure out my composition. What's my focal point and how do I want to draw attention to it are also things I consider here. I don't always do it, but I try to block out my shadows in a notan style as well. Just making them rough, basic shapes, only using 2 or 3 shades. Some examples of what I mean here and here. I'm far from good at this step but I try to always think about it so I can improve. It helps out a bunch with values later on, but it's also just helpful to think of things as abstract as possible to start. Stops you from getting caught up in details and helps with the clarity of the drawing later on.

The prior stages are usually done in little thumbnails. So now I start my actual, full scale drawing :) This is pretty straightforward. I do a sketch, usually a second one, and then either jump into colouring or lineart.

This way is pretty much just based off of how I was taught to do figure drawing. Sketch 1 is for gesture and capturing my idea. Sketch 2 is usually to refine the foundations like anatomy. I draw the figure in this stage like a wooden doll, again keeping things super abstract. Then I can go in with line or colour and add in my details like clothing and skin folds and bumps. Basically start everything as simple as possible and slowly build it up.

If I'm colouring, I usually also do some small colour thumbnails or just mess around with flats to make sure I know what I'm doing. Checking values a lot in this stage which is tedious (I'm terrible with values) but necessary. Sighs.

^ I am also considering a lot of different things while I do this! I love playing with warm and cool contrast + complimentary colours so I'm always thinking about how I can push that. If the values are right you can really go crazy with colour which I adore. Colour can also be a great way for me to define my focal point :)

To finish I always add a little bit of texture (if I didn't do it with different brushes while colouring) with rake or cloud brushes. I also add perlin noise over the top for most things, and a subtle overlay to help my colours look a tad more cohesive.

And voila :') art. Just don't ask me how long it takes.

[justheblueberry]

handbinding of A Study in Scarlette by kittebasu

There are people who want to live forever, and then there is Shinichi, who just wants to live a little longer than this.

this bind has been in my head since i first read the fic like, three years ago. i dreamed up so many ideas for it, for so long, and now it's finally done! the typeset was actually done in early 2022, back when i was still using google docs, but it went through a few iterations because i was just. so. fiddly. with every aspect of this book. it needed to be perfect (as close to perfect as i, an amateur bookbinder out of my depth, can get) and it had to be absolutely over the top, to reflect the insane amount of love and care that the author put into the fic itself.

the first time i read this fic, i barely knew what detective conan was, much less all of the intricate plot details; i was just along for the ride, but by the end i was completely invested. i went back and watched through the anime as well as a few movies (it took me six months) and then read the fic again. and then a few more times. kaishin and the world of dcmk has utterly gripped me. it's 100% this fic's fault and i love it so, so, much.

i went through a few iterations of visual designs and i'm really happy with the little details i managed to squeeze in.

the entire color scheme is based around red, because 1) it's a murder mystery, 2) for scarlette shinamoto (and the title of the fic as well as the original holmes novel it references), and 3) the irony of "lady red" actually being red. the secret fourth reason is that i think red/gold is a super sexy color combo.

i sewed the textblock with red thread to reference holmes' "scarlet thread of murder".

another detail i love is the five yen coin bookmark, it was one of my first ideas and it turned out even better than i thought.

i wanted the endpapers to evoke a sense of the white marbled floor of the ballroom, with the glow-in-the-dark kaitou kid caricature being the luminol on the floor, and the little pops of red looks like blood that's been mixed in. i lucked out in that the other side of the endpaper was like a lavender-purpley color, i like to think of it as a little wink wink nudge to the color of the actual Lady Red.

the chapter pages got a few reworkings, but i'm happy with the illustrations i ended up doing for each of them. the chapter titles are one of my favorite things about the fic, each one has so much meaning packed into it and flows so beautifully, and i wanted to put as much care into making them pop as possible.

the cover was a linocut carving i designed and carved, which i then printed onto the bookcloth, and ironed on htv on top.

i also threw in a couple of my drawings of my favorite scenes.

this is getting way too long, so i'll end it here. i'll have a separate post detailing the process every step of the way, if anyone wants to take a closer look. this fic is kind of directly responsible for getting me into fanbinding, so it's safe to say it altered the course of my life. i now spend way too much time (and money) looking at book stuff.

kittebasu, if, somehow, you see this and would like an author copy, i would be honored to make one and ship it to you; i would be overjoyed to gift you with any art i have the ability to make, because the fics you wrote have irreversibly altered my brain chemistry, and being able to give back in any capacity would be a dream. (thank you.)

a few postscripts:

i am not selling any copies of this fic. partially because i believe in the gift economy of fandom as well as firmly keeping fanbinding a hobby that will stay unmonetized, but also because it took me months (years, if we are counting when i first finished the typeset) to finish this and i do not have the strength.

however, if you are also a fan of this fic and would like a copy, i honestly, fervently, encourage you to give fanbinding a try! renegade publishing and its discord server are an absolutely wonderful and free resource. i knew nothing about bookbinding and had zero materials when i first started, but i've learned so much thanks to the lovely people there. if you're still apprehensive about getting started, i'd be willing to share my typeset of this fic as well as answer any questions about the making of this book if you DM me.

[frodo-with-glasses]

COMMISSIONS OPEN!!

Heya! Wanna throw money at me to make me draw something?? Well, for just $20 an hour, now you can!

Read below for price estimates and FAQs, and if you’re interested, please email me at FigTreeIllustrationsLLC@gmail.com to get started!

PRICING INFO

Because I’m too lazy to come up with complicated price structures, I’ll just be charging a flat rate of $20/hour for any work I do on the art piece. The clock starts when I pick up the pencil or digital stylus and ends when I put it down.

This does mean that prices will vary, depending on how time-consuming each art piece is, but I can give you some rough estimates.

Upper Body Sketch: Approx. 30 min = $10 for one

It takes me about half an hour to draw a bust or upper body sketch. This time can be shortened if I’m already familiar with the character design, or lengthened if I’m drawing an unfamiliar character or doing some weird perspective stuff.

Every additional figure would probably take another half an hour, adding about $10 each.

Full-Body Sketch: Approx. 1 hour = $20 for one

Drawing an entire figure is a little harder than just drawing the upper body, so this one might take longer. Again, this time can be shortened or lengthened depending on my familiarity with the character, how complex the design is, and whether I’m doing any complicated posing or perspective.

Adding additional figures can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour, adding $10-$20 each.

Animals: Approx. 1.5 hrs = $30 for one

Animals are not my strong suit, though I have gotten better at drawing them over time! However, the extra time studying reference photos and trying to get the anatomy correct can stack up quickly, so you’ll want to be aware of that if you’re commissioning something with an animal involved.

Posters: Minumum 3 hrs = approx. $60

Posters take a little extra time—and usually some trial and error—to plan the layout in a dynamic way. They also take up an entire sketchbook page and tend to include multiple people and some extreme perspective to add visual appeal. You can expect a poster to take about three hours minimum to complete.

Multi-Panel Comics: Minimum 4 hrs a page = $80

Drawing a comic big enough to cover an entire sketchbook page can take me anywhere from 4 to 6 hours of work. If drawing a long-form comic, I will probably divide the work over several days. Brainstorming will happen on the first day, when I’ll plan out how many panels I’ll need for the comic, and then I’ll get in contact with you to tell you an estimated price before I proceed.

Digital Coloring: Minimum 1.5 hrs = add approx. $30

Coloring things digitally takes about double the time it would to sketch; I’ve noticed it takes around two hours to color a simple image, with another hour added for each figure involved. This first image took me about an hour and a half to outline and color, while the second took about five hours.

Add to Redbubble Shop: Subject to Redbubble Pricing

If your commissioned artwork is Lord of the Rings-related, I can put it into my Redbubble shop, where you can have it printed on stickers, t-shirts, journals, mugs, and lots of other products! I won’t charge any extra fee, but you will have to pay whatever price Redbubble asks. Full disclosure: I receive only 10% of the profit from Redbubble sales; the rest goes to the website to cover manufacturing and shipping costs.

FAQ

No NSFW

No nudity or sexual content

Canon ships only

Will draw gore/injuries

Will draw OCs (please provide references)

Will draw for other fandoms (please provide references)

The artist reserves the right to reject any commission without disclosing the reason

The artist will give price and progress updates over the course of the process

You, the commissioner, have the right to terminate the project at any time and for any reason

If the project is terminated halfway, you will be charged for the artist’s time, but the artist might give a discount for incomplete work

Payment will be calculated at the end of the project and rendered using PayPal

Once again, if you’re interested, please email me at FigTreeIllustrationsLLC@gmail.com!

[crimsonhydrangeavn]

Hi! I absolutely loved the demo of your game—it was amazing! I'm excited to see more of it. I have two questions: First, how would Garret or Teagan react if they were in a room full of yanderes with y/n? Second, I hope this doesn't come across the wrong way, but I'm genuinely curious—how long does it usually take to release a new episode? I'm really looking forward to continuing the game, and I appreciate all the hard work you put into it. I hope I'm not rushing anyone, and I'm truly sorry if it comes off that way. Thank you so much for reading!

Thank you so much for your ask! I'll go ahead and answer your second question first before moving onto the first one! lol

I wanted to start off by thanking you for asking your question in a kind and respectful way, I completely understand where you're coming from and I don't take any offense to it what so ever!

I know I really appreciate transparency when it comes to games/ things I'm a fan of, so I want to do what I can to make sure I'm as honest and upfront with you all as possible.

So I went through my logs and did the math. Day 1 took me about 6 months from start to finish and Day 2 took me almost a full year from start to finish. That being said, Day 1 was 11k words and Day 2 was 24.5k words total. So given the fact that Day 2 was more than twice as long as Day 1, I can see why it took double the time as Day 1. (That and I learned how to add animation into Renpy and spent a little over a month going down that rabbit hole and making a few animations for the game. I also spent some time refining Day 1 while working on Day 2 so that probably made the Day 2 release take longer than it would have otherwise)

The reason why it takes as long as it does is because I'm making this game entirely by myself. That includes the script, all of the art assets, the programming, the audio, and not to mention all of the social media, and patreon content.

On top of that I also have a pretty steady stream of freelance work that usually equals to about 30-50 hours a week. I've burnt myself out in the past and I'm trying to keep a sustainable pace where I'm making progress on CHVN but I'm also enjoying life and taking breaks as needed.

That being said, I do post monthly game updates on my patreon to discuss what I've finished that month, what I have left, and what the current word count is. ( ATM it's longer than Day 1 and I still have a lot planned haha)

I also think it's worth mentioning that this is my first game and I'm learning how to do everything from scratch. My background is in the visual arts so programming and audio stuff is completely foreign to me. That being said, I'm stubborn as hell and for better or for worse once I put my mind to something, I'll get it done one way or another.

Hopefully that answers your question! Once I finish up the script portion of Day 3, I can give a better estimate of how long it'll take me, but until then I really have no idea when the actual release date will be.

Now, onto the easier/ fun part of your question! lol

Garret would play nice at first, however he would make sure that he was never more than a step away from your side. He doesn't trust anyone to behave themselves around you, especially if they're anything like him.

Teagan on the other hand would immediately try to get you to leave the room. They don't deal well with competition and would want to remove you from the situation asap. If you refused/ couldn't leave with them, then they would make sure to talk shit about all of the other Yandere's and taint your view of them. While it would put an obvious target on their own back, at least they'd know you wouldn't talk to or go off with them out of your own free will.

Thank you again for all of your support! I really appreciate it and I can only hope that the next update is worth the wait!

[pretty-toru]

I saw a Satoru fanart where he was doing finger heart which is sooo cute 🥹 Can I ask for request? Like, Satoru's been annoying you all day but this time he just pissed you off that you're so close on getting mad at him but he suddenly gave you a finger heart which made you laugh on how corny he is and forget what you're mad about. Thank youuu

white hearts┆gojo satoru

୧ genre: fluff

୧ wc: 800+

୧ synopsis: gojo loves to annoy you (affectionately) and most of the time he could get away with it.

a/n: that fanart sounds so adorable! he'd 100% abuse the finger-heart gesture, I'm almost certain he would

There's never a dull moment with Satoru, and after many years together you have sorta learned to just go along with his playful mannerisms and questionable quirks. You usually don't mind it because you came to understand that him constantly hovering over you with no regard to boundaries is one of his ways of expressing his affection, especially when he's fully charged with a generous amount of love to give and can no longer suppress the swelling inside his chest.

Today just so happens to be one of those days where he has too much time on his hands and he doesn't know what to do with it, and what better way than to spend it with you? Even though you have your own agenda and responsibilities to uphold at Tokyo Tech, Satoru invites himself to accompany you because everything is more fun when you make it a two-person job. Which you realized soon enough that it was just an excuse to hang out with you all day.

You must admit that some of his methods of getting your attention when you're busy are somewhat comical, such as when you're taking a phone call and he's handing you random objects from around your office and you just accept it against your better judgment, casting him a rather confuse and dazed glare before setting it back to its rightful place. You figure that he picked up the prank on social media and wanted to try it out on you to gauge your reaction.

Another is when he's swiveling his chair around you while you're filling out paperwork and he's lightly prodding and tickling your side to elicit a small yelp from you, making you overly cautious and nervous to focus on your task at hand because you never know what his next move is. It makes him laugh when your body visibly stiffen as he reaches for the glass bowl of melon flavored hard candy, and he mockingly surrenders with the show of his hands that he only wants a treat.

As much as you love Satoru, you were getting seriously annoyed when there's seemingly no end to his constant teasings and schemes when you had deadlines to meet and having him around was getting you nowhere. The last thing you wanted was to get another earful from Yaga, so the only logical thing for you to do now is to kick your dear and beloved husband out. You stand abruptly which startles Satoru, interjecting the million and one thoughts he's been spewing into the void and pulling him up from where he's situated and leading him out the door.

"Satoru, honey, I absolutely love and adore you to pieces but you have to go."

"What? Whyyyy?" You didn't have to get a visual on him to know that he's pursing his bottom lip into a melodramatic pout as you're pushing him from behind. Although it took a little muscle because he can be effortlessly resilient with just his 190 cm stature alone, you managed to force him out into the corridor successfully without breaking a sweat.

"Because some of us have work to do! I'll just see you at home later, mkay? I'm sure you can keep yourself busy in the meantime." You press a soft peck against his jaw to establish that there are no hard feelings between you two and shut the door on him, but muffled sounds of protests and cries such as "Noooo, I promise I'll be good this time! I'll be so quiet — you wouldn't even know I'm there!" and "Please give me another chance, it's cold and lonely out here... And I miss you already!" can be heard through the barrier that's rudely standing in his way of you.

After some time had passed, silence ensues and you're finally able to continue your work without any more external distractions. Of course, you feel a little bad about temporarily banishing Satoru from your office but it simply had to be done. And speaking of the devil, you get a text notification from none other than Gojo Satoru himself with an embedded photo of a personal-size boxed cake from your favorite bakery sitting neatly outside your door.

You pull yourself upright to retrieve the decorative white box, glancing down both sides of the empty hallway to see if he could be spotted anywhere before returning to your desk. You notice a card attached to it and inside pertains a concise message "I'm sorry for upsetting you, Angel. Please don't divorce me. I love you 🤍" which draws a genuine smile to your face and a playful roll of your eyes. You text him back with a picture of his note and answer with, "I'm not going to divorce you over this, silly! Never even crossed my mind. I love you too, Satoru — Immensely, if I must add."

Without missing a beat, Satoru responds with a photo of himself posing a finger heart that instantly lifts any tension you had felt prior because you could never truly be angry with him no matter what. Your phone then pings when you receive another message and it reads,

"Got dinner covered. Hurry home so I can finally have you all to myself ♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡"

[p0pcorn-hearts]

It's Kawaii~Chan time

I am gonna ramble about my rewrite so yknow, enter the theater with caution

I just wanna start off by saying I renamed her to Hanami, which is the Japanese word for flowers viewing, more specifically viewing cherry blossoms. I figured this fit her more "cutesy" design as well as her usually pink and white color pallette. Also excuse me if they look bad, these were made a bit ago and I, for some reason, decided it'd be best to use the mirror tool the entire time

So, for her Phoenix Drop High uniform I just redesigned the uniform and gave her the same every girl will have. I changed it to have a blazer and a longer skirt like actual school uniforms in America although I kept the socks, loafers, and bow because those all fit, I'm just also giving everyone the same pair of socks.

Her season 1 outfit has been drastically changed. I decided I wanted her to have a more lolita-esque style instead of just vaguely cute, and let's all be real here, her season 1 outfit sucked. So, I gave her a longer, puffier skirt, a shit ton of ruffles, and some cute gloves. I think now is also the time to have a little fun fact section about meif'was. Their nails and hair grow faster than humans, with their nails growing than both humans and werewolves. That's why Hanami has long nails and freakishly long hair

Next up is her adorable Love~Love Paradise outfit. I'm actually super happy with how it turned out and I'm in love with her little buns. Her bathing suit with all its ruffles was made up by me :D

Her Lover's Lane outfit is the one that went the most unchanged because it's honestly my favorite outfit of her's. It just looks the most visually appealing with the addition of dark pink being a primary color. I just changed the dress up a bit with the neckline and added ruffles

Starlight is honestly my favorite. There's just something about color block clothes that itches a scratch in my brain. The giant bow and see-through ruffles also added a lot. You cannot thank me though, I took this design from someone else's swimsuit. Her nails changing for the first time since season 1 and now having blue with the pink is also a nice nod to how she opens up to Zane about not really being herself

When Angels Fall. Oh God, When Angels Fall. I fucking *hate* their "disguises" in When Angels Fall. Buy I'll get into that later, right now, it's just Hanami. I didn't like her outfit much because she had literally never worn pants in the series before and to just suddenly toss her in a pair of jeans and t-shirt? Like it's supposed to show how drap everything is but why would she just have a t-shirt and jeans packed?? Starlight is an island resort and theme park, so most people will be wearing bathing suits, much more breathable fabrics than *jeans* and Starlight merch. That's why I gave her a different bathing suit bottom and a Starlight shirt. It's the least you can do when you're the most visually distinct character. She also is covered in bandages because cats, when stressed, will over groom and can injure themselves. So Hanami picks and scratches at her skin often due to stress so she has very chipped nail polish and is covered in bandages. Also she cut her hair (sad violin noises)

Her final outfit is for my "season 7". Jess hasn't made it but I want to eventually tie up my rewrite, so I'm making one. Me and my girlfriend refer to it as the "epilogue" although it's not really an epilogue, she just called it that once and I can't think of a better name. I gave her essentially a mix of her season 1 and Lover's Lane outfits because why not

Now that her designs are done I get to infodump about her personality (hehe)

She's basically the same as Kawaii~Chan, but I make her a better person. She doesn't manipulate Aphmau into joined her bakesale! She also tones down a lot, so while she still struggles with boundaries, especially when it comes to shipping, she doesn't have a fucking shipping shrine in her basement. She's also autistic in my rewrite, so her not getting boundaries, baking being her special interest, and her masking her behavior to fit what she thinks people want/expect of her all comes from that. Will I maybe end up projecting on her? With the shipping stuff yeah, but only because Aphmau and Kawaii~Chan made me think shipping people together until they stopped being friends with you was normal

So thats it, the exit to the theater is on the right, make sure to throw your trash away on the way out. Have a good day

[notagamersdey]

The Edge of Sleep TV Show Review

I’m pleasantly surprised - Full spoiler Warning for the podcast, book and show.

Okay, so I’m a big admirer of marks projects and his channel. I look up to him as a filmmaker. So when I listened to the podcast I was enthralled. I really love the podcast as it is filled with excellent visual storytelling, narrative and is just overall very interesting to me. the book is another story. I bought the book to support the creators of the podcast, and hearing it was going to be similar to what the show was going to be, I thought “what the hell”. Do I regret buying it? A little. The book is wholeheartedly hard to read, the characters became one dimensional and utterly useless and I hate to say annoying. It was tough and after I finished it, I was annoyed that this was the version the show was going to take after.

Well I just binged the show and while I still think the story from the podcast is better. The TV show is a better version of the book. The TV show took away all the aspects of the characters I hated, kept the new scenes and edited them in a way that wasn’t too in your face and added new things that I wasn’t expecting. The only thing that I am disappointed about is the show and book getting rid of the psycho character from the podcast. It’s the first hint we get about the elephant after Dave’s first dream and the whole psycho arc and how he ends up interacting with the characters was very interesting. So I think keeping at least that side story would’ve elevated the tv show a little more.

I’m also surprised by the acting. I had no doubt that mark was a good actor and has gotten better over the years of working on his own projects but I held a little bit of skepticism for this project because of how long ago it was made. You can kinda tell in the first episode that he’s still kinda getting used to being Dave which is not a bad thing. For someone who is self made, I was expecting this and was impressed that he was able to hone it in quickly as quickly as he did. There’s been a few YouTubers or “influencers” that come out in movies in recent years and it’s usually god awful. By the 3rd episode, mark was no longer Mark.

also

Honestly, yes intimacy comes with acting but I wasn’t expecting him to go all in. I’ve never seen him as a person to give affection in front of a camera so it was kind of a shock to see it so plainly. And when Katie died his reaction was *muah* chefs kiss. I’m a sucker for angst and hurt/comfort. And him just stuttering and unable to breathe with guilt and anguish really ughhh! I loved it! Screaming in these situations in film is, sorry to say, over done. Usually feels fake. But idk, when he started asking for more adrenaline I felt it. Props. Man props. It was awesome. And i also wanted to mention that as I was watching I noticed that he seemed more at ease (in character) when he was acting against Lio. I’m not sure if it’s because they became friends, if he’s more comfortable using intimacy or love as a source of emotion in his acting, or what but those were, in my opinion, his best scenes. And props to Lio as well, but I know they can act. But I’m praising mark because I know YouTubers that are serious about acting or filmmaking have trouble being taken seriously in Hollywood. So honestly, as a independent filmmaker who looks up to mark, I’m honestly proud to have supported him and will continue to support him in the future.

anyways, sorry for this wordy rant yall. you guys know the plan. Get it to top ten and Iron Lung here we come!

also, I know it’s essentially his name but a part of me was kind of peeved they put Markiplier in the credits instead of his full name. He’s said in the past that execs and directors and such have only been interested in him because of the amount of followers/subs he has so to me using markiplier just felt like it was because of that. Trying to appeal to his followers or use his name for clout. Obviously it’s whatever makes the show be successful but still. At least as exec producer his full name?? Idk. That’s me.

[comicaurora]

So far, has there been any sort of art technique or process you've tried that made you go "that was surprisingly easier/harder than I expected"?

Oh man, yea. So many things. Doing this comic has been a learning experience and a half because of all the textures and effects I have to do, most of which I figure out on the fly because I've either never done them before or I've never done them that many times before.

The first "surprisingly easy" effect I'd never succeeded at before was the scales on the Storm Drake in the interlude after chapter 6:

It's a Droplet particle brush used on two layers, one set to Multiply and the other to Screen. It produces a very easy texturing effect that works on everything from scales to sand to rock, making the surface look like it's catching the light in complicated ways. I used it again in Dainix's desert flashback in chapter 19 to make the sand look like it was catching the light.

I actually used a similar method to draw the background in the arena fight in chapter 12 - using a rounder particle brush, but the same combo of Multiply and Screen to produce a chaotic pattern that gave the illusion of a massive background crowd without making me hand-draw ten thousand tiny people.

This one was an effect that didn't surprise me and that I sadly had very little cause to replicate, but I LOVED the multicolored highlighting effect in Erin's chapter 6 flashback in the heart of the Storm. It ended up being very simple to do and it just looked SO pretty.

Changing the highlighting colors to just the cool-tones for this page just made me like it more.

When we hit Falst's intro arc and I had to draw about a million forested backgrounds, I decided to refine the process I'd used in the first few chapters, because I wasn't happy with those results:

Starting in chapter 8 I tried a lineless style for forested backgrounds, and it worked out better than I'd hoped. Not only did it produce a feeling of depth and shadow, I didn't even need to plug in my drawing tablet to do it - I could literally do these backgrounds with my trackpad and mouse, which was a huge timesave. Combined with a little experimental sunbeam stuff and these forest backgrounds ended up both shockingly simple to make and VERY nice to look at.

I used a similar technique for the soulcrystal in The Collector's lair - stacked Multiply and Add layers with nested rough shading patterns similar to the ones I used for foliage, but with more overlap to produce the effect of chaotically scattering light.

This was another no-drawing-tablet one, and I liked this texture so much that I willingly redrew it for the stinger in chapter 18 rather than copying the texture from the earlier chapter.

In terms of effects that took longer than I anticipated, Dainix's fully-realized Crucible form has been giving me trouble for literally as long as I've conceived of the comic. Drawing fire is already hard enough, but giving that fire a semi-solid, tangible form that was clearly readable as a humanoid figure was a HUGE pain in the ass. The head and arms were easy to design, but what to do with the bottom half was always a struggle, and beyond that I wasn't always sure how opaque to make him - real fire is a semi-translucent light source in constant motion with no clearly delineated edges, and if you draw it in a way that deviates from that too much it can make it feel less like fire. It took a while before I was happy with the color balance on him to make him suitably glowy without losing the internal detailing that made his expression readable.

Similarly time-consuming, working out how to do Vash's "nova mode" took some trial and error. I wanted to make it clearly visually distinct from Paladin light magic and regular fire magic, so I focused on trying to replicate the texture of the surface of a star, with sunspots and flares rather than licks of fire or sharp-edged lightsaber vibes. I'm happy with how it ended up, but if I recall correctly it took upwards of two days just getting all those glowy effects sorted out.

Then drawing the actual starfire blast was an even bigger pain, because again I didn't want it so glowy that it was completely unreadable. To be honest I'm still not sure if it worked.

This is a very recent one, but it took me a while to figure out an effect I was happy for to communicate "this place is really, really dark." I didn't settle on a blanket dusty purple desaturation layer until quite late, to sort of replicate what night vision supposedly looks like for animals that can see decently well in the dark. Lights and darks are preserved, but color isn't so much, and this way I wasn't way-overshadowing everything and making it impossible for US to see. And conveniently the actual effect is quite simple to do - it's just a universally gray layer at 50% opacity set to the "Saturation" combine mode, stacked with a universally dusty purple layer at 70% set to the "Color" combine mode. Very easy to add quickly and copy/paste across different pages.

There's probably more, but yea. Almost all of the "that was surprisingly difficult" effects either get easier with time or I figure out ways to simplify them and make them work in fewer layers. This is the really fun thing about a longform project like this - I keep finding new ways to challenge myself I'd never even thought of before.

[littlesislovesyou]

I'll thank you anyway because you deserve it~ And fuuuck I need you to be the one to give me that release...I need it so badly. 😩 And you deserve it just as much <333

Oh yeah we'd be all over each other. We'd be the type to be too horny to wait until we get home. We be fucking like animals feral and desperately in heat in the alleyways, blind spots in parks or even in the car. We don't care about anything else but making each other feel good and cumming for each other~ I love having a dangerous hold over your pussy, it belongs to me too after all...it's only fitting that I do <3333

I'm happy it does. I am an overthinker and perhaps worry too much about others than I do myself lol but you being safe or fine matters to me first and then anything else can come after. And don't feel bad. I'm glad to have moments of your time devoted to me. You should do what you enjoy and what makes you happy. Take breaks from Tumblr or any social media cuz that's normal and honestly healthy lol. Movies sounded fun I'd wish we could do a movie night XD and I'm happy you read them as soon as you can. Sounds like you look forward to seeing them and that makes me happy 💕

Oh trust me I am enjoying this as much as you...I think that's why our reactions are very similar when we both tease too much 😌 and if I'm ever uncomfortable I'll promise to tell!

Well I think we both hinted at that a while ago when I was being vulnerable lol I didn't want to assume though. But yessss we'll be insane and horny for each other and together always~ 🖤🖤🖤

I look forward to that day...and I'm excited to dm you too! I just wanna make sure I've got all the stuff bothering me done and dusted so I have not as much plaguing me and preventing me from talking. I feel really safe and comfortable with you at this point lol

And I'm gonna kidnap you one day and we're gonna have a session where I make you hump my leg or thighs and my cock while I go through all the fucked up shit you get off to and mocking you for being such a pathetic, perverted freak that can't help herself like the needy puppy you are...maybe I'll finger your cunny while I scroll and show you and see what makes you the horniest based on facial expressions, reactions...how soaked you become~ Helping you masturbate until you cum all over my fingers while my teeth are marking all over your neck and collar~ 🤭🔪

Oooh I like the sound of that...and trust me I always am thinking about you after I like your naughty posts~

You are an mischievous little thing aren't you...? Well if it was...and you confirmed that you were thinking about me when you reblogged it with your own irresistible, pretty lips...I'd probably cum then and there all over the pictures you have on here immediately after jerking off for a few hours 🥵

Anyways this'll be the last response for now cuz I gotta catch up on yesterday's too. But I'll be lurking for a while longer and then hopefully finally passing out lol

I hope you have a wonderful night and sleep well and have wonderfully lewd dreams (while I use your holes in your slee- I mean cuddle you; why not both? <3333) Take care of yourself and we'll talk more I hope as days get better!

Aweee aren’t you so sweet, already so addicted to me hm? ☺️💗 aghhh just the visual of us not being able to keep our hands off each other and not being able to wait till we got home, just pulling me into an alley because you’re throbbing for me<3333 pressing me against the brick of a building and bending me over, just to have me wrapped around you then and there🥰 going at it without a second thought<333 just giving pleasure to each other, all the time💗💗

God you seriously do 🥺💕 my pussy is just yours~

Hehe 💓👀 I won’t lie it took me a moment to answer because I’ve just been re reading it over and over again, especially the last one you sent;’) 💓 I have never rubbed my little cunt so much to something<333

And of course! Take your time<3 I just like reason you about it;’) just because I know I would probably be teasing you as much as I can in dms💕💕

I’m really glad you feel comfortable with me! I have to admit I do with you as well 🥺 and just so you know, you were the mutual;’) 💓💓 I was hinting at it but maybe I should’ve just told you were 👀💓

Ughhhhh listen if you jerked off to my pictures I’d probably marry you lmao<3333

WHY DO YOU HAVE TO TURN ME ON SOOO MUCH 🥺💗💗💗 god how much I would love and give to be your slutty puppy<333 fingering me while you read all the dirty posts I like and share<3 or maybe even reading some of the dms I get to me, telling me how much all these older men wanna fuck me<333

Also ps- I missed you💓💓

[ladylooch]

Hi love! So I'm back on my Brady Skjei train again and I wanted to ask, could you write a Brady Skjei smut where the reader is feeling like a tease and decides to tie him up and not let him touch her, wich drives him crazy.

I'm deeply sorry for this filthy thought but I just can't help myself😭

A/N: 😳 Welp. We got a little unhinged again.. Enjoy! Hahaha! Thank you for being so patient! I know this took a little longer than usual 😘

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: SMUT 18+ Content, light bondage, swearing.

Everything is soft.

The tie in your hands. Brady’s skin against your fingers. The way your lips move against the skin of his shoulder.

“You trust me?” You ask against his ear, looping the tie through one final time. His wrists are crossed behind the wood, dining room chair you and your friend had found at an estate sale down in Holly Springs right after you moved with Brady to North Carolina. You never imagined it being used like this.

“Always.” He answers, voice low, coating your skin with each touch of his tongue to the roof of his mouth.

You reach out, running your fingers along his large arms, biceps and triceps taunt with the position he is in. You let the last tie of Brady’s come up to hide his brown eyes from the world. You tie it snug enough that it won’t come off, but tight enough that it will slide down with only a pull from one finger. Brady sighs when he hears you move from behind him. You run your fingers along the definition of his shoulder, dipping to glide along his collar bone. Goosebumps protrude from his skin. You follow them down his chest to his abdomen, soaking them in there before disappearing beneath the tent in his pants.

The heels of your red pumps tap the wood floor as you straddle him. They’re high, needing the extra inches to help propel you over Brady’s large legs when things really get started. Your thighs settle on his. He tilts his head back, inhaling a deep breath to catch the flowery scent of your perfume.

“I love that scent on you.” He says. You know this because you save it for special occasions like this. Like when your fiancé makes it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in his career. He should be celebrated. And worshiped.

“Do you?” You ask him against his lips, enjoying how he nibbles back at you immediately. You slide your tongue into his mouth, swirling it about to taste every last bit of him. Your hips press further into his erection, causing him to hum into your mouth. 

“Yeah. Smells better mixed with your cum.” A coy grin stretches your mouth wider, and you nip at his lip, pulling it away just to watch it snap back into place against his bottom teeth. “Filthy.”

“Haven’t even started.” You tell him, moving one leg between his so you can roll your folds against his thigh. You get slick from the effort, giving in to the desire to ride him a few more times before pushing off him completely.

“Come back. Wanna see where that leads to.” He whines, struggling a bit against the ties at his back. His nostrils are flaring and a wet spot is appearing on his boxer briefs. 

You don’t respond. Just slowly lower yourself to the floor. You push his knees further apart to accept your full body between them. Then, you ghost your fingers along his hard erection. He startles a bit, then grunts in frustration when you purposefully stroke his abdomen next.

“Don’t forget, it’s your turn to be tied up next time.” It’s a warning. A reminder of what will happen to you if you prolong him much longer.

“I haven’t.”

“Pay back is a bitch, baby.”

You laugh as you pull the band of his underwear away. His cock springs free. You sigh heavenly at the visual, wrapping the warm, hard skin in your hand and giving him a pump. He pulses as you coast the wet tip along the seam of your lips. You inhale the smell of him, savoring the familiar scent of his clean skin. Your mouth opens, sliding down him leisurely as he squirms beneath you. He tries to pump his hips up and you press down on his large thighs, removing your mouth again.

“B, you know the rules.” You scold lightly, a sick smirk on your face at how needy he is becoming in your control.

“I hate how much you’re talking. Your mouth should be full.”

You laugh, appreciating the banter as you position him by your mouth again. You press kisses all along his shaft, feeling the way he hardens further at each one of your presses. It seems almost painful for him when you put him back in your mouth.

“Yes, baby. Fuck.” He moans deep in his throat. “Uh.” He sputters shakily as you take him all the way back, touching places he never has before. You moan around him, using the vibrations to tease him as he diligently presses his thighs deeper into the wood chair beneath him. You brace yourself on his thighs, standing tall on your knees as you begin to suck him harder. Your hand comes up, working in perfect sync with your mouth as you pull beads of pre-cum out with each stroke. His head is knocked back towards the ceiling, mouth wide open as his noisy pleasure fills the room. “Too close. Too close.” Brady sputters suddenly. You slowly pull yourself off of him, getting a gurgling grunt from the blindfolded man beneath you.

You’re fine with that being over. At this point, you’re so wet and desperate for Brady to be stuffed inside, you don’t care much about teasing him anymore. You work your way back to straddling his hips, brushing him through your folds before gently sinking him into your entrance. You close your eyes, wanting only to feel it, just like Brady. He stretches you, but it’s welcomed. You control the depth, allowing him in a few inches before easing back off. You do this twice more, before you take him fully. Your bare thighs slap harshly together with your next bounce on him.

“Fuck… yes….” Brady pants, chest heaving and brushing against your perky nipples as you begin to ride him steadily. He struggles against the ties as he always does when it’s his turn. He wants to hold you, guide your hips with every thrust, indulge in the way your hips rolls perfectly while you fuck him.

You place your hands on his shoulders for leverage. The sound of the chair scraping against the floor as you ride him fills the room along with both your moans.

“God, I bet you look so good right now. Wet lips, tits bouncing, open mouth while you make me fuck you deep.”

“You wanna see?” You ask him. You’re feeling generous after all.

“Yeah.”

You move the blindfold off and your gazes meet as you feel your orgasm coiling tighter.

“Oh, you’re already so close.” His eyes drink your face in, lip smashed between his teeth. He looks so hot. So sexy and passionate as you moans with every thrust. “Good job, baby. Fuck me just like that.” He begs. 

Usually at this time, you untie him so he can pound forcefully into you, but tonight, you want to prolog this another few moments. You want to see what happens when you keep him tied up, riding him the whole time. So you do.

He’s so polite he still helps.

“Stand slightly.” His thighs thrust up into you as much as they can. It’s just enough to have you shuttering above him, legs shaking while trying to maintain the position. “Cum for me, baby. Just like you want to.” He coos, eyes on your face. You stare back at him, loving the eye contact with the absence of his hands on you. Your hands slap his shoulders, fingernails gripping tightly to hold you steady as your orgasm explodes from far down in your core. You sit down on him, forcing your hips to roll and rut with him deep inside of you to finish. 

Brady cums too, tip seeping with each forceful pulse from within your wet, contracting walls.

You rest your forehead sluggishly on his shoulder, both of you panting heavily. A thin sheen of sweat clings to you, making your thigh stick to Brady’s. He turns his face into your cheek, puckering his lips against your red flesh.

“Untie me so I can hold you.” Without getting up, you reach down to his wrists, pulling the ties until they give. His hands are on your back instantly, one low to hold your hips flush against his, the other at your neck, massaging your muscles as your head stays against him.

His lips continue to press soft kisses against your face. Finally, you turn, capturing the last one in a tender, almost painful, smooch. Your hand comes to his face, the stubble there scratching at your smooth palm. His fingers move into your hair, holding your head as his tongue glides against yours.

“One more time? So I can touch you everywhere?” He whispers against your lips. 

You smile beneath his kiss, letting him pick you up.

He kicks off his pants and underwear, leaving them and the ties behind as tomorrow mornings problem.

[sleepyfallboy]

fem!ranpoe one-shot

It wasn’t new for Ranpo to decide she wanted to drag her girlfriend out around the town. It was usually under the excuse that she didn’t know her way around. After all, it’s hard for anyone to tell her no when she uses that as an excuse. Sure, eventually, she always ends up either where she wants or needs to be, it may just take a while. Walking is easier than the trains, but it takes longer. Though, she rarely has to argue with Poe for too much of anything for anything. It’s almost embarrassing how readily the older woman gives her attention, wants her attention in return. It can be overwhelming sometimes. While Ranpo knows she never fades into the background of scenes, it can be easy to especially when she shuts up and listens. When she’s quiet, she’s observing; when she’s observing, she takes a background role. Everything gets so overwhelming otherwise.

Yet, right now, sitting on the train beside the taller American woman, Ranpo found it easy to relax. Her head was resting on Poe’s shoulder, listening to her voice as she read aloud. Sure, Ranpo has already figured out the plot, but Poe’s voice is calming and easy to focus on. Maybe it’s because Poe tends to speak quietly, so it can be hard to hear her on the train, but Ranpo was focused purely on her. She slowly opened her eyes to look at the words as Poe read, her eyes following along. Poe didn’t need to, they both know it, but Ranpo still felt her adjust to let her see the book easier. It made her chest tighten in a way she couldn’t quite explain.

“I don’t need to see it,” she said softly when Poe took a break at the beginning of the next chapter.

“I know,” came the soft reply from the older woman. “But you’re trying to find something visually to focus on. That’s why you keep shutting your eyes after looking around.” Ranpo nodded a little, sighing. She was unable to deny it. The world gets so overwhelming. There’s so many colors and sounds, too many people with all their subconscious habits that they don’t even know what it means that they do. There’s so many tells. Like the man across from them who lied on some important application and now has to do a meeting on a topic that he knows nothing about, or the woman two seats down from them who’s in the early stages of a pregnancy but worried what her family will think, which means it’s either out of wedlock or from a man her family may not approve of. The light four seats down from them has such a subtle flicker that Ranpo is feeling her eye twitch every time it flickers, provided her eyes aren’t immediately drawn to it. Her head is pounding. So yes, maybe, she’s trying to find one thing to focus her attention onto. “Do you want me to continue?” Poe’s voice broke her thoughts. Her tone was a little exasperated. That’s the tone Fukuzawa takes when she’s had to repeat something a few times. That’s how she recognizes it.

“Is your voice hurting?” Ranpo asked quietly as opposed to giving an answer.

“It’s manageable, I’ll drink water when we get off.”

“Please…” She said it so pathetically, so pitifully. It grated her nerves. But Poe didn’t question. She never does. She just resumed reading. A soft sigh left Ranpo’s lips, forcing her eyes to stay glued to the book, following the words that Poe was reading. It’s so hard to narrow her focus to one thing, but she was trying. Perhaps, Poe can read her better than she originally thought as Poe lowers her voice a little more, making Ranpo furrow her brows. It takes Ranpo a moment to concentrate on Poe’s voice once again. Slowly, the rest of the train began to fade into nothingness. It was physically relaxing, having it all disappear. Logically, she knew she was still on a busy train with dozens of strangers, loud noises, and the intercom and whatever else. But her mind was almost able to trick itself. Her eyes remain locked onto the book. Though she doesn’t know if she was actually seeing any of the words or if they were also blurry in her gaze.

The only noise getting to her was Poe’s quiet voice, each word leaving her lips as easily as breathing. The occasional soft sigh of content and slight gasp as she read something she couldn’t believe left her too. Those small reactions, Ranpo wished she could understand them. It’s hard to react like that to the novel. She wished it wasn’t so easy for her to figure out the plot of the novel just from a few sentences, sometimes even less than that. She sighed softly, letting her eyes shut once again. Maybe she wanted to try to live through Poe’s reactions a little. Feel each slight gasp or listen as she trailed off each time that she had to reread a sentence to confirm that she did in fact read what she thought she read. Sometimes, Ranpo wishes she could have those reactions. But no, the best she can do, is try to close her eyes and experience them through the woman next to her. Maybe it was a little infuriating. Maybe she wasn’t as mature about the topic as she thought she was. She isn’t fourteen anymore, yet sometimes, those thoughts of how different she is come creeping back in.

Navigating Together - sleepyfallboy - 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs [Archive of Our Own]

[putschki1969]

“Sono Saki e” Random Thoughts (Review?)

Please be sure to ❗SUPPORT Wakana❗ in any way you can! Especially if you decided not to order any physical copies. You can purchase and stream Wakana’s 3rd original studio album “Sono Saki e” on various sites (mora, iTunes etc) and streaming platforms (Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, etc). • ————— ¤ ♫ ¤ ————— • BUY the album on mora (TUTORIAL here) BUY it in your local iTunes store • ————— ¤ ♫ ¤ ————— •  

Phew, this post is long-overdue. I’ve actually had this “review” sitting around in my drafts since May 30 but I wanted to wait till my physical copies arrived (unfortunately, my package took forever T_T). We have had multiple opportunities to listen to the tracks (or at least snippets of them) and of course I also listened to the digital album as soon as it became available. I’ll be honest with you, my initial reaction to the snippets and later the full tracks was rather lukewarm but in the past couple of weeks, most of the album has grown on me. So far my TOP 5 in order of their track listing are “Rapa Nui”, “標 (Shirushi)”, “希望(Kibou)”,“明日を夢見て歌う(Asu wo Yume Mite Utau)” and “Flag”.  Here are some random thoughts on the album as a whole and the individual songs ┗(•ˇ_ˇ•)→

Vocals: I’m not gonna write an analysis on Wakana’s vocals since I obviously lack the technical knowledge for that sort of stuff but I would still like to vent a little. In recent times, Wakana has talked a lot about how she is constantly refining her skills, working with a vocal coach and discovering new ways to use her voice, however, I fail to hear any real results of those efforts. I have to wonder if her vocal coach (or Takebe in his role as producer) are even giving any sort of effective advice because it certainly doesn’t seem like they do. The Japanese mindset probably keeps them from providing proper constructive criticism. This has always been an issue in the Japanese music industry but I am noticing it more now that Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru can no longer compensate for each other’s weaknesses. I don’t mean to bash or anything, you know I would never do that. I can still appreciate their solo vocals and for the most part I definitely enjoy Wakana’s vocals in this album but sometimes I get frustrated when it’s clear that the girls are not reaching their full potential or are using styles that are absolutely unflattering. I mean, who is telling Wakana (and Keiko for that matter) it’s a good idea to over-affect her voice or to sing in a register that is simply too high? Pretty sure this stuff is up to her so I guess it is a conscious choice and no one is guiding her in a better direction. I know for a fact that Wakana is capable of using a fuller, steadier voice but for some reason she often falls back on singing styles that don’t do anything for her and make her sound quite generic or borderline amateurish. It’s a shame...Rant over.

Visuals: The botanical and watery backgrounds/colours fit Wakana’s image perfectly. I wouldn’t say it’s a good match for the theme of the album but I don’t really mind. These are probably not my favourite looks for her but there are still some super lovely shots included in the photobook and lyric booklets. I originally thought all those light spots were a filter but they really used strings of light for the shoot. Not sure yet if I am a fan of the finished look.Something about it doesn’t really work for me.

Bonus material: No idea why they decided to add a DVD instead of a Blu-ray but I am just grateful we got footage from the Christmas live. It’s a solid concert with many good performances so I am happy there’s official footage. Too bad they cut the Christmas songs though, I remember enjoying them a lot. The audio tracks are a nice addition but I think instrumental versions of the album tracks would have been a nicer bonus. The exclusive fan club track is nothing to write home about, wish they had included footage from the after-talk instead or maybe the Christmas tracks.

Editions: As always, I appreciate that we get different booklets for every single edition. Makes it so much more fun and worthwhile to collect different editions. Overall I would day that all versions were reasonably priced for the content we got. And I am glad they once again decided to go for an LP-sized package with a big photobook. They look so good on my Kalafina showcase/shrine. Small nitpick: The quality of the large photobook isn’t what it used to be, it’s much thinner paper now T_T Makes it easier to scan though so I guess it’s not that bad.

Promotion: As far as the promotional campaign is concerned, I would say it’s sufficiently wide-spread on the media front but it feels a little lackluster in terms of in-store presence. Many Japanese fans have complained that the store promo for Wakana’s “Sono Saki e” wasn’t up to par with all the displays that were prepared for Keiko’s “Cutlery”. Thankfully we got the release events which added a bit of hype. Altogether, her performance in the Oricon Charts wasn’t too shabby either (#28) so the marketing team must have done something right. On a side note, I still very much appreciate the relatively high production value of Wakana’s solo works (especially compared to Hikaru’s and Keiko’s stuff). It’s clear that a lot of money is still invested in Wakana so YAY for that.

Overall thoughts: "Sono Saki e” has been a long time in the making so despite my best efforts, certain expectations have been building up. I know of course that getting my hopes up too high is a stupid thing to do because it will inevitably set me up for disappointment but I am only human and after three years of waiting, I was in a serious Wakana drought. However, now that the album is finally here, I feel a surprising sense of indifference (?) towards it. My reaction to Keiko’s latest album should have been indication enough but I think it’s becoming more and more obvious that I am suffering from a serious case of Kalafina-solo fatigue. It seems like I am steadily falling out of love with their solo music which makes me incredibly sad but I guess it was bound to happen at some point. I am not even saying that I dislike the album but there is just a lack of sparks I guess? Objectively speaking, I would say that Wakana’s 3rd album is quite good, I thoroughly enjoy around 60% of it and I’ve been listening to a lot of the songs on repeat. But I am just not as invested as I would like to be. On a side note, is it just me or does the album feel a little too rushed (despite its long production period)? I would have wanted the album to reflect the three years worth of thought and effort that were supposedly put into it but that’s honestly not the vibe I am getting here. I mean, they decided to include an instrumental of one of the tracks AND a literal copy-paste version of a previous album track, that just screams last minute decision to me. I guess it’s because the actual production didn’t start until much later so ultimately, there was a lot of rushing involved but still, it’s a shame.

●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～ ●～●～●～●～

M1. Butterfly Dream: I feel like everything has already been said about this. It’s fun with the visuals of the PV but without those, the song loses a lot of its charm for me. Even though it’s the leading track of the album, I find it a bit underwhelming, maybe because the melody isn’t really resonating with me? Also, not a huge fan of how Wakana seems to over-affect (if that’s the right word?) her voice during quite a few parts of the song (especially during the chorus) to sound cute/innocent. She sometimes does this for certain types of anisong covers but it’s honestly not the most flattering singing style in my opinion. I guess the outward “cuteness” of the vocals appeals to a wider audience so it’s not a bad thing per se. I mean, there must be a reason why they picked this as promo track for the album (Rating: 2.5/5) M2. Rapa Nui: Definitely the most exciting and refreshing track on the album. The Celtic(?) sound matches Wakana’s voice perfectly. Kinda sounds like something you would hear at a medieval festival. Reminds me a bit of Kalafina’s “Moonfesta” or Hikaru’s “Fili”. Based on the title, I would have expected the song to sound totally different but I am honestly not mad about how it turned out. It’s great that they used the Rapa Nui language for some lines, spices up the whole thing. I initially believed that the song could have benefited from a stronger chorus but by now I’m literally obsessed with it, can’t get the melody out of my head :P Some of those ultra-high notes don’t sound pleasant to my ears but it’s not on a level where it takes away from my enjoyment. Contemplated taking half a point off for it but at the end of the day, it’s not worth it. It’s such a superb track (Rating: 5/5) M3. 標 (Shirushi): Sometimes this song doesn’t really affect me all that much and other times it makes me cry like a baby (especially when Wakana sings “この先も力に歌うから”). In many ways, it reminds me of “Ai no Hana” which has a similar theme and is one of my favourite tracks from Wakana’s first album but I need to hear it live to get the full experience. The same is the case for “Shirushi”. And I also have to be in the right mood for it. I am not 100% sold on the melody but Wakana’s vocals are gorgeous and the emotion she puts into her singing is just out of this world. On top of that, we have beautiful lyrics and a precious backstory, I can’t help but give this song a high rating (Rating: 4/5) M4. 希望 (Kibou): With the exception of “Rapa Nui” this is probably the only track that instantly clicked with me. Even when we just got a snippet of it, I immediately fell in love. The melody is just the right amount of cheesy in a good way, it hits me right in the feels. I think it comes closest to a standard power ballad or a 90s pop ballad. I am a huge sucker for those and it is obviously the type of song I love to hear from Wakana. Is it just me though or could Wakana have used a more flattering singing style for the chorus? She is going very high and it tends to sound a bit strained. For me, this is on the very edge of sounding screechy, a little higher, a little flatter and I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it. It’s clearly a challenging track but not necessarily something that Wakana can’t handle imo. Really curious how she will be handling those parts during a live performance. Hopefully she can tweak her style a bit to make it more suitable for the song. Another tiny nitpick is the bland bridge, I wish it had a little more oomph, it’s neither here nor there but oh well, I am so smitten with this song that I can’t really focus on any of the negative aspects (Rating: 4.5/5) M5. 殻 (Kara): Who thought it was a good idea to do a “Tsubasa 2.0.”? I really wish they would have come up with something else. They had more than enough time to look into other options. I understand the intention of course, “Tsubasa” is solid and highlights some of the grittier parts of Wakana’s voice but that doesn’t warrant a blatant rip-off. Enough complaining though, I feel like I am way too harsh on “Kara”. On its own merits, it’s actually quite fun and yeah, just like its predecessor it works flawlessly to highlight Wakana’s voice in a different way, I like her more feisty singing style. Objectively speaking, I really can’t fault this song but it still doesn’t quite hit the spot for me. Thankfully, Wakana’s singing makes up for it (Rating: 3.5/5) M6. そのさきへ(Sono Saki e)～Interlude～: The melody is not striking enough. I am usually a sucker for a good instrumental piece but this one falls a little flat unfortunately. Wakana keeps saying that she cried when she first listened to the demo but I really wonder why...However, I will have to say that the gorgeous piano playing of this interlude does appeal to me more than the melody in the normal version of the song (Rating: 2.5/5) M7. KEMONO feat.清塚信也: I’ve said it before and I will say it again, every cell in my body is rejecting this type of song. I know that’s a me-problem and I feel horrible judging Wakana’s work based on such a personal preference.This reminds me way too much of some of Keiko’s city-pop (or whatever) tracks. The singing is too fast, there is no proper flow, the melody is all over the place, it’s just outright chaotic. I am sure there are people who can appreciate this new experimental style but I am unfortunately not one of them. I generally don’t like giving low ratings but it is how it is, please know that this is purely subjective (Rating: 1/5) M8. 明日を夢見て歌う(Asu wo Yume Mite Utau): The melody right at the beginning and sprinkled in-between the verses is what initially attracted me to the song, so pretty. However, the rest of the song didn’t leave a huge impression when I first heard it during the Christmas concert. I remember I compared it to “Boku Dake no Stage” because it was also composed by Takebe and I thought it was similarly bland. I realise now that this was a very unfair comparison because those songs have absolutely nothing in common. “Asu wo Yume Mite Utau” is much better imo and aligns more with my preferences in terms of music style. Maybe a comparison to “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni” would have been better even though Takebe didn’t compose that one... Anyways, after letting the song marinate for a while, I’ve surprisingly come to love “Asu wo Yume Mite Utau”. I’d even go as far as to say it has become one of my favourite tracks from the album. The arrangement is lovely and so are the lyrics. Also adore Wakana’s singing here (Rating: 4/5) M9. Flag: This is probably the most Kalafina/FictionJunction-esque track on the entire album so I understand why it is so popular among YK/Kalafina fans. Personally, I have never been the biggest fan of YK’s more generic anisongs so this track initially didn’t impress me all that much, it was just okay for me, nothing too outstanding. But after hearing it performed live multiple times, it has significantly grown on me. It’s a really solid song and it works perfectly with Wakana’s voice. Even though it might not be the type of music I naturally gravitate towards, it’s still a banger. Especially when you take the Kalafina nostalgia into account. Fun fact, the most recent version with Sakurada has made me add 0.5 points to my initial rating, it was just so good (Rating: 4/5).  M10. そのさきへ (Sono Saki e): Ughhh, I really wanted to love this song but so far my attempts have all failed. I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to get into it. I mean, there must be something to love about it when I hear Wakana rave about the demo tape as if it were the best thing since sliced bread. What exactly is it about the melody that made her cry so much? It still baffles me that this was written by the same person who was responsible for “Kinmokusei” which I absolutely adore. There are some tiny similarities but all in all, “Sono Saki e” feels rather uninspired in comparison to “Kinmokusei”, at least in my opinion. Hearing it live during the release event has also not done anything to make me appreciate the song more. I am afraid it is a lost cause... (Rating: 2/5) M11. あとひとつ (Ato Hitotsu): Nothing much to say here aside from the fact that I adore this song and I am really glad that it’s finally included in an official release. I prefer to hear it live but the studio recording is surprisingly touching too. So understated and yet so charming. I like how Wakana keeps referring to it as prayer, it’s a fitting description. Perfect delivery, as always (Rating: 5/5)

[leti-ke]

It's been some time since I've played void stranger, life stuff happened and because of that I was not able to write about what happen in the game as I played

BUT! I still have my notes and screenshots, so I can do a recap for myself now! I hope I can play more of it soon

We begin with a conversation between the king and Gray about the princess future, and I'm gonna be honest things are not looking good for her...

The king wants to marry her off, and she is doing everything in her power to scare the suitors away

It got to a point where her father is threatening to keep her locked in the castle until she behaves and accept to marry someone

But again, what does she think Gray can do against the king's wishes?!? I'm pretty sure that if she did that, Gray would be punished...

I feel bad for her, but she is really pushing it, calling Gray the king's lapdog... Well, at least she knew that that was going too far

And Gray is nice and understanding of her, so that's good

Well, back in the void we encountered this... Corpse? I don't know if it's a statue or not, but cool visual!

There is a ghoul (?) In one of the floors telling me they are hungry, so I gave them one of my locus

He is still hungry, and I end up giving them all my locus... Well it's not like I was using them but still really weird, they are still in the way tho

That is until I walked around a little, then they became an egg... I'm not sure if I like the implications here

Next tree dream! Gray and the princess are going to another country to meet one of the groom's

This one was a knight that lead a revolution and became king

Suddenly they were attacked by bandits oh my!

And Gray is being all badass! They are calling her "Gray the destroyer"

What, why I'm playing as the bandit?!?!

And once again the princess is being reckless... How old is she?

Well she is saved by her suitor, his armor is cool, but I'm getting dark vibes from it

The princess is all head over heels for him now, that goes to show the power a cool entrance can have over a girl's heart kkkkkk

Back to the void!

New NPC!

aaand she just stole my rod... so for the next levels I had to chase her and let me tell you it was not fun! game please have mercyyyyy

I finally caught up to her, she gave me an obvious sob story... and when that didn't work she just gave Gray her stuff back, at least now we know that the rod only works for us

for some reason, this image is hilarious to me, I think it's the ditto face!

Here is the thing... my notes get really sparse from here on out, and I'm not sure of the order of events that I don't have screenshots for, but at some point I accidentally threw an NPC into the abyss :( why do I keep doing thiiiiiis T⌓T

More tree memories! The princess is really impressed with her possible future husband, his name is Johann

She is fangirling for him a little kkkkkk

Gray goes to take a walk and look who finds her

She didn't expect to find him kkkkk look at her face

O-O

oh! what she do?

It seems that Gray the destroyer is a sore point for her

Well, Johann is asking for Gray's help in taming the demon or something... I think there are better way to refer to your maybe future wife my dude, I'm not sure if I like you that much

after that I continued for some time and encountered another giant corpse, I'm starting to think these are the void lords from Tail story, are they all dead? Maybe I can find an alive one deeper in the void, but for now it seems that their war didn't really have a winner

And there is where I took a break!

I fell like I was stalling playing the game a little because I didn't write this before, if I played more I would just make the backlog notes longer, you know? But now that I've put this up to date I'm more at ease, so I'll try to play some more this week!

[cherrylover15]

Hello.. Today I am going to summarize a bit the origin of “the majoras”

as I read the name was Lauren Rose Wilson, she was Russian but they moved to the United States when their father died and they were bankrupt and at the same time the father had gotten into a lot of debt and since he couldn't pay, they had his family killed. Lauren and her mother, that's why her mother started going everywhere and Lauren stopped having friends, only virtual ones, and in one of those she met Ben but with a different name and they became good friends until he arrived. to the United States and there are ps who couldn't even go out on the corner so she kept talking with little visuals because she didn't even go to school and the mother had to pay her daughter for private tutors as long as she didn't go out

But anyway, one day they had a meeting or something, the mother took her away and the aunt, interestingly enough, was a friend of Ben's mother, so they met, although when she heard that Ben's father was an alcoholic and that Ben belonged to a "Satanic" cult refused to let Lauren talk to him.

So Ben already knew where Lauren lived and he went to look for her but he didn't know that she wasn't allowed to leave so when he found out he went into the gardens of the house and I don't know how but he found her - and well at first Lauren refused. to talk to him but then they talked, they became friends, Lauren told him about him because he couldn't go out and etc. and he even helped her escape from the house

And in one of those the mother realized and covered it with boards and left it locked so it wouldn't come out but I still don't know how but it came out and well everything was very nice and everything but one day it arrived all beat up and Lauren He yelled at her in a thousand ways but neh, he didn't listen to her and that same day her mother told her that she had to go to her grandmother's house because the debt collectors knew where she lived so she said that she had 3 days to pack everything and leave and that was it. So the next day Ben stopped by the house but he didn't come or anything, so Lauren had drawn him a picture of Link and Zelda, but Zelda had the Majoras mask on and before. He left, she called him and gave him the drawing but before she explained what was happening, Ben left and she didn't see him again that day, neither arriving nor leaving or anything.

Already on the 4th day before she moved in, Ben's little sister "Sarah" told her that Ben had died in the cult where he was and Lauren fell into depression since she had become too attached to him to be honest.

And when he went to live with his grandmother, his mother disappeared for a long time and during that time he received a strange gift, it was Ben's console and the cartridge, when he played it it started out normal but ps you already know about the cartridge and so then Through the game he told her that he would free her from everything, that if she wanted to save him she had to give herself up and she refused because she didn't want to kill herself. So when the mother came back she was no longer the same. Now when she talked to her daughter she seemed like a different person, he hit her. For no reason, he blamed her for everything that happened and even when her grandmother died of a heart attack, he treated her like a murderer and because he rejected his daughter but he also tried to kill her in various ways, drowning her, stabbing her, etc. and it turned out that Ben was possessing her and also tormented her in dreams, there were times when she coughed and spurted blood and made hell and that led her to throw the console and the game in the trash and into a lake far from the house and since it had not been a while She was writing to her friend (who was Ben) when she spoke to him it was revealed that he was Ben and that he only wanted to help her and by then nothing was getting better and she already looked like a dying body with thin circles under her eyes and her destroyed hair she no longer cared for. There was nothing left to do but pay attention to Ben and then she went to a lake where she threw the cartridge and began to submerge but when she was about to drown she regretted it and wanted to get out but something did not let her and she ended up submerging to the deepest part of the water. drowning her

Then Ben took her soul and put it in the cartridge and gave her the princess's body BUT how she had drawn her, that is, with the mask and brainwashed her by giving her the idea that she had to be like a murder machine and kill. without mercy to everyone who is ordered

//I'm sorry I don't know how to tell the story very well, I just don't know how to explain it better-//

These are fts allusive to what she should be in person- or something like that-

[justicerikai]

graduation

In Japan, when one decides to move onto greener pastures or simply quit the current job they have been doing for quite a while, that is referred to as graduation.

And thus, I too, will be graduating from translating Charisma House.

Earlier this month (May 2023) I decided to go on a break due some medical and personal issues I had to deal with. No thinking about translating at all, just doing what I want and what I like. It's been roughly two weeks now and for someone who is doing things all the time, it was more than enough to decide where I want to keep going with translating.

Of course, this isn't a spontaneous decision. It's something that weighed in the back of my mind for a bit- can I handle all of this? I love translating, but can I handle all of it? No, I cannot. I need to know my limits.

But most importantly, know what's fun.

Charisma House was very novel for me. I had to learn to understand the humor, grasp what's being implied, the nuances of the jokes that can be easily misunderstood if not read properly. It was a challenge that definitely pushed me beyond anything else ever could. And yet, that honeymoon phase of grasping something so novel, so different, has come to an end.

I still love Charisma House, and always will. I actively keep up and peruse the interwebs for fun theories and content. Yet with the direction of Season 2, I have noticed... translating it no longer sparks joy as it once did. It is still good content, but not the one that made me lose my marbles, or perhaps I have simply gotten used to it?

Or perhaps, I simply just... lost the spark and drive I once had for it. And that is fine. Such is the beauty of what's fleeting, 物の哀れ if you will.

Translating Charisma House was, and will always, be a fun experience for me. I'm happy I took the risk, a mere amateur like I, to still translate it. I learned a lot, I laughed a lot, I shared a lot. I never thought I would translate drama tracks, or even still try with song lyrics (which I did give up on but alas). Besides this, I have also dabbled in subbing anime, I have even attempted manga translating. But at the end of the day I realized that what truly sparks joy, what actually is fun for me, for me is visual novel type content.

Not only that, I also want to translate because... I want to. Not because it is an obligation to give the people content. A few weeks ago, my favourite mobile game released an event with my two fave characters and I had so much fun working on it. I felt so excited with each phrase I translated, I couldn't wait to show this to people.

Even when I am thinking of an other mobile game that's coming out soon, all I can think of is "God, I cannot wait to share this with the masses! I have to! It's my duty as a human being!"

That feeling is, alas, what I have been lacking with Charisma House for a while. And that is when I should know better, and draw the line.

As I said, it is no longer fun.

Is it that serious? That I'm dropping a series that I have translated? No, probably not. Happens all the time, I'm sure there are others waiting in line to continue what I was doing, or maybe not. Who knows.

But to me, it is, and that's why I wanted to convey it in a long hefty post.

As closure, I will share some words of one of my favourite manga. Something I live by, and will for as long as possible.

"The world is filled to the brim with nice things... and all of them are carrying someone's intentions and feelings.

When those feelings get across and manage to make someone happy... I gain little pieces of confidence,

that I'll gather together and carry with me as I move on."

And I believe something like that, is only achievable when you do something that is fun, to you.

Thank you for reading, this post, and my translations. Thank you for being able to find enjoyment in Charisma House through my translations. This blog is not going anywhere and will stay up, of course. You will probably still see me around on my other ventures, just not here.

And never forget,

Rikai-kun is cute and he will always be.

Sayonara

[aishangotome]

Main Story Chapter 17-07: The Third Bang (第三声巨响) | Light  and Night 光與夜之戀

Chapter 17-05

♡———♡

I wrapped my coat tightly around me and walked home quickly. Suddenly, I felt a chill on the tip of my nose. I habitually looked up, but the night sky remained the same. It was just dew dripping from the leaves. It seemed... it had been a long time since it had rained.

Suddenly, a blurry figure appeared in my vision, falling from the sky and rushing straight towards me. I desperately urged my body to dodge back, and as soon as I took a step, crack - a baby bottle fell in front of me, shattering into pieces.

Thankfully, I reacted quickly, otherwise I might be in the hospital now. I glared angrily at the high-rise building, but there was nothing I could do about those who littered.

The young man standing not far away breathed a sigh of relief. He withdrew his hand and looked at the bottle on the ground, lost in thought.

*Visually at this part, the game briefly shows the boy Osborn, hinting that he was the young man in this sentence.

-

As I was nearing home, my phone suddenly vibrated.

It was the landlord. But today wasn't the day to pay the rent.

Landlord: Hello, young lady, I hope I'm not disturbing you this late?

You: I'm not asleep yet, Auntie. What can I do for you?

Landlord: I'm a little embarrassed to bring this up. I just wanted to ask, your lease has three months left, right?

You: Yes, I was just about to discuss renewing the lease with you.

Landlord: I'm sorry, but I'm not planning to rent out that apartment anymore.

Landlord: You see, my granddaughter is starting elementary school next year, and the school district for that apartment is better.

Landlord: So I was thinking of getting it back to renovate it, so it'll be convenient for us to move in later.

You: But the deposit--

Landlord: Don't worry, young lady. I'll give you a month to find a new place and pack up, okay?

Landlord: I won't charge you rent for this month, and I'll return your entire deposit, including the penalty fee. You won't lose a penny.

Landlord: It's late, so I won't keep you any longer. Get some rest. You young people shouldn't stay up too late.

All the troublesome things seemed to happen at once. It seemed like when you're unlucky, bad things happen one after another like dominoes, and you can only watch, anxious but unable to stop them.

You: Finding a new place, moving... another big project.

As I walked, I thought, maybe this was a good thing. Leaving here sooner meant starting over sooner.

But as I looked up towards home, there was an indescribable feeling of reluctance in my heart... This seemed to be the only connection left between him and me.

-

Returning home, it was already past eleven, but I still couldn't fall asleep. I simply sat on the sofa, gazing at the night view outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

Guangqi City was still bustling, sleepless, and brightly lit.

Despite not being a stranger, I didn't feel much sense of belonging to this city. That's why I chose this apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows, thinking that being in the midst of the hustle and bustle would make me feel less lonely. It did bring me a lot of comfort.

But at this moment, the scenery outside the window remained the same, yet the loneliness felt even greater. I sat there for a while, and in order to avoid overthinking, I decided to start organizing.

First, I needed to unpack the express deliveries I hadn't had time to open before. Many of them were daily necessities sent by Charlie. I picked up a fluffy toilet seat cover, originally intended for winter.

A transparent small bag, almost thrown away among the pile of cardboard boxes, was what I had just bought online to store the amulet given by Osborn, protecting it from getting dirty.

This fluffy earmuff was a gift from Sariel at the beginning of the year. This bunch of dried flowers was given by An An when I moved in. I made it into dried flowers because it was so beautiful.

The lumbar support pillow by the sofa was an entry gift for Tangyuan, which I hadn't had the chance to give him yet.

And there was the broken night light...

The packing boxes were filled to the brim, much more than when I moved here. Some things had never been used, while others were broken but I couldn't bear to throw them away.

It had only been a year, how did I accumulate so many belongings unknowingly?

Moving is probably the process of reorganizing life. Counting what you have, letting go of the broken things, or things that won't be useful in the new life.

Only in this way can we wholeheartedly move towards the next destination.

I took the night light out of the cardboard box and put it back on the table.

-

In the early hours of the morning, it finally started to rain, but it stopped quickly. The starlight was always hidden by the clouds, and even the neon lights reflected in the puddles on the ground were unusually dim.

Osborn stood downstairs at the girl's house, looking up at the lit window.

On his phone screen was a text message she had sent not long ago.

I've been on a business trip in a neighboring city and just returned to Guangqi. I was too busy and forgot to reply. I'm sorry.

He hadn't been home for several days, and when he inquired at Wan Zhen, he only got the reply that she was on a business trip.

But she didn't answer his calls or messages. He almost concluded that one of his old enemies had taken her away.

From that day on, everyone in his guild put down their tasks and searched for the girl with all their might.

Although there was clear video evidence showing that she was indeed on a business trip in the neighboring city, Osborn still sensed something fishy.

So these past few days, no matter how late it was, he would wait downstairs for the moment the light came on.

Before coming, he had already made up his mind that today was the last day. If the girl didn't come back, he would check each of his enemies one by one.

And now, the warm light made him breathe a sigh of relief. Suddenly remembering how Wen Wan always said he was paranoid, Osborn lowered his head slightly and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

If he hadn't been so lax before, she wouldn't have been captured by Zhao Ze. For the sake of the people he cared about, even being overly cautious was nothing wrong.

He sent a message to Wen Wan to stop the search.

-

Osborn entered the elevator as usual and pressed the button for the girl's floor. Now, he just wanted to hug her and smell her hair. Then tease her a little and see her flustered expression.

A mother and son also entered the elevator. The mother's hair was tied up in a bun, with a few strands falling loose, covering her tired eyes.

The boy, on the other hand, seemed to have endless energy, playing with his scooter in the small space, almost bumping into Osborn.

Passerby Mother: I'm so sorry!

Passerby Mother: I bought you the toy, can't you behave? Look at the time, no other child is as noisy as you.

The boy showed no sign of calming down. The scooter lunged forward, and the whirring sound of the wheels was especially loud in the small elevator.

Passerby Mother: If you keep this up, I'll send you back to your grandmother's.

Only then did the boy stop, tilting his head and glancing at his mother before obediently leaning against the wall.

The elevator quickly reached the girl's floor, and the door slowly opened, but Osborn stopped.

He hesitated for a moment, then ultimately didn't step out, simply pressing the close button.

-

Back downstairs, Osborn leaned against the railing, the image of the mother and son from the elevator constantly appearing in his mind.

A child disliked by his mother, a mother misunderstood by her child.

Another face suddenly appeared before him, a young and equally tired face. He wondered if she felt relieved when she let go of his hand.

He was the same, wasn't he? Always had been. Not used to reporting to others, not used to discussing with others, even less used to considering others' feelings. Always forceful, doing as he pleased without explanation.

But now it was different. The danger had passed, the night was deep, and all the care and closeness he thought he was giving without reservation might become unbearable pressure and burden for her in the future.

Osborn: I can't do this.

Knowing she's safe is enough.

He took out his phone, quickly deleted the words "I'm downstairs," and typed a goodnight message. Just as he sent it, Wen Wan's call came in.

Wen Wan: Brother Xiao, Y/N really came back?

Osborn: Yes. Everyone's been dismissed.

Wen Wan: Thank goodness, thank goodness! The brothers can finally get a good night's sleep tonight.

Wen Wan: I told you, you were overthinking it. It's been so long, why would they come after you for revenge now?

Wen Wan: Knowing it's you, they should be even more afraid.

These words made Osborn's heart stir, as if he realized something.

Right, just now an informant said they saw that person under the bridge on Pingnan Road.

Osborn held his phone and listened quietly, his brows gradually furrowing.

Wen Wan: There was a little problem. The person was clearly there just now, but in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

There were faint gasps in the background, and some sounds of directing a search not far away. Osborn immediately understood.

Osborn: You only tell me after you lose them, huh?

Wen Wan: Well... yeah. I thought it was just a kid, I should be able to handle it.

Osborn: I got it. Don't act rashly, I'll be right there.

Worried that his other self would do something out of control, Osborn quickly got on his motorcycle. Just as he was about to start it, he noticed a small snail crawling on the handlebar.

He gently pinched the thin shell with two fingers and placed it on the leaves of a nearby holly bush before turning to leave.

-

A few minutes later, he arrived at the bridge Wen Wan mentioned. A search yielded no results, but it wasn't entirely fruitless - from the traces, it could be seen that the person had just left.

Always one step behind. Although he had tried his best to suppress the other, a wisp of the other's soul still remained in his body. Once his mind relaxed, the other could sense his every move.

Wen Wan: We've guarded all the passages, how did he get away?

Wen Wan: And why does that person look exactly like you? Is there really such a talent in the world?

Osborn didn't answer immediately, his gaze fixed on the tunnel under the bridge, lost in thought.

He remembered the information he had received from Zhou Weicheng a while ago - the power of a god could change the body.

Escaping was easy for that person.

He inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, feeling an incomprehensible sense of relief in his heart.

As if he had hoped for his other self to escape repeatedly.

Wen Wan: Brother Xiao, trust me, next time I encounter him, I'll definitely catch him!

Wen Wan: But why don't you use the guild's system to find him? That would be much faster.

Osborn: You have ten thousand questions. Just let me know next time you see him.

Osborn: Where's the thing you were supposed to steal?

Wen Wan came back to his senses and quickly took out a folder from his bag, handing it to Osborn. Osborn opened it, quickly scanned it, and patted Wen Wan's head in satisfaction.

Wen Wan: Brother Xiao, you hit too hard.

Wen Wan: All the information is here.

Wen Wan: Luckily Brother Keyang helped me. The archive room has a new administrator, and now only the person in charge of the commission can see it.

Usually, after the guild accepted a commission, they would conduct a comprehensive investigation of the client and their family. Osborn carefully looked through these documents and found that the facts were as he had expected.

Although Merodach had forbidden him from taking on the case, he had privately investigated these shootings. All the victims were killed with a single shot, but each had multiple gunshot wounds.

He could almost determine it was revenge killing, not indiscriminate killing.

The murderer used the same type of bullet every time, seemingly not afraid of being caught; on the other hand, he was very cautious, leaving no fingerprints or other clues at the scene.

Osborn: McMillan Tac-50.

There's no need to use such a heavy weapon to snipe ordinary people, and these victims were all ordinary people without exception.

They had almost no common characteristics, so finding the connection between them was crucial.

Although a figure suddenly appeared in his mind after seeing the principal's name, he still needed more evidence to confirm it. After all, over the years, there were quite a few people who had grudges against that principal.

Osborn browsed through the victims' background information one by one. Except for the principal who used to be his enemy, the other victims had no connection to him.

And in the principal's life, only the period of teaching in middle school was written in great detail... Osborn stared at that passage, catching a hint of strangeness.

--This unusually detailed experience appeared very abruptly, almost as if it was deliberately trying to make him believe the authenticity of these files.

Osborn: Wen Wan, have these materials passed through anyone else's hands?

Wen Wan: No, I saw Brother Keyang steal them with my own eyes. What's wrong?

Osborn took out a metal box from his pocket, casually poured out a white candy-like object, and swallowed it.

He took the materials out of the folder, rolled them up, and stuffed them into his pocket, then threw the empty folder back into Wen Wan's arms.

Wen Wan: Aren't you going to return these? Last time I stole something, the boss made me clean the toilet. What if he makes me do it again this time...

Osborn: You should really think about how to deal with that.

Osborn: I have something else to do, gotta go.

Osborn nimbly got on his motorcycle and sped away.

Wen Wan: Brother Xiao, help me think of a way!

-

The motorcycle drove deep into a small alley in the city center, finally stopping in front of a shop with a "For Rent" sign. The doorway was covered in cobwebs, looking like it hadn't been taken care of for a long time.

Osborn pushed the door open and walked in, fiddling with the wall for a bit. The originally empty wall suddenly shifted, revealing a hidden door.

-

Osborn walked down the stairs until the faint light illuminated his vision again, and a bar appeared before him.

The rough wooden decor created a retro American country style, while the metal and leather accents added a touch of elegance to the space.

There were only a few customers scattered in the booths, quietly sipping wine or listening to the slow rock performance on stage.

The wooden door was pushed open, and several waiters turned their heads in unison.

When they saw who it was, they all showed surprised expressions.

Bartender A: Brother Xiao, why are you here?!

Bartender B: Hello, Brother Xiao!

Although he hadn't been back for a long time, Osborn skillfully walked through the crowd, nodding to them as a greeting.

Customer: Boss Xiao? It's really you.

A well-dressed middle-aged man in a booth stood up and walked towards Osborn with surprise.

Customer: Haven't seen you in ages. Being a race car driver is different, you've forgotten all of us old friends.

Osborn: How could I forget Boss Huang?

Osborn: Xiao Gu, open a bottle of wine. Tonight's bill is on me.

Osborn snapped his fingers at the waiter, and a bottle of golden liquor was quickly brought over on a metal tray.

The cork was popped, and the fragrant bubbles overflowed. Osborn poured himself a glass of wine and raised it to the other person.

Osborn: Cheers.

The glasses clinked, and Osborn raised his neck, drinking it all in one gulp.

Customer: Boss Xiao still has a good capacity for alcohol.

Osborn: I have something to do, enjoy yourself.

He patted the man's shoulder and turned to walk towards the back of the bar.

-

Passing through the staff lounge door, he continued walking, through the storage room, and finally arrived at the manager's office door.

The floor and walls were dark, hidden in large shadows.

The man sitting in the deepest part of the darkness was reading a book. Hearing the sound, he stood up alertly, and only relaxed when he saw who it was.

Zhou Weicheng: Osborn, why are you here? Have a seat.

He put down the book in his hand and gestured towards another sofa beside him. Osborn shook his head and stood against the wall.

Osborn: Are you used to it here? Has anyone given you trouble?

Zhou Weicheng: Everyone's been good, and no one's given me trouble. It's just that I've been troubling you, finding places for me and moving me around.

Zhou Weicheng: How long do I have to stay here?

Osborn: Not too long. As soon as there's a chance of being discovered, I'll find another place for you.

Zhou Weicheng sighed deeply.

Zhou Weicheng: I just feel useless.

Zhou Weicheng: I had already decided to risk my life for the truth, but in the end, I became a deserter just to survive.

Osborn: If the truth could be exchanged for life, I wouldn't stop you. But you know it's not possible. Only by living can there be a chance.

Zhou Weicheng: I understand everything you're saying. Don't worry, I won't be as impulsive as before.

Zhou Weicheng: You've already taken a big risk by arranging all this for me. I can't drag you down with me.

Zhou Weicheng raised his tired eyes and forced a smile at Osborn.

Zhou Weicheng: By the way, what did you come to see me for? Is it about him again?

Osborn nodded silently.

Osborn: You said before that he can know all my thoughts. I've been taking your medicine to suppress it, but the effect isn't ideal. I'm very passive.

Zhou Weicheng: After all, part of his soul is in your body. It's impossible to completely hide from him.

Osborn: A Taoist priest told me before that the two souls in my body are fighting each other.

Zhou Weicheng: Fighting?

Zhou Weicheng's eyes widened in shock, as if he hadn't expected the severity of the situation.

Zhou Weicheng: Do you have any discomfort in your body? Or any unexplained wounds?

Zhou Weicheng: We usually separate complete souls. Your situation is rare because we discovered side effects.

Zhou Weicheng: Souls separated from the same body often have empathy.

Zhou Weicheng: For example, if he gets hurt, you might feel pain too. Of course, this isn't 100%, the manifestation rate is about 60%.

Osborn was stunned for a moment, then nodded as if he understood something.

Zhou Weicheng was now even more anxious than Osborn. Obviously, Osborn had already developed empathy with the other half of the soul, but he had never mentioned it to anyone.

Zhou Weicheng: He hates us so much, and he's rejecting your soul. I should have thought of that.

Zhou Weicheng: If the two souls are in constant conflict and cannot merge, it will cause serious harm to the body.

Zhou Weicheng: In previous experiments, the mortality rate was 90%.

Zhou Weicheng: Plus, that soul has the power of a god. If it loses control, I really can't imagine what will happen.

Zhou Weicheng: Osborn, I'll try to find a way to relieve your pain with the least amount of harm.

Zhou Weicheng: But you must destroy him as soon as possible. The sooner he disappears, the safer you'll be.

Zhou Weicheng: If you don't trust me, you can destroy him yourself. Your power should be able to do it.

Osborn remained noncommittal, staring at the pattern on the floor, silent like a statue.

Zhou Weicheng stared at him anxiously, becoming increasingly impatient.

Zhou Weicheng: What are you worried about?

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Weicheng suddenly understood.

He remembered that the last time Osborn came to him, he had said that he didn't want to destroy the other half of the soul for the time being.

Zhou Weicheng: Don't you want to destroy him?

Osborn remained silent for a while before slowly nodding.

Zhou Weicheng looked at him in surprise, his heart filled with disbelief.

Back then at the academy, the young man was so resolute, determined to keep only the evil within himself. But now, he had become soft again, as if nothing had ever happened.

All your efforts, the sweat you shed, the choices you made, the immense pain you endured for it... You thought you had changed your fate, but in the end, nothing has changed. Zhou Weicheng suddenly felt the irony of fate towards people.

Zhou Weicheng: Osborn, he... is no longer you.

Osborn: I know.

Osobrn lowered his eyes, his thick eyelashes hiding a fleeting look of confusion.

Zhou Weicheng: If you can't bring yourself to do it, then I'll be the villain.

Osborn: Doctor, I am the villain, have you forgotten?

He curled his lips into a smile, seemingly trying to soothe the other's tension, but the air in the room remained heavy and suffocating.

Zhou Weicheng: Do you regret what happened back then?

Osborn: I wouldn't say regret.

Osborn: I just don't know how to give him up again.

Osborn: How did you feel when you sent that girl named Xiao Zhen away?

Zhou Weicheng: I felt that compared to Sun Taizhong or Lu Ting, I was the one who directly killed her.

Zhou Weicheng lowered his eyes.

Zhou Weicheng: I always stubbornly believed that as long as I could achieve my goal, the cost didn't matter.

Zhou Weicheng: But she would cry, she would laugh, she would call me uncle. She was a living person, not a container. I had no right to make decisions for her.

Zhou Weicheng: That girl was right, I was blinded by hatred. If I had been more clear-headed, Xiao Zhen might still be alive.

Zhou Weicheng: I used the sacrifice of others to maintain my hypocritical justice.

Osborn looked at Zhou Weicheng indifferently, then turned to look at the sealed window.

Silence filled the room for a while.

He moved his lips, his voice a little hoarse.

Osborn: When we first met, he said something to me.

Osborn: He said I was actually inferior and cowardly. Whenever something failed, I would always only look for the reason within myself.

Osborn: I felt that it was all because of him that I ended up like that.

Osborn: Maybe, at that time, all that was left was self-esteem, so I couldn't lose anything else.

Osborn: I thought that getting rid of him would give me absolute control over the outside world, and things would get better.

Osborn: But in the end, it took me even longer to coexist peacefully with this half of the soul in my body.

As if making a decision, Osborn withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhou Weicheng.

Osborn: He was right, there are very few things I can truly control.

Osborn: For so many years, I never faced him directly, which was actually refusing to admit that I was wrong.

Osborn: Abandoning him was my choice, I don't regret it, but I have to take responsibility for the consequences now.

Zhou Weicheng looked at him with heartache.

Unknowingly, the young man in front of him seemed to have grown and changed a lot, but he still hadn't let go of himself.

Zhou Weicheng: Actually, there's another way to not destroy him. As long as you can suppress him, I'll also try to find a way to make him go back to sleep.

Osborn: What if I can't suppress him?

Zhou Weicheng: Then your body will be controlled by him, and you'll become a bystander. No, it's still too risky.

Zhou Weicheng: He has the bloodline of a god and is exceptionally gifted. Once he returns to his original body, we don't know what price we'll have to pay to suppress him.

Osborn: Go on.

Zhou Weicheng paused, looking into Osborn's eyes, and finally sighed.

Zhou Weicheng: The paper you brought last time, it had the teacher's handwriting on it.

As he spoke, he opened a drawer and took out the yellowed paper covered in letters.

He didn't notice Osborn's back suddenly tensing up, various emotions flashing in his eyes, before he simply smiled silently.

Zhou Weicheng: It's about the soul separation technique, the method of transforming humans into blood clan containers.

Zhou Weicheng: Actually, we also developed a way to reverse it back then. But before we could test it, the teacher disappeared.

Zhou Weicheng: After I brought Xiao Zhen and the others out, I tried it, but because their transformation failed, I could only prolong their lives.

Zhou Weicheng: But you're different. I think it might succeed with you.

Osborn: Soul fusion?

Zhou Weicheng: You were originally one.

Osborn: Will he still have his own consciousness?

Zhou Weicheng shook his head.

Osborn's eyes darkened, his lips gradually pressing into a line.

Osborn: A while ago, Y/N saw him. In her words, he was living like an ordinary person.

Osborn: It's like... another me in a parallel universe. I can't just treat him as half of myself.

Zhou Weicheng: Don't blame yourself so much. You had no choice back then. In that situation, there was no right or wrong decision.

Zhou Weicheng: Don't carry so much guilt, your life will be very tiring.

Osborn: But now I have a choice, and I don't want to make the wrong one again.

Osborn: Do you have a way to make him completely unaware of my thoughts?

Zhou Weicheng frowned, about to shake his head in denial, but suddenly paused, as if he had thought of something.

But at the same time, the lines between his brows deepened.

Osborn: You do.

Zhou Weicheng: This can't be considered a solution.

Osborn: Say it.

Zhou Weicheng fell silent, their gazes locked in a silent interrogation within the narrow space. Eventually, Zhou Weicheng couldn't resist Osborn's determination to get to the bottom of it.

Zhou Weicheng: Separate the soul that belongs to him.

Time seemed to pause for a moment, the room falling into a deathly silence, even the ticking of the wall clock fading away.

Zhou Weicheng: I'll say it again, this is not a solution at all.

Zhou Weicheng: The risk is too great. No one can withstand multiple soul separations. Especially since his soul is still fighting against yours.

Zhou Weicheng: You will die.

Zhou Weicheng: But you're different now. You're the support of many people.

Zhou Weicheng glanced meaningfully towards the door of the manager's office.

Zhou Weicheng: I heard them say that if it weren't for you taking them in, they would have nowhere to go and might have starved to death.

Zhou Weicheng: And that girl. I can see you care about her a lot. She definitely wouldn't want you to take risks.

Osborn's face was instantly filled with tenderness, his hand unconsciously reaching for his chest, clutching the necklace.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

It was as if time had rewound eight years, or perhaps time hadn't moved at all, and they were forever faced with the same choice.

Zhou Weicheng couldn't help but look at Osborn. He was still the same child tortured by his own kindness, always giving in time and again. But fate also kept playing tricks on him.

Zhou Weicheng couldn't understand why good and evil were always undergoing drastic transformations. He even had a premonition that the nightmare would repeat itself.

Osborn: I understand.

Osborn stood up but didn't take a step.

Osborn: Don't tell Y/N about these things.

Osborn: She wouldn't want me to take risks, but no matter what decision I make, she will definitely support me, even if she's unwilling in her heart.

Osborn: So, don't tell her.

Zhou Weicheng nodded in agreement.

Osborn: Get some rest, I'll consider your suggestion.

Osborn turned and walked towards the door, but paused just as he was about to step out.

Osborn: Actually, there are always two voices in my heart, one hoping he disappears completely.

Osborn: But the other voice keeps telling me that abandoning him would make me the person I hate the most.

-

In a small alley not far from the bar, a security officer was conducting routine night patrols.

The man complained about his job while counting the crumpled bills in his hand, the protection fee he had just collected from a small vendor.

At this moment, a rhythmic crisp sound came from ahead, one after another, quite strange.

He adjusted the baton at his waist and tiptoed towards the source of the sound.

As he got closer, the sound became clearer, and he finally recognized it as the sound of a ping pong ball hitting the ground.

In the dim light, a hooded teenager was standing in front of a house, his back facing him.

The figure was bouncing a ping pong ball on the ground.

Security Officer: Hey, you, turn around.

The teenager seemed to not hear his voice and continued to bounce the ping pong ball in his hand.

Security Officer: I'm talking to you, do you hear me? What school are you from? Why are you still out this late?

He impatiently walked forward and slapped the teenager's shoulder hard.

The next moment, he fell on his back, a ping pong ball-sized black hole left in the palm of the hand that had touched the teenager's shoulder.

Patting the nonexistent dust off his shoulder, the teenager opened the door of the house and walked in.

He decided to find a house for himself, and this place happened to be unoccupied.

-

He thought that if Y/N came to find him in the future, he needed a place to stay. The warehouse was too dirty and would stain her clothes.

Without bothering to turn on the lights, he went straight to the bathroom, wringing out a towel and carefully wiping the shoulder that had been touched.

Then he wiped the coat rack clean and hung up his coat. Bored, he took out his phone and repeatedly looked at the text messages exchanged with Y/N.

Yes, she still remembered him and might come to find him anytime.

Would she like his new place? ... He couldn't contain his anticipation and smiled.

-

Outside the wall, in a corner at the end of the alley, Yuan Hao looked at the unconscious security officer lying on the ground, feeling a deep sense of terror.

If he had originally only wanted to use him, now he felt it was beyond his capabilities.

After hesitating for a while, he finally mustered up the courage and knocked on the door.

The door opened with a click, and the teenager's indifferent face appeared behind it, the ping pong ball rhythmically hitting the ground as he tossed it.

(Osborn) Boy: It's you again.

Afraid that he would be rejected again, Yuan Hao took a step forward.

Yuan Hao: I know you're Osborn.

Yuan Hao: You're half of Osborn's soul.

(Osborn) Boy: Did Sheng Shan tell you that?

Yuan Hao was so surprised that he couldn't speak. He even knew that he belonged to the Lian Shan Society.

But at this point, there was no point in denying it. If he wanted to cooperate with him, he had to show sincerity.

So Yuan Hao slowly nodded.

Yuan Hao: I want to cooperate with you.

The teenager tilted his head, leaning against the door frame and looking at him sideways.

Yuan Hao: My brother was killed by Yuda Academy, but for so many years he's only been a name, one of the 89 victims.

Yuan Hao: But that person is living well, better than anyone else. Don't you think it's unfair?

(Osborn) Boy: You're not capable enough, so you want to use my hand to deal with him?

(Osborn) Boy: You should go beg the Lian Shan Society, power is the best weapon.

The blunt words seemed to hit Yuan Hao's sore spot, causing a flash of anger on his face.

Yuan Hao: It's useless. Sun Taizhong is dead, he can take all the blame.

Yuan Hao: The public just wants an explanation. Once they get it, the Yuda Academy incident will be completely over.

Yuan Hao: The Lian Shan Society won't avenge me alone. In the end, I'm just their pawn, to be discarded at will.

Yuan Hao: My brother's little life means nothing to them.

Yuan Hao: No matter how big the fuss, there's always a time when people forget. I've seen it clearly.

Yuan Hao: So you're my savior. I swear, I'll never betray you like he did!

Hearing the familiar words, the teenager straightened up with interest.

(Osborn) Boy: But I'm also Osborn, your enemy. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you right now?

Yuan Hao: You won't. You're different.

Yuan Hao's eyes flashed with a burning light, as if hatred was burning.

Yuan Hao: That Osborn, as a survivor, has no remorse at all and lives with a clear conscience.

Yuan Hao: Why? He doesn't even stand up to expose the evil.

Yuan Hao: But us, the families of the victims, have to bear the pain of losing our loved ones for the rest of our lives.

Yuan Hao: But you're different. You did what we wanted to do but didn't dare to do, like... a god.

The teenager looked at him thoughtfully, examining the overflowing admiration in his expression.

He had seen the same light in others' eyes more than once, and could vaguely feel them placing something on him, but it only made him feel more lost.

(Osborn) Boy: God?

Yuan Hao nodded without hesitation.

(Osborn) Boy: Have you seen one?

Yuan Hao: No. But I think a god should be like you. Not caring about anything, not afraid of death, absolutely fair to everyone.

He spoke with such certainty and conviction, but the teenager had lost interest in listening.

(Osborn) Boy: One last question, why not seek revenge directly from the Blood Clan? You should know they are the real culprits.

Yuan Hao opened his mouth but no sound came out, his face flushing red.

Yuan Hao: I will, it's just a matter of timing. I'll take revenge on them one by one. Osborn is the first.

The teenager stared at his face, saying nothing. Yuan Hao interpreted this noncommittal behavior as tacit approval and eagerly presented his plan.

Yuan Hao: I know Osborn cares deeply about a woman. If something happened to her, Osborn would go crazy.

Yuan Hao: He's never lost anything, he should taste that feeling too.

(Osborn) Boy: No wonder you've achieved nothing so far, you're so stupid.

(Osborn) Boy: I'll only say this once, don't go near her.

The door was slammed shut in front of him.

He knew this kind of person too well. They didn't truly seek justice for their deceased loved ones. Perhaps they did at the beginning, but over time, jealousy replaced anger, and embarrassment replaced grief.

They couldn't believe that others could endure it, nor could they accept that they couldn't. So they desperately tried to drag those who had endured it down, to prove that everyone was living just as badly, but they didn't have the courage to target the real enemy.

Yuan Hao stood dumbfounded outside the door, not understanding why the teenager had refused.

Perhaps he had his own considerations. A person as powerful as a god should make the best decision, Yuan Hao thought to himself, nodding silently.

Just as he thought this, the door in front of him suddenly opened again.

(Osborn) Boy: Dispose of the body at the door.

Yuan Hao: What do you mean?

(Osborn) Boy: Didn't you say you wanted to cooperate with me?

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Chapter 17-09

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