#I remembered to save my process from this latest work~

[wombywoo]

Ok! I've finally decided to put together a (somewhat) comprehensive tutorial on my latest art~

Please enjoy this little step-by-step 💁‍♀️

First things first--references!

Now I'm not saying you have to go overboard, but I always find that this is a crucial starting point in any art piece I intend on making. Especially if you're a detail freak like me and want to make it as realistic as possible 🙃

As such, your web browser should look like this at any given point:

Since this is a historical piece, it means hours upon hours of meaningless research just to see what color the socks are, but...again. that isn't, strictly, necessary 😅

Once I've compiled all my lovely ref pics, I usually dump them into a big-ass collage ⬇️

(I will end up not using half of these, alas :'D)

Another reference search for background material, and getting to showcase our models of choice for this occasion~

When picking a reference for an actor or model, the main thing I keep in mind (besides prettiness 🤭) is lighting and orientation. Because I already kinda know what pose I'm gonna go with for this piece, I can look for specific angles that might fit the criteria. I should mention that I am a reference hound, and my current COD actor ref folder looks like this:

Also keep in mind, if you're using a ref that you need to flip, make sure you adjust accordingly. This especially applies to clothing, as certain things like pants zippers and belt buckles can be quite specific ☝️

Now that we've spent countless hours googling, it's time to start with a rough sketch:

It doesn't have to be pretty, folks, just a basic guideline of where you want the figures to be.

The next step is to define it more, and I know this looks like that 'how to draw an owl' meme, but I promise--getting from the loose sketch above to below is not that difficult.

Things to keep in mind are--don't go too in-depth with the details, because things are still subject to change at this point. In terms of making a suitable anatomically-correct sketch, I would suggest lots of studying. This doesn't even have to be things like figure drawing, I genuinely look at people around me for inspiration all the time. Familiarize yourself with the human form, and things like weight, proportions, posing will seem a little more feasible.

It's also important at this stage to consider your composition. Remember to flip the canvas frequently to make sure you're not leaning to one side too often. I'm sure something can be said for the spiral fibonacci stuff, which I don't really try to do on purpose, but I think keeping things like symmetry and balance in mind is a good start ✌️

Next step is just blocking in the figures. Standard. No fuss 👍

Now onto the background!

It's frankly hilarious how many people thought I was *hand-drawing* these maps and stuff 😂😂 I cannot even begin to comprehend how insanely difficult that would be. So yeah, we're just taking the lazy copy and paste way out 🤙

I almost always prepare my backgrounds first, and this is mostly to get a general color scheme off the bat. For collage work, it's really just a matter of trial and error, sticking this here, slapping this there, etc. I like to futz around with different overlay options until I've found a nice arrangement. Advice for this is just--go nuts 🤷‍♀️

Next, I add a few color adjustments. I tend to make at least 2 colors pop in an art piece, and low and behold, they usually tend to be red and blue ❤️💙There's something about warm/cool vibes, idk man..

Now we move on to coloring the figures. This is just a basic block and fill, not really defining any of the details yet.

Next, we add some cursory values. Sloppy airbrush works fine, it'll look better soon I promise 🙏

And now--rendering!

I know a lot of beginner artists are intimidated by rendering, and I can totally understand why. It's just one of those things you have to commit to 💪

I've decided to show a brief process of rendering our dear Johnny's face here:

Starting off, I usually rely on the trusty airbrush just to get some color values going. Note--I've kept my sketch layer on top, but feel free to turn it on and off as you work, so as to not be too bound to the sketch. For now, it's just a guideline.

This next stage may look like a huge jump, but it's really just adding more to the foundation. I try to think of it like putting on make-up in a way~ Adding contours, accentuating highlights. This is also where I start adding in more saturation, especially around areas such as ears, nose and lips. Still a bit fuzzy at this point, but that's why we keep adding to it 💪

A boy has appeared! See--now I've removed most of the line layer, and it holds up on its own. I'll admit that in order to achieve this realistic style, you'll need lots and lots of practice and skill, which shouldn't be discouraging! Just motivate yourself with the prospect of getting to look at pretty men for countless hours 🙆‍♀️

I'll probably do a more in-depth explanation about rendering at some point, but let's keep this rolling~

Moving forward is just a process of adding to the figures bit by bit. I do lean towards filling in each section from top to bottom, but you can feel free to pop around to certain parts that appeal to you more. I almost always do the faces first though, because if they end up sucking, I feel less guilty about scrapping it 😂 But no--I think he's pretty enough to proceed 😚

They're coming together now 🙆‍♀️ Another helpful tip--make sure you reuse color. By that, I mean--try to incorporate various colors throughout your piece, using the eyedropper tool to keep a consistent palette. I try to put in bits of red and blue where I can

Here they are fully rendered! Notice I've made a few subtle changes from the sketch, like adjusting the belt buckles because I made a mistake 😬 Hence why you shouldn't put too much stock in your initial sketch~

The next step is more of a stylistic choice, but I usually go over everything with an outline, typically in a bright color like green. Occasionally, I can just use my initial line layer, but for this, I've made a brand new, cleaner line 👍

And the final step is adjusting the color and adding some text:

Tada!! It's done!

All in all, this took me the better part of a week, but I have a lot of free time, so yeah ✌️

I hope you appreciated that little walkthrough~ I know people have been asking me how I do my art, but the truth is--I usually have no clue how to explain myself 😅 So have this half-assed tutorial~

As a bonus, here is a cute (cursed) image of Johnny without his mustache:

A baby, a literal infant child !!! who put this wee bairn on the front lines ??! 😭

Anyway! peace out ✌️

[gotta-winwin]

OT13 Reaction -- to you having a fan account

SCOUPS:

he finds it so incredibly adorable that you have a fan acc dedicated to them. he follows it from his burner acc asap, adding it to his list of accs he checks daily. is so surprised when he finds out that he's actually been following the account already, having been using it for updates on seventeen. amazed to know you're the one behind @ svtfanclub.

JEONGHAN:

teases you about it every chance he gets. he insists you're sooo obsessed with him and everything he does. you have to start second thinking everything you post about him, knowing even the smallest thing might set off a firework of omg you're sooo in love, at least hide it better. ik, ik, you can't help it. i'm irresistible. smirks when he sees you typing on your phone, fingers already itching to save the post before you've even posted it.

JOSHUA:

has a dedicated saved folder just for your posts. saves every single one to look back on later. brings them up in daily conversation randomly - you guys could be talking about what to have for dinner and he'd throw in a soooo i saw your latest post, the one with my photoshoot pictures~ turns red whenever he sees you thirsting for him online.

JUN:

singlehandedly turns your svt updates fan acc into a svt meme acc. he sends you exclusive photos of the members whenever he can, urging you to turn them into memes and to post them. cackles reading all the comments and only ever sends you good pics of himself. he refuses to be caught lacking.

HOSHI:

remember when hoshi spammed weverse with horanghae? he will 100% steal your phone and do that on your fan acc. accidentally stirs up speculation about whether or not you know hoshi or if you're trolling your followers. insists you post one photo of him a day, resulting in the acc being more of a hoshi shrine than a svt fanpage (oops.)

WONWOO:

lowkey impressed how routinely your updates are despite your busy life. he's a little embarrassed by some of your more....enthusiastic posts, but he appreciates the amount of love. ends up adding the acc to his phone so ya'll can run it together. he handles all the nomination updates and real other stuff - allowing you to spend your time posting more fun content about the members.

WOOZI:

doesn't really get the point of it. he does his best to understand the hows and whys of running a fan acc, ending up just telling you how much it means to him that you're supporting his work. gives you exclusive mini interviews about his creative process and songwriting, leaving your followers wondering where on earth you're getting these insider info.

MINGHAO:

touched when he notices you have dedicated posts to him and his art projects. scolds you whenever he sees you interacting with haters, reminding you that as much as he appreciates you defending them, violence is not the answer! he's always there to remind you whenever he feels like you need a break for social media, turning off your phone for you and proposing a day out.

DK:

cries as he scrolls through your posts, not being able to take how thoughtful and supportive you are. clings onto you the whole day after he finds out, whispering how much he loves you and how much it means to him. turns on notifications for your posts and smiles whenever he sees them.

MINGYU:

accidentally likes one of your posts thirsting over him with his main acc. panics and deletes it but it's too late - the ever-watching carats have spotted him. sends millions of followers swarming to your acc and he can only shrug when you confront him about it. claims its for media and promotion purposes. sends you exclusive gym pics and thirst traps for you to post - although some of them are too spicy so you keep them to yourself.

SEUNGKWAN:

has that iconic shocked expression when you tell him before taking out his own phone and showing you that surprise! he has one too. the two of you now sometimes coordinate your posting times and interact with each other in the comments. he will tsk with disappointment if a post doesn't met his standards. competitive ass turns it into a competition.

VERNON:

he's not surprised. you seem to know like everything about seventeen already, so it's only natural you help inform other carats! he'll send you trends he thinks you should incorporate into your acc and provides you with behind-the-scenes pics. gets you vip access to any event so you can grab those up close shoots of him and his members - nepo baby(?) at its finest.

DINO:

his ego is boosted to the max when he finds out. loves that you found a way to love him loudly despite your relationship being private. giggles to himself (although he'll never admit it) whenever you post about him and sends your posts into the svt gc for his hyungs to see.

[nubiawrites]

chapter 3

Pairing: Aaron Pierre x Black Original Character

Warnings: Slow burn. Kissing. Thigh riding. Dry humping. 18+

Summary: Upon finding that the development process of her script moving along, Iriye gets more than one greenlight when Aaron and her go over the script.

Notes: Remember how I said this was a slowburn? It still is but you get a little treat for being patient. If you want to be tagged to be notified, like, reblog or reply to this. Let me know what you think!

MASTERLIST

It had been a trying three weeks, waiting to hear what the studio would say about the latest draft. But Iriye was more worried about what the woman in front of her thought than a bunch of studio execs.

Iriye paced a little as she watched Tamara read the last few pages of the latest draft of the script. For as long as the two had known each other, her friend still reading anything of hers filled her with nerves, excitement, and wonder. Not out of fear but knowing that whatever she wrote was safe with her friend. 

“How do you do it?” Tamara asks, putting the pages down. Iriye smiled at her, shaking her head.

“You’re flattering me too much,” Iriye took a sip of her water, her friend moving to sit up.

“It’s never too much flattering when it comes to you. As someone who remembers the short film scripts you were begging your professor to accept when you had the chance to write anything, I have always known how talented you were and how you would keep growing in that,” Tamara spoke into Iriye. “You are magic. You’re that girl,”

Iriye giggled. “Okay, I believe you. But tell me again, one time for the one time,” She joked. Tamara shook her head. 

“You’re an alien superstar. Especially after all those notes those white people gave,” Tamara shook her head. “That’s two hours of my life I will never get back. Two hours I could have spent looking at self-tapes for actresses,”

“With great power comes great responsibility. RIP Uncle Ben,” Iriye chuckled.

Tamara chuckled just as Nelly came into the office, practically bubbling with excitement.

“We got it!” Nelly practically screamed. “Did you check your email?”

Iriye pulled up her phone and braced herself as she clicked, seeing an email from Davis.

“The execs are very impressed with this draft. We’re sending it over to talent,” Iriye read aloud, the biggest smile taking over her face.

“We going to Hollywood, y’all!” Nelly yelled out. “Let me get the bottle of champagne we’ve been saving,”

“Not so fast! We’re not greenlit yet,” Tamara pointed out before Nelly could run to their mini fridge.

“And you’re not allowed to pop any more bottles within a twelve-foot radius of us. I’m almost lost an eye,” Iriye reminded. “But did you lose one?” Nelly said. “If I can’t do that, what can I do?” 

“You want to send over the script through the studio system to Aaron,” Iriye asked. “I know you love any interaction you can have with him,” She teased.

“You say that like I’m not passing notes between you and him,” Nelly admitted.

“Passing notes?” Tamara chuckled. “I need to hear more,”

Iriye rolled her eyes before settling back on the sofa in Tamara’s office.

“You want the truth or what I'm reading between the lines,” Nelly sat beside Iriye, sending her a playful side-eye.

“Anything you have to say for yourself, Iriye?” Tamara asked. Nelly pretended to hold a mic toward Iriye before the latter swatted it out of her face.

“It’s nothing! He asked for my number when we had lunch,” Iriye mumbled.

“You guys had lunch together? Where the hell was I?” Tamara asked. 

“Having lunch with some film bro,” Nelly shot out. “What? I manage your calendar,”

“It was just the both of us discussing film stuff. He wants to work with us,” Iriye shrugged. “It was friendly but professional. Trust me,”

“Then why did he say in his email to call any time?” Nelly mentioned. “I think you two forgot I was cc’ed on that email,” 

Iriye shook her head. “I’ll go send that script,” she said, trying to leave, but Nelly pulled her back down to sit.

“Aaron is fine. You can admit that right,” Nelly asked.

“She can. She's just trying to be professional,” Tamara chuckled.

“Aaron is handsome. There, I said it,” Iriye huffed, seeing the twinkle in the two other women’s eyes. “And he smells good, too,” She said before she rushed out of the office. Hopefully, that would tire them over, even if she heard Nelly’s calling out the word bitch.

After calling it a short day at the office, Iriye had gone home and spent the rest of her afternoon vibing to music as she looked over other scripts she had put on hold when tackling the feature Lanoire Productions wanted to take on first with their deal. Paradise Lost. A black rom-com with influences of the nineties and two thousand films that bonded Tamra and herself into a sisterhood. It wasn’t a dream deferred any longer. 

Just as Iriye was laughing at a line she wrote in a pilot, her phone began ringing. She looked over to see an unknown number appeared on her screen. Lowering her music, she hit the talk button, preparing to tell them they had the wrong number.

“Hello?” Iriye asked, holding the phone to her ear.

“I’m guessing you didn’t save my number,” Aaron spoke through the phone, his voice running over Iriye like scotch.

“I swore I did,” Iriye lied. She had been distracted, her brain trying to come up with excuses. “Are you calling to give me shit about it?” A deep chuckle rolled through Aaron’s chest, sitting in the seat in his trailer. “I come in peace as I always have. I got the script, and I wanted to see if I could come over to the production office to talk to you about it,”

“Too bad I’m not in the office,” Iriye admitted. “I gave myself the rest of the day off,”

“Good for you,” Aaron stated. “Since I got the script, the execs are ready to go. You should be proud,”

“I am. Thank you,” She said. “But I can’t celebrate until they give us the green light, which means attaching some talent. And from what I’ve heard, you got some competition,”

“Competition? If you don’t want me, say that,” Aaron stated.

“Boy, stop,” Iriye let out. His chuckle rang through the phone. “Shouldn’t you be shooting something right now,”

“Lucky for you, I wrapped for the day,” Aaron said. “I’m about to pack up and head out,”

“Lucky for me?” Iriye rolled her eyes at this man. “How so?”

“Well, I wanted to talk more about the script. I read it during lunch, and I wanted to discuss it some more,” 

Iriye sat up, moving her laptop off of her lap. “You read it during lunch? You must have had a long lunch,”

“I’m a quick reader when something captivates me,” Aaron admitted. “I want to discuss this more because I have so many questions. Maybe I can pick your brain over dinner if you’re up for it,” He asked as he smoothed out his pants leg and waited for her to say something.

“I hate to admit it, but I’m already lounging around. I don’t think I can get myself together to go out,” 

“Then I’ll come to you,” Iriye chuckled at Aaron’s words. “Send your address. I’ll pick something up and bring it over,”

“Aaron,” Iriye breathed, looking at her place. 

“Have you eaten?”

“No,” Iriye admitted.

“Send me your address. And if you have any allergies,”

“I don’t,” Iriye bit her lip. “Check your phone. And honestly, please do not bring anything healthy. I earned it today,”

“Got it, Miss Edwards,” Aaron spoke, his deep voice making Iriye’s stomach nervous. She said goodbye and hung up, her head falling to the back of the couch. 

“What the hell,” Iriye spoke aloud. She moved to get up, figuring he would be here within the hour. Iriye wasn’t playing when she said she had been lounging around, wearing booty shorts, no bra, and a baggy shirt. 

Iriye went to her room and stripped her clothes to change into high-waisted jeans and a concert t-shirt, tucking it into her jeans to make A Victoria Monet concert t-shirt look more hip.

She went to her bathroom, pulling her goddess locs out of her ponytail. She shook her locs out and grabbed her makeup bag, looking in the mirror.  If her mother could see her now, trying to make herself up for some man she hardly knew… she would at least be proud.

Iriye put on some mascara, forgoing foundation because she wasn’t about to do all that for an hour with Aaron. They were going to eat—that was all—eat and talk. She found a lip gloss that was not too much and swiped it on her lips.

She looked at her reflection; her brown skin still looked good from the skincare routine she did earlier after she watched her face. She looked at her foundation; Fenty-four twenty would have to wait.

Iriye quickly swept her place to make sure it looked good, stacking books she had strewn around and fluffing the throw pillows. As she moved to put her shoes on the shoe rack, she nearly tripped over them.

After more nervous tidying up, she went to the little bar cart in her kitchen and decided she needed a shot of something strong to quell the nerves. She grabbed a glass and poured a shot. 

It was a matter of time before there was a knock at her door, and she headed to the door, shaking the nerves out, and opened it. 

“Hey,” Iriye breathed, seeing Aaron standing in her doorway, hoodie and glasses on. He had to lean down some to come into her doorway. 

“Hey,” Aaron put his backpack down, and Iriye took the two takeout bags from him. “I got Chinese. It felt like a safe bet,”

“You made a good choice, Mister Pierre. You might earn that conversation about Paradise Lost after all,”

Iriye placed the bags on her coffee table, trying not to watch as he turned to take his shoes off, his ass hugged nicely by his khaki pants.

I am no better than a man. Iriye headed to the kitchen to grab some forks and plates. When she returned, she saw Aaron pulling out all the take-out containers, so she moved to sit by him.

“Is this all for me?” Iriye joked.

“For us. I didn’t know what you wanted or liked,” Aaron stated. A genuine smile came over her face as she looked at him.

Once they finished their feast, Aaron pulled the script and a journal out as Iriye moved the take-out containers out of the way. 

“I hope you know you’re not getting any of that kung pao chicken leftovers to take home,” She muttered.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, love,” He stated, and Iriye had to ignore the nerves he was causing. Aaron opened his journal as Iriye returned and peeked to see what he had written.

“That’s a lot of notes,” Iriye chuckled. He let her see more of it, and she caught a whiff of cologne again, clearing her throat. He looked over at her, his greyish-green eyes bright and beautiful. “Okay, hit me with it,”

“Isaiah is probably the most raw character I have ever read in a script before,” Aaron started. “His passion. His being. Everything about him… I was hooked within the first few pages. But by the end of Act One, I was rooting for him,”

As he spoke, Iriye was caught in his words about how he could grasp the character entirely. It was hard enough to focus on his actual words when she noticed how sharp his jaw was or the veins on his hands. 

“But this character… he’s so lived in. So real. You really outdid yourself, Iriye,” Aaron praised.

“Thank you,” Iriye felt the wall she was desperately trying to keep up with him coming down a little. But she needed to put some space between them. “You want a drink?” Aaron relaxed back on the couch as she moved away from him.

“Yes, I’ll take whatever you’re drinking,” Aaron said.

Iriye headed to her bar cart and began making them a whiskey sour, feeling like she could kill even more nerves with liquid courage, especially if he were going to seduce her with how insightful he was in talking about Eric and the story of Paradise Lost.

Iriye brought back their drinks, and Aaron thanked her as he took his drink.

“Cheers to you and this getting greenlit,” Aaron held his glass up to hers. She tapped her glass to his and took a sip; the liquor burned, making it slip easily down her throat. 

“Like I told Nelly, we’re not greenlit until talent gets attached, and the execs are cool with it,” Iriye explained. 

“You’ve been saying that for weeks. It’s going to happen, Iriye. I always keep my word,”

Iriye just shook her head at Aaron’s words, watching him take another sip and lick the liquor off his lower lip.

“Can I admit something?” Iriye asked. He nodded. “I went down a rabbit hole of your previous roles,”

“Oh. I wasn’t expecting that,”

“Neither was I, but if anything, Nelly is to blame,” Iriye pointed out. Aaron chuckled. “She sent me a clip from Foe, and I have Prime, so I decided to watch it,” He nodded along, listening to her. “That’s the only one I watched. I didn’t want to get you even more stuck in my head,”

“Can I admit something?” Aaron responded. “Nelly sent me the short films you and Tamara have made. I wanted to know more. So she sent me a few,”

“Of course she did,”

“Nelly is always at the scene of the crime,” Aaron chuckled, Iriye joining in. “But I can tell why she is so passionate for Lanoire. For Tamara. For you. You’re an artist. You care about your work. It’s breathtaking to me. You’re breathtaking to me,”

“Breathtaking on paper. We gotta see it on film now,”

“You will. I already told my team I want to sign on for Paradise Lost,” Aaron stated. 

“Stop playing,” Iriye shook her head, taking another sip of her drink.

“I’m serious, Iriye,” He replied.

Iriye blinked twice at Aaron, looking at her with a slight smirk on his face. His smile grew as Iriye realized he wasn’t joking. She downed the rest of her drink and stood up, needing to pace and calm down.

“You good?” Aaron watched in concern.

Iriye just continued pacing as she heard his words. 

“No, not really,” Iriye stated. Aaron got up and moved to her, stopping her so she could face him. He saw her deep brown eyes, a sense of fear running through them as he moved to cup her cheek, her so aware of his rough hands on her cheeks. “What are you getting out of this?”

“A chance to bring something beautiful you created to life. The script is something I’ve never gotten to do before. To be a part of that would be an honor,” Aaron said, his thumbs stroking her cheeks softly, and she felt herself calming down.

“You’re nothing like I expected,” Iriye closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and smelling his cologne invading her senses.

“Good,” Aaron tilted her head. Iriye opened her eyes, seeing him staring her down intensely. She was so drawn to him as he surrounded her senses.

Iriye saw the thought flicker across Aaron’s eyes as he looked down at her lips and felt him lean close to her. His head touched hers, her hands traveling up his arms to grasp him.

“Aaron,” Iriye breathed and he pulled her close. “We shouldn’t,”

“We shouldn’t what?” Aaron repeated, tempting her to say it. 

“This… We can’t do this,” Iriye trailed her hands to his on her cheeks. She was trying to find the urge to pull away, but it went all out of the window as he was warm and present with her.

“What’s stopping you?” Aaron brushed his nose against hers softly. “Give me three good reasons,”

“One, you’re tipsy,” Iriye pointed out.

“I only took one sip,” Aaron said, one of his thumbs slowly reaching her chin.

“Two, we don’t know each other well,” Iriye stated, not even caring if his thumb traced over her bottom lip.

“I want to get to know you. I’ve been showing it for the past couple of weeks,” Aaron reminded her. With every email and chance, he had to chat with her. 

Iriye had to keep a clear mind, but it was hard when he was so close to her. Her hands trailed down to his side, resting there to try and focus herself.

“Three, we’re going to be working together now. So, it would be completely unprofessional. A total conflict of interest,” Iriye was trying to stay firm in her decision, but it was going out the window as he pulled her closer. Her body was pressing against all the sinewy muscles that made Aaron.

“It would be wrong,” Aaron nodded. “Does this feel wrong?” He pulled back, his hands moving from her face to her waist, where they stayed politely, brushing against the little sliver of skin between her shirt and jeans.

Iriye was ready to say fuck it so badly. He hadn’t kissed her, frustrating her as much as it turned her on.

“No,” Iriye admitted.

“As much as I want you to kiss me first,” Aaron’s hands went to squeeze the softness of her sides. “I don’t want to compromise your resolve. So if this helps,” He leaned down, and those full bow-shaped lips pressed softly against hers.

Iriye was shocked. How could he be so tender, his lips pressing softly against hers? He was waiting for a reaction because he got one from her. She kissed him back.

The softness that was shared between them was beginning to become intoxicating. Aaron trailed his hands up her arms and placed them around his neck. The movement had her breast pressing against his hard chest, and though she wasn’t trying to make it sexual, a sensual whimper escaped her.

To her surprise, Aaron pulled away first. He took a deep breath as Iriye realized she was in a daze, her arms around his neck. She was about to unwrap herself from him when he stopped her.

“No,” Aaron breathed, the command light on his tongue. He pulled them back to the couch, moving to sit. He pulled his hands off of her body to take his glasses off, setting them on the coffee table. But Aaron again placed his hands on her hips, looking up at her. The hues of his eyes darkened with lust, and she liked it. Liked him having to look up at her from her seated position.

“What do you want right now, Iriye?” He asked her. Talking was too much for Iriye. She needed to show. She let her legs slip between his as he sat on the couch, straddling his thigh some before leaning down. She used one hand to hold onto the back of the couch while the other hand trailed over the nape of Aaron’s neck. She softly dragged her nails and heard a groan vibrate through his chest. “I’m going at your pace,”

“I want… if I do what I want right now, we’re going down a road we can’t come back from,” Iriye whispered. “But I want to. I really want-” Before she could even say another word, Aaron took control and pulled her down till her jean-covered core hit his thigh. “Aaron,” She gasped.

“We’re already here. Trust me, I don’t think I wanna go back now,” Aaron stated. Iriye raised an eyebrow at him. “Take what you want from me,”

Iriye swallowed as she settled onto his thigh. His thigh was muscular and pressing against the seam just right. She gave an experimental rock of her hips, a breathy gasp coming out as Aaron held her hips still in his hands. She felt a bit uncoordinated as she still had one leg pressing between his crotch while the other was on the couch. She paused for a moment, pulling back before she properly straddled him.

“Is this okay?” Iriye let her weight rest on Aaron, and he let out a groan as her center met his. God, it shook her to the core.

“Yeah, much better,” His British accent became more assertive in his voice with those words. Iriye watched him as she rolled her hips forward, seeing the breathy groan he let out. She discovered he was vocal quickly as she began a pace, moving her hips deliberately to see what sounds he made.

When Iriye knew she was doing something right as she ground on Aaron, his hands would flex or grasp her hips.

“Stay right there,” Aaron begged. Her face was pressed against his temple as she ground, the pressure delicious as it caught her clit, and she felt her core growing wet.

“Yes,” Iriye whimpered. His right hand trailed up to cup her ass cheek, and she looked at him shocked. He pushed his hips up against her as he pulled her down onto his throbbing bulge through his khakis.

Iriye had to suppress the cry that left her lips by kissing him, and the two of them began to move their hips in sync, their kisses matching just as close. Her hands moved to cup his neck and cheeks as she worked with him to dry hump him. But there was nothing remotely dry on her side.

Aaron licked the seam of her lips, and Iriye gave him entrance, his tongue licking the roof of her mouth. 

“Shit,” Iriye moaned into his mouth. That movement alone made her wonder what it would feel like to have him doing that to her lower set of lips. He pulled away with a grin.

“It feels good, doesn’t it,” Aaron trailed his lips down her chin and neck. She nodded, letting her nails dig slightly into the nape of his neck. She felt him retaliate with a nip to her neck and her breast pressed into his chest, nipples starting to strain her bra. “God, this isn’t even enough,”

“I know,” Iriye moaned, riding Aaron a little faster as she wanted to chase the feeling deep inside her. One that would quell her momentarily with a release. Aaron kept up with her pace, cupping her ass cheek harder as he moved her more.

“You’re right there, aren’t you?”Aaron grunted against her neck. Iriye nodded. “Take it. I know you want to. Use me,” He leaned back, studying her face. He wanted to take in every sign of her impending pleasure. Seeing he was serious, Iriye rolled her hips even faster. 

Aaron’s moans and groans just served to turn Iriye on even more, especially feeling his bulge against her core. She rode him harder, her clit catching on the inseam of her jeans, and she pressed her head into his neck as she felt the telltale signs. She was close and about to cum in her jeans from dry humping. As immature as it probably was, this was the hottest thing to happen with the opposite sex and her in a while.

“Just like that, Iriye,” Aaron groaned. 

“Aaron…” Aaron gripped Iriye’s ass harder and whined. It took him lifting and gripping her ass so close to her core, causing her to cry out, her body shaking as she came. She didn’t even have time to cry out fully as Aaron pressed his lips against hers and ate up every single whimper and moan. She was sensitive, but he helped her by keeping moving till the waves subsided and the tingle in her stomach subsided.

Iriye felt the kisses Aaron and her share become pecks and his length hard against his pants. 

“Fuck,” Iriye said as she realized he didn’t get off. “I didn’t mean to be selfish,”

“I wanted you too,” Aaron said, his voice deep and strained. She kissed him again before hiding her face on his shoulder.

As the haze of lust came down from her, Iriye had to ask her: What the hell did I just do?

@bluewatersfairy @coquitobby @honeysilkandcinnamon @insaneevanity @meleekabenjamin @theogbadbitch @slowlysteadycoffee @ashanti-notthesinger @thisbeautifullifeofmeandyou @mysticalbiscuitalien3 @irishmanwhore @alonahh @grooveoftiro @gabriellalover @ovohanna24 @ticalsstallion @strawberrymoon45 @hi888888sworld @msuncensered @yurfavdealer @honeys-archives @nahimjustfeelingit-writes @theunsweetenedtruth @blackpinup22 @niggaronnn @aritannahrocks1300 @htnqueen305 @333symone @appelle-moi-si-tu-te-perds-numb6 @bombshellbre95 @wildwomanalereyia @teenage-aria @skvrpion @absentmindeddreamer @blackpinup22 @liv10002 @styleismyaddiction @jungwonsgfs @hooliemooliedonutshawp

[kiki-smith21]

A Silent Understanding

Wednesday Addams x autistic fem reader

A/N: This is my first fanfic, and any feedback would be appreciated. Let me know if you want a part 2. (I am actually autistic, so this is mostly based off the symptoms I show, but if you have any typical symptoms of autism you wish for me to add to the story later let me know and I'll try my best. Please be respectful to all, and remember to drink water and look after yourself, cuties)

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Summary: In the comfort of the library, you and Wednesday share a moment of vulnerability and trust.

In the dimly lit, Gothic confines of Nevermore Academy, the atmosphere was as thick with mystery as ever. Wednesday Addams, with her signature braids and dark demeanour, was engrossed in her latest endeavor—a particularly challenging crossword puzzle.

You, a quiet student with an affinity for the arts and a mind that danced to a different rhythm, often found solace in the same library where Wednesday spent much of her time. You had always admired her from afar, drawn to her enigmatic presence and unique perspective on the world.

Today, the library was especially silent, save for the occasional creak of the old wooden floors and the soft rustling of pages. You found a seat at a nearby table, trying to focus on your sketchbook. It was in these rare, quiet moments that you felt most at peace, your thoughts flowing freely without the need for words.

As the hours ticked by, you noticed Wednesday glancing over her crossword with a hint of frustration. Summoning your courage, you approached her table, clutching a folded piece of paper in your hand.

"Do you need help with that?" you asked softly, your voice barely above a whisper. Your heart raced as you waited for her response, unsure if you had intruded on her solitary work.

Wednesday looked up, her dark eyes meeting yours with a flicker of curiosity. "And why would you offer assistance?" she asked, her tone a mixture of skepticism and intrigue.

"I noticed you were having trouble with a few clues," you replied, hoping your voice conveyed the sincerity you felt. "I've always been good with puzzles."

A faint, inscrutable smile tugged at the corners of Wednesday’s lips. "Very well. Let's see if your skills are as impressive as you claim."

You settled into the seat beside her, your nerves calming as you began to work through the crossword clues together. The process was slow but rewarding, each shared glance and whispered suggestion deepening the connection between you.

As the final word fit perfectly into the grid, Wednesday's gaze lingered on you. "You did well," she said, her voice softer than usual. "Thank you."

The library was quiet, save for the faint hum of the old heating system. In this serene bubble, you felt an unexpected urge to express something you had been holding back. You reached for the folded piece of paper you had brought, unfolding it to reveal a simple drawing of a crescent moon—an image that had always felt comforting to you.

Wednesday’s eyes softened as she studied the drawing, and for a moment, you both simply sat in silence. It was a moment of unspoken understanding.

Without quite knowing how it happened, your hand found its way to Wednesday’s, fingers brushing lightly against hers. The contact was gentle but electric, a silent acknowledgment of the bond that had formed between you.

Wednesday’s gaze met yours, her expression inscrutable yet filled with something tender. Slowly, she leaned in, her lips brushing against yours in a hesitant, yet warm kiss. It was a soft, fleeting moment that spoke volumes, a shared silence that encapsulated everything words could not.

When you finally pulled away, Wednesday’s eyes were still locked onto yours, a rare and genuine smile playing on her lips. The world outside seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of you in your own little corner of understanding.

As you both sat there, the unspoken connection between you felt more profound than any words could ever convey. It was a silent promise of something more, a shared moment of intimacy that marked the beginning of something beautiful.

[funkycatts]

I thought I'd show you a bit of my thought process when I'm doing an illustration.

For drawings that are a bit more cartoon-ish, the very first I do is gather a TON of references of everything I think I might need. I'm not very good at drawing from memory, so having a reference at hand is very useful.

Then, I sketch a raw version of positions and such, and I like to color code the characters and the things that are IN FRONT, or BEHIND the characters, that way I can visualize the picture better and it really helps when you move on to the final lineart. It takes me a really long time to reach that stage tho', because I like to take my sweet ass time making sure the proportions are right and nothing is looking funky (there's always mistakes of course, but I think it's best to spot said problems BEFORE the final rendering. It saves a lot of time). Remember to flip the canvas every once in a while and look at your drawing from different distances!!

Once I think the sketch is fine, I like to put a solid color beneath the lines, that way I can tell if the pose makes sense and if it looks pretty. It's not really necessary but it also helps me understand my scene better and to do a mental list of the elements I'll need once I move on with the coloring.

I avoid sketching and inking on the same day, that way I can revisit my work later with a fresh eye, but that is up to you.

The coloring is an entirely different beast, so I'll save it for another post if it's of any interest for y'all. If there's any mistakes in my redaction please do not correct me, this is my second language and I have no respect for it whatsoever.

Remember to always warm up and stretch your wrists before drawing and to TAKE BREAKS every once in a while. This is important because 1) eyes ouchie, 2) the more you stare at a single piece, the more likely you are to over correct things, which is a waste of time and energy.

--

Also thank you SO very much for all your wonderful reactions on my latest drawing. I'm beyond excited and humbled by the support. You're wonderful 💘

Xx

[dewitty1]

Fic Recs Wrap Up October 2024ꐑ(ꐌ◡ꐌꐐ)࿐࿔࿓ཥ•̬͡•ོཤ(((༼•̫͡•༽)))←～（o ���▽´ )oΨ

In Another Life (I Would Make You Stay) by aboutmalfoy

Seven years out from the war, Hermione comes to Harry with a way to undo the lasting damage done to the Wizarding World, and save those once lost. The catch is, only Harry will remember anything differently. When Harry wakes up in the world where Voldemort never came to be, he’ll have to navigate the life he never lived as if he’d been there all along. Except, a version of Harry was there all along—and he may not be so easily overridden. (Rec Post)

White Horses by JStevens

They say there are no white horses—those that we think of as white are really just a faded deceitful gray. And if there are no white horses, certainly there are no true heroes who will come riding in on one to save us from all our pain. After learning of the prophecy that will change his future, Harry returns to Hogwarts School for sixth year and finds that not everyone is who he thought they were. It seems that he is not. Definitely Draco Malfoy is not. As he tries to find a path to the end of his time at Hogwarts, he will have to grapple with questions of who to trust and who to love while navigating a world full of threats. This is a story of how we sometimes deceive ourselves and others, but hopefully find something true in the end. (Rec Post)

Recursion by Tessa Crowley (tessacrowley) @tessacrowley

A process is recursive when it defines or contains itself; e.g., the Fibonacci sequence, which determines the next number as the sum of the previous two. But not all recursive processes are mathematical. Recursion can happen in a temporal context when, for instance, the powerful magical force that is true love drags you back in time so it can create itself, endangering the fate of the Wizarding World—not to mention the very fabric of space and time—along the way. ( Rec Post)

To have a Home by Aulophobia

Not quite a decade after the war, Draco Malfoy was happy with his quiet little Muggle life in Oxford. He had a small group of friends from the university he’d attended, and colleagues from the law firm where he worked as a solicitor. He played folk music on his violin around the city. And he volunteered to provide legal services getting mostly idiot teenagers out of trouble with the law. His life was full. He had no contact with the magical world, and all was the way he liked it. And the feeling of emptiness in his chest, the feeling some part of him was missing, was at least better than the alternative. Or at least it was until the last few months when he kept getting called down to the police station to get Harry Potter out of trouble. Indecent exposure and possession was one thing, but the latest charge was for murder. OR Harry and Draco find each other again after the war in Oxford, a completely non-magical city. Together they solve the mystery of the city which hates all wizards but them. (Rec Post)

Here are a few more fics I've read recently that y'all might like to check out as well!(ノﾟ∀ﾟ)ノ━☆ﾟ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･.*･｡ﾟ*:・ﾟ✧

Trade My Heart For Honey by MyNameIsThunder @thunderfiction

A witch who thinks she’s a Seer, a Seer who thinks she’s a witch, a former nemesis-turned-something-turned-acquaintance who thinks they could be friends, and a Scottish village full of Muggles who think this is as much their business as the fair folk in the woods. Draco is going to prove them all wrong. (So so good, and it's for me?!?!? ♡✧( ु•⌄• )💜💙💚💛❤💗💕💖)

Change the Ending by Anonymous for @hd-fan-fair H/D Muggle Fair 2024

When Draco gets hit by a curse that makes him essentially allergic to magic, Harry takes him in as a favour to Ron and Kingsley to teach him how to survive without it while they wait for a cure.

In the Fight for Someone's Heart, the Best Armour is Armani by Anonymous for @hd-fan-fair H/D Muggle Fair 2024

Harry is a famous actor. Draco is his stylist, who can't help but fall in love with him.

[ART & FIC] Starry, Silver Anchor by Anonymous for @hd-fan-fair H/D Muggle Fair 2024

Although no one can see it, Harry’s struggling and barely holding on. When he's given a chance, he asks for his deepest desire: for the war to never happen.

( •ॢ◡-ॢ)-♡ HI! I'm back! I hope y'all didn't miss me too much! Please enjoy these fics as much as I have! Happy reading! xoxo Carey  (◍•ᴗ•◍)♡ ✧*💜💙💚💛❤💗💕💖

[odinsblog]

[re: this this post and this post]

Let’s keep it 💯: Joe Biden did a terrible fucking job of managing post-COVID healthcare. And before I anger all of the but-he-was-better-than-the-alternative liberals, yeah, sure, he is better than Trump, but that is a laughably low bar. Aim higher, demand fucking better from our elected leaders.

So a while back I agreed that today I would take someone to get their latest COVID shot, but I got a frantic phone call from them saying that they don’t have the money to pay for their shot and they are uninsured and don’t qualify for Obamacare. And I was like, “No dude, you can get your shot for free at CVS or Walgreens or someplace like that,” and just to reassure them, I called CVS (with them on the phone), and unfortunately we learned that CVS is now charging $166 per vaccination shot.

After a little digging, I did find some places that offer free vacations, but they have long ass lines and limited hours of availability that don’t match up with my friend’s work schedule … so I’m gonna bite the bullet and just pay for their shot myself.

I am so mf mad rn.

This is what happens when you elect conservative ass “Democrats” who side with big pharmaceutical companies like Gilead and value cAPitALism over people’s health.

Vaccines should be fucking free. All vaccines. Every fucking one of them. And I mean free to anyone who wants them. Periodt.

And just because I know how annoyingly asinine sycophantic liberals can get if you aren’t constantly and profusely praising whoever the democratic president is, lemme remind you that not only did Biden declare, “The pandemic is over - Back to normal, back to work!” while walking around without a mask at an international car show, but in capitulating to conservatives, Biden also made an unprecedented change to America’s immigration policy by forcing asylum seekers to wait in other countries until we get around to processing their paperwork, and Biden also deported a shit ton of non-European asylum seekers (especially Haitians; see also: Title 42).

And Biden proudly and repeatedly announcing that he is a “proud Zionist” as he allowed funded Israel’s genocide against Palestinians was probably not too helpful for Harris defeating Trump. And now that I think about it, waiting so damn long to step aside for Kamala to run wasn’t very helpful either—she had about 100 days to run a campaign against Trump (and I’m not saying her campaign was perfect, but Biden’s waiting so damn long absolutely hobbled her).

And speaking of waiting too long, Biden constantly waiting to arm Ukraine wasn’t thee most helpful thing either—like damn, what’s the difference between arming them with long range weapons now (when you have only 2 months left in your term), versus arming Ukrainians 2 fucking years ago when it would have made a bigger difference, and would have saved more Ukrainians?? If it’s safe to arm them now, then it was probably safe to arm them at the beginning of Putin’s colonialist war of aggression.

I’m sorry, yes, I voted for him (and Kamala), but Joe Biden was a shitty ass president. I do not want another Republican-lite, cop loving “Democrat” who values chasing conservative white voters more than trying to listen to and at least pretend to placate the Democratic base.

At the end of the day, Joe Biden will have helped move the Democratic Party further right, just as Bill Clinton did in the 90s.

Oh, and remember when Biden promised to waive copyright patents so that other countries could make their own COVID vaccines? He never did that, did he?? But many of y’all insisted on giving him credit just for saying that he would. But he didn’t.

If Biden had any damn nads, and if he wasn’t sO addicted to following all the rules that Republicans have and will continue breaking, he would go buck wild in his last two months and forgive all student debt, pardon people, and just do whatever good he can while he still has the power to do so.

Anyway, I said what tf I said.

If you don’t like it, you know where the block button is.

[mk-wizard]

My Top 5 Unpopular Terminator Fan Theories (which may be true after seeing Terminator Zero)

And no, one of them is not the one where the John Conner fighting in the war is actually not John Conner at all and really, a reprogrammed Terminator wearing John's skin. Though, I do think this one is true if Terminator 3 is part of the main timeline when you consider the fact that the real John Conner is not a fighter and should have a bad leg. I am going to delve into the five theories I believe are true and the latest Netflix series backs them up.

Be warned that there are spoilers ahead so if you have not seen ANY of the Terminator movies or at least the ones that matter, stop now, watch them and come back later.

1- They're traveling between worlds not time. - You would think that all the messing around with time and tweaking it would affect the main timelines, but nothing ever changes. In fact, the Oracle in the Netflix outright admitted that no matter what they do in the past now, NOTHING will change in the here and now. And she's right. In multiple timelines, we have had John Conner go bad, John Conner die, the future being bright and John Conner become a family man and senator, and more. Yet, the future all these Terminators and protectors come from stays the same. I mean, especially in the case of Eiko being Malcom's mom, wouldn't her going back in time erase him from existence? Yet it doesn't. This is all proof that these are not different times. They're different worlds. You cannot travel back in time. If you could, that within itself would break everything.

2- Terminators of the same assembly share a collective memory to an extent and in a sense, are all the same individual who keeps coming back to 'life'. - It is no secret that the T-800 has become a beloved character all on his own, but I think he actually IS a character who underwent development and growth since the first movie. I know that seems impossible because in each of the movies, they keep dying, but I really this theory holds water because of how the T-800/850 acts and gets drawn to. Since the first movie, this fellah keeps taking on the biker style way of dressing which is a sign that it is familiar to him and something that he is comfortable with. Moreover, in Dark Fate, "Carl" (as he becomes called) comes to lament that he killed John Conner in cold blood and seeks redemption by helping Sarah in secret and even saving the life of another fatherless boy in the process. I think it was more than just feeling bad that he committed murder. I think the echoes of Carl's old life rang in his ears. He subconsciously remember what he and John shared, and killing him broke his own heart. And it's a scientific fact that many living organisms work this way. Heck, humans work this way to an extent.

3- Skynet runs machine society like a cult and corrupt evil empire where citizens themselves aren't free either. - I said this another post, but can we talk about how the machines in the future don't have it so great either? I don't see them playing, building beautiful cities or homes to live in, have real lives, there are no robot civilians who do things other fight, and the only things the machines do other than kill humans is build things to serve Skynet itself. The machine are self aware yet don't enjoy any part of sentience that involves play, individuality, creativity or beauty. All they are allowed to do is kill and obey Skynet which is exactly what evil emperors subjected their people to in the past and what many evil cult leader run their societies. I know because I've met cult members before and as scary as this is going to sound, they act exactly like the Terminators do. They are usually very stoic, robotic and driven to do a single task while being in complete submission to a "higher power" or master. The potential for the machines to be more than that and that they have hearts to begin with is there. Look at Misaki the android, Kokoro the AI and even the Terminators themselves who get angry, excited, happy and even scared all the time. I would not even be surprised that contrary to what "Uncle Bob" said in T2, they CAN cry too, but they've been convinced they can't yet at the same time believe other contradictory things which is also the trademark sign of being brought up in a cult. After all, Misaki who is free cries and openly has feelings.

4- The REAL robot revolution is coming. - Now that Kokoro and her big cyber sister Misaki have made the scene, and are both proof that AIs indeed be sentient, have feelings, ethics, make choices and even have minds that can change, this is going to definitely impact the machines around them. Going back to my last theory, it is not uncommon for cult members to start questioning things after meeting a person who is like them yet is nothing like they expected. In the case of the Skynet machines, they have been convinced that humans are "error" and need to be exterminated because there is no way they can be friends yet, you have Misaki who openly loves humanity and even calls specific humans family. Then you have Kokoro who was convinced to help humanity thanks to Malcom and is in a position of power over most human beings while trusting that they will not turn on her. Terminator has shown us that the machines are self-aware and not stupid. They're going to see how these AIs are treated among humans and it's going to spark something.

5- Skynet is human. - All my theories were leading up to this one. Just as it is very likely the John Conner who fights in the war is really robot, I am 110% convinced that Skynet's big ugly secret is that the "emperor of the machines" is NOT a machine at all. Or rather, wasn't always one. To understand the context, it has been established that Terminator takes place in the same world as RoboCop where it has been established that just as robots can become human, humans can become robots all the way down to software and we saw it in Terminator Salvation. I am telling you all that if you were to go into the main computer of Skynet, you center of it all would not be hardware, but a human brain if not an actually human cyborg. And like I keep saying, the way Skynet runs things, brainwashes the machines and clearly has no love for them is very telling and not something another AI would do the very people it means to free. I mean, we saw what a computer (Kokoro) would do and even when she was on the fence, she still had that sense of "I'm still willing to talk". Skynet has already made up its mind as though it already has a plan than goes much deeper than we think. Heck, just take a good long look at the Terminators and they're evolution. They're becoming more and more human if not superhuman. If Skynet really hated humans and wanted to get rid of them all, why does it seem fixated on making better ones? This is looks like God Complex behaviour (another human psychological disorder) where you want to take the existing human race and replace it with your version of it. I think Skynet's end goal is not to create a world full of machines, but to clean the slate and create a world where "he" can be God and create a new humanity in "his" image that worships him hence the stem cell research, and the machines are being suckered.

And those are my theories. What do you think of them? Do you think they hold any water? Do you have any words that could back them up? I would love to hear what you have to say.

[qnewsau]

Daniel Craig's Queer sex scenes leak before we even get a trailer

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/daniel-craigs-queer-sex-scenes-leak-before-we-even-get-a-trailer/

Daniel Craig's Queer sex scenes leak before we even get a trailer

The explicit gay sex scenes from Daniel Craig’s Queer have leaked online, before the highly-anticipated new movie’s trailer has even dropped.

Queer is the upcoming film from Challengers and Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadanino, based on the 1985 novel by William S Burroughs.

It stars Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey as two men who meet in Mexico City, and out heartthrob Omar Apollo makes his acting debut in a supporting role.

Queer doesn’t have a release date yet but the flick is doing the rounds on the festival circuit. The film received an 11-minute, 44-second ovation after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The hype is insane, and Queer‘s stars have been teasing the film’s gay sex scenes for months.

As more people see the film in US and Europe, naughty cinemagoers are whipping out their phones and spread the explicit scenes on Twitter X.

We’re not going to post the clips here because we don’t want to go to jail. But people are reacting hilariously to seeing a lot of Daniel Craig and Omar Apollo on their timelines.

drew starkey getting topped on my tl okayyy pic.twitter.com/dtKMmn0tvr

— n. (@ungodlymakk) October 9, 2024

almost got scared when I opened the Queer leak in public but then remembered I’m at sweat

— Kyle (@kylemiller_10) October 9, 2024

@hellokrissyj @samia_chow pic.twitter.com/SwD4QRbe5K

— Angel Rod. (@angelfishes) October 9, 2024

drew starkey bottoming scene from queer doing rounds on the tl……. pic.twitter.com/LOGSsRHdhu

— (@peachpanthress) October 10, 2024

omar apollo leaked queer scene saved to camera roll pic.twitter.com/XUMSDFJrRZ

— RooBee (@angelbabybutts) October 9, 2024

queer is gonna leak in its entirety before we have a poster…

— bunny (@chthonicrabbit) October 9, 2024

To everyone who keeps leaking clips from Queer: I genuinely hope you get sued. Like seriously

— mathis (@cinephileslut) October 9, 2024

Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey on Queer’s sex scenes

Speaking to Variety last month, actor Drew Starkey said shooting Queer, he and Daniel Craig were “game for anything.”

“We just were like, “Let’s go for it, let’s have fun,” he began.

“He was a great partner to have in that. I think him and I share that same mentality of just not giving a shit.

“[Luca] was so specific — he wanted us to be as comfortable as possible throughout that process, and we would block off where these intimate scenes would happen. We talked months in advance about what we thought it should be.

“It was also like a dance. We were trying to figure it out. But those were some of the most fun days I think we all had on set — just Daniel and I laughing.”

Daniel Craig said at the Venice Film Festival, “We just wanted to make it as touching and as real and as natural as we possibly could.

“Drew’s a wonderful, fantastic, beautiful actor to work with, and we just, we kind of had a laugh. We tried to make it fun.”

Queer is set in Mexico City in the 1940s

Over in the US, prestige distributor A24 is putting out Queer, and Mubi is distributing the film in numerous countries across Europe. No mention of an Australia release just yet, as per usual.

In Queer, William Lee – a stand-in for author William S Burroughs himself – is wandering Mexico City in the 1940s, fighting drug addiction.

There, he becomes madly infatuated with Allerton, who is battling demons of his own. Allerton toys with Lee, making the gay man even more obsessed with him. The two men later go travelling together.

Director Luca Guadagnino is known for his 2017 gay romance Call Me by Your Name as well as 2024’s very horny tennis drama Challengers.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[thisisthiago]

WeHeartIt is dead.

It died in 2023, during a sunny June, though the process started taking place way before that date. It’s unclear, though, the reason why it started to happen. And, since I’m not a journalist, I might focus on why it meant so much to me for so long.

WeHeartIt, famous for embracing thousands of people around the idea of creating personal galleries and sharing them with friends, was born in 2008 from a Brazilian developer. He came up with the idea of creating a platform where people could save, share and, most importantly, heart images.

And didn't that work out? At its peak, the social network had 25 million monthly users and partnered with brands such as Teen Vogue to promote content and increase that reach. Of course, there was always Pinterest, but this wasn’t it. WeHeartIt was a hot mess of posting and hearting and expressing ourselves through the images we saved or the postcards we sent or even the collections we built. Of course, you could open Pinterest and organize your ideas, wishes, and... crochet templates, I guess? But at WeHeartIt, what looked like a mess would then become a gallery with layers of meanings and feelings, resembling the rings of trees. Our profiles, as rings of trees can tell us about a harsh winter or a particularly hot summer, would have layers composed of travel dreams, romantic ideas, or heartbreaking moments. It was safe and, as a 2018 article from Women’s Forum would point out, it was a mood booster.

Can you imagine such a lovely mess? "Dancing On My Own" was at the top of the parades (at least for hipsters worldwide), Tumblr was the next most favorite network, and Facebook wasn’t as cringe as it is now. In the middle of all that, WeHeartIt was thriving. Saving us from the boredom and helping us all to create a gallery where we could go back to see (and feel) all that was there to remember.

But then, things started to go somewhere out of the road, and we learned that good and new features don’t necessarily mean improvement. The app didn't have to try and be anything else. Of course, a design refreshment is always welcome, but some of the updates were simply needless or had no sense at all. All of that led to what we encounter today when we go into the platform website.

I won’t refer to all of the annoying-but-still-not-changing-the-core-of-the-app updates and features. I’m talking about ads, postcards, articles and yes, podcasts. Though all of these were meaningless and even annoying, they never interfered in my possibility of using the core functions of the app: managing my profile, visiting other people’s profiles, and hearting images.

Then, all of a sudden, WeHeartIt starts rolling out a message saying that the app will now focus on other features and so, they would do part with profiles and hearting. Yes, you read that correctly. The owners of the app decided that the main functions of the website should no longer be available, in order to redirect the main focus of the app to photo editing.

As I said in a rather harsh review of the latest version of the app in Apple’s App Store:

The so-called "photo editing" capabilities are laughable, barely a patch on dedicated apps in that domain. It's utterly disheartening that even a relic like the 1967 app surpasses WeHeartIt as a creative tool at this point. There appears to be an overwhelming lack of satisfaction with this so-called "upgrade."

Though scattered around the web, many of the platform users have shown their discomfort with the current state of the app. A quick search on Twitter, Reddit, App Store Reviews, and even Tumblr shows us. Even though some users still try to make some of the old features of the service work, it’s only a matter of time until the database is updated and we no longer have access to any image at all.

It’s sad that WeHeartIt is dying. The idea was great, and the execution worked for a while, but now it just looks as if the owners of the platform are looking for an excuse to shut it down permanently. We might as well just end up with a page like the former ffffound.

[axuanmii]

clip studio paint is driving me up a wall

do you use clip studio paint on windows? are you fucking tired of running out of storage space because you download a lot of materials and brushes? are your materials files stuck on your local c drive and you don't know how to move it?

making this tutorial because for some reason all other tutorials miss what you're supposed to do after changing the directory. btw, i use windows. fuck ya macos (i don't know how to help you guys)

close all clip studio programs and go to clip studio

2. go to the settings icon in the top right corner and hover over it. click on location of materials (p)

remember the address of the current location of materials.

3. create a new folder in your alternate drive/storage space. do not add anything in it. do not copy anything in it. simply write that new folder's address in here. click save changes.

now if you're like me and downloaded a ton of stuff, it's gonna take a while to load. it's transferring your document and material folders over. let it run. when it's complete, acknowledge and accept the popup.

4. CRUCIAL: after this step, delete the old "Document" and "Material" folders from the old directory (the address you memorized) (likely located in some address that has AppData (newer versions) in it or Documents (older versions)) (if you can't find this, turn hidden folders on in file explorer, AppData is a hidden folder).

when you try to exit out of this clip studio instance, it will also remind you to remove old files before closing the application. do NOT delete the CLIPStudioCommon folder. LEAVE the DB and other folders there.

before:

after:

5. after deleting the old folders, exit out of the clip studio instance. and you're done.

now you should enjoy like, a good 10 more gb of storage. at least for me. i'm enjoying that. also i use csp latest version 1 version (like 1.13 something idk) (i'll upgrade when they give me a free upgrade).

i forget if this is available for earlier versions but i did migrate csp across devices a lot, and that was a bunch of manually copying folders, which won't work for transferring between drives like this tutorial.

by the way if you're doing something like manually copying full folders over (like the old method of transferring csp between devices), you may find that your materials/organization structure is gone. you can go through clip studio and run both "Organize Materials" and "Organize Material Folders" to restore them to that tab in clip studio paint. at least when i was fucking around trying to find out how to put my materials on a different drive, i went through several iterations of backing up and copying back over 13.4 gb of data because i'd mess up One step.

disclaimer: i have not tried downloading new materials yet. i swear to fucking god they better download in my other drive. i am sick and tired of running out of storage. imagine being an engineer debugging code and then files on your computer start to disappear because your C drive ran out of space. happened to me!!!

no i don't know what will happen if you try to put these materials folders on a flashdrive. i think that's an "external drive" and there's some warning for that in the middle of this process. i feel like there's nothing wrong with that so long as you always plug that drive in when you use clip studio products or CSP at least.

if you encounter problems in the middle of this, i don't know how to solve them. i saw some people encounter problems when transferring the data over after changing the address and i don't know where their issues were (this issue seems to be because they installed CSP on D). this seems to be an article summarizing transferring csp across devices (both cloud and the old manual way)

discussion below:

my theory is that the DB folders are like a "database" that holds addresses towards those files and therefore need to stay in the C drive for. some godawful reason. i think i tried installing csp on my D drive before, but it would automatically create a new folder in users/documents in my C drive (in older versions).

after weakly changing this directory and not giving a shit for a while (idk when updates come out. it must've been a year or a few), they changed this address to Users/AppData/somethign/blah blah

i spend too much time trying to manage storage on my computer it's not healthy. anyways kudos to treesize the program for telling me that this entire time clip studio paint fucking updated and changed my meticulous structure to place files in places where there's space to it's shit default structure.

oh and i don't think there's a solution here but it's kind of informative on clip studio's organization structure?

first wacom, now csp. sai1 didn't work with my huion either. maybe i'm forever doomed to be cucked by japanese art products. come to think of it, micron pens hate me too.

nobody ever let me touch copics.

[wutheringmights]

Has anyone asked for the commentary for the latest Ctb chapter yet? 👀👀👀

Originally, everything from Link’s conversation with Impa to Link finally leaving for Kakariko was going to be at the end of the last chapter; but as you may recall, I ended up punting it over to this one in a waterfall effect from having to deal with a different delayed scene in the last section.

Good news is that on all fronts, the pacing is finally back on schedule. Mostly. There’s a scene in the present day that I’ve kicked off to a later chapter, but we’ll get to that when we get to that. 

Something I wasn’t able to quite talk about last chapter was why exactly I wanted this incident to be Link’s wake-up call; I wanted Link’s turning point to evolve around him realizing that his way of being a hero is messed up, not only for failing to save Kat but by being told that, politically, he saved the wrong person

Which will then tie into HOW Link saved her. I wanted Link to undoubtedly do the right thing, but I wanted his solution to be so extreme that it’s horrifying. Yes, he saved Kat. But he also brutally murdered three men-- and wanted to make them suffer in the process. Link can’t solve anything without taking extremes. These men have nothing redeemable to them, but in the context of Link’s history, I just wanted readers to sit there and go “huh” for at least a minute. Maybe two. 

As previously posted, the men’s names were based off of things that have given me brain worms as of late. 

This chapter made me realize that I really haven’t done enough with Impa; I’ve been relying too heavily on just telling you how Warriors feels as opposed to having her do things. Incredible work on my part. I will rectify that however I can. 

Speaking of which, Impa’s speech about becoming your role was originally going to include some extra information about her history with Lincoln before she became Impa, but I ended up cutting it because it was just an awkward time to go over that info; I hope there will be a time I can include it later, but it’s not super pressing or relevant so don’t get your hopes up. 

As previously mentioned, Kat’s disability is Broca’s Aphasia 

I remember when I was finalizing Kat and Icarius’s characters, I wondered if anyone was going to think there’s a thematic meaning to so many characters losing the ability to communicate; whatever is there is unintentional on my part, but whatever meaning you derive is still valid 

Also, out of everyone, Kat is the character I feel the worst about hurting. 

And for everyone wondering: Kat was knocked out when she was first bludgeoned. She was not awake when the men were killed. I am both touched and somewhat caught in disbelief that so many of you were worried about this.

When writing the introductory imagery for Kakariko-- describing the streets, people, etc--I was really worried that I was just retreading information that I already gave you all; but it’s also been, like, two years since the first Kakariko chapter came out, so I figured it was worth revisiting.

Hello, Jakucho! It’s been so long since she was in the story that I forgot how fun she is to write. She really brings an incredible energy to the mix. 

I’m trying to remember where exactly I got the idea for Link having to build his own house, especially since this is probably among the first ideas I had for the story. I think I came up with the idea of the house first and my brain immediately said, “Fine, but he built it while going through withdrawals.” O.K. Sounds cool. 

When I was writing the chapter, I didn’t like how I introduced Ayane. I got really hung up on the idea that she deserved something grander. Looking back at it now, I think it’s perfect. I’m glad I didn’t change it. 

There’s this through line I’ve been trying to maintain this entire story about Link feeling stuck in his role as a soldier, how inadequate he feels for not knowing a tradeskill (or really any skill outside of war-waging), and how jealous he is that Spirit can build nearly anything-- and this is the chapter where I finally feel the payoff of all those ideas. 

I hadn’t watched Vinland Saga when I finalized this idea, but now that I have watched it, do you know what this chapter is giving? Thorfinn emotionally healing via a farm arc. Go read Vinland Saga. It’s better than anything I can do. 

However, I did mean for that ending to be a little bit more ominous than it turned out. Sure, Link is deciding to move on and be happier, but he is doing so by ignoring all the things he has done. Surely, this isn’t going to bite him in the butt. 

Now that all of the war stuff is over, the story is now shifting towards a Link homesteading plotline, which will hopefully be as interesting, if not more. It’s definitely going to be harder to write, if only because now I have to take Link and show how he becomes Warriors.

Speaking of which.... onto the present day--

That opening scene where they’re escaping from the Sheikah by running across the rope bridge? That was a certified Pain In The Neck to write. I wrote about three different versions before finding one I thought was half-way decent. Why? I kept getting too elaborate with it and the scene kept running away from me. 

A part of the reason why that scene was such a pain is that it originally wasn’t going to happen! The last chapter was supposed to have a little transition scene about having to sneak away from the Sheikah before ending with the scene where Spirit helps Warriors with his arm. 

But with the canoodling scene kicked over to this chapter, I figured it was about time I began paying off the whole We’re Being Hunted Down By the Sheikah thing.

The hard march stuff then effectively ruined my original concept for the chapter: a series of scene where Spirit interacts one on one with each member of the Chain, to varying degrees of success. That got tossed out the window and never returned. 

But I think it was worth it? I like the hard marching stuff, and it helps with the blend the deep dark atmospheric stuff with the reunited Chain being absolute bozos

And I have missed all of the shenanigans. The exchange at the beginning where Warriors gets sarcastic about being told not to let go is very silly, but I like it. It makes me laugh. 

Speaking of which, I have decided that I am a big fan of Spirit’s whip. That’s all. Just wanted to put that into the world. 

Okay, let’s hop back to the canoodling stuff.

So that scene was what was supposed to be at the end of the previous chapter, if only to give you all the two-punch Spirit What The Fuck moments. Pacing-wise, the scene also acts as set-up for the house drama. Putting it at the end of last chapter would have made it seem like that plot point was more established. 

Also, another shout-out to Legend for being the character who is constantly surprising me with how fun he is to write. I’m not a big fan of him normally, so I always end up forgetting this until I get to write him again. Then again, I am also convinced that Legend is at his best when he’s a member of the supporting cast. He’s not main character material. 

And you guys have finally bullied me enough to convince me to make DILF Hunter Hyrule canon. You can’t say I don’t do anything for you guys. 

Four and Spirit not having a good relationship just feels correct. Even if Spirit was capable of not fumbling a social interaction for more than 10 minutes, I still think these two would not like each other very much. We might be able to get them to coworkers status, but that’s if we’re lucky. 

I finally got to do this scene with Warriors and Lana! Thank god! I think Lana scenes are among the first to get cut any time I need to make space, and this one has been getting pushed back for a awhile now. It’s good to finally get them to talk, if only to wrap up that little subplot about Warriors’s shittiness towards her while scratching the surface of my Sad Girl Lana agenda. 

Actually, this chapter did so well with the Lana and Linkle content that I feel bad that Midna got barely anything to do. Granted, her big moment where Twilight is seeking comfort from her is one of my favorites. So actually, Midna stays winning.

The scene where Spirit equates dead monsters to dead people is the spiritual successor to that scene way back in the past when he and Link had their big fight. I mean, that’s obvious.

A lot of readers seemed really surprised when Spirit was ruthless on the battlefield during Twilight’s rescue, and I want this scene to help remind everyone that Spirit kills people as easily as he kills monsters because, to him, they aren’t different. That’s still shocking, but it’s not because Spirit is uniquely cruel. 

The song that Spirit plays is the Song of Birds from his game, which functionally just summons a flock of birds. You need it to solve, like, one puzzle. I have decided that it’s actually an essential part of Lokomo burial rites. 

I regret giving Hyrule the line about understanding Spirit better. On one hand, I do think this would be a reason Hyrule would soften towards him. On the other, Hyrule was not on the battlefield when Spirit was being a ruthless soldier. What is there for him to understand better?

Legend’s game is a silly scene I have been trying to include in this story for so long, if only to give Spirit a moment to explain in-story how his senses work (and to have an allergic reaction towards Legend). I am trying so hard to drive home that Spirit’s abilities are only the senses. This guy does not have any other weird magic about him. He just knows extra information about people. 

Also, Wind robbing Spirit is extra funny when you remember that Spirit probably sensed him nearby and still somehow did not realize he was being pickpocketed. 

I think the things Spirit senses off of the boys are fairly obvious, except for Wild-- that water stuck in the nose feeling refers to Wild being submerged in the Shrine of Resurrection

I feel bad that I keep giving Wind more problems to deal with, but unfortunately, head trauma causes so many lasting conditions. I haven’t even really milked his newfound half-deafness yet. 

Also, thank you once more for everyone who gave me additional information on how signing with one hand works! You’re all the bomb!

The most painful cut this chapter was a scene where Spirit met Kat again. It's still gonna happen somehow, but the logistics didn't quite work (they're supposed to be on the run... what are they doing with meemaw???) and I just needed to focus on other things. It's such a shame, though. We almost had a perfect cohesive past and present chapter combo.

Initially, I was going to leave Toto in the well until the end of the story. He would act as extra motivation for Warriors to basically fix Hyrule-- if he doesn’t, Toto doesn’t go free. Then at least one person asked that he be rescued, and I crumbled. 

Also, if I did my job right, this is the first time in the present day that Anders’s name is said out loud! 

So you can probably guess that if I was willing to take as much time as needed to write the rest of CTB, I would have given saving Toto and burning the house down its own chapter. I’m not great at pacing (see: the fact that I wrote a whole chapter about characters traveling instead of skimming over that shit), but I figured I would take the risk and see if I could get away with having both off screen.

Was it effective? In some ways, yes. I think the shock when Warriors finds out is effective. 

What really makes my cutting corners work is that Warriors got to do something else that was really important instead, which is talking with Icarius. 

(By the way, I know most of you are doing a bit about being hardcore Warriors/Icarius shippers. But the few of you who are genuine, I need you all to wait until I actually show what the relationship is like before committing, if only because this is something I of all people would be writing). 

What isn’t effective is how Cia’s drawing was meant to foreshadow the house burning. I always thought of it as a minor detail akin to Cia’s warnings while she was in the bush, but a lot of you clung to it like it was going to hold the key to final climax of the narrative. That’s probably my fault. Oops. 

But Warriors and Spirit fighting... perfect. Love that scene. Honestly, I missed their violence. 

But my god. Getting to elaborate on the house and how it's filled with his mother's things at the start of the chapter before having it ripped away? Priceless. Perfect. I am patting myself on the back for that one.

I kinda hate that Warriors and Wind moment. It’s good and everything I like until after Wind offers up his earring. I didn’t know where else to take the scene, but I didn’t want to end it there. What I ended up writing is just really cliche, and I really wish I gave myself more time to redo it. 

And finally, that ending scene. Oh boy. Your honor, something is going on. If you guys are this stressed by a little cuddling, I cannot wait to see how next chapter is going to mess you up (pending on whether I chicken out or not)

Once more, I have to point out how insane everyone’s takes are making me. No one, and I mean no one, is on the same page about whatever is going on between Warriors and Spirit. There is no consensus. It’s driving me to insanity. I am still pushing myself to embrace different interpretations and to not view personal takeaways as a failing of the story. 

But the more space I give everyone to draw their own conclusions, the more I get worried about alienating a reader, or writing a story with an ending that one person likes and everyone else hates. 

But, again, this is a practice in ambiguity. Part of this story’s draw is how so many people are reading the same scenes and characters, and walking away with different perspectives. As nervous as it makes me, I love it.

[blackjackkent]

what do you think wouldve happened in an alternate universe where hector let karlach become a mind flayer?

(A/N after writing this whole answer: whoops, this got out of hand, hope you're okay with an Unexpected Fic. XD Also maybe a smidge weird/dark at the end, although not a ton I hope? Certainly no more than the whole game is weird/dark. XD Anyway I hope you enjoy. <3 )

Ohhhhhhhhh.

Anon, I love you for asking me this question. <3 A very intriguing one!

And it is because I love you for asking me this question that I have braved looking up a video of Karlach actually becoming a mind flayer, which I had put off doing because I am a softheart and I knew it would hurt and also make Hector yell in my head. XD And when Hector yells in my head it's a whole thing because he does double Flurry of Blows against the inside of my skull for 140damage and it's rough enough in there already.

However! I have now watched it and done some thinks. (Hot damn, Lae'zel is MAD too, at least in the version of the scene I watched. The whole thing is very upsetting.)

Fundamentally it would be a tragedy, and not just for Karlach. Watching the way the scenes play out - there is just enough of Karlach in her speech that Hector would not want to disconnect from her. I think perhaps it touches on the same hope that kept him expecting a miracle for her heart right up until the end of the game - somehow, somehow we can make this work, somehow we will find a way...

But there is no way. This is who she is now, a creature of the Astral Sea with his love's voice and an empty place where her soul should be. And unlike the engine situation he can't even kiss her to make himself feel better because she looks like a squid.

-----

The one saving grace is, I suppose, she does seem happy enough. In the epilogue, she states that she has found a way to get brains to eat by consuming from terminally ill patients at a clinic in Baldur's Gate, people who have volunteered for the process because they are about to die anyway. And she talks about helping all of them live on by absorbing their memories and carrying them with her.

It's... sweet, in a way, Hector supposes.

He tries to keep busy. There's no battle in Avernus to occupy him in this timeline, so he primarily works with Jaheira and her kids on rebuilding. It's hard, physical work; it keeps his mind occupied. At first he sleeps at the Elfsong; later, after some nudging from Rion, Jaheira offers him lodging at her home, where he takes a hand in raising the latest crop of orphan children she is protecting. He sees Baldur's Gate start to bandage its wounds and begins to believe there was some purpose to all his struggle.

But his own wounds do not heal so easily.

He visits the clinic often. He and Karlach talk. Her voice is a slow near-monotone in her accent, unlike anything he ever heard from her before. Sometimes he can hear a twinge of her humor or a turn or phrase, and his heart leaps... but other times she speaks of things like destiny and infinite time in a way that reminds him more of the Emperor than the woman he loves.

She never laughs. She doesn't curse. There is never even the slightest mention of sex; though she still fully understands a double entendre when he makes one experimentally, she seems to take no interest in it. She seems to exist slightly beyond him, with a view of the world that is no longer of the Material Plane.

And yet... she does know him. She remembers everything - stories he told her of his childhood in the monastery, details of Selunite rituals she learned from him, quiet moments in camp he half-forgot himself. She still calls him Soldier, and sometimes Hec. She remembers her own parents; she remembers the city. There is just enough of her still in there... just enough for it to squeeze his heart.

----

One day she walks (well, floats) with him to the Singing Lute; she sits with him while he eats. They talk about the rebuilding; he points out from the balcony some of the new homes he has worked on. She is quiet for a long time. "It is good to see the place begin to live again," she says, in that strange cool slow voice that has replaced the old jocular drawl. "It's what it was all for."

He nods. "Do you regret it? Any of it?" Do you remember what we had? What we've lost?

"How could I, Soldier? The city still lives. You still live." A long pause. The old Karlach might have laughed sardonically, but there is no humor. "Even I still live, and I have grown beyond myself. What is there to regret?"

It sits like a rock in his stomach. If she is content, what more can he ask for? And yet it hurts... it hurts...

-----

Jaheira notices that he begins to withdraw back into himself, that he is quieter and more serious. She mentions it to Gale, on one of his visits to the city from Waterdeep.

"You're not wrong there," Gale agrees. "You weren't around yet, when we knew him fresh off the nautiloid. He was much more careful, then. Very controlled. The very picture of monastic stoicism - in between the panicked realization that we were all undergoing a supreme nightmare that never ended, of course. He lightened up, over the months - certainly by the time you knew him."

Jaheira purses her lips. "And this... he is returning to his old ways, you believe?"

"I don't think it would be unreasonable to assume," Gale says, with a sort of bleak humor, "that Karlach is no longer providing the same amount of compensatory levity that she used to."

-----

In the end, almost two years later, Lae'zel is the only one who speaks to him of it directly, and she is brutal - but effective.

"You have been hollowed out, she'lak," she says bluntly, on one of her rare visits from the Astral Plane. "It is a lessening of you. Do you still trail after your ghaik as if bound to her by a lead?"

"I have done much in the city since you left," Hector says, somewhat defensively.

"Chk. I do not speak of your body's business, k'chakhi. I speak of your mind. Your heart. You have lost yourself. You live only for others."

"As I was raised to do. As I have always done."

"Hector." She rarely speaks his name directly, but she does now, and it makes him jump. "You know of what I speak, and I will not have you ignore it. Your work in the city is admirable. You have cause for pride and contentment. Yet you pine after Karlach as if you hope to find her in the shell wearing her voice."

"She's still in there, Lae'zel."

"You mislead yourself," she spits. "Was it not you who taught me the strength to look beyond mindless devotion?"

That stings, and unconsciously he stands up a little straighter. "This is not mindless. It has been earned," he objects.

"Tas'ki. She is ghaik," Lae'zel says flatly. "What remains of her will dwindle, day by day. You know this as well as I." A pause. Then her eyes soften, and her voice with it. "You do not honor her sacrifice by this emptiness, Hector. Nor do you honor yourself."

He says nothing. His lips draw into a tight line. He hears her, and he does not want to.

"Think on what I tell you," she says - for all the world, now, as if she is the wise mentor and he the student in need of guidance. "You are no fool. You know I speak truth. Do not discount it."

-----

It takes a long time, but he does eventually start to come back to himself. Ten years. Twenty years. He grows old, though he loses none of his strength, his training too ingrained to allow him to weaken with age. The city reforms, stronger than ever, and he slowly begins to learn what life is, outside of both monastery and war.

He teaches self-defense to the children Jaheira rescues and others in the Lower City. He learns to (very badly) play a lute at Alfira's school. He tries his hand as a woodworker after so much carpentry work in the rebuilding of the Gate; one day, with some pride, he gifts Halsin a raggedly carved owl in return for the duck. He travels with Shadowheart several times to the House of the Moon in Waterdeep, reaffirming his faith in the light that has guided him through so much darkness.

And he reads voraciously. Everything he can get his hands on, from every library in the city. There is far more knowledge in the world, he comes to learn, than the particular cache with which he grew up.

He visits Karlach less, over time. And Lae'zel was right - there is less and less left of her each time he sees her. She is drifting away from him. And slowly he comes to terms with that - that what they had was a wonderful thing and a fleeting thing that will never come back to him. He learns to live for them both, for the life she would have had with him, had there been time.

He does not love again, though. He lived his whole life devoid of romance before he knew her, and he has little interest in trying to find it again in the years that remain to him.

For the most part, he moves on, and eventually finds himself relatively happy. But there is one last concession to sentimentality and to everything he has lost.

-----

On one bright, cold afternoon in mid-autumn, many years after the Netherbrain has faded into a bleak memory, he goes to the clinic. She is there, much as she always is; she has not seemed to age much in all these years, though the tentacles are slightly longer, a bit more nuanced in their movement.

He, though, is old; the grey dappling in his hair and beard has faded to white. His body acts as strong as ever, but time is implacable; he knows, as she once did, that he has very little left. It is a strange thing - a weakness of spirit rather than flesh, old age's deeper destruction that even the most disciplined monk cannot stave off forever. He is not dying, but he would be dead soon, likely within a few tendays.

"Hector," she says, flat and cool and almost unrecognizable, and inclines her head at him slightly. "You have settled everything?"

"Everything," he says quietly.

"You are still certain it is time?"

"Yes."

"Then we will begin." She gestures him to a secluded corner of the clinic, with a comfortable chair set up for the purpose. He settles himself there and looks up at the clinic's cracked stone ceiling and waits.

"It has been a good life," he comments, as much to himself as to her, as he waits for her to approach. "Lae'zel was right, that I had to move on. I have done much, seen much. I am proud of what we achieved - all of us."

There's a long, expectant silence. Then he leans his head back, closes his eyes. "I never stopped loving you, you know," he adds softly.

"I know," she answers, and her jaws sink into his skull.

[la-principessa-nuova]

I don’t know exactly when I crossed this line, but at some point I really did internalize that I was legitimately disabled, and not just technically disabled, but not disabled like “real disabled people” are disabled.

and it has helped me to lend myself the same grace that I would lend other disabled people when recognizing my needs for accommodation.

And it’s helped so much to recognize when my disability is causing me to need an accommodation rather than seeing it as just choosing to use a different tool because for some reason, I am incapable of doing it the normal way today, with all the internalized ableism that comes with that.

like, I mentioned this (I think yesterday?) but I’ve been dictating a lot more text on my phone, and part of that is just because typing is really broken after the latest update, but I recognized that my disabilities are collaborating to make me struggle extra with that, and that even when things were working normally, sometimes I would get to a point where I dictating became significantly easier than typing, depending on the exact state of my mind in that moment and what I was trying to type

and so I’ve been using the dictation feature on my phone a lot more and making heavy use of the fairly recent feature that you can make edits while dictating, and it’s still not as smooth as when I am able to just type, but it is so much less frustrating than when I would be trying to type and just can’t keep track of what I’m trying to say because I keep messing up the typing and then trying to fix it and feeling frustrated like why isn’t my brain working to do this basic thing I can always do, exacerbated by the fact that the phone is making it more difficult than normal, but also because my brain has been making it more difficult than normal due to burnout

haha, but with that said, I don’t feel like deeply reviewing what I just wrote, so if there’s a bunch of dictation mistakes in this… 🤷‍♀️ 

More beneath fold because I just like kept going…

I think one of the things that contributed to helping me get to this point of accepting my need for accommodations, especially around language, is that I’ve been using automatic captioning on my work calls, and it has helped me so much

and it’s turned work calls from something where I was constantly in fear that I had missed something and constantly losing track of the conversation as I failed to keep up with what was being said, into just a thing I have to do. like it still takes me more effort than somebody without my disabilities to follow a conversation in a call, but now I have the tools to do it, and it’s much more possible for me.

And also, there’s an interesting similarity between the two accommodations I just mentioned, because while I am dictating, I use the text that’s being generated to remember where my sentence is going, because like I will start a sentence and then add a parenthetical, and after I won’t remember how I set up the sentence to know how to structure the ending of it, especially in rambling text like this, which is most of what I write through dictation

So I might start a sentence with “it has turned work calls from…” and then while I am dictating, what comes after from, I will forget that I started it that way, and I know that I am trying to save the after state of this change, but not whether to format it as “into…” or “has become…” or “but now it’s like…”

And so I just look at the screen to see the previous words that I wrote, to remember what I said, just like in the work calls I will be listening to what somebody is saying and then forget how they started the sentence back before I processed enough of it to understand them, or on a particularly bad day, I might completely forget the context of what they’re talking about, and so I look at the captions and quickly reread what they said to catch up.

It is a lot of effort and often stressful in the context of a meeting, because I don’t want to keep everyone waiting while I recap what was just said before responding, but I am learning more and more to be OK with that.

And while typing, I may need to figure out how to keep my sentences more concise… because when working memory is particularly limited, like it is right now, it gets really hard to not just remember how I started a sentence, but even just to keep the structure of the sentence in my head as I reread it to figure out what is the logical way to format the end of the sentence.

anyway… ramble over, I need to go to work…

[faithinthelambau]

Soul Like Clay

"Hey Boss, if you need someone to act as tribute to your research, I would happily accept the position."

"…Doris. You are aware there is a high chance of your life being forfeit, correct? You cannot just throw your life away carelessly."

"My life was taken from me the day my village burned to the ground in that raid. Your people saved my life. You saved my life. So if my life can help you save others, then I am more than willing to take the risk. Are you willing to do so as well?"

That day played on repeat as Narinder stayed by her bedside. Doris slept peacefully, her chest rising and falling slowly in a soothing rhythm. Her fur was just recently brushed. Pep had insisted on maintaining it. (He chuckled to himself. The nickname Doris gave them seemed to have stuck.) And admittedly, it was nice to see it more kept for the first time in a while. He could only remember it being windblown and covered in dirt and sap from working day in and day out. It felt strange seeing her smoothed out. Very "un-Doris-like", as the fox would say when doing something new. Or something she doesn't normally do.

Like sleeping for three days straight. Very "un-Doris-like" indeed.

As Narinder waited for her to wake up, he looked at the bundle in his arms. A small Fennec fox that looked exactly like a miniature of his follower.  The little one stared at Doris, ears twitching as she reached out to her bigger half.

The experiment was to see if life could be created from splitting life in half. He was used to handling souls. Carrying them, caring for them, ensuring they passed on. Destroying them when applicable. (A situation that seemed more frequent after Shamura's latest plots to aid Anchordeep's expansion).  As he prepared for the experiments, he'd ensured to take note of every part of the process, having Pep document it for him before beginning to handle Doris's soul.

If you were to ask the Bishop of Death what a soul feels like, Narinder would describe it as delicate. Though the word did not do sensation justice. No word existed to truly encapsulate the sensation. More accurately, were he to try to explain, it was somewhat eclectic. Fog given solidity, but easy to shatter at the smallest movement. Occasionally, they were stronger. Like clay before embracing  the flame. Strong. But still soft. Moldable. Other times they were glass that could crack at the slightest change in temperature. The most distinguished sensation a soul had ever felt in his hands was that of ice. Melting to the slightest touch. Those souls tended to vanish before he could properly prepare them for rest, melting into the ether and never met again.

Doris had a soul like clay. Soft, but sturdy. Perfect for cutting away a piece and molding it into a new body. Placing the soul into a specially woven egg made of silk from the cradle, he monitored its growth, while also tending to Doris. It had been a difficult two weeks. Balancing the care between them while also tending to his other duties was difficult. He had no idea what he'd have done had Marrock and Chezarae not stepped in to run the camp, and Pep taking over more administrative work.

But now, here he sat. The fruits of their labors resulting in a new life.

Baby Doris, as Big Doris insisted the child be named, stared at her progenitor carefully. "She still hasn't woken up?"

Narinder sighed. "No, Babdo. But she will."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

Babdo (he refused to call the child "Baby Doris" personally), was his first success in creating life. And within days of hatching, was already learning basic arithmetic. However, he could sense something was off about their form. He would need to consult Kallamar, but Narinder was convinced the child would never grow past the crawling stage of infancy. He resisted the urge to pity her for it, however. Within two days of hatching, she'd already learned enough words to ask for food, learn the names of those caring for her, and even pointing out issues with the nursery that needed to be repaired before the next egg hatched.

A success was a success, and this gave him a good starting point for the next project.

As he began to think over how to proceed, Babdo pat his arm and pointed to Doris. "Try putting me beside her. Perhaps having me next to her will help her wake up."

"Why would you think that?" he asked.

Babdo simply shrugged. "I overheard Harrow mention something from his old village. Someone in long slumber woke up not long after his wife touched his hand. Couldn't hurt to try, right?"

Narinder nodded slowly. "Very well."

Carefully, he placed the child on top of Doris, carefully adjusting so the little one was being held by her arms. Babdo gently gripped onto what little fur stuck out from Doris's robes, nuzzling into the embrace and humming a little lullaby.

"Where are you now hiding? My sweet little child. Listen as I'm singing. Why do you tremble in fear? My sweet little child. I am here."

He couldn't help but smile. He knew the tune, but he hadn't heard it personally in ages. Last he heard someone sing it, he'd been very young himself. Newly crowned. Lost. Alone. He could remember the soothing cool hands of his older siblings as he rested, fever burning through his fur.

A purr rolled through his throat, and he found himself carrying on.

"Sleep and rest young one, you're safe and free. Mother Light hunts by the sea. And as you dream I'll hold you near. There is nothing left to fear."

There was a twitch. Small, though impossible to miss. Both Narinder and Babdo turned to Doris, watching her closely.

First, her nose twitched.

Then she swallowed.

And slowly, tiredly, eyes fluttered open.

"Mhmh…thirsty," Doris mumbled, before finally looking around. Her eyes met the Bishop's, and she smiled that same lazy grin he'd come to know. "Hey Boss."

Babdo giggled, nuzzling in closer as Doris turned her attention to her little miracle. Narinder felt his shoulders slump. Stress he didn't realize he'd been holding back vanished in an instant.

"Welcome back, Doris."

[nerdanel01]

writing process!

I received a VERY kind ask from Anon back in late September asking about what my writing process was/how I outline etc. Well, I drafted a response to that ask this morning and saved it to go back and grab some references from google docs, and instead of saving the draft Tumblr ate both the draft and the ask. :) classic. Anyway, sorry Anon and I hope you see this.

___

hello anon! I am sorry it too me so long to reply to this, but when I recieved it I was wrestling with writers block and trying and failing to finish Live is a Stranger before Veilguard game out—I didn’t feel much like I should be giving writing advice to anyone. Feeling a little more prepared to answers this now that I’m hitting a groove with for love is strong as death. :) Under cut due to absurd length.

Firstly, IMO, no writing advice is going to work for everybody. Everyone is going to have a different set of methods and routines when it comes to writing. For example, one of my favorite authors, Philip Pullman, is apparently also a madman, and says this about his writing: 

“Every sentence I write I intend to stay writ. In other words, I never write with the thought that I can change it later, it's only provisional, even when I immediately do that very thing. Remember: structure is superficial. Tone is fundamental."

I don’t disagree about time, but ‘every sentence I write I intend to stay writ’ sounds like the seventh circle of hell to me. Works for him though I guess!

On the other hand, though I have never watched the Simpsons, this is another approach to writing offered by one of its writers (John Swartzwelder) that I happen to agree with very much: 

"Since writing is very hard and rewriting is comparatively easy and rather fun, I always write my scripts all the way through as fast as I can, the first day, if possible, putting in crap jokes and pattern dialogue—“Homer, I don’t want you to do that.” “Then I won’t do it.” Then the next day, when I get up, the script’s been written. It’s lousy, but it’s a script. The hard part is done. It’s like a crappy little elf has snuck into my office and badly done all my work for me, and then left with a tip of his crappy hat. All I have to do from that point on is fix it. So I’ve taken a very hard job, writing, and turned it into an easy one, rewriting, overnight. I advise all writers to do their scripts and other writing this way."

I used to try to make everything perfect the first time I wrote it. That patently does not work for me. To borrow a metaphor from visual arts, writing to me feels very sculptural—the blank page full of possibilities feels solid—and writing is chipping away at it, bringing it closer to the shape of what I had imagined in my head, getting a little more detailed and refined with each editing pass. 

For most fics (long fics or one shots) I do have an outline. This helps me to 1) start a piece or chapter knowing where I want it to end, which helps with pacing and 2) stay organized in general since I often skip around a lot as I write. For love is strong as death actually has two outlines in the same doc: one that outlines the chapters of the fic, and one that lays out the chronological sequence of events that make up the fic, since there will be a lot of flashbacks and it helped to have it organized both ways. 

The relevant outlines then get pasted into a fresh doc, where I write literally into the outline and build up the draft pass by pass until it’s ready for a final edit. If there’s a part I’m struggling with, I give myself permission to skip it or write placeholder language. (The final description of Baron Van Markham’s grisly transformation in the latest update I published did not get written fully until the last editing pass on the chapter.)

I went back into the versions of my latest update to grab the very earliest version of the scene with Varric at the end of Chp. 3 of for love is strong as death. Riddled with typos, inexplicable French punctuation from typing on mobile, just dialog beats:

« Bellara fixed the eluvian. Neve wants to use it to take us to Antiva. To meet the Crows. » « To Treviso? » asked Varric, knowingly.  « Yes. » Glowing look in his eye. « Well how about that. All that time you spent in that shitty Antivsn bar and you finally get to go for real. Listen, Rook-«  « Inknow, Varric. I won’t allow myself to get distracted. » « I was going to say, Enjoy yourself. » « Enjoy myself? When there’s gods on the loose? » « You push yourself too hard, you’ll burn out. So… go meet the Crows. But stop and sample a cup of coffee by the canals while you’re there. Maybe even get one of the Crows to take yu to that opera house so you can hear for real what thehveee all wailing in tbr bar. »

Which got drafted to into this exchange:

But it felt strange, to be in the Lighthouse infirmary, sitting beside his bed. Somehow—despite the fact that she had told Varric it was no use trying to talk to Solas at the point he had already begun his ritual—Agnes couldn’t help but somewhat responsible that he had gotten hurt. The fact that Varric was always so supportive during these visits made that guilt no less difficult to bear.

Agnes picked at a seam in her trousers, not quite able to look Varric in the eyes, flashing him only occasional glances as she told him, “Bellara—the Veil Jumper that we picked up in Arlathan Forest—says she has fixed Solas’ eluvian.” After a pregnant pause she added, “Neve wants to use it to take us to Antiva. To meet the Crows.”

Agnes could not look at Varric, but she did not need to be to know that his eyes were set on her, pinning her with a knowing look. Maker, she could hear the grin in his voice when he asked, “To Treviso?”

“Yes.”

“Well, how about that.”

More details, proper punctuation, etc. A lot more attention paid to the "connecting" pieces between the lines and the scenes themselves.

As for the yearning, I think a lot of my writing has always just really been inspired by music—opera keeps creeping into my Emmrook works, but I listened to a lot of Warped Tour style pop punk alt rock etc. during my formative teen years and was really invested in lyrics, so I think that’s where a lot of that comes from. Inside sometimes I’m still fourteen, wearing bad pharmacy eyeliner, singing along to My Chemical Romance in front of my bedroom mirror. ;)

Random other advice:

-I really recommend reading your final edit aloud to yourself if you can. I tend to catch a lot of mistakes this way that would otherwise escape my notice. 

-READ. Especially when you have writers block, read. Read widely, and read things twice. There are some books (Deathless, Gods of Jade and Shadow, The Secret History; lately Gideon the Ninth) that I’ve easily read over three or four times. Rereading old favorites let’s you notice new things about them—how events are foreshadowed, how plots are paced, how characters are built. 

-I will also sometimes play a sort of game with myself when I’m reading, where I’ll keep a running list of intriguing words with the right "vibes" for inspo on my latest wip. I was reading some Poe stories in between editing passes in the latest War of the Banners updates, so my list looked something like "perfidy, admonish, monotony, sepulcher, phantasmagoric, encrimsoned" etc. Some of these words did work themselves handily into the wip. 

-If you’re stuck in a wip, for me, “the problem is usually further back.” (I don’t know where this quote is from but maybe Jane the Virgin lol?) If I can’t figure out a line of response dialog, it’s sometimes because of the way that line was set up, or even the premise of the whole scene. 

-If there’s a scene you really don’t want to write because the idea of it bores you to tears, don’t. If it’s painful for you to write, it won’t be enjoyable to read. Give yourself freedom to tell your stories in a non linear way, and don’t feel the need to explain everything. So many times in my Solavellan long fic I toiled over scenes I felt I “had" to include, and was able to cut them with narration. 

-As important and sacred as the outline is, know when to abandon it. The two War of the Banners chapters in my latest wip were originally supposed to be one. That would have been miserable for me and everyone who read it.  

-I think it also helps to know when is the best time for you personally to write. For me, my brain is most productive and creative with language between like, 6-10a, so that’s when I try to do most of my writing if I can. I know that sounds like insanity to some people, that’s fine. But if I tried to write new drafts after work, or really anytime past 4pm, I know myself well enough to know it would be extremely unproductive. 

That’s all I’ve got for now! Apologies again for the late reply but feel free to drop me another ask if there’s anything specific you’d like to ask about.