#workable

[gunpowdercarousel]

I don't need therapy I need rabid gay people freaking out in my inbox

[queenoftheimps]

Just imagining the heart-eyes Armand would make if he ever gets with Daniel and tries referring to him as "maître" only to have that old man screaming NO ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOT

[dork-a-doodle]

i'm quite interesting on your depictions of the axes

Well then have I got a gift for you!

The thing about the axes is that we don’t have their Light World counterparts, so we have to extrapolate them based on their descriptions.

The 2 common theories I’ve seen for their counterparts is toothbrush (Mane Axe + Brave Axe) and electric toothbrush (Auto Axe) or hair brush (Mane Axe), hair comb (Brave Axe), and hair clippers (Auto Axe). As you can see I’ve gone for the latter, however swapping the hair comb out for a pair of scissors, mostly cuz I couldn’t for the life of me make the comb look good as an axe. Trust me, I tried.

And naturally we have even less to go on for the Devilsknife counterpart, and I wanna hold off any personal speculation until Kris gets a Secret Boss Weapon[tm] as a point of reference.

The Swords - The Twisted Sword - The Scarfs - The Rings

[sesamenom]

merglor, because if ulmo can turn elwing into a bird he can definitely turn sad beach hermit maglor into a fish

i forgot it was may oops

version showing the fish-body gradient / flat color version

some quick doodles/tail reference

[tobiasdrake]

Sarcastic Jest: Live-action Dragon Ball movie but it's in the style of the first Sonic film. Ostensibly about Goku, the plot is really about this non-superpowered everyman figure whose life Goku crashes into. I dunno, let's call him Bob.

Bob and Goku go off together in search of the Dragon Balls while also trying to solve Bob's relatable everyman problems. Bob has to teach Goku how to be civilized and Goku drags Bob into wacky adventures all the while the two are gradually learning to appreciate and care about--

Brain: Wait, aren't you just describing Bulma?

Me: ..............................................................oh my god.

[notbecauseofvictories]

god fucking bless air conditioning. my god. in the past six months I have Heroically put up with central heating that refused to work for 24 hours, and (also Heroically) put up with a/c that refused to work for 24 hours, and let me tell you. one of those 24 hours was a lot longer than the other.

[ofliterarynature]

Oh nooooo, I think my library cut the number of holds I'm allowed to have on Libby :(

[themirokai]

I’m poking at the idea of doing a Jeeves and Wooster fic and I know that getting Bertie’s voice right would be challenging. So at 3am when I couldn’t sleep I was going through one of the recent stories from the substack and copying down words and phrases he uses that could be inspirational. And then I fell asleep.

And that is why when I woke up this morning and opened my phone, I was greeted by a screen that said

Topping.

[unpretty]

Kink taxonomy hell: Trying to find fics where the less powerful partner is the one pushing for it while the more conventionally powerful partner has a boatload of complicated feelings including guilt about it. Also kink exploration that appeals to my kinky demi ass. I love kink and can live with or without sex. I still enjoy the fics but it's so much more fun when I can get deep inside the characters heads, why and how they like it. Their insecurities and anxieties, the yearning~!~

oh that's a good one

[hungrydogs-if]

if there was any doubt on how much i adore my friend's light-novel-slash-daydreaming-shenanigans-turned-interactive-fiction, then doubt no more because the one hour i had between work and must-get sleep, i done sketched. i love my silly boys. infatuated by each and every one. wanna smooch. hold my hand during cqb <3 (spoiling stuff with permission!!)

[alicedrawslesmis]

my mom (set designer) just got a call from a guy being like 'I'm working on an opera for the Municipal Theatre (huge theatre) and we want to do a big showstopping set for it, have you seen Les Miserables?'

[landwriter]

Talk about sandman WIPs you say? 👀 Your porn AU and San Francisco gays still live in my head rent freeeeeee ❤️

Pella! I'm glad Professional Fuckers lives rent free in your head because I definitely forgot it existed. In spite of this, I am somehow still confident I'll actually finish and post it one day. It's just so easy and refreshing to write a setting purely from experience. Still needs several more scenes but I know the whole shape of it.

I think there's a lot of really fun potential to be mined from indie porn in a rom-com sort of story: you have this professional physical intimacy that can mean absolutely nothing, an intimacy that is itself altered and shaped by the demands of performing for a camera, by the visual and literal language of any given shoot genre; but separately to that, there's this variable of the chemistry you have with them, as colleagues, as co-performers, and of course, though somehow least significantly, as people fucking. The chemistry that plays out on screen does not always track onto the chemistry you feel with someone. So there's this, I think, super funny territory you can get into, where you've just fucked someone, and the prescient question of did we make something good and the vain little one of was I good, did you like that are entirely separate. But imagine the urge to ask when you're doing something you've never done before.

Imagine, too, nursing a crush on somebody and still not being sure if they like you like you in spite of fucking them in shoots all afternoon and pretending to be in a relationship for half of those. Imagine doing all this demanding, intimate work with a near-stranger, and then making friendly small talk after because outside of this work you hardly know each other. Imagine feeling like there's something there, beneath all the performance, and the commingled horror of crossing professional boundaries--of finding out your co-performer is just so good that they sold the story you were telling together to you too, without meaning any of it--and the desire to find out how good it could be with the cameras off. No awkward blocking, no performing, no story, nothing: an entirely novel, unprofessional, and maybe even more intimidating kind of fucking altogether.

That's what this setting is all about. In the spirit of that, have a mildly NSFT scene ft. Dream sucking cock for the first time while on a shoot, and Hob making a suggestion after.

[ask me anything]

“Dream,” says Hob. “Dream, please, I’m gonna cum, oh, fuck.”

He looks up at Hob, jaw afire, and Hob swears and twitches and comes in his mouth. Dream swallows it without thinking of making a show of it, just swallows and swallows and pulls off, panting. He doesn’t realize how swollen his lips are until Hob traces them with a warm thumb, and murmurs, wow, so low it’s surely not for the cameras, more a breath than a word.

“Was I good?” he asks. His voice is fucked out and low and Hob laughs breathlessly as he tucks himself in.

“Yeah. Yeah, shit, you were good, baby. So good for me.” He looks down at Dream with undisguised lust. “M’gonna want this all the time now.”

Dream doesn’t know what to say, so he just stares up at Hob, until Hob smiles and shifts to sit up. “Great,” he says, in a normal tone, the scene sloughing off him. “Happy with that?”

“Was it enough time?” Dream asks.

“Oh, yeah. We’re probably at thirteen, fourteen minutes. I know you only wanted ten but I didn’t want to tread on perfectly good footage and say something.”

Dream can’t conceal his surprise that it’s been so long already. Hob takes it as skepticism and laughs. “No, you can check, but I’m like a fucking egg timer. It’s my party trick on shoots.” He stands and goes over to his camera, squinting at the display. “Yes! Thirteen twenty-nine,” he announces triumphantly, and turns it off. “Right,” he says, all business when he turns back to Dream. “Water and onto the next?”

Dream, still kneeling, awkwardly stands. “Yes,” he says, and clears his throat when it comes out rough. “Yeah, sure.”

Was I good? Truly? Hob is so good at inhabiting someone else that Dream isn’t sure. He would cover it up well if it was bad. “That’ll sell well,” he says, as neutrally as he can.

Hob takes the bait and grins at him. “Oh, definitely. That was perfect. You were great.” Then he takes in Dream and frowns. “Hey, do you want to, ah?”

Dream realizes he’s still painfully hard. Hob is grimacing down at his tented jeans. The moment of satisfaction is popped like a soap bubble. He adjusts himself, feeling his face heat. “Sorry,” he mutters.

“Oh, fuck, don’t be sorry. Always good to know I’m not repulsive. I meant, do you want to deal with it now since you didn’t come?”

Dream glances toward the guest bedroom, unable to believe Hob is actually propositioning him. Unable to believe the yes that offers itself at once. Hob continues. “My facial shoot, later? Could just switch things around and get it done now if you’re ready to go.”

“Of course,” says Dream, magnanimously. Of course that’s what Hob meant.

[mossiestpiglet]

[ID: a white and pink cross stitch cat paw. End ID]

Got in the spirit of crafting the day, not sure whether to turn it into a pin or a magnet tho. Will make an orange and black one soon too!

[reborrowing]

guess I can unhide kayla on artfight now

[serpentface]

I’ve been on a gemology kick lately; so-if you feel up to it-I’d love to learn which precious and semiprecious stones occur in Imperial Wardin, and which species are considered the most valuable. Are any stones associated with specific faces of God, or otherwise carry spiritual or superstitious connotations?

Just in general, the traditional medicine practice here ascribes a spiritual Essence to each type of matter (minerals, metals, plants, different types of water, different body parts from different animals, etc) which plays into how it can or cannot be used for healing. So most commonly occurring stones are going to have Some associations Somewhere, but for a lot of them it's just going to be like 'worn around the hips in a sachet it will reduce stomach aches' or etc.

Here's a few of the big ones I've had at least partly established though (some of these are metals but bear with me)

Meteroric iron can be found in fairly large quantities here (due to the ancient impact that left the Sons Of Creation crater lake) and is considered to be the physical remnants of God's blood shed in the act of creation. This is THE holiest naturally occurring material, as it is the only substance that is regarded as being a discrete part of God's original, LIVING body (the whole World is Its dead body) and the blood is the carrier of living spirit, one of two types of soul in each body. Meteor iron is essentially God's soul in physical form.

This substance has the most severe doctrinal restrictions surrounding its use. Actual modification of meteoric iron and use of objects made from it (knives scepters etc) is considered reserved to priests and royalty, and violations can be punished very severely (though in practice this is very, very difficult to enforce outside of thefts of known meteoric iron objects, as they aren't visually distinct from other iron objects). Touching this iron is strictly forbidden for any person considered to be ritually unclean (whether as a temporary or permanent state).

Its most ubiquitous use is in the form of sacrificial blades, which are only considered legitimate when made of this substance. It's also used to make cult icons. The temple at the Sons of Creation (which is a general pilgrimage destination and the site of the annual dry season human sacrifice) holds a fairly large meteoric iron sculpture of God in Its primordial form. This cult object is venerated year round, and carried out of the temple during the offering to 'receive' the sacrifice (which signifies the completion of the annual cyclings of God's living spirit). This icon is wholly forbidden to touch for everyone but the human sacrifice themself, who lays their hands on its forehead while their throat is cut.

As a physical relic of God's original body, it's not considered uniquely related to any of the Faces but in practice is associated with Mitlamache (itself partly associated with blood and sacrifice). Galenii have their ears pierced and stretched and wear bands of meteor iron as a marker of service, and the great temple to Mitlamache in Ephennos has a large, unmodified chunk of meteor iron as a cult object that is permitted to be touched by worshippers.

---

Lapis lazuli is one of the other discrete remnants of God's physical body (in this case one of three horns) though it lacks the nigh-untouchable Holy status due to being a post-death relic.

It's called 'blue moonstone' and believed to be pieces of the 'blue moon' (which isn't like, really blue, but has a slight bluish tinge). There is no Bad Place afterlife in this religion (the bad afterlife is being stuck as an earthbound ghost), but the proper afterlife is divided into three lunar lands, with the most honored dead going to those of this blue moon. This stone has particular associations with concepts of honor, piety, and physical/spiritual purity.

Deep blue colors tend to be associated with wealth and royalty, and lapis has taken on this association as well. The double-viper scepter carried by the Usoma has lapis lazuli insets for eyes and scales, and the post-cremation skulls of royalty are given a lapis crown before interment. In conjunction, lapis has gained more recent associations with the face Kusomache as the protector of royalty, and it's utilized as offerings in rites intended to bless them.

It's also among the most valued stones in general for its beauty, used in jewelry, pigments, sculpture, and very expensive blue eyeliner.

Moonstone and selenite are associated with the other two moons (the largest in the sky and the smallest respectively) and are the other two stones considered to be discrete bodily relics of God (from its other two sets of horns).

All three of these 'moonstones' are involved in funerary rites. The dead may have one of these stones placed in their hands before cremation. Dogs killed at funerals to serve as guides are encouraged to sniff these stones before their death, in order to have the scent of the lunar lands and better lead the deceased. Neither aspect is considered a hard Requirement to get the dead safely onwards, but its an additional level of failsafe.

All three are considered sacred to the Face Kusomache (rather than the more obvious lunar Mitlamache) due to their heavy association with death and the afterlife. Moonstone and selenite in particular are likened to the light from the moons and stars, and transparent selenite is used by astrologers as a lens, under the belief that it exposes subtle nuances in the light and movement of heavenly bodies. Folk belief holds that you can see ghosts by looking through selenite.

All three have some restrictions surrounding their use, but not nearly as severe as those of meteor iron. Anyone can use, wear, and modify these stones, but touching them in a ritually impure state is taboo. Some folk beliefs hold that a woman who touches any moonstone while menstruating will be cursed with barrenness, miscarriages, or death.

---

Opal is heavily associated with rainbows (and rain by extension), and is considered sacred to the Face Anaemache. It is appreciated for its beauty and ascribed as having positive medicinal qualities for female fertility when worn. Broad folk belief holds that opal forms where a rainbow touches the ground, or that its a solidified drop of rain that has fallen through a rainbow.

Some South Wardi folk practices retain older Wardinae beliefs in the sky-serpent deity that physically brings the rains (often conceptualizing it as a lesser spirit that serves the Face Anaemache) and consider opals to be pieces of its shed scales. These sects share a nearly identical practice with the Cholemdinae people in using opals to both summon and repel the sky serpent as needed. A serpent effigy stitched from cloth with an opal sewn into the head can be used as the focal point for these rites. The serpent can be summoned by singing a coullagri (summoning prayer) to the effigy as it's carried into the village or crops, and providing the effigy offerings of food and drink to welcome it. In years of damaging and excessive rain, the sky-serpent is driven off with a decisively more high-energy rite where the effigy bearer runs around with the cloth serpent while others chase it, chide it for its laziness (just sitting in one place instead of bringing the rains everywhere like God intended), yell at it, whack it with flyswatters, etc, until it is carried out of the village.

---

Rubies have are considered sacred stones to the face Inyamache and have strong associations with the sun, male vitality, and bravery.

They're ascribed positive medicinal qualities for male fertility and health when worn. Folk belief holds that a man clasping a ruby in one hand during sex will guarantee any resulting offspring to be male, though sources disagree on Which hand this is exactly.

Rubies have some involvement in warrior culture. Ruby-adorned khattanocuy (the khaitsmane tassels ornaments you see on the front of some characters' belts) are awarded for displays of valor, and most ceremonial weapons are decorated with ruby insets.

The (wholly mythological) spear of the culture-hero Erub is said to have had a head made entirely of ruby. It's described in texts as being given to him by (the old solar deity reinterpreted as) Inyamache, so sharp and strong that it could fly clean through a khait's body, and to 'drink the blood of its victims' (which may have been meant literally). It's widely believed that this was a real artifact, was stolen by Burri soldiers during the first period of occupation, and is now hidden somewhere in the flooded ruins of Old Bur.

Rubies aren't very well distinguished from the similar looking spinel and garnet, and the three together are usually referred to under the same name.

---

Silver is regarded for its beauty and thought to have purifying/protective medicinal and apotropaic qualities. It is thought to assist in expelling disease-causing dagi spirits from the body, and is both worn and ingested as a medical treatment. High quality protective phallus/skimmer woman amulets tend to be made from silver to add Extra Protection, and drinking/eating from silver dishware is thought to help eliminate poisons.

Some folk traditions consider touching silver to be a replacement for water ablutions, though this is doctrinally condemned.

---

Pearl is very similar to silver, highly regarded for its beauty, believed to have purifying and protective qualities, and sometimes being ingested medicinally. Most non-blue pelatoche eye amulets are made of pearl (or mother of pearl in some cases). It is considered sacred to the face Pelennaumache and is a key offering to this deity-aspect.

A very widespread folk belief holds that drinking while holding a pearl under the tongue prevents intoxication. This is hard to confirm or deny, as people drinking heavily with a pearl under the tongue have a tendency of accidentally swallowing said pearl in the process

---

[allhailnarusama]

More Mai and Katara friendship in Zutara fics please (there's probably lots I'm just lazy -wheeze-) (optional Ty Lee included)

I'm looking for Katara helping Mai open up and Mai showing Katara how to better aim with her ice and maybe teach her to use knives. Their friendship growing so much that when Zuko and Katara do get together that Mai actually tells Zuko not to fuck it up or she'll be on his ass about it.