#actually planning to turn this into a digital painting at some point

[kokabegami]

[woodland-gremlin]

Meeting the Kids

Today was the day that Dick’s boyfriend, Danny, would be introducing him to his three kids. He has heard so much about the gremlin trio that he could recite how Danny adopted them and what they are like forwards and backwards in his sleep at this point. And as he fidgeted outside of his boyfriend’s apartment in Fawcett that was exactly what he did.

Ellie is Danny’s biological daughter that was officially put under his guardianship when he was emancipated at 17, but unofficially he has been watching over her for much longer. She is the oldest of the three, being 11. Exploring and causing untold amounts of chaos, usually with her two younger brothers, is her bread and butter in life. Will not hesitate to turn that controlled chaos onto you if you hurt her family, if the stories of what she does to her sperm donor is an indication. Tales of all the places he has traveled when he was in the circus and stress he has caused Bruce at galas are his best bet to not getting pelted with glitter the moment he walks in the door.

Billy is the most recent addition to the family after living on the streets for the last few years. He is the middle child at 10 years old. Being forced into foster care, which is a death sentence according to Jason, and living on the streets, which is apparently better than foster care (again according to Jason), has made him vary of adults. The only reason he trusted Danny enough to be adopted, was through a long campaign of food, a safe place to sleep that he could leave at any time, the other kids, and a few private emotional moments. From the stories he is a sweet kid whose swearing could make a sailor blush. He brought some of Alfred’s homemade food and stories of Jason for him.

Damian was taken in 6 years ago when Danny was 19. His birth family was in a cult, raising him as its heir before trying to sacrifice him to some higher being, when Danny found him. Even with the ruff start he is very in touch with his home country’s culture, Danny even getting in touch with people from his culture to teach the whole family so they can better understand and respect it. He is the youngest of the trio at 9 and loves animals. He has also seemingly inherited Danny’s adoption tendencies when it comes to said animals. He is also the most likely to challenge him to a duel for Danny’s honor, he does it to every potential partner of Danny's, much less one actually dating him. Mentions of Batcow while accepting said duel should help Damian at least tolerate him.

All three of them are the stars of Danny’s life. Dick has heard all about the bullshit Danny gets for being a father of three, two which are in the double digits, at 25 and how protective the Nightingale family is of each other. And that isn’t even counting his older sister, who he has met over the phone, and all the others claimed extended family. How often Danny has broken up with his partners over the kids or said kids driving out those partners if they didn’t think that they were good enough for their dad. So, no Jason, he wasn’t being paranoid, considering that they ran the last one out in tears, covered in neon, biodegradable glitter and paint, he was being practical!

What Dick did not know was that as he was panicking and making plans the gremlin trio was making their own plans. Plans of his demise.

[ohtobeleah]

I was having such a relaxing evening and now I’m stressed. 🥲

Thought I’d used this ^^ as our update post because it was too good not to hahah. As always, here’s the Terms of Endermeant Masterlist if you need to catch up. (Fun fact, this is the 20th chapter of ToE wtf…..

Warnings: Mentions of domestic abuse & violence. Gun related themes. Bradley Bradshaw x F!reader.

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~*

“Hangman’s Direct Hits?” You chuckled softly at the name of the playlist Bradley showed you on his phone. The one he was listening to out loud, the one that filled the void. The one Jake had made in his spare time. “Is he actually that sure of himself?” He couldn't be helped, at this point Jake Seresin was a lost cause. 

“Man has two air to air kills, he’s gotta be.” Bradley mumbled back as he watched your eyelids fight to stay open. “None of us are gonna boost that ego of his any higher than it already is.” It was late, your hospital room was dark, and you’d been given some pretty stellar painkillers for your shoulder. “You know, you should get some rest bubs.” 

Bradley liked to use his time in the hospital working on his laptop. He had a grand plan. He’d managed to swindle the blueprints and schematics of his home from the realestate the Navy went through. He was, as he sat with his feet kicked up at the bottom of your bed with his hood pulled over his head, rendering a 3D digital composite of Odette's new room. The one he’d promised her. The one he was going to make perfect for a perfect little girl who held his entire heart captive. 

She wanted yellow polkadots. Or lellow as she specifically said as they looked at paint samples in home depot the other day. Bradley wasn’t all too keen on the lellow polkadots, but he’d meet the three year old half way and do her up a feature wall that could easily be repainted if need be. So long as he could do a composite imagine to see exactly what these lellow polkadots looked like amongst the digital curtains and bed frame. 

After all, he wasn't just a pretty face. 

“Come lay with me?” 

“I’m content here, I’m just working on some things while I have the time.” Bradley replied through a yawn of his own. He didn’t sleep much when he was in the hospital with you. He chose to stay by your bedside the nights he stayed. He got maybe one or two broken hours here and there but other than that he was running on pure steam. “Get some rest gorgeous.” 

“I think you need some rest too.” You mumbled back as your head lulled to the side. “There's room? If you wanna lay down for a little while?” It wasn't much of a statement, but a plea laced in temptation. Bradley raised a single eyebrow as he peered over the top of his laptop screen. “Plenty of room for you Roos.” The way you said his name made Bradleys core temperature rise. His cheeks flushed a crimson rose’ at the fleeting thought of you. But he shook his head and sent you a soft bashful smile that could have swooned the entirety of the moulin rouge.

“Such a little minx aren't you.” Bradley adjusted himself quickly in his sweats as he shook his head at the sight of your tight lipped smile. You still had bands in your mouth, keeping your jaw shut and in place. Your shoulder was still immobilised for another ten weeks before an incredible amount of physiotherapy would begin to get you back on track. 

“Just miss you is all.” Bradley never thought his heart could break anymore than it already had over the last few weeks, but hearing you say you missed him when he was sitting right in front of you made his heart explode inside his chest–it sent shrapnel into his organs and from the shock of your admission he forgot how to breathe. “So much.” 

Bradley didn't say anything in response, he let his actions speak louder than any words he could say. He pressed his lips together and sighed through his nose, he shut his laptop and carefully placed it on the table before he turned back to you, gesturing for you to shove over. 

Which you happily did. 

Bradley laid in the bed that wasn't big enough for the both of you as you curled into his side the best you could. He let you rest your head on his chest and intertwin your legs with his as he wrapped an arm around you. Drawing you as close as he possibly could. 

“For what it's worth, I can't wait until you’re outta this hospital.” For the second time in the space of three minutes you broke Bradley Bradshaw's heart just by proxy as you played with the string of his hood and closed your eyes to hopefully coax yourself into a dreamscape filled with better tomorrows. 

“For what it's worth, I can't wait until I can have my life back.” 

***~***~***~***~***~***

“Amilia! Slow down!” Reuben shouted as he ran after his sister in law down the pathway of their quiet suburban parkway. “Slow down!” 

“Run fucking faster!” Amilia shouted as she ran till her lungs felt like they were on fire and her legs felt heavy and the bottoms of her feet hurt from pounding against the bitumen. But she wouldn’t slow down, not until she got to Jake. “Hurry up! Payback he’s hurt! Dots in trouble!” 

Reuben had been out on the back porch with his wife enjoying a glass of red under the festoon lights he’d just installed. Everyone knew why work had been called off until further notice, it left a sour taste in the mouths of everyone that knew you. But that didn’t mean the Daggers couldn’t enjoy just a little bit of happiness where they could. 

At least Reuben got a good ten minutes of peaceful enjoyment out of his newest home improvement job before Amilia came barreling out in a fit of panic, screaming about how someone was in Jake's home down the street. 

Amilia was a personal trainer by trade, sure she could pour a beer and make up a fancy cocktail if need be but what she did best was putting her body to the test day in day out in more ways than one. So even though her feet hurt from running barefoot and her lung’s caught on fire from her unregulated breathing pattern—she willed herself to give just a little more. 

“Four percent more—just four percent more.” She kept running, so fast and so panicked that by the time she finally reached Jake's front lawn she swore she had no oxygen left in her lungs to shout his name into the darkness that had consumed his humble abode. Reuben was hot on her tail, still confused as to why they were both running down the block in the middle of the night in their pyjamas. “JAKE!” 

“Amilia, what the hell is going on?” Reuben asked as he watched his sister in law frantically pull at the front door handle. It was locked. “It’s locked—“ 

“Won’t be for long.” If Jake had a dollar for every time the window panel beside his front door had been busted this month he'd have two whole dollars. Which wasn’t exactly a whole lot of money but when you stopped to think about why a glass panel would be broken in that small of a timeframe, it was a little odd. “Watch out.” With all her might and a groan that came from somewhere deep inside her soul—Amilia Fisher smashed her elbow into the glass panelling beside Jake Seresins front door. It cut her up pretty good but she didn’t care. All that mattered was getting inside and as she reached her arm through and over to the handle like a pro—Reuben wondered for a minute if his sister and law had done this before. 

The answer was yes. Yes she had. In a past life. 

“Jake!” Amilia shouted through the dark home. “Reu he went to the garage to check the breaker box, where’s the door to the garage?” 

“Over to the left past the kitchen—I’ll check on Odette.” The pair wasted no time in going their respective ways through the darkness of Jake Seresins home. Payback was still afraid of the dark—he knew it was an irrational fear but that’s what irrational fears were. Fucking Irrational. But he fought off his own demons as they swarmed his mind. He raced up the stairs with a pounding heart and a heavy set of lungs, he turned down the hall to where he knew his friend's bedroom was. Hoping the little girl who’d stolen the hearts of an entire squadron of Naval Aviators was still sound asleep in the safety that was her uncle Jake's bed. 

“Amilia said Jake was hurt?” Chelsea tried to comprehend what she’d managed to figure out in the flurry that had been her panicked sister's rampage through the house. “She took off Bob, ran out the door like some mad woman screaming bloody murder.” 

“We’re on our way.” Bob hated the fact he was riding shotgun in his own car, but it wouldn’t come close to how much Rhett hated driving Bob's Suzuki Jimny. “Less than five minutes.” Bob and Rhett were only around the corner when Amilia found Jake. 

“Oh my god—“ She froze at the sight she saw in the corner of the garage as she flashed the flashlight on her phone and caught a glimpse of Jake on the ground in a puddle of blood. “Oh god, Jake!” She was by his side in seconds. “Oh no oh fuck oh Christ I’ll need to see a fucking chiropractor after this!” She huffed as she lifted the full limp weight of Jake from his stomach and flipped his unconscious self onto his back. His head lulled to the side. His eyes were closed and non responsive. He was out like a light. “Hey—hey!” Amilia tapped Jake's cheek softly at first but that impatience and worry grew into a harsher slap that left a sting in its wake. “Jake for the love of god please wake the fuck up.” 

This wasn’t what Amilia thought she would be doing during her time in the good old U S of A. 

“Mmm—“ Jake's eyelids fluttered as he let out a soft groan. “Mmm—“ 

“Hey it’s me, it’s Amil—“ Before Amilia could get her name out of her mouth Jake's eyes shot out of his head in shock as adrenaline rushed through his veins, with a loud gasp Jake did the unthinkable. His arm shot up and soon enough his hand had wrapped itself around Amilias throat. Tight.

“Ja—!” She clawed at his fist as he restricted her airways, but it didn’t take long for the fog to fade from his mind. “Stop! It’s—it’s me!” Jake immediately pulled his hand away as he snapped out of his trance like state and sat up to hold Amilia to his chest as she coughed and splattered in his embrace. His hand trailed into her hair as he held her close in shock horror at what he’d done. 

He could never take that back. Jake had two confirmed air to air kills—but choking Amilia Fisher was officially the worst thing he’d ever done. 

“I’m so sorry—“ Jake couldn’t believe what he’d just done. “I’m so fucking sorry.” Why he did that he’d never know, but he couldn’t ever take it back. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Wh—“ As Jake pulled away to take Amilia in, he saw the blood dripping down her forearm from her elbow. “You’re bleeding?” 

“So are you!” Amilia snapped as she tried not to think about the fact she’d just been choked by a guy she really liked after she’d just run out of her brother-in laws house in the middle of the night. “Your head, you’ve got a nasty gash Jake you probably have a concussion.” Then it dawned on him, where was Odette in all of this? “We should get you to the hospital—“

“Where’s Odette?” Jake grumbled as he tried to sit up, his vision blurred and his head spun as he did so. Amilia was quick to help him up with a hand pressed into his back and the other wrapped in his hand. “Where is she? Where’s Dot?” 

“Reubens here, he’s gone to see if she’s alright—“ 

“What happened?” Jake was barely able to keep his head straight on his shoulders, it wasn’t good—there was far too much blood for Amilia to be comfortable with as she looked at the back of Jake's head as he slouched into her. “My head—“ He pouted, Jake's bottom lip poked out and quivered as he tried to regulate his breathing. “Hurts.” 

“It’ll buff out.” Amilia shrugged her shoulders as she tried to lighten the mood. She assessed the damage, he was definitely not in a good way. Jake just frowns at her, he was so in love but did she really just say that? What the fuck did that even mean? “Here, can you stand?” 

“Yeah, yeah I’m good.” Jake wasn’t good, he wasn’t alright and he certainly couldn’t stand on his own. He clung to Amilia for dear life as she called his bluff and pulled him up off the ground of his garage. “Woah—“ Jake clung to Amilia tight as she wrapped his arm around her shoulders and placed a gentle hand to his chest. 

“Okay big guy, where’s your keys?” Amilia asked as she walked with Jake back into his house slowly but surely. Darkness still consumed the humble abode, but through the darkness came a shining light from a phone that was heading back down stairs. “She alright? Have you got her?” 

“Shhhh—“ Reuben replied as he made his way down stairs with a sleeping Odette in his arms. Her face was pressed against his collar as he carried her. “She’s still asleep, she’s fine, she’s alright.” 

“What the fuck happened?” Jake was still bleeding, his blood was all over Amilias hands. She had a pretty nasty gash herself from the glass she’d busted and now that Jake knew his niece was safe? He really felt the pain settling in. 

“You’re real pretty you know that right?” Amilia could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she looked to her brother in law who stood there with a shit eating grin smeared across his face. “So pretty Oz.” Jake cooed as he leaned on Amilia for support. The nickname made her heart skip a beat inside her chest as she felt her core temperature rise to new heights yet to be reached. “Hey, we were meant to go on that date tomorrow–” Payback raised an eyebrow at Jake's omission, Amilia hadnt mentioned that to anyone. 

“A date huh Oz?” Yep, that was gonna stick like super glue. 

“Let’s get you up to the hospital.” Amilia tried to steer the conversation back on track as she held Jake up. She sent Reuben a look to shut the fuck up as she did so. This was not the time nor the place to be talking about her love life. 

“Hangman!?” Bob came bounding through the front door like he was expecting a murder scene to be unfolding before him. “You okay? What happened?” Amilia was already sick of that question, she didn't even know herself what really happened. All she knew for sure was that someone intentionally meant to hurt her Flyboy. “Oh my god you’re bleeding.” 

“The girl alright?” Rhett asked a little more nonchalantly, Reuben nodded in response before Rhett vanished into the garage, looking for the power box. He flipped the power back on and suddenly it became blindingly apparent how much blood Jake Seresin had lost and just how much intent behind the force he’d been struck with was there. 

“Son of a bitch is lucky he’s still standing.” Rhett mumbled out as he made his way back into the house. “There’s an awful lot of blood on the ground.” 

“We’re heading to the hospital right now.” Amilia replied, she was still carrying most of Jake's weight as his head lulled towards her. 

“Your hair smells like Strawberries–” Jake mumbled as he found himself consumed by the scent of Amilias hair. Rhett frowned and tried to stifle a laugh. “And cream, strawberries and cream.” Everyone did their best to ignore the clearly delirious aviator who hung from Amilia like she was his life support. 

“Who’s gonna take Dot?” Payback asked. The gears turned and the cogs moved inside Rhett Abbotts mind as he stood there with arms crossed and dark eyes. His rugged, rather unhinged persona did a world of good when it came to protecting the people he loved. But it served as a mask of his own sometimes too. No one expected Rhett to advocate for you, hell they all thought the last place he wanted to be was here caught up in all this mess. 

But when the question of who would look after Dot lingered in the air, Rhett was the first to give a legitimate and wholehearted response. 

“She should come to the hospital, Fe’s been driving me crazy about seeing her.” Bob could read between the lines, he knew Rhett cared. He knew Rhett was just thinking of you and your best interest. He’d been the one who sat with you day in and day out for a week straight while Jake and Bradley rotated in and out. “I can take her.” 

“Someone should call Rooster, let him know what’s happened.” Payback added as he handed Dot over gently. Rhett took her on his hip and within a second she was sinking against him like she was in the safest arms in the world. He smiled genuinely as her squished cheek against his shoulder and Bob knew in that moment his brother would do just about anything to keep Odette safe. 

They all would. 

“I'll call–” Amilia was the first to put her hand up. “I’ll call him from Jake’s phone on our way over.” 

“I’ll take Dot straight up the Fe’s room.” Rhett followed the pair out of the house. Amilia just nodded as she guided Jake towards his truck. “He got a booster?” Rhett opened the back of the truck and confirmed what he’d just asked before Amilia even had a chance to ponder the question. “Alright, do you want me to drive or are you good?” 

Amilia couldn’t even reach the clutch, suddenly the old statesman Reuben let her drive around with the mismatched pins in the roofing wasn’t that big of a car. 

“Uh—no, maybe you should drive.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~***

There wasn’t a lot in this world Jaidyn Dolan cared about. He cared about his reputation as a fine Naval Aviator, he cared about his car, his collection of watches that cost a pretty penny. He cared about what products he used and if they were organic and ethically sourced. But the thing he cared about the most in this world was his pride, his ego—and most importantly he cared about making sure you knew that crossing boundaries and understanding that you couldn’t just walk away from him like he didn’t waist the best years of his life trying to turn you into the household slave he desired. 

“Hollow point—“ The man who sat in the car mumbled as he handed Jaidyn the box of bullets he’d asked for from a friend of a friend of a friend. “You planning on doing some damage brother?” Jaidyn didn't respond as he pocketed the box—he was on a warpath. He’d never been more ready to seek revenge for everything you’d done to him, everything you put him through. From having that fucking kid he told you to abort, to leaving him in that air bnb he had brought his buddies back to, for fucking around with Jake Seresin behind his back. For making him feel like less than a man should. 

He knew you’d fuck him, there was no way you hadn’t. A guy like Hangman didn’t hang around for less than getting his dick wet. Jaidyn knew the guy long enough and well enough to understand that Jake chased pussy like he was playing in peak hour traffic. 

“Nah—damage was done ages ago.” Jaidyn finally replied as he looked out across the street to where Bradley Bradshaw's empty house stood shrouded in darkness. “I’m just cleaning up loose ends.” 

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~

“Hey man s’going on? Dot alright?” Bradley’s ringtone was what drew him out of his light sleep he’d fallen victim to as you laid your head on his chest. How you were able to sleep he never knew, but with enough pain killers to put an elephant into a state of euphoria—he was able to understand. 

“It’s uh, it’s Amilia—“ She could help the panic in her voice but she knew it was unmistakably noticeable as she sat in the back seat of Jake’s truck with Dot in her booster seat. 

“What happened?” Rooster didn’t need to say anything more before Amilia was filling him in. She was giving him every detail about the events that transpired that she could recall with quick haste. “Slow down, Ams—slow down yeah? Where are you now? Who’s with Odette?” Bradley could barely keep up as his feet padded along the laminate flooring of your hospital room. 

“We’re on our way to the emergency department. Rhett said he’s gonna bring Odette up, it’s the safest place for her to be I guess.” Bradley couldn’t help but to smile as he turned back to where you laid still sleeping soundly in the hospital bed. 

Rhett cared—they all knew it even if the guy was too stubborn to admit it. 

“Okay, yeah—” Bradley knew it would be a good thing, you had been apart from your little girl for far too long now. Longer than anyone really thought you'd be. He watched the rise and fall of your chest as you slept soundly, knowing that when you woke up and saw your little girl was here–all would be right with the world again. “Yeah, bring her up.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~

In the middle of the night while all was quiet and all those who cared enough to worry about the safety and security of Jake fucking Seresin we’re pre-occupied, Jaidyn Dolan took no safety precautions as he broke his way into the back kitchen window of Bradley’s home. 

He was a man who had nothing but everything to lose. Not an ounce of sanity or stability remained in his mind as Jaidyn stood in the kitchen, looking around to see the dirty dishes still in the sink. Sippy cups and rubber suction plates told him that little Odette had been here and would be back. If there was a sure fire way to break whatever hope, whatever strength, whatever chance of a life you had after Jaidyn that you so desperately wanted, he knew to go through that little pest you called a daughter and take Bradshaw out in the process. 

“What’s Rooster Boy got prepared for me this evening?” Jaidyn mumbled to himself as he placed the handgun he’d managed to get his hands on ontop of the kitchen bench. The same kitchen bench that Bradley sat Dot at for breakfast while he’d cook her pancakes.

Jaidyn opened the fridge like he was right at home and peered in to find exactly what he was looking for. “Ah, good to see you’re good for something Bradshaw—“ He snickered to himself as he reached in to grab the neck of the beer bottle sitting on the shelf of the door. “Don’t mind if I do.” 

He was in no hurry, Jaidyn knew from his research, his reconnaissance—that nobody would be home for hours. He had time. Time to dick around, time to go through Bradley Bradshaw's entire life. Time to sit and stew. Time to enjoy a beer and eat the leftover pasta bake that Bradley had half hazardly covered in his haste to get out the damn door. He had time to look through the boxes of unpacked things he carried over from Jake’s place, going through the things you’d started to rebuild your life from the ground up with. Work clothes, Dots toys, sentimental possessions you'd begun to replace. 

“Huh—“ Jaidyn took a sip of the beer he’d stolen from Bradley’s fridge as he stopped by the mantelpiece above the fireplace. Photo frames sat collecting a light covering of dust, from old family photos to new photographs that captured the love and warmth that was you and Bradley. Little Odette between the two of you in some, one of her sitting on her Toosters shoulders told Jaidyn all he needed to know. 

He was irrelevant. 

“Fucking pathetic—“ Jaidyn growled as he snatched the picture frames off the mantelpiece and smashed the frame on the corner. The old worn photo slipped out from the glass with ease. Jaidyn took the pack of smokes he carried from his back pocket and lit the cigarette he held between his lips. As he took a long draw of the nicotine and settled into his surroundings. Without a second of regret or remorse, Jaidyn took the lighter to the edge of the photo and watched it burn. 

Jaidyn watched as Nick and Carole Bradshaw burned up into nothing but ash with a wicked smile the devil himself would have been scared of. 

“Fucking pathetic—“ 

***~***~***~***~***~***~***

“Rhett!” Amilia groaned as she stumbled her way across the car park into the emergency department with Jake slung over her shoulder. “Would you give me a hand here? for crying out loud!” 

Rhett slowed his strides down to a halt as he waited for Amilia to catch up. He thought she’d been right, but assuming made an arse out of him. 

“Ere—you take Odette, give me Seresin.” Rhett gestured and Amilia was happy to oblige. “Thought you were right, my bad.” Amilia shook her head as if to say it wasn’t a huge deal. “You want me to take him in or do you wanna take Odette up to her ma?” Amilia settled the little girl on her hip as she mulled over the option she had as she walked with Rhett—who was now carrying the deadweight of Jake. “Fuck he’s a heavy bastard isn’t he.” 

“I heard that—“ Jake grumbled under his breath as he tried his best to step in toe with Rhett. 

Amilia didn’t want to leave Jake's side, she was beginning to develop real feelings for this guy. Fast and all consuming too. She’d never felt like this before, so sure of someone. So trusting. She didn’t want Jake to feel like he couldn’t trust her to stay by his side when he so clearly needed someone. 

“I’m pretty cut up, should probably get cleaned up too—might be best if you take Dot and I stay with Jake but I’ll head up after.” Rhett chuckled to himself, he knew that was going to be the answer. He knew a lost cause when he saw one because it was like he was looking in the fucking mirror. 

“Sure Oz.” Rhett nodded as he placed Jake down on one of the empty hospital chairs with a groan. “I won’t tell your boyfriend here that you didn’t wanna leave his side, wouldn’t wanna inflate his ego and make him all the more harder to lug around.” Amilias jaw nearly hit the ground in shock. 

“He isn’t my boyfriend rodeo clown.” She snapped. “He’s just a mate—“ 

“Right right, my bad then.” Rhett gestured for Amilia to hand him over Dot. “Guess your mate here’s pretty lucky to have a friend in you isn't he.” Amilia truly did believe Jake was lucky in a sense—if he hadn't kept her on the phone, who knows how long he would’ve been left to bleed all over his garage floor. She didn’t respond until she was sitting beside Jake in an empty chair, watching one of the emergency triage nurses come over as she popped on some latex gloves. 

“Luckiest bastard alive if you ask me.” Amilia cooed as she pushed some of Jake's bloody blonde locks behind his ear, admiring his profile as Rhett took in the sight. Damn—if that was just friendship he’d been doing it wrong his entire life. “Luckiest bastard alive.” 

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~

“Aw hell kid.” It didn’t take long for Rhett to make it to your room. Dot was, as she had been all night through all the chaos and all the drama, groggy and sleepy. She clung to Rhett’s jacket like he was her very lifeline, a protector she felt safe in the arms of. “You’re kinda cute aren’t ya.” 

“That she is.” Bradley chuckled as he met Rhett in the hall just outside your door. Dot heard her Toosters voice and was quick to rub her eyes to see if she was really seeing him standing with open arms ready to take her in or if she was still dreaming. 

He was there. He was always there. 

“Tooster—“ Dot mumbled through a pouted bottom lip. 

“Hi baby, I’ve got you.” He groaned as he took her from Rhett, the little tot had been passed around more tonight than she had been her entire life. “Gonna see mama, you ready?” Dot nodded silently with tired eyes. 

“That Fisher bird was pretty switched on tonight.” Rhett made sure to mentioned as he trailed behind Rooster. “He’s pretty banged up, if she wasn’t there when she was I can't imagine the state he’d be in.” 

“We know for sure it was Dolan?” Bradley asked as he placed Dot down onto the bed and watched with tears in his eyes as Dot immediately curled up and snuggled into your chest. You were still under some pretty intense pain medication. All you did in reaction was pull your little girl closer, as close as you could possibly bring her. Even asleep you were her most fearsome protector. “Like this wasn’t just a random break and enter?” 

“Would that be any better?” Rhett asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and stood at the base on your hospital bed. 

“I’d rather it be random than intentional Abbott.” Bradley sighed as he leaned in to kiss your forehead gently. “My girls huh, what would I ever do without the two of you.” He felt like his little family was finally on the mend. “How’s Amilia holding up? After—“

“Oh yeah, nah home among the gumtrees down there is fine, got a few cuts on her forearm but nothing an amputation and a couple for beers won’t fix.” Bradley couldn’t help but to chuckle as he sat back in his chair. Rhett laughed along at his own tease before the two men settled into the slice once more and listened to the steady beating of your monitors. “She should be able to go home soon, you know.” Rhett hinted. “You got everything sorted?” 

“Not even close.” Bradley groaned as he reached out for his laptop. “I’m stuck on the yellow polkadots.” Rhett wasn’t proud of all the punches he’d thrown in the name of someone he no longer knew, but watching as you and your daughter slept soundly like two peas in a perfect pod, he knew he’d die for you both before he ever let anyone ever hurt the two of you again. 

“You sure do make domestic bliss seem riveting.” Bradley smiled in response, it was all he ever really wanted and whoever was playing the game that was life up stairs was truly making him work for it. “If you guys are good here I might head home.”

“Tell Bob there’s a beer in the fridge for him if he gets a chance to swing by my place in the morning.” Rhett turned on his heels soon after he’d acknowledged Bradley’s comment. 

Bob didn’t drink, but it was always offered nevertheless. 

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***

“Okay Jake, this might sting a little but you’re gonna be fine.” Doctor Taylor explained as he injected numbing fluid into the back of Jake's skull. Amilia sat close by, having her own war wounds attached to. 

“How’d you get these bruises?” One of the triage nurses asked Amilia as they cleaned up her forearms and picked out the small fragments of glass still embedded in her arm.

“I’m not here about the bruises, I know enough about your healthcare system to know I don’t need anymore than the bare minimum care thanks.” 

“Your travel insurance should cover most of the expenses.” It was clear Amilia had struck a nerve with the nurse who’d been tending to her not so emergent aid as she packed up her things and left. 

“Lucky me.” Amilia rolled her eyes as she jumped off the exam bed she’d been perched on and made her way over to where Jake was sitting. “How’s he holding up doc? Got all his brain cells?” 

“Ha ha—“ Jake smiled a tight lip grin through the sharp sting of the needle being poked into his skull. His eyes trailed down to the bruises coming up nicely on Amilias neck. Jake's heart sank into his stomach. “I’m really—“ Amilia stopped Jake from talking as she placed a gentle hand to his knee and stood before him. 

“Got nothing to apologise for.”

“Can you do me a favour?” Jake asked as he drank in the sight of Amilia as he tried not to think about the stitches being sewn into his skull. “Can you go see how Dot is? Just need to know she’s okay.” Jake knew Odette was safe, he was concussed but he wasn’t stupid. 

“Sure Flyboy, I’m on it.” Amilia nodded silently with a small smile before she left the room. Jake waited a few seconds after she’d vanished from his sight before he cleared his throat. 

Hey Doc?” Jake slurred. He just didn’t want Amilia to see what happened next. “I don’t feel so good.” Doctor Taylor raised an eyebrow as Jake fell forward from where he’d been sitting. He crashed to the floor in a heap unconscious—

Turns out that fear of needles he had as a child was still prominent. But that pride of his was far too important to have him fainting in front of the girl he just wanted a fucking date with already. 

***~***~***~***~***~***~***

“Y/n, Y/n—listen to me.” Jake cooed as he held your face in his hands as you sat crying on the couch. Jake had been kneeling in front of you from the moment he found you in the state of distress you were in. You remembered this moment so vividly, so clearly in your mind that it had become a core memory. You’d just admitted that you were falling head over heels in love with Bradley Bradshaw and couldn’t understand why you’d let yourself do that after everything that had happened. 

“I’m fucked Jake! I’m royally fucked!” The snot that came out your nose as you ugly cried made Jake laugh. He loved you oh so much but if he knew anything it was that you were about to become someone to Bradley Bradshaw and he, you. 

“You deserve someone who can’t wait to talk to you every day you delirious delinquent!” Jake shook you softly. “Someone who can’t wait to spend time with you, get to know you, fall in love with you yeah?” He tried to remind you as his voice echoed inside your head. “Please stop settling for half hearted, lukewarm, hesitant and indecisiveness.” 

The vision of Jake your memory had painted had slowly begun to fade as your eyes fluttered open. But not before the final sentence that stuck to you like super glue echoed through your mind. “It’s always gonna be better to be alone than to be with someone who makes you feel unworthy of love—but if you really like Rooster, take the leap Fe, you won’t regret it.” 

The steady beeping of all your monitors was the first thing you focused on when you woke up. The second and most important thing you managed to focus on as you came out of your grogginess, was the little ball of warmth that curled up against you. 

“Oh—“ Bradley heard the whimper like noise escape you as he looked up from his laptop, he’d moved past the yellow polkadot and onto possibly erecting a treehouse in the backyard like his dad had made him when he was just a kid. He was sure there was a photo on his mantlepiece of the man, the myth, the legend that was Nick Bradshaw standing with Bradley on his shoulder right in front of the newly built treehouse. “Oh my baby, my sweet baby girl.” You cuddled your daughter as tightly as he could with your arm still in a sling. Immobilised. With your jaw still locked. Banded. With your heart pounding inside your chest with a love so unconditional it would never fade. 

“Hi mamma.” Dot cooed as she stirred in your arms and first the jumper of Bradley’s you wore. “I missed you.” Rooster just sat back and watched the moment he wished had come under better circumstances. He knew he’d have to tell you about Jake, about Jaidyn. But he’d do that in the morning. 

“Oh darling you have no idea how much I missed you.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~*

Tags: @a-serene-place-to-be @lilyevanswhore @thescarletknight2014 @blindedbythelightt @averyhotchner @emma8895eb @blairfox04 @caitsymichelle13 @oxxolovemelikeyoudooxxo @teacupsandtopgun @aemondssiut @feltonswifesworld87 @akalei349 @notjustsomeblonde @americaarse @avaleineandafryingpan @phoenix1388 @xoxabs88xox @je-suis-prest-rachel @pono-pura-vida @rosiahills22 @starset21 @anarchyrising @caidi-paris @starkleila @criticalroleobssedperson @enchantingdreamergothprune @flrboyd @emma8895eb @endofdays56 @seresinsaint @topguncortez @mandylove1000

[sygneth]

I had this idea for a while now but I didn't really have time to go shoot photos, so finally I just digged through my old photos and found something I could use.

Postcards from Revachol vol. 1

The technique is digital painting on photos (photos are mine as well), don't worry I didn't paint all that

The thoughts behind this project (or a deep and thorough analysis of Revacholian [suppposed] architecture and urbanistic, long):

Ever since I played the game I have been thinking of how Revachol reminds me of my birth city (where I have been living for past 25 years) and I couldn't really get why. But then I started to think. And oh boy, not in a long time was I this happy to be an actual architect.

I know we have never seen any of Revachol besides Martinaise but what we know is that Revachol have been founded around 380 years ago. If the cultural/architectural periods in Elysium are comparable to what happened in our world, that would mean the city's beggings were in something baroque-ish, and it's golden age was probably at the turn of baroque and classicism. What is important is that Revachol is not a medieval city. There is no old downtown with a city wall and narrow, curvy streets. Baroque and classicist cities were all about good planning, composition, wide streets, representative buildings in strategic places, and later also good functional layout and generally being a good-to-live place. We know the city must have been a great, rich place, very representative, as it was said to be the capital of the world. It was a monarchy until the communist revolution some years ago, before the events from the game. What this pattern reminds me of, is actually the history of Saint Petersburg. Also a baroque/clacissist city, also a capital, also got through a communist revolution.

We also know that Revachol, or at least it's parts were based on a mashup of Paris and Tallin (the latter I don't know much about, unfortunately) with some 90's post-communist CEE climate sprinkled on top. Paris has been re-built at some point of its history (around 1850), the streets have been widened, the city structure got more organised, the facades of the buildings gained a characteristic style (there was an actual law how they should all look but it didn't work very well honestly, but still gave the city a more consistent style)

Okay. That was about St. Petersburg, Paris and Tallin. Where is my city in all this mess?

Let me explain.

My own city isn't one of those cities with old boulevards and medieval centers. It was a small city until 1820, when somebody noticed its potential and started to build factories. With the factories, there came workers and with the workers, a need for places to live in. The city developed quickly, but at that time the cities didn't really grow in an uncontrolled manner, it had to be planned. And those plans were mostly inspired by Paris and Saint Petersburg. The tenement houses in my city were practically copied from those one in Paris and the whole urbanistic design of the city was based on the urbanist laws in St. Petersburg. So now you can see why that was important.

Another thing is that both Revachol and my city are cities of immigrants. My own city at some point was said to be "a city of four cultures", are there was a similar number of Jewish, German, Polish, and Russian inhabitants. People came here to work in the factories from all over the country (or rather what have been the area of our country before the annexation, as there was no country of Poland in the XIX century) and they stayed, started families, and started to be from here.

And then, after WWII my country fell behind the iron curtain. In the communist times there have also been major architectural changes in here. Some of the buildings in city center were knocked out, some typical socialist architecture started to appear. In the pretty much city center there is a high-rise residential area of concrete blocks that are 20-something floors high. And looking at those blocks in the distance here really, like really reminded me of this part of my own city. And here we come to another point of this ridiculously long essay, but I guess that is the last of the important ones.

There are no modern-looking skyscrapers in Revachol. Taking the technological level of development on Elysium seems similar to the ~90s in our world, there should be technologies to build high. The thing is, there is either no money for that or no need (or both). I know this is a general tendency of European cities (Paris, Stockholm or Amsterdam doesn't have any modern American-style skyscrapers too), but this was something I noticed about my own city a long time ago before I even considered studying architecture. The highest buildings are those high-rise multi-families, churches, and chimneys. In Revachol we see the chimneys of the power plant as the most prominent thing in the city panorama.

One more thing is the socio-economical aspect of my city. The golden age of the city passed with the XXth century. The city was poor, neglected, and dirty, the city center was a place where people were actually scared to go in the night. There still are parts of the city where I would rather not go after dark. Times have changed, but the renewal of the city takes time, and what we still have, are tones of half-empty tenements, with closed or barely-alive little shops on the ground floors, tired people, and a lot of graffiti everywhere. And especially hearing of Jamrock, I just couldn't take the visions of familiar places I walked myself thousands of times off my head.

(The last one teeny-tiny detail. Unimportant. But if anybody got here, I have to mention it. Remember how I mentioned the industrial character of my city? It was actually mostly the fabric industry.

And we know Precinct 41 has its seat in the old silk factory. That's all. That's all I had to say).

Even though Łódź is not nearly as big as Revachol, I feel like there are particles of her. They are hidden under the roofs of tenement houses, in the abandoned shops, in the smoke of the cigarettes of strangers at bus stops. They are not easy to find and most people will pass by not even noticing. But if you know where to look, maybe they will let you find them.

Or maybe she will find you.

[sensitiveheartless]

Ok second part of the other post because chaos

art ramblings under the cut

Here are two digital paintings that both didn't QUITE turn out how I wanted—I fiddled with them for a long time and then threw my hands up and just kinda decided they were learning experiences lol

Aaaand excerpts of Stormbringer sketches/comics that I still want to finish at some point!

Unfinished meme...

A sketch I sent to an irl friend when she said she couldn't remember how tall I am

And then there are the howl AU sketches, oh my gosh I have so many I need to finish at some point—those could be a post all of their own tbh, but here are a few of them

And then of course there are my OCs, who I don't usually put on here because they aren't related to BSD, but here are a few of them! Boots and Rad I'm actually planning out a webcomic for :0

[orowyrm]

ai art will NEVER be real art even if its “ethically sourced” (lmao) because it lacks human touch, it lacks creativity and care and and genuine effort. you’ll never be a real artist if you’re just feeding a prompt to a robot. develop some talent or die mad, loser

ok first of all everyone get a load of this guy who thinks machine learning algorithms are actual genuine artificial intelligence

second off you just exemplified all of the worst parts of anti-ai arguments. you realize that this is like. word for word the exact shit people used to say regarding digital art ALL the fucking time? straight up i had art teachers try to fail me for doing an assignment in paint tool sai and other such shit because “the computer does it for you, that doesn’t count”. it literally all boils down to

A. a visceral disgust for things that are new and different that people aren’t willing to grapple with or confront

B. some sort of smug superiority that comes from being a “real artist” punching down on anyone whose “talent” you perceive as lesser. i’ve seen people turn around and carry this further and say shit like “you know what, photography and collage aren’t real art either!!!!!” which is SOOO STUPID. you cannot define what is and isn’t art. “talent” is subjective, skill is built and not everyone is capable of the same things, nobody is born with a magic art sparkle inside their brain that makes them inherently a good artist

C. a downright refusal to learn how these things work, even if you don’t like them or don’t plan on using them, and instead just parroting what other people say…when THEY don’t know what they’re talking about and are deriving their point from someone else…. and THAT person is purposefully misconstruing the facts in bad faith because they know that nobody on this damn website has a comprehension of nuance or the ability to think for themselves or fact check when a post sounds scary enough

by all fucking means, don’t take this to be blind support for every and all ai art generator out there. art theft is an issue! it’s a big issue!! but not all machine learning systems are created equal and you can’t make broad sweeping statements about the inherent morality of using what is literally a tool to make pictures, ESPECIALLY when you have no idea how the hell it even works. you’re actively harming the attempts of those who ARE pushing for ethical dataset use because you’re too damn stubborn to do any learning before you speak.

also, for the record, i’m not an ai artist - i don’t have the technical know-how to mess around with code, nor the free time to learn - not that it should matter. i don’t have to have personal stakes to be mad that y’all are being obtuse as hell on the subject

[holts-knees]

So, last week @swiss-army-fangirl came to stay with me in LA for a while, and if you know anything about me you know i’m the kind of person that needs to document things that move me. These two paintings are of our first and third nights, two both seemingly impossible events along the California shoreline (the most magical place in this country if you ask me honestly) Sappy lil stories and context below the cut < 3 

Our first night we made a mad dash down to Santa Monica which was SOMEHOW almost completely empty, and we laid out on a blanket and watched as the clouds that had been hanging over the sky all day cleared JUST in time for sunset, I got to watch Tori like, atomize, as i pointed out all the colors and how the marine layer slowly consumes the mountains and the pier comes to life with all it’s lights. After a while of talking it was dark and Tori pointed up and said “is that a star?” and I laughed at her, because of Course its not this is LOS ANGELES, but then...the more we looked, it WAS and there were...MORE, It was like she brought them down with her.... I remember being sat there thinking “this is a sign....this trip is going to be So Much.....” which was interrupted by Tori going “oh my god....the big dipper looks so different from here-” and me just needing to.....Lay Down LOL. We talked for a bit longer, sitting there on the beach WELL past sunset and then we both fell dead silent and looked at each other before going “did you see that-” and we both HAD and it was....a shooting star--- HERE- ON A RANDOM NIGHT IN LA 

and i haven’t stopped thinking about it since---- The second landscape is a direct rendition of a picture I took while we were in La Jolla. La Jolla is one of the few places on this earth that makes me feel completely at peace and happy, I always find myself making my where there when my soul needs it. and funnily enough, I found as i was getting to know Tori that she was familiar with it. In an abstract but still equally meaningful way, because she had heard it described in the Wilbur Soot song of the same name, which means quite a lot to her. From the moment I learned this fact the jokes started about taking her there some day. Jokes that we both knew were just that, because what would be the odds of two online friends from AK and CA, actually meeting up? Last Christmas when I was down there I sat on the rocks and listened to the song as a way to “bring her there” in spirit. And I remember getting weepy at the idea of how wonderful it would be to share this place with her, my heart ached for it, but i accepted it was never gonna happen.  But then....this LA trip fell into our laps and I cannot DESCRIBE the speed at which I started to throw this day trip into motion, I KNEW I had to, I knew it was FATE. I arranged train tickets, I found a place to drink cocktails over the water, I mapped out all the things I wanted to do to make sure we’d have time for them all..... Truly went ALL IN- but it was SO worth it...because with all that planning....the day went PERFECT.... and we ended it right down at the water, sitting side by side on the beach steps, listening to that Damn Song, and coming full circle..... I pulled out my phone and took a picture of the surf right as Wilbur sang Tori’s favorite line and then when we got home I painted it, so that I could give it to her as a Physical Thing (well....digital-) that she can look back on and remember the experience by. I made sure to be meticulous about every single detail so it would be....truly EXACTLY as it happened and as we remembered it. And i’d be lying if I didnt admit i’ve gone back a few times even myself to look at it and just, Think [tm]. Think about how fortunate I have been to be able to open up my heart and show some of my most treasured places to one of my newest most treasured friends. And in turn with that, weave our friendship into little pockets and corners of those places, which only makes me love them more....  ALSO we saw a whale going down the coast and I am, fully convinced, just like the stars that Tori brought it down with her and I cannot be told otherwise. < 3 

[luna-redamancy]

Weird Qs 1, 25, 33 💛

Hi Lovey! Thank you so much for the ask! I hope you're doing well!

What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?

I use the "Spectral" font in Google Docs! The default is Arial, and my changing it kind of depends on how long I plan to sit there writing. So, when I write series or just really long fics I like to change it to Spectral because my eyes like it more, but if it's a quick fic where I'm just using the document to get the writing down so I have a save-point (too many times has Tumblr crashed on me while writing a request in my ask box...I learned the stubborn way) then I leave it on Arial.

25. What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?

Thorin drinks red wine. In the book, Thorin arrives with Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur along with Gandalf. When Gandalf asks for a "little red wine," Thorin asks for red wine as well, while his kin drink porter, beer, coffee, etc. I thought it was interesting because, in the movie, we see the production of wine being something of Elvish culture (More precisely, of the Greenwood realm), not Dwarvish and his repeated on-screen portrayals of not liking the Elves. Very stupid detail that has clung in my brain since I first read the books.

33. Do you practice any other art besides writing? Does that art ever tie into your writing, or is it entirely separate?

I draw digitally as well as traditionally, I also really love painting and photography! Sometimes they do have some overlap, for example, I have a WIP drawing of Thranduil succumbing to Hanahaki disease based on my fic "Forgive me, My Love."

I sometimes post my art in videos on Tiktok so sometimes the videos I create or have in drafts inspire fics or snippets that soon get turned into fic concepts.

[therandomavenger]

The State of Things

It’s been a busy couple of months here at stately Grayson-Coats manor. A lot going on. Like, a lot a lot.

Jimmy and I spent a few weeks furiously planning the wedding. We have a tentative date (Oct 12th), and we pretty much have our colors (grey and purple) and the overall flow of the ceremony, as well as our attendants selected. Our priest has agreed to marry us (which I something I never thought would be possible, but that’s the Episcopal Church for you), and we’ve decided to get married at the actual church, which will be amazing. The next step is to call the church and schedule an appointment with the priest and also whomever we need to talk to to actually book the church and that has been on my to-do list for like six weeks now and I … just keep forgetting to do it? This is not a ‘he has mixed feelings so he’s dragging his feet’ thing, which I can forgive you for thinking. It’s a ‘the church office is only open until noon every day and by the time I remember I should call they are closed’ thing. I did put it on my LifeUp! To-do list so it should happen soon, hopefully tomorrow. I hear you. Get your shit together, Chad.

We both started school January 16th, and that has been an adjustment for both of us. I love my classes. I love the process of doing art the same way I love the process of writing, which is a good sign for my longevity in this pursuit. Originally, I was just going to get a certificate in Digital Art and Design, but now I’ve decided to get a whole-ass AA in Art. Specializing in Digital stuff, but also pursuing drawing and painting.

I am finding myself having to forgive myself for being a beginner in this. It took me 46 (at least) years to get somewhat good at writing. I’ve been doing art for a month. Less than, actually. I know how I want things to look, but my skills have not developed to the point where they come out like that. This is as it should be! If things were feeling too easy, I wouldn’t be learning. I’m getting good grades on all my assignments. I am exactly where I should be. But there’s a part of me that is like ‘I need to demonstrate immediate mastery of every new skill I try, or I am a loser. I am the only one this applies to.’ I need someone to sit next to me and spray me with water every time I say something self-deprecating. (Yes, I have been working on this in therapy). I will probably start sharing some of my art soon, probably on my Instagram account.

But I love being in school again. I like being on campus and sitting in class and working on a new set of skills. I’m into the whole thing. (Could academia be my kink?) I’ve started to make friends with my fellow students, many of whom are my age or older. Also, maybe this is news to you, but art seems to attract a lot of queer people? Who knew? Anyway, I love every part of this except getting up for 8:00 classes. Like, who invented 8:00 classes? They need to be punished.

And while I have turned my attention to art school, I have not neglected my writing. It is still my first love, and my primary vocation. I scheduled myself three days a week for writing. I write 2500 words every writing day, which gives me 7500 words a week or 30,000 words a month (at least). In January, I met this goal, even though I took a week off because I got sick (influenza can die in a fire), and I am on track for February too. I was a little afraid that my mental energy would fail me, but art and writing, while both creative, don’t use the same parts of my brain, so doing a lot of one doesn’t exhaust my capacity for the other. I have six days a week I work at either school, or writing both, and I take Sundays mostly off. I’m extremely glad I quit working at the library because that would not have fit into this schedule, despite the fact that I don’t have class the day I usually worked.

I’m almost finished with the rough draft of ‘World Enough and Time,’ my sci-fi romance that started with a silly idea and has gotten surprisingly deep. I have my next few projects lined up. Actually, I made a list of all the books I have solid ideas for, and it was, I shit you not, 37 books! So, because I am a planner, I scheduled out a potential work and release schedule and this will take me thirteen years. And part of me wants to post that list of deadlines and hold myself to it, and part of me is like, no, just write the books and don’t worry about deadlines. Clearly, I need my muse to take a vacation because I don’t need any more book ideas. But it was nice to get a realistic idea of what was possible. In 13 years, I will only be 64 (I can’t believe I used only in that sentence) and that isn’t really that old by any means. There are a lot of people in my writing group who are older than that, and still going strong.

Overall, I’m grateful for the way my 50’s seem to be shaping up. I’m not as young as I used to be, but physically, I’m just as capable as I was when I was 30. I’ve finally figured out how my brain works and created ways to be productive. I am wholly myself with everyone in my life, no longer trapped in the closet. I have great relationships with my close family and my kids and grandkids. In October, I will marry the love of my life, and there were many times over the years I despaired of that ever happening.

I would love to get away from financial stress, and really see my career take off, but I’m not really in control of whether or not that happens. The best thing I can do is put out the best work that I can, work that I am proud of, and I have been doing that. I’m looking into ways to not go as deeply in the hole as I have been (the art degree is part of that).

I have four books lined up to publish this year, including a short story collection that will be an exclusive for newsletter subscribers. Also, Curse of the Onyx Heart, the first book in The Circle and the Shadow, and epic fantasy series. In August, I plan to release Beneath the Silent Stars, which is Broken Stars book 5. Also this summer, I’ll be sending out the short story collection, which is titled Ghosts of Exile and other Stories. And then I hope to release World Enough and Time in December. That will bring my published works up to 10.   

I feel good about how things are going right now, even if things are not perfect. This is the life I have built for myself, and if I’d known it was coming during those long, dark, years, I would have realized that all the pain would one day be worth it.

[ocpdramblings]

Maybe I should start using this blog to talk about my hobbies as well so that I can associate it with things I like. I like art, I do a variety of mediums. Watercolor, charcoal, graphite, trying to get into pastels and gouache, digital, not a fan of acrylic but I can do it, really want to try oil painting but I don’t have the space for it to dry.

I like reading classics a lot. Pride and prejudice is a fave rn and I impulse purchased Jane Austen’s entire works. Read the predecessor to Dracula, Carmilla. Very good. Very gay. Way more gay than I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be subtext. It was not. I also like reading trashy books as well. I really enjoy the ones that TikTok recommends that have absolutely insane plot premises. I don’t care about the writing at that point I just need to read.

I’ve recently gotten into Overwatch. Never played a FPS before. Made a couple new friends from it. Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Hollow Knight, I really wanna get into Celeste. On the second Ace Attorney game, I love mobile and gacha games, I wanna play more otomes even tho I’m not a big fan of romance when I am implicated.

I unmask a lot with this blog and every time I reread a post I can’t help but think of how bland it is and how I’d never talk like that in real life.

My favorite game is Okami. Never met other people who like it. Very sad.

I watch anime, tho I do this thing where I’ll watch a popular anime a couple years after it comes out. And I tell myself that it’s to see if it lives up to the hype but honestly it’s bc I’ll have random moments in which I want to watch anime and then the only ones that come to mind are popular ones on social media years ago. I say my favorite is Bungou Stray Dogs but that’s actually my favorite manga not my favorite anime. My fav anime rn is probably High Card. Doesn’t have the highest budget but I like the premise so far and the characters. My favorite mangas are Bungou Stray Dogs, Kuroshitsuji, and Witch Hat Atelier (also not caught up on). I wanna start reading firefly wedding.

I read a lot of romance manhwas, mainly with female leads but I have a couple with male leads that I adore. I haven’t watched any tv shows in a while but I’ve been telling myself that I’m either going to watch Hannibal or Dexter. I’ve been wanting to consume more queer material involving women since I’ve found that despite being sapphic, very few women media shows up recommended to me. Favorite movie of last year was Bottoms. I watched it several times. I want to get into cdramas. The next film I see will either be The Handmaiden or Maja Ma. Or one of the Saw movies. Been on a Saw movie binge with friends. I find the themes inconsistent. An unforgivable crime.

There’s no actors I’m particularly into. Never got into anything Marvel aside from Spider Man. I plan on reading the comics soon bc a friend of mine really likes Spider man and I want him to know I care about his interests.

I’ve found a new enjoyment for figure skating. I have a couple of male skaters that I quite enjoy, but I’d like to watch more and eventually get into some female and ice dancing pairs as well.

I crochet. Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday. I graduate with my bachelors in the spring. I plan on doing my masters in IO psychology. My favorite color is blue and pink. I’ve been dying my hair for I think two years now. Maybe six months away from two. My friends say that I am surprisingly progressive in regards to my political views. I don’t know what that is supposed to mean.

I have a new car cause I recently got into a car crash. I’m very privileged. I don’t have to worry about money. I do regardless. I somehow have this personality disorder, and I have had one of the best life’s a child could have. Though every time I say that my friends say that’s weird considering the amount of trauma I’ve gone through. I think I have turned out well despite my circumstances. I like caring about other people. I’d like to make it my life’s goal to improve the life of somebody I don’t know yet.

Feel free to reach out to this blog anytime. It’s a side blog so I’m likely not gonna end up following anybody but I like talking.

[tomschoolwork]

Ai is not art

Have you guys noticed how often or how much people defend AI? They post so much about how they need to use Ai to make art because they can't do it themselves. Spoiler alert; it's not real and all of their excuses are not valid at all.

Notice this: when defending their use of Ai to make work, they defend themselves saying "We need to use Ai to make sure we can create" they are wrong. Ignore them. They don't need Ai to create, they need Ai to be able to do work without needing to actually put any effort in. They want profit without any effort. Sounds appealing, right? Well here's another term;

artist exploitation.

"Hey, how can Ai be exploiting artists? It's a computer software!"

How do you think they get their sample photos? Ai cannot create without referencing and sampling. And who are they sampling from? Artists! Imagine posting digital art just for somebody to feed it into their Ai so they can turn your work into something else. And it doesn't even look good! Here's an example.

I fed a piece of work into an Ai to rework it. It's my own work and the only person who could possibly be harmed by this is me, and I took this risk. Here is the original.

And here is the Ai's version

Notice how different they are. The Ai isn't capable of recognizing/replicating what the original image was. It is just some smiling anime girls- which is stupid because it was a brother and sister drawing I had done. It also completely reworked their eye colors and made them paler. Also it hasn't realized how color theory works. I had done every color intentionally, the pink and blue represent and complement each sibling and the black also ties them together. The Ai doesn’t understand these and sees 2 figures to turn into anime girls, which- yikes- and overall is disappointing.

Ai isn't helping artists at all.

"But Ai can give the gift of creation to those who can't create on their own!"

While that sentiment would be nice, they aren't creating with Ai. They're essentially rebranding. They rework an image to create. And often times, it isn't a good looking image. Looking back at my image, yeah of course I made mistakes but the Ai also made mistakes. It can't pose the way I had been able to, and because it couldn't it filled in gaps. Imagine seeing somebody be glad they can finally make something, just to realize they're stealing work from others. It's not gonna be a good feeling at all. Those who are really determined to create find alternatives. Some people use their lips, use their mouth to hold the paint brush, use their feet, anything besides using an online program to reuse old work and pass it off as their own.

Also, Ai is being trained to steal jobs from real artists. And it sucks. Some people have been saying Wish by Disney is Ai generated, and let me just say it's not, it's just a disappointing movie. Wish is what happens when a poorly planned movie gets greenlit. Not everything bad is Ai generated.

Artists put a lot of effort into their work, it often takes hours to make and complete. Imagine creating something that took hours for you to make, and then boom; somebody else posts something that looks similar, but took them a few minutes at longest. And what they did to make it was wait for a computer program to spit out their prompt after they opened a program and fed some art to it. Artists would get disheartened and then they would slowly stop posting. If their work gets less traction for more effort, what's the point?

"What can I do to protect my art?"

GLAZE IT

Glazing your art will not at all impact how your art looks but it will impact Ai that are trying to replicate your art. It poisons the Ai, and it warps whatever they try to generate.

And also let artists know! If you see their art being bastardized by Ai screenshot it, report the post and let the original artist know. If you don't know the artist, report the post regardless.

Remember, Ai isn't a fun tool to make art, it actively harms artists! Report it if you see it being used in any way that could possibly impact artists, or other people negatively!

[cascadedkiwi]

Colors [Comfortember 2023]

Characters: Micah Yujin x "Angel" Visual Novel/Game: Error 143 Genre: Comfort (more fluff, I'm feeling) Summary: Micah turns Angel's nails into a rainbow. Word Count: 703

Alternative Prompt: 5. Colors

“Micah. Yujin.”

Micah chuckled, bouncing happily in his seat at the table. “Ah, ah. You lost our wager, Angel. I get to do what I want with these nails. All TWENTY of them.”

Angel looked over the spread of nail polish on the coffee table. Her boyfriend had every single color in her collection sat between them, along with some new colors she didn’t recognize. “You were planning this.”

“No, I wasn’t!” He cried innocently. “I bought them all for you as a gift. I saw them in the window at the store and they made me think of you!”

Angel held out her hand like a floating handkerchief. “Just get it over with.”

“Nah, ah-ah,” Micah singsonged. “I wanna start with these cute little toes.” He slid out of the chair and took one of her bare feet, sitting it on his thigh. 

She offered no resistance aside from wiggling her toes. 

Micah fit in toe spacers between her three middle toes. He pulled down the two closest colors from the tabletop, studying them for a moment. “Baby blue and silver, huh? That sounds cute.” He opened them both and set to work, alternating colors for each toe.

Angel watched his fingers. “You are… really good at this…”

“Only the best for my love,” Micah chirped without looking up. He switched out her foot for the other, patting around the table for new colors. “Red and black!” He pulled down another. “And pink!”

“You sound so excited but the colors really don’t matter, do they?” Angel asked, rocking her painted foot on its heel as it dried. 

He looked up at her, sticking out his forked tongue. “I want to at least make sure it’s a good combination to work with.” He placed one color on each toe, repeating pink on the pinkie toe and covering half the big toe’s nail. “Red or black?” He looked up at her.

She tilted her head.

“I’m actually giving you a choice here, Angel.”

“Black.”

“Great minds think alike.” He swiped it on smoothly. “And NOW the fingers!” He carefully rested her foot on the ground before popping back up onto the chair. 

Angel spread her hands, resigned to her colorful fate.

Micah waved his hand over the assortment, plucking one up at random. 

“That’s crackle nail polish,” Angel pointed out.

His eyes lit up. “Oooooooh, interesting! So we’ll crackle orange on top of…” Another random selection. “Yellow it is.” He lifted her pinkie finger.

Angel closed her eyes, leaving Yujin to his fun. She focused on her breathing, listening to Micah hum his song. She felt when he moved over to her left hand, listening arbitrarily to see if she could tell how many new colors he opened. He seemed to especially take his time, lifting each finger individually and carefully handling each digit between two of his own. After a while, her hands were placed back on the table.

“Angel~” Micah sang the nickname sweetly, like when he wanted something. “I’m all done~”

“Do I actually want to see what you did?”

“It’s not that bad, I promise!”

“I don’t trust it.” She opened her eyes anyway, examining the right hand first. Five different colors, including the orange crackle over the yellow base; her index and middle finger was purple. Her left hand sported only three colors, black, white, and green. She compared the two. Both her ring fingers were green, and her thumbs half black, half white. The left hand actually looked kind of cool, with her index, middle, and pinkie fingers sporting a black and white design, leaving the ring finger as an accent nail. He could've done both hands like that and she would've been fine. “Staking your claim?”

“I just wanted to try it out. The haf-and-half look is cool.” He twirled a lock of his striped hair subconsciously. 

She studied her left hand some more. "I gotta give you props for this hand, at least. I may have you do my nails for real sometime." She glanced at the other hand, then down at her toes where she had placed her feet on top of Micah's.

“And how long do I have to keep my nails like this?”

[icarusthelunarguard]

This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

(Sorry I’m running a little late this week)

It’s time for this week’s Horrible-Scopes! So for those of you that know your Astrological Signs, cool! If not, just pick one, roll a D12, or just make it up as you go along. It really doesn’t matter.

Aries 

You need a moment of musical W-T-F this week. Go find your copy of 1994’s album, “Out in L.A.” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and put on “Flea Fly”. It’s only 40 seconds long, sounds like it was recorded with a couple of Radio Shack Hi-Ball Mics on Irish-Brand Cassettes tapes… but you’re still going to have your face scrunched up while wondering what the HELL did you just listen to! 

Taurus 

There are lots of musical groups out there with pretentiously long songs, or pretentiously long song titles. You don’t have to be that way in business. If you have a business card, have it turned sideways and see if your information still fits without wrapping. Regardless, do that anyway. If people still use Rolodex filers, they’ll just punch holes in the bottom, cutting off important information. Invest in new business cards anyway.

Gemini   

Time to learn some Film History! In the Silent Era, movies were usually delivered at 16 frames per second. Once sound was delivered on the film itself, 24 frames became the norm because that was the lowest rate you could get good audio out of the machine. That’d been the standard for nearly a century - including all those cartoons you remember like the Warner Brothers’ stuff. Well, someone took 3 minutes of a Tom and Jerry cartoon and upscaled it from 24 to 60 frames per second. We’re warning you now: just because you CAN upscale something doesn’t mean you SHOULD! You have some old stuff - leave it alone!

Cancer Moon-Child 

Today we think of the term “Pixel” as a relatively new thing. Maybe from the start of digital monitors in the 90’s? Nope. Maybe the 70’s and the SONY Trinitron color TV’s? Still no. "Bildpunkt", the German word for, literally, 'picture point', was used in the 1888 German patent of Paul Nipkow for a Mechanical Television. Yeah; the term “Pixel” predates an actual functional electronic display as we know it. This week, learn some more German terms.

Leo 

Your dreams are going to be stranger than normal this week. Set a pen and paper next to your bed and plan on writing things down quickly. You could also get a sound-activated sleep recorder for your phone; not that that isn’t a creepy idea, though. Some great ideas come to us at night; embrace your subconscious!

Virgo 

This week we’re telling you what to do first: go online and find an older cell phone, like the Samsung S5; specifically something with an Infrared port on it. You’re going to be visiting folks, have dinner in a restaurant, and the TVs will be tuned to a local Sports-Ball game… and it’s YOUR job to use your new device to turn off the TVs at the most inopportune moment! Because this week, you’re on a mission from god; specifically the Great God Murphy. Glory Be his angst.

Libra 

You want to be self-reliant, but there are some jobs better done by several people instead of just one. This week identify the job, enlist assistance, and get a large Sicilian Meatball Pizza delivered to thank people with. Why Sicialian specifically? There won’t be any Pizza Bones left at the end. 

Scorpio 

You remember the song, “Baker Street” from 1978 by Gerry Rafferty? Something you might not have known - he wasn’t, LEGALLY, allowed to release any music for three years before then. He was part of Stealers Wheel, the group that performed "Stuck in the Middle with You". Well, Stealers Wheel broke up in ‘75, and for THREE SOLID YEARS Gerry was fighting his way out of the contract with their music label, A&M. So whenever people remind you that The Internet is The Great Equalizer for talented people, believe them!  

Sagittarius 

You’re right - toys aren’t built the way they used to be anymore. They don’t have lead in the paint, fabric-wrapped electrical plugs, ungrounded heating elements, and they sure-as-hell don’t have skull-impaling aerial daggers being sold anymore. The only toys you can still depend on are Tonka! You can STILL beat someone into a coma with them. –NOT THAT YOU SHOULD DO THAT!  

Capricorn 

Color-blindness isn’t what you think it is. That’s why you’re not an Opthamologist. Centrifugal Force isn’t what you think it is. That’s why you’re not working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA. And lastly you don’t understand that on movie credits, the Best Boy might be the Best Girl - neither of which would be a minor. This week, actually read the credits at the end of a movie for once.   

Aquarius 

We don’t mean to pick on you, Aquarius. Really! It’s just that you’re the youngest sibling in the Astrological group. Yes, Pisces is next and actually last, but they’re hooked up with the Mafia. Do you really want us to piss THEM off over you? HELL no! So this week… Uhm… How about this: The last open weekends are happening for amusement parks before Halloween. Take in a roller coaster before it all shuts down.

Pisces 

Time to kill you with My Little Pony trivia. In Today I Learned… Equestria was breaking the Geneva Conventions and was told to cut it out! Apparently the symbol we all associate with “Health” and medical stuff, the Red Cross on a White Background is actually internationally reserved for the Red Cross. In Friendship is Magic Nurse Redheart’s cutie mark was a white hide with a red cross with four pink hearts in each corner; enough for the Red Cross to get in contact and get the mark changed. So, yeah! My Little Geneva Convention.

And THOSE are your Hobble-Scopes for this week! Remember if you liked what you got, we’re obviously not working hard enough at these. BUT! If you want a better or nastier one for your own sign or someone else’s, all you need to do to bribe me is just Let Me Know! These will be posted online at the end of each week via Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook and Discord.

[kevinychen]

Seward (7/7)

We bought tickets to the SeaLife center for 12pm. Our plan was to leave at 11:15, but three of us (hm, which three?) were already up and bored at ~10am so we decided to go get brunch first, and get some groceries so we could cook dinner.

We lived 10 minutes from downtown Seward. The first stop was Safeway, where we got corn and asparagus. The next stop was Smoke Shack for brunch, which was the top result on Yelp in this town and turned out to be a nice food-truck like place, where I ordered a "Breakfast Sandwich" with sausage egg and bacon. The final stop was J-Dock, right nearby, for frozen salmon sockeye to cook for dinner.

Here's the fish from J-Dock:

We also saw the Marine Tours building where we were supposed to meet for our planned cruise tomorrow. "What time do we need to meet tomorrow?" asked Natalle. "11:30am," I replied. "No, it's 10:30am", Becky interjected.

We drove 20 minutes back to the Airbnb and back to downtown Seward, to drop off our bought food and pick up the sleepyhead.

At noon we got to the SeaLife center. Some highlights:

My favorite thing to learn about was the "sleeping shark", named because it is the slowest-moving shark at a pitiful 1 mph. There was even a nice video with the shark swimming in a "water treadmill", i.e. a box of water that is continuously flowing in one direction.

In the middle of the exhibits of jellyfish and anemones, was a small tank that at first sight looked like some similar sea creatures, but turned out to be just plastic trash flowing around. It was to spread awareness of plastic pollution.

There was a "touch-me" area, which just made me think of Finding Nemo 2. Most things ignored my touch, but the shrimp retreated quickly. The water was freezing.

Next is Exit Glacier, a nice short 3-mile hike that takes us pretty close to a glacier for how easy it is.

As we hiked the trail, we saw signs with four digit numbers such as "1856". We weren't sure what they meant - they didn't seem to fit with altitude, or distance. Finally we realized the sad truth - they represented how much larger the glacier was during given years. When we got to the top, even the sign for 2010 was depressingly far from the current glacier front.

We got back to the Airbnb and played Crew while Becky made dinner. Becky did a cool thing with roasting corn on a gas stove.

We briefly discussed plans for tomorrow. "When should we leave?" I started. "Well, check-in is at 10:30, so a little before that," said Becky. "No, I think check-in is at 11:30," added Tommy.

After a yummy dinner (Becky loved her asparagus), we started a game of "You Got Got" where you try to complete secret "missions" without others thinking that you're doing something suspicious. It was way too stressful and not enjoyable.

We also played "Spontuneous", also brought by Natalle, which was fun but I was spectacularly bad at it.

Next we painted rocks. Becky painted a harlequin duck, Natalle painted Nemo, and I painted a candy corn for Omnom.

After that was WandaVision, episodes 3 and 4 (I mentioned last post that this would be a theme for this vacation...)

And then was a game of Oh Hell, which I think is complete luck now but this time the luck was with me and I won.

And after that a game of Spades, with me&Natalle vs. Becky&Tommy. Becky made a super questionable bid of 12 against our bid of Nil+1, costing her team over 200 points on that round, but they somehow still managed to win.

It's actually pretty impressive how much miscellaneous stuff we managed to cram in today. I'll end with a picture of our Airbnb:

[design360tshirts]

Different Methods in T-Shirt Printing

Diversity in T blouse Printing

There are plenty of t blouse printing strategies out in the marketplace and some of the businesses best use the most not unusual of them: the display printing technique. Some others are the warmth switch method, the digital or DTG approach and the vinyl approach. Of route there can in no way be a perfect technique which could cover each and each.

Each method can be used to make published tops, printed shirts, published hoodies or printed sweatshirts. Each technique may be used for massive, bulk orders including orders for promotional clothing or company paintings wear. But make no mistake. Although each approach can be used for any of those picks, those methods aren't the identical. Each technique has its own execs and cons. Each can come up with more of some thing and provide you with less of something.

There are sure niches to which every approach is best used upon. This article discusses the a number of the fine points and some of the negative points of the screen printing approach, the heat transfer method, the digital or DTG approach and the vinyl method. So if you are starting a t blouse printing enterprise or you want to have a t blouse or some t shirt printing out or if you are simply plan curious, then read on.

T shirt Printing Methods

There are several styles of techniques. As we've stated earlier, there are numerous execs and cons for every method. And we will speak them now; up first is the display printing.

Screen printing, is probably the most not unusual technique available for t shirts. The prints that it produces are very durable and long lasting. This type of printing assures very high excellent prints and is the maximum reasonably priced in phrases of price to exceptional ratios. But of direction, there are some flaws to it. The screen printing approach is tremendously restrained on the subject of color options. It is likewise very restricted in relation to the sizes of the graphics and is very tedious to installation. Therefore most groups require a minimum order to get the manner going.

Heat switch is every other method famous these days. The warmness transfer technique boasts of complete colour prints that have image-like finishes to them. The warmness transfer method additionally allows smooth customization of the design prints. Now these sound notable! But warmness transfer prints are of less excellent in comparison to prints crafted from display screen printing. Also, the prints crack and wash out after a median of 25 washes. This kind is first-class for small orders.

Then there's the DTG approach or the Direct to Garment approach. This method is a whole lot simpler to do because there are fewer steps worried and the setup procedure may be very short. The print designs in this method also are very clean to customize. The trouble with this type of approach is that the blouse turns into the brightest aspect of the image design. Because of this, right prints are tough to make on darkish coloured shirts. Then there is the vinyl printing method. Vinyl printing is right for a really small run. But actual, long runs do now not healthy this t blouse printing technique because it would no longer be realistic. It also has restrained detail.