#READY… SET… LET’S GO! { ALBATROSS; IN CHARACTER }

[losille2000]

Mister America, Prologue: Massachusetts

CHAPTER NUMBER: 1/? CHARACTERS: President!Chris Evans/OFC (see notes) GENRE: Romance/Drama FIC SUMMARY: After a massive social media write-in campaign organized by others, Chris finds himself thrust into a spotlight that he is unprepared to handle. His campaign managers suggest that a political marriage might help him weather the storm and help his image during the campaign... just so long as it isn’t the one woman Chris really wants. RATING: M  WARNINGS:  Nothing. AUTHORS NOTES: This story is AU in the fact that this is the 2020 presidential race, and Chris is a candidate. But everything in the past is still the same with him being an actor. Also, COVID-19 is not a part of this story. I needed to play in a land where COVID didn’t exist and “Captain America,” in his alter ego, punched out a Nazi in a metaphorical(?) way. For more on the story, go here.

This first part is prologue-y.

I have also curated a soundtrack for all 50 states, and then some. You can listen on Spotify right now, may eventually put it on Youtube. There will be 50 chapters (I’m hoping), but many of them will be shorter.

Also on AO3!

Boston, MA Evans for President Campaign Headquarters November 3rd, 2020 30 Minutes Before First Polls Close

Stage fright is no joke.

When it hits, it hits like a semi truck going seventy on an icy Massachusetts road. In the blink of an eye, you’re completely obliterated. Except this is on stage and you’re not dead, even though you wish you were. In fact, you’re very much alive. Alive enough to feel the force of the impact, followed by the squeezing in your chest and choking on your breathless words. Paralysis takes over. Cold clammy sweat slicks your palms and also trickles down your back to that one spot between your shoulder blades you can’t reach, but causes your costume to uncomfortably stick to your skin.

There’s no escape. You know what’s coming. You worry you’ll forget your lines, or trip on your cue, or make a complete and utter fool of yourself. You feel like an imposter, questioning why you’re here, in this role, when that dude, JD, from your acting class years ago was a million times more talented than you, and you’re the one that got that teen movie deal.  You’re the one who became one of America's most beloved superheroes for a decade.

You’re also the one who has a very real chance of winning the 2020 presidential election, despite no college education, limited understanding of what elected officials in DC actually do on a day to day basis, and the closest thing you have to experience as a “boss” or “commander in chief” of anything was a movie set or two where you were director and executive producer. 

Nope.

What I, Chris Evans, have is a dedicated online fan base who took the time to write my name into ballots when they discovered I had filed for ballot access in every state of the union. I didn’t do the filing on a whim; we sat around late one night talking about the interviews I had been conducting in DC for a website about party positions on important issues. My business partners and I came up with the idea that a long form documentary about campaigning would be interesting, and we determined the best way to understand the process was to become a “candidate” myself. Meaning, we only planned to use the credentials to be on the front line of the campaigning process. I was never going to create signs and make speeches or debate with others.

I never intended to run a legitimate campaign.

But, as I mentioned, something strange happened during the Democratic primaries. People started to vote for me, a trickle of rain in a hurricane.

I won a few primary delegates.

Without even trying.

Not enough to win the Democratic ticket, but enough to make pollsters sit up and take notice.

My loyal fans stepped in again, undaunted, and ignited a storm. They dubbed it “Operation America’s Ass” and created a grassroots campaign across the country with GoFundMe donations and a lot of pluck. I thought it was a joke. A part of me still does think it’s a joke. I mean, what other explanation is there for this mess? For the red, white and blue bunting hanging on the walls with the “Chris Evans for President” sign plastered underneath it? For the staffers who stop briefly to see if I need anything...‘Would you like a drink, sir?’... or, upon seeing how pale I look, give me a vote of confidence… ‘Are you ready for your acceptance speech?’ There’s absolutely no good explanation as to why there are twenty or thirty people buzzing around the hotel suite waiting for results. They’re so energized with hope for a better future.

Hope that I can be everything they ever wanted in a president.

An Independent president, free from party oversight.

A president with class.

A president for the people.

A president who can bring the United States back from the brink of destruction at the hands of previous leaders.

I wish I had their confidence.

When they asked me on career day in school what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said artist. When I was older, in high school, I knew I was going to be an actor. Never president. The job never entered my mind as being a possibility, not even when I used to work for my uncle’s congressional campaigns. Or when I started filming those interviews.

Why does anyone think I, a straight white momma’s boy from Boston should be president in 2020? Just because I made a few popular Tweets about the current president’s lack of leadership?

It has to be a joke. A cosmic one. I’m a punchline. I am convinced they’ll jump out from behind a doorway and yell “You’ve been PUNK’D! We really got you this time, now here, Bernie, you’re the better candidate.”

And yet…

What if they see in me something I do not?

I place a lot of stock in being in the moment. I’ve also put a lot of work into accepting the twists and turns of life instead of allowing all the “what ifs” and “what should I dos” to eat away at me. I told everybody after I was done with Marvel and financially secure enough to only work on projects I really wanted to, I’d take life as it came at me.

Well, it came after me.

To be fair, I originally chose to get into politics, even in a tiny way, because I wanted to be informed about my choices. I created a website so others could learn, as well. As time went on, I became more involved on Capitol Hill. I even did some lobbying for a few causes dear to my heart. And, yes, I did file the ballot access paperwork.

Had I unintentionally set my path in this direction? Was it inevitable for me to become a contender for the presidency?

Fortunately, I learned early on in the process that a lot of being a presidential candidate is being a convincing showman. An actor. The world's a stage, after all, and I am but a player. You have to have some solid ideas and convictions to back up the image, but a lot of the governing comes from other members of the executive branch. Should I win, I’d only be signing off on everything.

Of course, that “everything” affects the lives of more than 300 million souls. I wouldn’t trust me with a kitchen knife, much less nuclear launch codes and people's livelihoods and education and health and…

My hands shake with nerves just thinking about it.

Let it be said, once I do make it out onto the stage--be it as an actor or presidential candidate--I rise to the challenge. The energy from the audience buoys me. Makes me feel alive. But I am not, by nature, someone who likes to sign away so much personal freedom in exchange for the weight of carrying an albatross around my neck. I thought signing for Captain America would be tough; the human toll of running for president even moreso.

Actually being President? I can’t even wrap my mind around that.

It would be easy to call it quits, even now when the votes are already cast. I could have done it a long time ago, when the reality of the situation hit me the first time. I didn’t. Something told me to hold back, play it out. I persevered. Why? Somewhere, along the line, I began to believe I could do this. I could make a positive difference in the lives of Americans.

I certainly want to do right by all my supporters--and my detractors. I want to be a leader for all Americans.

But can I, really, while knowing my incredible deficiencies?

Maybe I can’t, but I can be the team leader. A brand ambassador, if you will. A good leader delegates. And I intend, should I win, to surround myself with the best and brightest. I will accept no less. I will do ‘Whatever It Takes,’ as our slogan boasts. I am American, first and foremost, and I care deeply about this country.

A real Captain America, if you will. Maybe not as strong or powerful as others, but I sure as hell can give a great speech and will defend my country from bullies until my last breath, whether they be purple… or orange.

Except, I suppose if I’m elected, I won’t be Captain America anymore. They’ll call me Mr. President.

Or, horror of horrors, what if the new name my nearest and dearest coined makes it out into the public. They tease me with it just to see my visceral revulsion and get a laugh. But if I have learned anything about the internet--and pop culture--is that if something is catchy, it sticks around for a long time.

Maybe I ought to get used to the idea of being a punchline.

So, I suppose I have a question for you.

Won’t you consider a vote for Mr. America?

[doomedandstoned]

10,000 Years Take Us Into The "Gargantuan Forest"

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

Review by Billy Goate

Album Art by Francesco Bauso

Leaving the world For salvation yonder Quest for eternity To suns beyond

Gazing upon our past Out into forever To a future obscured What glory awaits?

To begin another week of awesome original content at Doomed & Stoned, we're getting you better acquainted with the Swedish juggernaut 10,000 YEARS.

Last summer, the band dropped their eponymous debut to welcome ears and in just a few short weeks 10,000 Years come roaring back with a follow-up. Y'all know I'm a sucker for a good concept album. The eight-track full-length record 'II' (2021) picks up the trail of the Albatross research vessel, which has been galavanting 'cross the nether reaches of the galaxy on a potent rocket fuel made of sludgy stoner rock and doom metal.

If that sounds epic, wait'll you get a load of what's next for our interstellar crew. It helps if you picture the following text as a Star Wars-style screen crawl, slowly working its way up the page against the backdrop of a starry night.

After narrowly escaping the confines of the strange planet and its surrounding dimension, the Albatross and its crew finally return home to Earth. The re-entry is rough and the ship crashlands in a forest. The earth that greets them is vastly different from the one that they left.

When the ship travelled back to earth through the wormhole, it created a rift in the space-time continuum which propelled them far into the future, as well as allowing the Green King and other ancient gods from the other dimension to cross over to our dimension. They have since taken control of not only the earth, but the entire solar system.

After various harrowing experiences and encounters, the truth finally dawns on the surviving members of the crew. They are indeed back on earth, but ten thousand years in the future from when they started their journey. And to make matters worse, they find evidence that the Green King has been known and worshipped by secret cults and societies on earth for millenia, since before humankind even existed.

The surviving members of the crew come to the conclusion that the only way to set things right again is to repair the Albatross and take it back through the rift again in order to close it.

Now that's a saga I'm ready to get invested in. George Lucas, eat your heart out!

The record revs to a start with "Descent," a track that can best be described as terrific panic. It had me thinking of KOOK's "Escape Velocity" from their recent second album, though that's an eight-and-a-half minute slow burn and this is a quick twenty-six second fall from the sky. I wish this little notion had a chance to develop into something longer, but regardless what a thrilling way to open an album!

With rapt attention, I'm waiting to hear what comes next. The ship seems to have crash landed deep inside a "Gargantuan Forest." As an aside, it would be a blast to smoke a bowl o' something (anything, really) with Erik Palm (guitar), Alex Risberg (bass, vox), and Espen Karlsen (drums) just to gab it up a bit about sci-fi lit and horror flicks. I mean, check out the trove of B-movie greats referenced in their preface to the new single (which Doomed & Stoned is debuting today):

In this ABSURD (1981) video, 10,000 Years enter a FOREST OF FEAR (1980) as they access THE BEYOND (1981) and enter a BLOODBATH (1971) with THE BOOGEY MAN (1980), otherwise known as the Espbeast. The Espbeast stalks and haunts the bodies and minds of the characters in this C-grade homage to the horror movies of yesteryear.

The characters FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE (1976) through insane NIGHTMARES IN A DAMAGED BRAIN (1981). If they survive the AXE (1974) they may still end up in an INFERNO (1980) and risk being EATEN ALIVE (1976). All the same risks face the viewer, so don’t watch with the lights out, don’t watch by yourself and DON’T GO IN THE WOODS ALONE (1981). Because after all, isn’t there an Espbeast in all of us?

10,000 Years have picked the ideal setting for the music video. The forests of Sweden stand tall and dark, the ground packed with snow. Screw you, Blair Witch Project -- this is where I want the next found footage flick filmed!

The song opens with a mysterious theme on solitary electric strings, surrounded by hazy reverberation. Drums and bass accent the motif as it's repeated several times over. Dazed by their graceless fall to earth, the crew wander about, checking one another for injuries, seeing if the faithful Albatross has even hope of another journey. As the shock begins to wear off, their hopeless plight reveals itself.

Screaming from the sky Blasting through the atmosphere

Come to rest On the forest floor Still alive What fresh new hell is this?

Surrounded by swamps A strange bleeding from the earth

Giant trees A dense horror taking root Same old sun Unfamiliar rays shine down

Is there something lurking about in the Gargantuan Forest? I'm sure no one wants to wait until nightfall to find out! The so-called "Espbeast" (which the band may actually have been first to name) is more than likely some strange amalgamation of guitar and creature, ripping through foes like a berserker of sound with scraps of High on Fire's "10,000 Years" echoing perversely through the treetops as it stalks and ultimately slays you. Nobody wants to be around when the Espbeast is on the prowl.

Now see, I'm letting my imagination get carried away! Then again, maybe that's what the band had planned all along -- for listeners to join in the fantastic adventures of these cosmonauts, to see through their eyes and feel through their body as they touch foot to strange soil. What will our adventurers find next?

The answer comes all too soon: "Spinosaurus!" This gruff beast charges angrily through the woods knocking things about, displacing rocks, snapping branches, royally pissed and ready to make somebody pay for the noise that snatched him away from a damned good nap. The repeated note riff, with its odd strumming pattern, does a nifty job of representing the crude movements of the Spinosaurus as it lumbers about the forest. Eric is a virtuosic mess of frantic tremeloes and wiry noodling against Espen's stampeding drums, as Alex narrates the scene with a terrifying shout:

Is this our earth? No time to dwell Dorsal sail cutting air Cretaceous ghost made flesh

Staring into Dead end eyes No place to hide Theropodic annihilation

Teeth into flesh!

What the crew is experiencing on their homeworld thus far seems foreign, almost ancient. Through some curse of Einstenian logic have we zipped through a wormhole only to return to the distant past? "The Mooseriders" are about to challenge our assumptions about what's possible on this Rock.

Thundering hooves crack the sky Dark robed wizards appear in the light Travellers in ether descending Protectors of the realm

These are the oath-bound eternals -- interdimensional templars, if you will -- who have arrived at this precise moment in time to take on the Green King. Complex rhythmic drumming with precisely stricken odd beats, is accompanied by a hyperactive bass and progressive metal riffmaking. Together, the band conjures the trot and hustle of the approaching entourage. A wilding guitar heralds a message from the great protectors:

The hour draws near The endgame is nigh Divine prophecy Even death may die

The mood now turns stately. A brave theme is introduced and developed with dashing prowess. This track would fit perfectly into a playlist with Mastodon, Ape Cave, and Zirakzigil. I found Alex's vocal approach especially appropriate for the frantic depiction of "antlers clashing with steel" in this battle to the finish. "Even death...may...DIE!"

"Angel Eyes" greet us on the B-side, and it's not a cover of the Jerry Cantrell song (though that would have been unexpectedly awesome). No, the hard-charging mood and raspy vocals are pointing to something far more apocalyptic.

Hooves of burning coal Let loose upon the world

Return of the warlord Eternal fire scorches the earth

Heavenly gaze Order through chaos

At times Alex seems exasperated, practically out of breath, as he gives these dire words his all. It's a style the 10,000 Years frontman owns as well as his counterpart, Simon Ohlsson of Vokonis, who has a comparable vocal attack. A bass-fortified guitar establishes a second theme that adds a Wagnarian touch of high drama, and this ushers in the song's curtain fall.

If 10,000 Years is to be compared with High On Fire at all, the rumbling riffstorm "March Of The Ancient Queen" surely merits it (to say nothing of their mutual love of alternative histories).

Her royal blood Once ruled these lands Generations Buried by time Dynasty of dust Rise from the sands Rise from the dead The Green King's servant

March!

March Of The Ancient Queen - Single by 10,000 Years

That last lyric is uttered with the most blood-curdling all-caps conviction that I was immediately drawn into its sentiment, miming "Maaaaarrrrrch!" with my ugliest war face on every time it came up in the song. The NWOBHM-style finish is so deftly executed that it comes across as orchestral. 10,000 Years paint with big, bold strokes here.

"Prehuman Walls" is a welcome shift down, with its chugging "Bury Me In Smoke" tempo. You sludge fiends will find moments of Zen here, with riffs that bend and twist and saw 'neath the summer sun. The crew have chanced upon a temple of sorts, though not one made with human hands. Nothing seems to make sense here at all. It's like Area X from the film Annihilation (2017), where everything is a contortion of reality. Then the "truth settles in." This alien monstrosity, we find, bears the mark of the sinister Green King. We thought we'd escaped him, only to find that he both followed us and was here millenia before.

Unholy worship Feed the Green King Eyes pried open Sanity stripped away

At last, we reach the final track in our journey: "Dark Side Of The Earth". So many revelations have been made in this second chapter, so many loose ends that need to be tied off. Naturally, a third chapter must be written. "We must go back, set it right," deliberates an exasperated Albatross crew. "We must go back, whence we came."

Dimension walls broken down The fabric ripped and torn apart Thread the needle once again A journey of ten thousand years

We must go back, set it right We must go back, through the tears

Insanity the only way The dark side of the earth

Following these words, the song develops instrumentally and the mood gets quite emotional. I found myself drawing parallels between this "bastard version of earth" and our own, wondering if we ever can go back and make it right. For us, perhaps it should be about moving forward, for there is no golden age or better time to which we can return. We make this world a heaven or hell tomorrow by the choices made today.

The album was recorded by Tomas Skogsberg at Studio Sunlight. Totally diggin the awesomely swamp landscape that Francesco Bauso of Negative Crypt Artwork created. It reminds the five-year old me of Luke's sopping wet landing on Dagobah, though guitarist Alex Risberg says the band's more inspired by Planet of the Apes than by Star Wars.

The album will be released on June 25th as a special vinyl "Green King Edition" by Interstellar Smoke Records pre-order here), a cassette tape "Forest Edition" from Ogo Rekords (pre-order here) and "Swamp Edition" from Olde Magick Records pre-order here), with the digital and compact disc formats handled by Death Valley Records (pre-order here).

10,0000 Years have in II their most accomplished album to date, with powerful moments that will stay with you long after the record's stopped spinning. Fans of High On Fire, Black Tusk, and The Sword listen up! You might just discover your next favorite band.

Give ear...

10,000 Years - Gargantuan Forest (Music Video)

Some Buzz

Having previously played together in the original lineup of Swedish underground heavyweights Pike, Erik Palm (Guitars) and Alex Risberg (Bass/vocals) found their way back to each other, musically, in early 2020. The creative fire reignited and stoked to a burning inferno and through a mutual love of heavy riffs and thundering stoner rock, doom, and sludge metal, 10,000 Years was born. Finding a drummer would prove to be an easy task and with Espen Karlsen the final piece lay firmly in place. The groove they fell into during the first rehearsal hasn’t stopped rumbling since.

After spending the first-half of 2020 writing and rehearsing, 10,000 Years recorded their self-titled debut EP during one weekend in June in the legendary Studio Sunlight with equally legendary producer Tomas Skogsberg. The self-titled EP was released on July 10th and immediately struck a chord with the heavy underground worldwide, and 10,000 Years garnered rave reviews and accolades.

10,000 Years by 10,000 Years

10,000 Years' musical and lyrical world revolves around the tale of the terran class III exploration vessel Albatross and its mission to explore the Milky Way and nearby galaxies in search for a possible new home for humanity. The EP tells the tale of its first foray into space and what happens when the crew accidentally travel through a wormhole and end up in an adjacent dimension populated by ancient gods and giant beings, ruled by the Green King. The EP ends with “From Suns Beyond,” where the crew make it off from the strange planet, back out into space in search of a way back home. The new album picks up the story as the Albatross blasts through the atmosphere of a seemingly unknown planet and crashlands headfirst into strange new adventures.

II by 10,000 Years

Now, less than a year after their first release, 10,000 Years are back with their first full-length effort, aptly titled 'II' (2021). Picking up right where the EP left off, II continues the story of the ill-fated Albatross mission and its exploration of time and space through a skull-crushing mixture of stoner rock, doom, and sludge metal. The album will no doubt continue to build on 10,000 Years' already golden reputation and prove to be an even bigger hit with the heavy masses.

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[buildmatcher-blog]

41 Bathroom Renovation Mistakes You Must Avoid

Our expectations of the humble bathroom have become quite inflated. It’s no longer just a place to get clean, we want more, a refuge where we can close the door on the daily humdrum to luxuriate and recharge, or perhaps just to have some peace and quiet at a place where no one disturbs you, or just simply play with our phones to tune out from the world for a bit. 

There’s a lot more to designing a bathroom than choosing taps and tiles (as fun as that part is). Get it right, you will have a beautiful, functional space that you will enjoy spending time in every day. Get it wrong, and you could end up with a bathroom plagued by impractical niggles or, worse, that needs to be completely refitted (not to mention the sleep you lose along the way). 

When renovating, it’s incredibly important to have a plan. It doesn’t matter what your space is, a plan will help you figure out exactly what it is that you need to achieve your ideal space. Without a plan, mistakes can happen. Even with a plan sometimes mistakes can happen! What we don’t want is to spend a truckload of time, money and inconvenience on our dream bathroom only to find out a few months down the track that it’s not living up to its promises. 

At Buildmatcher, we deal with homeowners renovating their bathrooms on a daily basis and let me tell you, I’ve seen just about everything that could go wrong, go wrong! So, if you’re also looking to renovate your bathroom this year, then this guide is meant for you. 

Today, I’ll offer my perspective on what mistakes to avoid in a bathroom renovation. Make sure to read through until the end because if you make any one of these mistakes, your renovation costs will shoot through the roof. 

So here are 41 most common mistakes in renovating bathrooms. Watch out for these common mistakes so that you can sprint to that beautiful washroom you’ve been dreaming of, instead of tripping over the hurdles of inexperience in your renovation nightmare. 

1. Being seduced by the showroom 

We’ve all been there: falling in love with glorious waterfall showers, statement sinks and enormous soaking tubs after a trip to a glamorous bathroom showroom. In reality, these room sets have been designed around the suite with perfect proportions, so it’ll never feel cramped or ‘too much’. Put that oversized bath in your average family home though and it soon becomes an albatross. Too often it becomes a glorified towel holder, filling it up takes forever and it’s too big to get children into and out of safely. You’re better getting something more suited to the space that you’ll use every day. 

2. Forgetting to future-proof 

If you’re in your ‘forever home’ then think about setting up the bathroom to be safe and functional as you and your family get older. Non-slip surfaces, grab handles, flat walk-in showers and swapping twisting knobs for lever taps can make the transition a little easier. If you’re not quite ready for that, think about leaving space to add these details in later. 

3. Using Fixtures And Features That Date 

We have all seen it: the chocolate sanitary ware and the gaudy border tiles. Your choice may be very on-trend when it is installed but within a short time frame (within 2 years) will begin to look dated. By keeping your, fixtures, fittings and finishes very elegant and classical, you will ensure that your bathroom has broad appeal that lasts for a very long time. 

4. D.I.Y waterproofing 

One of the most common issues in a bathroom is a leaking shower and it is an expensive item to fix. Best to do it right the first time by engaging a Certified-waterproofing tradesman and ensure that you are provided with a waterproofing certificate and warranty. If you sell your home following the bathroom renovation you will be required to produce the waterproofing certificate. 

Buildmatcher's Waterproofing tip: once the waterproofing is complete, keep an eye on the follow up trades, particularly the tiler. A small nick in the waterproof membrane with the tillers trowel or a broken tile will compromise its integrity and may result in a leak. 

5. Inappropriate Materials 

All surfaces in the bathroom should be impervious to moisture otherwise it will swell, rot or discolor with time. This excludes soft wood, non-waterproof mdf, & particleboard, and fabric. Porous stones such as travertine marble and hardwood should be sealed. 

6. Knocking down resale value 

If you have any inkling that you might move to a new house in the next five years, then you’d do well to keep your bathroom a neutral and bright space that won’t alienate future buyers. Grey and white suites will all stand you in good stead and are easy to personalize with your favorite colors in accessories and furnishings. Consider applying a bathroom wallpaper or add artwork and greenery to make the space yours without jeopardizing a future sale price. When you're ready to sell-up, it's a simple repaint job to get it viewing ready.

7. Leaving out counter space 

While too much clutter is unsightly you should account for creating a little bit of counter space around a vanity unit. Whether it’s a place to put a make-up bag while you’re getting ready or somewhere to park your morning coffee, if you don’t add in a little bit of table-height surface you’ll regret it. 

8. Trying To Squeeze Too Much In 

Avoid overcrowding the bathroom. If you have a separate toilet close by, don’t install one in the bathroom.. Maximize space as much as possible to make the room less cluttered and more comfortable. If the room is too small for a bath and a shower, the shower over the bath is preferable to cramping the room. Wall hung cabinetry and an in-wall toilet cistern will help preserve floor space. 

Buildmatcher's Tip: Sometimes simply changing the side the door swings from can improve the use of the space. 

9. Forgetting finishing touches 

Well-chosen accessories can make or break any design scheme, and the bathroom is no exception. Treat yourself to some top-quality towels – organic cotton towels feel luxurious and are Eco-friendly, too. If you’re short on hidden storage, consider decanting shampoos and shower gels into attractive bottles. Small soaps and bath salts can be stored in glass Kilner jars. 

10. Not considering worst-case scenarios 

Future maintenance can cost thousands if there are problems that can’t be quickly fixed, such as inaccessible taps or pipework, which means you must rip up flooring or damage walls if problems occur. Use fixings that can easily be unscrewed if necessary or perhaps create a false tile or bath front that’ll give easy access to a plumber.

11. Not thinking about height 

The height of a towel rack, the depth of a bath and a slightly too low shower head can mean the difference between an average bathroom and a brilliant one. Think about the tallest and the shortest person in the house, and that could include small children, before deciding where things should go. 

12. Not looking up 

There could be an opportunity to add character to your bathroom by removing a drywall or false ceiling and expanding upwards into the rafters. An eaves space is fabulous over a bath, as is adding a skylight, which allows you to watch the weather while enjoying a soak. It’ll also add value to your house, too. 

13. Not having a back-up bathroom 

At some point during your bathroom project, the water will have to be switched off. How long it’s switched off for depends on the scale of the works you’re undertaking, but if it’s anything longer than a day or two you’re going to need somewhere else to shower and go to the loo. Now might be a good time to go on holiday or visit friends. If you stay at home, then a Portaloo might be a good investment, and you may find yourself using the gym (and its showers) a lot more than usual. 

14. Not filling the bath 

One of the biggest nightmares a homeowner can face is springing a leak in the bathroom. Luckily, there are a few things to do when you’re installing to protect yourself against any future disasters. The bath overflow needs to be checked when its plumbed in and if you half- fill the bath with water before applying your sealant, it will account for the extra weight and flex which should stop cracks appearing. 

15. Having mixed styles 

Finding a style and sticking with it is incredibly important. The one style ensures consistency throughout your bathroom, avoiding any potential style clashes. It’s also important to consider the style and color scheme used in the rest of your home, as you’ll want to have consistency throughout. When walking between rooms, they should feel like they belong in the same home and not like a collection of interior trends from different decades.

16. Moving plumbing fixtures 

Moving plumbing fixtures is by far the most common and the costliest mistake in bathroom renovations. If you choose to move your bathroom fixtures around, you’ll need to invest in new plumbing. This can easily take your renovation cost up by a few thousand dollars. Serviceseeking.com.au estimates bathroom plumbing costs to be $5,000 on average! Before you think of moving your plumbing fixtures around, consider if you really need to do it. 

Buildmatcher's Tip: Quite often, you can remodel your bathroom around your existing fixtures. The money that you save by doing so can also be spent on accessorizing your space or on higher grade products. 

17. Using stone tiles in moist areas 

Another common renovation mistake that people make is using stone tiles in the wet areas of their bathroom. While stone tiles look incredibly elegant, they are naturally porous. Over time, water will seep into these pores and damage the tiles. You’ll unnecessarily need to re-tile your floors if you opt for stone tiles in the first place. Be sure that it will be an expensive affair because natural stone tiles are expensive to start off with.

If you’re set on using stone tiles, consider switching to stone-look tiles for the wet areas of your bathroom instead. Our stone-look tiles replicate the look of natural stone perfectly and are available in a range of styles, colors, and designs. Alternatively, porcelain tiles are the most popular choice. You’ll find a range of such tiles at our store. 

18. Considering beauty over functionality 

One of the most common mistakes I see is from bathroom renovators who put design aesthetics before functionality. Sure, if you’re spending around $20,000 on a bathroom renovation, you want it to look great. But not if that means it is at the expense of the functionality of the bathroom. If any fixture or accessory in your bathroom is not functional, you’ll soon feel the need to replace it. This will unnecessarily cost you in the future.

Here, with Buildmatcher we offer a complete range of bathroom products which perfectly blend style and functional. Our products are specially designed to be in line with the latest trends, while also offering all the functionality you need. When you choose our products, you’ll get the best of good looks as well as features and functionality. 

19. Making Your Bathroom Tricky To Clean 

A drain serves two purposes, not only the obvious to drain the water but, to act to trap unwanted matter such as hair to ensure the bathrooms drainage pipes are kept clear. As peculiar as it is, a great deal of people position their drain in the center of the base of their shower. When you think about this, it’s not ideal as you’ll actually be standing over the drain when showering and in turn block it. Therefore, ideally consider your drain to not be positioned directly under the spray of your shower head. 

20. Lazy layouts 

The layout of your space is incredibly important. If you don’t plan this aspect correctly, chances are you’ll find yourself unable to get out of the shower without walking into something, not being able to comfortably sit on the toilet and unable to reach the sink to wash your hands. To avoid this error, plan, plan, plan! It is possible to plan your space yourself however if you don’t feel 100% confident, hire an expert.

You can also visit your local trade store and speak with people there, or even a trip to IKEA can be great to help you plan your space.When it comes to a practical space like a bathroom, function has to come before form. Make sure you allow enough space between sanitary ware so people can move around and sit or stand comfortably – for example, there should be at least 60cm between the toilet and anything that’s in front of it. Towel rails should be fitted within easy grabbing distance of the bath or shower and cupboard and shower doors need to open without obstruction. 

21. Poor pipe planning 

But before planning your layout, there’s a more important underlying issue to address first: where are your pipes going to go? Start with the soil stack, the wide pipe that carries off waste water from your sanitary ware. Your loo needs to be a maximum of 6m from the soil pipe to allow for proper drainage.

Showers, baths and basins should be a maximum of 4m away. Consider how smaller pipes will reach the soil pipe, as this may be affected by the layout and condition of your underfloor joists. 

22. Switching things around unnecessarily 

If you’re renovating an existing bathroom and the layout already makes sense, think carefully before switching sanitary ware around. Moving pipes can quickly become expensive and can raise more problems than it solves. If you do want to switch things up, make sure you consult a plumber first to make sure your plan is feasible. 

23. Thinking too big for a small space 

Your ideal bathroom may include a roll-top bath, walk-in shower, twin basins and oodles of storage but you have to work with what you’ve got or risk ending up with a cramped, impractical space. Pick just one of your dream items – the roll-top bath, for example – and keep everything else compact. If your bathroom is really tiny, add lux touches in your finishes instead. 

24. Not including enough storage 

Towels, shampoo bottles, toothbrushes, spare toilet rolls – you’ll need to find room for all these things and more in your bathroom. If possible, include a mixture of open shelving for attractive toiletries and accessories, and hidden storage for more day-to-day bits and pieces. A mirrored cabinet with integrated electric toothbrush and razor charger is a neat storage option, while built-in shelving, cupboards and drawers will help you make the most of every inch of space. 

25. Poor ventilation 

The bathroom is the most humid room in the house, making it the ideal breeding ground for mold if you’re not careful. Invest in a good extractor fan that stays on on a timer after you’ve left the room. This is especially important if you have an internal bathroom with no windows.

The definition of horror is finding tiny black specks of mold marching up your newly painted walls and ceilings. This is generally caused by poor ventilation. Even if you have good open able windows, you will still need an exhaust fan or IXL-tastic to extract the steam. Tip Paint the walls with oil based or mold-resistant bathroom to lessen the risk of mold taking hold. 

26. Poor drainage 

Every wet area floor requires “fall”. The floor must gently slope towards the floor waste to allow water to drain away efficiently. Large format floor tiles make this difficult, particularly in a small bathroom.

The tiler sets the level of fall by laying a sand and cement screed (topping) that grades toward the waste. The tiles are then laid over top. If the area is small and the tiles are large, they will be difficult to manipulate over the slope and require a lot of cuts. The maximum workable floor tile size is 300 X 300mm. If you have your heart set on large format tiles then consider a linear floor waste.

A quick tip on linear floor wastes; If your design requires a linear floor waste that spans the room (2 meters) +)consider installing two at half the size. This will make cleaning much easier and will reduce the cost significantly. 

27. Choosing incompatible fittings 

Dream of starting the day being pummeled by a rainfall shower and massage jets? So do we, but before you go splashing out, make sure your water system is up to the job. Speak to a plumber or bathroom specialist to work out whether your current system can handle something like a power shower and be prepared to upgrade your boiler, water tank or pump if need be. 

28. Wasting water 

Water is precious. Waste it and you’re not only pouring money down the drain, but you’re not doing the planet any favors either. Luckily there are plenty of tricks that can help you save water without having to ditch your daily soak in the tub or power shower. Start by fixing any leaky taps. Look out for shower-heads with the water-saving label, install a low-flush toilet, or pop a brick in the cistern if you have an older model – just check with your plumber before you try this! 

29. Using the wrong finishes in the wrong places 

While it’s OK to use ordinary wallpaper in some areas of a bathroom, you’ll need to make sure you have a top-of-the-range extractor fan to prevent it from peeling over time. If you’re using wallpaper in an area that’s directly exposed to splashing or steam, place it behind glass, or choose a waterproof wallpaper, some of which can also be used in wet rooms. As for paint, go for a bathroom-friendly option that resists damp and mold. 

30. Careless lighting 

Bad bathroom lighting is at best impractical and at worst dangerous. Make sure you layer up a mix of general lighting, task lighting (for make-up etc.) and mood lighting for unwinding in the tub. If you want to include statement fittings such as a chandelier or sconces, it’s essential that you choose an option with an ingress protected (IP) rating, which is safe to use in wet areas.

31. Poor Task Lighting 

Many bathroom activities require good lighting. Shaving, waxing applying makeup and hair styling are difficult to do well in general ambient light. Including some well-designed task lighting is a must. In short, install a large mirror over the basin or vanity along with some lighting that directs back onto the face. There are many sleek lighting options available rather than the dated Hollywood style makeup lights. 

32. Removing The Bath 

Taking the bath out of a home will affect the resale. It doesn’t matter which bathroom it is located in, just as long as there is one. But if there is already a bath in the home, a second will not add value. 

33. Not having a tiling plan 

It doesn’t matter how good your tiler is – leave them to tile your bathroom without giving them any guidance and you risk getting results you’re not happy with. Small details, such as making sure the tiles in a niche follow on seamlessly with wall tiles, will give your bathroom that coveted designer edge. Make sure you alert your tiler to any details like this, ideally by drawing up a plan of exactly how you would like your tiles to be laid. 

34. Putting wall tiles on the floor 

This may sound obvious, but when you fall in love with a particular tile design it can be easy to overlook how suited it is for the task at hand. Always check whether a tile is hardy enough before using it on your bathroom floor, or you may find yourself living with unsightly chips before too long. Similarly, some floor tiles are just too heavy to use on partition walls. Many designs are suitable for both walls and floors but if in doubt, ask your tile supplier before you buy.

35. Overlooking the importance of good grouting 

Plain tiles can be given an instant overhaul simply by choosing the right grout. A darker grout can create an eye-catching pattern in its own right, while a brightly-colored grout will make an even bigger style statement. If you want your grouting to last and not leak, go for epoxy grout rather than cement grout, as it’s highly durable, waterproof and practically stain-proof. It's also a stylish way to add character to a white bathroom. 

36. Doing it all yourself Is a Big Mistake 

Unless you’re a seriously experienced DIYer, there are certain bathroom renovation jobs that are best left to the professionals. Getting your plumbing right is essential and can be easier said than done thanks to rules about pipe widths, angles and drainage gradients. Hiring a plumber could save you time, stress and money in the long run. Similarly, proper waterproofing is a huge issue for bathrooms, and it will need to be inspected and signed off my a licensed certifier. For any electrics, play it safe and hire an electrician. 

37. Not asking the experts 

Even if your D.I.Y skills are second to none, it’s still a good idea to consult expert advice before you start your project. Many high street and high-end bathroom stores have design teams who can help you iron out any flaws in your bathroom plan. In some instances, seeking advice is non-negotiable. If you want to knock down walls, move or add windows or install new joists, you’ll need to check with your local building control office about whether you need Building Regulation approval. 

38. Not protecting the rest of the house 

Every building project generates dust. Hauling heavy equipment and products to and from the bathroom can also scuff up your floors. Minimize the damage by protecting floors of hallways and any other rooms used to access the bathroom with a temporary floor covering, such as Correx®. If your bathroom is an ensuite, cover bedroom furniture with dust sheets. 

39. Blowing the budget 

Bathrooms are notorious for harboring hidden costs. Rusted pipes, rotting joists, dodgy electrics and endemic mold are just some of the nasty surprises you might uncover once you start lifting up tiles and floorboards. This is very easy to happen in a wet area. What starts out as a minor makeover can very quickly morph into money pit material. To avoid over capitalizing keep the total cost of the renovation below 1.5% of the value of the property. 

Here are some Buildmatcher's tips For minimizing costs :

• Design for standard fixtures and fittings to avoid the expense of custom making. 

• Purchase all your tiles; tap ware, sanitary ware, cabinets and accessories before you start. Watch sales and auctions for good buys. 

• Take photos of the existing fixtures and fittings in situ so that you can advertise on eBay or Gumtree to sell or give away and at the very least reduce the rubbish removal fees. 

• If you are able to maintain the configuration of the bathroom, you can usually save on plumbing and the time and expense of council approval process. 

• If at all possible, allow a 15 to 20% contingency fund so you’re prepared for the unexpected.

40. Going too big... or too small with tiles 

Use oversized tiles in a small bathroom and chances are you’ll end up having to cut the edge pieces down to size, which can look messy and awkward. But go too small, and your bathroom may feel too busy. Medium-sized floor tiles around 45x45cm are often the safest bet in a small space. You can go a bit smaller on the walls, as long as you limit the pattern and color palette. 

41. Hire licensed tradespeople – don’t just D.I.Y it! 

You might be tempted to save money by DIYing certain parts of your bathroom, however, unless you’re a trades person, there are certain aspects that you definitely shouldn’t D.I.Y! One of these is your plumbing.(I know I am repeating myself, because it is just that important.) Hiring a licensed professional might be a little more costly in the short-term, but it ensures that your job is done right the first time and will save you money in the long-term by avoiding costly fixes or a water damage disaster. Of course, professionals can still make errors, so be sure they provide quality guarantee or warranty, ask your friends and family for suggestions and speak with the tradespeople before hiring to be comfortable that they understand what you’re trying to achieve.

You might be tempted to save money by DIYing certain parts of your bathroom, however, unless you’re a trades person, there are certain aspects that you definitely shouldn’t D.I.Y! One of these is your plumbing.(I know I am repeating myself, because it is just that important.) Hiring a licensed professional might be a little more costly in the short-term, but it ensures that your job is done right the first time and will save you money in the long-term by avoiding costly fixes or a water damage disaster. Of course, professionals can still make errors, so be sure they provide quality guarantee or warranty, ask your friends and family for suggestions and speak with the tradespeople before hiring to be comfortable that they understand what you’re trying to achieve.

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Reaction Shots, ch.3 (baon)

Summary:   Still in the aftermath of the events of ‘Any Other Tuesday’.

Notes: Time for another POV! This time we are looking from Red’s POV. Yeah, good luck with that. Lookout for the kustard in this one!

Tags: Spicyhoney, Original Undertale Characters, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Prejudice Against Monsters, Violence, Injury, Prejudice from Police Officers, LV issues, Kustard

part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

~~*~~

Read Chapter 3 on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

Red

No one could’ve dragged it out of him, not even with pliers, but Red was exhausted and that was a fact.

Didn’t matter, not a fucking jot or tittle. Not like it was the first time he’d gone without sleep. Once this shit was finished, he’d go down but until then? He’d learned years ago how to use his magic to shore him up when he was flagging. Both he and the idiot twins had magic in spades, and if those two never bothered to figure out how to use it right, well, Red wasn’t interested in demonstrating. He had a handle on this.

After he returned the Blueberry’s car, keys left in the ignition for him to bitch about later, Red stopped back at his place for a coupla things. He made a point of walking, even if he was bitchin’ tired. Shortcuts ate up magic and he needed all he could spare. He already had another car lined up to borrow, that was next on his list.

Turned out that choosing not to teleport was a mistake, but what could you do? His hindsight had always needed glasses.

“so where do you think you’re off to?”

Red stopped, briefly closing his sockets. Sans hadn’t asked permission before coming into his house for a couple months now, not since their little spat.

Spat, yeah, that was a good name for it. More like someone forcing a choice that he hadn’t wanted to make, but Sans…well, Sans was a fucking asshole.

The real problem was that Red had a thing for assholes, hell, he’d mostly raised one. Assholes were handy dandy, so long as they were facing the other way.

Red didn’t need any fucking liabilities, thanks. It was enough of a pain in the ass to look after Edge’s and no matter what Sans said, trying to play it off like it wasn’t like that, didn’t change anything, did it.

That smirking asshole was his own personal albatross and now Red got to lug him around. The bitch of it was, that sometimes? He didn’t even mind.

Today was not one of those fucking times.

He turned, taking in Sans’s lazy sprawl on his sofa, for all the world like he was on the Titanic just waiting to strip off so someone could draw his nudey shot. But see, Red knew better than to believe that shit. Those pale eye lights didn’t miss much, Sans was a shit and an asshole, but he was on the ball.

Where was he off to? Please, like they both didn’t know where he was headed and what he had planned. Sans might not that the details but he knew, same way he knew that Red’s soul was cobwebbed with cracks, LV or no. He saw, like Stretch did. Like Red did.

They always knew too much when they wanted to; only difference was that lately, Stretch didn’t go looking very often. That was honestly okay by Red, kept him out of trouble.

But Sans knew, of course he fucking knew. Only question was whether or not he was gonna let Red play it off. “aw, you worryin’ about me, sweets? i’m heading in to work is all.”

“you can’t kill them.”

Welp, that was a pretty clear no. Red sighed and made a mental note to delete all of his living room recordings. They were locked down with triple redundancies, but no such thing as too careful, now was there.

“can’t?” Red said, lightly. “thought we were pretty clear last time about my cans and can’ts.”

That was the deal they’d settled on with pinkie swears and spitting in palms, the works. They could fuck exclusively, no outside players, and Sans didn’t have to keep it a secret anymore so long as he didn’t hire a sky writer or some shit. But that was it, there was none of that telling each other what to do bullshit, no fuzzy bunnies and matching outfits.

Well. Not more than they already matched, anyway.

Sans didn’t look particularly moved by that, and yeah, none of ‘em liked to break a promise. Didn’t mean they wouldn’t squeeze around it if they could find some wiggle room. “i get the urge, but you gotta let this one play out. last time, i get it. he was threatening a lotta people, that game needed called. these assholes though? it was just a few drunk guys pulling stupid shit.”

“stupid shit?” Red said, low. “that what we’re callin’ attempted murder these days?”

He looked hard at Sans, at that face, similar and yet not to his own. “it wasn’t just a coupla drunk guys, those fuckers aren't even from ebott. they came in from out of town special for this, all ready for dinner and a show. they were lookin’ for a couple of monsters to fuck over.”

Sans didn’t so much as flinch and yeah, that was how Red ended up in his pants to begin with. Stupid fucker, almost suicidal tendencies, really, ‘cause he didn’t get involved until he did, and when Sans was in, you better believe it was for 110%.

“yeah, and you need to stop planning some of your own stupid shit right now,” Sans said, cool as a drink of water. “they need to go to court. it’s shitty, but we need this publicity. i don’t want to wait for someone to get dusted before they actually make attacking monsters a real hate crime, with real consequences.”

“they would have killed stretch. they almost killed andy.”

That was the flat fucking truth of it, didn’t even get into the rest of the trouble it caused. He’d seen the cell phone footage, all of it. None of ‘em had a clear shot of Stretch healing Andy and the ones that came dangerously close were taken care of before they even hit YouTube. That had been the important part, making sure no one with an agenda and any mad scientist tendencies in ‘em got their hands on it…or on Stretch.

They’d all had their fill of that kind of shit, thanks, and the buffet was closed.

“would have. almost. didn’t. you can’t fix this that way. not yet.”

And wasn’t it chuckilicious that Sans was right? Because he was, Red knew he was. Antwan has been busting his balls for months on proposals for the criminality on hate crimes against Monsters, being that it was a fuckton more dangerous than a lil’ human on human action. Humans bled, Monsters died, and that was a fact. This was almost a fucked up blessing in disguise, really, but—

—that wobbly cell phone footage. The kid laying there, bleeding on the ground, the shock on his face, on Antwan’s face, and his bro, the cold fury in his sockets and he had it covered, he did, might have killed those fuckers right there if Stretch hadn't said something and he had LV, would always have LV, he protected what was his, shouldn’t have to but he did, and so did Red…

Sans only sat there like he was waiting on some tea and fucking scones. No pity on that face, no sympathy, only maybe a shred of understanding, but Red got the picture in crystal-clear HD. Sans wasn’t going to let him do anything; he’d put in the effort this time to stop him, and that…would not end well.

It took Red a sec to sort through his internal sarcasm files but in the end, he settled on grudging honesty. “i can’t just sit here.”

Neither of them had the capacity to not smile, but wasn’t nothing stopping their smirks from widening and Sansy’s did. “well, see, i knew that, dollface. why do you think i’m here?”

The way he licked his teeth made a lotta dirty promises and wet dreams seem like a possible raunchy reality.

Wellie, well well. Sans was a shit and an asshole, but he wasn’t half-bad as a distraction, too.

Beneath that bulky hoodie were sleek bones, not quite as stocky as his own, Sans wasn’t a battle-ready model. He was more delicate, more fragile. Almost pretty.

Fucking liabilities.

And as Red pushed Sans down on the sofa, most of his thoughts were on those bones and that mouth doing a damn fine Hoover impression. But there was a dark corner set aside, in the same place that Stretch kept his math brain and Sans kept his tech one. Red’s quirk was planning, yeah, and that never turned off.

All right, so he couldn’t kill them. But what no one could see wasn’t gonna be a problem. A little pain tended to build character and Red was in the mood for a little karmic retribution.

-finis-

[thotyssey]

On Point With: Lacy Stoner

A renown artist and painter who’s used the human body as his primary canvas for several years now--and has been mixing it up with drag queens and performers of all sorts for just as long--Ish Peralta has only started performing in drag himself just recently. Now the bitch already has a pageant crown, and several gaggable gigs under their belt! Thotyssey takes a trip with the one and only Lacy Stoner.

Thotyssey: Lacy, hello! Happy Halloween Week! How did Saturday night’s Albatross show with Avant Garbage and Bella Noche go?

Lacy Stoner: The show last night was absolutely amazing! We had a great audience, most of which were dressed in costumes!

You, Bella and Avant are, like, a little drag coven of your own.

Yeah! That’s a great way to put it. We all live together in a fun little drag den.

You’ve been drag-adjacent for a while now... would you have ever suspected, like, two years ago that you’d soon be a queen yourself?

It’s interesting... doing drag is something I often considered doing, as far as creating a drag name. But if I’m perfectly honest, I’m not sure I thought I’d actually go through with bringing Lacy to fruition. At least, not to the level that I have over the last few months. When I originally fantasized about it, the idea was more of getting into drag every once in a while, to go out and have fun at events. But thanks to the amazing people around me--and my two drag roommates--Lacy had become a full-fledged drag queen who performs quite often.

And now look how far you’ve come! Where are you from originally? 

I was born in the Dominican Republic, and lived there until I was 10 years old... at which time I moved to South Florida, before finally ending up here in NYC.

And you’ve always been an artist? Yes, art had always been a part of my life. At a young age, my mother always encouraged art be a part of my daily regimen. I learned to play the piano when I was 7 years-old, and then played the saxophone for 6 years. I also have a background in musical theater. But my specialty is painting, specifically body painting.

That’s what you’ve become known for... you paint people to look like these fantastic beings, or to blend completely into their background... how and when did that become your Thing?

That was a interesting adventure. After graduating high school and deciding that college was not the correct route for me, I started a career as a makeup artist. I was specializing in clean beauty makeup and specially effects for film and television. I did that for a few years, and had a chance to work on some very fun projects and meet some really amazing artists within the field. 

One day, another artist invited me to join them for a body paint convention, just as a spectator. It was a really interesting setup; the first half of the day was all little classes you could take on different styles of painting, and during the evening they opened up a giant ballroom floor and allowed painters and models to just paint and basically have a party. I fell in love, after seeing the amazing things that these artists could do with just some paint and a brush on a human body. There was just no way I could walk away from that and not try it myself. I’ve since switched over my specialty within the makeup profession to body painting, and I’m happier for it.

It’s an amazing body of work (pun unintended) that you’ve put out there! 

Thank you very much, they’re all really a labor of love.

But is there any one body paint job you’ve done that you’re the most proud of?

 It’s honestly so hard to pick just one. What if I picked two to tell you about?

Go for it!

The first would have to be a body paint I did for a charity that had a large focus on organ donation and raising awareness around it. I was asked to create two body paints to be recorded and then turned into a video PSA. I painted two models’ backs in such a way that when they came together they became a set of lungs, and on their other side the rest of my team painted all the organs that can be donated wrapped up like presents. It was a really amazing and emotional project, as I spent the entire time talking to the models and the president of the charity about how organ donation had impacted their lives, and how they want to make a difference for others.

My second proudest paint would have to be a paint job I did for the Sotheby’s Auction House. They were holding an event in which they were auctioning off the famous playwright Edward Albee’s entire art collection. They brought me in to paint two models to look like lizard people, which happen to be characters from one of his plays The Seascape. Once they were painted, they were placed within a little sand and rock set piece and their job was to silently imitate the guests as they walked by. It was truly an amazing experience to watch hundreds of people interact with my work, and really showed me a whole new way to utilize body paint and how to present it to a much different crowd than I’d grown accustomed to.

If a nude figure is covered in body paint, are they still nude?

That’s a fantastic question! I guess it would depend on how much of the body is covered. Now that being said, something many people who have been fully body painted from head to toe report is that once the paint goes on and they see it, they don’t feel nearly as naked as they know they are. So I guess it’s all in the mind.

You painted the actors backstage for Broadway’s The Lion King for a stint.

That was probably one of the craziest projects I ever did--crazy in a good way. A  show of that caliber has hundreds of people who all have to work together like a well-oiled machine to ensure that everything goes of flawlessly.

I think my biggest takeaway from that experience was how to work quickly and efficiently... because if Rafiki wasn’t out of my chair and ready to start the show... that was not just an issue for me, but would create a problem for every single cast and crew member. And you know what they say: the show must go on! Truly one of the most amazing and humbling experiences I’ve had in my career so far.

And you were a star attraction during the last huge season of Lady Liberty at the Ace Hotel (and several of that competition's subsequent one-off events). A body paint from you was part of the winner’s package, and you were there each week painting a model to help promote yourself and the finale. Is that where you wound up meeting a lot of the queens that would ultimately be your sisters?

Through Lady Liberty, I was able to make lots of new friends with performers and people who stretch across the large spectrum of NYC’s nightlife. Through doing the show, I definitely gained quite a few friends who I now call sisters. 

But in all honesty, the performers I'm closest to and that I truly consider family are some of the first people I ever met when I first moved to NYC about five years ago. And what’s even more interesting is that I met all of them on the same night, thanks to a drag queen who had found me and hired me to body paint for an event.

So you could say that my career as a body painter in NYC has always been heavily intertwined with the drag community, and Lady Liberty helped solidify and foster these friendships as well as helped create many more.

What was your first appearance in drag?

My first appearance as Lacy Stoner was for my sister Bella Noche’s birthday show at Rockbar. She had me come in and do a number as a special guest.

And how would you describe Lacy as a queen?

It’s funny you ask that question, because it’s a question I’m currently asking myself. I consider Lacy to be genderqueer, and technically would use the pronouns “they / them,” but I’ll honestly answer to any pronouns and don’t take offense to people using any of them when receding to Lacy. 

But I guess the best way I can describe Lacy at this time is a drag performer. I’m still exploring who and what Lacy is, and what they could be. As Lacy, I’ve explored lip syncing and burlesque, and I’m looking to find other ways to set myself apart and do different types of performances.

You often color your beard and hair for drag looks... is that a messy process?

Funny enough, coloring the beard is the easiest and least messy part of my entire makeup process. My beard color is one part of my makeup I never have to worry about transferring or getting messed up. While my face could be a sweaty mess and I may have lost an eyebrow--which can happen if you’re doing a long show without breaks--my beard and mustache always stay intact.

Werk that beard! Are you thinking of entering a pageant anytime soon?

So, I’ve already competed in a pageant and won. I recently competed in the one day pageant that was a part of the Bodega Ball, which is a two day punk festival in Brooklyn. I am your current reigning Miss Bodega.

Congratulations!

Thank you! And I am in talks with a couple upcoming pageants about possibly competing. But to be honest, competing isn’t something that totally excites me. The only part about pageants that excites me is the opportunity to take on a theme or challenge and using it as a way to push yourself and grow as a performer.

I just saw you in the audience of the Miss Rockbar pageant finale this past Tuesday. Nicole Onoscopi was crowned, but it was a tight race and all the queens brought it. 

That was such a great night, filled with fabulous performances.  And we’ll be seeing you back at Rockbar this Tuesday, hosting “Mischief Night,” aka Halloween Eve! What do you have in store for us?

I’ll a few fun, spooky numbers for you to enjoy. Well also have a thriller dance-off for a chance to win some prizes, and a costume contest. At 11pm, there will also be an open stage where any performers new or experienced can come in and do a number. I already have a few people lined up to perform on that open set--amongst them will be a bearded queen from Australia, and some burlesque performers. Let’s not forget we will have my amazing brother DJ JCLEF spinning tunes all night, and making me and all other performers sounds fantastic. You’ll have to come by and see what else we have in store!

Great! Anything else to plug or report?

You can also find me at Bizarre Bar in Brooklyn this Wednesday the 31st for Zalika Parsons’ Legendary Show...

...as well as hosting a private screening of Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms On November 1st along side my sisters Bella Noche, Avant Garbage and Gloria Swansong. This is an invite only event, but if anyone is interested they can reach out to me or any of the other three hosts for a an invitation as long as space is available. The tickets are free for anyone who wants to attend, as long as there’s still space.

Amazing events all around! Final question: what is a fun Ish / Lacy trivia fact that the world needs to know?

Contrary to what Lacy’s name might suggest, they’re more of an indica strain, than an sativa... LOL!

Higher and higher! Thank you, Lacy!

Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Lacy Stoner’s upcoming gigs, and follow Lacy on Facebook, Instagram (Lacy or Ish Peralta) and Twitter, plus check out Ish Peralta’s makeup artist website.

On Point Archives

[fictionerd]

A little fore-word since I’m throwing this out there, it’s a pretty big wall of text, and I need something to put before the “Keep Reading” Tag. As some of you may know I’ve been following and reblogging from @colonel-crapshot. He’s a friend of mine from off the site and after one of his more recent posts I suggested we work together to create a Fictionerd vs Challenger short based on a character he’s had going in our inner circle for a while now. He’s a lot better at writing action than me, so if you like the descriptions of the fight you can place that squarely at his feet. Go give his blog a look. I’m sure you’ll find something there to be amused by. Now, without further ado: What Fictionerd was doing while Monika and Robin recapped the last two shows.

In a reality bubble, somewhere amidst the dimensional cobweb of the multiverse. A man tumbles in, “Another unfair fate, successfully challenged. Now to go home for tea time,” he muses grabbing a hold of a phantom zip pull before “unzipping” a new tear, presumably to his ‘tea time’

”YOU!” a voice booms forth from the zipper.

”Me?” came reflexive sass before a hand lunged through and ripped him into a different dimensional bubble. Our stranger dusts himself off before encountering a particularly irate gentleman wearing a wing patterned jacket, the one you all may be familiar with as the Fictionerd.

”So you’re the one who keeps fucking with the continuity of my chronicles!” accusations flying with equal portions of spittle.

”And?” came a conditioned response. The stranger was almost callously used to such criticism, not that it was untrue mind.

“You really ought to keep your mitts off other people’s things. It’s a real headache trying to separate your sickening tangents from the actual world lines,” he said. Fangs almost noticeably elongating from his canines, his eyes pupils becoming vertically slanted alongside a scaly eyeshadow like development.

“No! I’m not gonna sit around whilst Fate shits down the throats of the undeserving!”

”And YOU’RE the fucker who gets to decide that?! Sometimes shit sucks for a reason. You have no right to change that on your own account. It’s THEIR world. THEY have that right, not YOU.”

Canines began receding back to normal human length and flatness alongside his other features. The man had made his point and clearly expected this rather basic looking human to yield to his desire and to an extent his logic.

”So you’d have me sit aside and not change what I can?! NOT DO MY BEST TO HELP THOSE WHO REQUIRE IT? DO YOU WANT TO FUCKING GO?!” A piano crashed neatly upon the strangers head, with the ideal sound of crashing percussion strings ringing out its first and yet final crescendo before being lost amidst the sound of breaking wood.

”I needn’t have to.” the Fictionerd said triumphantly, beginning his walk back to the podium upon which his book normally resides. A crack resounded through the tiny yet infinite dimensional space, the crack of a piano pedal meeting a remarkably human like skull.

”YOU THINK A SODDING LOONEY TOONS PIANO WOULD STOP ME?! I’M THE CHALLENGER OF FUCKING FATE! SO LET’S THROW DOWN WILE E. COYOTE!” shock was visible upon the Fictionerd’s face before a wry smile replaced it.

”Meep meep.” he said before running off. The dimension gained scenery as he scarpered, that of a house with many doors and winding corridors. Spiral stair cases and large lounges full of furniture. The Challenger charged down the first corridor, catching glimpses of the Fictionerd flipping through his book as things fell out. Marbles and jacks, using basic geometry the Challenger sought to barrel through the door in front of him and careen through the successive walls until he appeared alongside his prey. The door gave with the ease expected, only for find himself in a corridor that shouldn’t logically exist there.

”What’s the matter, ‘Challenger’? Not enjoying the game?”

”WHAT ARE YOU? SOME KIND OF POUND STORE VENTRILOQUIST PUPPET?! IT EXPLAINS THE OBJECT UP YOUR ASS!”

”No matter what you say it’s just empty words. You can never escape from my corridor of-” the Fictionerd’s sentence was cut off by the sound of destroyed drywall with a subtle undertone of dimensional tearing.

”What?!” he’d layered in all sorts of multi-dimensional protections to prevent even the most advanced dimension hoppers escape. This dimension was entirely set up to just keep problem children like this Challenger running around until they died or cried uncle. At that point he would undo the macro from the Akashic Record of Fiction and tidy up. The time he had to ponder how such a protection was undone was short though, for he found a hand nailed to his throat as they stood once again in the null void of the dimensional sub-space.

”Now, I just wanna go home and enjoy my bloody tea. So if you can agree to-” the Challenger suddenly felt the presence of scales beneath his hand and slightly less suddenly a scaled fist planting into his face.

Fictionerd took a quick gasp for breath whilst the Challenger stood with his head staring upwards.

”I guess that’s what I get for underestimating you. The amount of multiversal trouble you’ve caused in the Akashic Record should have been testament to your ability. So congrats, you’ve convinced me to unleash my true draconic strength. Shounen enough for you Mr. Challenger of Fate?”

The Challenger’s head snapped to attention and his eyes focused, blood dripping from a split lip and a wild smile on his face.

“Somebody finally grew some nuts, eh? BRING IT THE HELL ON!” and like that they were off. A swift right flew towards Fic’s face, he scaled the zone of impact before the Challenger’s body rocked back. The foot he was stepping forward with slung backwards as his left fist flew into Fic’s gut. The impact wasn’t clean however. In the stall between the initial lessened impact and the more precisely aimed follow through Fic’s wings flared from his jacket and swelled to a more appropriate size. They propelled him into the air to prevent the winding blow the Challenger aimed for. Not about to let the flow of battle be turned on him, the Challenger jumped in pursuit. Readying another right fist attack. Fictionerd assessed his opponent in the brief second before the Challenger reached striking distance. If he had the ability to fly he would have used it by now to drive another speedy blow in. Alternately this could be another ploy for some fancy aerial fistwork. Though if it were to be fancy fistwork, then Fic would answer in kind!

He threw a right hook, intending to meet the Challenger’s blow head on. The clash resounded throughout the space before both parties were thrown backwards from the point of impact. The Challenger landed squarely, kicking up a fair dust cloud and breaking what constituted this dimensions ground into craters beneath him. Fictionerd stared down with ever more Draconic eyes before looking at his scaled hand, the knuckles of which were in the process of regrowing the scales that had been blasted off by the traded blow. The Challenger’s knuckles were also scuffed from their contact, but no worse off than Fic’s own. The Fictionerd decided he’d use this moment to turn the battle around. Fic swooped in and grabbed the Challenger before raising him high into his pocket dimension’s “roof”. The scenery changed around him, and it shifted to a more urban landscape before he moved to pile drive the Challenger into the freshly realised tarmac.

While the two combatants struggled in the open air, a strange light-blue creature stepped out onto the roof a nearby building. Sitting in the middle of the roof in a reclining lawn chair with a sunbrella and a tropical-looking drink was a young lady with long orange hair wearing what appeared to be a school uniform.

“Nya nya’s nyanya nyaing nya nyanyanya nya?” asked the strange blue creature who resembled a Care Bear’s over-buff cousin.

“Translate, Robin, I can’t understand you.

“Woops! I said ‘So he’s really fighting that Challenger guy?” Robin repeated in English(?).

“Yeah, looks like he’s going for a-”

“PILE DRIVER! Monika! He’s going for a PILE DRIVER!” Robin shouted excitedly a bit of his normal ‘nya’ speech bleeding through.

“Yup, that’s what I was going to say,” Monika muttered under her breath returning to her drink and pulling a book of poetry out of one of her uniform’s pockets.

Back at the fight: Impact loomed but the Challenger seemed unfazed, this would have puzzled Fictionerd had it not been for a chunk of tarmac flung loose from Challenger punching the ground before his skull could impact it similarly. The chunk of Ass-phalt crashed against Fic’s rapidly scaling head. Protected as he was from a death by tarmac, it hit him before he’d fully grown the scales and as such rang his bells. Deftly using his new grounding and a loosening grip the Challenger planted his second hand on the ground, kicking the rest of his body free of Fic’s grip he rolled around on his shoulder tucking himself in before exploding back out at the 270 degree mark pushing himself up from the ground to deliver a devastating kick to Fic’s chin, sending him on an uncontrolled flight before crashing into a streetside tree. Keeping his momentum Challenger landed and began to charge Fic’s limp form in the tree. Challenger jumped to find it was but a ruse! Fictionerd had taken a huge branch from the tree and smashed Challenger with it like a home run!

”You know… this is getting ridiculous. You shouldn’t be this hard to contain!” Fictionerd shouted, his breath laboured.

”What’s the matter? Gettin’ tired on me?!” Challenger boasted, his own breathing not exactly in the smoothest of orders either.

“Fine. I’ll pull out all the stops. Prepare to face the might of my true draconic form!” You’d think there would be more ceremony and bone cracking involved in suddenly growing to be hundreds of feet long, fully decked out in grey scales and rocking wings that would make a similarly sized Albatross weep in shame. The Challenger stood for a moment, Fictionerd had the closest thing a Dragon could hope to call a smirk on his now significantly bigger face.

”Awestruck?”

”You know? When I woke up this morning, I didn’t really have this in mind. But now that I’m here… COME AT ME YOU GLORIFIED FUCKING DINOSAUR!” and come he did. “Bring it on you jumped-up plot cul-de-sac!” Came Fic’s telepathic reply as he swooped down and let forth a ferocious roar before being clocked in the snout by a well-placed fist.

“Bop. Naughty.” A second fist replaced the presence of the first sending Fic’s head, and the rest of him, flying backwards. Fictionerd used his wings to re-orient and lessen the chances of his own spine being added to the list of enemies he had to face currently. Draconic instincts would only spell doom against this one, he should have known that well enough from the fist fight prior. He took to the sky, it was time to utilise his Book’s power and the might of his Draconic magic to a greater extent. One he couldn’t hope to handle whilst maintaining even his hybrid form.

”Fictional Bombardment!” He called. A mocking snort could be heard from the ground before attacks from all varieties of ‘Fictional’ media tore through the veil of this space, indiscriminately. All pulled from the many fractured timelines of the ‘Franchises’ he had experienced through his book. All of it raining from the centre of the circle he had created with his body, he COULD create something like this in one of his lesser forms. But that carried severe risk of overloading the less magically dense bodies of his human or hybrid forms. The rain came. Magical firestorms of fantasy wizards shared space with the forward cannons of Sci-Fi battleships. Anime energy waves cascading alongside more conventional weapon-fire. If it was an attack in a work of fiction he made use of it.

Fictionerd had since stopped listening to the sounds from the ground, all it seemed to be was a cacophony of explosions, lasers, and screaming. Something whizzed past his view and into the circle. Tiny fool thought he could maybe cancel it out? Whilst not the Fictionerd’s ULTIMATE attack by any stretch, it was a fearsome one and deathly hard to cancel given the sheer multitude and variety of attacks that would need to be countered. Yet another errant item flew by, probably one of the latest random attacks to be let through the gate. Where were we? Ah yes, one would need something like an Anti-fortress noble phantasm to have any hope of stopping it.

Light gathered from all around and began coalescing upon a point. Fictionerd recognised this attack, it’d be funny if this rather evidently British man was done in by the sword of his One and True King Arthur.

“EX-” that did not sound like any of the incarnations of Fate’s Saber Fictionerd knew and then he realized the attack was coalescing from the ground, not the portal, ”CALIBUR!” Golden light ripped through the scenery and holy magic seared Fictionerd’s scales whilst simultaneously destroying the gate of Fictional Bombardment. A violent gust of wind could be felt and then a madman could be seen with a golden sword disintegrating in one hand, and a fractal weapon resembling a sword clutched in the other.

“FORM: CRUSHER!” the fractal of images held in the Challenger’s hand shifted into a huge array that looked like a hammer.

“HIKARI NI NARE!” he bellowed as he leapt smiting Fictionerd from the sky. This light did not sear like holy magic but seemed to fundamentally re-write the properties of what it touched into light energy. Luckily he didn’t touch it long enough for it to get to work on anything that wouldn’t grow back.

With the Challenger closing in with that weapon, maybe it was the time for ‘That’. Hell, had pride not blinded him, Fic might have resorted to THAT earlier. Red light began pouring out of the gaps in Fictionerd’s scales. Starting at his tail and progressing towards his head. Illuminating him in a red aura.

“Insincere as it may sound. I never meant to try and kill you! Only to stop your interference with my stories.” the light reached a fever pitch and began showing in his maw.

“That don’t look good.”

”AKASHIC SEAL!” a beam of red energy leapt forward and began snaking around the Challenger, his giant hammer like fractal construct receded immediately.

“I hope you will come to forgive me. Though that day may never come depending on how far the seal has to go to contain you.”

“A SEAL, EH?! I CHALLENGE IT!” he declared before the snaking threads of the ‘beam’ wove a sphere around him, trapping him inside and out of sight.

“Struggle all you wish.” It didn’t change the nature of the seal. It used the records of fiction to rummage inside the targets mind and find the prison most suited to them. A prison of comfort from which they would never WANT to escape. The most isolated cell at the heart of a dying star. The sex dungeon of a particularly unhygienic person of the preferred or not so preferred gender. Anything was possible inside the seal. That is, except for escape.

The sounds of slashing occurred, a never ending battle field? The sound of palms against wood and Objections? Interesting addition to the scenario, but one would expect nothing less to seal such a troublemaker. Fictionerd stopped avidly listening when he heard the words “Combat fucking” being used to describe one of the scenarios. Then silence reigned. It was probably better this way, trapped inside a Fictional reality he could at least live his life out… albeit in varying degrees of comfort. Rather than just starve to death in a maze hall.

Fictionerd assumed his human form once again, breathing a sigh of relief. He opened the book and it readily accepted the energy mass back into itself.

“I hope your Seal is at least comfortable. It pains me to think of the dread possibilities that might be necessary for your confinement.” he said with a sad and exhausted tone.

”Not as much as this will I bet.” Came a familiar voice from behind Fictionerd.

“Wha-” The only thing the Fictionerd caught a glimpse of was the image of a fractal Gauntlet before he was sent hurtling across the rapidly disappearing urban setting and into his podium. The strength seeped out of him. He didn’t have anything else up his sleeve.

”Go on then, end it.” he said with resignation

“I will.” the Challenger snatched the book from Fictionerd, and Fic tensed. Expecting to be run through with a blade. Not expecting a conk on the head from a hardback book with some new writing on it.

”Contents not the exclusive property of Fictionerd?” he read aloud.

”There, get that stuck in your scaly ass brain. Round 2 might get messier if you don’t.”

”But… what? How did you even get out of the seal?!”

”Fateless.” Challenger said as he brandished the Fractal blade. “I just kept cutting until I got out. Helped a bunch of people on the way, helped myself a little too.”

“But what about me?!”

”I’ll come by and say Hi if I’m in the neighbourhood.”

”Aren’t you angry?!”

”Oh cram it. The only angry I am with you is as angry as I would be with anyone for making me late for dinner. I’ll have to MICROWAVE it now. It’s not gonna be NEARLY as good!”

Fictionerd could only balk at how little this man seemed to care that he engaged in reality warping warfare and his main priority was his ever cooling dinner.

“Hold up,” said a resurfacing Monika as she stepped through what appeared to be the sliding door of a Japanese classroom. Robin followed close behind him.

“Guests? Or Round 2 already?” Challenger asked propping his fractal blade against his shoulder.

“First off, rude! Not everyone in this library is a greed-blinded dragon. Second time and space in your native world mean nothing here. We could spend the next week having a deep philosophical conversation and our scaley friend could still get you back before your food was done cooking.”

“Uhm, that’s technically not true. I mean I could, but it’s really difficult to work against timefl-”

“I don’t wanna hear it you big, scaley baby. You threw a tantrum and dragged this guy into your own personal world to fuck with him and possibly trap him for an eternity. The least you can do is send him home to a hot meal.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Fictionerd squeaked.

“As I was saying! Third, the story-miser here has a point about your actions. As I understand it you’ve just been jumping in and spinning off timelines as and when you wish.” Monika said.

“And what’s wrong with standing up for-” Challenger… challenged. Monika just stepped on his line.

“THAT’S some dangerous stuff, and just because you can apparently bend all of reality over your knee and give it a good thrashing doesn’t give you the right to do whatever you want. Sometimes hardship is necessary to learn. YOU aren’t the sole arbiter of what is and isn’t ‘Fair’.”

“You tell him, Monika!” Fictionerd said looking particularly pathetic.

“Robin, do what we discussed to our ‘host’.” Monika said sweetly. The buff blue bear thing grabbed Fictionerd from behind and started giving him the most colossal of noogies with one hammy fist.

“No matter what you say all I’m hearing is ‘I want to fucking GO!’, Lady. You’ve got fifteen words or less to convince me I’m doing something wrong.”

“Fictionerd saved me from an ‘unfair fate’.” She smirked. Challenger lifted a single eyebrow.

“Go on.”

“Dunno if you recognize me, but I’m a copy of a character from a visual novel. It was my fate to spend eternity deleted after some particularly selfish acts on my part. However, Fic decided that ending wasn’t something he wished to enforce on a character, so he brought a copy of me here to the metaverse,” Monika elaborated, “He’s no different from you that way. He’s just more conservative in his methods. Problem is he’s also a freaking Dragon and he sees the Akashic Record of Fiction as his ultimate and perfect Horde. So the messes he’s seen you cause paired with a dragon’s natural greed and jealousy made him act like a moron.”

Challenger folded his arms over his chest, “So what do you want me to do?”

“Work something out with Fic. By the time Robin is done with him he should be cooled off enough to express himself more civilly. In the meantime,” Monika held out a hand and squinted in concentration. The sliding door appeared once more and opened onto a scene familiar to Challenger. It was his kitchen and there was a hot plate of food and cup of tea waiting for him. The effort of bending time and space was obviously proving difficult for Monika, “Still not used to manipulating this reality. The background structure isn’t as simple as a video game’s. I trust you’ll be able to find your way back when you’re done?”

Her struggling expression and heartfelt plea was somewhat undercut by the image in the background of Robin giving Fictionerd a nuclear wedgie.

[theherocomplex]

Writing-related rambling under the cut. 

Will 2018 be the year I not only finish TVP, but also Ghost and ALID as well? 

The thought is daunting, but...I’m going to try. 

At this point, the summer is blocked out for writing TVP. As soon as school lets out and I can breathe again, I’ll be locked into writing it and pretty much nothing else (other than fic prompts so I don’t get frustrated/feel trapped). The goal is to have a workable, ready-to-edit draft by the end of August 2018. This’ll give me time to write up a few more short stories in that universe, as well as get a meticulous plot together for the whole thing. There are so many moving parts (Palace intrigue! Competing mythologies! At least three magical systems! A heist caper! Romance!) that I need to know exactly where I’m going (and how I’m going to handle all of that while sticking to two main POVs -- Gates of Summer, this isn’t). 

The temptation to set aside all my fics/short stories and just focus on TVP is incredibly strong, because I’m so invested in this ridiculous world and in my ridiculous main characters (who are evolved/expanded/much less traumatized versions of Rhyssa Hawke and Fenris, though Sirin manages to make Rhyssa look shy and retiring and humble), but I felt so good about finishing Gates of Summer (and coming fairly close to my goals for the series) that I want to take what I learned on that fic, and apply it to all my others. 

Then I can focus on TVP, with joy in my heart (and angst on the page). 

ALID itself has maybe...eight chapters left? We’re about at the midway point, so my plan is to sit down with it and write ALID exclusively through February and March (I say “exclusively”, but I do reserve the right to take breaks to work on other pieces that speak to me), which should get me to the end. This doesn’t have as many moving pieces as TVP, and I have the existing framework of the Dragon Age universe to rely on, but drawing it to a satisfying conclusion (and pulling off the two big whams that I’ve been working toward) will be a challenge. Not going to lie, sticking with Rhyssa Hawke as the sole main POV has been really, really hard -- Orsino as the framework narrator is important, but I’ve been so tempted to slip into Fenris’ or even Varric’s POV so many times. And I can’t, because this is so clearly Rhyssa’s story that to tell it through anyone else would be a cheat. 

And that leaves me with Ghost. I say this with a lot of love for the story, but -- it feels like such an albatross at this point. Part of my difficulty with writing it stems from how Eliza Shepard was a late addition to the story itself: I started writing it as a kink meme fill, about a generic Shepard (anyone else remember the fracas over me writing that her middle name was Jane? Oof), and then started playing Eliza Shepard’s games (and I hadn’t even finished the trilogy at that point -- oof again), and then she became the protagonist. I wish I’d finished it at the end of Part One, and then continued on with the rest as a separate fic, since that’s very much how it feels to me. 

My original plan was to go all the way through ME3, and that’s just not feasible at this point. I’ve felt that way for a while, but talking to @servantofclio (thank you, Clio!) about it has solidified my trust in my instincts: I would wreck my head if I tried to push Ghost all the way through the series. The thought itself exhausts me, and that’s no way to approach writing. The act of writing isn’t always going to be pleasurable, or immediately gratifying, but I believe -- very strongly -- that even when it’s not fun, the thought of challenging yourself and working toward the story as a whole should help balance in-the-moment frustration. Thinking about adding another 150,000+ words to Ghost? That fills me with dread. 

So: I am going to finish the current chapter of Ghost (which has a reunion, yay!), and then I’m going to scrap my chapter notes for the next ten chapters (which is as far as I’ve plotted ahead). After that, I’m going to take a hard look at what plot threads I’ve got going, and how I can satisfyingly wrap them up within ten chapters. Give or take. 

I don’t want to rush an ending, and I want to give these characters their due, but I also want to write something that’s fun and engaging for me, as well as for the readers. Now that Eliza and Garrus are finally back together, I can move toward resolving the problem of all these ghostly Reapers. 

My vague plan, now, is to cover the rest of ME2 (because the plot-critical missions of the Derelict Reaper and the Collector Base will be SO AWESOME to write about as supernatural battles), and then to write, if I have the energy to do so, my Ghost ‘verse version of the Citadel DLC later. 

It’ll be hard, but this is a problem that feels solvable. Yes, I have to cut a lot of things I wanted to include (finding Javik in ME2, bringing in Hannah Shepard, dealing with the Kaidan fallout), but cutting them and shortening the story has given me a ton of energy back to finish this story. And I’ve lacked that, for over a year now. 

Yes, it’s a new challenge, and a very thorny one (because: holy shit I’ve got a lot to wrap up, one way or another), but I’m excited to give it a try. 

[jayleeg]

What's going on with Marvels comics this time?

Okay, so this guy who called himself “The Whisperer” who claims to be a Marvel Comics employee dumped a crap load of company dirt onto reddit. Once those rumors surfaced Bleeding Cool ran an article about how it was all crap. And then the rumor leak guy fired back that Rich, the administrator of Bleeding Cool, got paid by Marvel to write the article debunking his rumors. Honestly the entire thing is like a soap opera.

I mean I shouldn’t find this stuff interesting, normally I don’t, I stay away from gossip sites for a reason (and that reason is most of it’s torrid and exaggerated) but as someone who’s worked in the market of business data and trends for twenty years I *have* been wondering why Disney hasn’t intervened with the comics division of Marvel when a) it’s going under, sales are way down and b) they’re ruining their brand with crap storytelling. So out of all of these ‘rumors’ the one I can actually believe is that Disney is staging an intervention and also toying with the possibility of moving Marvel Comics to Burbank, California in order to keep a closer eye on them all.

Anyway, the rumors that started the drama are copied and pasted under cut (and by pasting them here I am no way claiming or endorsing that they are in any way valid, they very well could be a bunch of crap) and I linked the Bleeding Cool article debunking some and taking credit for others above…

Editorial is miserable. Understaffed, under experienced and overworked. The direction at the top corporate level is a mess of politics and in-fighting. They all look the fool to Disney because of Feige’s split and the bad PR & constant gaming of their declining sales is wearing on them. Top brass want to make a hard left back to what worked with Steve, Thor, Tony, Banner and other recognizable faces. Editorial knows how bad it’s going to look to push all their diversity celebrations to the side. Reality is those books didn’t sell. A lot of it had to do with Marvel’s chincy practices finally reaching a breaking point with fans but the internal editorial spin is that comic shop fans aren’t ready to embrace change.

>The terrible reaction to Hydra Cap/Secret Empire forced a change in plans. Originally it was going to end with a quasi-Dark Reign scenario where Hydra is vanquished thanks to Kubik shenanigans and the World Security Council from the movies steps in to assume power over super heroes and everything has Civil War-era overtones with registrations, boot camps, the idea of an Inhuman ban. The Vanishing Point would be a way to bring back Steve, Tony, Thor, Banner; sort of like Hickman’s “Time Runs Out” jump-skip but in reverse, it would rewind the characters to before the Hydra subversion stars. The classic heroes realize that they have lost touch with the people and need to learn how to fight for them again. In the meantime, the new generation of Miles, Kamala, Riri and other Champions would form “the resistance” against the WSC state. (“Generation” was also planned to be the transition from the classic guys taking a step back and letting the new generation lead the charge).>>>Legacy is a rush-job. They can’t afford to take the classic characters off the table like that for so long but they also don’t want to piss off the new diverse audience they’ve been trying to court. They’re trying to have their cake and eat it too, and please all masters. It’s a scattershot way to buy time while they right the course on several books. It’s not going to be about “new number 1s” but milestone 500, 600, 800 issues. A lot of these big volume numbers are really stretching the definition but the constant relaunches have started to seriously damage the trade department’s ability to plan out long-term marketing.

>They’re bringing back the Ultimate line for the teen heroes. Miles will become Ultimate Spider-Man again. Siri becomes Ultimate Iron Man. X-Men Blue becomes Ultimate X-Men. Champions becomes the Ultimates. The only “adult” character that will be a regular presence is Captain Marvel because they want her to be seen a prominent character to the overarching power structure of the WSC/SHIELD and other elements that will factor into her movie heavily. They’ll still make guest appearances in the “main” books but don’t expect them to anchor anymore franchises. Bendis staying on Miles and Riri. Hopeless is still on Ult X. New Ultimates writer is Amy Reeder

>Waid is a stop-gap on Cap to bridge the Legacy launch, then takes over Iron Man with 600 (Doom will be the main villain). Coates is taking over Cap with 700. They want him on the book to endorse the image rehabilitation. There’s a lot of face-palming internally about the “cap is a nazi” talk. He’s on both that and Black Panther as long as his schedule allows.

>They got lucky with Greg Pak and Hulk. It leads into a Planet Hulk revival pretty seamlessly.

>Jane Foster dying was always the end-game with the storyline, but the positive response with female fans means they’re trying to find a way to make her stick around. Tentatively planning to make her the new Valkyrie as the movie version is a blank slate and no one cares about the 70s Defenders character.>Classic Thor will be space-bound for awhile. Definitely through “Ragnarok.”>>

>Slott is off Amazing Spider-Man. They’re going to move him over to Friendly Neighborhood; the fear is he would sign exclusive with DC if they took it away from him completely. Plus he struggles with deadlines and there’s less risk with him off to the side. They can’t ignore declining sales anymore and it’s time for a refresh.>Spencer was earmarked for ‘Amazing Spider-Man” for awhile but he’s “earned it” after taking the heat for Secret Empire. Plus there are fans of his “Superior Foes” book in editorial and the plan is to emphasize tech-based criminals, go smaller scale, focus on NYC. Yes, like the movie. No, they’re not going to de-age him to a teenager. (Although it is a corporate synergy idea that has been floated; editorial has been able to argue that there’s no great way to do it … yet. They’re hoping Tom Holland ages up and they give up on that idea. The time-displaced X-Men are an albatross brought on by First Class synergy).>No major plans for MJ beyond guest spots here and there. The marriage isn’t coming back ever. Renew Your Vows will stick around until its a money-loss. It’s just a spin-off that had some legs, like Spider-Gwen. Silver Sable/Black Cat plans are being developed. Big plans for the Venom series to have a central role in Marvel events.>>>The X-Men are still in a tight spot. ResurrXion was itself a rush job after the Inhumans movie push was officially kaput and there was no future for family of books. Because of the Fox issue, they still can’t create new ideas that could go toward the movies so its literally just nostalgia retreads. Uncanny will be back next year with Xavier. Old Man Logan is sticking around for the foreseeable future with X-23 becoming his sidekick, the book will be called “Wolverine.” They burned out Deadpool fans with the price gouging, so no plans for spin-off series, but there will always be mini-series on the side to line out trades.

>Seriously, don’t expect the classic Fantastic Four anytime soon. Ike has seemingly dug his heels in; even though Fox will probably never figure out what to do with them, he’s spiting the brand because of how bad the negotiations went. Sue & Reed and the kids are seen as “boring” enough to sacrifice. Two-In-One is basically a containment book for people to get their F4 fix. It’s an inventory book, no set writer, it’s like “Avenging Spider-Man” or “A+X.” Different writers will get to use different pet characters.

>Ms. Marvel is in a funky spot because most at Marvel are aware that something organically special happened with her book. She’s basically the new “Runaways,” a special project with a special writer’s connection. It will last as long as Wilson wants to writer her, with a focus on the bookstore market while she pops in and out of other books when relevant. They want the audience to have enough familiarity with her because it’s inevitable she’ll be adapted sooner than later; it’s way too soon for her to be introduced into any Carol Danvers sequels so the TV division might snag her for their Hulu/Freeform teen show pitches. (Moon Girl is saved by her trade sales but the threshold is much lower for if sales drop any lower.)

>Wilson is also taking over Captain Marvel. They need to make it work and she’ll do the best job tying the legacy together. Kamala, Monica Rambeau, SWORD — its all part of it.

>Runaways is just a mini-series. They just want the trade out in time for the Hulu show. They can’t seem to get readers to care if it’s not BKV but they know people still love the franchise.>Cloak & Dagger and New Warriors series are coming. Squirrel Girl is wrapping up and North is moving her storylines over to NW where she’ll be the main character.

>Elektra, Bullseye, Kingpin tanking so hard shook them. They need the “Marvel Knights Netflix” corner to be sustainable, so they’re relying on Bendis on Defenders & Jessica Jones for awhile. Say what you want about his other stuff, everyone here thinks its still his sweet spot.>Brian Buccellato is on Daredevil with issue 600.>Justin Jordan is on Moon Knight; big hope that he can give Marvel their “mature” critically acclaimed book that juices up that corner of Marvel.

>Secret Warriors and Royals are already wrapping up. Rosenberg is moving over to one main Inhumans book. Quake/SHIELD will be background characters until “Agents” wraps up (everyone knows this is the last season).>They’re going to give Ahmed a shot with Black Bolt until sales drop.

>No plans to take Duggan off Guardians. Gunn is moving full steam ahead with Adam Warlock weirdness and they want to make sure those characters/ideas are “accessible” but still fun.

>Punisher War Machine is just one storyline involving Stark tech. They want to pull the character back from some of the real-life darkness and imagery; Nate Edmondson’s rep + Secret Empire has made him “ugly” (plus no one cares about Cloonan’s run). They want to scale him back to the Spider-Man/Defenders side of street-level, with less focus on real guns and more emphasis on comic book-y tech.

>Al Ewing is on Spirits of Vengeance. Editorial likes him, but he can’t sell a book to save his life. They just want someone with a love of Marvel lore to write the magic/horror characters to have them prepped for future Movie Phase exploration with a Blade reboot. They know that corner of Marvel horror needs its own “Annihilation.”

>It’s just like … a Spencer plot device. It could have been WeirdWorld (oh boy that was a failed plan). It’s just Spencer’s take on a “place out of time” a la Morrison.

>There are no plans for a Spidey reboot like that. They can’t get readers to pick up a teen Peter Parker since Bendis killed off Ultimate.

They wrote themselves into a corner because no one cares about kids books like Marvel Adventures or that “Spidey” book from last year.

There has been some discussion about an “Untold Tales of Spider-Man” relaunch with teen Peter and the high school cast but they don’t want Busiek and there’s no market for “prequel” books.

There’s a thought (and I agree) that once the animated Miles movie comes out, they’ll have their “Spider-Man for kids” so we want to keep him strong in the comics and cartoon merch. The Sony deal is kind of closed off but in terms of brand direction, we’re all about synergy. The Gwen revival talk is dead now that the Emma Stone movies are done.

We’re just kind of waiting to see Sony’s next steps but there’s kind of like a prep for nostalgia for the Raimi trajection in terms of MJ & college.

We’re in the dark about a lot of the post Infinity War plans now but the overarching brand direction we were looking at was scaling it to revolve around Spider-Man even though Marvel can’t make a solo Spidey film.

I think Tom Holland is going to be the new lynchpin for the MCU. They’re not going to have a new “Iron Man” franchise but they’ve got Holland locked into a deal where he’ll teaming up with characters in their own stuff.

The original plan was to mirror the Civil War to Secret Invasion to Dark Reign arc.

There’s a reason this is called Secret Empire. The next step was “Nomad”‘ing the entire Marvel line-up. There was a lot of editorial excitement about saying something about Trump’s win and the baby boomer backlash.

No one was expecting the backlash to cap hydra and they probably could have kept the original plans intact but I think it was the sales/marketing push that buried it.

Not everyone is an idiot here; we are aware of how we price gouge comic shops. I think that was more the issue and once all the online fan political arguing started happening around the book, retailers just finally threw their hands cause it wasn’t worth the outrage.

Jason Aaron is off doing his own thing. His Avengers BC thing is just a Morrison mini series idea he has.

Spencer “made his statement” now that Captain Sam won’t be the status quo (that was the original plan while Steve goes back to the maskless “Super Soldier” identity).

I think everyone agrees it’s time to take teens away from Waid.

But the senior editors had big plans for that push and now there’s nowhere else to put it. But we can’t just get rid of it forever.

There was no plan to replace all the “white men” its just how the pieces fell into the place. Honestly, the Riri thing was the tipping point. It was Bendis’ idea, no one in editorial had a big plan for it and it hurt the big post-Secret Wars push to make Tony Stark the franchise of the MU.

Since it’s basically a book for his daughter, we’re kind of stuck keeping her in print.

Edit wants to have a fresh voice on a Miles book in time for the Sony cartoon. David Walker apparently had a pitch that got people excited.

But there’s just no way to take Miles AND Riri away from Bendis without burning a bridge with him forever.

I’m not kidding: the Slott FNSM run is going to marketed like Joss Whedon on Astonishing. It’s its “own thing” “unrestricted by the monthly continuity but still taking place in the MU” which is code for “if its late, its late.”

It’s going to be sold as “separate but equal” to Amazing. I have no idea how long it will last, but it’s to assuage his ego apparently as he was not interested in other books.

I don’t think anybody wants anyone else to jump to DC. The real fear is Disney seeing that Warner had success moving the comics office to Burbank and lining everything up under one roof.

Moving Marvel Comics out of NYC and onto the Disney lots is a real possibility. A lot of us will get downsized or just not relocate if that happens.

not surprised. just our typical variant trick that’s been meant with diminishing returns while contracts get lined up for new last-minute books to replace post SE plans.

shitty day for me because i had to handle a lot of the online damage control until like 8:30

This is how Marvel corporate works under Ike: we don’t give the fox and sony movies anything but we will milk the cash in on comics.

After X3, the plan was to do a teen focused reboot, so we were going to cash in on that. Not literally the movie cast, but remove the baggage and make them streamlined and accessible to younger demos.

Claremont is like the “Spider Man wedding” of X Men. Its this unwieldy thing that none of the senior editors like that they want to rewind but because of the movie deal we can’t make new IP.

X-Men has been a micromanaged mess since I started here. AVX was a sales team gimmick to replicate Civil War, which messed up Schism. Remender’s plans got hijacked by the time displaced O5 which was a pretty shameless Bendis pitch to corporate. There’s no central architect guiding the franchise, just big plans that get derailed by the next sales gimmick.

Then the fox talks started going really south and it wasn’t just “don’t give them new ideas” but actively scale it back.

Yes Ike and corporate really thought they could replace X Men with Inhumans. They don’t actually care what it is, just as long as they own it.

The 05 was seen as a way to scale it back and might as well “House of M” the last vestige of Grant Morrison’s run and just make Scott & Emma straight up super villains. But its been a mess cause no two writers are working together on the bigger picture and Gillen and Aaron and Remender all had different plans.

IVX was a mercy killing to a character that had been written into a corner

Carnage: big villain for the Venom plansPower Pack: early early development for a freeform show, comic would follow obviously

i’m writing this on my personal laptop out of the office. no one at marvel checks this place. and if they did, they just see 4chan as a bunch of trump trolls.

[stitchcasual]

A Review of the Year - Writing Meme 2016

The delightful @hollyand-writes tagged me for this :)

Total number of completed stories:

Two! Which is pretty great

Two fics are in progress, though one has been on hiatus since like March *sad trombone*

Total word count:

81,023, according to AO3, which is the super official place and I don’t have any fics anywhere else.

(Though, that might include word count for the chapter of Albatross I posted on Jan 1, though it was written before the end of 2016, so we’re gonna count it!)

Fandoms written in:

Dragon Age

Mass Effect

Looking back, did you expect to write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected?

Uh, well, actually... Writing fic kind of came as a giant surprise. The last thing I’d written was a Bucky fic (set post Cap 2, pre-Civil War) in April 2015 but never posted anywhere because no way was I ready for that. It’s still sitting in my Google Drive. And before that? Safe to say the last thing I’d written was back in college, and I’ve been graduated for going on six years now (how the time flies).

So I wrote a lot more. A LOT more.

What’s your own favourite story of the year?

Albatross! It’s my giant baby, and it’s honestly been such a joy to write and get comments on.

Did you take any writing risks this year?

Hell yeah. I posted my first ever fics to AO3.

That’s terrifying, man.

One fic has only garnered a single kudo, and that’s kind of hard, since it was a story I was very interested in. (I imagine if I ever start writing it again, I might get some more, though.)

I also did NaNo for the first time in literal years, which was a Great Decision because I met several amazing and lovely people there.

Do you have any fanfic or profit goals for the new year?

Uh, I would very much like profit. *cries*

*cough*

Anyway

I’d like to get Albatross finished by the end of the year. I think that’s a reasonable goal, since it feels like I’m about halfway there, maybe? We’ll see how the outlines ends up writing.

I think I’d also like to try my hand at some more drabbles! I wrote one as a gift and that was a grand time.

Best story of the year?

In general? Well, that’s a hard question.

Wait, mine or someone else’s?

My best story is, hands down, Albatross. It’s a monster (in more than one way [you’re welcome]).

I’m gonna rec a few fics here, too, because I can and I want to.

My three favorite, stick-with-me-since-I-read-them-this-year fics (not all written this year) are these: You’ll Remember Me (When the West Wind Blows) by @foxnonny; Bow and Bend by MissjuliaMiriam; and Compliance and Sedition by TCRegan.

Most popular story of the year?

Weeeeeell...

By pure kudo/hit ratio, Huddled for Warmth, my gift-fic for @hollyand-writes wins most popular.

By any other metric, Albatross is the winner. Just cuz it’s huge and there’s way more chances to comment, etc.

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:

 My Thane fic, man. It is, however, three short chapters long and needs beefing up so....maybe after that it will get the love it deserves, hah.

Most fun story to write:

Albatroooooooss. It is way more intense to write a story while people are reading it and talking to you about it. It is...it’s an experience, y’all. But I love it. So thank you if you’re reading and commenting, because it’s incredible.

Story with the single sexiest moment:

Uh, Huddled for Warmth is pretty much a single sexy moment, hah.

There’s a couple moments in Albatross that would rival it for sheer intimacy though, I think.

Most sweet story:

I think everything I’ve written has elements of sweetness in it.

The Thane fic, Should the Worst Come to Pass, is a terrible, depressing sweet.

Albatross has moments of it, esp when Hawke and Fenris hold hands. Let’s be real for a minute: that’s really just the sweetest thing.

Huddled for Warmth is a steamy sweet.

And I Am as I Am...well, maybe it’s not sweet. 

“Holy crap, that’s wrong, even for you!” story:

N/A, this year.

Like I would TELL ANYWAY

*cough*

Huddled for Warmth is probably the most scandalous thing I wrote.

Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:

Oh god, this answer is getting old, but Albatross. It’s been so interesting to wrap my mind around these characters in the modern setting. 

Most unintentionally telling story:

Uh, I don’t know that anything I’ve written this year is telling, really. Unless it’s how telling how rusty I am at writing.

Hardest story to write:

OK gang, say it with me:

Albatross!

This fic is constantly growing and evolving as I write it (which is probably what happens generally when writing things? I just wouldn’t know since this is the biggest thing I’ve ever tackled).

I have an outline! And we’ll see how many more chapters I can get through before I have to revise it. Again.

Biggest disappointment:

Thane fic, as highlighted above. 

Partly because, yeah, I really would have liked more feedback on that one.

Partly because, damn, I abandoned the hell out of it and that’s not cool.

Biggest surprise:

That...people...like...what...I’m writing?????

I never considered myself a writer, at least not after age 15, probably. I got a creative writing degree because I wanted to edit. 

So the fact that people are reading what I’m writing and liking it enough to send kudos and comments... It’s constantly a surprise, and every single AO3 notification I get fills me with so much joy.

Tagging:

Uh, well...

Open tag, honestly.

If you want to do this, do it!

If you’re thinking, gee, wish someone had tagged me on one of these, guess what? I just tagged you.

If you do end up doing this, tag me? I would like to see what everyone’s up to!

[tonimartz]

The days of fonts being created by hand are long gone. These days fonts tend to be created through the use of design programs and one of the most recent formats to reach the stage is OpenType-SVG which is a font format that has some or all of the components that it consists of presented as scalable vector graphics. These SVG fonts feature gradients, patterns, or colors which are embedded in the characters themselves. Even with this, they still act similarly as regular OpenType fonts do. Because of their unique nature, we wanted to focus on this type of font and share our Best SVG Fonts for Designers but before we do, let’s take a look at a comparison between traditional fonts and SVG fonts. SVG Fonts vs Traditional Fonts If your using defined serif or sans-serif characters, using traditional fonts is the way to go because they are made from vector graphics in only one color. Yup, you guessed it. Black. However, hand-drawn lettering loses definition once they are vectorized into glyphs with a solid-fill and hard outline. SVG fonts stand out because they can open up new horizons and typefaces that can contain full-color graphics and transparency. These new creations are most commonly used to create handmade fonts that look amazingly realistic and have all the detail that comes from a paintbrush or marker pen. What’s the Rub? Like anything else, there is always a downside and SVG fonts are no exception to the rule. SVG is an acronym for Scalable Vector Graphics but fonts made using SVG technology aren’t vector graphics at all, they’re embedded bitmap images. What this means is that the type with start to look pixelated if your font is scaled larger than its original bitmap size. The best SVG fonts are made from high-resolution scans which is something to keep in mind if you’re working on a project that includes a large print design. Like traditional fonts, you can edit the size, tracking, and the OpenType features but you can’t change the color of the font itself. To do that, you need to apply a Color Overlay, Hue/Saturation adjustment, or a mask to alter the appearance. Top 10 Free & Premium SVG Fonts for Designers Before we get started, we wanted to give you a quick look at our top 10 choices of SVG fonts so that you can see what we consider to be the best of the best. We encourage you to look through all of our choices but these are the ones that stand out to us. Brixton SVG Handprinted Fonts – $28 Chin Up Buttercup! Font Duo & Extras – $25 Onyx – Hand-Painted.SVG 6 Font Pack – $13 The Designer’s Font BUNDLE – $19 Handie Fonts – Over 1800 Glyphs – $14 Tangerine – Retro Font – $14 Microbrew Soft – $49 Hackney SVG – Bold Hand-painted Font – $24 Moonfrost Script – $16 Pure Heart – OpenType SVG Brush Font – $19 More Top Font Compilations Top 38 Fonts for Design Best Logo Fonts for Clean & Minimal Design Best Serif Fonts for Logo Design 30 Fonts That All Designers Must Know 15 Stunning Font Combinations The Top 100 Best Fonts Of All Time 27 Classic & Elegant Fonts   Best SVG Fonts for Designers Brixton SVG Handprinted Fonts – $28 Brixton, created by Ellen Luff, celebrates the letterpress styles’ originality with a bold, hand-printed type family that has all the imperfections that its inspiration had. With narrow shapes that have the strength to lend themselves to your stong designs, its authentic textures give it its voice. The typeface comes with two SVG letterpress styles: Wood and Lead. Both of these offer completely transparent textures and incredible detail. The set also comes with their vector counterparts, making it even more versatile. Learn More   Chin Up Buttercup! Font Duo & Extras – $25 Chin Up Buttercup by Nicky Laatz is a playful font pair that also comes with a complimentary set of illustrations. Whether used together or apart in creative or casual designs, Chin Up Buttercup gives you what you need to make numerous typographic designs that can look stunning on anything you decide to use it on. The font duo is perfect for any number of projects from greeting cards, posters, and websites to window art, signs, and scrapbooking. The possibilities are endless! Learn More   Onyx – Hand-Painted.SVG 6 Font Pack – $13 Created by SilverStag, Onyx was created as something different than what they normally design. The Onyx pack comes with six uncommon options that can provide you with everything you need if you’re looking for something unique and different from what you might regularly use. The six-pack includes 2 hand-painted SVG fonts in high-resolution, 2 outlined fonts, and if the software you use doesn’t support SVG, 2 standard fonts so you can use these as well. If you’re ready to do something different and step outside your comfort zone, give the Onyx – Hand-Painted.SVG 6 Font Pack a try. Learn More   The Designer’s Font BUNDLE – $19 With 200 elements and 95 fonts, the Designer’s Font BUNDLE truly is a designer’s dream as it has been described by its creator, KA Designs. With fonts that aren’t even available from the KA Designs shop, this bundle is like having a backstage pass at your favorite concert. Even though some of the fonts on this list may be familiar or even used by you currently, the sheer number of fonts that you can use is more than enough reason to pick this bundle up. Learn More   Handie Fonts – Over 1800 Glyphs – $14 Sometimes using a font that is basic and easy to read is the best choice you can make. The Handie Fonts collection from Trailhead Design Co. comes in a variety of weights and widths that are simple to read at any size and come in both serif and sans-serif. You’re sure to find an excellent choice among the 18 different options that are great for both print and web design projects. Available in all web font formats meaning that even if your program doesn’t work with SVG files, you can still use this font to create amazing work. Learn More   Tangerine – Retro Font – $14 Retro designed fonts can be a lot of fun and add new life to an old logo. The Tangerine – Retro Font from New Tropical Design looked to capture the good vibes of the ’70s without creating a clone of what was being created then. The result is a unique design that still has that feel of being from the 1970s while paying homage to the golden era of bell-bottoms and disco music. Perfect for creating vintage logos, the font comes with upper and lower cases as well as numbers, punctuation, and multilingual letters. Learn More   Microbrew Soft – $49 As the latest addition to the extensive Microbrew font family, Albatross has created Microbrew Soft, named for the font’s soft edges and clean outlines while still keeping its retro feel. 27 styles along with a set of ornaments and catchwords help keep the possibilities as unlimited as possible. With a nice mix between wood type poster style and vintage letterpress, Microbrew Soft is a great choice for just about any subject from weddings and birthdays, to coffee shops and music. Learn More   Hackney SVG – Bold Hand-painted Font – $24 Created by Ellen Luff, the Hackey typeface is a sans serif font that is completely hand-painted. This gives the typeface a raw, bold look that comes with imperfections as well as an earthy realism. By keeping the definition that comes from real painted strokes as a transparent texture, you can have a proper hand-painted effect without you ever touching a can of paint. An all caps font, there are two alternatives for every letter so that the custom made look is maintained. Hackney is a great font for any project you can think of and can add new dimensions to the work you’re already doing. Learn More   Moonfrost Script – $16 With a smooth modern style but with a rough edge reminiscent of winter’s cold weather, the Moonfrost Script from JROH Creative is a hand lettering typeface that can be used for a wide variety of projects including signatures, logos, wedding invitations, and so much more. Featuring more than 400 glyphs, as well as specially coded fonts plus it comes with a ton of alternate character. If you’re looking to add a stylish, yet winter’s grasp to your next project, the Moonfrost Script might be in the forecast. Learn More   Pure Heart – OpenType SVG Brush Font – $19 Created to be a hyper-realistic font that looks as close to hand-painted as you can get, Pure Heart by Greg Nichols helps you take your work to the next level, grabbing the attention of customers and designers along the way. Using brand new technology that makes the font look even more realistic, each letter has been carefully painted numerous times until its perfect, and then its edited so the texture is also perfect. Pure Heart is a beautiful font that will add a new level of realism and creativity to anything you use it on. Learn More   Mourich Elegant Font – $11 An elegant serif font, Mourich from Arterfak Project comes with two styles that they recommend to get the stylish ad minimalist design you’re looking for. Designed carefully with attention to the strokes to achieve a medium contrast. The font is an all-caps font that also comes with small capitals which can be very useful for headlines or logos. With more than 500 glyphs that come with OpenType features, you can create amazing work from the start with this incredible font. Learn More   Mafelo SVG Font – $23 Created by Graphicfresh, the Mafelo SVG font has been designed to specifically highlight its feminine side. Included with the font are two different versions. SVG and Vector Font, which you can use if you need the font in a traditional format. Perfect for posters, packaging, branding, advertisements and so much more, you can use the Mafelo font for all of your typography needs. Learn More   Black Caviar SVG Font – $16 Preserving all of the details of the original handwritten letters in high-definition, Black Caviar by Ivan Rosenberg uses OpenType SVG technology to create a truly realistic look. Included in the set are the OpenSVG font, the OpenSVG font Alt Alternates, All Caps, and a layered Photoshop file if you cannot access the OpenType SVG font. The Black Caviar font can add a touch of realism and professionalism to any project that you use it with, making it more than worth your money. Learn More   Havana Sunset Font Duo + SVG – $11 The creation of Sam Parrett, Havana Sunset is an SVG font that mixes analog and digital, creating a trendy all-caps sans-serif font the is carefree and at the same time, a textured script font. This is the perfect contrast for creating fun, free, and stylish design work. While the font is more than enough already, it also comes loaded with extra features. Included are a full alternate set of characters, plus an additional SCG version that contains high-resolution textures. To give you a variety of layout options, it also includes a filled and outline version. If we had a font that was the best value on our list, this would certainly be it. Learn More   Script Neon 3D Lettering – $15 Have you ever seen neon signs outside your local businesses? And no, Las Vegas doesn’t count. Neon can add an incredible look to any sign and the Script Neon 3D Lettering by TVartworks, you can add a retro style script to any of your projects. The set includes 3D letterings, color fonts, and even includes graphic elements as a bonus so you can create typography scenes of your own. The lettering is great for all types of projects including social media, posters, branding, phone cases, t-shirts, and blogs. Learn More   Paris | Font Duo + SVG with Extras – $19 Created by the Jen Wagner Co, the Paris Font Duo is a beautiful font that features a pencil textured script. You can wonderfully create invitations, quotes, announcements, and more with a font that is as delicate as it is realistic. The font also comes with extras including a bonus pack of 16 gold elements that you can add to your work for even more beauty. The Paris font is as wonderful and beautiful as the city that it takes its name from. You cannot go wrong choosing this for your next project. Learn More   Hello Bloomie – SVG Font Family – $25 A multilingual font family containing both serif and brush script fonts, Hello Bloomie by My Creative Land presents a font that presents itself with a realistic brush, ink, and paper texture. Complete with ligatures, alternates, and design elements, the font family provides you with the OpenType features that you can use to create amazing and unique designs that look like they were done with a brush. The set includes the Serif and Brush SVG options as well as regular Serif and Brush options if you cannot access SVG files. Learn More   Victorian Fonts Collection – $19 There is something about the way Victorian script looks. Ripe with nostalgia, the Victorian Fonts Collection from Burntilldead gives you a font that you can use on your design project or even your website to give it a more Victorian feel. Stuffed with more than 1800 glyphs and OpenType features, the collections give you the tools you need to take your project back in time to a more civilized age. Learn More   Lost In Space – Regular And Color Font (SVG) – $10 The Lost in Space font by Cosmic Store provides creatives with a modern font that has been created using a double exposure effect. Each letter has been uniquely designed and even given its very own cosmic backstory. The Lost in Space typography set is designed with fun in mind and with that in mind, the set includes both color fonts, regular fonts, as well as vector objects, elements, and backgrounds so you can let your imagination shine! Learn More   Thunder Stone Font Duo – $18 Created by Get Studio, the Thunder Stone Font Duo, utilizing SVG font technology, provides you with a font that looks as realistic as it can get. Thunder Stone is a marker sans font as well as a handwriting script that is in perfect typographic harmony for you to use them fully in your design projects. These fonts are perfect for logos, branding, blog posts, quotes, advertisements, magazines, and product designs. There is no limit to the number of ways you can use the Thunder Stone font in your work. Learn More   Best SVG Fonts for Designers SVG fonts can add a new dimension of creativity, beauty, and innovation to your work. With our listing the best free & premium SVG fonts for designers, we hope that we’ve given you some insight into trying out these up and coming font designs, or if you already use them, maybe this can add some new tools to your toolbox.

https://justcreative.com/2020/05/19/best-premium-free-svg-fonts-for-designers/

[halloweendailynews]

The comics that will be available during Halloween ComicFest 2019 this October were officially revealed today, including 19 full size and nine mini comics, featuring Batman, Spider-Man, Boba Fett, Ghost-rider, the kid-slasher parody Junior High Horrors (pictured above), and many more.

Read on for the full press release and the complete list of 2019 titles, and then enjoy browsing through our photo gallery of all the Halloween comic covers coming your way for the 8th annual Halloween ComicFest.

This year, Halloween ComicFest (HCF) features a whole new selection of 28 comic book titles for the industry’s most anticipated fall event taking place Saturday, October 26, 2019 at participating comic shops worldwide.

Of the 28 titles available, 19 are Full Size and 9 are Mini Comics for fans to pick up and enjoy. All will be available for free at participating comic shops on Saturday, October 26th, with the Mini Comics also available for purchase in packs of 25 for $4.99 at the beginning of October—a perfect item to give to trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

“This year’s Halloween ComicFest is poised to be bigger and better than last year!” said Halloween ComicFest spokesperson Ashton Greenwood. “The comics available this year are designed to appeal to a broad range of tastes, from the all-ages Mini Comics featuring popular properties like Archie, DC Superhero Girls, Nickelodeon’s The Loud House, and Pokémon, while the Full-Size Comics feature well-known characters like Sonic the Hedgehog, Boba Fett, Iron Man, and Batman. Halloween ComicFest is the perfect time to discover the wonders of comic shops and experience them as premiere destinations for Halloween fun!”

Read on for the complete listing of all Halloween ComicFest 2019 comics and our gallery of the covers for each.

HALLOWEEN COMICFEST 2019 FULL SIZE COMICS AfterShock Comics | Dark Red #1 Halloween ComicFest B&W Edition – Charles “Chip” Ipswich isn’t one of those coastal elites with a liberal arts degree and a job at a social media start-up who knows where all the best brunch places are… No, Chip is one of the “forgotten men.” He lives in a rural area in the middle of the country where Jesus still has a place at the dinner table and where factories ship jobs to Calcutta. Chip is also a vampire. Stuck working the last shift at a gas station, Chip is lonely and bored…and then his dull, bleak life is turned upside down when SHE comes to town. SPECIAL BLACK AND WHITE REPRINT. Tim Seeley (BRLLIANT TRASH) and Corin Howell bring you a contemporary and horrifying tale of vampirism in the heart of America — one that’ll make you jump right out of your boots. Aspen Comics | Aspen Mascots and the Portals of Doom – When Wormier and Griff accidentally open multiples portals from another dimension, the Aspen Mascots must band together to stop their own doppelgängers from wreaking havoc in our world! In this new jam-packed activity-coloring book featuring Aspen’s most popular critters and oddities, readers must solve puzzles, mazes and more in order to finish the story and save the planet! Benitez Productions | Lady Mechanika: La Dama de la Muerte – After suffering a tragic loss, Lady Mechanika takes a trip to a small Mexican village just in time for their Día de los Muertos celebration. But the festivities turn truly deadly after the arrival of the Jinetes del Infierno, the mythical Hell Riders! Includes the first chapter of the Lady Mechanika Day of the Dead special, collected in the La Dama de la Muerte TPB.  Dark Horse Comics | House of Fear: Attack of the Killer Snowmen! – A group of kids throwing around a football on a pleasant winter afternoon are suddenly set upon by snowmen with jagged grins and twisted limbs instead of cute button eyes and corncob pipes. They’ll need to think quick in order to defeat these frozen foes! A spooky scare for young readers!House of Fearis the perfect comic for monster hunters young and old. DC Comics | DCeased #1 HCF Special Editon – A mysterious techno-virus has been released on Earth, infecting 600 million people and turning them instantly into violent, monstrous engines of destruction.The heroes of the DCU are caught completely unprepared for a pandemic of this magnitude and struggle to save their loved ones first…but what happens to the World’s Greatest Heroes if the world ends?New York Times best-selling writer Tom Taylor (INJUSTICE) returns with a terrifying new tale and is joined by artists Trevor Hairsine (LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT) and Stefano Gaudiano (The Walking Dead). DC Comics | The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid / Black Canary: Ignite HCF Special Edition IDW Publishing | Sonic the Hedgehog #1 HCF Edition Keenspot Entertainment | Junior High Horrors Halloween Special – Halloween is here! But Mikey, the boy that’s always ready to dress to impress, has changed his tune and wants nothing to do with costumes this year. The gang gets together to change his mind, but will they succeed? This original story drawn by series creator Rob Potchak is the perfect jumping on point for anyone wanting to see why Robert Kirkman may have said this All-Ages Horror Parody was “Awesome!” This comic also features dyslexic reader friendly fonts, a first in the industry! Kodansha Comics | Tales of Berseria Preivew & Other Game Manga Mad Cave Studios | Battlecats: Halloween ComicFest Special Marvel Comics | Ghost Rider: King of Hell #1 Marvel Comics | Iron Man: Road to Iron Man 2020 Marvel Comics | Miles Morales: Spider-Man #0 Marvel Comics | Star Wars: Boba Fett #1 Random House Children’s Books | Doodleville/ Aster and the Accidental Magic Exclusive First Look Source Point Press | The Adventures of Cthulhu Jr. and Dastardly Dirk Vertical Comics | Bakemonogatari (Monster Tale) Exclusive HCF Edition VIZ Media | The Drifting Classroom/ Smashed YouNeek Studios | Iyanu: Child of Wonder

HALLOWEEN COMICFEST 2019 MINI COMICS Albatross Funnybooks | Spook House – A spooky book for kids of all ages! This Albatross Funnybooks anthology features works by William Stout, Eric Powell and Gideon Kendall! American Mythology | Under Dog Halloween Hijinks – There’s no need to fear! Underdog is here! Its an extra special Halloween treat as we present a mini comic adventure of everyone’s favorite superhound, Underdog! We’ll have you singing the Underdog theme as you trick or treat this year, “Speed of lightning, roar of thunder, fighting all who rob or plunder, Underdog!”  Don’t let Simon Bar Sinister ruin your holiday, join us for Underdog hijinks this Halloween season! Archie Comics | Archie’s Madhouse Magic – Get ready for magic and mischief in this fun collection of Halloween stories! Archie and everyone’s favorite teenage witch, Sabrina, are proud to present two enchanting and bewitching tales from Archie’s Magical Madhouse–sure to leave you spellbound! BOOM! Studios | Just Beyond: Horror at Happy Landings – THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE WOODS. Family camping trips are already a drag for Annie and Parker, especially with their cousin Clark tagging along, but when strange things start happening, they’ll discover startling secrets out of this world! When a pair of Martian siblings find themselves stranded on Earth, they must take over Annie and Parker’s bodies to retrieve the tracker that can signal Mars to bring them home. Can the Martians make it home safe, or will they be forced to become Annie and Parker forever? DC Comics | DC Superhero Girls: At Metropolis High Halloween ComicFest Special Edition – When Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Green Lantern, Bumblebee, and Zatanna are continually late to class because of their crime-fighting, they are sentenced to finding an after-school club for a whole week … or else they’ll be suspended!But finding a club is not as easy as it looks, and when the girls keep finding themselves kicked out of the clubs they like, they must think outside of the box and go outside their comfort zones to avoid suspension. This first chapter from the DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: AT METROPOLIS HIGH graphic novel is perfect for ages 6-10 and a great entry point into the DC Universe. Golden Apple Books | Blastosaurus Halloween Special IDW Publishing | Usagi Yojimbo HCF Mini Comic Papercutz | The Loud House: “A Very LOUD Halloween” VIZ Media | Pokémon Adventures

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Halloween ComicFest 2019 Comics Announced The comics that will be available during Halloween ComicFest 2019 this October were officially revealed today, including 19 full size and nine mini comics, featuring Batman, Spider-Man, Boba Fett, Ghost-rider, the kid-slasher parody…

[placetobenation]

July 4, 2017 From the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ Your hosts are Vic Joseph and Corey Graves

Titus O’Neill is backstage on his phone talking to Akira Tozawa. He does Chris Tucker’s “Do You Understand the Words Coming out of my Mouth” bit and keeps stopping to talk to Ariya Daivari and Mustafa Ali then mocks Tozawa’s chant and does the gator bark to pump everyone up.

The announcers run down the show as we will see Jack Gallagher vs. Tony Nese and Rich Swann vs. TJP.

Titus is now in the ring, which is set up with a “Titus Worldwide” platform and pictures of both competitors in Sunday’s Cruiserweight Championship match. Titus puts over Tozawa but Neville comes out to the stage. He laughs and tells Titus he is a charismatic leader. However, the problem is that all of what he’s doing with Tozawa is nothing more than a fantasy then shows us a clip of last night when another Titus client, Apollo Crews, got destroyed by Braun Strowman. Neville then accuses Titus of feeding his clients to the monster as the crowd chants “You’re not Strowman” to Neville, who tells Titus he only cares about money. Neville says he can either prove him wrong and show compassion by forfeiting the match or he can sit on commentary and watch him destroy Lince Dorado tonight, which will be a preview of what happens to Tozawa this Sunday.

I liked how Titus pumped up the crowd. Neville was excellent here as he accused Titus of purposely giving his clients false hope, which gets them hurt, so he can make money. Neville’s heel work is so, so great. 

Neville vs. Lince Dorado

Titus joins on commentary. Neville works a side headlock on the mat as Titus says he looks out for his clients best interest. Lince gets two with a sunset flip then hits a dropkick. He lands on his feet after a German suplex attempt and uses another pinning combination for a nearfall. Lince takes Neville down with a monkey flip as Titus rags on Joseph. Neville blocks a monkey flip in the corner but Lince takes them both outside then hits a hurricarana off of the apron. Neville sidesteps a charge and sends Lince over the steps the brings in near the table and rams Lince’s head before staring at Titus, who is yelling at Neville that Tozawa will beat him on Sunday. Back inside, Neville points at Titus then hits a powerbomb before putting him away with the Rings of Saturn (3:57) **.

Thoughts: Good action while it lasted. They gave Lince some hope but at the end Neville was put over strong. Neville constantly staring at Titus throughout the match was great.

Swann is backstage and asks TJP why he requested this match as they are friends. TJP says he thought about what Swann said about taking shortcuts and that he will go back to what made him win the CWC and thought some friendly competition would help. They shake hands after that as Swann leaves while TJP finishes taping his wrists.

We are shown a clip of last week when Brian Kendrick dressed up as Gallagher and called him a pathetic joke before attacking him with an umbrella during their match.

Tony Nese vs. “Gentleman” Jack Gallagher

Nese got a tan this week. He overpowers Gallagher to start but Gallagher comes back with several rolling pinning combinations. Gallagher works a side headlock but Nese picks him up and hangs him in the ropes. Nese lands some punches then hits a body block for two. He then places Gallagher in the tree-of-woe and hits a dropkick before kicking Gallagher in the face while doing crunches. Nese puts Gallagher in a backbreaker submission then squeezes him together but Gallagher escapes. He hits Nese with a knee smash and a dropkick before getting two with a suplex. Gallagher tries an armbar but Nese locks his hands then lifts up Gallagher but that is turned into a sunset flip for a two count. Nese takes out Galagher’s knee and lands on his feet after a moonsault and clutches his knee in the corner. Nese tries a sneak attack but Gallagher was ready and headbutts Nese before putting him away with a shotgun dropkick (6:02) **3/4.

Thoughts: Good action as Gallagher does not let Nese take advantage of his gentlemanly nature and gets the win as both of these guys have a victory over each other. Nese is an underrated talent who has been delivering in the ring while Gallagher is one of the most over guys in the entire division.

 After the match, we hear music and on the screen we get the “History of Great Britain” as Kendrick is dressed up as someone from colonial England then lists off all the times the British lost battles and wars, comparing it to how Gallagher will lose to him as he wants to get Gallagher out of the company. I have no idea what they are going for here with Kendrick dressing up but it did not work at all.

Highlights from last night on RAW with Cedric Alexander beating Noam Dar then telling both Dar & Alicia Fox that he is done dealing with him.

We now see the trainer backstage with Dar, saying his neck is fine and he does not need a neck brace. Fox comes in as Dar tells us how tough it was without her but now that she is back he can win the Cruiserweight Title. Fox asks him about Cedric but Dar says its finished. However, Fox says its not over until Cedric literally quits 205 Live. She smiles on Dar’s shoulder as he can’t believe his woman wants this to continue. This awful feuds needs to end. If I’m Cedric, I am going up to Vince and saying he will bulk up to get out of this division and away from Dar & Fox, the albatross around the neck of 205 Live. Its currently the worst feud in wrestling today.

TJP vs. Rich Swann

The match starts off with Swann working the arm. TJP takes Swann down with a headscissors and works that on the mat for a bit. Swann hits a dropkick after a fast-paced Irish whip sequence then teases a dive outside and instead mocks TJP’s dab. Swann takes TJP down with a drop toehold then grabs an armbar. TJP then backdrops Swann to the floor and goes out for the attack but instead rolls back inside to give Swann a chance to get back inside. Swann just beats the ten count then TJP applies an armbar. He pulls back both arms as he yells at Swann to give up. TJP appears hesitant as Swann seems hurt then goes back on the attack after Swann shoved him back. TJP gets two with a slingshot senton then uses a Muta Lock. Swann is able to reach the ropes then TJP stands back before pulling him back into the center of the ring. Swann flips out and hits a pair of clotheslines before taking TJP off of the top with a hurricarana. Swann gets two with a rolling frog splash then comes back with a Falcon Arrow for two. A “this is awesome” chant breaks out as Swann goes to the middle rope. He flips off then TJP hits him with a forearm and starts to show off but is drilled with a roundhouse kick as both men are down. They have a reversal sequence that ends with TJP hitting a chicken wing gutbuster for two. He sets up for the Detonation Kick but Swann rolls off his shoulders so TJP puts on a knee bar. Swann reaches the ropes and lands as few kicks but runs into a spinning heel kick then both men kick each other down. They get up as TJP lands a pair of uppercuts then have a pinfall reversal sequence that ends with Swann getting the win (12:12) ***3/4.

Thoughts: Excellent match. They are doing something interesting with TJP as he is currently a conflicted character as he is fighting the urges to take these shortcuts but wants to win in the worst way while not hurting his friend. Anyway, the action here was tremendous and I did expect a turn by TJP at some point tonight but it did not happen. This is a match to seek out.

After the match, Swann extends his hand then TJP hugs him and walks away, clearly unhappy over losing. Swann celebrates on the ring

Final Thoughts: Overall, a good show tonight. The main event was great and they’ve built up the Cruiserweight Championship match at Great Balls of Fire well too. Sure, the Dar & Fox/Cedric feud is one of the worst in recent memory and I have no clue what they are trying to do with this Kendrick/Gallagher feud but the action on this episode was better than usual.