#over there... like 20ft away

[justmusings]

fun date idea: investigate a murder together in a sketchy back alley and take a lunch break at the crime scene <3

(characters from @doriana-gray-games An Affair of the Heart)

[chibelial]

I’ll always find it funny that an effective f2p training method for magic is just teleporting to the city you’re already in over and over, imagine just being a towne guard or merchant out in the square, maybe even a mercenary or knight coming through town, and you just. See this Wizard raising his arms before collapsing into a shrinking sphere of purple light only to reappear like 20ft away, only to then repeat the action again and again. You’d be like wtf are you trying and failing to do?? And they’d respond “oh, nothing, this is just extremely efficient practice at non combative magic”

[m4ttsturn]

my brother's best friend (part 2)

Pt 1 Pt 3 Pt 4

pairing: Matt Sturniolo x y/n

summary: you find yourself falling for your brother's best friend

warnings: swearing, mentions of losing virginity

a/n: the first part is just the first day you met Matt, so you really don't have to read it. hope you enjoy (not proofread)

· · ─── ·𖥸· ─── · ·

(now)

"hey," Nate knocks on my door, "we're all going to the beach, you wanna come?" "sure, who all is going?" I ask him "it's Me, Nick, Matt, Chris, and you can invite a couple of your friends if you want" he responds. "ok, just give me like 25 minutes and we can head out" he nods and leaves the room.

I get up and call my friend Quinn, telling her to meet me at the beach. After I get off the phone I put on my bikini and a set of clothes over it. In a bag I pack a towel, sunscreen, my hairbrush, sunglasses, and a claw clip. I slip on a pair of tennis shoes and leave my bedroom.

"Nate I'm ready to go" he gets up from the couch and grabs his keys off the table. "alright, let's go". I hop into the passenger seat of his car, plugging my phone into the aux. we chat lightly, music filling whatever silence there may be as we make our way to the beach.

Once we arrive the triplets are already there, walking up to Nate's car. "dude what took you so long?" Matt questions. "sorry man I had to wait on y/n to get ready", they all turn to me and I just shrug. they all make their way down to the beach, caught up in their own conversation. Nick turns around once he realizes that I'm not following. "Yo y/n, you comin'?" "I'll meet you guys down there, I'm waiting on Quinn" he nods, giving me a small wave goodbye before turning back around and catching up to the others.

it takes about 5 minutes for Quinn to get here, she walks over to me and we start making our way to the beach. once we get there we lay our towels down on the sand next to where the boys set their stuff, and take off our cover clothing. my eyes find Matt, watching as he takes off his shirt, the sun perfectly illuminating his skin. my heart flutters.

"y/n, are you even listening to me" Quinn asks. I turn my head to hers, snapping out of the moment. "uh- what, sorry" "I was saying that its crazy you're 18 and still haven't lost your virginity" my face flushes at her comment "I know, I know, I just haven't been interested in anyone really" "the only reason you're not interested in anybody is because you've had a crush on Matt since like 7th grade" she practically screams. "Quinn!" I push her gently "keep your voice down" I look at her, and then look to Matt, only to find him already staring at me.

"fuck, I think he heard you" I speak, "no way he did, he's literally 20ft away from us" she sighs "look all I'm saying is if your so hung up on him, just ask him to take it. He's been with girls before, so you know he has experience, and he's hot". I whip my head towards her as she's speaking. I think for a moment then I shake my head, "Quinn, you know I can't do that, he's one of Nate's best friends" I say defeated.

our conversation changes, bouncing from topic to topic as the hours pass by. we continue to lay on our towels, the warm sun tanning our skin. the feeling calms me, lulling me to sleep. When I'm woken up, Matt's running towards the water with me in his arms. "Matt what the fuck, put me down" I scream at him. "if you say so" he smiles before dropping me into the water. "this is so uncool" I try to be mad at him but I just end up laughing, he laughs with me.

not long after, something grazes my leg "something just touched me!" I jump onto Matt, attempting to get away from it. "chill out y/n, it's just seaweed" he laughs. once I realize that I'm not in any danger, I take in my sudden closeness to Matt. my legs are around his waist, and my arms are wrapped tightly over his shoulders. I blush at the feeling of our bodies pressed together, I look into Matt's eyes, glancing down at his lips quickly before looking back up.

Matt also seems to notice how close we are and he stops laughing. he looks down at me, licking his lips, before looking over my shoulder. Nate is standing a few feet away from us with his back turned. he sets me down gently before turning away and running his hand down his face.

"sorry, I probably shouldn't have jumped on you like that, I was just scared" I attempt to apologize, wanting to get rid of the tension that's now formed between us. "it's alright, wouldn't want anything happening to Nate's little sister." he gives me a half-smile.

his words hit me like a slap to the face, reminding me that I shouldn't have feelings towards one of Nate's best friends. "uh, I'm gonna go grab some snacks, you want any?" I ask, trying to rid myself of the pit that's begun to form in my stomach. Matt shakes his head. I nod, turning to get out of the water. once I make it to the sand, I glance back at Matt, only to see him watching me. he seems to snap out of it, shaking his head to himself as he walks over to Nate and his brothers.

· · ─── ·𖥸· ─── · ·

a/n: I'm not sure how I feel about this part tbh

[moonsglare]

I‘M HERE I‘M HERE WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN ACTOR ARLE

okay so disclaimers first this is somewhat joint brainrot with @/sea-lanterns and also within the context of selfshipping instead of being a real standalone au so this is just going to be a lot of sevchino yappery dhskfjdh ok disclaimers over

like i mentioned in the masterpost arle is an actress who primarily sort of "specialises" in more dramatic roles like suspense, thriller and psychological stuff. she has this aura about her that lends itself well to playing villains or antiheroes or any role that involves really digging deep into the head of a character who might not be exactly "good". she's a very well-established figure in the film industry, with an oscar, emmy and golden globe to her name. the only one she's missing is a tony, but arle doesn't do broadway theatre.

arle was initially a child actor under hearth ent. and starred in a few horror movies as a side character, before she took a hiatus at around age 16. when she turned 17 the director of hearth ent. was arrested for an absolute laundry list of crimes which include child abuse. arle only came back to acting at around age 21 under fatui ent., landing a big role in a thriller film as the main antagonist, the enraged spirit of a murdered child seeking revenge on the perpetrators and the people who stood by and watched. the movie was an absolute runaway hit and propelled arle's career further than anyone really expected. despite the movie's success arle is the most guarded about it in interviews, not really elaborating on her thought process and feelings during filming leading many to believe it was a sort of catharsis for her following the scandal that broke out with the former director of hearth ent., but this is just pure speculation.

the movie achieved such success that arle gained somewhat of a cult following, which still follow her to this day now that she's in her early 40s. despite this, arle is still a very private individual. she doesn't have any personal social medias, only official ones managed by fatui ent, and a lot of the stuff her fans know about her only come from official interviews or comments from her colleagues. paparazzi hesitate to follow her too closely or bother her too much because she reportedly has "a very intimidating presence". there's a famous picture of arlecchino staring right into the lens of a pap from at least 20ft away, looking murderous, and ever since then her paparazzi following dramatically decreased. hence, with the exception of the hearth scandal, arle's name is very rarely mentioned or embroiled in typical celebrity drama.

at some point in the middle of her career, arle took over hearth ent., which had been languishing on the brink of bankruptcy ever since the scandal. using her influence and her own skill she rebranded the talent agency into the hearth ent. it is today, famous for producing diamonds such as the broadway duo lyney and lynette. the new hearth ent. is also well known for its strict rules when dealing with projects and directors wanting to hire their talents, and also for taking the safety and protection of their talents very seriously. as a result, hearth ent. is now one of the most desirable talent agencies on the market to join for up and coming actors and actresses.

ok now that we're done with backstory it's super self indulgent sevchino time <333 in this au sev meets arle not as a fellow actress but as a director. sev dabbles a little in acting with some side roles but overall prefers being behind the camera rather than in front of it. the movie being shot this time is a psychological thriller about a killer of killers, with arlecchino playing the main protagonist. arle and sev get close over the course of the shoot, bonding over stuff like creative vision, the movie's themes, and their own personal interests, but nothing happens in the interest of keeping things professional. it's only after the shoot that arle makes a move, and it's a very slow burn colleagues to friends to lovers type romance. it's so slow moving the tabloids don't even realise until the wedding pictures drop on arle's official instagram. after that, it's a bit of a media storm but both sev and arle are pretty private people so it's still difficult to pry any information of the relationship out of them that they're not willing to personally divulge. when the sevchino kids start popping up arle also spares no expense in hiring a team of lawyers to ensure that any unwanted photos of them on the internet get taken down almost immediately.

as a closing note, one little scenario that has been absolutely haunting me since the inception of this au is sevchino at a red carpet event. it's a pretty popular question for interviewers to ask "who are you wearing?" and for the interviewee to respond with the name of the designer who made their outfit. arle would see sev taking this question and detailing the story behind her overclothes, swing by and chime "don't forget the victoria's secret underneath" and then go a little further down the carpet to take her own interview. rip sev being exposed like that but she'll be exposed in more fun ways later after the event 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ ok bye that's enough selfship delusion for this week

[hervoiceinthedark]

"Hmmmm... your entire body and mind? That's your whole self, you know. I could easily break you." She grins down at the one who summoned Her, shifting Her head to avoid piercing the ceiling with Her horns.

"I know," says the human. "I have—there's nothing for me here."

"I'm sure." She snorts.

She smiles, impossibly sharp teeth somehow not cutting the trisected tongue that occasionally flicks out between them.

"Kay. Deal."

The human blinks, not responding. They stare at each other for a moment.

The human finally breaks eye contact, coughing awkwardly.

"Sorry, I guess I," the human starts, "was something supposed to happen?"

She scoffs. "What did you expect, I'd unroll a 20ft long parchment for you to sign? That I'd offer my hand and, on shaking it, you'd be magically transformed with a clasp of thunder?"

The human flushes.

"No, no, my new pet. This is going to be a lot more fun for me, and a lot of work for you." Her smile grows further.

"I won't be pulling out your soul and eating it in one gulp, sealing you to me forever. When you belong to me," She steps forward, cornering the human against a wall, "you have to do that part yourself."

The human freezes, looking not quite sure how to respond.

"After all," She continues, a deep, rumbling, growl-like sound beginning in her chest, "how else can I be sure you're really, truly mine? What better way to ensure your devotion is true?"

As She speaks, a tingling sensation begins to build in the human's chest.

"Every day, you're going to tear yourself open offering everything that you are to me. You will give me more and more, and as you do, you will become more my possession than anything else."

"Every day, you will drag out whatever hesitations hold you back from being mine and slay them before me, so I can be sure your priorities are in the right place."

The human has fallen to their knees, unable to look away. Their chest burns with an unfamiliar pleasure.

"Do you still think you want this? Do you think you can rededicate yourself to me over, and over, and over again, on good days and bad, above all else?"

The human, eyes glazed over and hands desperately grasping at their chest, nods repeatedly.

"Yes," they gasp. "Please."

The walls sag slightly, slumping in on themselves. A slight light can be seen shining between the cracks forming in the roof. A sky is somehow visible beyond the walls, an uncountable display of stars reflected perfectly in the still, shallow water that now covers the floor.

The human is on their hands and knees, something thick and colorless pouring from their chest into the water. It's sticky and congealed, forming strands and fighting gravity instead of smoothly falling.

The sky is silent as the human sobs, scraping the sludge off with their hands.

When their chest is finally clean, they push themselves back to their knees and raise their head.

"Miss," they say, and their eyes reflect the single bright point occupying the sky, and the smile on their face relays their success.

"This is not the easiest it will be," She warns, "but it will not be this easy again for a long time, little thing."

The not-completely-human shudders, and nods.

Their own fluids mingle with the water beneath them as they stand and join their Mistress's side, feeling brighter inside (and maybe glowing just a little).

[quantumorquanta]

Clipped

Bat boys x gn!reader who got their wings clipped

Tw: violence, blood, kidnapping, protective bat boys, death

Rhysand

Halfillyrian!reader

-You two went there for high lord and high you business

-Ofc Devshit was there😒

-While in a meeting discussing over the camp you felt queasy

-When you went outside to get fresh air you were jumped on before Rhys could do anything, the poison dulled the bond and magic

-The Illyrians we’re angry with having you as their other ruler and someone who was also only half Illyrian

-you were taken to the camp’s dungeons, two men held you down

-you screamed as you felt the muscles in your wings splintered into pieces

-they decided that wasn’t enough

-one by one as you screamed as they shredded the wings off your back

-Rhys just barely missed by minutes

-mans mad af-

-would rip out all of their throats before gathering you in his arms and caressing your face while taking your pain away

-“I’m here darling”

-as you fell asleep of pain and exhaustion in his arms on the flight back, he set you down on his (absolute 20ft long) bed and accessed the damage

-prepared himself to take care of you when the realization hit

-holds you for days, won’t move or leave you till you wished for it

-would heal you personally unless your comfortable with madja

Azreil

-Mistake number one, touching you, even looking at you

-like who do they think they are? 😮‍💨

-would not stop until he got you back, safe and unharmed in his arms

-he’s like a animal- a beast- he will not rest until you can peacefully

-Rhysie pieces is busy so Cassian comes with him

-kill everyone in their way, while cassian takes them out he unbinds you and holds you, rocking you back and forth and shushing, whispering sweet and comforting words softly in your ear as you sobbed for your loss

-top tier healers

-would help you bathe if you want to, only if your comfortable with it, would sit outside the door and wait

-literally throws a mini spa for you like??

-gently rubs oils and creams on your back

-his shadows cooling your back to help you feel better

-Laying on his chest as he runs his hands gently and comfortingly down your arm

-“I’ve got you dear”😮‍💨😭😘

-reads you to sleep😮‍💨📖

Cassian

-have they not learned???

-making death wishes frrr

-you went with him to the camp to train with him and the females and help them emotionally with everything

-he was occupied with a conversation

-It’s amazing that someone was able to get his attention away from you, like literally impossible

-the other female Illyrians screamed as someone grabbed you swooped you away

-this was planned

-his roar of anger could have quite destroyed the mount

-immediately snapped the neck of the ones he was talking to and took off after you

-the man flying you knew that he wouldn’t make it to the ideal spot so, he tore them clean off with his dirty bulky hands midair

-your scream of horror, pin, shock, echoed through The Valley on mountains

-not even a few seconds more and something grabbed you, it was Cassian, you looked up, sobbing in pain at his face of anger

-the other man was shredded btw

-“I’ve got you sweatheart”

-cradles you like glass but holds as if he let you go you would get hurt again

-refused to leave the room of healers

-growled at anyone who came near

-protective Illyrians 🙄

-practically held you from the side of the bed

-when your squirmed in pain he would blow cold air on your wounds😭

-kisses them gently too

-gives you a long forehead kiss before pampering your face

-holds you in the medical bed while pampering you,

-big Illyrian baby🦇

[finishwhatyoustarted-event]

Tools Tuesday - Fiber and Fabric Craft Support + What To Do During Breaks - April 15

Happy Tools Tuesday, everyone! Today’s topic is especially for all the yarn and fabric crafters participating and sharing their progress in the discord!

Just like with any other medium, it can be easy to get into the flow when working on a physical craft project, and totally lose track of time - only to reap the consequences of cramped muscles and aches. That’s why setting a timer can be a great strategy. There are many guides online about different work-break timer strategies; my personal favorite are these Pomodoro timers from How To ADHD, which have break timers built into the video (and no annoying clock sounds except when the timer is about to end)

(though I admit, I also have a habit of “timing” myself by watching episodes of a show, then forgetting to stretch in between!)

Figuring out what balance of time will depend on you, your mood, and your project. But sometimes, “taking a break” is too nebulous a concept. What could a break entail?

The annoyingly simple answer is: it varies! The long answer is figuring out what works for you.

I try to remember to check in with my body during a break and address basic needs I neglected while focused. Ask yourself:

Are you hungry?

Are you thirsty?

Do you need to use the bathroom?

Are there any physical aches?

Are you curled up oddly?

Do your eyes feel strained?

Addressing 1, 2, and 3 are simple but easily forgotten. For 4, I have shared a sheet on some common stretches previously, but there are a wealth of stretches, yoga poses, and exercises recommended for knitters, crocheters, and sewists.

As with any exercise, be aware of your body and mindful to not hurt yourself!

This video has some hand stretches not covered in previous posts here.

And here’s a full playlist of yoga moves put out by the yarn brand Lion Brand, aimed at knitters and crocheters. Many of the moves are designed to be done from a chair, so you don’t even have to get up if all you need to do during your break is stretch!

Many back stretches covered in that playlist also help with 5, posture. If you find you’re curling uncomfortably over your work, or that your hands regularly ache after crafting, perhaps it is your tools that need to step up their game. A little support can go a long way.

I often crochet with a pillow on my lap, to keep my hands up in a comfortable, relaxed position, and to keep me from leaning too far forward. A rolled up blanket or long plushie can do the same job. Ergonomic shaped needles and hooks can help if your hands cramp when working or you find you have to tightly grip the tools. Likewise, supportive gloves or wrist braces can aid when repetitive motions make your wrist ache. Better lighting or magnifiers make seeing stitches easier.

There should be no shame in using assistive devices! Do whatever you need to do to take care of yourself while you create!

For 6, eye strain, we can forget this can be an issue even when not working at a computer. The 20-20-20 idea (look at something 20ft away for 20 seconds after 20 minutes of close-up focus) goes for reading a book or doing crafts as well. Anything where you’re staring at something right in front of you for a long time can make your eyes ache. I really liked this video that goes over ways to mitigate eyestrain from a computer, as well as some exercises that I regularly do myself when I feel my eyes get sore.

Adding additional lighting can also help prevent eyestrain. If you find the light gives you a headache, try swapping the bulbs for something of a different color (warmer/cooler), or changing where the source sits. Sometimes I wear a visor when working with bright overhead shop lights.

As always, these tips are just my personal recommendations that you can use as starting off points for finding what works for you. Your breaks don’t need to be structured to be beneficial. Moving your body in a change of scenery to get a snack might be all you need. Or you could start a load of laundry and work while it’s going, which gives you a timer and a different physical task to do during your break when it’s ready to be hung/changed to the other machine.

Do whatever works for you, just please take care of yourself! We artists might suffer for our art, but creating art shouldn’t make you suffer.

Got any tips or resources? Or a tool that helped you craft more comfortably that you think others should know about? Share it in the comments or reblogs!

-

Tools Tuesday is a weekly part of the Finish What You Started event where I share various resources I have found to help everyone complete their WIP. Have a resource you want to share? Send it in a message and I’ll take a look!

[wyldestyle]

Fun facts abt the main 4 in my KISS!AU !! (Because Im bored) 😛

Demon (Gene Simmons):

-He likes to collect and be gifted bones, especially if they’re edible—his favorite thing to eat is bone marrow and tends to have them added to his clothing if they’re left in good condition

-His pet ‘snake’ Sam T. Serpent, isn’t actually a snake; but instead he’s a Amphiptere. On Kissteria, he’s over 20ft long with a 25.5ft long wingspan and lives under Demons castle. Sometimes if you go down there you’ll see Demon either napping or playing with him (as he is a pet to him)—but he is sometimes brought out if war is declared.

Starchild (Paul Stanley):

-Starchild has a unique and hypnotic scent, almost a pheromone, that he ‘leaks’ (sweats on purpose) and uses to lure humans and other alien species that aren’t native to Kissteria into his land (he mostly uses it for those who deceive him). Humans are unsurprisingly more prone to it though.

-If he were real, he’d look like a regular person but if a starfish got stuck to his right eye.

Catman (Eric Singer):

-he’s extremely prone to catching fleas due to living in a jungle/rainforest biome, him being very adventurous and always being outside, and most un-evolved mammals that live over there constantly attracting the bug. So he gets ‘everything’ baths one a week done by professionals to keep him from catching it (under his necklace there’s a anti-flea collar)

-unlike how he’s portrayed in most KISS media with just having heightened senses and agility with super sharp claws and a loud voice as his powers, in my AU he can also manipulate earthly factors (earth, water, wind, air. He’s a god like everyone else duh); but he’s just too fucking lazy to do it and sticks to the basics of his abilities.

Celestial (Tommy Thayer):

-his mouth structure is just like the Predators (look it up if you haven’t seen the movie), he can talk regularly with it; but when he eats something or someone he opens up his mouth fully. Everyone tends to look away when he eats because it is a weird sight to see and really uncomfortable to watch as it makes him chew weird.

-It’s common knowledge (not to yall but to those who’ve heard abt this AU fact) that Celestial can change his height, being able to grow to whatever size he wants. But he can also change the pitch of his voice! Going from deafening high pitches to barely audible low pitches. So most of the time he can’t Whisper to Catman, Fox, or Hound (aka Bruce, I didn’t like just calling him ‘Dog’ so he got changed to that) or else he would make them go deaf or batshit crazy because of the noise.

-Celestial tends to make weird clicking noises, so sometimes you’ll hear him before you see him. He can’t really control it as it seems so have been there since birth, but it doesn’t affect him negatively

[nakateleeli]

A dream I just had

Dream started in a resort home deep in the woods. I was in the resort owner's office. He stepped away for a minute and said his husband could keep me company while he was away. His husband was also in the room, a large muscular man with short blonde hair. After a moment the husband walked into a door on the side of the room. I knew that there was a one-way wall he could see me through, which was proof to me this was not a trustworthy organization. I knew there was a one-way wall because I remembered having at least the beginning of this dream before. Not enough for it to be a lucid dream, but enough for me to know the effect of some decisions. The first time I spent a considerable amount of time in this resort before I figured out it was untrustworthy, but this time I knew straight away. So to cut to the chase I got up, walked out of the room, down some stairs and out the front door. There was a deep forest ahead and I took off running as fast as I could, not stopping even when I wanted to because I knew they would be on my tail.

There were a few encounters here I do not remember, but a few include spotting someone filming a documentary wearing obvious cultist clothes, trying to dispose of a cereal box in a place that wouldn't tell them where I was, and opting not to climb a short rocky peak (maybe 30-40ft tall) to see my surroundings, because I knew they would see me. By now it was day time and I eventually saw a road and realized that I should go there where there was a house and use their phone to call for help, which I remembered not realizing I should do until it was too late last time. I made my way to the road and there was just an average commercial center on the other side with gas stations and restaurants and such around. I spotted my dad, with his car not too far off, and ran to him thinking that's even better than a random house. We exchanged pleasantries and after a second I remembered I needed to get out of there. I asked him if he could drive me somewhere right then. Like literally that second, no delay, and he said sure. He leisurely waled to his car, and then past it. Already in a panic I realized that he was with them and I saw a search party quickly approaching. I jumped in the car and tried to start it (It was push-to-start) and shockingly it did. So I quickly pulled out and drove off.

I wasn't driving for long before something forced me out of the car. I don't remember what. Thankfully there was a large white moving truck nearby that I hopped in and drove off in. I had to cross a very narrow covered bridge filled with people, and I could tell the people were all there specifically to prevent me from crossing, so I drove through anyway, the people just sort of bouncing off the truck. Eventually I was forced out of the truck, I don't remember why, but I was scrambling for another vehicle. I knew I had to get off of the road. The people around knew who I was and every civilian was closing in on me. I spotted a small, open-frame helicopter. One of those that's just a seat, some support poles and the rotary blade. The blades couldn't have been more than 5ft long. I got in and took off. It was awkward to control and couldn't get more than 20ft off the ground. People were swarming under me trying to get to me. I managed to go fast enough to lose them and after a short time dodging power lines I came across an actual aircraft parking area. It was like a warehouse with aircraft all backed up to the buildings like semi trailers would be. I remember thinking "Great I can find a real vehicle here" and I clearly had a specific type of aircraft in mind, but as though the thought wasn't my own I wasn't sure what I meant and assumed I was looking for an airliner, which I saw several of. I flew over several planes until I saw a dark-gray chunk of metal I wasn't immediately able to identify. Perfect, I thought, and even called the name of the craft, which I don't remember (It was like Sidewinder or something). I nearly crashed my helicopter while landing it but was mostly unconcerned. I climbed on the aircraft and it looked like one of the sentinel ships from No Man's Sky. It opened in much the same way and I climbed in.

I recognized it was a sentinel ship and realized that I must have been looking for this specific ship because it could take off vertically. I launched into the air but no screens turned on, leaving me blind to outside. Eventually a very small screen turned on off to the side which showed me outside. I could barely tell what was going on. There was an AI speaking to me and telling me where to go. I wanted to get away from this place, but it seemed to be taking me back to the cult headquarters with the intent of destroying it. I was swerving and spinning and had a very hard time controlling the ship. We were very quickly back at the cult headquarters. It was night time now and the headquarters was a sprawling futuristic techo-metropolis lit up by all manner of lights. There was a large tower I understood as being the control center, and a large rotary turret almost as big as the control center. I was also being shot at from below. There was a kind of red force field over the city that I banged into several times making the whole ship shake and set off warnings. I quickly realized that the AI wanted me to stay under the force field, and that it was piloting the ship all on its own. I was just making it worse. It did, however, want me to shoot at the tower, which I did. We weren't making much progress and dodging the main turret's fire was proving difficult. I tried shooting the main turret but the "game" clearly didn't want or intend me to. We eventually sprayed the turret with water (I don't know how or why) and that disabled it. I initially thought we were spraying the control tower, not the turret, and didn't realize until I saw the turret disabled and wet. We parked, or crashed, the ship into the control tower, I'm not sure how, and disembarked.

I'm not sure why we boarded the control tower. It was virtually identical to the warehouse dock I work at when not dreaming. I felt I recognized the people here despite never having seen them before. Perhaps from the resort section of the dream. They were all generally not antagonistic, but I was very defensive and they were unbothered by it. I was waiting on the ship's AI, which turned out to be a Mexican man in a technician's suit. He was here doing something. I'm not sure what, probably planting a bomb or shutting the place down. Warnings were going off and security started closing in. I desperately needed to leave. More small interactions happened here that I don't remember. Eventually other warnings started and the building appeared to be collapsing. It was then that I realized the ship's AI was actually just the ship's AI and I could leave whenever I wanted. So I hurried into one of the semi trailers attached to the building where the sentinel ship was parked, I got in and took off. I'm not sure how we got back outside from inside a semi trailer.

Outside it was late morning and many of the buildings were collapsing. Realizing that the AI was just the ship's AI I told it to put the outside camera on the big screen instead of the small one and it did. I was high in the air and from the rubble of the control tower a giant monster, clearly some kind of experiment the cult was working on, but not in complete control of, broke out. It looked very alien. Smooth, transparent, with several, but not too many, limbs. It was chasing us. We were flying as fast as we could but couldn't gain distance. It was ambling, but its size let it keep up. It reached for us a few times but we were never in any danger. We realized it would follow us forever if we couldn't lose it. There was an ocean nearby and when flying over it the monster quickly sank into the water, disappearing. I had a memory of it coming back up but it never did.

Flash forward. I'm back at the control center ware house after everything has settled. I guess I'm helping the area recover. I overhear someone having trouble and mistake him for a celebrity of some kind. He just wants to buy something. I go back inside and from the rubble find the thing he wants. I'm not sure how to process a sale now that everything has broken and collapsed. The back door opens and a tall man is there. It's clearly not the same person from the resort part of the dream but I immediately recognize him as the cult leader. He's having trouble standing. I pounce on him, knocking him to the ground and start repeatedly punching his face. He begs me to get off of him and panicked, is trying to tell me something. I stop and he warns me that now that the building is destroyed a second monster is going to break free and we have to stop it. Just then a second monster breaks free from the ground which I can see though the half-missing roof. Then a giant xenomorph-looking creature walks up to it. They embrace and then fly off into the sky, the monster having thrusters on its bottom half.

I'm laying in a grass field as they fly into the starry sky. Space warps around them. Planets and stars spin around their path. Text appears saying that was the only time the monster was known to fly, and it was never seen again. The text "Staff" appears and end credits begin rolling. The cult leader is standing next to me. I say "What the crap was that!?" I wake up.

[physalian]

On Using Measurements and Metrics in Fantasy

This is what *I* do and what I find more immersive, easier to write, less world-bending, and more productive: I don’t use actual metric or imperial measurement systems. Why?

Personally I don’t like seeing a world completely different than our own referencing an Earth-bound measurement system (but when I must, I use metric even though I’m American).

Some people don’t have a useful frame of reference for how big something actually is if you just throw big numbers at them. Or even big units. Yeah I know a ‘football’ field is big, but that’s a very foggy and useless ‘big’ if I don't actually watch the sport and see it on a daily basis.

Specific numbers end up seeming more important than they are, whether you’re giving weights, lengths, times, etc, because you got specific. 24 hours won’t raise any brows but 22 hours will. And you just open yourself up to plot holes getting needlessly specific. You’re inviting your readers to do the math and if *you* didn’t do the math, they will find out about it.

This is for fantasy, not any other genre, although I’d still rely on vague numbers anyway unless I’m writing something super sciency where the math is important. Anything from sports to rocket science.

So what I do instead:

Give you measurements you can reference yourself. If I have a tiny fantasy macguffin, it’s about a pinkie finger wide, not 2cm. If I have a sci-fi ship, it’s about two houses/stories tall, not 20ft. It’s a puncture wound the size of a fist, not 4in. It’s a bed small enough for the character to sprawl and still hang off. It’s shoes that can fit in the palm of their hands.

Why I think this works better:

I really suck at converting numbers to actual measurements. Tell me to measure 4 inches between my hands and I’ll give you a gap +/- 2. But the size of a fist? Well I’ve got two right here, now I know what you’re talking about. Hands aren’t all the same size, but for me reading, that’s all I need to know. Do not make me bust out a tape measure or google to properly appreciate the scale of a thing in your book.

Outside of letting my characters give rough time estimates (e.g. a journey taking maybe 2 weeks) because they don’t know themselves, specific numbers aren’t very useful.

If you pick the right size comparison (picking the right allegory), it’ll read more immersive and less sterile. A character just got shot. Is the wound 1 cm, the size of a pencil, or the size of the fingers trying to dig the bullet out? A character is trapped in a criminally small cell. Is it 5 feet wide, or is it so small, they can’t even stretch out fully? A character has to make an incredible shot with a gun or a bow. Is their target 100ft away, or is it an ant on the horizon, is the target’s head the size of a marble? A character is about to fall, is the drop 800ft, or is it so far, they can’t even see the bottom? So far there’s clouds at the bottom? So far the river below is thin as a hair? The biggest lake in the region might be 4 miles across, but more importantly, standing on the bank feels like standing at the coast, cause that there’s an ocean. A tower might be 60ft tall, but more importantly, it gives you vertigo and seems to sway in the wind and it’s taller than every other structure around.

I think this also works with character descriptions. My character has no idea how long he’s been held captive, but his hair has grown out over his eyes to cue you in on the passage of time. Or my character isn’t 4’11, but her head doesn’t reach her boyfriend’s chest. Or, my character has some truly massive muscles, biceps like this other dude’s head. My character has an ugly scar from a nasty knife fight. It’s not eight inches across, but the person touching it can’t even cover it with their whole hand. This character has lost a lot of blood, not 1 liter, but enough that their clothes are dripping with it and the carpet can’t soak it all up.

Generally, the actual number isn’t the most important detail your audience wants to take away from the page, it’s what that metric now means for the scene. A 4ft cell means nothing to me, but a cell so small, my character might go crazy from claustrophobia is important.

And, also, maybe your characters also suck at gauging metrics. I have a character who’s good with horses who’ll give you their heights in hands, but another who’ll just say that one’s so tall, he can’t see over her shoulders.

When the characters need to know the numbers, give the numbers. If you have two people building something, letting them toss weights and lengths back and forth makes sense. But when it’s only the audience that needs to know the numbers, consider coming up with some other way to convey them.

[techs-ass]

Happy Shark Awareness Day!!

In celebration of the best holiday to exist, I'm gonna share some of my favorite shark facts!! (I have a lot of favorite shark facts.)

Sharks have no bones!! None! Nada! The only bones they have are their teeth. But Mal, what happened to their bones?? Idk buddy, we probably stole 'em or something.

Lemon sharks love getting pets and will even have favorite divers they seek out to get attention! If they see their diver giving attention to another shark, they can get jealous and try to chase the other shark away.

The largest Great White shark ever recorded is a female named Deep Blue! She is over 20ft long and weighs an estimated 2.5 tons!!

Sharks have been around for almost 455 million years!! That's why most of them are grumpy. They're just old :/

The smallest species of shark is smaller than the human hand. (Psst, it's the dwarf lantern shark.)

Sharks!! Can have!! Personalities!! Just like humans!! Some are confident and social, while others can be shy and cautious. There have been some sharks even found having anxiety!

Although sharks having AMAZING eye sight, scientists belive that sharks are mostly colorblind.

Sharks are continually shedding their teeth! Some sharks will shed over 20000 teeth in their lifetime!

Hammerhead sharks have binocular vision l, which means they can see 360 degrees!!

Humans don't taste good to sharks. I'm serious!! We really don't taste good to them. That's why most sharks just bite us and let go. We're nasty. (I wouldn't wanna eat us either)

Sharks are really, really cool creatures that don't deserve all the hate they get.

We depend on sharks to keep our oceans alive and healthy.

There are over 400 species of sharks. 75% of them are threatened with extinction.

But you can help!! Tell friends and family how awesome sharks are, and avoid buying products made with sharks.

You can advocate for the protection of sharks by signing petitions and calling your government officials and saying, "hey!! I'm a voter and I want sharks to be protected!"

Happy shark awareness day <3

[winterspiderpurrs]

i’m pretty sure i’ve read this before (or it was even my own idea but i’m not sure) BUT

frequent flyer tony? but he flies in and out of jail… he’s got a drinking problem and loads of anger management problems. he gets into fights in bars like once a week.

and who’s there to cuff his ass? officers bucky and steve. tony gets flirty with them, they are basically friends now considering how often they meet. he also often picks fights with them, wanting desperately physical contact, even if it’s having the officers put him on the ground. steve and bucky remain professional, but a little frustrated.

but, one day, the two officers have someone with them. a trainee from the police academy, one peter parker.

and tony? well, he’s never seen anyone prettier, not even in his dreams.

- @professional-benaddict 💗💗

I have seen something similar too! I think one where Peter acts all nervous and weak then he gets targeted. Tony founds out and goes to help but then witness this unrealistic show of strength he displayed (spiderman powers I think) - So if anyone reading this knows the fic post a link in the comments/share with us! I remember enjoy it when I read it but its been a while.

But yes I LOVE the idea of Officer Barnes and Rogers. Tony Stark the pain in their ass but they like the guy even if he is just asking for an asswoopin'.

Also, this has been sitting in my ASKS for a while cause I thought I responded to it lol

--**--**--**--**--**--**--**--**--

Tony knows he is getting released the next day, but he has GOT to see Officer Parker up close before he leaves. He fiddles with his lunch tray and then eyes the person at the far end of the table. The crowd has died down as peopled left to go back to the cell block. He doesn't want to cause a HUGE incident.

Just enough to get in trouble but not enough to get sent to solitary and delay his stay another two weeks. Its not enough time to figure out the newbies schedule yet. No point in going into the hole for 2 weeks if he doesn't have anything to look at. He picks up his spoon, and then tosses it and hits the person on the head.

"Oops. How clumsy of me!"

The other inmate snarled and stood up, picking up their tray and moves to toss it at Tony, before making his way around the table to tackle him. The inmate was only able to get one hit in before the officers were pulling them apart. Steve pulled the raging inmate off of Tony, already moving to cuff him and walking him away. Bucky yanking tony up off the ground. Forcing his over the table to start restraining him.

" God damn-it Stark. Every other week its something with you. "

" It was an ACCIDENT! The spoon slipped! "

"Yeah? Slipped and flew 20ft?"

" Its possible! I've done the math! Plus he hit ME! I'm the victim here"

" You've done the math? That a new one"

"Err.. Actually it is possible.. math wise. Not in this case, it was clearly thrown to look like an accident. But… math isn't exactly wrong."

Bucky and Tony turn to look at the now red Peter.

Tony gets a huge grin on his face, bucking back against Officer Barnes.

"See? Not all Officers are just brainless muscle men. Some have skills AND look good in a uniform."

Bucky rolls his eyes and hauls Tony off the table and starts walking him back toward his cell. Officer Peter following behind. Once they got the cell, Tony turns around and smirks.

" So…TRAINEE - First day good for you? It's always good to get bent over a table by Officer Barnes here."

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Vexgit

CR 1

Lawful Evil Tiny Fey

Bestiary 2, pg. 145 (Image from 2nd Edition's Bestiary 2, pg. 134)

Among the most dangerous breed among the Gremlins, the Vexgits are banes and blights in the civilized world, and can quickly spell doom for any structure they manage to infest, to say nothing of everyone inside. Every bit as weak and wimpy as the other CR 1 Gremlins featured on this blog so far, like all of them a Vexgit is not a direct threat to the party that pops out of the walls to battle them, but a background danger to the party's belongings, allies, and homes. They're not threatening the party with their hammer, they're threatening to knock out a support beam, trapping the party in a collapsing home with them!

Vexgit are not combatants, they're worse: saboteurs. They LIVE to rip apart and repurpose existing devices, turning everything from clockwork machines to simple wagon wheels into tools of inconvenience, harm, or even death. Their danger isn't in their attacks--they struggle to deal lethal damage with either their tiny warhammer (1d4-2) or bite (1d3-2)--but what they can do if they're not stopped before they settle in, using their +9 to Disable Device checks to jam locks, loosen wheels, strip nails, and generally make nuisances of themselves. While normally disabling any device is a time-consuming process, Vexgit are Speedy Saboteurs, lowering the time it takes to sabotage any device by one stage.

If you've never looked at the speed chart for Disable Device, take a moment to do so now. See how a 'simple item,' such as a normal lock, mundane hinge, or a rope and pulley, takes 1 round to sabotage? Vexgit can sabotage 'simple' items as a free action once per round as long as it's within their reach, letting them pull off malicious acts mid-combat if they so wish. While this typically boils down to jamming door locks after running through them so the party cannot follow (or becomes trapped), it does also mean they typically have the time to perform more elaborate follow-ups. Since they can perform simple sabotage as a free action, they can then use the rest of their round sabotaging something rated 'tricky,' such as a wheel, a larger item held together with screws or nails, or a simple siege weapon to hamper the party more severely than they would if they simply attacked with their weapon.

Vexgit prefer to lure opponents to them rather than the other way around, as their penchant for recycling disassembled items into traps either via their Craft (Traps) skill of +5 or the Snare spell they can use 1/hour makes any infested areas a death trap that requires extremely careful navigation. They're more likely to simply flee any fight they get into, and they have a good chance of getting away; they can easily scamper up any surface thanks to their 20ft climb speed, protected by their DR 5/Cold Iron, while their 12 Spell Resistance shields them from retributive magic cast by unlucky mages. Their DR is especially hard to pierce thanks to their 1/hour Rusting Grasp dissolving any weapon brought into their reach, so if only one party member has a cold iron cudgel, the group will be in for a... well, not a hard time, but a slightly more annoying time, because like most gremlins the Vexgit have only 8 hitpoints and a moderate 15 AC, going down in just a few swings from any weapon that deals more than 6 damage per round.

Easy for a party, less so for the common man. I've said this before about other gremlins, but their resilience makes them difficult for commoners and low-level guards to clear out, so they're perfect little horrors for a party to be sent after without making the local guards look incompetent. When the little bastards can reach out and turn your equipment to ash while you're dangling upside-down over a latrine, you'd probably be inclined to let mercenaries handle it, too.

Especially if there's a lot of them. Vexgits can form insanely dangerous Wrecking Crews in groups as small as six, bolstering one member's Disable Device checks from +9 to +19 if each of them spends their turn contributing to the sabotage, letting them rip apart almost anything in less than a minute... or swiftly reset any traps that may have already gotten sprung, making the trip out of a gremlin's lair just as painful as the trip in. While on their own a Vexgit is content with causing injuries and humiliation with their pranks, when a whole crew of Vexgits is present, it becomes a race against time to track them down and destroy them all, because full infestations aren't satisfied with anything less than full-blown death and mayhem, driven to destroy greater and greater structures until whole city blocks are crumbling to ruin because of them.

You can read more about them here.

[evil-alex]

(stupid aggressive crashout and biting and blood woarign thing)

alex alex alexxx why did. why did you let c00lkidd get to me hops around screaming sobbing crying BUt. now we can be silly c00lkidd buddies think. but also WHHHYGH. I'm gonna crashout and scream cry sob die bangs head on walls knowcks tables and chairs over bites everyone in a 20ft radius including myself. stomps around but also giggles in pillbaby fashion. also I have c00lkidd buddy. sorry rant thing but I already crashed out yesterday and like chomped on myself for a good 20 minutes and I bled a lot but I'm okay now. okay byebye flies away

thatso me coded sorry waht who said that. Horrid evil wretched curse of red pill baby ewww ew ew i HAAATE him ITS S LIKE THYA. TERRIBLE KIN. GLUPS AND LOOKS SIDE TO SIDE.

[thealphashitter]

A Bother | Five X Male Reader | Chapter Four

“Oh my god, I’m so, so sorry are you okay?” Y/N said, taking a few moments to realize who was in front of him. He made eye contact with Five for what felt like eternity before he stood up and walked away into an alley around 20ft away from where they originally were.

Y/N after the shock disappeared he ran into the alley where he saw Five enter mere moments ago but found that there was nobody there. “What the fuck…” Y/N said as he looked around. “Hello? Five?” Y/N shouted into the empty alleyway. Maybe Marcy was right, maybe it was the missing Umbrella Academy kid. But wouldn’t he be a lot older? None of this made any sense, he wondered what really was going on-

Y/N’s thoughts were interrupted by a raccoon knocking over a few bottles, causing Y/N to jump. What was he thinking about? He couldn’t remember as the raccoon crawled closer to him, hissing. It probably wasn’t that important. “Hey there little guy” Y/N said as he rubbed his index and thumb together. Making a spspsps sound.

The raccoon hissed a bit more before running back deeper into the alley. Whatever, maybe he’ll try befriending him another day. He stood up slowly, watching the raccoon before turning out of the alleyway. 

Y/N didn’t really know where to go, all he knew is that he didn’t want to be in that house. He took out his phone and earbuds and plugged it in, hitting the youtube app and clicking on ‘My Mix’ in the mixes section of youtube and shoved it back in his pocket, hoping that it wouldn’t get too jostled around and turn off or switch the songs randomly.

Eventually Y/N got texted by his mother that dinner was ready and he headed back. Eating dinner before brushing his teeth and going to bed, dreading the next school day to come.

—--------------------------------------------------

Y/N walked into his first class after an uneventful breakfast by himself. Why did his first class have to be Algebra of all things? He wasn’t necessarily bad at it but he sure did not understand it. He’s still passing but not with good grades, just barely above a D.

Y/N noticed that everybody was in different seats than usual and looked to see what teacher he had and silently cheered as he realized he had a substitute today. And it was Mrs. Evans, the sweetest and nicest person working in this entire place. He took a free seat in the middle row closest to the window. 

Y/N Watched as the classroom slowly filled up with his classmates, keeping an eye out for the elusive and mysterious Five. Y/N’s words, not mine. He remembered in the back of his mind that he shared all of his classes with Five which was a weird coincidence. He silently hoped he’d sit near him so he could bother his new crush.

Y/N was disappointed as he saw Mrs. Evans closes the door, with Five nowhere in sight. He was about to give up and take a nap when he heard a quiet knock on the door. Him and a few of his other classmates as well as Mrs. Evans looked up and there were Five, waiting outside the classroom for somebody to open the door. Mrs. Evans got up to open the door for him, he nodded a small thanks to Mrs. Evans as he walked into the room. Y/N could tell Five was scanning the room for an empty seat. Y/N waved his hand to get Five’s attention and point to the empty seat in front of him. Five looked around, seeing as there were no more chairs he sat in front of Y/N. 

Y/N waited for Mrs. Evans to finish taking attendance, telling us to stay quiet and just do whatever. After she was done talking Y/N quickly tapped on Five’s shoulder. Five turned around and gave Y/N a glare. “What do you want?” Five snapped harshly. “Geez, chill out, have a snicker” Y/N said as he dug into his pocket and pretended to hand Five a snicker. 

Five stared at the other boy's hand and back to him, causing Y/N to giggle quietly. Five went back to glaring at Y/N as Y/N continued to giggle. “Oh you don’t want it? I’ll take it then.” Y/N pretended to open the imaginary snickers and eat it. Five looked at him with a look of confusion and disgust. “Damn dude, are you okay? You constipated or something?” Y/N said as he looked Five up and down. “What? No I- What do you want.” Five stuttered out before just asking Y/N flat out. “Nothing, I just want to bother the hot new kid.” Y/N said, pretending to admire his nails. 

Five’s face went red with Y/N assumed it was a mixture of flustered and angry. Y/N let out a slight smirk as Five just went quiet. “Anyways, how are you doing on this fine morning, sir Five?” Y/N asked with a fake British accent. Five rolled his eyes before answering, his face going back to its regular pale shade. “Fine. You?” Five said through gritted teeth which did not deter Y/N. “Pretty good, I have some eye candy I’m munching on right now so I’m feeling great.” Y/N said as he propped his chin on his hands, his gaze not leaving Five’s eyes. 

Five rolled his eyes again. Y/N reckoned that his eyes were gonna fall out at this point, which obviously did not happen. “And this eye candy is going to eat you alive if you don’t shut the fuck up.” Five said as he leaned towards Y/N. Y/N’s eyes widened before he composed himself and let out the word “Out?” He said with confidence.

“What?” Five said, backing up a bit with a confused look on his face. “Are you gonna eat me out alive? I’d imagine you’d do so while I’m alive or that’d make you a necrophiliac.” Y/N said, a small smile threatening to spill on his lips. Five just gave him a look of disgust. “What the fuck is wrong with you.”

-----------------

I hope you enjoy this, sorry it took so long

[ladyofsnark]

The collective yelling from the other companions at the Inquisitor and Cullen for getting married without telling any of them when they were all literally like 20ft away is a thought that entertains me greatly

Dorian doesn't let either of them rest about it and insists they do it again properly because it doesn't count since he wasn't there for his ONLY FRIEND'S WEDDING. Cassandra is not simultaneously miffed AND swooning over the idea of a secret elopement. Viv's mad no one consulted her on the fashion and Josephine is panicking over the number of letters she'll have to write to both announce and apologize for it.