#also this was my first time drawing vania

[glitchy-haha]

I remember making this but at the same time I don't.

It's Vania and Benthomaar btw

[that-was-anticlimactic]

7 and 8 (disregarding gross ones) for ninjago?

7: least favorite character from ninjago

okay, hmmmm this is hard. okay so, my first thought was vex because i genuinely hate him. like he's not even funny. he's just a terrible person who does terrible things cause he feels like it like... dude??? you're really going to just straight up manipulate zane for no reason other than you're too bitter to have an animal form??? sir??? so like. hate him. you know... okay so like, i was bored last night and made a list of every single ninjago character that i could think of off the top of my head and then looked up a list to see who i missed and you know who i forgot about? fenwick. he's one of those characters that makes me wish i cursed because i wanna call him a little b*tch iuygfcghuiuhgvfghuijuhg oh and ritchie... the only thing that i like about ritchie is that one moment in the speedway five-billion episode where he goes "ninja!" and then jay just glares and goes "ritchie!" that was funny. but he's still a pathetic jerk. okay last one... king vangelis. stupid little piece of-- literally what? sir??? okay first of all: you gave cole more falling trauma by sENDING HIM DOWN A MOUNTAIN AND TRYING TO MURDER HIM so like. that's always a great way to get on my bad side. then, he's a knock off garmadon and like i don't mind but like king vangelis just sucks in general like. sir. you-you enslaved two different populations for YEARS just for vengestone? hm. shady. pretty evil. despicable, actually. plus like... he was going to frame cHOMPY??? LIKE SIR YOU ARE THE REASON YOUR DAUGHTER FELL DOWN A MOUNTAIN??? also he was mean to the upply. and cole. and the ninja. and like literally everyone. i hope he's having fun in jail. tho, i cannot wait to see what the show s going to do with him in s16 !!!

8: least favorite ship from ninjago

okay... other than the nasty ones... idk, i was never a fan of wusako... like... idk, something about then flirting on the dark island in s2 in front of lloyd before lloyd was going to have to, ya know, fight his father just made me 🥴 tho that prolly has a lot to do with my hashtag divorced parents trauma lol ummmm okay so here's the thing: i like bruiseshipping (cole x jay), but i am very picky about who is doing the shipping of them. it used to be like. my ninjago ship and then fans decided to completely mischaracterize jay and make him this smol frail uwu lil traumatized bean when like ??? he is absolutely not ??? and in turn, they made cole big strong himbo obsessed with cake must protecc which is kind of like super racist because everyone draws cole darker than jay--like cole is usually drawn as black and jay is usually drawn as white or with much paler skin. so like. the way people uhhhhh very incorrectly interpret bruise almost made me absolutely despise the ship, no joke. so, mischaracterized bruiseshipping that refuses to explore cole's trauma or acknowledge the fact that cole isn't just jay's emotional support and who refuses to acknowledge that jay is not Anxiety™️: he never was and never will be,,, yeah anyWAYS uhhhh other ships i dislike... cole x vania. they are friends. they are very much so friends. gay and lesbian friends, to be exact. and conya, aka cole x nya. ugh. like, first of all, ninjago didn't handle the love triangle well at all in s3 so i often refuse to acknowledge it because cole is very much so gay, but like... they're just really good friends. they're besties. and that's it. lastly, literally any lloyd ship. lloyd x akita (which is prolly my favorite of the lloyd ships... still don't like it, but i can tolerate it), lloyd and harumi... lloyd and morro... (both of which are really freaking bad for many reasons...). at this point, i think lloyd just doesn't want to be in a relationship. he wants to focus on family and his platonic relationships so much more than romantic ones. he's been traumatized far too many times, imo.

[littlefreya]

Lines in the Sand - Part 6

Synopsis: She is one of the best snipers serving in Iraq but she is also suffering from an attitude problem and ironically has a hard time following orders. After an incident in her former base, she is sent to join the Special Forces unit led by Captain Syverson who requires a talented sniper.

Unlucky for her, Captain Syverson is a hard man who likes things by the book and according to order. He ain’t got the patience for troublemakers.  

Pairing: Captain Syverson x OFC (Jessica Gallagher)

Word count: 3,790

Warnings: Smut in future (it’s coming next part!!), sexual tension, teasing,  big dick energy. Captain Syverson is BFD but also kind of a jerk in this one.

A/N: Ok, I promised smut in chapter 6 but I ended up writing 18 pages, so I have to split this in two so it will be readable. The good news is that I am almost done proofing so the sex coming up like later tonight. Please don’t hate me.

Tagging: @sciapod @thiccgeralt @writingaftermidnight @fcgrizi @hows-my-hair @modernscarlett @vania-marie @centaine�� @ohjules​ @oddsnendsfanfics​ @hm-fck​ @ly--canthrope​ @peakygroupie​ @shortstacks-blog​ @hclovers​ @intototaloblivion​ @cataleya12345​ @lifeisingrey​ @mytbel0st​ @goliveeasy17posts​ @agniavateira​

If you wanna be tagged, let me know!

Part 1|Part 2|Part 3|Part 4|Part 5| Part 6 |Part 7|Part 8|Part 9|Part 10|

Part 6 - If I Had a Tail

A single burst of fire ripped through the cold midnight air, sand splattered in rage like a wild desert storm while the thick smoke gyrated upon the barrel. The bullet hit right next to Stevens’ foot, not nearly close enough to cause injury or draw enemies, yet enough to make the entire base light up like a Christmas tree. 

Syverson was the first to arrive at the scene. Weapon drawn and a predatory frown that soon turned into white-hot anger as he quickly analysed the scene. 

She’ll never forget that face. 

She thinks it’s kinda hot. 

‘In an alpha male sort of way.’

It’s nearly 4 am. An hour has passed since the Captain barked at her to go and wait in his office. A whimsical vibe thrums through her blood while she raps her fingers on his desk. Perhaps she is yet to grasp the gargantuan amount of trouble she is in.

Syverson bursts into the office with such intensity, it’s a wonder the door remains latched to its hinges. Clenching his jaw, he glares, a glint of a rabid dog sparks his eyes while his breath becomes so heavy, Jess can hear the hiss of air that flows through his nostrils. 

No words follow, not even once he shuts the door behind him. Walking heavily, he makes his way toward the other side of the desk with a glower glued to the girl who sits with not a speck of fear nor remorse on her face. 

The office chair does its best not to collapse under Syverson’s massive weight. Cheeks sunken in, his lips press so tightly they form a white line. After a moment of excruciating silence, an abrupt thud rumbles through the cabin. She jolts the moment his fist hits the desk.

“Where do I even fucking begin?” Sy asks loudly, taking a long inhale, “do you NOT want to be here, private Jessica Gallagher?” 

‘Oh full name, I guess daddy is REALLY angry.’ 

“It’s the only place I wanna be at, Captain Syverson, sir,” she answers sincerely.

“Don’t. Fucking. Play games with me now, little girl.”

An unbidden grunt cracks at his throat and jumps to his feet with one sudden movement, leaning forward on the desk with menace while his fingers hold onto the edge so tightly his knuckles turn white. However, the pale flesh is bloodied, riddled with tears and fresh red bruises, which makes Gallagher wonder if he punched the wall on his way to the office to avoid taking a swing at her. 

Her eyes gingerly lift, daring to meet his face. 

If Syverson’s glare was any fiercer, she’d be bleeding by now.

“You have any idea how much shit you just got yourself into?”

Every drop of mischief or sarcasm she had drains within an instant. Empty of words, she keeps her mouth shut. The only answer she would provide is that she is not regretting doing what she did. 

Stevens had it coming. 

“Give me one, one good fuckin’ reason why I shouldn’t just throw your boney ass straight into military jail, ha?”

Eyes ablaze, Sy takes a short pause and sucks on his bottom lip. “I told you: if anything happens, you come to me, you don’t take matters to your own hands, and you sure as hell don’t fire your weapon in the middle of the night. Have you any idea...”

“Well, what was I supposed to do, Captain?” Finally, she snaps, her voice shuddering, “let him rape her until you arrive on your white horse?!”

No, there was no other way; she reacted hastily to save another woman, and deep in his heart, he knows he would have done the exact same thing, if not worse. The thought that someone would harm any of his girls brings out the savage in him. 

It was luck that Harper stopped him when he did.

A sudden throb thrums at his knuckles while images of Stevens’ bloody face float behind his eyes. Clenching his jaw, Sy massages the back of his right hand. If only this act of aggression deterred his fury, yet one look at Gallagher ignites the flame.

“Go ahead, sir, send me home. I am not going to apologise for what I did. And if I find out Stevens stays here after this I…”

“You think I’ll let Stevens stay!?” 

Gallagher’s shoulders stiffen at his guttural bark. The Captain’s fury peaks to new levels at the sound of her remark. No man stands before her, but a bull, maddened by the redness tinting her eyes. But she is reminded that she faced death once before and she is not afraid of a man who is wrought by temper. 

She will not cry. She won’t.

One look at her and he is already regretting his lapse of control.   

‘Great... she’s going to cry…’

A deep sigh spills from him. War is child’s play but crying ladies? He won’t do, he’d rather bathe in fire than watch her sit there with her nose swelling and her mouth clamped so tightly her lips turned white. 

He falls quiet, wishing he could tell her that she did good, but his moral code defies him. 

“Letting you off without warning just this time,” he murmurs coldly, “but just to make things clear, Gallagher - you’re walking on some mighty thin ice here.” 

Unsure if to be thankful or hurt, she nods meekly, her blurry gaze focused on some lewd scribble that decorates his desk. 

“Dismissed.”

There is no need to spell it twice. Jumping to her feet, she throws a quick sault and scurries away.

Back in the chamber, Blazko is holding Chase, motioning Gallagher to join onto the bed. She sits behind them, pressing her forehead onto Chase’s back, knowing that tomorrow her friend will be sent back for recovery. 

Men break women in the most hurtful ways possible.

A mixture of pain and anger twists her heart. If only she could destroy something right now… unleash the pain that spurs in her bawls, she’d scratch the captain’s face and scream at him for being such an indifferent grunt. 

~*~

“Smooth and by the book,” Harper calls out content as the unit rides back home from yet another successful operation. 

The Captain smirks with silent pride; his icy blue eyes scan the desert view through dark shades while Blazko drives the armoured vehicle. The thrill of coming back alive is better than... most sex. Though he can’t even remember what that even feels like.

Pushed against the backseat’s door, Gallagher seethes. A request to ride in the other vehicle to avoid sharing the same space with the Captain has been denied. He insisted she’ll ride in the back with Harper and Holt; his excuse being that since Holt is her spotter, they should be together at all time. But Gallagher is smarter than whatever scant credit Sy gives her - this is another plot to suck the joy out of her life.

“Mighty thin ice.”

Syverson’s frigid blues seize her liking at the rearview mirror, and quickly his smile dies. Gallagher, is once again, shitting all over his parade. Shouldn’t she be proud of her achievement today? The mouthy little thing is usually unapologetically arrogant and for a good reason too. He hates to admit it, but watching her in action was pleasing; she may have the attitude of a pubescent child, but her reputation is well deserved. He would have told her she did an excellent job on the field, hadn’t she avoided him at all cost.

‘Freakin’ ungrateful brat’. 

When the vehicles finally arrive at the base, Gallagher storms out and head back towards the barracks, never even bothering to salute her Captain or heed any other orders. 

“All dismissed,” he commands as the remaining unit, allowing them to disembark before anyone notices the full glory of his rising rage. 

“Captain?” 

Sergeant Harper appears beside him with a smile though he regrets it the moment he reads the fury on Syverson’s face. Staring at his sulk, he wonders if the Captain is aware of the notion that the boys named this particular expression“Gallagangry”. While Syverson is known for his brooding temper, the worst time to ask for favours is when he is vexed about something Galagher related.   

“Leave her be, Captain. She’s just sad... about her friend, you know?” Harper dares to suggest while the Captain peers at her waltzing into the building.

“What do you need, Sarg’?” he asks, not averting his gaze even though she’s no longer in sight. 

Harper clears his throat and clasps his hands together. “Umm… I know this is probably not the best time to ask this… and I am pretty sure you’ll refuse, but please, please just hear me out here.” 

The Captain tilts his head at Harper, his eyes narrowing with suspicion, he always dreaded conversations that start off that way. 

“What’s this about, Harper?”

Harper scratches the back of his head nervously, offering the Captain a sheepish grin. “I was thinking, with the operation being successful and all that happened at the base a few nights ago, maybe it can be a good idea to raid the ‘special occasions’ storage and have ourselves a little party?”

“You ‘outta your goddamn mind?” The captain frowns as if Harper suggested he’ll cut off his own limb. Shaking his head and hugging with dismissal, he paces toward the barracks slowly, not wanting to hear another single word. 

Though Harper won’t relent, following him urgently, he steps right in front of the hulking grunt and walks backwards as Sy continues to advance. 

“Think about it, we’ve just pulled a smooth one, and morals have been a bit low with the ladies and all and…”

The captain pauses and eyes him, noticing the hint of a smile that dances the Sergeant's gaze. 

“Anne said yes, didn’t she?” 

Harper confided in him that he means to propose once he gets back on Christmas or thanksgiving. A foolish thing to do, in Syverson’s opinion but he kept his thoughts to himself. 

Unable to keep his grin from stretching all over his face, the Sergeant nods. Sy breaks into a small smirk himself and then punches his shoulder playfully.

“Congrats kids, does this means I’m gonna have to wear a tux?” 

Harper chuckles and shrugs. He hasn’t even thought about the actual wedding yet.  

“I don’t know about a party though, Harper, you know I don’t like this type of things.”

“Things? You mean like fun?” Harper dares is a moment of boldness.

“Hey,” the captain points his finger in the air but Harper knows it’s an empty threat. Syverson always had a soft spot for him, though he’d never admit it.

“C’mon Sy, they’re kids, kids who could get killed any day and who haven’t seen home in ages. Let them have one night to unwind.”

The Captain stares at the barracks thoughtfully; she will probably be there too and though he despises the idea a part of him is curious to find out what Private Jessica Gallagher is like at parties. Maybe she will even loosen up and speak to him? Thank him for covering her ass when he had every reason not to?

‘Wishful thinking…’ 

“Two drinks per person TOPS and 3 of your men can’t attend. They still need to be on patrol, Harper, so draw straws or somethin’.”

Harper jumps in joy, pressing his palms together and inaudibly mouthing, “thank you.”

‘Fuck, I’m already regrettin’ this…’ 

*~*

The party takes place at the canteen. Syverson was kind enough to lend some of his private rock CDs, in the condition that no cheesy dance trash will be played tonight.

His second condition is to drink responsibly. The unit raided the storage of some good stuff; vodka, Bourbon, Black Label and a bounty of American beer. The bottles are organized on the cantine’s island where food is usually served, along with glasses of shots and some plastic single times cup.    

Syverson's third and final condition is, of course; he ain’t dancing and ain’t nobody buggin’ him about that.

Gallagher arrives at the party an hour after it began, accompanied by Blazko who seems ecstatic to blow off some steam. The redhead begins dancing the moment they walk in while Gallagher appears to be suspicious of her surroundings. 

Standing at a strategic location, the captain spots her right away. He takes a quick sip from his beer, scrutinising her appearance;  worn-out boots, semi-tight jeans and a black t-shirt. Her hair is strewn across her shoulders and he can’t help but think she looks nice without her uniform.

He wishes to say hello yet still she avoids him which only causes him to roll his eyes. He takes an angry sip from his beer, reminding himself how one of the reasons why he agreed to this dumb idea was her and mutters under his breath.

“Ugh! I want to get a drink but fucking Syverson is standing there guarding…” Gallagher tells Blazko as they stand in the middle of the cantine where the rest of the men dance. Harper is already on his 3rd beer. 

Maximum 2 drinks per man? Syverson knew it’s an empty promise. 

“Just look at him, being extra BDE tonight, god forbid anyone will see him having fun...” Gallagher points out, her eyes discreetly capturing the large man who is leaning against the counter. His hefty ‘package’ is pushed forward on display, one elbow laid on the surface and the other holds the bottle to his mouth. If a stranger walked into the room, he’d spot the alpha in seconds. 

Blazko, who appears quite stunning herself in a red t-shirt that matches her fiery red hair, peers at Syverson, making it look so obvious that they are talking about him it feels sort of like they’re back at high school. 

“What should I get ya?” 

Gallagher peers at the “bar”, her eyes scanning the collection carefully, wondering how much she wants to get drunk tonight. 

“Vodka.”

Blazko salutes mockingly and marches toward the bar. Gallagher is hardly drunk she’s already jumping around dancing with Harper. Seeing her shrouded by bliss, hugging the Sergeant, makes the bile climb up his throat. He chugs it down with another sip from his bottle, hardly noticing the gorgeous redhead that stands next to him with a smile and reaching out for the bottle of Vodka.

“Nice to see you too then, cap’n,” she mumbles amused before walking back toward Jess.

“To Harper and Anne!” The girls cheer and down the shots within seconds, a few moments pass, Rebel Yell plays next which pulls a loud scream from Gallagher, “FUCK! I LOVE THAT SONG!!!” 

She turns to Blazko with a playfully seductive look, mimicking Billy Idol's deep raspy voice. Blazko giggles and sings along, pressing her hip against hers sensually. 

“In the midnight hour, she cried- more, more, more" Gallagher sings and throw her hair back, her body moves to the rhythm of the electric guitar, her hands run up and down her torso, feeling rejuvenated, relived for the first time in so many nights. Yet, even now, completely liberated, she is still ensnared by his icy blue eyes.

The Captain pressed the edge of the bottle against his lips, unable to stop his staring no matter how much he wants to. He can feel his blood simmering, his heart pumping loudly in his chest and in his gut, he can feel a knot of rage.

This entire time she hasn’t looked at him, not even once.

The song reaches its peak moment, the music slowing down, becoming tense. Brushing her hair back, Galagher breathes in deeply. A thin layer of sweat coats her shoulders and chest from dancing so wildly. 

“Wait, wait, wait! I need more booze,” she calls out and hurries to the bar. She knows Sy awaits her there, and as the alcohol dulls her senses, she suddenly wants him to see how little she thinks of him and his stupid book of rules.

“I walked the ward with you, babe

A thousand miles with you

I dried your tears of pain, babe

A million times for you”

Assaulting the bar without saying a word, she grabs the bottle with 3 plastic shots and pours the vodka down. Syverson glares silently as she downs the first shot right in front of him, closing her eyes and swallowing with a loud gulp and a hiss to follow. He can see the liquid as it runs down her stretched throat, how her chest sinks in as the cold, harsh liqueur fills her chest. Her eyes remain shut, lashes dark and long. 

This is how she spites him, knowing he can’t have any of the good stuff, knowing he forbade them for having more than 2, but she dares him to stop her now.

“I’d sell my soul for you babe

For money to burn with you

I’d give you all, and have none, babe

Just, just, justa, justa to have you here by me

Because”

Gallagher lets out a heavy sigh and licks her lips, wiping them with the back of her palm until finally, she decides to grace him with half a stare from the corner of her eye.

“Captain,” she utters casually.

Sy response is an icy glare.

She raises the two remaining shots and then turns on her heels, hurrying toward the dancing crowd and downing the 3rd shot with Blazko who then hugs her tightly.

“In the midnight hour she cried more, more, more

With a rebel yell she cried more, more, more

In the midnight hour babe more, more, more

With a rebel yell she cried more, more, more

More, more, more”

The words echo in his head all of a sudden, hellfire courses through his veins. If he didn’t know better, he’d say Gallagher is teasing him, or perhaps trying to abuse him. Snatching another bottle of beer, he uncorks it by knocking the cork against the metal counter and takes a hefty long sip.

This is the shittest night he had in years.  

[purplerose244]

Thoughts journal Ninjago season 13!!! 🤩🤩 (3/4)

I am enjoying the season A LOT. The reveal has been thrown already, everything seems to be leading towards something special about Rock Mom and I couldn't hope for something better!! I know Lou will be back so I guess a flashback?... I'M SO EXCITED 💕💕

Alright, let's start!!

DUNGEON PARTY!

Side note, we're past the season and no Nexo Knights reference. Me sad, but me not quitting like ninja!! 💪💪

Korgran of METALONIA?!?! WHERE KARLOF COMES FROM!!! Oh you just love to feed me with good throwbacks, now do you Ninjago crew 😍

Plundar the thief, yeah, the attire gives it away although it is nice. And Fungus... huh... well that explains the mushrooms on the hat I guess 😅

Yep, there we go, a party of adventurers, the DnD situation promised 👈👈 He said loot, I saw a 20 faced dice, nice nice

In these recent seasons adventurers just won't like to do adventures for one reason or another, first uncle Powers, now these guys? I mean Ninjago is in danger every freaking time and you risk your life at every step and there's a new formidable villain every like five seconds but... huh... what was my point again?

THE ANIME STYLE IS BACK 😂😂 Oh boy I can tell we're in for a train to crazy town

I'm thinking this dude looks a lot like He-Man... of course he does, the HECK, am I noticing this just now? 😑

I do agree with mister Korgran's father reluctance about talking like that (I saw too many anime characters like that 😂), but Karlof uses the third person too. Either it's common in Metalonia, or there's a general lack of education there 😅 (I LOVE METAL BOY I MISS HIM 🖤🖤)

Talking axe that doesn't talk, nice 😂

Okay... okay, I need a moment

This is too cute. I know her head is a bit too big but LOOK AT THEM 💛🤍💛🤍 Has Chompy never grown?... wait he did got big that one time... okay... okay, never mind

Well that's a pretty nice party, you got your barbarian, your magic user and your rogue. Kinda misses a healer but still... tomorrow I'm doing a DnD session with my friends and I wanna sound like I know stuff 😂

I just noticed that I haven't seen hidden trap doors like that since Chen, the ABC of villains right there my friends 👆

So the King didn't become evil just because of the skull, he actually wished to obtain it and use the dark power. I get that he wants to defend the city but he is basically remorceless about everything else, so he is guilty. Also DRAGON ABUSER 😡

Poor Vania, but she overcame her Skylor situation very quickly. Proud 💛

There we go with the encouragement, you go Rocky!! We have a crazy Skull dude to turn into dust!! 👿👿

Wait, a promise he made a long time ago? Rock mom?

DUNGEON CRAWL!

ROCK MOM!!! YAAAASSS!!! FINALLY SHE'S HERE!!! 🖤🖤🖤

Oh holy FSM, my heart 💔

MY HEART HURTS SO MUCH. Cole as a kid, Lou is back, Rock Mom IS SICK AND WILL DIE, all the drawings, the picture of them together 😭😭

I cannot, freaking, this kid doesn't want his mom to be sick and he's gotten into troubles at school and she wants him to fight and be strong and right and SHE HAS HIS SAME EYEBROWS 😢😢😢😢😢😢

This scene was really heartbreaking, such a genuine situation with a kid that wants her mom to be fine and proud of him 🖤

Just looked at her VA and it's Erin Matthews 🤩 So first I'm counting it as a Nexo Knights reference just because MACY AND ROBIN ❤🖤❤🖤 Second, wasn't "the mom" going to be voiced by Jillian? Is it... is it Maya? Is she coming back? MAYBE NEXT SEASON??? NYA SEASON?!?!? 🤯🤯

Oh, we're moving on? So... so there's still the stuff about Rock Mom's past to uncover, still unsure if she was the one of the blades for the two tribes

PLUNDAR WE DO NOT DISRESPECT COLE INTO THIS HOUSE VANIA MY GIRL YOU ARE SPEAKING FOR ME TOO 💪💪

The connection between Cole and his mom is the earth itself, I'm loving this concept so much. It's true that he never found himself this deep into his element before, the Caves of Despair were mines but never this deep. This really is rock bottom... HECK YEAH

Well Cole...

Welcome to the colored eyes because of elemental power ninja team!! 💚❤🧡 (without counting the forbidden scroll moments) I LOVE WHEN IT HAPPENS!!! I'M GETTING SO PROUD AND EMOTIONAL!!! I'M PROUDOTIONAL!!! 🤯

Aww, Cole saving his son sensei, very nice. They did save each other a lot 🤷‍♀️

This place reminds me a lot of the Fire Temple where Kai got himself into trouble in season 1 but then saved Lloyd, one of my favorite and most memorable episode of the show... I'M TOO NOSTALGIC RIGHT NOW LET'S MOVE ON

NEVER MIND COLE IS TAKING CHARGE LIKE OLD TIMES HE IS FINALLY THE LEADER AGAIN I'M GONNA CRY ROCKY I'M SO HAPPY YOU DESERVE THIS 🖤

Wu's spinjitzu!! Always nice to see it 😊 And yes Adam is a good boy, and for my arachnophobia is a little freaky saying it 😅

Ah, good Plundar, Cole needs all the appreciation of the world because HE IS SUCH A GOOD PERSON AND AMAZING WARRIOR AND I LOVE HIM AAAAAA

This is probably my favorite episode for now, got Rock Mom, got elemental powers, got a lot of Cole in all of his glory: the leader with a clear smart mind able to lead even strangers, with big heart for what's important 👏👏

I feel like this season is giving him glory, I'm curious about how it will end!!

GRIEF-BRINGER

Okay I know it's the name of the dragon... and it gets me a little antsy 😅

Back to the munce! Still doing as good as ever I see! 😅 And lol, you can't blame Nya for not being nice Jay! Although she is kinda best friends with Ronin who double crossed her multiple times... okay, I see your reasoning Bluebell

There we go, Nya making them listen. I honestly could have seen her just grabbing one of them and make them fly through the the room, still cool though 😎

Back to the geckles! Also doing as good as ever! 😅 These little purple guys are so dang cute, seeing my flame babe trying to lead is so PRECIOUS, and even more PRECIOUS is Zane giving him support... and a rock in the face 🤍🤍

Gotta say

I'm more and more fascinated by their culture 😂😂

Aww little Gleck, everything had started with him after all... wait... HER NAME IS LILLY?!?! ROCK MOM HAS A NAME!!! AND SHE IS GILLIE/MILLIE!!! I KNEW IT!!! 🤩🤩

I think I saw the name somewhere, didn't think it was actually her. I always headcanoned her as Gaia, but Lilly is a very sweet name too 💕

It is pretty nice that even though we as viewers didn't know what happened to Lilly, the ninja knew. It's obvious, they've known each other for so long, but still. It feels nice to see this 😊

Oh-oh, Skull dude is up to something... and he said the title 👈👈

Zane keeps being the sweetest thing ever created, le cute dude 🤍🤍 Never thought I'd see Tin Can and Hothead discussing about lies while two slugs race each other...

I don't know if it's the new animation but the armored suits look CRAZY GOOD, the metal and the details are awesome!! I approve the suits of this season 👍

Pff, they are talking down his sister, if he knew they would be literally toasted 🔥

HUG HUG BEAUTIFUL LEGO HUG!!! And she lifts him up, omg the Smith siblings are back and they are so CUTE 😍

Yep, only he can talk down his sister... and possibly be annihilated right after 😅

Oh, the dragon that almost destroyed the two tribes... OH THE DRAGON THAT ALMOST DESTROYED THE TWO TRIBES!!! 😱😱

NO GUYS DON'T LEAVE LLOYD AND ZANE BEHIND, THEY ARE THE MOST PRONE TO SACRIFICE THEMSELVES 😭😱😭😱😭😱

The cringe Kai, the cringe never leaves you alone you beautiful idiot ❤

I cannot believe the animators managed to make Lloyd's LEGO hair swoosh, I must applaude them 👏👏👏 Also POOR BABY ON THE GROUND GIVE HIM A VACATION FOR CRYING OUT LOUD

Well aren't things getting even more complicated 😅 Where is Cole? We need season superstar pronto!

MASTERS NEVER QUIT

Awww, major throwback to the show's most famous motto right in the title! NINJA NEVER QUIT!!! LET'S GO THEN!!! 🤩

The upply team! With the lava beast back... I could easily make comment about how it could be a representation of Cole's feelings since it's LAVA with EARTH and FIRE, and he is running from them... I'M JUST RAMBLING MOVING ON 🖤❤🖤❤

Cole misses the Caves of Despair maybe, he wants to have a round with the carts like in Possession 😂 Was that why he knew it was going to work eventually? That would be histerical, especially since back then they all almost fell into the lava 😅😅

The Heart of the Mountain? Secret temple of the masters of Earth? Possibly hidden in Shintaro? Spinjitzu Burst? Wu, let me ask you this... just in case... is there... perhaps...

IS THERE SOMETHING YOU SHOULD'VE TOLD US??? 😡😡

He is definitely and officially old, only reason why he keeps forgetting to warn people about stuff 😑 I mean, it's not major like with Morro or Aspheera, I guess it's an improvement?... kinda?

So you learn spinjitzu burst if you're surrounded by your element, that sounds pretty awesome! I wonder how it could be with all the others, this can open up kinda like a quest for the true potential but with different places and lots of OP powers and I'M INTO IT 🤩🤩🤩

Okay season, I get it

YOU WANNA MAKE ME CRY 😭😭 I love this aztec vibe, so cool and appropriate she looks STUN 🖤

I didn't expect this much introspection about Cole, I thought it was going to be kinda last minute like with Jay in Prime Empire. I'm so thankful it's not like that, freaking yes. YES. GO COLE BURST OUT!!

... okay, take your time sweetie, no rush. The other ninja are just going to be fried but eh, happens all the time 🤷‍♀️

VANIA MAH GIRL 💕 I understand Wu, I mean the guys kinda learned all they needed already back when they started to train Lloyd. Ever since then, they had been not master and students, but just family. And you always need family, no matter how far you go 🖤

Awwww, Wu! You got your own development too! 👍 So nice to hear "ninja never quit" again, can't be too sure but it's been a while 😍

Let's hope the guys are doing fine resisting while Team Cole arrives 😎😎

[signetxego]

The twst dorm leaders playing gbf, purely for meme purposes, something i spent too much time on. below the cut for long post.

Riddle

⁃ Rank 101

⁃ Plays casually but consistently, riddle is a perfectionist and wants to make his teams good, but he’s also realistic and pragmatic. He knows he’s a busy guy, and can’t join trains all day to bust up all his grids at once

⁃ The type to focus on one team at a time based on a predetermined order. Probably not in a crew (if he is, it’s just him, Cater and some of Cater’s friends) so he doesn’t worry about guild wars and building his teams based on that.

⁃ f2p, he’s responsible with his money. probably mains light since he likes the comfort of a high hp pool + stamina, and the typical light play style is reliable and safe.

⁃ Has only recruited one eternal—funf. Her voice probably drives him up the wall, but he likes the security of her heals to his light team. Is planning on 5*ing her!

⁃ favourite class is doctor. Practical, and he won’t admit it but sexy as fuck

⁃ He plays for the gameplay rather than the story/characters, the one exception is sandalphon, who he is incredibly fond of!!! he reads stories if the plot interests him, however, and if he’s got some spare time.

Leona

⁃ Rank 1

⁃ Leona doesn’t play he’s in it like a collecting game and so ruggie can use his randomly lucksacked mlb shiva as a support summon

⁃ like vil, plays on roulette season

⁃ reads some stories, but on ruggies account bc he cba to unlock them himself

⁃ ruggie made a joke about leona being percival ‘if he lost his sense of honour’ which made leona go and read the dragon knights stories

⁃ bruh he fucking stans percy so hard after reading between frost and flame but he won’t admit it

⁃ frequently throws money at the game just because he feels like pulling in gacha. ruggie is crying. leona don’t buy the scam star draw set you don’t even play the game please

⁃ is always really lucky in gacha

Azul

⁃ Rank 200

⁃ Only started playing recently, but was determined to catch up to Idia and become the best player so he got the twins and some poor unfortunate souls to help him grind and pay his way to instant victory

⁃ Doesn’t care for the plot, is purely driven by competition and wanting to have the best grids at any given time. Mains water for the Octavinelle Aesthetic and bitches about having to play the summer cagliostro crit setup to compete with other elements.

⁃ Likes quatre because they are both driven purely by spite and revenge, and is desperate for him to get a rebalance so he can run him w/ a clear conscience

⁃ Also likes Six, probably cried like a bitchboy during seeds of redemption which is to this date the only story he has read but you didn’t hear it from me

⁃ In a crew with idia and is waiting to overthrow him as captain

⁃ Has a weird spreadsheet showing exactly when to cast a status effect for it to land with the highest success that’s virtually unreadable to anyone aside from him

⁃ Plays chaos ruler as default bc he thinks it looks cool

⁃ sparks for the weapon rather than the character

⁃ hates farming for mats and gets the twins/his slaves to do his dailies when he’s busy a lot of the time god i wish i had slaves to farm ubaha host mats for me rn

Kalim

⁃ Rank 50 but his grids are the best of anyone in the game bc haha money go brrrr

⁃ He is cursed with bad gacha luck, and managed to deck himself out with the sexiest primal grid possible (puts idia’s to shame) thanks to jamils help, and a lot of money spent on trying to get Vikala’s ssr (before realising the spark function existed...)

⁃ He doesn’t favour any element, because he likes all the characters! He has a soft spot for Anila and Vikala though, since they’re so adorable and fun!

⁃ Doesn’t play seriously and mostly just reads the stories, idia wants to cry when he sees his fire grid with four flb ixabas going to waste

⁃ He likes Sarasa, and thinks she’s really funny, so when he does play it’s mostly grinding to recruit her!

⁃ Actually likes Vyrn and doesn’t find him annoying! has actually read the main story.

⁃ solos as soon as he has 300 crystals, he literally can’t save, i hate it here

⁃ his favourite class is lumberjack, but he hasn’t unlocked it yet ;-; ccws are hard to forge for rank 100 and below ;-;

Vil

⁃ Rank 25

⁃ seasonal player, shows up for roulette season and then leaves

⁃ downloaded the game because of the pretty art and the cute character designs, but can’t be bothered to learn how to play—he’s a busy man!

⁃ Europa was his first SSR and is still one of his favourite characters, she’s so pretty! He also loves michael and gabriel, and would start playing properly if they became playable mark my words

⁃ won’t admit it but probably wants belial to smear his makeup a little

⁃ kinda a basic bitch, has only read the wmtsb series cried at the ‘i’ll be waiting’ scene

⁃ criticises the fashion choices of every character he pulls, summons included. Won’t go into raids if the boss is ugly.

⁃ Does his makeup with zero playing in the bg and once parades lust...

Idia

⁃ Rank 275

⁃ that insane player who has soloed faasan hl in every element, has all the eternals 5*ed + the sexy blue skin, and all the evokers

⁃ a legendary figure in the community

⁃ plays as tormentor in every team bc he’s that bitch and also has a damascus knife mh for every element even if he doesn’t always use it

⁃ is both serious abt gameplay and the characters, watches all the gbf channel episodes and keeps up with news

⁃ was probably in a gbfvs tournament

⁃ his favourite character is caim, who reminds him of ortho with his childish innocence! Second is Nio, who is quiet and cute! He’s fond of a lot of characters though, like esser, funf, ferry and narmaya.

⁃ Strictly plays with his faves, but his grids are so good that he manages to make any setup meta.

⁃ Has siero scratcher ptsd bc it didn’t give him his third flb blue sphere but got tempted with it so. many. times.

⁃ Is in a guild w/ azul and ortho + some internet friends and if anyone doesn’t meet the gw quota in a day he screams at them w his hair all red and angry

⁃ owns the gisla body pillow.

⁃ He mains all elements. He has a primal whale grid for every element. His favourite to play with is probably wind, because he thinks it has the most flexibility in its play style. Hes a little mad that winds evoker is not as good as most of the others...

⁃ Idia: “i play for strategy” also idia: ‘gets fraux before alanaan bc the waifu is too strong’

Malleus

⁃ Rank 200

⁃ he can’t play, he’s just been farming tiamat omega raids daily since the games launch

⁃ he downloaded it to get closer to lilia, who is really *really* trying to teach him how to play with... little success

⁃ Still, he doesn’t give up!

⁃ Used his free gold bar uncapping a celeste horn

⁃ forgot to collect his free eternal

⁃ used parazonium as skill fodder (dw malmal i did the same and i live with the guilt)

⁃ uses auto select for his grids

⁃ lilia is crying in the background and often steps in to make the grids himself, but malleus always accidentally deletes them...

⁃ his favourite character is vania, she reminds him of lilia! and also, himself, in a strange way...

⁃ he also likes song, and has worked very hard to recruit her! he almost cried reading about how she was ostracised in her village for her talent at archery, and how lonely she feels, even in the eternals.

⁃ whenever the characters give him a seasonal message, he cries

⁃ gives valentines/white day/christmas gifts to every single character he has

[21st-century-ninja]

Orange

My second piece for the @ninjaneverquit-zine- set in the same universe as White.  

The wings of the Shintaro are all sleek lines and silken feathers, painstakingly crafted down to each individual vane.  The Shintarans glide effortlessly through their city on them, robes neat and unruffled, nary a hair out of place when they take off and land again. They are a stunning display of craftsmanship and technology, way beyond anything that Ninjago has ever seen.

They also are completely bare of heart-colors.  

See, in Ninjago, people are born with pure white wings.  As you grow older, and grow your family and friends, their heart-colors (the unique patch of color hidden on the feathers near every person’s back) appear on your feathers.  Zane has the color of his creator spattered across his right wing.  Kai and Nya have each other’s colors covering their mantles.  Jay carries both sets of his parents’ colors, and Lloyd has each of the ninja’s colors staining his wings so violently that he looks like he was in some sort of studio accident.  

And Cole?  Cole’s left wing, near the wingtip, is painted in the rich gold of his father.  His left bears the faded orange of his mother.  Across the backs of his wings, the rest of the ninja’s colors wrap around his coverts like a warm blanket.  

Vania has just been crowned queen of Shintaro, and the coronation celebration is going long into the night.  Cole watches her from the edge of the crowd, smiling at the way she is completely unselfconscious as she dances in the middle of the room with Chompy spiraling around her feet.  She catches his eye and her face lights up; she breaks from the circle and flings herself towards him.  Cole loses her in the crowd, but by the frantic strings of apologies and yelping he hears, he has a pretty good idea where she is.

“Cole!” she shouts, when she finally breaks through.  “I haven’t seen you all night!  Have you been avoiding me?”

Cole laughs.  “Never, my queen,” he says, winking exaggeratedly when he uses her new title.  “You’ve just been busy.”  He grins wide.  “I get it, I get it, what’s a little old ninja to the queen of an entire country?”

Vania pouts.  “It’s not like that.  Everyone wants my attention, but you guys are my friends.  And you’re leaving soon, way before everyone else!”  A glint of an idea enters her eye- the same look she had before leading Cole to a drainage tunnel and whipping a set of torches from nowhere.  “It’s too noisy in here for anything, let alone talking.  How about we go for a little night time flight?”

She hikes up her skirts and marches through the crowd.  Cole laughs a little disbelievingly.  He follows her out, out onto the terrace, wings pulled close to his sides to prevent them being jostled or stepped on.  “Wait, can you just leave like that?”

Vania smiles with all her teeth.  She signals to an attendant and they reappear with her wings, attaching and securing them to her back.  “What do you mean?” she asks, cocking her head playfully to one side.  “I’m the queen!  I can do what I want!”

“Hey, works for me,” Cole says, grinning back.  He lets his wings unfurl to nearly their full wingspan, an impressive eighteen feet with his flight feathers outstretched.  “Just don’t start whining when I fly circles around you.”

“Hey, that’s not nice!”  She narrows her eyes at him.  “Just for that, I won’t let you win now.”

“Oh, so you were planning to originally?”

They take to the sky, chasing each other around the spires and drifting lazily through the moonlit clouds.  Cole marvels at the way her wings cut through the air, silent and smooth like a knife.  His own are built for power and speed but not so much for grace.  He’s sure they make quite the picture above the partygoers.  That is, if any of them bothered to look up.  

As their flight comes to an end, they alight on the highest balcony overlooking the courtyard.  Vania releases her wings, something that used to shock Cole before he got over it through repeated proximity and exposure.  His own wings he splays behind him, their motley of colors nearly twinkling in the low candlelight.  

“I used to think your wings were so funny-looking when we first met,” Vania says suddenly.  

Cole glances up at her sharply.  “Huh?”

She smiles and sits down gently beside him.  The night air is cool and a slight breeze tugs at both of their bangs.  “Your wings,” she says again.  “I mean, I still do.  They’re entirely too much wingspan for any one person to have.”

“Better to catch you with,” Cole replies, the winner of their earlier game of tag.  

Vania rolls her eyes.  “Not just the size of them though.  I couldn’t believe how colorful they were!  There are so many different colors that your wings were kinda ugly.”

“Thanks,” Cole deadpans.  “I’m really feeling the love.”

“Exactly!” she exclaims.  “They’re the colors of the people who love you, right?  I almost didn’t believe my tutor when he told me that, but I couldn’t think of any other reason why anyone would dye their feathers that way.”  She hesitates, one hand held in an aborted movement towards his wings.  “Can I- I mean, would you mind telling me about them?”

Talking about heart-colors isn’t necessarily a taboo subject.  Most people just prefer to keep their relationships and stories more private than not.  Looking at Vania’s hopeful face, half-illuminated orange by candlelight, Cole finds that he isn’t most people.  

“Yeah, sure,” he says, scooting over so he can fan his wings out.  “So you probably could have guessed, but all these ones are the other ninja’s.”  He points out Kai’s sienna, Jay’s pretty blue, Zane’s periwinkle, Nya’s warm maroon, and Lloyd’s bright green that make up the colors on his coverts.  

“This one’s my dad’s,” he says next, stretching out his left wing so the gold catches the candlelight.  “Both of my parents’ colors came in together, of course, but he saw his first because it was a little bit darker than my mom’s.”  He can remember it now, through the haziness of his three-year-old-self’s memory: his dad’s face hovering over him, eyes wide and face caught in some unidentifiable emotion.  

Reverence, Cole thinks now, years and years later.  It’s the same look Kai’s mom and dad give him and Nya when they work side-by-side.  It’s the same look he gave baby Wu, captured and immortalized forever on the tiny polaroid he keeps tucked away in his drawer.

Vania is watching him with a soft expression on her face.  Cole sighs, drawing himself from his memories.  He stretches out his other wing, wrapping it around his front so the color is on display.  “And this was hers,” he says softly.  “My Mom’s.”

“Lilly,” Vania echoes.

Cole nods.  The color on the tips of his feathers is faded now, looking peach instead of the vibrant orange of his childhood.  “For a long time, I couldn’t bear to look at it,” he admits, staring at the floor.  “I’d catch a glimpse out of the corner of my eye, and I hated it so much.  It was a brand of everything I’d lost, taunting me with how much it hurt.”

Vania seems to glow in the candlelight.  “What changed?” she asks.

Cole shrugs, feels how it costs him to be so nonchalant about it.  “The color started fading,” he says simply.  “And I realized that remembering, even though it was so painful, was so much more important that losing her forever.”

Vania is silent.  She hovers her hand over his wings, silently asking permission, and when Cole doesn’t do anything to stop her she drags her fingers gently over soft feathers.  Cole angles his wing so the vulnerable inner parts aren’t exposed, but other than that the petting feels nice.  It’s been so long since someone other than himself touched his wings like this- the ninja, for how much they love each other, are perpetually running off on some hairbrained adventure or another and don’t usually have time for group preening.  

“That’s it,” Vania says eventually, hand stilling over his coverts.  “That’s why I changed my mind about your culture’s wings.”  Her gaze travels somewhere toward the right, somewhere toward where her technologically-flawless and meticulously-kept wings rest against the railing.  Technologically-flawless, meticulously-kept, and completely bare of heart-color.  “I wish, sometimes-”

She cuts herself off.  “It’s not good to think about what-ifs,” she decides firmly, fixing a smile on her face.  Still, her fingers linger a second longer in his golden feathers.  “It must be nice, knowing that you are so loved.”

Cole closes his eyes.  The breeze washes over his hair, carrying with it the slight sounds of the party and his team laughing from below.  

“Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, it is.”

[princeshroob]

Okay, it’s the final roulette day, so it’s time to share my spark here! And since there’s a lot to go over, I’m gonna gloss over the less notable ones so I can get this done. I will say however that I did cave a bit and spent 110 draws before the 100 free draws, but since I was planning on sparking anyways (And since Super Mukku didn’t even come close to lasting 70) that doesn’t matter much.

First, Seruel. Only thing I can say about him is his weapon is a cheap knockoff of the Gachatti.

Next, gacha Poseidon. He’s good and all, but I also have Europa at 2*, so his aura isn’t unique, and I don’t know if his call is any better than his event counterpart’s.

Next up, Grand Monika! She’s a decent Wind unit and I’ll probably be making good use of her. However, at this current point I’m perfectly happy with my current wind team of Societte, Yuel, and Grimnir, so she isn’t getting a permanent spot anytime soon.

(yes I’m gonna go over the dupes, I want to count how many SSRs I got in total)

I also got a Grand Noa dupe. I already got him from the scratchers, so this is honestly a bit disappointing. Especially since I don’t plan on going Light Primal anytime soon.

quartz. Also DL Siren is better.

stones

Okay, so I also got Lancelot and Vane. I’m pretty sure this means I got every version of Lancelot (besides his summer duo with Vane) so that’s cool! Anyways, this is the end of my pre-100-draw draws, so let’s go into the 100 draw itself!

In the first tenfold, I got Summer Europa (I know it’s her summer alt because this isn’t Flash Gala!) From what I hear, she’s very good, so I might make use of her, but I don’t really want to focus too much on her at the moment.

A man and his cat. Cute!

Oh hey, Vaseraga. Wasn’t he re-balanced recently?

Oh hey, it’s this guy...I think he’s Percival’s brother?

lucius dupe

kolulu dupe

Oh, I got monkey. Okay, she’s really good and I’ll probably use her if I need to, but again I’m perfectly happy with my current Wind team.

WHERE ARE THE TOE BEANS!?!!? TELL ME OR I WILL RIOT!! (In case you don’t get it, the Nyarlathotep in Dragalia Lost has toe beans for some inexplicable reason)

I guess this isn’t quartz. Also, this is the end of the 100 draws, so let’s go into Super Mukku!

This is quartz, though.

wind vira dupe

HDSKGFKJSAHFDJKGHFKLGHLDFGHDFKGHLSFDGVKJFHDGVFSKGF YESSSSSSS, I GOT VANIA AND MALINDA!! Oh man, I love Vania so much! They don’t have a place in my water team, but I don’t care! What matters is that I love the characters! Oh, and Malinda is good too.

light charlotta dupe

light sarunan dupe

I’m...not too familiar with Lady Grey, but I dig the skeleton she has there. Also, this was all I got from Mukku, which lasted 20 draws, so let’s go into my last 50 draws!

...Just her. She’s the only SSR I got from the last 50. As for my spark...

I sparked Vajra, because if any of you know me, you’d know how much I love dogs! Just look at her dog! He’s so adorable!!! And huge! I just wanna hug him! She’s definitely taking Summer Sandalphon’s spot (No offense to Sandy, I still like him a lot) just because dog. I also bought the anniversary ticket, so who did I get?

Summer Cagliostro, of course! I did consider Pholia for the same reason as Vajra, but I decided with Summer Cag instead because Pholia can be sparked every month, but Cag only comes around twice a year. She also counts as a second source of water crests with Lily, and also gives another effect to people with water crests (crit rate, I think) so that’ll be neat!

[cyi-can-you-imagine]

Starved - Chapter 23

Chapter 23 – Found

When Sam awoke again, he was strapped down to a bed. He did not pull on the restraints. He was heavily sedated, and had a hard time focusing. Everything was fuzzy. Where was his dad? Where was Dean?

As if in answer to his silent question, Sam heard a voice in the darkness.

“Hey Sammy?” Dean. Dean was by his side. His brother grabbed his hand and interlaced their fingers. Sam loved it when Dean did that. He smiled and sighed heavily, struggling with the heavy medication.

“Sammy? I know…you’re in a hospital, but you’re safe, ok? I promise. I know you don’t like it. We’re going home today, ok? The wrist things are so you don’t tear your IVs out again, ok? But I’m gonna get you out of here. Real soon, ok? I promise.

Sam just blinked. He couldn’t even decide if he should be scared or not.

Dean tried to talk to him, but his words made no sense in Sam’s brain. Sam just listened to Dean’s voice. Not his words, but the sound of his voice. Like a calming melody.

As Sam drifted off again, he heard Dean talking to a man with a soft voice.

“I can’t thank you enough for bringing my brother back to me. You saved his life.”

“S’alright, man. I knew he…I knew he needed help. He’s so young. I knew he didn’t belong in that bar. And when I heard him yelling in the bathroom, I –“ The man’s voice trailed off.

After a beat, Sam heard Dean speak again.

“Listen, uh, about that. Can we talk for a minute? In private? I have some questions to ask, if that’s ok.”

Dean pulled the man aside and closed the door while Sam slept and discovered how Sam was brought to the hospital.

Duke was a biker, minding his own business having some drinks at the bar when he saw Sam sitting in the corner. He clearly didn’t belong there, but you know, sometimes dads bring their boys in. He’d looked around but seen no parental figures.

He watched as the boy drank from a flask in his jacket. He knew something wasn’t quite right, so he just decided to keep an eye on the situation, not saying anything. Didn’t want to scare the kid off…especially if he might be in trouble.

Later, he heard a fight in the bathroom. He quickly surveyed the area, and seeing the boy gone, he practically flew to the bathroom, but it was locked.

“I had to save him. I had to. It would mean….it would mean that I could save his life. I couldn’t save my brother…but I could save yours. And I…I knew it was me that was meant to save him. So I stayed with him when he came here. He was…alone. I didn’t want him to…to die alone, you know? I didn’t know if he’d…”

Dean waited while the big man regained his composure.

“My brother would have wanted that. He’d have been so proud of me. I kicked that door in…but he was alone. It was the strangest thing – but I figured whoever it was beatin’ on him had just jumped out the window.”

Duke paused and looked back over at Sam’s sleeping form before he slowly turned back to Dean.

“I’m glad he’s going to be ok. I really am.”

Dean pulled the man into a big, grateful hug.

Duke left while Sam was still sleeping.

Dean kept the man’s number.

**

It took a while to settle in once they got back home. Sam was still drugged up and weak. His shoulder had a huge gash in it that the doctors sewed up, but his knee and arm were mostly healed at this point. Sam would always have scarring on his arms, and he’s lost some feeling in the burned areas, but the pain had mostly gone away.

 Bobby and Rufus helped Dean to get Sam settled into his bed. Once Sam was dressed and tucked in and propped up inside clean sheets, Bobby and Rufus left to give the boys time to be alone together.

 But Sam seemed to tense up when the older men left the room. Dean pulled up a chair and sat up near Sam’s head.

“Sam, I…I’m so glad you’re home. Finally. We don’t have to run anymore. Right? I mean…He’s gone. Dad’s finally truly gone, right? He’s not I your head anymore?” Dean reached his hand forward to touch his brother’s  face, but Sam pulled away. Dean froze.

  Sam sat back in the bed, his hands clenched.  His foot bounced up and down under the sheet.  His eyes narrowed.  Blood rushed through his ears so loudly he almost couldn’t think.

He didn’t even hear Dean the first three times he called him.  He only reacted when Dean finally grabbed his shoulder.

“Sam!  What’s wrong with you? I called your name like three fucking times.”

Sam grimaced at his brother’s touch and shoved Dean’s hand off of his shoulder.  He clenched his teeth and snarled.

“Don’t touch me, Dean.”  His voice was low and gravelly.

Dean quickly took a step back. “Sam, what the hell?”  He was thoroughly confused.  And worried.  

“Back off, Dean.”  Sam stood up, making sure to not look at his brother.  

Dean tentatively took another step closer. But Sam just looked at him, burning a hole through him. Dean put his hands up and took three steps back.

Sam closed his eyes. Still under heavy sedation, he fell asleep again quickly. Dean watched him until he was clearly sound asleep, breathing heavily and evenly. Then he quietly walked out closing the door behind him. No one watched him wipe his eyes with his sleeve.

**

Bobby and Rufus had gone up to talk to Sam, and almost two hours later, they came downstairs and told a pacing Dean that Sam’s memories were confused. He had memories of both his dad and Dean hurting him. He also thought John might still be inside him (even though Braven assured everyone Sam was not possessed when they first got home.)

Dean sank down into the chair by the fire and put his head in his hands. Even though Sam was back – finally back and safe for good – he wasn’t really back.

He had false memories of Dean giving him to their dad willingly. Dean telling his dad it was all Sam’s fault that they were together. That Sam forced him. He was terrified of Dean. He didn’t want to be around him.

It was three days before Sam would even talk to Dean.

***

Sam looked up into his brother’s eyes.  He was sitting on the floor, arms raised in defense, his shirt scrunched up in Dean’s tight fist, the anger seething out of his older brother.

“Dean, please!” He choked back a sob.

“You heard me you evil son of a bitch. Get out of my fucking room.  Get out of the fucking house.”  Sam scrambled to his feet, wrenching out of his brother’s grasp, his pleading eyes never leaving Dean’s.

“Don’t fucking look at me like that,”  Dean reached out, and, placing his hands on Sam’s shoulders, shoved him back against the wall.  Sam landed hard against it, knocking the wind out of him.  He tried one more time.

“Dean, you don’t know what you are saying.  Please, just let me-“ he reached out to his brother, but the hatred in Dean’s eyes made him draw back.

“Get. The fuck. Out.”  Sam started backing out of the room, feeling smaller with each step he took.  He knew it was pointless. Dean was not going to listen to him. He was too far gone to hear anything he tried to tell him. Dean continued to pursue him, walking toward him with absolute malice.

“Dean, please.  Dad’s g-gone –“ but Dean had had enough.  He reached out with his fist and connected with Sam’s jaw.  Sam saw little white sparks in front of his eyes with the punch.  He felt blood drip from his lower lip. He instinctively wanted to fight back, but knew there was no point. He wasn’t going to fight his brother. 

Dean grabbed him by the shirt again and shoved him out the door.  He continued to push and shove the younger Winchester down the hall.  Sam tried to speak up, but Dean’s rage overpowered him.   He tried to push back, just to gain some footing, but Dean was relentless. He just returned with another punch.  Dean continued forward, backing his little brother up to the stairs.

“Get out of my brother you son of a bitch!” Dean yelled, swing at Sam again. Sam panicked. He needed to prove he wasn’t possessed by John anymore. He put his hands up and tried to take a step forward.

“Dean, listen, it’s…” But it was too late. The punch came at him with such force, it was powerful enough to send him crashing to the floor.  He didn’t even have time to reach his hands out to block his fall.  Sam heard the crack of his own skull on the concrete floor seconds before he blacked out.

He woke up screaming.

Dean was beside him, shaking him, fear in his eyes. Sam was sweating and moaning in fear.

“Sammy?” Dean desperately wanted to touch him, but didn’t want to get too close - but Sam just pulled him into his arms. Sam’s fever had broken, His hallucinations disappeared.

”Dad’s gone…Dean…Dean, he’s really gone…and I’m - I’m safe.  I’m safe?”

Dean nodded. Sam collapsed into grateful tears. Almost a year of captivity and pain. Finally, his dad was gone. He was with Dean. Dean, who loved him. Dean, who saved him.

Dean. His true love. Sam pulled him close and drew him into a passionate kiss.

Dean practically collapsed himself with joy.

But joy comes and goes. It was that night they both discovered that while John was truly no longer in Sam’s head, he’d never actually ever leave Sam. The nightmare he had that night proved it…

Starved taglist:

@charliebradbury1104, @sammys-dimpless, @adsp-wincestj2, @vania-montoya, @ netaelex,   @bobbie3939 @mtngirlforever@dontknowmyname215@j2sunflowerbaby @ alex2029

[larasati98-blog]

KNB217 Digital Creatures Assignment 1

By Yosephine Vania Devi Larasati | n10129251

For this assignment, I decided to choose Jack from the folktale of a magic beanstalk. Since this is a well-known story for decades, I find it easier to identify the character and setting played in the story.

Jack and the Magic Beanstalk

Jack and the Magic Beanstalk is an English fairy tale. According to Joseph Jacob’s version (1890), this story revolves around the adventure of Jack, a boy living on a farm with his poor widowed mother. One day, his mother asked Jack to go to the market and sell their only cow there, since they run out of money to buy some food. In the market, thoughtless Jack met an old butcher that offered him a magic seed in exchange for his cow. Instead of selling it for some coins, Jack tempted to trade his cow for the seed. Knowing that Jack brought home a seed instead of money, his mother was angry and threw the seed outside. However, the bean grew overnight into a giant beanstalk where there is a castle upon it. Excited, Jack climbed the stalk to find the castle on the top and it was filled with magical animals and instrument which belong to a giant living in it. Realising that he needs goods to sell, he stole a magical hen that lays golden eggs and magical harp that can talk. Unfortunately, the harp began to scream for help and surprised the giant. The giant chased down Jack until he almost reached the ground, but Jack started chopping down the stalk that also crushed and killed the giant. The overall story takes place during the renaissance. The setting happened in the farm, market and a gigantic castle built for giants.

Jack

Jack is often described as a young man that is always taking advantage of any opportunities provided to him. The folktale also shows that he lives in desperation since he and his mother lived in constant poverty. From my personal view, I would describe Jack as a naive and reckless young man, yet caring about his family’s needs. Jack is very spontaneous, innocent, and easily tricked by an old man into trading his cow with what the man called it a magical seed. Not forgetting the fact that he is a farmer, he has a diligent personality.

Jack is physically skinny, due to living in poverty for a long time. He is a tall boy and his body barely shows any muscle, like a twig, I would describe. He weights very light that allows him to sneak into a castle without waking up the giant. His clothes are very simple and comfortable to wear for farming but seem quite dirty from going to the field often. Also, the clothes seem old since those are old clothes from his late father.

In summary, the characteristic of Jack is divided into two:

Personality traits:

Innocent and naive

Spontaneous

Somewhat stubborn

Taking for granted

Soft-hearted and devoted to his family

Physical characteristic:

Tall and skinny

Pale skin with noticeable sunburns

Extremely light

Round face (as he is still young)

Wearing old farming clothes that are lightly covered by dirt

Mood board

First thing, I gathered references based on style and body type that is relevant to the story. I love the idea of loose clothes with a belt that exaggerates his thin figure. However, since it is a low poly character, the clothes might be harder to animate the flow.

Experiment Drawing

After that, I began to draw the character concept based on the mood board. The first picture shows the characters line up consist of Jack, his mother, and the Giant. I love making a character comparison at first, so I know what will differentiate Jack among all of the characters.

Here is I draw rough sketches of Jack. From first glance, he looks like a scarecrow, which I found very interesting. I continued to explore his look by combining shapes.

I tried to combine shapes of circle, square, and triangle. I decided to use many circles for his head to show youth. Later on, I prefer a round shape for the eyes and the nose that emphasise his innocence, friendliness, and soft, while I was still playing around with the shape of the body.

Rough Silhouette

I narrowed down to 5 silhouettes that I find appealing and easier to create in low-poly.

Final decision, I found this very simple yet appealing. Just from the silhouette, this character seems clumsy and soft. I will develop this rough silhouette into a more unique character.

During the renaissance era, men were mostly wearing linen tunic that is belted at the waist and tight legging (Central Coast Renaissance Festival, 2019). The tunic was worn as an undergarment beneath outer clothes, such as cloak by upper class (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1998).

I tried to modify the clothing a little, such as cutting short the bottom part of the tunic. This makes Jack looks slender and gives clarity to his body shape. Creating a character turnaround sheet is not something new to me, yet still challenging no matter how many times I have done it. Especially, in a three-quarter view. Also, I am giving Jack a slightly crooked back.

Medieval and renaissance tunic (Larp Inn, 2019).

As for the colour palette reference, I am using a colour wheel and chose to use complementary colours with earth tones. Here, I combined blue and orange as well as adjusted the saturation to bring the two colours together.

Colour wheel sample (Lynton, 2018).

Coloured character turnaround

The image below here is used for reference in the modelling process. The character is drawn from the front, right, and topside view.

Modelling Process

The video below here shows the quick video of modelling the character from a cube.

Due to insufficient storage, I screen captured some stages after the recording. These are where I learned my mistakes.

1. Arm Twisting

I did not pay attention to the anatomy of the muscle. So I had to remake the arm and make a twist.

2. Face Topology

Modelling mouth and nose with the right loop pattern is complicated for me. I followed several other tutorial videos on the internet and other people’s work as a reference. Other challenges include modelling the face to look appealing while maintaining the polygons count to keep it under 1000, for example, changing the hairstyle to be much simpler than the original design.

Overall, I did not find any problems with the UV map process, everything went smoothly. Until I painted the model using Substance Painter. Painting hair surprisingly became the most difficult thing. I mostly do realistic style rather than stylised, so it took a while for me to get accustomed to the painting process. I mostly used polygon fill feature in Substance Painter at first, then added more details(dirt, and collar) using brush.

Rigging Process

First time using Advanced Skeleton 5, many things happened in the process. There are a few steps that I have to repeat until the model can move properly. One of them is the eyeballs that are stuck with the head model and won’t rotate by themselves. Resolved it by fixing the connection between the joint and the geometry. Another problem I had was the knees bend backwards. Turned out that my model’s legs were slightly bending backwards and Advanced Skeleton automatically generated inverted knees.

Animation Test

Final Render

Jack by yosephine98 on Sketchfab

In summary, I am satisfied with the design of the character. Even though the execution of building the 3D model does not meet my expectation. There are many things I have to fix in my model. In the future, I am excited to build another model with better design and 3D model.

References

Central Coast Renaissance Festival. (2019, May 24). How did people dress in renaissance England. Central Coast Renaissance Festival. https://ccrenfaire.com/how-did-people-dress-in-renaissance-england/

Jacobs, J. (2003). Jack and the beanstalk. English Fairy Tales. http://www.authorama.com/english-fairy-tales-15.html

Larp Inn (2019). Guy Tunic. Larp Inn. https://www.larpinn.co.uk/guy-tunic-brown-p-6496.html

Lynton, J. (2018, 29 May). Close to my heart color wheel [Image]. Make it from your heart. https://blog.closetomyheart.com/2018/05/29/color-theory-double-complementary-color-schemes/

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (1998). Tunic. Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/tunic-clothing

[terryblount]

Control Review

Remedy Games hasn’t made that many games in the past 20+ years the developer has been around, but each time that they do release one it’s been pretty special.  While this is the studio that brought you the original Max Payne games, Alan Wake, Quantum Break, and now Control… each of these games has brought something new to the table.  Whether it was the new gameplay mechanics of bullet-time or Alan Wake’s flashlight, things have always been somewhat interesting when it comes to the gameplay mechanics of Remedy games.  Control is no different, it certainly stands out from other products that Remedy has released over the years, but also feels very familiar to their most recent offerings in Alan Wake and Quantum Break.

It’s the kind of weird that you’ve come to expect from the developer

Remedy has established themselves as the developers that make weird, stylish games.  This has done well with the last two aforementioned series’.  They jumped into the world of FMV in their games, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.  Control is definitely another one of these.  It’s a weird mess of a story that places you in the shoes of a young woman who finds herself in a place called the Oldest House, which happens to be a hidden building in the middle of New York City where a supernatural threat of the Hiss looms. You become the new Director of a group called the Federal Bureau of Control and can wield a supernatural firearm called the Service Weapon which is your main source of gameplay as it is a third person shooter.  The Hiss are everywhere in the Oldest House and they have the ability to take over and possess the other agents in the building.  The story winds and turns with a little bit more about who you are and why you are there, but it really stays fairly mysterious up until the credits roll.

Less Linear than you’ve seen from Remedy in the past

Control is a little bit less linear than other Remedy games.  There’s a massive, multi-level map to explore, with numerous NPC characters to meet, side quests to tackle, blocked passages, and loot to uncover.  There are some aspects of a Metroid-vania style game here, but they are light.  There are Security Doors which require key cards and some areas can’t be accessed without having specific powers, but it never feels not obvious what you need to do.  Most of the stuff that is locked behind abilities really does just add more color to the world.  While the key cards are usually story items that you’ll get in a fairly linear fashion.  The video gamey bits are what keep you pushing forward in Control, but it’s also an incredibly stylish game with a dark weirdness to it.  The imagery, sounds, and general presentation and mysterious story pull you in immediately as we found ourselves really wanting to learn about this world.  Unfortunately, everything does stay pretty vague in Control.  After watching the credits roll, I thought it was definitely worth the time spent, but I did feel a little unfulfilled in so much being left to collectible files that you can read or FMV videos that you can watch along your journey.

Shooting and abilities give the combat some variety

Control is a third person shooter, but it’s not just a shooter.  There are plenty of abilities to learn as the Director.  Your supernatural abilities allow you to stabilize objects of power which you can then draw abilities from.  You’ll learn things like double jumps, levitation, telekinesis, and others which allow you to fight different types of enemies or reach different areas of the map.  Control is far-less linear than Remedy’s previous games.  There is the main path of the story, which you can really barrel down if you want.  But, there’s also a good bit of side content in this game.  Some of the side content is actually much more interesting than the actual main path and you’ll really miss some cool stuff if you don’t explore this world.  For example, the Hiss are the major threat in the game.  But, there are also others which a scientist is researching in an area called the Pit.  You don’t need to visit the Pit to beat Control, but if you do you’ll get treated to a massive boss fight against a giant mold monster. It’s stuff like this that make Control tough to digest.  Some of this side content is definitely must see, but putting off of the main path does make it unlikely that many will encounter it.  The rewards, whether on the main path or when exploring is points and materials to upgrade your character and weapons.

These points will funnel into your different abilities, making the stronger across the course of the game.  As you spend your trait points you will unlock more mod slots for your weapons and personal buffs.  The combat in Control is a mix between third person shooter and an ability focused game.  You’ll definitely be shooting your fair share of enemies, but you can also upgrade your different abilities to use a telekinetic push melee or unlock the ability to pick up and hurl items with your mind.  You can summon items around you as a shield, or levitate over the battlefield while raining down abilities or bullets.  The combat is varied and putting all of the abilities together really make it stand out.  This really doesn’t start clicking until you’re pretty deep into Control though.  The early parts are certainly more bullet-based, while the latter stages are focused on your powerful abilities or juggling back and forth between the two.  As enemies get tougher you’ll manage your ammunition in Service Weapon and your energy to use abilities.  I found myself in familiar patterns again and again.  Since there is no reload and everything runs off of a charge in Control, it always basically felt like I was shooting until I need to recharge the weapon and then using my abilities until the energy ran out.  By the time that energy ran out I was swapping back to the service weapon to repeat the process.  That coupled with dodging and levitating mechanics gave the combat a nice rhythm.  Control on the Xbox One did feel kind of like a PC game that was ported to consoles.  The aiming and targeting felt a bit rigid and not quite as smooth as some other third person shooters or action games.  Control does feature some incredible destruction physics in combat and in exploration phases.  The destruction makes all of your powers and abilities feel real and have a lasting impact on the world around you.

Main path story missions, side content, challenges, and agency missions… there is no shortage of things to do

Control is kind of structured in a unique way for a single player experience.  There are your aforementioned story and side mission content, but there are random missions where you’re given objectives that must be completed in a certain amount of time. They feel almost like a “daily challenge” that you’ll find in a multiplayer game.  There are challenges that can be tackled for rewards as well.  Kill a certain number of enemies without dying in a certain part of the Oldest House, and you’ll reward you.  Control definitely takes some of the engaging content from multiplayer games in terms of challenges and introduces them in a way that makes sense for a single player game.  The rewards are upgrade points and materials that will allow you to craft personal mods, weapon mods, and different weapon forms for the Service Weapon.

The Service Weapon does start out as a pistol, but it can evolve into multiple things.  While the actual size and shape of it changes only slightly, the firing mechanics and bullets that come out of it differ drastically from a beam to a burst rifle, or shotgun.  So long as you’re spending points on upgrading the weapon you’ll have no shortage of ways to kill enemies.  You can equip two of the weapon forms at once, and then outfit the weapon with up to three different mods which give you various buffs that compliment your playstyle.  There’s no shortage of these progression and upgrade items Control.  In fact, there’s actually quite a lot of loot in the game if you’re looking for it. There is a nice ramp of progression in the game from start to finish where the abilities that you learn and weapons you are using definitely make you feel more powerful in the end game than you did when you were bumbling around the halls of the Oldest House trying to piece together why you are there in the first place.

We played it on the “world’s most powerful console” and it was kind of a mess

Control is definitely a stunner when it comes to visuals and presentation, but on a technical level on the Xbox One X the game really feels like its pushing the console to its limits.  Taking away from the fun at times were smaller things like the map not loading when trying to pull it up until waiting for 15-20 seconds.  This in itself makes navigating the world more of a chore than it has to be.  Then there’s fast travel and loading into a new control point.  These points are effectively the checkpoints in the game and when you reach one or rest at one you’ll respawn from there if you happen to die.  Each and every single time I loaded into a new control point there was significant frame rate drops and slow down that was visible on screen on the Xbox One X.  It’s became pretty disappointing as the game got harder because it was a stark contrast from the rest of the game.  That’s not to say that Control didn’t chug at other spots.  Put too many enemies on the screen and the Xbox One X just felt like it was overloaded with the enemy counts and the ongoing effects.  It didn’t take away from my experience too much, but it’s definitely noticeable in a game as stylish as Control.

Anyone that liked or loved the Quantum Break or Alan Wake games will most certainly enjoy Control.  Remedy has certainly embraced their artistic sides for this game, taking more risks with their story telling than their last couple of games and doubling down on their penchant for including live actors as a story telling device.  If you’re not quite sure what to expect, it’s a dark, twisted, weird world full of things that don’t make any sense.   At times this feels ok, and refreshing that you don’t quite know where it’s going to end up, but it can be a little disappointing.  One thing’s for sure, it’s definitely a hell of a ride from start to finish.

The Verdict

Control is definitely Remedy’s best game since Alan Wake.  The sheer variety in the gameplay and fantastic presentation go a long way in making this an enjoyable experience.  The weird story and setting does a great job of setting the hook at the onset, but the payoff was a little underwhelming.

Control Review published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[purplerose244]

Thoughts journal for season 13!! 😎😎 (2/4)

Here we go with another four episodes! I'm enjoying myself A LOT and I do hope we will continue this way! I can't wait to know more about Rock Mom and who really is the Skull Sorcerer and ENOUGH LET'S GO TO THE EPISODES!!! 💕💕

Here we go!!

QUEEN OF THE MUNCE

For this one I already saw the Nya's knight suit already... and she was gorgeous... I mean she always is but COME ON 💙💙💙

These munce are too much 😂 They are kind of adorable in their stupidity really

Jay going full "we're never going to get out Imma get overly pessimistic because YES" is always a familiar sight, almost as him spazzing out during a difficult situation... that could still happen 🤷‍♀️

Good thing Nya gets the brain cell most of the time 👌

Of course while I'm waiting for the third part of Tales of Arcadia, something so similar to the Trollmarket comes my way 😂 Very nice thought, a bit dark. I hope it doesn't get in the way of seeing the good fighting scenes

Okay but THIS

IS PLAIN CURSED, PLAIN BALD HEADS😱😱😱 Well I'm guessing Tommy doesn't have excuses anymore to become a LEGO character 😂

Well Murt, that was one breathtaking story, you should be a storyteller 👍

Ah, there we go, with the Jay and Nya and queen situation 😒 It's not that bad really, considering I thought it was going to be just a weak way to include Jay with just another triangle. It didn't last long so that's kinda fine, but it is annoying that Nya is pushed away. But overall better than I expected

Also it is nice the reminder that she is his yang 💙❤💙❤

And they are still adorable 😂😂 I like that you can tell immediately here who's the strong one of the couple 😎😎

So there is a drawing of the Millie Gillie guy/gal on that wall, huh... was I in the wrong about that being Cole's mom? I thought they said she, but English is not my first language so I could be wrong 🤷‍♀️

Ninja Jay could be the new Kai Ninjago 😂

Aww, that part with the lightning and the crystals was so pretty 🤩🤩

And there we go with the confrontation 😛 I did snorted seeing Jay kinda offended at Nya not wanting to fight for him, but she is still super adorable saying that they belong 💕💕 Also Lloyd just being there trying to calm everyone down, le poor baby 😂😂

Yep, the fire instinct kicking in, Nya is the daughter of Ray after all 🤷‍♀️

AND SHE LOOKS ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS WITH THE ARMOR 🤩🤩

Oh, apparently the queen of munce can do spin dash 😱

Woooo, that preparation for the spinjitzu was so cool 🤩 And of course she kicked the HECK out of her, THAT'S MY GIRL!!!

And now she's the queen, great, more problems to come 😅 We'll see how this plays out, and I am kinda curious to see queen Nya at work ☺

Not my favorite episode, but still enjoyable, let's keep getting better and better!

So... WHERE IS MY FLAME BABE?!? ❤

TRIAL BY MINO

THERE HE IS 😍😍😍

I don't know if it's because it's a very obvious but convenient thing to do or I just love Kai THAT much, but I love when there's dark and he just lights up his hand. Idk, I just think it's neat 🙂

There're the Geckos! They are cute too 💜 Also chanting about the Millie Gillie guy, I'm still convinced that's just Cole's mom! Also I'm kinda guessing the Skull Sorcerer is the king of Shintaro. He is the most suspicious for now, we'll see how it goes 🤷‍♀️

Poor Kai got the awful thing in his mouth... AND HAIR!!! Look out sweetie, your beautiful chocolaty hair!! 😱

OMG ZANE CALLING OUT KAI ABOUT HIS BLABBERING AS HE DOESN'T HAS A SKELETON 😂😂 I laughed too much at it, I'm sorry Tin Can 😅

Again

Really like the crystal vibe 😍 This one is blue, the other was green, is there a reason?

I missed Kai and Zane together, I missed anyone with Zane in general! It's always a nice contrast and always amusing, especially if hotheadTM is involved 💕

So they throw rocks to show approval, I'm loving this society for some reasons 😂

Okay, vengestone is literally everywhere, there is no way all this stuff was not on purpose. It would make sense that a place studied to weaken an elemental master was meant for something more. Wooooo, ROCK MOM ROCK MOM 🖤🖤🖤

Awwww, I don't know why but them acknowledging the elemental masters is super satisfying 💜

Oh so Kai is not a king, he's a chancellor... and he didn't want to 😂😂 Vincent definitely had fun voicing this episode 👌

Okay, so there are three explorers involved? I'm guessing the muscular one in the trailer was one of them. I wonder what will be their part in the story 🤔

Poor Kai, his encouragement speeches used to be the key of convincing, here it's harder. Let's see how they will deal with this... also how Kai will react with queen Nya of the munce 😂

Pff, Zane throwing the rock of encouragement, that was so adorable 🤍

I really missed these two ❤🤍❤🤍

THE SKULL SORCERER

Seriously, even talking to herself and thinking about the worst situations like Bluebell? If Cole and Vania do end up together, I'll still hold onto the fact that Rocky is into the loquatious type 😂😂

Okay, a sweet princess' paranoia towards a little white cute dragon named Chompy?

One of the cutest thing ever seen 😍 Also I am a firm believer that everything improves if you put a dragon into it, another reason why I love Ninjago so much 🤍🤍🤍

Pff, seeing Vania talking about call then the cut on the black ninja makes me think about that one vine with the guy hanging with his phone saying "Yeah I'm okay mom, bye (phone down)... I AM NOT OKAY!!" 😂

SOLO MOMENT WITH COLE!!! Freaking yes, and it looks like the little tic of talking to himself when stressed from March of the Oni got stuck 🙃🙃

Lava punches back! Big bad bats!! Spiders!!... wait- AAAHHH 😱

Okay, forgive my skepticism when I doubt that a simple spider web could stop one of the strongest ninja of the team. We needed Vania to the rescue, alright, still sounds a little easy but eh watcha gonna do 🤷‍♀️

SHE HAS HER HAIR DOWN!!! SHE LOOKS STUNNING!!! Golden hair girl 💛💛

And Chompy is a big good boy 🤩

CALLED IT!!! CALLED IT FOR THE KING!!!... I mean it was kinda obvious 😅 Still, happy I thought about it before it actually happened. Although it's curious that the reveal happens now, halfway there, unlike in Prime Empire where it took almost all the season to build up the reveal. What's left for the finale?... ROCK MOM?!?!

There's a customer for all that vengestone? That... actually makes a lot of sense. Anyone who is against the ninja would want it really, and that only considering past villains. And if we think about possible elemental masters coming back, uuuhhh, I like where this is going!!

YOU CANNOT HURT A BABY DRAGON IN THIS SHOW AND NOT PAY I HOPE YOU GET THE WORST DEATH/DEFEAT OF ALL THE FRANCHISE 👿👿👿

Wait, so they don't naturally have wings? Oh, that's why she didn't have them in the trailer, I see 🤔

This is probably the only moment when I think they rushed a bit. Not too much, I iust feel like we haven't seen enough of Vania and her father to truly feel that decision moment as fundamental. Still cool, still intense, but kinda light. Anyway GO PRINCESS GO!!! 💕💕

THE REAL FALL

Oh Garmadon... that title... *flashbacks The Fall while realizing this is indeed Cole's season* NOT AGAIN 😱😱😱

I mean they are already falling so... uh, let's see how it goes

HE EVEN FRAMED CHOMPY HE MUST DIE SO HARD 😡👿😡👿

Okay the fall here is actually kind of hilarious 😂 Or is it because I love that Kirby gets to be on the center of the attention and he is giving his all? Idk, I love all the voice actors of the show really 🤷‍♀️

Hey, you people watching this

Am I the only one getting emotional here?? 😢 ... just me, huh 😅 I mean come on, it's Cole and Wu! The first leader and the sensei! The used to be dad and his son Cole Jr.! I headcanon that Cole was the first to arrive at the monastery and this feels like the old times... EMOTIONAL PEOPLE

Lol, sensei taking the time to compliment Vania about her behavior, he's gonna adopt her when this is over 😂

I mean, you kinda faced worst yes, you fell into the Underworld on dragons you used to be afraid of, you fell from a ship with an anchor, you fell into a junk compactor that almost squashed you against your rival now best friend, you fell from SPACE towards THE EARTH, you fell from a ladder... THE LADDER COLE 😱😱😱 (this fangirl will never recover from that)

Aaaand a giant web. Of course. Classic Ninjago lack of luck right there 👈👈

Clutch Powers still lives 😂

Okay, seriously? She freaks out when things gets out of hand and talks about staying calm by making vocal exercises! Freaking, it might be me trying to find an excuse to think about Bruise, but they are making it a little too easy for me 🖤💙🖤💙

I am kinda loving her being so genuine, Idk, I really like Vania. She does her best 👍

Falling > Dying, life lessons by your master of Earth 😎 Wu sounds so done, they can never go anywhere without something crazy like this happening 🤣

Why is this so funny, the sequel of The Fall shouldn't be 😂 Meh, not complaining

That was one very mad Lapras

YES THANK YOU SENSEI!!! Finally he acknowledged it, Cole is literally surrounded by his element, OF COURSE he is crazy strong in here. I needed this scene, heck yeah, I love elemental powers 🖤

Oh they must be the explorers... Merlin, Assassin's Creed and Conan the Barbarian 😅 So we hit rock bottom, literally apparently, and one of the spider's name is Adam... OKAY

So the real fall was in fact Cole falling asleep for the shock 😂 Lol if Cole and Vania really don't end up together, I can joke and say that in this season Cole has never fell harder 😉😉

This was very amusing, I liked this episode, I would rewatch it only for the comments 😂 I'm curious to see what else will happen, especially with these three now involved! Who are they?

[renoxa]

A Fresh, Organic, Scandi-Look Cottage by the Sea

Now that the hot muggy days of summer seem to be behind us and the nights are drawing in, what could be nicer than a few days in a cosy cottage for two? The Cotton Tree via the Unique Home Stays site is getting my vote for it’s fresh, organic, Scandi look. Not to mention it has a wood burning stove and a hot tub. The owners took inspiration for the interior from their own time spent on Australia’s north coast and it’s very easy to imagine you are actually in Queensland. With its thick linens, salvaged sailing relics and exposed wood it embodies the very essence of seaside living. There’s also a wraparound sun deck (complete with hammock), beach grasses and a comfortable outside seating area for those warmer autumn days. And if you are feeling energetic, it’s just a mile’s walk over undulating hills to the surf and sand.

The Cotton Tree might be a luxury cottage but pretentious it’s not. The wood cladding the walls has been left unpainted and the wood battening provides a handy and effective shelf for displaying rusted anchors, fisherman’s utensils and beach finds. Even the dining table is a re-purposed wood cable reel. The wooden floorboards have been painted white with occasional natural fibre rugs thrown about and the curtains pooling on the floor are linen. The addition of the rattan hanging chair and dining chairs give it a real beachy, Scandi look.

Other Key Elements That Complete the Look

Sheepskins to add comfort and ward off chills.

A wood burning stove to hunker down in front of.

Rope and metal elements to complement the wood.

Sack cloth cushion covers.

Chunky reclaimed glass.

A kitchen built entirely from reclaimed wood.

Wooden chopping boards.

Industrial looking metal wall lights.

Simple kitchen shelves to hold everyday crockery.

Wire baskets to hold fruit and vegetables.

Bamboo trays.

Rustic looking hooks for hanging coats on.

A wooden chest for hats and scarves.

Baskets for shopping and picnics.

Fisherman’s nets, just for decoration.

An old ladder for hanging towels on.

Simple linen blinds tied to a bamboo pole.

An end of bed bench.

Bamboo bed posts.

Industrial looking metal light switches.

A rattan bedside table.

A metal porthole shaped mirror.

A free-standing bath.

A high-level toilet cistern.

A shady pergola for lounging outside.

Pebbles from the beach.

Rattan lanterns.

Get The Look at Home

This post does contain affiliate links. If you decide to buy anything featured you won’t pay any more, but Dear Designer’s will receive a small commission to help keep this blog up and running.

Rattan Renoir Hanging Chair from Sika Design, Cuckooland.

Broste Copenhagen Zigzag Runner Rug, Amara.

Lene Bjerre Hadria Vase, Houseology.

St Ives Up and Down Light, Garden Trading.

Vania Accent Mirror, Wayfair.

Woven Jute Cushion, Maisons Du Monde.

Broste Copenhagen Sally Bamboo Lantern, Amara.

Dutchbone Lon Trunk, Houseology.

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[dawnajaynes32]

The Vacvvm: An International “Cult” of Illustrators & Poster Designers

[Call for Entries: The International Design Awards]

Meet The Vacvvm, a creative “cult” that empowers like-minded illustrators from around the world.

On Oct. 10, 2014, a new page appeared on Facebook, attributed to illustrator Aaron Horkey and creative director Mitch Putnam. The first post was a sketch of distinctly Horkey-an creation—an ink drawing of a building, organic sacs clinging to Ionic columns. Etched in the marble frontispiece was a single word: VACVVM.

A day later, there was a rumbling in the niche world of poster collectors. Horkey had started an Instagram account. With a career cloaked in radio silence, his fans’ surprise was palpable. His first post was a pencil and gouache piece titled “Osprey #1.” It was hashtagged #itsme #aaronhorkey. “I don’t possess the desire to bask in the spotlight or be the center of attention,” Horkey says. “When Mitch suggested having a dedicated online outlet for my work, I thought I’d rather build a team with my friends than go it alone.”

The lone bit of information the mysterious Minneapolis-based illustration group known as The Vacvvm offers about itself on its social media platforms simply reads: “An international illustration cult. Co-founded by Aaron Horkey and Mitch Putnam.” It’s an altogether vague explanation if you are not aware of either of those names, and the “illustration cult” descriptor does nothing to clarify its purpose or goal. But for fans who follow the group’s work on its website and social media accounts—including an Instagram following of 45,000 and counting—The Vacvvm acts as a brand, creating and selling limited-edition art prints and goods from top-tier illustrators and artists. In Putnam and Horkey combined, the art collectibles world has its own Steve Jobs—a name that guarantees a preeminent level of quality control. Many devotees preorder limited-edition prints they’ve never seen, in full confidence they will not be disappointed.

[Related: 20 Beautifully Illustrated Alternative Movie Posters | 7 Video Tutorials and Exercises for Poster Designers]

As a concept, The Vacvvm is an attempt to turn the inherent solitude of the artist and illustrator into a group effort—creative motivation found beneath a common banner. The group takes the role of the isolated illustrator and places it in the context of a team. The Vacvvm is cult-building, a brand applying the existing tools of spectator sports to the craft of art creation. Horkey explains: “Growing up I was obsessed with underground comix and skateboarding. The mythos of the Zap artists in the late ’60s/early ’70s and the assembling of the Bones Brigade and, later, the formation of the initial Plan B team in the early ’90s, were serious inspirational touchstones for putting together The Vacvvm.”

The Vacvvm is comprised of illustrators who work in the world of gig posters, editorial illustration, book and package design, as well as personally commissioned work. Through his role as creative director at Mondo, the boutique poster gallery and art department of the Alamo Drafthouse, Putnam is constantly working with illustrators and printmakers on pop culture–based posters and other collectibles. With Horkey at his side, they set out to take those creatives and, as Putnam puts it, “create an environment conducive to the creation of personal, exploratory work.”

Randy Ortiz

The roster of The Vacvvm is an international collection of like-minded illustrators including Randy Ortiz (Canada), João Ruas (Brazil), Nicolas Delort (France), Ken Taylor (Australia), Vania Zouravliov (Russia), Vanessa Foley (England), as well as U.S.–based artists Mike Sutfin, Brandon Holt, Teagan White and Jes Seamans. The number of members continues to grow as Putnam and Horkey discover new artists that fit within the aesthetic of their vision for the team.

The makeup of the group began with Horkey and Putnam’s own tastes. Each artist invited to join was seen through a lens of kinship. These are artists Horkey and Putnam admired and felt deserved more attention than they were receiving. “We also tried to keep the domestic artists rooted in some way to the Midwest,” Putnam says. “We are headquartered in Minneapolis, and the five American members are either living in Minnesota, or are close to the area. The other six are international, which we felt was important, as they often face the biggest challenges with print publishing, selling and shipping.” The concept is as practical as it is altruistic.

“Hibernal Solstice,” Teagan White

Mike Sutfin

Winnipeg, Canada–based member Randy Ortiz echoes Putnam’s sentiment. “I think The Vacvvm has exposed (I know this a trigger word for most professional artists, but stick with me here) me to a wider audience,” he says. “I know when they post some of my work on their Instagram, I get a ton of new followers and eyes on my work. But aside from that, it’s also a great way to sell my prints. I don’t think I’d get half as many prints sold on my own. Plus, Mitch does all the fancy packaging and shipping stuff that I passionately hate doing myself. It might seem minor, but it really helps free up my time to just keep making more art.”

In Putnam, each member has an outlet for turning their personal work into something tangible—a poster, a T-shirt, a pin, button or patch. Once the art is final, Putnam takes over and makes it a reality, handling all aspects of the production, marketing and shipping. As Australian member Ken Taylor puts it, “Being part of The Vacvvm enables me to have the confidence to be able to release something purely based on the idea of doing something I love, with no real regard to commercial confines. Releasing a piece through The Vacvvm ensures that all the right eyes will see the work and more often than not appreciate it accordingly.”

Vania Zouravliov

“Black Lake,” Aaron Horkey

“The Snare,” Aaron Horkey

For the first year of its existence, The Vacvvm was purely a digital endeavor. The artists joined together via the group’s website and communications with Putnam. There were no set release dates and no deadlines for any of the members. The group was there to act as a catalyst for the creation of personal work in between paying gigs. “Going into this, I knew that each member would have varied output,” explains Putnam. “Plus many of them work very slowly. I do my best to work around everyone’s schedule while also suggesting projects that will advance the presence of the group.”

The first release, “Black Lake,” was a timed edition by Horkey. The art was from a gig poster Horkey had done for the Portland-based metal band Agalloch, for a leg of performances in 2011. At the end of the 24-hour purchase window, the one-color letterpress print ended as an edition of 442. With no marketing outside of a Facebook post, The Vacvvm was an immediate success.

Art is Not Made in a Vacuum

“A lot of good and regular art gets made because of who you talk to. No one is immune to human contact and art is not made in a vacuum.” This quote, attributed to the artist R.B. Kitaj, has been used in art history texts as a way to explain the phenomenon of iterations of ideas.

For Horkey and his illustration cult, the name of the group can be seen as acceptance of this fact. The Vacvvm’s artists carry with them the wealth of experience, both shared and in solitude, that has formed their visual styles. Art is not made in a vacuum, but is an active dialogue between yesterday and today, the internal and the external. In the illustrations of Brandon Holt and Nicolas Delort, you see the influence of the classic engravings of Gustave Doré—an ongoing conversation across history.

The name and logo are Horkey creations, ones he chose for their design quality. “A big consideration was how the word would appear visually, and having all those zigzag lines broken up by a single curve of the ‘C’ was very appealing.”

The constricted band of inverted lines has been used on a body of merchandise that is integral to The Vacvvm. Putnam clarifies the role of these branded items: “I think part of the idea was always to put more branded projects out there. We like to refer to The Vacvvm as a cult, and we’re constantly trying to expand the cult. It is my job to make sure that as many people know these artists as possible, and every time someone sees a shirt or a pin on a friend, the message spreads. So even though merch isn’t a big profit center, it is our chosen form of advertising, while also putting small, affordable pieces of art into the world.”

The logo, printed across various products in a bevy of styles, applies the brand-awareness tools of a company like Nike or Adidas to a crew of reclusive illustrators. It serves as a step toward making art as vital to everyday life as more accessible forms of entertainment from the worlds of sports, music and film.

A Move Toward the Physical

The Northrup King Building in northeast Minneapolis sits alongside two sets of train tracks, an optimal location for its first use when it was built in 1917, to store and ship seeds across the country. The building now hosts more than 180 tenants, most of whom are artists. This is the home of The Vacvvm.

Putnam relocated his family from Sioux City, IA, to Minneapolis with the intention of moving his inventory of posters and other merchandise out of his house and into a proper space. With members Mike Sutfin, Holt, Horkey and Teagan White calling Minneapolis home, the space also acts as a workshop. “Spending time together definitely leads to more camaraderie, and the conversations naturally gravitate toward future projects.” This is how Putnam describes the beginning of a new endeavor for The Vacvvm: “gallery events.”

“Occultation,” Vanessa Foley

“Masque,” Ken Taylor

“Silent Aviary,” the first exhibit from The Vacvvm, combined the talents of White and the group’s newest member, the England-based Vanessa Foley. Together, they have a shared love of flora and fauna, the wilderness and the creatures that mill about the forest terrain. “The theme for the show was native Minnesotan birds—again, Mitch’s idea—but after that each artist had free reign as to how that was interpreted,” Foley explains. Each member of The Vacvvm (minus Zouravliov) contributed a piece, as did a host of outside illustrators and fine artists.

The majority of Foley’s work is for American galleries, which she rarely gets to visit. She was flown out to attend the opening of “Silent Aviary,” a chance to meet and shake hands and put faces to names. Providing this opportunity is essential to The Vacvvm and Putnam’s other projects.

They are attempts at creating connections and community, building something beyond an email list, and putting artists in the same room to see what happens—“Magic, for lack of a better descriptor,” Horkey says. He puts this above all else in his vision for the group. “It’s more than just raw talent, which everyone in the crew has in spades. All the members of The Vacvvm produce work which excites me to no end, and they all do so with an unnervingly natural ease; nothing is forced or contrived. For instance, when you watch Brandon [Holt] summon a drawing, there’s no hesitation involved. The piece is just lying beneath the surface, and he’s excavating it—pure alchemy. I also wanted to build a squad of not only the finest draughtsmen, but of honest, stand-up humans, and that’s precisely what we ended up with.”

Nicolas Delort

Brandon Holt

Jes Seamans

‘Machine Hat’ by João Ruas for The Vacvvm’s MondoCon 2015 release

In late 2016, Delort arrived in Austin, TX, from Paris to attend MondoCon, a poster and collectibles convention where The Vacvvm had a booth. For Delort, it was a chance to meet collectors, fans and others that had supported his career throughout the years. Putnam brought out fellow members Taylor from Australia and João Ruas from Brazil to simply be there and be seen. Taylor spent the weekend painting a mural and signing posters for fans while Ruas and Delort sketched at the booth alongside Sutfin and Holt.

Each member had a new print released at the event, but what the group’s attendance gave the spectators falls in line with Horkey’s initial inspiration for the group: “I think of The Vacvvm more as a skateboard team than an art collective; we have a team manager, an insane roster of pros, a few amateurs working their way through the ranks, and some younger folks on flow. Most of us travel together and just shred.”

  Brand Building 101: How to Build, Manage and Market a Brand

The post The Vacvvm: An International “Cult” of Illustrators & Poster Designers appeared first on HOW Design.

The Vacvvm: An International “Cult” of Illustrators & Poster Designers syndicated post

[dawnajaynes32]

The Vacvvm: An International “Cult” of Illustrators & Poster Designers

[Call for Entries: The International Design Awards]

Meet The Vacvvm, a creative “cult” that empowers like-minded illustrators from around the world.

On Oct. 10, 2014, a new page appeared on Facebook, attributed to illustrator Aaron Horkey and creative director Mitch Putnam. The first post was a sketch of distinctly Horkey-an creation—an ink drawing of a building, organic sacs clinging to Ionic columns. Etched in the marble frontispiece was a single word: VACVVM.

A day later, there was a rumbling in the niche world of poster collectors. Horkey had started an Instagram account. With a career cloaked in radio silence, his fans’ surprise was palpable. His first post was a pencil and gouache piece titled “Osprey #1.” It was hashtagged #itsme #aaronhorkey. “I don’t possess the desire to bask in the spotlight or be the center of attention,” Horkey says. “When Mitch suggested having a dedicated online outlet for my work, I thought I’d rather build a team with my friends than go it alone.”

The lone bit of information the mysterious Minneapolis-based illustration group known as The Vacvvm offers about itself on its social media platforms simply reads: “An international illustration cult. Co-founded by Aaron Horkey and Mitch Putnam.” It’s an altogether vague explanation if you are not aware of either of those names, and the “illustration cult” descriptor does nothing to clarify its purpose or goal. But for fans who follow the group’s work on its website and social media accounts—including an Instagram following of 45,000 and counting—The Vacvvm acts as a brand, creating and selling limited-edition art prints and goods from top-tier illustrators and artists. In Putnam and Horkey combined, the art collectibles world has its own Steve Jobs—a name that guarantees a preeminent level of quality control. Many devotees preorder limited-edition prints they’ve never seen, in full confidence they will not be disappointed.

[Related: 20 Beautifully Illustrated Alternative Movie Posters | 7 Video Tutorials and Exercises for Poster Designers]

As a concept, The Vacvvm is an attempt to turn the inherent solitude of the artist and illustrator into a group effort—creative motivation found beneath a common banner. The group takes the role of the isolated illustrator and places it in the context of a team. The Vacvvm is cult-building, a brand applying the existing tools of spectator sports to the craft of art creation. Horkey explains: “Growing up I was obsessed with underground comix and skateboarding. The mythos of the Zap artists in the late ’60s/early ’70s and the assembling of the Bones Brigade and, later, the formation of the initial Plan B team in the early ’90s, were serious inspirational touchstones for putting together The Vacvvm.”

The Vacvvm is comprised of illustrators who work in the world of gig posters, editorial illustration, book and package design, as well as personally commissioned work. Through his role as creative director at Mondo, the boutique poster gallery and art department of the Alamo Drafthouse, Putnam is constantly working with illustrators and printmakers on pop culture–based posters and other collectibles. With Horkey at his side, they set out to take those creatives and, as Putnam puts it, “create an environment conducive to the creation of personal, exploratory work.”

Randy Ortiz

The roster of The Vacvvm is an international collection of like-minded illustrators including Randy Ortiz (Canada), João Ruas (Brazil), Nicolas Delort (France), Ken Taylor (Australia), Vania Zouravliov (Russia), Vanessa Foley (England), as well as U.S.–based artists Mike Sutfin, Brandon Holt, Teagan White and Jes Seamans. The number of members continues to grow as Putnam and Horkey discover new artists that fit within the aesthetic of their vision for the team.

The makeup of the group began with Horkey and Putnam’s own tastes. Each artist invited to join was seen through a lens of kinship. These are artists Horkey and Putnam admired and felt deserved more attention than they were receiving. “We also tried to keep the domestic artists rooted in some way to the Midwest,” Putnam says. “We are headquartered in Minneapolis, and the five American members are either living in Minnesota, or are close to the area. The other six are international, which we felt was important, as they often face the biggest challenges with print publishing, selling and shipping.” The concept is as practical as it is altruistic.

“Hibernal Solstice,” Teagan White

Mike Sutfin

Winnipeg, Canada–based member Randy Ortiz echoes Putnam’s sentiment. “I think The Vacvvm has exposed (I know this a trigger word for most professional artists, but stick with me here) me to a wider audience,” he says. “I know when they post some of my work on their Instagram, I get a ton of new followers and eyes on my work. But aside from that, it’s also a great way to sell my prints. I don’t think I’d get half as many prints sold on my own. Plus, Mitch does all the fancy packaging and shipping stuff that I passionately hate doing myself. It might seem minor, but it really helps free up my time to just keep making more art.”

In Putnam, each member has an outlet for turning their personal work into something tangible—a poster, a T-shirt, a pin, button or patch. Once the art is final, Putnam takes over and makes it a reality, handling all aspects of the production, marketing and shipping. As Australian member Ken Taylor puts it, “Being part of The Vacvvm enables me to have the confidence to be able to release something purely based on the idea of doing something I love, with no real regard to commercial confines. Releasing a piece through The Vacvvm ensures that all the right eyes will see the work and more often than not appreciate it accordingly.”

Vania Zouravliov

“Black Lake,” Aaron Horkey

“The Snare,” Aaron Horkey

For the first year of its existence, The Vacvvm was purely a digital endeavor. The artists joined together via the group’s website and communications with Putnam. There were no set release dates and no deadlines for any of the members. The group was there to act as a catalyst for the creation of personal work in between paying gigs. “Going into this, I knew that each member would have varied output,” explains Putnam. “Plus many of them work very slowly. I do my best to work around everyone’s schedule while also suggesting projects that will advance the presence of the group.”

The first release, “Black Lake,” was a timed edition by Horkey. The art was from a gig poster Horkey had done for the Portland-based metal band Agalloch, for a leg of performances in 2011. At the end of the 24-hour purchase window, the one-color letterpress print ended as an edition of 442. With no marketing outside of a Facebook post, The Vacvvm was an immediate success.

Art is Not Made in a Vacuum

“A lot of good and regular art gets made because of who you talk to. No one is immune to human contact and art is not made in a vacuum.” This quote, attributed to the artist R.B. Kitaj, has been used in art history texts as a way to explain the phenomenon of iterations of ideas.

For Horkey and his illustration cult, the name of the group can be seen as acceptance of this fact. The Vacvvm’s artists carry with them the wealth of experience, both shared and in solitude, that has formed their visual styles. Art is not made in a vacuum, but is an active dialogue between yesterday and today, the internal and the external. In the illustrations of Brandon Holt and Nicolas Delort, you see the influence of the classic engravings of Gustave Doré—an ongoing conversation across history.

The name and logo are Horkey creations, ones he chose for their design quality. “A big consideration was how the word would appear visually, and having all those zigzag lines broken up by a single curve of the ‘C’ was very appealing.”

The constricted band of inverted lines has been used on a body of merchandise that is integral to The Vacvvm. Putnam clarifies the role of these branded items: “I think part of the idea was always to put more branded projects out there. We like to refer to The Vacvvm as a cult, and we’re constantly trying to expand the cult. It is my job to make sure that as many people know these artists as possible, and every time someone sees a shirt or a pin on a friend, the message spreads. So even though merch isn’t a big profit center, it is our chosen form of advertising, while also putting small, affordable pieces of art into the world.”

The logo, printed across various products in a bevy of styles, applies the brand-awareness tools of a company like Nike or Adidas to a crew of reclusive illustrators. It serves as a step toward making art as vital to everyday life as more accessible forms of entertainment from the worlds of sports, music and film.

A Move Toward the Physical

The Northrup King Building in northeast Minneapolis sits alongside two sets of train tracks, an optimal location for its first use when it was built in 1917, to store and ship seeds across the country. The building now hosts more than 180 tenants, most of whom are artists. This is the home of The Vacvvm.

Putnam relocated his family from Sioux City, IA, to Minneapolis with the intention of moving his inventory of posters and other merchandise out of his house and into a proper space. With members Mike Sutfin, Holt, Horkey and Teagan White calling Minneapolis home, the space also acts as a workshop. “Spending time together definitely leads to more camaraderie, and the conversations naturally gravitate toward future projects.” This is how Putnam describes the beginning of a new endeavor for The Vacvvm: “gallery events.”

“Occultation,” Vanessa Foley

“Masque,” Ken Taylor

“Silent Aviary,” the first exhibit from The Vacvvm, combined the talents of White and the group’s newest member, the England-based Vanessa Foley. Together, they have a shared love of flora and fauna, the wilderness and the creatures that mill about the forest terrain. “The theme for the show was native Minnesotan birds—again, Mitch’s idea—but after that each artist had free reign as to how that was interpreted,” Foley explains. Each member of The Vacvvm (minus Zouravliov) contributed a piece, as did a host of outside illustrators and fine artists.

The majority of Foley’s work is for American galleries, which she rarely gets to visit. She was flown out to attend the opening of “Silent Aviary,” a chance to meet and shake hands and put faces to names. Providing this opportunity is essential to The Vacvvm and Putnam’s other projects.

They are attempts at creating connections and community, building something beyond an email list, and putting artists in the same room to see what happens—“Magic, for lack of a better descriptor,” Horkey says. He puts this above all else in his vision for the group. “It’s more than just raw talent, which everyone in the crew has in spades. All the members of The Vacvvm produce work which excites me to no end, and they all do so with an unnervingly natural ease; nothing is forced or contrived. For instance, when you watch Brandon [Holt] summon a drawing, there’s no hesitation involved. The piece is just lying beneath the surface, and he’s excavating it—pure alchemy. I also wanted to build a squad of not only the finest draughtsmen, but of honest, stand-up humans, and that’s precisely what we ended up with.”

Nicolas Delort

Brandon Holt

Jes Seamans

‘Machine Hat’ by João Ruas for The Vacvvm’s MondoCon 2015 release

In late 2016, Delort arrived in Austin, TX, from Paris to attend MondoCon, a poster and collectibles convention where The Vacvvm had a booth. For Delort, it was a chance to meet collectors, fans and others that had supported his career throughout the years. Putnam brought out fellow members Taylor from Australia and João Ruas from Brazil to simply be there and be seen. Taylor spent the weekend painting a mural and signing posters for fans while Ruas and Delort sketched at the booth alongside Sutfin and Holt.

Each member had a new print released at the event, but what the group’s attendance gave the spectators falls in line with Horkey’s initial inspiration for the group: “I think of The Vacvvm more as a skateboard team than an art collective; we have a team manager, an insane roster of pros, a few amateurs working their way through the ranks, and some younger folks on flow. Most of us travel together and just shred.”

  Brand Building 101: How to Build, Manage and Market a Brand

The post The Vacvvm: An International “Cult” of Illustrators & Poster Designers appeared first on HOW Design.

The Vacvvm: An International “Cult” of Illustrators & Poster Designers syndicated post

[dawnajaynes32]

The Vacvvm: An International “Cult” of Illustrators & Poster Designers

[Call for Entries: The International Design Awards]

Meet The Vacvvm, a creative “cult” that empowers like-minded illustrators from around the world.

On Oct. 10, 2014, a new page appeared on Facebook, attributed to illustrator Aaron Horkey and creative director Mitch Putnam. The first post was a sketch of distinctly Horkey-an creation—an ink drawing of a building, organic sacs clinging to Ionic columns. Etched in the marble frontispiece was a single word: VACVVM.

A day later, there was a rumbling in the niche world of poster collectors. Horkey had started an Instagram account. With a career cloaked in radio silence, his fans’ surprise was palpable. His first post was a pencil and gouache piece titled “Osprey #1.” It was hashtagged #itsme #aaronhorkey. “I don’t possess the desire to bask in the spotlight or be the center of attention,” Horkey says. “When Mitch suggested having a dedicated online outlet for my work, I thought I’d rather build a team with my friends than go it alone.”

The lone bit of information the mysterious Minneapolis-based illustration group known as The Vacvvm offers about itself on its social media platforms simply reads: “An international illustration cult. Co-founded by Aaron Horkey and Mitch Putnam.” It’s an altogether vague explanation if you are not aware of either of those names, and the “illustration cult” descriptor does nothing to clarify its purpose or goal. But for fans who follow the group’s work on its website and social media accounts—including an Instagram following of 45,000 and counting—The Vacvvm acts as a brand, creating and selling limited-edition art prints and goods from top-tier illustrators and artists. In Putnam and Horkey combined, the art collectibles world has its own Steve Jobs—a name that guarantees a preeminent level of quality control. Many devotees preorder limited-edition prints they’ve never seen, in full confidence they will not be disappointed.

[Related: 20 Beautifully Illustrated Alternative Movie Posters | 7 Video Tutorials and Exercises for Poster Designers]

As a concept, The Vacvvm is an attempt to turn the inherent solitude of the artist and illustrator into a group effort—creative motivation found beneath a common banner. The group takes the role of the isolated illustrator and places it in the context of a team. The Vacvvm is cult-building, a brand applying the existing tools of spectator sports to the craft of art creation. Horkey explains: “Growing up I was obsessed with underground comix and skateboarding. The mythos of the Zap artists in the late ’60s/early ’70s and the assembling of the Bones Brigade and, later, the formation of the initial Plan B team in the early ’90s, were serious inspirational touchstones for putting together The Vacvvm.”

The Vacvvm is comprised of illustrators who work in the world of gig posters, editorial illustration, book and package design, as well as personally commissioned work. Through his role as creative director at Mondo, the boutique poster gallery and art department of the Alamo Drafthouse, Putnam is constantly working with illustrators and printmakers on pop culture–based posters and other collectibles. With Horkey at his side, they set out to take those creatives and, as Putnam puts it, “create an environment conducive to the creation of personal, exploratory work.”

Randy Ortiz

The roster of The Vacvvm is an international collection of like-minded illustrators including Randy Ortiz (Canada), João Ruas (Brazil), Nicolas Delort (France), Ken Taylor (Australia), Vania Zouravliov (Russia), Vanessa Foley (England), as well as U.S.–based artists Mike Sutfin, Brandon Holt, Teagan White and Jes Seamans. The number of members continues to grow as Putnam and Horkey discover new artists that fit within the aesthetic of their vision for the team.

The makeup of the group began with Horkey and Putnam’s own tastes. Each artist invited to join was seen through a lens of kinship. These are artists Horkey and Putnam admired and felt deserved more attention than they were receiving. “We also tried to keep the domestic artists rooted in some way to the Midwest,” Putnam says. “We are headquartered in Minneapolis, and the five American members are either living in Minnesota, or are close to the area. The other six are international, which we felt was important, as they often face the biggest challenges with print publishing, selling and shipping.” The concept is as practical as it is altruistic.

“Hibernal Solstice,” Teagan White

Mike Sutfin

Winnipeg, Canada–based member Randy Ortiz echoes Putnam’s sentiment. “I think The Vacvvm has exposed (I know this a trigger word for most professional artists, but stick with me here) me to a wider audience,” he says. “I know when they post some of my work on their Instagram, I get a ton of new followers and eyes on my work. But aside from that, it’s also a great way to sell my prints. I don’t think I’d get half as many prints sold on my own. Plus, Mitch does all the fancy packaging and shipping stuff that I passionately hate doing myself. It might seem minor, but it really helps free up my time to just keep making more art.”

In Putnam, each member has an outlet for turning their personal work into something tangible—a poster, a T-shirt, a pin, button or patch. Once the art is final, Putnam takes over and makes it a reality, handling all aspects of the production, marketing and shipping. As Australian member Ken Taylor puts it, “Being part of The Vacvvm enables me to have the confidence to be able to release something purely based on the idea of doing something I love, with no real regard to commercial confines. Releasing a piece through The Vacvvm ensures that all the right eyes will see the work and more often than not appreciate it accordingly.”

Vania Zouravliov

“Black Lake,” Aaron Horkey

“The Snare,” Aaron Horkey

For the first year of its existence, The Vacvvm was purely a digital endeavor. The artists joined together via the group’s website and communications with Putnam. There were no set release dates and no deadlines for any of the members. The group was there to act as a catalyst for the creation of personal work in between paying gigs. “Going into this, I knew that each member would have varied output,” explains Putnam. “Plus many of them work very slowly. I do my best to work around everyone’s schedule while also suggesting projects that will advance the presence of the group.”

The first release, “Black Lake,” was a timed edition by Horkey. The art was from a gig poster Horkey had done for the Portland-based metal band Agalloch, for a leg of performances in 2011. At the end of the 24-hour purchase window, the one-color letterpress print ended as an edition of 442. With no marketing outside of a Facebook post, The Vacvvm was an immediate success.

Art is Not Made in a Vacuum

“A lot of good and regular art gets made because of who you talk to. No one is immune to human contact and art is not made in a vacuum.” This quote, attributed to the artist R.B. Kitaj, has been used in art history texts as a way to explain the phenomenon of iterations of ideas.

For Horkey and his illustration cult, the name of the group can be seen as acceptance of this fact. The Vacvvm’s artists carry with them the wealth of experience, both shared and in solitude, that has formed their visual styles. Art is not made in a vacuum, but is an active dialogue between yesterday and today, the internal and the external. In the illustrations of Brandon Holt and Nicolas Delort, you see the influence of the classic engravings of Gustave Doré—an ongoing conversation across history.

The name and logo are Horkey creations, ones he chose for their design quality. “A big consideration was how the word would appear visually, and having all those zigzag lines broken up by a single curve of the ‘C’ was very appealing.”

The constricted band of inverted lines has been used on a body of merchandise that is integral to The Vacvvm. Putnam clarifies the role of these branded items: “I think part of the idea was always to put more branded projects out there. We like to refer to The Vacvvm as a cult, and we’re constantly trying to expand the cult. It is my job to make sure that as many people know these artists as possible, and every time someone sees a shirt or a pin on a friend, the message spreads. So even though merch isn’t a big profit center, it is our chosen form of advertising, while also putting small, affordable pieces of art into the world.”

The logo, printed across various products in a bevy of styles, applies the brand-awareness tools of a company like Nike or Adidas to a crew of reclusive illustrators. It serves as a step toward making art as vital to everyday life as more accessible forms of entertainment from the worlds of sports, music and film.

A Move Toward the Physical

The Northrup King Building in northeast Minneapolis sits alongside two sets of train tracks, an optimal location for its first use when it was built in 1917, to store and ship seeds across the country. The building now hosts more than 180 tenants, most of whom are artists. This is the home of The Vacvvm.

Putnam relocated his family from Sioux City, IA, to Minneapolis with the intention of moving his inventory of posters and other merchandise out of his house and into a proper space. With members Mike Sutfin, Holt, Horkey and Teagan White calling Minneapolis home, the space also acts as a workshop. “Spending time together definitely leads to more camaraderie, and the conversations naturally gravitate toward future projects.” This is how Putnam describes the beginning of a new endeavor for The Vacvvm: “gallery events.”

“Occultation,” Vanessa Foley

“Masque,” Ken Taylor

“Silent Aviary,” the first exhibit from The Vacvvm, combined the talents of White and the group’s newest member, the England-based Vanessa Foley. Together, they have a shared love of flora and fauna, the wilderness and the creatures that mill about the forest terrain. “The theme for the show was native Minnesotan birds—again, Mitch’s idea—but after that each artist had free reign as to how that was interpreted,” Foley explains. Each member of The Vacvvm (minus Zouravliov) contributed a piece, as did a host of outside illustrators and fine artists.

The majority of Foley’s work is for American galleries, which she rarely gets to visit. She was flown out to attend the opening of “Silent Aviary,” a chance to meet and shake hands and put faces to names. Providing this opportunity is essential to The Vacvvm and Putnam’s other projects.

They are attempts at creating connections and community, building something beyond an email list, and putting artists in the same room to see what happens—“Magic, for lack of a better descriptor,” Horkey says. He puts this above all else in his vision for the group. “It’s more than just raw talent, which everyone in the crew has in spades. All the members of The Vacvvm produce work which excites me to no end, and they all do so with an unnervingly natural ease; nothing is forced or contrived. For instance, when you watch Brandon [Holt] summon a drawing, there’s no hesitation involved. The piece is just lying beneath the surface, and he’s excavating it—pure alchemy. I also wanted to build a squad of not only the finest draughtsmen, but of honest, stand-up humans, and that’s precisely what we ended up with.”

Nicolas Delort

Brandon Holt

Jes Seamans

‘Machine Hat’ by João Ruas for The Vacvvm’s MondoCon 2015 release

In late 2016, Delort arrived in Austin, TX, from Paris to attend MondoCon, a poster and collectibles convention where The Vacvvm had a booth. For Delort, it was a chance to meet collectors, fans and others that had supported his career throughout the years. Putnam brought out fellow members Taylor from Australia and João Ruas from Brazil to simply be there and be seen. Taylor spent the weekend painting a mural and signing posters for fans while Ruas and Delort sketched at the booth alongside Sutfin and Holt.

Each member had a new print released at the event, but what the group’s attendance gave the spectators falls in line with Horkey’s initial inspiration for the group: “I think of The Vacvvm more as a skateboard team than an art collective; we have a team manager, an insane roster of pros, a few amateurs working their way through the ranks, and some younger folks on flow. Most of us travel together and just shred.”

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