#(( the test is a little bit rigged but still. ))

[darckcarnival]

Attraction Meme

"Drive is not that high, I don't even get laid-- Wait hang on...

"Oh for fucks sake-"

"-I'M A SWITCH!"

So sayeth the test otherwise, as well as affectionate romantic you heathen.

Tagged by: @flxshy

Tagging: ALL MY MOOTS, take it and tag me, I want my dash filled with heathenry.

[bullet-prooflove]

Rigs: Tyler Owens x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @hunterthecharmer @heylookwhoitis

Companion piece to:

The Mechanic

Tyler lies on his back in a field in the middle of nowhere, there’s a picnic blanket spread out underneath him as he stares up at the sky watching the clouds drift overhead. He comes out here when he wants to take a breather, when he wants to get away from the cameras, the attention, his crew. He’s mad at every single one of them right now because they all knew that Boone was going to call you, in fact they encouraged it.

“We needed a mechanic.” Dani had told him after he’d sent you away. “You know she’s the best around, the work she did back then, we ain’t never had anything like it since.”

Yea, he knows that all too well. He’s been paying out the nose for his repairs ever since you left, jerry rigging shit together because none of them know how to weld the way you do.

He remembers the first day the two of you met inside that pokey little garage Lawton, he’d come to you with a sketch for his truck because every other mechanic this side of Oklahoma had told him he was absolutely crazy.

“It’s doable.” You’d told him as you reviewed the drawing he’d made. “But it’s going to cost.”

He’d used the last of his savings from his work at the rodeo to pay you to outfit his rig and when it was done, it was far better than he ever could have imagined.

“All that’s left is to test it out.” You’d said as your hand smoothed over the glossy paintwork.

“You actually wanna come along for that ride?” He’d asked you half serious.

Imagine his surprise when you had said yes.

“Looks like you’ve got a bit of wrangler in you after all.” He’d remarked as you’d climbed into the passenger seat beside him.

You’d become the go to girl for rigs like his after that. Any storm chasers that needed something special or a fix up, you were the one to go to. You still are even after the injury, you may have given up the chasing but making sure that the people that were still doing it stay safe is your top priority.

That’s the worst part he thinks is that you still have love for the community, hell you still probably have love for him but it can’t work between the two of you because you broke the cardinal rule, you did the one thing you promised you wouldn’t.

You asked him to stop.

“You know I can’t.” He’d told you, his thumb running along the line of your jaw, over the stitches that held your skin together.

“And you know I can’t keep doing this.” You’d responded before you’d packed your things and returned to that garage in Lawton.

He stays away after that, gets his repairs elsewhere. He’d hoped that you’d become a distant memory but the truth is you’re never far from his thoughts, it’s why he hasn’t looked at another woman in years.

The problem is Boone and the others are right, they do need you. If they want Kate’s project to be successful, to prove to the government that this is something they should be rolling out across the country then they need it to be foolproof and that means getting a professional mechanic onboard to make sure the rigs are up to standard to take on what’s to come. It’s the only way to make sure his crew stays safe and you’re the only one that can do that.

“Fuck.” He says as he stares up at the sky because despite what he said a few hours ago he does need you.

Truthfully he always has.

Love Tyler? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[b1rds3ye]

Cod men with an so that has a kink for their gear/uniform …thats all

Anon you are SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE at this rate my obsession for people in uniform is unhealthy but it IS WHAT IT IS ✌️(only price and gaz for this one tho, my brain just ain’t braining for ghost and soap 😩😩)

In Uniform

Characters: Captain John Price, Kyle “Gaz” Garrick

GN!Reader w/ no physical descriptions

Word Count: 1.4 (~700 each)

Genre: Fluff, Smut 18+/MDNI, established relationship

Warning: Smut, 18+/MDNI, No overly dom/sub themes I don’t think? riding + worship (Price), thigh riding (Gaz), if I miss anything, let me know

A/N: This is the spiciest I've ever written (it pales in comparison to the filth I read but reading vs writing is a whole different story WRITING THIS WAS SO HARD ARGH-)

Captain John Price

Price is not blind. For the sake of professionalism, he doesn’t comment on it, but he can’t help but feel smug when he notices how your eyes trace his chest rig. How it looks almost too small with how it hugs to his chest, the straps that wrap over his shoulders emphasising his thick arms and broad torso. How the extra gear he has to equip gives his already large chest more volume

He will never sacrifice practicality and comfort over visuals on a mission… but if he knows he should just be wandering around base he may just tighten the straps of his gear a little more than usual just so it hugs his form better when he meets you. Just because he’s in a stable relationship with you and a high ranking soldier doesn’t mean the captain can’t have some fun and a little ego boost!

Still, Price is reluctant to test the extents of your uniform kink. His uniforms are often filthy and he can’t imagine anything more repulsive than some crusty blood of the enemy staining the pure haven that is your shared bed. Even after they’re cleaned, there’s a lingering concern that they’re not clean enough

But if there’s anything that John is weak to, it’s you with your hopeful eyes and sweet smile. He’ll triple clean his uniform and he’s ready to for it to join the confines of your bedroom

Even under you, Price prides himself on his restraint. He hasn’t lost the image of a commanding captain, still fully dressed save for the fly of his cargos pulled down just enough to free his cock that is now buried in you. The rough fabric of his cargos leave a pleasant burn against your bare thighs, but it’s nothing compared to the pleasant burn of John stretching you out. You want to move your hips faster, to have him hit the parts you know he can hit perfectly. But no, this night will be slow, cherishing the delicious sight below you.

You shift slightly and you whine at the impossible fullness from within. Distracting yourself from the intoxicating pain you drag your hands along his chest rig. Prying and slipping your fingers into every crevice and bend of straps and pockets, they twitch as an odd aftershock washes through your body. Under your palms John’s chest lifts with every heavy breath. Pressing them flat against his stomach as it deflates, you exhale with him as your relaxing body adjusts to him filling up your every crevice.

John’s hand creeps up to curl around one of your wrists. The plastic coating of his gloves offers a foreign coolness that has your body jolting and you whine as goosebumps coat your burning body.

“Didn’t know you had such a thing for men in uniform,” he simpered, his other hand down to rest on your hip. He idly massages at the plush skin, fingers digging deep down into the layer of muscle. Tilting into his touch, you try and contort yourself to get his hand a little closer to where you’re most sensitive, just that little bit more but he doesn’t relent, his moustache and beard now slightly curved as he watches you with amusement.

“Only you,” you whisper and his next breath is hefty and rugged, accompanied with a satisfied hum that reverberates through his entire being.

“That’s right, sweetheart. Only me.”

You pull your hands back up to his chest rig, you slip your fingers under the securing straps and take a firm grip. Hands dangerously close to his throat, John’s Adam apple instinctively bobs in anticipation.

“Getting handsy, are we?”

“Just need a bit more,” you mutter absentmindedly. You stare at him with blown out eyes. “Can I?”

“Do as you wish.”

Using your grip on his rig, you pull your hips further, feeling him deeper, harder. His hands immediately find purchase on your hips to steady you as you tremor at the new sensation. He only moves with you, his hips offering the faintest of encouragement as he slightly drives them up into you. Once you manage to set a rhythm above him the captain sounds near unrecognisable as he stifles a groan with every tug against his gear.

“Fuck. Just like that, darling.”

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

Kyle is attentive to you, so he is aware of how your eyes scan his body when he walks past. He never thought that his uniform was particularly attractive or attention-grabbing since literally everyone else wears it, but he’s glowing upon noticing that he can entrance you over what’s merely his day-to-day gear

In low stakes situations, this man is teasing you to hell and back. Not directly though, he’ll never explicitly say he knows you have a thing for his uniform, but just before a mission he’ll have you double checking if his chest rig and gear are firmly secured to his body. Of course, they won’t be, and he’ll ask you to tighten the straps, discreetly flexing the respective body parts all the while

Now you can tell when Kyle’s horny. Instead of immediately shedding his gear to wash up and relax with you, he’ll only get rid of weaponry and any contents in his various pockets but the gear and uniform stays on in a (not so) discreet attempt of getting you just as riled up as he is

“Shit, you look so good.”

You let out a halfhearted laugh that morphs into a sigh as you grind your hips against his thigh. Through the flimsy fabric of your underwear, you swear you can feel everything against you. Each individual fibre of his cargo pants, the ridges of the seams. Even through the fabric you can feel the soft swells of his muscular thigh that you’re seated on.

“You should take a look at yourself,” you praise breathlessly.

Even with clothes on, Kyle looked hot as hell. Still in his gear, it made the slivers of his skin that revealed themselves all the more tantalising. His half-unbuttoned shirt revealing skin covered in a sheen of sweat. Sleeves haphazardly shoved up the arm to reveal his lean forearms, veins pulsating with lust as they hold onto your hips like a lifeline.

“Caught you staring earlier,” he mutters. With those godly arms he wraps them around your back, forcing you to lean into him, sweaty forehead against his.

“Thought you were worried about me, but it was really you I should have been worried about.”

His words are lost on you and he only smirks as your hips move forward and back and forward again with reckless abandon. Each drag of your hips getting more exaggerated, more forceful as you strain against Kyle’s arms that selfishly pull you taut to him.

“Let me… move, dammit,” you huff as you struggle to move in his hold.

“What? Is it bad that I want to be close with the love of my life?” he offers an innocent laugh but his eyes are still trained down to where your hips rhythmically meet his thigh with sinful movements.

Grinding your hips, you grunt unexpectedly as a pointed intrusion brushes against your clothed sex, nipping at where it was most sensitive. Christ, Kyle must’ve forgotten to take out a spare magazine in his cargo pockets. The edge of its hard metal giving a delicious contrast against his thick, clothed muscle, you experiment, trying a new angle to brush your most sensitive areas with his leftover weaponry.

It sends a wave of electricity through your body that has you jerking a knee up, one that brushes against Kyle’s hard on and he whines. His embrace only tightens as he tries to silence himself with his face buried in your chest.

“Shit- do that again,” his words are muffled against your skin, echoing through your rib cage.

With the next roll of your hips you pull your knee up once again. The stimulation against his dick has him instinctively flexing his thighs, and you tremble at the extra firmness in between your legs, the sensation evoking a sound of pure sin from you.

Kyle rolls his head to the side to rest on your shoulder, his ragged breaths burning against the crook of your neck.

“Please- fuck - do it again, love.”

You didn’t have to be told twice.

Call of Duty Masterlist

[r0-boat]

I had a thought

How would the kings or nobles (preferably Belial & Jjyu, Eligos, Gamigan, Leraye, and Ppyong) react to an MC who is absolutely CRACKED at claw/crane machines?

Like, just wins every single prize and empties the machines

(Is Ppyong considered a noble? Idk I like that red lumpy looking potato tho)

🦩 anon

Oh absolutely I would consider Ppyong as a noble though I don't know if you want the human version or the lumpy potato So I'm just going to do the lumpy potato and it can be a platonic thing

I will do the nobles you have listed there! Because I feel like the kings and the nobles would be a little too much!!

Anyways without further ado

Whb various react to crane claw master mc

Crane claw machines work differently in hell than in the human world. But even with the less scummy practices of these claw machines It was still relatively difficult to get a prize.

Ppyong

But not to you, who was so used to the limp and rigged claws of the machines back home. The Crane claw machines in hell were practically a cakewalk. The red lump devil stared at you with wide, gleaming eyes as you bagged every toy you wanted with ease. He almost wasn't sure you were human; you were some kind of superhero! He tried to tell everyone about your super human skills, so he did...

Your skills came in great handy one day when he got himself stuck in a crane claw machine. You didn't have to crane claw him out Satan could have just destroyed the entire box...

Belial is okay at the crane claw machine, but he's not that good. He first found your secret skill when the two of you were out and about on one of your special dates when it was just you and him. He signed or wrote that he wanted to win you something. After winning you a plushie of a horned cat, He got a glimpse of your skill when you used one plushie to knock another down, getting two and one.

Belial

His lips parted for a second, trying the process because he knew crane claw machines were hard and even harder on Earth. It was not just an accident. Your moves were calculated.

He beamed when you told him that one was for him and the other was for Jjyu, who sadly couldn't make it because of his anger management class. His eyes lit up when he saw a Candy Crane claw machine. The two of you won every piece of candy from that machine before walking home with your goodies.

Crane claw machines are almost unheard of in Tartaros because the thought of losing money with no gain was nearly appalling. So when Eligos was walking through the streets of Gehhenna with you on the way to Tartaros and Saw that machine, He looked confused; it was a machine he had never seen before. And when you told him what it was and what it did, he was even more confused. Why would anyone want to risk their money for a possibility they won't get anything in return?

Eligos

Even though the fabric of the plushies was cheap, and these plushies in particular were cheaply made, You saw him eyeing a pink bunny. Why not? You put in some of the money that man would sometimes gift you and play. You smiled as you fumbled a bit, pretending not to pick up the watched in all punching his teeth every time you failed, before finally, you picked it up, which he excitedly gasped an excited 'yes!' slipping out of his mouth.

Holding the bunny in his arms Eligos now understands the appeal of these machines.

Gamigin SUCKS at crane claw machines! And there's not a lot of them around in Paradise Lost to test his skills since as the ruler of Paradise Lost, Lucifer thinks they're unnecessary and a waste of money and time. "If you want something that bad, you could just buy it at the store."His adoptive Big brother would say. The Young Dragon thinks that Lucifer doesn't get the thrill of winning a prize that you want so much!

Gamigin

You were on a whole another level. As you easily and quickly one three toys in one claw. He was speechless, Even though you moved so quickly each move you made seemed calculated. And you looked so serious too staring into the glass, calm and focused. Oh please teach him, oh great claw master! Teach him your secrets!

Extremely good at Crane claw machines. He has a good eye and is a lot smarter than what he lets on. So when he's bored he usually goes to an old arcade with games from either Earth or old games in hell when he's bored.

Leraye

He likes your skills and he wants to challenge you to a crane claw battle. Whoever wins the most stuff wins! The winner has to do whatever the person says for a day. And of course you win crane claw machines on Earth were much harder than green car machines in hell and he stood no chance. He is now other than your friend and lover your crane claw rival He shall get better and beat you one day and then shower you with the gifts he had one.

[simmerianne93]

[Simmerianne93]Pregnant_poses_01

Hello everyone!! How are you today??

The last posepack from March is here!!!

This pack was the pack you chose in the public survey back in January/February and as such, it's a pack that is public for everyone, with no early access.

Before talking about the posepack, I want to remember you that there's a survey happening right now about May's content, so if you haven't vote yet, GO AHEAD!! (Here is the direct link to the pubic survey).

Back to the matter:

I made these poses like a year ago, and I made them for two sims of mine that i really love, but that couple is not going to have babies any time soon (I just felt like doing some for the future when i made them) and I had them in the box waiting to be release "one day" xD... but I really liked how they turned out so I though about add it to the survey and if they ended up being the winner, i was going to release them... and it was, and fortunately, I currently have a couple of sims who are actually pregnant and have helped me with the cover for this package... so here you have some photoshot poses for a cute couple of sims expecting a baby (or two, or three xd).

I struggled a lot with these poses at the end, when i was actually testing them a couple of weeks ago to have them ready to be release, 'cause depending on the sim and the trimester, the chest size and all that, these poses may clip (I tested them with 4 different couple of sims and it was really hard xd)

I ended up doing three different versions that take into account the breast size of the female sim ('cause that was one of the most glitcheable areas). So, V1 is for "small breasts", V2 is for "medium breasts" and V3 is for "big breast". Even tho, they can still clip but, hopefully you can find the version that fits better for your sim.

The poses can be use with 2nd and 3rd trimester (I tried to make the poses to not confict with the belly, but for pose #3 there are 2 versions of the female for both stages), tho, if you uses the pregnancy overhaul mod by LittleMsSam, the belly will look smaller and the hands will float a little.

I recomend to use JFC nude top fem, if you want to make the poses with the female sim nude, 'cause it gives the breast a shape that helps to cover the nipples behind the hands (if you use the Wicked Whims mod, for example, the nipples will clip and will be visible above the hands).

As I said, they still may clip depending on the sim, but it's something that can occur with any other poses. I tried to minimize the clipping areas with the different versions, so I hope you can use them and that you like them.

---

PS: I'll be doing the "coming soon" post in a couple of days, i'm in the process of doing the poses, testing and doing the pics yet, so i'm a little bit late with it, but I'll be making it in a couple of days.

---

Enjoy, and happy simming!!

----------

What is on it?

V1: SMALL BREAST - V2: MEDIUM BREAST - V3: BIG BREAST.

6 couple poses (made with a female rig and a modified male rig) + 3 all in one.

--- What do you need?

Andrew poses player.

Teleport any sim by Scumbumbo or Mccc by deaderpool.

OPTIONAL: JFC nude top female (in case you want to make the pics with the female sim nude)

Instructions in the original post.

——

TOU

Do not claim my creations as your own.

Do not re-upload or modify my creations.

Do not make money of my creations.

Do not include my creations in Mods folders to download.

Please follow my Term Of Use.

——

Download it now here — [FREE FOR EVERYONE]

——————

If you want to support me:  Patreon | Ko-fi

All my poses overview: Pinterest |  Wix | Tumblr

More in-game preview pics of all my poses: Instagram

My socials: Twitter | BlueSky | Instagram | Tumblr 

——————

I really hope you like them and I will say in advance: Thank you so much for use them.

@ts4-poses

[kechiwrites]

mirror image

toxic baby daddy!ghost x reader

part 7/8

synopsis: two weeks into your uneasy truce, simon gets introspective.

wc: 811

cw: afab!reader, angst, banter that becomes arguing, hurt and the tiniest bit of comfort, language, trust issues, simon's pov, no gendered language. no use of y/n ever.

author’s note: well, we back at it, the second last installment of this verse. i'll still take requests/thots for it of course, but soon we'll get closure for these two. for now, simon's thoughts on their situation.

new to baby blue? start here.

It’s disarming. 

And Simon Riley doesn’t like being disarmed. He doesn’t like being caught off guard, off kilter, unstable. 

It’s been happening more and more often though.

When you and Tommy look at him in perfect unison, he is struck stupid by your eyes, like you copy and pasted them onto your son. His son. His kid. His perfect, funny kid. Unmuddied by everything bad in the world. His life is pancakes and dinosaurs and that horrible fucking tv show that he’s sure rots his little mind. His life is you. Your smiles, your laugh, your cooking, your hugs. Things Simon cheated himself of when he walked out on you, choked with fear and bleeding misery.

Simon is disarmed, totally fucking helpless, a veritable babe in the woods when you let him hold you. When for the first time, in a long ass time, he gets to watch your lids flutter closed and slip into unconsciousness, in that quick, carefree way he’s always envied. 

He barely sleeps, even less so lately. 

After all, no sleeping meant no nightmares. No cloying, choking smoke-like fears reaching for the frayed edges of his subconscious. No sleeping meant he couldn’t play on your kindness, your goodness, and guilt you into holding him back when he woke up screaming, sweating, no matter how bad he wanted it.

It’s two weeks later. Two weeks after sleeping together but not sleeping together. After breakfast and an uneasy truce. Two weeks after kissing you and touching you and holding you like you both had all the time in the world. 

You’re not in a good mood. And he knows that. But he pushes you anyway, pokes and prods you even as you slam through your kitchen, noisily pulling out a pot and a huge bag of pasta shells.

“Let’s talk.” He approaches, arms crossed, full kit traded in for a skull emblazoned cloth mask, jeans and a threadbare black t-shirt, one he’d found in your bedroom days ago, stashed in the back your drawer, crumpled in a wrinkled ball, like you didn’t want to see it, but you didn’t want to trash it either. He’s been doing that lately, staying over for days and rifling through your shit, finding old relics and artifacts from a time neither of you can let go of. An old mask, a hat, t-shirts.

So many goddamn t-shirts.

“Talk?” you snort derisively, filling the pot with water. He watches you test the water with your fingertips and curse under your breath, mumbling something about shit pipes. When the pot is full, you turn to face him, lips curled, sneering. “I wasn’t aware you were capable of that. Thought you just communicated in grunts.”

“You’re funny. That's new.” He jabs, advancing in the conversation much faster than he should have, comforted in familiar territory, finding solace in what used to be commonplace for you, banter, barbs, teasing. The tense set of your shoulders should’ve warned him off it, should’ve told him you’d take it as well as a bullet in the back. But God help him, he’ll take whatever you give.

“Mm.” Your tone is casual but your answering nod is jerky, too fast, “Yeah, I developed a sense of humour when I realized our relationship had been a joke.” You slam the pot onto a burner, giving him your back. 

The air is suddenly devoid of mirth, utterly obliterated where it had been floating between you before. Now the living room and kitchen are a smoking crater, an oil rig on fire, a disaster site. 

He’s never been more grateful for his son’s propensity to nap like he’s dead.

Neither of you say anything. Simon is waiting for you to say something, to dress him down, but when you lower your head and sigh, heavy and deep with pain and exhaustion he planted within you, Simon withers. He slinks back to the living room and drops himself onto your couch. 

You wait, he’s not sure what for. He used to be so good at preempting your actions, your thoughts, your words, now he handles you like you’re a venomous reptile, looking for exposed, vulnerable flesh to strike, to bite.

You set down the glass you’d been drinking from hard. And he’s surprised you didn’t crack it.

“What do you want, Simon?” Question of the goddamn century, it is. And you’ve asked it of him plenty of times. But he never has an answer, can never really deduce just what the fuck he’s doing here, with you. With Tommy. Playing a game? Playing a role? Punishing you? Himself? All of it could be true, but none of it seems right. 

“I want to try.”

All he knows is that before this, four years seemed like a short time, nothing really. But now?

It’s an eternity. Reflected back to him in broken glass, in half full drawers, in his son’s eyes. 

In yours.

comments + tags + reblogs are so appreciated

oh simon...what do you want?

series masterlist here

[not-quite-normal]

Hello, hope this finds you well!

As a film enjoyer and small artist I was absolutely mesmerised by the animation work in ATSV all around but The Spot in particular stood out to me! I was curious how the process of animating his scenes went especially with all the portals, which I assume many of which were painted in afterwards? Was the way the team thought out his scenes different from other chatacters?

Apologies if I'm asking about something you didn't work on but I thought asking was worth a shot! Anywho thats it, may you have a lovely day!

good question, and thank you! i haven't seen much talk about spot but a lot of development went into his look

for posing, we took a lot of inspiration from the artist egon schiele, an idea from humberto rosa. we wanted spot to look awkward by making him feel like a loose yet controlled sketch, exaggerating his weird long and lanky proportions into very squared off and angular shapes

for the portals, they had to be created in anim first and then fx did a pass on them to add all the little extra swirly bits, and then comp did another pass on them to integrate them into the scene. every element that you see in a shot had to be created in 3D in order to move properly down the pipeline so that the other departments knew what to do with the scene, because they don't always look at the animation playblasts, what matters is what's published in the scene file. we can draw over our shots to try things out quickly but eventually had to put in the work of making them real 3D assets. every portal that you see on spot's body and floating off of him was placed by an animator

near the beginning of production, a lot of tests were done to make spot's face portal more expressive, mimicking mouth and eye shapes as a part of his acting. it was decided that simpler was better in this case, so it was mostly just kept as an oval instead

in order to make a shot like this work in 3D, we used two spot rigs here and a portal tool that let us flatten the geo of the second spot down to 1 pixel so that only his hand can be seen while animating in and out of the portal. nothing is painted over here, this is pretty much 1:1 to what's in the maya scene

in order to progress spot's power throughout the movie, we needed to add more body spots in the india sequence, similar to the second to last pose here (art by aymeric kevin):

our anim tech lead emmanuel gatera worked with rigging to update spot with the ability to turn sections of his body black with the use of a boolean, since it was impossible to add enough spots to totally cover his hands and midsection. he did still need a lot of spots along with the booleans though, i think it was somewhere around 80 (we had library poses for them, didn't need to bring them all in and manually place them in every shot haha)

and finally forget what i said about having to create everything in 3D because the final stage of spot's power was the exception to that rule since he was only in a small handful of shots. nideep varghese animated this shot with the regular spot rig and drew over it entirely in 2D, which the fx department recreated with about a bazillion layers of hand-drawn fx by arthur muller, srdjan milosevic and filippo maccari. lighting/comp by craig feifarek

[supermanshield]

@t-oriand said:

i’ve been thinking a lot abt bruce helping clark do some research on his kryptonian features. like does clark need food? or just sun? how long can he go without the sun? thinking a lot of tender moments in the bat cave, and bruce realizing how much clark trusts him,,, that sort of thing. also could be some fun gadgety stuff bruce makes to measure clark’s various skills and fun training montage type stuff with superman running comically fast on a treadmill

I'm really sorry this prompt fill is - checks calendar - 4 months late, but here it finally is. I hope you still enjoy it! I'm trying to get back into things and writing a bit more again.

I love this prompt! I changed it a little bit (hope it's okay) and now we're not in the bat cave anymore, we're only testing one thing, not many gadgets involved, and I went with a pretty smug Clark and Bruce with the biggest crush on him. I hope you like it!

---

The icy blue clouds of Neptune drain the red from Clark's costume, leaving him clad in monotones of navy and black. He reaches up again, extending his arms and straining the fabric of his suit, distracting Bruce once more, and they haven't even started yet. He's only setting up all the equipment they've brought over.

"I want to test my strength again and I need someone on the controls. Do you want to help?" Clark had asked the day before, a welcome break in Bruce's more-boring-than-boring monitor duty.

"Yes," he'd replied too fast and too eager.

A hesitant smile danced around Clark's lips. "Okay... Now you'll have to tell me whether you got so excited because you actually want to see me exert myself or because you want to record the data for the sake of the League."

"Who says it can't be both?" Bruce had dared to say.

And so, now they're setting up equipment from the fortress and the watchtower on Neptune, because Clark didn't want to mess with Earth's gravity. He had said it so casually, but it reminded Bruce how nothing was normal for a man who could push planets. Something as simple as maxing out on squats or shoulder press had to be done at the edge of the solar system.

Even from behind the thick glass shielding and inside the body of inch-thick metal of their ship, Bruce can sense the weight of the equipment Clark is putting in its place, as he goes over his controls and monitors inside the rig one more time.

"Ready?" Clark's voice finally crackles through the comms. Outside he's already holding up one thumb and grinning at Bruce, the question echoed in his eyes. It should not send butterflies to Bruce's belly but it does.

"All set," he replies.

Clark gets into place, and he looks comically small underneath the structure he's about to test the limits of. It should not be possible. It isn't physically possible, and yet there Clark is. It still breaks Bruce's brain a little after all this time. Clark still breaks Bruce's brain a little.

"Batman? Don't tell me you're bored," Clark teases through the comms.

"Right." Quite the opposite, he thinks. He's supposed to initiate the countdown. He scrambles for the controls, pressing the logging button and locking in Neptune's position to be able to monitor that Clark doesn't accidentally move it. Gravity is about 14% higher here, which they've accounted for in their calculations, and should help mitigate the risk of breaking laws of physics.

They start. As Clark is pushing up against the thing, and Bruce incrementally increases the force pushing down on him past what he's ever seen him lift, he's reminded once again that Clark is always holding back, and hopes he never has to see him use all his strength. It seems impossible, but he's afraid he might get scared. Scared of what it all means, scared of what it would do to his perception of the world and to science. Scared of Clark. Scared of what it would do to Clark.

"Superman," Bruce has to break their steady back and forth after a while. "The weight is approaching critical mass. That of the planet you're standing on."

"Hrm." At least Clark sounds like he's actually reaching his limit. His biceps are bulging, his suit pulled taut across his abs and thighs, and still Clark is smiling right at him. Bruce bites his lip to refrain from sighing at the sight.

"No conclusive answer today, I'm sorry." Bruce slowly turns down the dial again. The scientist in him is disappointed, but maybe it's just as well, he thinks on a different level. Because now hope remains that there's always a way

At least now I know what I can lift," Clark says, predictably, too stubborn to admit the test was not satisfactory. Too stubborn to acknowledge that there might be a limit to who he can help, because there's always a way. 

Clark waves at him after he sets down the structure again. “Your heart rate is elevated. Everything okay?”

“Uhh, yes, all good,” Bruce scrambles to say. “So is yours.”

Clark laughs. It's a warm thing, as if Bruce made a joke that only he understands. “I just lifted a planet, Batman.” 

“Which you now still have to bench press, Superman.” Bruce doesn't mean to, but he's smiling. Clark just draws it out of him. 

“Alright, alright.” Outside, Clarks small figure moves around and starts disassembling and reassembling his setup. Bruce wonders how often he uses it in the fortress. As Clark casually displaces a ton of weight over his head, his voice crackles through the comms again. “It's always good watching you lift your weights in the cave. Thought I'd return the favor for once.”

Bruce almost chokes. If he didn't know any better he'd swear Clark was flirting with him. “Ugh, you don't know half the things you do to me,” he mutters under his breath. 

“What was that? The atmosphere is thinner up here. You have to use the communicator, B.” Of course Clark could still hear him. 

“I said I'd spot you but I can't exactly return that favor,” he manages somehow.

“And yet, you're doing literally just that right now.” Clark turns to watch him.

All Bruce is doing is pressing buttons and reading dials, and yet Clark finds a way to bring him to his level. Maybe that's his only power that matters. He smiles, and lets his feelings for Clark wash over him. It's warm. It's good to be in love. Suddenly, Bruce doesn't mind. But Clark doesn't need to know that, yet.

“Hrm. Focus, Superman. There's still a lot to be done.” 

Clark shakes his head. “You're insufferable,” he says, and gets into position again. Out there, in the icy blue clouds of Neptune lifting the weight of the earth for warm up sits the man Bruce is madly in love with. He'll tell him, some day. After all, there's always a way. Bruce just has to find the right time. 

[michibap]

Ted Nivison x Backpacker!Reader

after some serious pondering i’ve decided that he needs a cool nonchalant crunchy gf

so here we are

tw: marijuana (bc duh)

-of course you guys meet at the rock climbing gym you work at

-the friend he comes in with is a regular, so you just wave at the two of them from the front desk when they walk in

-ted insists he can gear up without any help, and tells his friend to go off and he’ll find him shortly

-but a few minutes later, you glance up from your phone and see him still grumbling to himself and fumbling with his harness

-at that very moment, he happens to sigh and let his hands flop at his sides, defeated

-he looks up at the front desk and finds you already looking at him,

-leaned back in the beat up desk chair with a vaguely entertained smile twitching across your lips, arms crossed over your chest

“You new here?” you finally ask, cocking your head

-he flushes a bit, breaking into an embarrassed grin,

“Is it that obvious?”

-your smile stretches wider and you shake your head,

“Nah, c’mere.” You say, motioning for him to come closer

-he listens, lumbering over, startling a little when you immediately get to adjusting his straps and buckles with deft hands

-blushing a little when you easily tug him about, checking to make sure he’s properly harnessed

-you glance up, taking in his embarrassed expression, assuming he was a little shy about needing help

“One time,” you start, catching his attention “There was a guy who refused to ask for help, and he got so tangled I had to cut him out.” you finish with a laugh

-Ted finds himself laughing along with you,

“There’s no way, you’ve gotta be fucking with me.”

-you hum no before nodding over to a glass display case on the wall

-the golden plaque beneath it was labeled simply as “The Incident” and inside was a harness, similar to the one Ted was wearing now, cut into multiple ragged pieces, but arranged as though it were still whole

-he laughs again, and looks back to you as you stand up, brushing your hands off on your cargo shorts before looking up at him

“You ready?”

-he’s blushing again as you hook him up to a rig connected to the ceiling, but being flustered quickly changes to confusion when he sees you hooking up to the same rig

“I know I’m new, but I don’t think you’ve gotta come up with me.”

-You only glance up at him as you give your carabiner one final tug, before reaching for his

“‘m not,” you explain as you continue to give his clip one final test tug.

“Basically, you’re gonna be hooked up to me, and I’m gonna make sure you don’t fall and break all of your bones into a million pieces.”

-you look like you’re about to say anything else, but your expression lights up like you’ve just remembered something

-and he watches as you turn tail and jog to the the front to grab a helmet, before jogging back over and handing it to him

-he takes it with a quick thanks

-but he’s looking down at you as he buckles his helmet, a little unsure

“*You’re* in charge of making sure I don’t fall and break my bones into a million little pieces?” he asks, sizing you up

-while you weren’t necessarily small, you were definitely smaller than him

-and if YOU were in charge of making sure that all 6’4 of him didn’t come hurtling to the ground and going SPLAT

-then he wasn’t too sure of how comfortable he was scaling the wall in front of him, that seemed a LITTLE tall for beginners

-you only playfully roll your eyes before leaning your weight back into the harness

-he gasps and stumbles forward a little when it causes the line attached to him to go taught, tugging on his own harness

“Ya.” you say plainly, “Now quit talkin t’ me and get up there.”

-while scaling the wall is a little difficult, your direction makes it a little easier

“Make sure you’re only grabbing the green holds, those are for beginners,”

“Great! Now just pull yourself up using the hold that’s just above your right hand,”

“And just bring your left leg up- just like that- theeere you go.”

-he finds himself looking over his shoulder at you for guidance at first

-but it eventually turns into him looking to you for praise after he figures out how to do anything for himself,

-grumbling to himself when he turns around to find you scrolling on your phone or idly chatting with one of your coworkers instead of watching him

-you make up for your inattentiveness when he makes it to the top, loudly applauding before instructing him to start his descent

“You want me to just let go?!” he yells down at you, clutching the wall

“Yeah!” you call back up to him

-you watch from below as he shifts uncomfortably, shaking out his hands one at a time, but unable to go without at least one hand on the wall

-“…. You’re sure?!”

-he hears your faint laugh from below,

“I wouldn’t steer you wrong!”

-takes another minute to psych himself up before he finally lets go

-pales a little when he descends faster than he thought he would, watching as the rig pulls you up off the ground as he goes down

-but he's able to relax when you wave at him as you cross paths

-one he's grounded, he looks up to watch as you gracefully descend

-you smile once you're finally back on the ground with him,

"That was great! You wanna try one that wasn't meant for kids next?"

-he would be more offended if he wasn't so eager

●・○・●・○・●

-he obviously starts coming to your place of work more frequently, quickly becoming a regular

-could you blame him?

-it was a fun, alternative way to get his exercise in

-and he likes getting to talk to one of the cute employees

-and what. What about it?

-IS THAT A FUCKING CRIME?

-GOD.

-it's not like he's some creep that regularly shows up at your place of work to chat you up

-well-

-it sounds bad when you put it like that

-but it would be significantly worse if you didn't entertain his company

-you were always more than happy to act as belay, content to chill on the ground and yell up to him as he climbed

-even bullying some of your coworkers out of the way when they try to get him started instead of you

-eventually, with your help, he advanced to the point where you no longer felt that he had to be hooked up to you while he was climbing

-but before he could express his disappointment in not being hooked up to you, you clip your carabiner to the rig parallel to his

-and scale the wall beside him

-which was significantly better than you being on the ground, for a variety of reasons

-one of them being that you guys didn't have to yell back and forth to one another

-another being that he could follow your lead, mimicking your movements when he sees you maneuver up the wall in a way that he hadn't previously thought of

-AND maybe he liked when he could see your muscles through your shirt as you pulled yourself up

-but his favorite was surprisingly when you didn't feel like climbing

-and you would instead idly dangle alongside him as he climbed, occasionally adjusting the lines so you could stay level with him

-chatting as you comfortably hang, content to let yourself dangle upside down as the two of you chat about your hobbies outside of work (for you) or the gym (for him)

-you listen as he talks about his channel, occasionally humming to signal that you were listening or chipping in with questions about his road trips or the friends he mentions

-he does the same for you, oo-ing and ahh-ing as you share some tales about your backpacking adventures

-lighting up like a christmas tree when you mention hiking

"Oh, I love hiking!"

-his enthusiasm is curbed when you pause to look him up and down, unconvinced

"Do you really?" you ask, moving to sit up straight in your harness

"Yeah, I do." he huffs, a little offended

-but instead of grilling him on it, he watches you light up before going on a tangent about all of the great trails there are in LA,

-and he's enthusiastically agreeing to everything you're saying

-even though he has No Fucking Clue what you're talking about

-yeah, he's done a few of the touristy hikes in the area,

-but if you held a gun to his head and asked him to explain what the fuck a 'bivy sack' is?

-yeah.

-he's taking that fucking bullet

-no doubt

-"There's a bunch of great spots, but I've gotta say that Tiger Tail is one of my favorites,"

"Really?" he interrupts, "That's totally one of my favorites too! I love Tiger... Trail."

-he watches you raise a brow, and thinks you've caught onto him bullshitting

"Yeah?" you ask, a hint of a challenge to your tone

"Yeah, totally" he doubles down, "I love how... tigery it is."

-you only hum, looking up at him, and he starts to squirm uncomfortably under your gaze

-he KNOWS you’ve caught onto him bullshitting

-and he knows that you know he knows

-and he's sitting there, sweating, WAITING for you to call him out on it

-but you don't

-instead...

"We should go sometime," you suggest, "I'd love to see you in... what was it you said? Your element?"

-FUCK.

-"Yeah, totally! That sounds great!"

-God dammit.

-Three days later, he finds himself sitting in a concerningly empty parking lot,

-and decided that this is significantly worse than if you had just called him out on lying

-he perks up when he sees what he assumes to be your car pull in, recognizing it from the gym's parking lot

-and despite his trepidation, he's grinning and getting out of his car to greet you

-but his grin falters when he sees confusion flash across your features when you take all of him in

-with his cute outfit he had specifically chosen for today

-thrifted windbreaker layered over a graphic tee, denim shorts, and a squeaky new pair of converse he had been saving for today

-and compared to you, decked out in your fuckin,, patagonia or whatever, with your usual cargo shorts, with a quite frankly absurd amount of pockets, and a sturdy pair of hiking boots

-he looked severely under prepared

-to put it lightly

-you two pause for a moment, staring at each other, trying to figure out what to say

-before he breaks the silence

“This isn’t you trying to lure me into the woods to kill me, is it?”

-he watches you scoff and playfully roll your eyes,

“Don’t flatter yourself.” followed by a mischievous grin,

“Is it working?”

-he only grins and steps to the side, motioning to the entrance of the trail,

“Lead the way.”

-about an hour into your trek, ted is actually convinced that you’re leading him into the woods to kill him

-he’s embarrassingly sweaty, already having to rid himself of his fashionable layers

-and he knows you’ve seen him stumble and trip countless times as he has a significantly more difficult time navigating the rocky path than you seem to be

-but you don't mention it, content to walk in a comfortable silence (for YOU) (he's fighting for his life)

-it's almost unfair how easy it is for you

-he's glaring at your back as you navigate the treacherous path with more grace than he has on a sidewalk

-he had known that some people are just "outdoorsy", but he doesn't think that word is enough to describe how perfectly you fit in place in the depths of the forest

-it was like you were breathing easier out here

-your body language entirely relaxed as you nimbly weave around roots and stones and rash inducing plants

-and he thinks your skin *might* be glowing,

-but that might just be him needing to wipe the sweat out of his eyes again

-At some point, you lead him off path, claiming to "know a spot"

-he stopped, staring at where you were trying to lead him off of the beaten path and into the woods,

"Oh my god, you're actually going to kill me out here."

-you only roll your eyes again, "Don't be a baby."

-and if that doesn't get him going, what will?

-following another 40, grueling minutes of stumbling through the forest, you lead him to a small clearing by a cliffside, overlooking the city

-he doesn't even take the time to admire it, practically throwing himself on the ground and guzzling the warm water he had packed and fiendishly scratching his new collection of bug bites

-doesn't really notice you settling next to him, vaguely recognizing the sound of you rustling through your backpack

-but his head whips up when he hears the familiar "chk chk chk" of a lighter, looking to you

-and you have a joint hanging from between your lips, holding a lighter to it before glancing to him

-and you take in his bewildered expression before quickly plucking the joint from your lips with wide eyes,

"Shit- Sorry, I didn't even ask if you smoke" you rush out, trying to make quick work of embarassedly hiding the joint back in your bag as you try to defend yourself,

"I kind of just assumed-"

"No, no, you're good." Ted interrupts with a short laugh,

"I was just kind of surprised you wanted to smoke me out after making an actual attempt on my life."

-the mood lightens again when your shoulders relax and you chuckle, "Oh, good. You had me worried for a sec."

-he watches as you take the spliff back out of your bag and lighting it for him before passing it off

-he adjusts to sit more comfortably as he takes a drag, looking out at the undeniably fantastic view,

"Is this where you usually bring all of your hoes?" he jokes, smoke billowing from his mouth as he laughs at himself, handing the blunt back off to you

-you huff a laugh,

"Mhm," you hum as you take a drag yourself, "Usually, you'd be cut up into a million tiny pieces and in my stomach by now."

"So what I'm hearing is that I'm special."

-you laugh again, bringing one of your knees up to your chest and resting your cheek on it as you watch him take another hit,

"I guess you could say something like that."

-another beat of silence passes as you hand the joint back and forth a few more times,

-until eventually he hands it back to you, and he watches as you take a final hit before ashing it and stick the roach in one of your pockets for later

-not wanting to end up too stoned to navigate your way back to the path

-for a few minutes, the two of you are content to look out at the horizon, soaking up the combination of soaking up the sun, admiring the view, and enjoying one another's presence

-but ted is a D1 Yapper

-and the weed in his system has him a little chatty,

"Can I tell you a secret?" he finally interrupts

You lazily turn your head back to him with an inquisitive hum that has his chest squeezing

"I was kind of lying, when I told you I was *super* into hiking."

-he gets nervous again when you don't say anything, simply staring at him for a moment

-before you quietly laugh, shaking your head

"No shit."

-it's his turn to stare now

-mouth dumbly dropped open while he takes a few seconds to process

"*What?*"

-you laugh again, a little louder this time

"Dude, I knew you were bullshitting when I first brought this up."

"No shot, you've gotta be fucking with me."

-you grin and hum, shaking your head no,

"How?" Ted asked, genuinely confused

"Well first off," you start, "I can tell by your quads, and how you're still out of breath that you're not that big on hiking."

Ted blushes, growing a little sheepish

"And the fact that you showed up in fucking *converse* told me all that I needed to know."

"Okay, but-" he attempts to cut in for damage control, but you power forward

"And!" you continue, "I didn't hear you mention anything about the... what was it that you said?" you take a moment to pretend to think, placing a thoughtful finger on your chin, "The... tigery-ness? That you love so much? Not a single time." you finish with a coy smile

-very clearly (and thankfully) entertained rather than upset

-Ted playfully rolls his eyes, knowing he's been caught

"Alright, well, since you seem to know everything..." he pauses and shifts a little closer and turning to face you more directly, "Then why'd you invite me out here?"

-A smile plays on your lips and you hum again, before you shift to match his body language

-you simply observe him for a moment, watching as he squirms under your gaze

"Well," you start slowly, intentionally letting him hang on your words.

"I think you're really cute," you admit with a blush, ignoring how he perks up with a smile

"And I wanted to see how far you'd take it."

-he throws his head back with a laugh, before turning back to you

"Right... Well, you got me. Dragging my ass three miles into the woods for a bit is crazy, though. Just so you know."

-he watches you proudly nod with a smile

-emboldened, he scoots a little closer,

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Mhm", you nod, looking up at him through your lashes, making no move to pull away as he drew closer

"How much farther were you willing to take it?"

-you huff another laugh, and he's close enough to feel the short puff of air brush across his lips

-and he swears you move imperceptibly closer, but just as he goes to close his eyes and lean into what he had assumed would be a kiss

-you're pushing off the ground, brushing yourself off.

"Well, if you wanna finish the trail, we've got another four miles to go. And let me tell you from experience, it doesn't get any easier from here." you start

"But if you wan to just turn around like I thought you would, we've got a solid three miles back. Either way, we're losing daylight. So we should probably get moving before the coyotes do."

you finish, holding a hand out to pull him off the ground

-he just stares up at you for a moment, once again finding himself struggling to process what the hell was happening

"The fucking *what*?"

●・○・●・○・●

-I'm hoping you guys see the vision by now bc i feel like writing headcanons

-he'd be super into the outdoorsy-chic fashion i feel

-so, thrifting dates to find him proper hiking gear

-also bc he likes going hiking w you

-he kinda feels bad bringing you on dates that are anywhere aside from the outdoors

-its like forcing an outdoor cat to come to the mall with you

-him slowly getting more ripped the longer he keeps on coming to your job to bother you (HRMJDF #DNS_)

-getting more into hiking and exploring with you in general

-he doesn't really like when you go on backpacking trips without him, especially when he'll have to occasionally go for days without contacting you bc you're balls deep in mother nature

-but he cherishes the occasional calls he receives where you update him on your travels, recounting details from your adventures that you know he would appreciate and sharing all of the drama with your trail buddies that you've met

-and he loves the pictures of the landscape that you send,

-but his favorite photos he receives are the selfies of you with a grand backdrop, usually with a wide smile and a silly thumbs up or peace sign

-BEGS you to bring him on your backpacking trips for literally so long

-but you refuse for a while because a) that's YOUR thing, and it's important to have your own life outside of your partner

and b) he can hardly handle an intermediate level five mile trail

-but eventually....

-he disappears from the internet for like six weeks

-comes back with an hour long video titled "I Hiked (some of) the Appalachian Trail"

-the video recounts his journey ofc

-includes moments between the two of you, ranging from sweet moments together to devolving into madness after being alone in the woods together for an extended period of time

-casual hard launch

-along with introductions to everyone he met and travelled with on the trail (who agreed to be in the vid ofc)

-one clip of you scaring off a bear goes viral

-you two had been filming it from a distance, giggling as you watch it sniff at the supplies you had left hanging in a tree the night before

-it's no longer funny when it turns and looks at you guys before starting to make its way over to you

-and he manages to capture you yelling "FUCK OFF" at a bear

-standing on business in your jammas

-also the audience going feral watching as he gets progressively more rugged throughout the video, the longer he was on the trail with you

-taste tests of all of the pre-packaged, dehydrated food you guys brought

-shots of all of the wildlife and beautiful landscapes

-a clip of the two of you splashing around in some lake the two of you come across

-another of the two of you huddled close in a tent, hands over your mouths to hold back nervous giggles as you listen to coyotes sniff around your campsite

-finding cute little towns to stop in and restock on supplies, along with meeting some locals and fellow travelers

-some more Little Things:

-he's OBSESSED with the indentations from being in your rock climbing harness all day

-constantly running his fingers over them when they're in plain sight

-the first night home after his appalachian adventure is the best sleep he'll ever get, comfortably nestled in his own bed, freshly showered with you tucked into his chest

-him scolding you whenever you come home from a trip with a fresh batch of bruises and scrapes

-you two are The Coolest In the Room in almost any given social situation, with endless cool anecdotes about your travels

-it means So Much to him when you tag along on his indoor boy endeavors, bc he knows its not your thing

-him finally wrangling you down for a day in when its raining out, wasting the day away rotting on the couch, eating junk food and watching brain rot television

-and maybe you end up napping the majority of the day, but seeing you so relaxed in his presence when you're usually on the go just scratches a certain itch in his brain

-however, he does have to deal with you having the zoomies later in the evening after being latent all day

-maybe you guys will go on a late night ride

-or sth else to burn off some energy? idk

●・○・●・○・●

hope you guys liked this!

i feel like this clicks better than soccer!gf bc lowkey soccer!gf was intended to be a background character in hockey!gf universe, so it was weird trying to flesh her out more when she was originally intended to be an offputting lesbian side character

[tobiasdrake]

Hey there! What are your thoughts on the infamous and legendary Tenshinhan-Yamcha relationship?

It's something the anime created to try and make Yamcha more prominent of a character. Toei loved Yamcha. They sprinkled all kinds of things throughout the anime to try and make him seem like a bigger, more dignified, and more important character. In the anime, Yamcha is basically the guy; The brave, cunning, and talented leader of the human martial arts crew, with Ten as the prominent anime rival figure who does his own thing but is still part of the group.

The anime also pretty aggressively takes his side in the largely ambiguous relationship drama going on in the background between him and Bulma.

Part of that was setting him up as a sort of bro and rival to Tenshinhan. Which is kind of funny because it plays straight something that was done as a bit in the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai.

Tenshinhan's initial read of the Kame-senryu students is that Yamcha is the serious and capable martial artist in the bunch, and Goku and Krillin are his juniors. He seizes upon Yamcha as the adversary he must defeat in order to break Kame-senryu on the world stage.

Yamcha, in turn, banters back with Tenshinhan. This is probably where Toei got the idea to make them rivals. Goku, meanwhile, pays little mind to the verbal jousting; He's already made up his mind about Tenshinhan.

Krillin thinks he's a big jerk face and Yamcha's raring to make him eat his words, while Goku's reading Ten and going "This guy's an incredible martial artist and I can't wait to fight him!" Ten, in turn, is making bad assumptions probably based on the ages of the Muten-Roshi's pupils.

In fact, he's paying Goku no mind at all. When he uses Chiaotzu's psychic powers to rig the drawing of lots, he sees a formidable foe in Jackie Chun and wants to get a glimpse of what Jackie's made of before fighting him.

While taking Yamcha for himself.

And letting Chiaotzu have Krillin, since Chiaotzu had a bone to pick.

Meanwhile, Goku was pit against Pamput as the leftovers. Not one single solitary shit was given for who Goku would fight. Ten had his eyes on breaking the best of Kame-senryu and in his mind, that meant Yamcha.

And I do mean breaking. Ten humiliates and brutalizes Yamcha in the ring, then claims victory over Kame-senryu. He's faced down the best of the best and it's going to be smooth sailing from here, as long as he doesn't let himself get cocky and make a mistake.

But then Krillin and Chiaotzu's match began, and while watching the fights, Tenshinhan overheard some shit.

The junior underling of Yamcha's that he's been ignoring killed Taopaipai, his master's brother and the greatest practitioner of their art. That's when Ten realizes that he's made some bad assumptions and needs to adjust his expectations accordingly.

This is the last significant interaction Ten and Yamcha ever have. Ten and Chiaotzu do train with the Kame-senryu boys when they're undergoing a heavenly trial together.

But Ten and Chiaotzu are kinda like Piccolo. They do their own thing in their own space and don't have relationships with the others. They'll train under a shared master with Kame-senryu students but they don't, of their own volition, train or socialize with Kame-senryu.

Ten and Chiaotzu go their own way and don't form any sort of relationship to the rest of the group at all. They are only ever, at most, associates from work. Ten's primary interest is in cultivating his new ex-Tsuru-senryu art and his secondary interest is in testing his developing abilities against Goku. He's never paid Yamcha much mind at all after that one fight.

No, Yamcha's greatest bro and rival and comrade is much closer to home. It's the character Toei utterly disrespects, and goes out of their way to downplay and trivialize at every opportunity in the anime and movies. It's the person who happily banters with him whenever they're together.

The character who has Yamcha's back when people are being shitty.

Who (along with Goku when he's around) races to Yamcha's side whenever he gets hurt.

Krillin is the guy that the anime tries to make Yamcha out to be. And Krillin is, to Yamcha, the guy that the anime tries to make Tenshinhan out to be.

My biggest beef with the anime is that it fundamentally misrepresents the characters and their relationships to one another. This creates expectations for how they'll be handled in the story moving forward.

Yamcha never got to be the guy because he was never supposed to be; Toei was setting viewers up for disappointment by promising a more plot-critical and more formidable character than what he was designed to be. Toei promised that Yamcha would be #1 among the humans and the main protagonist whenever Goku isn't around. And that never materialized. Because he's not. He never was.

They did this to Gohan too, with episode after episode portraying him as an enthusiastic and battle-hungry chip off the ol' block, chomping at the bit to become a great martial artist just like his dad. Toei's Gohan is a ready and willing Goku Jr., except when the plot forces him to be a sensitive boy in over his head because that's who the character actually is in the canon that's being adapted.

A lot of people like those interpretations. And, like, you do you. I'm not going to say anyone's wrong for liking them. I'm not here to say those interpretations are bad. Just that they're basically fanfiction, which is a problem because being in the most prominent adaptation of the source material disguises the fact that they're fanfiction. It creates anticipation of payoffs in the main story; Payoffs that will never come, that can never come, because the plot points building to them are fanfiction.

I honestly do wonder how much of the resentment and frustration fans have with Dragon Ball canon stems from the fact that Toei kept writing checks that the manga wasn't going to cash.

[britt-kageryuu]

Donnie in is just starting a stream, and he's using a model of a cartoony non-mutant northern spiny softshell turtle with his markings and a purple mask. It's in a tank.

Donnie: Before anyone asks, why I'm using this model, my brothers and I were watching this YouTube channel about a reptile rescue that was also a zoo.

Donnie is still setting up the game, making sure all the settings and scenes are properly configured.

Donnie: In one of the videos they were showing their turtles and tortoises. They happened to have an alleged Spiny Softshell turtle. Suddenly my brothers were shouting 'OMG! D is that YOU!' I was not amused.

The little model looked unamused, and stomped it's little foot, sending the chat into a frenzy of emojis and awwws.

Donnie: I am not the same as that southern softshell, I am a Northern Spiny Softshell thank you very much. HUFF!

The little model moves it's head and seems to be trying to display the correct emotion. This again continues the frenzy.

Donnie: So M insisted I use this new model, if only to test out the rigging.

Shelldon appears with a container labeled 'Turtle Food'

Donnie: SHELLDON! Who put you up to this?

Shelldon: M said today anytime someone gives bits they feed your model. So Uncle M gave me this.

Donnie has decided to just roll with it, and starts up the chosen game for the stream. This also led to the meme of sending pictures of softshell turtles with 'OMG!! D is this YOU!' on them.

Masterpost

[bobbyfiend]

I'm a little high so now is the perfect time to write shit.

TW: mention of violence and (briefly) of suicide

Today's shit is: Stop saying Fragile Masculinity unless you know what the fuck you're talking about.

I feel the boldface above is perhaps too aggressive, but whatever. Moving on.

The interwebs seem to think Fragile Masculinity means a man who is fragile. Or a guy who is a douchebag. Or something. IDK. What does it really mean?

Fragile Masculinity (a.k.a. Precarious Manhood) is an academic theory about the nature of "masculinity" in patriarchal societies. From here on out, I'm talking like the theory, so I don't have to say "according to..." 100 times.

Masculinity isn't an innate aspect of a person in this conception; it's a status or identity conferred on certain people (i.e., people who look like "men") by their culture or community.

Your culture gave you masculinity, and it can take it away. Easily. "Fragile Masculinity" means that masculinity, as a concept or identity or social status is hard to achieve and easy to lose. It's fragile, get it?

Femininity or Womanhood, by contrast, is not thought to work the same way, usually. The theory isn't really about women, but writers/theorists comment on the contrast, sometimes: Women in patriarchal societies aren't potential people in charge, or even particularly agentive; they're resources to be utilized. Those resources need to be available at any time, and how they feel about that, or what they've done in their lives to be good resources are less important than mere existence and availability. Women become women, generally, just by growing up and having the "right" biological bits. Even bad women are still women. Even women declared good for nothing but sexual or domestic use are still women. By contrast, men become men (i.e. masculine) by doing the right things, and not doing the wrong ones, and they stay masculine the same way. Masculinity can be lost easily.

How do you lose masculinity? You fuck up. You fail to do the things the culture thinks men should do. You fail to retaliate when another man insults you. Or compliments your girlfriend. Or makes out with your wife. You fail to commit the situation-specific violence your society requires of men. You fail ?o dominate others--especially men--in social interactions. You get dominated--much worse if by a woman. You show insufficient physical strength, or (worse) you show fear of being hurt.

I'll stop with that, now. I think you get the picture.

Or you do things the culture says men should not do: you listen to your gf or wife's thoughts a little too much. You play a sissy sport or no sport at all. You hang with gay people. You are gay people. You are (or seem to be) trans--and yes, the system seems to be rigged so that both MtF and FtM trans people will generally be seen as insufficiently manly.

Getting the picture? You don't become a man just because you get physically older; you have to do things, and you have to not do other things. Otherwise, you're not a man, not really.

And every damn day there will be at least one (and maybe a hundred) tests of your manhood. If you fail to meet any one of them, your "man" status can be damaged or revoked.

Why is that so bad? Because non-men have no place in patriarchal society. Men have a place, weak-ass men sort of have a place, women have a place (most of them, most of the time); non-men do not have a place. Non-men do not receive or deserve anyone's respect or even kindness. Non-men are homo sacer. Hurting them is a great pastime because it both harms someone who should should be ashamed to exist and gives you status points with your buddies (this includes both men and women). "Hurt the outsider" is one of the most reliable methods for bonding with your tribal group. It's even better if the outsider is a traitor, someone who used to be one of you. Outsiders can be hurt because they're outsiders. Traitors should be hurt because they have committed one of the worst possible moral wrongs: they were good group members and then they chose to not be. It's disloyalty to the group. Non-men are traitors so fuck 'em up.

What is a man to do who has been declared "non-man", or just lost some of his man status, or is just worried he might? Maybe he gets the most manly job ever: cop, soldier, WWE wrestler. Maybe he makes sure to commit some extra amounts of culture-sanctioned violence or domination. Maybe he kills himself.

I hope you're getting this. Fragile Masculinity is not a description of some men's insecurities or overcompensation (though it's not totally separate from that). It's a sociological/critical theory about the concept of masculinity itself, and how it works within patriarchal cultures. Masculinity in such a culture is fragile. It's hard to achieve and easy to lose. That has a lot of really bad consequences.

[rinkkuma]

୨୧ SUMMER ACTIVITIES

ft. isagi yoichi, rin itoshi, & bachira meguru

tags. a bit of cussing, gn!reader, all fluff ! / author's note. cannot wait for summer, so i just had to write this!!! :3 still trying to get the hang of writing, so sorry if this is shitty D:

ISAGI YOICHI

isagi takes you to the fair! loves the rides, games and food. attempts to win the very obviously rigged games for you to win any prize you desire—if any of them are soccer related though, wins them 100% with ease. (almost breaks the game because of how much he got into it) carries the stuffed animal he won for you, big or small, the whole day.

tries the weird ass foods they have at the fair, (donut burgers, fried oreos, & fried pickles) and lowkey likes them. ew swears he doesn't have weird tastebuds and that it's just the fair air making him go mad! (totally not because the previous ride you guys went on made him dizzy as hell and now he feels nauseous)

his favorite ride is the ferris wheel! perfectly plans to take you on during sunset to have a romantic moment with you! the first time he took you on though, he was just blabbing about how much fun he had with you that day, the ride starting shaking violently and you guys almost got stuck.

ITOSHI RIN

rin takes you on a picnic! his favorite spot to have it is on the beach during sunset. (doesn't mind having it in a park or a field if that's what you prefer) he makes sure he brings all of your favorite foods. doesn't matter if you talk the while, stay quiet, or your playlist quietly playing in the background, he just loves spending time with you with perfect weather and a beautiful view. (he's actually not looking at the scenery, he's looking at you, but shyly looks away when you catch him)

helps you take a million pictures of you and the food for your instagram, and even decides to post on his instagram too—which rin rarely posts. (most of his posts and highlights are just filled with you though)

after you've both had your fill of the delicious food, takes you on a walk on the beach! if you decide to run off into the water, grips your hand gently to make sure to don't get knocked over by the waves. thinks you look absolutely ethereal in the sun, which leads him to stare, again causing his grip to loosen, and a big wave comes crashing in and you two nearly fall. (he mentally notes next time to stare at you AND make sure he's holding on tight to your hand)

BACHIRA MEGURU

oddly decides to start a lemonade stand with you during the summer. he's seen kids in his neighborhood sell lemonade during the summer when he was younger, so why not give it a try with you? plus, it was a great opportunity to make some extra money during the summer!

when he brings up the idea to you and gives you a sample of them lemonade he made, it was absolutely horrid. shit looked radioactive!!! you give him your best, nicest reaction you could and told him that you would be in charge of making the lemonade. you decide to teach bachira at least a little about how to cook and whatnot after this.. (he didn't mind anyway! more time to spend with you) after a few days of testing the recipe and perfecting it, you two make the sign and decorations for the stand and are now ready for business!

surprisingly, bachira isn't too aggressive towards customers and is actually a great promoter! because of this, you guys make a decent amount during the duration of your stand being open. he's actually quite nice to kids (some of them invite him to play soccer with them) and feels kind enough to give some free samples to people isagi—with your approval, of course. decides to make selling lemonade a tradition during the summer. which you enjoy every summer!

[michixoxo]

"𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙣?"

you and main cast, where yall going?

John

put on your sunscreen! cuz you're going the fuck outside

takes you to a carnival in town for your first date.

he instantly wants to get you every single prize there is, doing multiple games, all rigged against him, and his frustration gets progressively higher.

until, the fated claw machine.

it was your mistake to mention that you'd love the cute pig plushie, because he spends quarter after quarter determined to get you it.

it gets to the point that you end up leaving to go get you both a soda, seeing how he won't even move from the machine.

with his last failed attempt, he slams his fist against the side of the machine, impossibly frustrated and out of quarters.

but, fate seems to be on his side, as the metal panel guarding the inside of the machine falls as a result of his punch.

can you really blame him for reaching his arm inside and taking a plush or two? or three? or... all of them?

he carries as much as he can, excited to show you. he can see you in the distance, only a little bit more, just a little—

"freeze! you're under arrest!", aw shit.

"you are being charged with destruction of property and theft. anything you say can be used against you in court.", he feels shame and embarrassment pool in his stomach as the altercation draws your attention, your hands covering your mouth in shock as he's cuffed.

as he is put into the carnival police car, he hangs his head low. i'm such a screw up. how could i be so fucking idiotic? they hate me, don't they? i fucking hate mysel—

"john!", your voice rings out even in the police car. he sees you, standing in the middle of the mountain of plushies. he sees as you pick up the prized pig plush, holding it in your arms.

"thank you!", you shout, smiling at him and waving. he tries to wave back, but resorts to shaking his head left and right, indulging in the laugh it pried from you.

even as the police car starts to move, his feelings are replaced with more welcomed ones: feelings for you.

he would take you mostly on casual dates when you start dating. you would go to places like arcades, fairs, and the like. cute picnic dates with each other, just talking and loving each other's company.

cute couple that ends up getting kicked out of every establishment they go to.

Sera

takes you to woaba boba for your first date.

what? it's not romantic? welp, that's rough buddy.

honestly, she doesn't feel the need to overly impress you. of course, she wants you to have a good time and have a good impression of her, but she isn't gonna stress herself out.

also uses it as a sort of test. she's had people, if they're brave enough, try to befriend her in order to benefit off her family's wealth, connections, and power.

so, if you don't like it, then you can happily take your business elsewher—? oh? you love boba? you always wanted to go here? you're thanking her?

hm. well, she may have been a bit rash. maybe you aren't like other people...

you blink slightly as she sips her boba, looking strangely pleased. did something happen..?

takes you to different hang out spots.

you'd go shopping together at the mall or spend time at a skating ring, whether or not either of you can skate is entirely irrelevant.

similar to john, you both get into a lot of trouble on your dates, though your chances of being caught are now halved 👍

badass couple that get progressively dumber the longer they are around each other.

Arlo

first date on the moon

okay not actually but its still exuberantly fancy

french restaurant in the heart of Wellston that has three michilen stars and a price range that would make the average man cry.

you're not surprised when you show up and he's wearing a suit that's the cost of the same man's salary.

classic candlelit dinner, the chef personally comes to serve you both. you pray that he doesn't believe in 50/50

not nervous at all. in fact, bro thinks he's the shit. (and he is but don't tell him that)

he knows he outdid himself with this one, and he knows that it's gonna impress you. still... you look sort of... bored—? well, no matter. he didn't pay the chef just for them not to have any tricks up their sleeve.

date goes well, because of course it did. still, as he walks you to your home, you look... less impressed than he hoped for.

did he do something wrong? did you not like the food? did you hate the restaurant—?,

"arlo!", huh? "there's a cat in the tree!", what did you want him to do about it? you stare at him with those pretty eyes, looking up at him. don't you remember that this suit costs a fortune? why not just call the fire department— "please, arlo..?"

...so what? he got a few twigs caught in his hair. and sure, maybe his suit is completely stained and torn from kitten claws and branches. but that sweet smile of yours, the impossibly bright light in that dim alley, is more than enough to make up for it.

takes you to expensive, classic dates. dinner dates are always a favorite, but you also go to nice lounges and country clubs to play golf or drink champagne.

elitist couple that thinks they are better than everyone and technically is.

Remi

first date is bowling, 90s style

she's very excited for the date, isen and blyke? not so much.

she had to practically chain them to a street lamp to be able to go with you on the date, and still, two guys in employee uniforms seem to be glaring at you an awful lot huh...

but anyways! the date is great! you both spend time with each other and take turns bowling. a fun sort of competition evolves from every passing round. she's... happy. she's really, really happy with you. and it's like she never wants it to end.

alas, a rumble of her stomach catches you both off-guard, resulting in a light chuckle from you and an embarrassed blush from her.

enjoying a burger, fries, and coke, you both sit together playing footsies in the food court. except, no good thing lasts for long.

a stray fry passes by your table, hitting someone behind you on the head. yet, despite doing something about it, the person simply cowers further in fear.

then, another fry. and another. and then a soda cup splatters hard and fast against them, covering them in a sticky, brown liquid. it's disgusting. it's revolting. and remi can barely stand to see it.

yet, for some reason, you grip tightly onto your own soda cup and stand up, your face obscured by the overhead light.

there's no way. no way you're gonna join in this, right? you were better than this, right? you wouldn't stoop to their level. no. no, how could you—?

your own soda cup slams against the face of the perpetrator, a sticky, orange fluid plastered all over them.

after the shock, remi's face almost shines. maybe, maybe you aren't like everyone else. she was right about you. and she's so happy she was.

takes you on classic dates. sharing a milkshake or pasta in a small diner is only one of her many ideas for you both. also likes going to fairs and carnivals, she'll win you so many plushies.

sweet couple that gives everyone diabetes with how cute you are.

Blyke

tries to do something similar to arlo and fails miserably.

first date at a fancy restaurant but he shows up 15 minutes late covered in dirt and mud on his suit.

ask him what happened and he'll brush off the fact that he lost his phone in the sewer drain and bought a fishing rod to get it out and it worked until he accidentally flung both fishing rod and phone into a tree that he had to climb but didn't realize was being actively cut down and got stuck on a semi-truck as he fell and terrifyingly slid off until he bounced and bumped and conveniently landed right in front of the restaurant.

but don't worry! just a few scratches and stains and oh, is there a bird in his hair?

sits down and— "pfft, do you see them?", huh?

"please, what an embarrassment. people like that shouldn't be here, they ruin it for everyone."

...y'know what? fuck them. it doesn't matter. he's here with you, and he won't ruin it by getting angry. he shouldn't be mad. don't get mad—

and suddenly, a cup of water is thrown at the talking man.

"hey! keep your ass out of our business! what makes you think you can talk about us when you're balding at, what, 30?"

after a few more comments comparing the man to mr. clean and a couple profanities later, you're both thrown out of the restaurant with nothing but the clothes on your back.

"psh, assholes. let's go, blyke.", "go? what do you mean?", you smile at him, standing up and offering your hand. "our date isn't over just yet."

he might just love you.

takes you on gym dates. just gym dates. only gym dates. and maybe a few coffee dates or dates at the beach.

superhero couple with all the energy of a shonen anime and the bad decisions to show for it.

Isen

first date at the mall

think about it, it's casual enough to not be taken too seriously but also enough activities to make it seem like he's putting in more effort than he really is.

he's a genius, isn't he?

sometime during the date, you both go inside a stationary store. there, he might've just met the love of his life.

a pen, no, the pen. everything from the smell, to the sleek style, to the vibrant red and black accents. it's beautiful. but he'll be damned if he's spending $300 on a singular pen, even he has his limits.

so, after staring longingly at it, he leaves along with you to the next place. it's fine, surely nothing wrong could happen now—

"hey! you there with the bad haircut!", huh? first of all, rude—

the security guard yells at him, telling him that he apparently stole the valued pen at the stationary store. that the cameras saw him looking at it and they know it was him.

not only is the dude embarrassing him in front of you, but his integrity is being called into question.

why is it always him? can't he have a simple day without things going wrong? he didn't even do anything! why is it always his fault—?

you step in front of isen, almost to protect him. "he wouldn't do that, he isn't like that. just because he was looking at it doesn't mean he did it. you don't even know him, not like how i do."

..? you're taking his side? even after what the security guard said?

his thoughts are stopped as the store owner comes up to the security guard, saying that after checking the cameras, someone with invisibility probably took it.

the security guard stops, looking rightfully embarrassed. "s-sorry, then. my mistake." what an—

"asshole. you think we're forgiving you that easily. you better start groveling right now, you pig."

... you're worse than him... which is kinda hot.

instead of taking you on dates, you both just do everything together. if he needs help with the press team, then you're the first person he's going to. if he needs to share a secret that's been weighing him down, then you're always there to lend an ear.

annoying couple that pisses everyone off in 0.420 seconds.

based on the values i think the main cast would appreciate/need in a partner:

john: forgiveness

sera: authenticity

arlo: kindness

remi: righteousness

blyke: courage

isen: loyalty

[wireman-au]

how did you first meet tango? or if that's too much. how did you meet etho? just to pass the time

Yeah, this seems like a good way to distract yourself. Besides, you might as well talk about Tango--isn't this all about him? You can think about Etho another time.

The thing with Tango is--

Have you ever met someone and, suddenly, both known they're massively, astronomically smarter than you and that they're a bit dumb? Like, known, in your heart of hearts that this person is a genius, and also known that they just... needed someone anyway? That sort of person?

When you met Tango in college as freshmen, it was two ways. First, it was in your 100-level physics classes, where it was about as clear as possible he was leagues ahead of everyone else in the room and probably could have tested out, had he had the motivation to. You weren't sure if you were awed, jealous, or just hoping he ended up your lab partner. (He didn't.)

Second, it was two days later, finding him standing baffled, soaking wet, outside of his dorm room, having just been locked out by his roommate while he was taking a shower. Later, he'd admit to you that it was a little bit (a lot) his fault; he gets caught up in things, and he can be sort of a lot when he's caught up, and his roommate had taken insult. Also, he admits ruefully, he hadn't been keeping his bed clean. He was just used to his friends being able to just... keep up.

(You used to wonder what on earth kind of childhood friends Tango had to be able to keep up with him. Then you met Zedaph. That explained that.)

Anyway, you'd never been able to turn down someone who just looked sad. It's one of your weaknesses. You and Skizz had rigged the system to guarantee being roommates, and you knew Skizz also wouldn't mind, so you told Tango that he could stay in your room until he had a chance to patch it up with his roommate. You warned him that your A/C unit didn't work and the radiator was stuck on, so, given it was September, it was sort of miserable despite your best effort with box fans, but--

Well. The joke for a bit of that first year is that you'd picked up a wet cat in the hallway, he'd followed you home, and you'd never gotten rid of him after he started tentatively talking about aliens and neither you nor Skizz tried to shut him down on the spot.

He came into his own better over the year; he and his roommate figured it out, and he stopped seeming quite so lost trying to interact with the rest of college. If anything, he became way, way more social than you were, and started collecting friends himself. He nearly makes more money than you, he's extremely competent at everything he does, and he's still a weirdo who loves talking about theories of the existence of alternate universes and the soul but this time you're pretty sure he gets paid for some of that. He doesn't--you're going to help him anyway, but to tell the truth, you know he doesn't need your help anymore. If anything, you normally need his.

But, sue you--you'll never forget the lost guy who got kicked out by his roommate for accidentally insulting their intelligence while, as it turns out, trying to fix their own A/C unit. Some first impressions are hard to kick.

[hervey-gervey-chip]

DIY AGE-OF-SAIL INSPIRED FOULIES

part IV: the test

y’all i fucking did it!i’m making an update! first off, let’s go through the weather of the day. it was cloudy with a light but consistent drizzle, slightly chilly, and it had rained enough by the time i was climbing around that the rig was thoroughly wet. (said rig is pictured below with the day’s conditions)

initial reaction when putting them on:

relatively stiff! very similar level of stiffness to my other pair of bibs that I have from 2020; they are just the most basic west marine ones you can buy.

it was sprinkling a bit outside already, and water was beading nicely on the cloth

the ass reinforcement i did began slightly lower than i would have liked, but i guess that’s what you get when you don’t measure anything on your actual physical form before you start sewing lol

i wore them over top of my denim work pants and i didn’t feel congested in there at all

sail prep:

the harness cinched over them just fine and they were super easy to climb in!

we reefed tops’ls and i went out to the yardarm to do the earring lashing, and therefore had full body contact with a wet yard and sail for the duration of the lashing (diagram below), and then stood on the footropes regular-style for a bit to finish up reef nettles. i got back to deck and was not a bit damper than i was before i went aloft. *though everything i was wearing was just ~ambiently damp~ just because that’s how humidity works. if you’ve ever put on an item of clothing that’s been living in under-bunk storage for a month, that’s what the vibe was.

water was no longer beading, but rather a thin film of wet on the top layer of fibers.

sail time!

plenty of time on a knee or sitting on wet hatches i think is what did it. i was still fairly dry; however, by the end of the day i felt a little wetness seeping through at the knees, and more on the butt. that said, the reinforcement was /just/ high enough to cover the part that made contact when sitting.

overall, they fared about as well as those westmarine bibs do currently: definitely works, but not the ideal for a downpour or long watches in the rain.

what i learned:

i’m definitely doing this again and maybe my shipmates and i will have a oilskin-making party, though next time i will be changing the recipe

when i got back to the shop that monday, i found my sample piece of fabric that i put raw tung oil on to see how it cured by itself. it was surprisingly malleable and didn’t crack when i bent it around a bit. i had been pondering using just a quarter of the wax in the next mix just to keep it a bit more flexible so the paint and oil won’t crack as the bibs are exposed to the elements. now that i know what i do, i may even reduce the wax to a few heaping tablespoons just so that whatever wax i use to maintain them will stick better to the cloth. i think the issue here that caused the present pair to wet out was penetration (i’m so sorry i couldn’t think of a better word).

i also waxed the reinforcements after they were attached, and next time i’ll definitely oil the fabric separate from the bibs themselves for an extra layer of protection.

conclusion:

i’m honestly not disappointed and am, in fact, slightly impressed that my amateur soup-soaked overalls are comparable to the state of a (used) pair of mass-manufactured foul weather bibs.