#and of course the software sees a face in the b

[brick-enthusiast]

Volkswagen Passat CC

[primreaperstuff]

Trying to figure out what's under the Jhesselbraum crossed out text in the Book of Bill

EDIT: Somebody figured it out! Thank you @kitcatia (and @angst-estefany for helping them out)!!! This makes a lot of what's in the post outdated or wrong here but I'll keep it for archival purposes. :D

Dunno if anybody's done this before but I figured I'd give it a shot. This is the original image.

I first went and found the font used for this. I think it's DIN Condensed Bold. This font unfortunately costs money to get onto your computer, but it is included with Adobe Suite software so if you have Photoshop or are silly like me and used Illustrator, you can access it (I know Illustrator isn't great for this stuff but I generally use GIMP and didn't feel like installing Photoshop for this one thing).

And this is the image with the letters I can figure out.

If I got this right, there are a couple of things in here that are huge.

Bill thinks (or at least thought) very highly of Jhess. He describes her as the smartest Henchmaniac. Depending on how you interpret that comment about the eyes, he either let her into the group despite not liking how many eyes she has or has sour grapes about her leaving.

Jhess did a ton of the heavy lifting for the portal project. Bill is often presumed to simply have the multiversal know-how for a lot of the physics and stuff behind the portal, but this implies that Jhess was actually the first one to figure much of this stuff out and Bill went off of what she told him.

I also want to draw your attention to a tiny detail I noticed in the name Bill gives her. It's so small that it might just be me just seeing a pattern where none exists, but I thought it worth mentioning anyway.

My first thought was, obviously, that the name given was "JESS." The first two letters are clearly J and E and the character is called Jheselbraum so that would track. But then I noticed this tiny squarish region that does not line up with how the red pen's stroke normally tapers off and is slightly whiter than the pen. It is exactly where another letter would be... and it does not line up with DIN's capital S! The capital letters in DIN that it lines up with are B, D, E, F, H, I, L, M, N, P, R, and T. The name looks like it cannot exceed 5 characters given the position of the pen stroke.

In terms of plausible names in there, these are the options:

Jeb

Jed/Jedi

Jet/Jett/Jete

Jeff

Jerry

Jerk (lol)

Jelly

Jem

Jen/Jenn

The majority of the plausible names, as you can tell, are either masculine or ungendered. Which makes me wonder-- is Jheselbraum the Unswerving trans??

Because that implies a lot. For one, I have to question why Bill is deadnaming her in that case. Is it to be hurtful or did he just legitimately never figure it out? She went on the run from him so it's likely she never updated him on her live-name. (And I mean, let's face it, "Jheselbraum" is not that far off from some of the live-names trans people choose for themselves. You guys are reviving antiquated names one transition at a time. \pos)

He also speaks rather admiringly of her, which would be odd if he was trying to insult her with her deadname, so I think it's really highlighting how little Bill actually knows-- and might underlie the real reason he crossed it out. He literally just found out she transitioned and he doesn't even know her live-name. Really undermines the whole "unlimited being with knowledge and answers" thing he claims about himself.

It would also explain what drew her to Bill in the first place. Bill already believes in 14 million genders, and he was offering to smash all the norms and rules. What have norms and rules ever done for the trans community? Seldom anything good is my impression.

Hell, maybe she wound up doing her own sex change surgery, because nobody else would do it for her, and that's why she has the skills to install a metal plate in Ford's head. (Pure speculation of course)

Or maybe I'm just overthinking a print error or false pattern or something! Who knows?

Anyway, I thought this was interesting enough to share. Not important my tailbone lol.

[theroyalthrones]

Your pictures and screenshots are so pretty though! How do you do it? I love your blog btw!!

Thank you!! I really appreciate you saying that! I'm not totally sure if you want a tutorial or not. I can't give you a step-by-step run down, since it's different every time. but I can tell you a few of the things that I do the most often. If you want yours to look a bit like mine!

I editing software I use is Photoshop. But there are many alternatives like Pixlr, and Gimp.

Another big factor that plays into the coloring and depth of an edit is by using Reshade. I couldn't do anything without it.

before and after with just Reshade

Next I hop into Photoshop. and do the basics that I do for every edit. that's what I'll show you today.

I would first crop it, if that's what I needed to do. but for this one I won't.

Then I would make one duplicate layer of the image, and then a blank layer. That blank layer would be put on multiply.

I use these layers to add shading and highlights. First I use the blank layer use the eyedrop tool (shortcut: I) to select the color in the shadows. and draw them on. Next I use Dodge tool (shortcut: O) to add highlights in the t-zones of their faces, in their eyes, on their jewelry, and in their hair.

before and after

The next steps are one after the other. and Illustrated below with letters. I do it in that order.

A. I merge the layers for the shadow and highlights.

B. This next step uses an action that I made for my editing. but you can replicate it one by one on any editing software. The Action makes my life easier, by editing the photo with settings that I've specified. I sharpen the image with it, adding a few shadows and highlights. You will have to find a specific setting that works with your photos, as each Reshade is different. this is just what works for me.

C. Lastly I put all of my PSD settings into a folder. and then saved all of those settings into my library. So All I have to do now is drag and drop everything over the image. and in most cases, I could be done.

C (continued).

This is how the image looks right after I put the PSD on. As you can see this is how I get the Letterbox effect. and how I write the dialogue. but I remove that for edits, of course.

This is what my layers look like. It's all quite organized, But the editing folder is where the magic really happens.

Although the pictures of settings might not help that much. but I can tell you most of these are just subtle changes. but all together they make something great.

So this is the before:

And this is the after

So all of that to say, This is the main coloring and editing for all my edits. but most of them are different. To get the magazine covers, I use the devilliers magazine PSDs for the most part. While they aren't available on Patreon anymore. @lucky-content uploaded them all onto SimsFileShare. You can find them here!

Anyway, that was a lot, but I hope it helps you or someone else! If this wasn't what you meant send me another, and I'll figure it out!

[douchebagbrainwaves]

WHAT NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ABOUT DESIGN

Or rather, investors who do that will get corrected in the process of losing a deal to a west coast one. Yes, of course, but the way to get fast applications is to write. What this means for us, the premise was, and we'll give you a place to think in. But hackers use their offices for more than that: they use their office as a place to work where you can find, because you're going to be two-faced, you have to compete with angels by doing more, smaller deals. Writing software as multiple layers is a powerful technique even within applications. New York would feel like a second class citizen. No one ever measures recruiters by the later performance of people they turn down. It's expensive and somewhat grubby, and the ambitions of the inhabitants are not intellectual ones. When a startup both begins with an idea exposed by technological change, nor whose product consisted of technology except in the broader sense. When they work at home, where they can choose freely—that is, in projects of their own greatness as mystified at why everyone else seems so incompetent.

It would have been it. It becomes a heuristic for making the right decisions about language design. And though you can't see it, cosmopolitan San Francisco is 40 minutes to the north. And while there are many popular books on math, few seem good. I told you so. But only if a the distraction of hiring someone won't make you miss your numbers in the short term, and b you're sufficiently worried about whether you can keep hitting your numbers without hiring someone new. They really seemed to believe this, and I was even more convinced of it after hearing it confirmed by Hilbert. The interesting thing about it is just as worthwhile to design a language that makes programmers do needless work. You might think that you could make your products beautiful just by hiring a great designer to design them so that the programmer could guess what library call would do the right thing.

[linhswh01156]

Week 8: Digital Citizenship and Software literacy: Instagram Filters

Regarding the topic of week 8, the primary focus mentioned in the module including the concept of filters, genders and filters, and the future of filters will be analyzed in this post.

In the context of the week 8 module, the augmented reality filter is the main focus analyzed. Augmented reality (AR) filters are defined as a popular social media feature affording users a variety of visual effects. (Ana Javornik, Ben Marder, Jennifer Brannon Barhorst, Graeme McLean, Yvonne Rogers, Paul Marshall, Luk Warlop, 2022). They “allow the user to see the real world, with virtual objects superimposed upon or composited with the real world.” (Azuma 1997). The popularity of this technology has been growing constantly, apace with the increasing speed of the quality and accessibility to smartphones. According to Bhatt’s report in 2020, 600 million people use AR filters each month on Instagram or Facebook, and 76% of Snapchat users use them every day. Concerning the use of AR filters, beauty filters are claimed to be the most common among the users of Instagram and Snapchat (Miller & McIntyre 2022). Thus, a negative impact appeared, called the Snapchat dysmorphia. As in Elisabeth Staal's statement in 2015 about the influences of the widespread embrace of Snapchat’s filters – “society is teaching us to edit ourselves to be desirable”, which is certainly “damaging to our mental health", consequences of Snapchat dysmorphia are evident.

Moving on to the relation between genders and filters, there are several normalized assumptions of how different genders use filters. According to Pescott (2020), Ibanez-Sanchez, Orus & Flavian (2022), “Boys/ men generally use filters for humor and entertainment”, while “girls/women use them to look “prettier” and “flawless”. As a matter of fact, filters are commonly considered to be feminine, due to the majority of them featuring the beautification effect.

Lastly, when it comes to the future of filters, it is reasonable to claim that the technologies regarding filters are developing, as well as the increase in quality and realisticity of them. Alongside social media apps, filters are being integrated into many other areas, such as the banking app of AliPay which allows users to use beauty filters when verifying a payment with their faces (Peng, 2020).

References:

Javornik, A., Marder, B., Barhorst, J.B., McLean, G., Rogers, Y., Marshall, P. and Warlop, L. (2022). ‘What lies behind the filter?’ Uncovering the motivations for using augmented reality (AR) face filters on social media and their effect on well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, [online] 128(107126), p.107126. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.107126.

‌ login.microsoftonline.com. (n.d.). Redirecting. [online] Available at: https://swinburne.instructure.com/courses/56619/pages/week-8-face-filters-guest-lecture?module_item_id=3811746 [Accessed 16 Mar. 2024].

‌ Barker, J. (2020). Making-up on mobile: The pretty filters and ugly implications of Snapchat. Fashion, Style & Popular Culture, 7(2), pp.207–221. doi:https://doi.org/10.1386/fspc_00015_1.

[ipgroupblog]

Introduction

Allie:

We’ve officially been sorted into our groups for the Interdisciplinary project, and I think we’ve got a great spread of students from the PG Media course. Most of the programme consists of game artists, but it seems as though our group especially covers a wide area of expertise; we’ve got character, concept, and environment bases covered. Additionally and most importantly, it seems as if we'll all work together well! Even though most of us were meeting for the first time during the short introduction time allotted, it was really encouraging to hear people piping up about the software they typically work with and their experiences thus far at the university.

First Collaborations

After we met, we were tasked with two problems to solve. The first was to divide a sheet of paper into as many pieces as we could manage, with each piece being half the size of the last. The second was to transport an egg safely out of a window using only these materials: two sheets of card paper, two rolls of tape (one painter’s, one sticky), scissors, two balloons, and two pieces of string. We sprang to work and created the beautiful contraption you see below, and it worked! After we finally managed to unwrap the tape surrounding the egg, we revealed it was unscathed.

Belbin Report

This assignment was my first introduction to the Belbin roles! I can see how they'd be useful in group work, especially when all bases are covered. 

Here are my results. After comparing mine to the team, it seems we have a lot of Teamworkers and Specialists, which are my top results, but at least one or two of our members are Shapers and Resource Investigators so I have faith we'll manage to get the assignment completed. It's great news that a lot of us are versatile and willing to learn a lot about the necessary subjects to execute a vision!

The egg project saw us falling into our predicted roles quite easily, with all of the Teamworking tendencies among our group coming into play very strongly! We had trouble blowing up one of the balloons, so a couple of us gave it a go while the others filled in gaps in the work left behind. Additionally, when it became apparent that a certain tactic wouldn't work, our team was happy to switch tracks and try something different! 

Myers-Briggs

Comparing my results of this quiz to how I perceive myself, I can't say I'm too surprised. The extraversion trait gave me a bit of pause, but since studying here I do find myself much more energized by social interaction. This is in line with the Belbin test too, though it seems a bit less relevant to how I work. Nevertheless, the extraversion trait did show up within the egg exercise-- I was excited at the prospect of teamwork and social interaction and worked together with my groupmates to solve our problem. My intuition played a hand, too: when our plan didn't go perfectly, I took it upon myself to fashion the legs of our contraption to give it some cushioning, feeling that the more padding the egg had, the better chance our team had at succeeding. Feeling was relevant to the task in that I prioritised harmony and cooperation in the group, and the prospecting characteristic was present in my ability to switch gears as I needed to get the job done with my group! This is especially in line with the Teamworker result from Belbin.

Thanks!

Belbin, M. (1981). Belbin Team Roles. [1981] Belbin. Available at: https://www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles.

NERIS Analytics Limited (2023). 16Personalities. [online] 16personalities.com. Available at: https://www.16personalities.com.

Alisa:

I've been placed in Group Five for the interdisciplinary project, alongside four other PG Media group members. After our initial meeting and icebreaker session, we quickly bonded. The group dynamic began to mesh as we shared our experiences, ideas, and interests.

We faced our first task: to transport an egg safely from the window to the ground without breaking it using only paper, tape and a rope. We brainstormed ideas, pooling our creativity and expertise. Each of us had a task, and we supported one another every step of the way. With our combined efforts, the egg survived the journey safely. Our teamwork was key to success, proving that together, we can achieve anything. 

Belbin report

These are my results: 

According to this I am primarily a Resource Investigator and a Teamworker. It is said that Resource Investigators are appreciated for their enthusiasm and optimistic nature. Teamworkers care about others. They adapt and will do what is required. They support and fit in. They are versatile. The combination of these two roles means an overall interest in people and a desire to communicate. 

I believe that the test results are accurate and describe how I worked in our team.

 Myers-Briggs Test

I took the Myers-Briggs test as advised and the personality type that I was assigned was INFP. 

INFP stands for Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving.

Introverted: I gain energy from solitude and inner reflection.

Intuitive: I focus on possibilities and future-oriented thinking.

Feeling: I make decisions based on personal values and empathy.

Perceiving: I prefer flexibility and spontaneity over strict planning.

What I found out is that in team settings, INFPs may bring fresh perspectives and creative solutions. My empathy allows me to understand others' perspectives deeply. It is also said that my sensitivity can aid in fostering harmony and understanding within the team.

However, I may need space for introspection and time alone to recharge. This being said, I believe that everyone’s personalities in the team balance each other out and work well together, as there have been no issues in communication or personality clashes. 

References:

Belbin, M. (n.d.). Belbin Team Roles. [online] Belbin. Available at: https://www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles. 

NERIS Analytics Limited (2023). 16 Personalities. [online] 16personalities.com. Available at: https://www.16personalities.com/. 

Athul:

Introduction

For the interdisciplinary project, I have been assigned to Group Five along with four other mates from the PG Media group. We had our first meeting and icebreaker session right after the groups were formed and we had started to get on with each other very well. I noticed that the group dynamic started to click and evolve almost instantly as we started to share our experiences, ideas, and interests.

Group Task

My group and I worked in the first task group, in which we were to construct a contraption for an egg under which the egg did not break when it was dropped down from the first floor of a building. Within the time frame we were allotted to work with the materials provided, we made it a mission to try to create some kind of contraption.

By making sure that our strategies were synchronized and working as a team, we were able to bring together a functional apparatus that was able to sustain the test and when the test was carried out our egg survived the test. Group task number one has been accomplished by our group.

Reflecting on my Belbin Report

My Belbin report suggested the following three traits as my three primary traits.

Specialist:Through the contributions made to the construction of the contraption, I ensured that any specific skills, experience or knowledge I possessed, which would be of use in the task, would be transferred to the task. In response, I heard extensive concepts and mind-blowing advice that I attempted to add on the foundation to support us in making a perfect contraption of the function and intended results in mind.

Team worker:  Looking back at the group task, I did note that I tried my best to be a team player, and to the best of my abilities tried to play that role in the task. I did so by making sure that everyone was comfortable with the idea, and the developing plan, and did my best to hear everyone’s thoughts and suggestions.

Reflecting on the Myers-Briggs Test

I took the Myers-Briggs test as advised and the personality type that I was assigned was: ENFJ-A 

Extraverted: The test indicates that I have a moderate preference for extraversion over introversion (28%). During the task, I found myself embodying my usual extraverted self, actively engaging in conversations and the collaborative effort. I made a conscious effort to involve others and ensure a vibrant exchange of ideas, recognizing the importance of team dynamics.

Intuitive: The results also suggest a moderate preference for intuition over sensing. Throughout the task, I naturally relied on my intuitive skills and knowledge, expressing confidence in the abilities and experiences of the group members. I embraced creative thinking and trusted my instincts to guide the team towards innovative solutions.

Feeling: The test indicates a slight preference for Feeling over Thinking (19%). While I may not delve deeply into introspection on this, I can acknowledge that I aimed to maintain a balance, avoiding over-analysis and trusting the emotional aspect of decision-making. I fostered a positive and supportive atmosphere within the group.

Judging: The test results also reveal a slight preference for judging over perceiving (12%). As someone with judging traits, I channeled my dedication and focus toward achieving our shared goals. Throughout the task, my attention remained steadfast, and I was committed to seeing the project through to completion, aligning with the traits associated with judging personalities.

Thank you for reading.

Kal:

Introduction

For the interdisciplinary project, I have been assigned to Group Five along with four other cohort mates from the PG Media group. We had our first meeting and icebreaker session right after the groups were formed and we had started to get on with each other very well. I noticed that the group dynamic started to click and evolve almost instantly as we started to share our experiences, ideas and interests.

Group Task

During the first group task, we were assigned to create a contraption for an egg so that it would be protected when it would be dropped down from the first floor of a building. Working with the materials that we were presented with, we set out to create a contraption within the limited time we were provided.

Through coordinated planning and teamwork, we were able to get a working contraption together on time, and when the test took place our egg survived. Our first group task was a success.

Reflecting on my Belbin Report

My Belbin report suggested the following three traits as my three primary traits.

Teamworker: Looking back at the group task, I did note that I tried my best to be a team player, and to the best of my abilities tried to play that role in the task. I did so by making sure that everyone was comfortable with the idea, and the developing plan, and did my best to hear everyone’s thoughts and suggestions.

Specialist: During my contributions to the development of the contraption, l ensured that any particular skills, experiences or knowledge I had, would be contributed to the task. I heard very great ideas and unique suggestions that I tried to build upon so that we could make the contraption work efficiently and as intended.

Shaper: As the definition of shaper suggested, I did enjoy working under pressure. It was quite fun to undertake the task of building a working contraption, by employing skills I was not specialised in on top of a limited timeframe.

Two particular points in the report stood out to me as well:

The report also said that:

“You’re likely to do well in situations where you can progress with study and gain experience in an area which involves helping and supporting other people.

Let others know that you like using your knowledge to help others. Look for ways of building up your reputation, so that you can build confidence in your chosen subject. This might be through training or by shadowing someone who works in that area.

You might feel less comfortable in a position where you’re asked to take on broad responsibilities and make decisions under pressure, as this is likely to cause you a lot of stress and worry.”

By reflecting on the task and my contribution to it, I can determine that I have more or less acted in a way that is described in the points stated in the report above.

Reflecting on the Myers-Briggs Test

I took the Myers-Briggs test as advised and the personality type that I was assigned was: INFJ. 

Introvert: The test says that I had a moderate preference for introversion over extraversion (28%). I would say that during the task, I was being my usual introverted self, while I involved myself in the conversation and the task, and I tried to ensure that I listened more to the discussion and was not talking over the others.

Intuitive: The test also said that I have a moderate preference for intuition over sensing. I would say that during the task I intuitively relied on my skills and knowledge and was intuitively confident in the abilities and experiences of the members in the group.

Feeling: The test said that I have a slight preference for Feeling over Thinking (19%). While I cannot reflect deeply on this, I can at least acknowledge that I tried to refrain from over-thinking while attempting the task, and was confident in the plan we had come up with as a group.

Judging: The test also said that I had a slight preference for judging over perceiving (12%). According to the website, those with judging traits are dedicated and focused on their goals, and I can say that during the task my whole attention and focus was dedicated to seeing it through.

Thank you for reading.

Melissa:

Introduction 

The interdisciplinary project was a project assigned to me and many media students to create an impressive art experience. We were split into many groups, I joined a group of 4 other students, all of whom had different backgrounds/skills. As we didn’t know each other, we were given multiple tasks as icebreakers to help get a better understanding of our skills.

Group Task 

We were given two group tasks. First was a task being our ice breaker, a simple task and little planning. However, our second task was much harder as we were given the goal to build a way to protect an egg from a drop with limited tools. We recorded our process to see how we would behave as a team before then reflecting on how it compares to the personality tests. 

Reflecting Reports 

Myers-Briggs test gives an outlook beyond work and more as an individual. This gave more insight into who I am than what I am which I believe connects far more compared to the Belbin Report. The Belbin look specially at my role within a team and less of an individual. 

Myers-Briggs 

Introverted (96%) This would have stated I would not have taken a leadership role and would prefer to listen however; I was more open and spoke more. However, I thought-out the video I speak often, almost taking the lead in helping the situation and organising ideas. This links the statement that “successful leaders and entertainers come from their ranks” (NERIS Analytics Limited, 2015a) meaning even if they are introverted doesn’t mean they can’t be leaders. 

Turbulent (100%) States it makes me very sensitive to stress. While I didn’t experience stress for the group task, it's likely because I'm aware that there are no consequences to my situation, therefore, no stress. 

Intuitive (68%) In the middle which made a middle ground between imagination and practicality. I feel like this seems to be the oddest one as I can be very imaginative however, I tend to not notice if that idea is practical. Like the Belbin report, I am good at planting ideas (50%) but never thinking about them practically. I did this a lot during the video as I would input a lot of ideas for the egg on how to keep it safe. However, I did find it hard to communicate these ideas and overlapping ideas making it confusing. 

Prospecting (65%) Fairly balanced like Intuitive, stating that " flexible when it comes to dealing with unexpected challenges.” (NERIS Analytics Limited, 2015b) this was present very well during the video as I was sharing many ideas but easily got "overwhelmed by the sheer number of options” (NERIS Analytics Limited, 2015b) which was easily helped by the team by picking out the best ideas. 

Belbin Report 

Specialist (90%) 

My strongest role is Specialist, with the role being “Brings in-depth knowledge of a key area to the team” (Belbin, n.d.) this was seen well when I was able to state from memory how I did the egg challenge before. That knowledge helped us as a team build a stable contraption to protect the egg. 

Resource Investigator (80%) 

My second strongest role is Resource investigator, stating the role of “find ideas to bring back to the team.” In the video, I act more upon the role of resource investigator of being “Enthusiastic. Explores opportunities...” (Belbin, n.d.) and keeping the team motivated. This ties into my Myer’s Briggs test of “Introverted” as I was to keep the team organised with the ideas. Therefore, this may have been why my introverted report did not live up to the statement in the video because being an investigator conflicts with it. 

Implementer (70%) 

My third strongest role is Implementer, which states a weakness of being “inflexible and slow to respond to new possibilities”. (Belbin, n.d.)  When looking at the video I was flexible to the new suggestions and changes but what made me inflexible was the fact I found to physically apply this in action. This connects to my Myers-Briggs test of prospecting stating that I am flexible, therefore, I can be flexible but only to an extent. 

Plant (50%) 

Lastly, my fourth strongest role plants, stating I’m “highly creative and good at solving problems” and often “generates ideas” (Belbin, n.d.) This follows into resource investigators often providing ideas for the team which I did often in the video. When it came to issues, I would often suggest ideas some were better than others which only shines light on my Intuitive nature from the Myers-Briggs test. 

References 

Belbin, M. (n.d.). Belbin Team Roles. [online] Belbin. Available at: https://www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles. 

NERIS Analytics Limited (2015a). Energy: Introverted (I) vs. Extraverted (E). [online] Available at: https://www.16personalities.com/articles/energy-introverted-vs-extraverted. 

NERIS Analytics Limited (2015b). Tactics: Judging vs. Prospecting. [online] 16personalities.com. Available at: https://www.16personalities.com/articles/tactics-judging-vs-prospecting. 

[latestnews01]

Anticipation Builds: Ohio Awaits Buckeye Chuck's 2024 Groundhog Day Prediction

As February 2nd approaches, the residents of Ohio are gearing up for the annual tradition of Groundhog Day, eagerly awaiting the weather prediction from none other than the state's renowned groundhog, Buckeye Chuck. The age-old folklore suggests that if Buckeye Chuck sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter; if not, an early spring is on the horizon. With bated breath, Ohioans are preparing for the moment when Buckeye Chuck emerges from his burrow to reveal his forecast for the coming weeks.

Buckeye Chuck's Legacy:

Buckeye Chuck, the celebrated groundhog of Ohio, has become a beloved figure in the state's folklore and a symbol of the seasonal transition from winter to spring. Every year, residents and weather enthusiasts gather to witness the quirky tradition that blends superstition with meteorological predictions.

The Groundhog Day Celebration:

The festivities surrounding Groundhog Day in Ohio are not just about weather predictions; they also encompass a lively celebration of community spirit. Festivals, parades, and events are organized across the state, bringing people together to share in the excitement of this unique tradition. Local schools often incorporate lessons about groundhogs and the science behind weather prediction into their curriculum, making it an educational experience for students.

The Meteorological Moment:

On Groundhog Day, Buckeye Chuck takes center stage as he emerges from his burrow to assess the weather conditions. If the sun casts a shadow, tradition dictates that Ohioans should brace themselves for six more weeks of winter. Conversely, if no shadow is spotted, an early spring is believed to be in the offing. The moment of Buckeye Chuck's revelation is met with anticipation, cheers, and, of course, a touch of lighthearted superstition.

For More Information Visit Us :

[indianmetro]

Rapid Metro Career and Job Vacancy in Gurugram

This article is all about the rapid metro career and job vacancies. You will see the job position in Metro rail or urban rail. Also, what skills have to develop, you can learn from Indian Metro. It provides Online and Offline certification courses. Build a career in the metro sector with the Indian metro by taking admission.

As urban landscapes continue to grow, transportation systems are important in promoting economic growth and improving the lives of residents. High-speed rail lines have become important to modern urban infrastructure, offering fast and reliable solutions. In addition to lines and stations, the high-speed metro sector offers many job opportunities for people looking for a dynamic and know about rapid metro job vacancy.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Brief Description of Rapid Metro.

What Knowledge You Have to Gain.

Opportunities in Metro Rail.

Summary.

General Queries.

What is Metro Rapid?

In the latest academic bulletin for January 2022, "Rapid Metro" refers to a type of urban transportation system characterized by rapid and efficient transportation, usually by rail, in a city or urban area. It is increasing opportunities in rapid metro career. High-speed rail systems are designed to provide fast and reliable transportation solutions that often operate in densely populated cities where existing transportation options face problems such as vehicle congestion.

Main Features of Rapid Metro

There are many features are there, that make it different from the normal metro rails. Also, the charges and other things differ from themselves.

Speed is Very High:-  Express metro is designed for higher speeds compared to traditional urban transport systems such as buses or trams. This will help reduce travel time for commuters.

Devoted Tracks:- These systems are separate tracks separated from the normal tracks to allow trains to run smoothly without congestion.

Frequent Service:- Light rail often operates on a regular and fixed schedule, ensuring commuters can count on timely and consistent service.

Modern Technology:- Rapid metro systems often incorporate modern technologies such as automated train control systems, advanced signalling, and efficient station designs to enhance safety and operational efficiency.

Environmentally Friendly:- Many high-speed rail systems are environmentally friendly, focusing on energy efficiency and reduced emissions compared to private car travel. Which is increasing rapid metro careers for youth.

Integration with Other Modes of Transport:- Rapid metros are often designed to integrate seamlessly with other modes of public transportation, such as buses and commuter rail, to provide a comprehensive and well-connected transit network.

What Skills Have to Enhance for a Rapid Metro Career?

Demand for high-speed rail systems has grown worldwide, expanding connectivity and creating more jobs in various sectors. From design and technology to operation, maintenance and customer service, the high-speed rail industry has become a hub of professionals with diverse experience.

A. Infrastructure and Engineering Development:- 

Engineers play an important role in the design and construction of subways, stations and other infrastructure.

Electrical and mechanical engineers are involved in the development and maintenance of underground and electrical equipment, signalling systems and rolling stock.

B. Technology and Innovation:- 

IT professionals and software engineers are indispensable in the implementation and optimization of cutting-edge technology such as high-speed rail systems and passenger information systems.

Data analysts and machine learning experts help improve operational efficiency and customer experience.

C. Operations and Maintenance:- 

Operational managers ensure the smooth running of train traffic and oversee timetables, staffing and accident management.

Maintenance personnel play an important role in ensuring the safety and reliability of the subway system, as well as performing inspections and repairs. Skillup for a rapid metro career in Indian Metro.

D. Customer Service and Public Relations:-

Service agents work closely with passengers to resolve questions, provide assistance and ensure a positive passenger experience.

Public relations managers master communication strategies, promote positive relationships in the community, and address public issues.

E. Environmental Sustainability:-

Sustainability experts strive to implement green practices in the metro system, explore renewable energy sources and reduce environmental impact.

Career Progression and Development in Metro

High-speed rail systems provide employees with opportunities for advancement and skill development. Many organizations in this industry invest in training programs, workshops and training programs to empower their employees. From entry-level positions to management positions, employees can advance their careers by gaining experience and certifications.

In the high-speed rail industry, in addition to technical skills, communication and problem-solving skills are very important. Our success is based on our ability to adapt to the rapidly changing and ever-changing environment, as well as our commitment to safety and reliability.

Conclusion

This article gives rapid metro career opportunities and an overview of career progress and job work. By which you can get an idea, of what should you do for a better career in the Metro sector. You can take full details from the main website of Indian Metro, rather you face problems in understanding. Then, call on the given helpline number for further queries.

The high-speed rail sector is an exciting and rewarding career opportunity for those who are passionate about contributing to urban infrastructure. Individuals have many opportunities to advance their careers in engineering, technology and management by satisfying their needs through customer service. As high-speed rail networks expand around the world, the need for experienced professionals in this field increases, making it an attractive and sustainable option for those looking to build a successful and influential business.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Is Rapid Metro expensive?

Ans:- Industry expert Arka Sengupta said, “We prefer Delhi Metro because the speed is affordable. You can arrive from Rajiv Chowk to Dwarka for Rs 40 (21 stations). Whereas moving from Sikanderpur to Phase 3 metro station (5 stations) is Rs 20.

Q2. What is the difference between rapid and metro?

Ans:- Unlike the metro, RRTS is designed to cater to the needs of passengers who are looking to travel a long distance at a fast and comfortable pace. The metro, on the other hand, is designed to connect various areas within the national capital and its nearby cities.

Q3. How to Establish a Rapid Metro Career?

Ans:- Start certification course and training in Indian Metro. The training is also present in this course. That will help you to make a career in metro.

[pesterloglog]

Autoresponder, Jane Crocker

Act 6, page 4956

timaeusTestified [TT] began pestering gutsyGumshoe [GG]

TT: Shred it.

GG: What?

TT: you HAVE

TT: the car.

GG: Um.

TT: Now shred it.

TT: Turn it into grist.

GG: Oh!

GG: No!!

GG: I am not going to destroy my dad's car.

TT: We need grist though.

TT: I can't get any building done without more.

TT: Not to mention the fact that you're not going to be able to make any cool shit.

GG: There has to be a better way to gather up grist, though.

TT: Well, I think there are supposed to be monsters here.

TT: I haven't seen any monsters yet, have you?

GG: No, and I can't say I'm too disappointed.

TT: You should be though. Presumably they would drop grist and stuff when you kill them.

TT: Like treasure. And food products that restore your health. Or at least make you less hungry.

TT: Haven't you ever played a video game, Jane?

GG: Of course I have!

TT: That's cool. I haven't, since I am a pair of sunglasses, and communing with such simplistic software would be a trivial and hollow exercise for me.

TT: But I know loads of stuff about games. Like the fact that you gotta kill monsters if you want to make progress.

TT: If not to snatch up the bitchin' loot, at least for the levels.

GG: Levels?

TT: How are you going to get better at fightin' without killing monsters, Jane.

GG: I think I've done a fair job of scaling my echeladder without resorting to the slaughter of innocent, fictional monsters, thank you very much.

TT: Please.

TT: You've barely done any climbing at all. I'm talking about hopping more rungs than what playing a little prank on your dad or throwing your hat on the ground super hard is gonna get you.

TT: You need battle experience to make some real headway. Like Jake.

GG: I'm getting a little tired of various iterations of Dirk Strider telling me how I need to be more like Jake.

GG: I know you think Jake is neat. I know all the Dirks just ADORE Jake! I GET IT!

TT: Wow, chill out.

TT: This ain't about whatever stuff you're apparently fixin' to twist your shit in a pretzel over.

TT: You just need to get stronger, is all. Don't you think that's what your dad would want?

GG: You don't need to remind me about that. I'm suddenly having flashbacks to a few years ago when he would ambush me almost every day for a pointless round of strife.

GG: Boy does getting swatted with brooms and having cakes shoved in your face get old fast.

TT: Yeah, but in the process you got pretty handy with that fork/spoon thingy, didn't you?

GG: Well. Yes.

TT: I'm just saying, if you don't run into any monsters on this planet, I think I'm going to have to set the bunny to "sparring mode" to help you along.

GG: I am not going to spar with Lil Sebastian!!!

GG: He is too quick and deadly to fight with.

GG: And also, too adorable. :B

TT: Ok. We'll see about that.

TT: But in the meantime, we need to figure out a way to start harvesting grist.

TT: Let's forget the car. But now that you have the wallet, you can grab much bigger things.

TT: Big things have got to be worth more grist than all the picayune bullshit you keep around the house.

TT: There are some choice relics in this place. Some of it has to be worth a fortune, gristways.

GG: You could be right.

GG: I will give it a try.

[tracybirds]

It’s not 2am I refuse to accept that lol.... what started with me projecting onto Brains because I am very anti-vacuum cleaner and loud sudden noises, morphed into listen to me Brains and Jeff are FRIENDS, they’re BEST FRIENDS, he asked him to live on the ISLAND with his family (Brains is family)

So this is Brains having a problem with loud noises and Jeff helping him out

---------------------------

Brains shut the door firmly. He spent so much time in the depths of the volcano, underneath nearly three hundred metres of solid basalt, that he’d forgotten how loud the Tracy family really was. Forgotten their penchant for sudden bangs and explosive arguments when the mood took them.

He’d known them for years, first met Jeff and Lucille back before even Gordon was born. Without noticing, somehow his invitations to dinner and birthday parties grew and grew until he found himself folded into the line up as naturally as any other member. He might have once been surprised to find a place made for him on Tracy Island, his own opinions sought after and his wants and desires for his own space taken as seriously as anyone else’s, but upon reflection the transition had been the most seamless in his life.

He couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

But right now, between shaking hands and chattering teeth, he’d rather be anywhere but here.

His study was a place rarely frequented. He much preferred the cavernous space of his workshop, where he could jump between theory and practice and the only sound was that of muttered calculations echoed back to him with his own voice. But with Jeff back (and wasn’t he thrilled to be working with his old friend again), dreaming up new ideas for the dozen, it only made sense to temporarily relocate back to the room next door.

He winced as a chair scraped overhead again. Indistinct conversation filtered down and he glanced over to check the windows were shut fast. How Jeff was working, totally oblivious, as beyond him. Every sound tore into Brains’ skin.

He rummaged through the drawers, searching for the headphones that would provide even a moment of relief.

Above him, the floor creaked ominously and he could hear Virgil and Gordon’s scattered laughter.

The villa suddenly seemed very small.

A gentle whirring grabbed his attention, and Brains looked up to see MAX in front of him, headphones in his grip.

“Thank you, mm-MAX,” he said with a tight smile and lowered them over his ears.

He could hear his echoing heartbeat, beating wildly and amplified by the full coverage of his ears, and he grimaced at the sound.

But a choice between the unexpected screeches from above and the steady sound of living was no contest.

Brains steadied his breath and stared blankly at the blueprints he was working on. He could hardly remember what they were for. Some kind of energy dampener?

He placed his glasses down on the desk and rubbed at his eyes. The thumping was only getting louder and faster and the headphones themselves were becoming a problem – the synthetic cushioning sticky and hot against his skin.

He could still hear the boys above.

His fingers fumbled with software, searching for something tolerable to drown out the sound. Music burst through to his eardrums and instinctively he ripped their source away, and the sounds of Tracy villa fell in on him at full force.

Gritted teeth, eyes squeezed tight, hands drilling his ears into his skull as though they could be removed, and all because of noise that couldn’t be helped and that he couldn’t ask to be stopped.

Not fair, he thought, not fair to them and certainly not fair to him.

***

Brains’ door was shut. That pulled Jeff up short, his hand hovering over the door knob as he frowned at it as though it had closed itself of its own accord. Brains’ door was never shut.

Jeff could still remember the gentle welcome he’d given his sons when they first met, answering all their questions about his lab and what exactly his job was. How he’d taken one look at Jeff, overwhelmed with the care of only three children while his pregnant wife rushed home to care for her dying mother and invited him and his overly-excited children home for tea. Even back in Tracy Industries, Jeff had been given unrestricted access to Brains’ office and he liked to think it wasn’t simply because Brains couldn’t say no to his boss.

He knew very well how incorrect that statement was.

Jeff reached out and knocked on the door.

There was no reply.

Faintly, Jeff could hear the faint beeps of MAX inside and that only puzzled him more. MAX never seemed to leave Brains’ side in one form or another, but neither did he sound distressed. He thought. Jeff was still learning how to tell the moods of a robot apart.

Another loud whoop echoed down the stairs and he glanced up, partially amused but mostly exasperated. With some time off, Scott and Gordon had taken it upon themselves to teach Alan poker and if there was anything that Scott and Gordon knew how to do quietly – well, it wasn’t poker.

From the sounds of things, Alan had hit a streak of beginner’s luck and Scott, still swearing above him, was on the losing end.

He laughed to himself and lightly pushed open the door, poking his head to try and spot his friend.

His smile dropped almost instantly.

“Brains? Are you alright?”

A redundant question, immediately answered without a word as Jeff took in the clenched jaw and involuntary gasps for air.

“Okay, okay,” he muttered to himself, reluctant to startle Brains further or make whatever this was worse by touching him. Because this was surely something new. Or something hidden and private that he had no intention of revealing to the rest of his raucous family.

A chair fell with a loud bang above them and Jeff jumped. Brains seemed to curl even further in on himself and as the squabbling grew louder and louder above them, Jeff realised what the problem was.

“Brains, I’ll be right back,” he promised, before striding upstairs, worry turning what had been exasperation into real anger.

“Boys,” he growled, his voice cutting through the argument. Three startled pairs of eyes met his, and Jeff tried to cool the white-hot fury into mere annoyance.

“Outside. Or your rooms, I don’t care which.”

Gordon scoffed at him.

“You can’t send us to our rooms.”

Jeff whirled on him, the fire stoked in his glare.

“On second thoughts,” said Gordon cheerfully, tugging Alan in front of him. “I was just gonna go for a swim. What do you say, Alan?”

Jeff watched the two race away and turned to face Scott, his arms crossed and scowling openly.

“What was that for?” he demanded. “We were just playing cards, what’s the big idea?”

“You’re just being too damn loud,” Jeff said with a grunt, turning towards the stairwell.

Then again, he reflected, it wasn’t entirely their fault. Clearly, whatever was going on downstairs wasn’t something they’d known to be aware of.

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah,” muttered Scott. “If you say so.”

Jeff ignored him, already halfway down the stairs with his main objective cleared.

He slipped back into the room, pleased to see Brains’ breathing was much less erratic.

“Brains?”

“Mmm, y-yes Jeff?”

He stepped forward and laid a hesitant hand on Brains’ shoulder.

“You’re still shaking,” he said quietly. “What was that?”

“Nn-nothing.”

Jeff snorted.

“At least look me in the eye when you lie to me, Brains. Come on, I know you better than that.”

Brains pursed his lips together, still avoiding Jeff’s gaze, and it suddenly struck Jeff that his friend might not want to tell him about his problems.

Eight years was a long gap in friendship.

“It’s okay,” he said at last, as the silence stretched out into uncomfortable awkwardness. “You really don’t have to say. I’ve just never seen you like that before.”

“Yes, you have.”

Jeff looked at him in surprise, unsure of the conviction in Brains’ eyes.

“Then I don’t remember,” he admitted slowly, casting his mind over fragile, faded memory.

“Help m-me over to that sss-sofa.”

Jeff followed his directions without protest, still watching him carefully until Brains was lying down on the sofa with a sigh.

He reached out and handed over the blue frames instinctively and pulled up a chair as Brains peered at him through them.

“Adrenaline crash,” he said, by way of explanation and gesturing at himself. Sss-sorry Jeff, it g-got a little out of hand.”

“What is ‘it’?”

Brains waved a dismissive hand.

“I hope you didn’t g-go up and yell at the b-boys,” he said. “It’s really not their ff-fault. I just have a hard time with too mm, m-much noise, or the wrongs kinds nowadays.”

“Why?” asked Jeff, trying not to feel too guilty over having done just that.

Brains smiled tiredly.

“T-t-turns out, it’s really rather traumatising to watch your ff-friend explode on a live-feed in f-front of you.”

Chills raced over Jeff’s skin, all seeming to find entry into his heart. His breath caught in his throat and he found it was his turn to be bent over with his friend’s guiding hand on his back.

“Sorry,” he gasped. “Worse for you than it was for me.”

“Yes, you’re right Jeff,” said Brains drily. “There are no lasting effects from the mm-moment that ripped your f-family from you and f-forced you to survive in the m-most hostile environment with no hope of return. Mm-my m-mistake.”

Jeff laughed weakly.

“You got me there,” he admitted, rubbing his chest to try ease some of the tension. “But at least we’re not alone on this one. I’ll tell the boys to check neither of us are working before they play anymore poker.”

“And next time, they could ask us to join,” said Brains with a grin. “I don’t think they know what a g-good team we m-made.”

“Good cheats, you mean.”

“Well, of course, what’s the difference?”

Jeff laughed, thumping on his shoulder.

“Get some rest, Brains. Strategise later.”

[youarejesting]

Mania.8

[MASTER LIST] [Mania Master list]

Rating: Mature 18+ Pairing: BTS OT7 Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Omegaverse Words: 1.4k Blood types: Namjoon, Jhope, Jungkook, Yoongi (A) Taehyung (AB) Jin, Jimin and Yoongi (O) (Jimin in real life is an A blood type)

Summary: At eighteen everyone takes a blood test to find out their blood types. A, B, or O. Each blood type represents the person’s secondary gender Alpha, Beta or Omega and can be Dominant (+) or Recessive (-).

When small thin Yoongi receives his letter he doesn’t expect A+. There was no way he was an Alpha especially not a dominant. But as time passes he shows no Alpha nor Omega tendencies and frankly he doesn’t care. Working in his father’s electrical business helps pay the bills but Yoongi’s real passion is music.

One very hot day in the roof space of a luxury apartment that Yoongi is rewiring an intoxicatingly pleasant smell churns his insides and he finds himself in need of something to quench his thirst.

[First] [Prev] [Mania] [Next]

Yoongi was unsure how he felt about the affection he received from the other omegas. He didn’t exactly have time to refuse their advances before he was soaking in a huge bathtub with the other two. It was nice to have company and someone to talk to. The two omegas were quick to offer him something to drink and helped wash his hair with gentle hands.

It had been almost twenty years since Yoongi had had a bubble bath and he had to admit it was a lot more fun than a normal bath. The bubbles were so soft and foamy they smelt like lavender and it was making his eyes heavy. 

Kim Seokjin gave a soft chuckle pulling Yoongi’s back against his chest and letting him rest his head on his shoulder. Yoongi was ready to leave the bath, he was starting to feel old with the wrinkles appearing on his fingertips like a prune.

Stepping out first Jimin wrapped himself in a robe, Yoongi thought he would leave but was surprised when he grabbed another robe and held it out. Yoongi went to get up to let Jin exit but when he moved Jimin’s hands followed him with the soft robe.

Yoongi looked back at Seokjin and saw him pulling on another robe and smiling, “You don’t like the robe Hyung?”

“Sorry, I thought you were offering Jin Hyung the robe.” Yoongi lowered his head and obediently put his hands into the sleeves. “Thanks, Jiminie.”

Jimin under all the spoiled and bratty tendencies was such a sweet charming boy who cared a lot about others and Yoongi was happy to get to know this side of him. That he had given the younger boy a chance to open up to him and show his true colors. Or, maybe it was Jimin who took the time to let Yoongi relax and open up with him.

“Do you want to go for a nap, we are going to cuddle in the lounge and watch a movie, you can join us if you want?” Jimin asked, looking hopeful. Yoongi almost gave in not wanting to disappoint the young omega. Maybe this is what they meant by omega’s nurturing other omegas.

Yoongi patted the younger boy's wet hair and smiled softly, “I have some work to do, I was wondering if I could borrow someone’s laptop or computer or something?”

“Of course, Jungkook has one you can use,” Jimin took Yoongi’s hand. It was such a small hand, though he was younger, Jimin was much stronger than Yoongi. “Here it is, I will tell Kookie that you are in here, he is watching a movie too, so you can work undisturbed.”

“Thanks, Jiminie,” Yoongi patted his head again and Jimin beamed at the praise before searching for some clothes to steal from his mate.

Yoongi opened the website he had been using for his mixtape. Selecting his latest opened his newest creation, trying to reach for where he usually kept his headphones but coming up empty and the song started playing. Face red and heart hammering nervously he paused the music and Jimin’s head poked out of the walk-in wardrobe.

“What was that?” Jimin asked, curiously he was slipping on a pair of sweatpants with his athletic build on display. Yoongi took note of the ‘Nevermind’ tattoo on Jimin’s rib cage and wondered to himself what it meant. He and Jungkook were the only two in the group that he had seen tattoo’s on.

“Uh, it was a song that I wrote?” Yoongi muttered embarrassed, “Does Jungkookie have headphones at all?”

“Yeah, I can go ask him.” Jimin smiled, “Can I hear something you have written?”

“Sure,” Yoongi nervously played the song. The beat was kind of old school and Jimin heard some of Yoongi’s adlibs but they weren’t explored fully yet. Jimin was bouncing on the bed to the beat enjoying the sound and vibe. He liked the word play of ddaeng and the ‘one-eight, one-three, three-eight.

Yoongi watched Jimin intently wanting to see his reaction, a little embarrassed when Namjoon’s head popped into the room he was nodding to the beat listening, Hoseok and Taehyung appearing enjoying the sound greatly.

Yoongi had made a guide which was quiet in the background with what he thought the lyrics fit the song, but he had one completed verse. When he first wrote the lyrics he didn’t think it was first verse worthy but he really liked it. Not wanting to waste some dope bars. He kept it for the second verse. As the second verse began his voice came through the room and his cheeks went red.

“Ddaeng.” Yoongi’s voice was strong, accompanied by his deep hum “Mmm…”

Taehyung was hyped by the verse and began jumping around the room excitedly, Hoseok and Namjoon were both sitting there with thoughtful faces repeating chorus’ and enjoying the wordplay. Namjoon began freestyling a small bit at the end using his own play on words for the sound ddaeng, likening it to a cash register, a game of tag, and more. 

“That’s really dope, did you write that yourself?” Jimin asked excitedly looking at the screen for any sign of another name or some sort of program that could have helped him.

“I wrote the lyrics or what little lyrics I have and I made the track using my software. I have a bunch of tracks I produced and have written for but these are the latest ones I have worked on.” Yoongi explained “I made a trap beat with some eastern instruments to basically diss the community for saying that rap music doesn’t fit with Korean culture.

“Can I get you to look at something?” Namjoon said and brought him down the hall to a makeshift studio, “Listen to this…”

Yoongi stood in his robe feeling out of place while Namjoon began typing away on the computer bringing up a program and a file, he pressed play and Yoongi paused it. “I need headphones. I need to hear the layering and everything in depth”

Namjoon nodded, handing him the headphones, and began listening, Hoseok’s voice came in rapping about being a psycho rapping a cypher. Yoongi enjoyed his flow, it was unique, quite colorful, and fun, Namjoon was very intellectual and full of wordplay. They both had their strong points but they were missing an element that most rappers had.

They didn’t have the raw anger that was needed, sure Hoseok and Namjoon were mad but it was lacking. The cypher was amazing, the third verse they wrote together was quite odd and didn’t really bring the anger that Yoongi wanted it to. Almost a letdown.

“The third verse is shot, cut it out.” They nodded “It needs something rougher something to wrap it up, get the final hype. Hoseok has some serious teasing at the start, Namjoon gets real smart but the end needs to be rough. Make the people mad with raw emotion and power behind the delivery that just wasn’t there.”

“He is right,” Hoseok said and Yoongi made a face as he listened to the last verse again taking the lyrics sheet and began making changes adding entirely different lines in places.

“It is good though you just need to deliver it better, get exasperated on the track, that shit sounds like you are fucking proving a point.” Yoongi stood up from the computer and played the track into the tiny soundproof booth. It was a little portable box insulated just like any other booth Yoongi had rented before to work on his mixtape. 

Even though the booths were different sizes they worked the same and Yoongi stepped inside it had just begun Hoseok’s verse and he was reading over the lines getting ready to record when it got to the third verse he took the lines running putting as much gravel and emotion into the lyrics.

He rapped like he was trying to argue with someone about his worth as a rapper. He delivered the verse as if it was his own cypher he let things flow he got to the section that Namjoon had previously performed and the pace picked up, he didn’t let up the whole time and as he hit the last line he let out a loud laugh he was embarrassed to rap in front of anyone. “Hahaha….. YA!”

 Tags: @staerryminimini​ 

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[canmom]

Animation Night 48 - Independent Web Animators... 2!

It's hard to believe we're approaching the big 50... and in a few weeks I'll have managed a full year of Animation Nights every Thursday.

This week, I'm returning to one of my earliest themes: the independent web animation scenes we first visited in Animation Night #10. Last time, we went on a bit of a historical survey of the classics: the Newgrounds flash scene of Xiao Xiao and Bitey, the charm of SamBakZa's There She Is!, the wonderful body horror fractals of Cyriak, and the most recent stylish generation of indie animators on youtube like Felix Colgrave and Vewn. Check that post for the full list!

Well what's happened since then? Many of these animators have dropped new videos, and I've been introduced to a few more. So I have some pretty sick stuff to show... we'll get to that in a minute!

At the same time, the sword of Damocles has fallen: Flash player is now officially killed off - with lossy, high bandwidth raster video apparently considered preferable to building a secure, backwards-compatible swf player, as far as the powers that be are concerned! Sure, the actual software, now called Adobe Animate, still exists (competing with others like Toonboom as general purpose vector animation software), but while before just about anyone could get their hands on a pirated copy of Flash, the present version is locked into Adobe's subscription ecosystem...

(for more, see Nathalie Lawhead's v good writeup on the death of the Flash website)

Is this going to prove “good” or “bad” for web animation? Who the fuck even knows lol. It's definitely a very different scene these days: Flash has given way to genuinely free tools like Blender Grease Pencil, Krita and OpenToonz, and for those who can afford them, pro tools like TVPaint and ToonBoom. These tend to enable much more sophisticated animation workflows, but you also face a steep learning curve.

The economics has also changed a lot: nowadays people can devote themselves to it full time if they can attract some kind of Patreon audience. The way that shakes out is that a lot of today's web animators are doing much more “technically impressive” stuff than anyone could do in Flash back then, both technically and often narratively (NG's 5MB limit was a pretty harsh creative restriction)...

But something was still lost, I feel? Precisely because the technical standard was not especially high, the old Flash scene was a kind of supportive ecosystem where people could experiment without (much) judgement. Money was not involved, which meant that essentially everyone there was in it for fun - and that's a barrier for entry, admittedly. Still, that world meant someone like Felix Colgrave could get started with shorts like the one above, and find an appreciative audience, long before the days of ‘Double King’. Today, it feels like the pressure is heavier: everything has to be oriented towards self-promotion on the wheel of Content, to build that same Patreon or Youtube audience.

Of course, there's no point wishing for a more innocent internet... or pretending that, without nostalgia goggles, the majority of stuff on NG back then wasn't kinda shit lmao.

Luckily, there are efforts to preserve the old Flash videos! The Internet Archive has a clever WebAssembly-based flash player alternative, and an impressive (if hard to navigate) collection of Flash videos. Another substantial archive is maintained, using the original Flash Player in a special sandboxed browser, as BlueMaxima's “Flashpoint”. Meanwhile, Newgrounds have batch converted their entire database to raster video, and still seems to have a healthy community producing original animation for their weirdly gamified rating system - some of it, like Gooseworx below, is indeed really good. This won't save the stuff that's not part of these big archives, the swfs on obscure self-hosted websites, but it's not all gone!

Anyway, that's my little soapbox over! There are many ways things are much better for indie animators who can't afford to go to animation school. For one, there's so many more good, free resources now than ever before - to name a few who've helped me, check out *deep breath* [Toniko Pantoja] [Striving For Animation] [Dong Chang] [Studio Bulldog] [Howard Wimshurst] [Aaron Blaise] [Ian Hubert]... and there's an abundance of less centralised ways for people to get a start like Multi Animator Projects and animation memes. Not to mention the influence of the sakuga fandom giving people lofty inspiration... it's still an exciting time!

And who knows, maybe one day the Grease Pencil user community will be as vibrant as the old Flash one.

So who are we watching today then? Let's reel em off!

the returning stars...

the ppl we saw last time have not stopped animating...

Felix Colgrave, the extremely talented Australian behind Double King, dropped a new video called Throat Notes full of his usual surreal, psychedelic imagery! This one's about bugs.

Gooseworx is the person who got me to look back at Newgrounds, by making some really perfectly timed videos with a great sense of weird comedy and squishy, bouncy movement. Her Little Runmo we saw last time, but now she's dropped a much longer sequel to Elain the Bounty Hunter in Elain Gets Adopted! Can our triangle girl get out of being a human(...ish?) pet?

Jonni Phillips is hard at work on her feature-length film Barber Westchester (which may stretch the definition of 'indie' since she's now leading an outsourced animation team lol), but for now we can watch all of her wonderfully disconcerting lead-in series Secrets and Lies in a Town of Sinners! She has a really distinctive style, leaning way into extreme exaggeration and the 'boiling' lines effect (where every drawing is drawn twice and rapidly alternates between frames). Totally slept on her last time, I want to give her a proper showing this time around!

Vewn (Victoria Vincent) made a little short about a monkey since last we saw her - but I also want to show a few more of her previous stuff we didn't cover last time! She remains one of my favourite web animators, with a brilliant ability to ratchet up a sense of alienation and tension and an amazing way of using distorted perspective.

the newcomers...

and meanwhile I got familiar with some more animators...

Worthikids is one of the people who’s really flying with the possibilities of Blender grease pencil to combine 2D and 3D animation - and he's just a plain good character animator, especially for expressions, with a great sense of humour. We’ll check out his Bigtop Burger series about a travelling food truck run by clowns, and his recent short Wire in which a different group of clowns battle vampires. Clowns seem to be a thing for him.

Joel Guerra also recently made big waves with his ENA series, with a wonderful aesthetic taking after early CGI and clipart as a context for surrealism. Most of these videos feature ENA wandering around talking to various characters while we soak in the ~vibes~...

Howard Wimshurst is the host of a discord server for indie animators I've taken to hanging out in, but of course he caught my eye in the first place for tremendously impressive full-figure animation, along with really strong storyboarding and textured brushwork like Encounter.

Toniko Pantoja meanwhile is a CalArts grad whose educational videos are some of the most useful out there (if sometimes a little meandering!) He mostly works in the mainstream industry but occasionally releases very cool original projects like this!

Studio Bulldog are a tiny four-person indie anime studio, who appeared on the scene recently with some cute short films and very informative videos on the anime production process in English.

DawnOfNSSD, aka @bionicie on here, is out pioneering the genre of Bionicle stop motion erotic/fight animation. Their work is fascinating, and does some very clever little technical things (most stop motion animators have little interest in martial arts, sadly, since there's clearly a lot of potential!) - and honestly like, the absolute vision of it! Titty bionicles!

Shingo Tamagawa is an skillful key animator with credits ranging from Gundam Thunderbolt to 3-Gatsu no Lion, but he made an enormous splash in animation circles last year with his beautifully coloured short film Puparia. This film exhibited a level of drawing precision that would be hard to match for big studios with entire cleanup departments, and incredibly beautiful, moody atmosphere shaped by precise, manga-like drawings and a richly saturated colour palette. No wonder it made waves!

The old school...

We covered most of the main hits last time, but we gotta include at least some NG stuff right? Last time we covered the main ones - Bitey of Brackenwood, Animator vs Animation, Xiao Xiao, There She Is! - but we haven't quite covered all the good stuff yet...

Madness Combat by Krinkels is technically not in the 'stick figure fight' subgenre, since the guys are like little raymans or something, but really who cares about the difference hehe. It's a sprawling series on one very straightforward premise: a little guy kills a lot of other little guys, then probably dies. Well, these things became wildly popular because Krinkels had a decent sense of fight choreography and timing out the fights to the beat, which made his stuff stand out among all the stick videos. It's all about rhythm! I'm not gonna show too much of this because they are basically 10+ years of the same video getting gradually more elaborate, but we gotta give it a nod!

Nathalie Lawhead is best known as a game developer, but early on she was part of the Flash scene, with projects like the Rotfront Sovietoblaster music video and Alien Invasion. It's so wonderfully energetic and such a perfect encapsulation of its era that I gotta show some.

The Older School

Now, this playlist might not go very far. I haven't timed it out, I'm running late as it is. If it turns out these are so short we're done in a couple hours, I have a plan B: we'll check out some of MTV's Liquid Television block, which (alongside other similar festival-type presentations like Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation) is where you'd take your work before there was a Newgrounds: a collection of original, boundary-pushing short films. For me, it's most notable for incubating Peter Chung's Aeon Flux, which started this whole thing! You might say that Animation Night owes its existence to Liquid Television. Unfortunately, it remains available only in VHSrip form, but hey, that just adds to the flavour.

Animation Night 48 will start very soon indeed, like more or less right now at twitch.tv/canmom. Hope to see you there for an Animation Night the way we used to do it! There's so much different stuff I'm sure I'll find something you're into :D

[dcdarkweek]

Magic

Submission by Anonymous

It started as a small thing, a side hobby. But Timothy Drake was never any good at keeping anything he did small.

When his parents gave him a Nikon DSLR camera and a set of top-notch lenses for his twelfth birthday, at first Tim wasn’t terribly impressed. He’d never had any interest in photography before, and the camera seemed like every other gift his parents bought him—flashy, but without any consideration for what Tim actually enjoyed. After putting it aside for about a week, he picked it back up and fiddled with its various settings. After he realized how powerful the camera combined with his photo editing software could be, his enthusiasm grew.

His “aha moment,” as his mother liked to say, came when he climbed the wall surrounding his yard to take a picture of a cardinal that had fluttered over to the neighboring Wayne estate. He lost sight of it, but he did see Jason Todd-Wayne weeding the vegetable garden, presumably at the Wayne family butler’s behest. Tim snapped a photo of him and grinned. Went looking for one kind of bird; found another.

Tim didn’t know the Waynes well, at least not in the personal sense. He had deduced at a young age that Bruce Wayne was the vigilante Batman, and that his ward, Dick Grayson, was his partner, Robin. He also knew that when Dick left home, Jason, Bruce’s newly adopted son, inherited the Robin role. Tim considered himself a fan, but had never really pursued it beyond owning a Batman lunchbox and some other merch. But with his camera, perhaps that would change.

The first night Tim went bat-and-bird-hunting, he felt preposterous riding his ten-speed from tony Bristol to downtown Gotham, dressed in all black like a burglar. His mood soon improved, however, because despite Tim’s graceless ascents up fire escapes and his clumsy teetering on rooftops, he was able to get some decent shots of both Batman and Robin. And, unless the Bat was a lot more amenable to having his photo taken than Tim suspected, neither had caught sight of him.

The whole experience was terrifying: stumbling a dozen stories above the ground, knowing that at any moment Batman, or worse, a criminal, could spot him. At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel like he was part of an exclusive club. Tim was hooked.

After a few weeks of shooting duds, Tim deemed some photos worthy of public consumption and launched the BatBlog. It gained an almost immediate following. The mainstream media, the tabloids—none had been able to get photos of Batman and Robin, not ones like this. As Tim became more bold, the blog also featured close-ups of Gotham’s rogues. The Gotham Gazette ran an op-ed speculating that Batman himself had hired the mystery photographer in order to rally public support.

But Tim’s illusion of stealth was soon shattered. One night, as Tim hid behind a roof air conditioning unit, changing his camera lens, he heard a thump behind him, followed by slow, deliberate footsteps. Turning around, Tim was faced with the Boy Wonder himself.

“Heya, kid,” Robin said. “Big fan of your blog. I ‘specially liked the photo you got last week of Batman face-palming at Riddler’s dumb quips.”

Tim didn’t see any point in denying that he ran the BatBlog; it would be pointless considering he was currently holding a thousand-dollar telephoto lens in his hands. He waved awkwardly. “Hi, Robin. I’m a big fan of yours. Are…are you and Batman going to try to shut down my blog?”

“First off, if we were gonna shut down your blog, we wouldn’t ‘try to,’ we just would,” Robin said, rocking back on his heels. “Second…no. But B asked me to come tell you to be more careful. If you keep taking risky shots and putting yourself in danger, we will be forced to act…Timothy Drake.”

Of course Batman and Robin recognized him; they were next-door neighbors, after all. But Tim got goosebumps regardless at Robin’s dramatic revelation. He wasn’t scared enough, however, not to take advantage of his tete-a-tete with Jason in costume.

“Uh, my followers want to know: What’s it like being Robin?”

Jason smirked. “Robin gives me magic,” he said, and flew away into the darkness.

—

Robin’s semi-threatening conversation with Tim did nothing to dissuade him from continuing his work. In fact, it only heightened his fervor. Despite Robin’s warnings about taking risky shots, Tim found himself getting closer and closer to the action in increasingly hazardous situations. And while Tim still got a little thrill every time he took a photo, he found himself a victim of diminishing returns. It wasn’t enough. He needed more. Tim, being an exceptionally tenacious, meticulous strategist, knew he could orchestrate just that.

He started small again. He couldn’t risk getting caught. He carefully covered his digital tracks as he researched methods and materials. He practiced in an abandoned warehouse—nothing too showy, just enough to know that everything would go to plan. And then he picked his target: St. Michael’s Orphanage.

The whole ordeal was over in less than an hour—the firefighters remained for a little while after that, hosing down the smoldering flames. The next day Tim’s blog featured Batman and Robin rushing out of the orphanage as barefoot children clung to them with tiny hands, mouths open as they wailed. Tim had used his new wide angle lens to grab the whole scene, and the Gotham Gazette had shamelessly poached it to use on the front page.

Tim started a total of three fires before he lost interest. He also knew that the more fires he set, the easier it would be for Batman to apprehend the culprit. He tried hacking the city’s traffic lights next, but that resulted in an anticlimactic series of fender benders and a traffic jam—no vigilantes required on site.

It wasn’t until he saw a TV feature on Arkham Asylum that inspiration struck. Over a bowl of instant mac and cheese, Tim discovered that there was remote access to some of the asylum’s security features. They didn’t say this outright, of course, but Tim could tell based on the equipment that no one bothered to hide from the cameras.

The night of, he waited on the roof of a nearby building so he could get photos of the rogues as they left the asylum. He got some great close-ups of Riddler, Two-Face, Scarecrow, and even the Joker. The rogues scattered, but Tim knew the Joker was the one to follow.

A lackey picked Joker up and Tim lost sight of them as they drove off, but he continued in the same general direction, hoping that the imminent pandemonium would guide his way. Tim had made it to the roof of the Old Kane Building when he ran into Robin—literally.

Robin recovered quickly. “Kid! Tonight is not the night to be snapping pics! What did I tell you about stopping the risky shit? If comms weren’t down I’d tell B to haul ass over here so he could lead you home by the ear. Anyhow, we’re both too busy to deal with you right now. So scram.”

“Oh, I was just on my way home,” Tim said. “I heard about the Arkham breakout and realized it was over my head.” He snorted. “They sure do need to work on their cybersecurity.”

Robin grinned and shook his head. “Yeah, they aren’t…” As he trailed off, Robin’s smile disappeared. When he spoke next, it was whisper quiet. “How did you know it was an online attack?”

Tim froze and put on his best Janet Drake smile. “Oh, it was just a guess. Does that mean I’m right?”

Robin wasn’t buying it. “Kid. Tim. Tell me this wasn’t you.” His hands strayed to his belt.

“Robin, I-I don’t know what to say. I’m twelve years old! Do you seriously think I could have managed something like this?”

“I—“ Robin was cut off by the sound of chilling laughter nearby, followed by screams. “Shit. I don’t have time for this right now, kid. You get yourself home, now, and you fuckin’ stay there. We’ll talk again soon.”

Tim, no longer in the mood for taking photos, found where he had parked his bike and rode back to his house. He wondered how long it would be before Robin told Batman about his suspicions and they both showed up to interrogate him. Tim lay in bed, preparing what he would say. “I just run a blog,” he said aloud, making his voice tremulous. “I’m just out of elementary school! And you think I hacked a maximum security facility?” He laughed, but it didn’t sound right, so he kept practicing. Eventually he fell asleep.

The next morning when Tim awoke, he peeked around his room, half expecting Batman to spring out from the closet. Satisfied that he was alone, he yawned and booted up his computer. There weren’t any new comments on the BatBlog, so next he checked the Gotham Gazette. He was confronted with a gruesome photo and a headline blaring in second-coming font:

JOKER KILLS ROBIN

Tim ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. He collapsed onto the floor, feeling the cool tile against his cheeks. He giggled, a bit hysterically. He had never been so relieved in his life.

—

Tim felt bad about Jason’s death. Not too bad; it wasn’t like Tim had meant for Jason to die. It was just one of those things. And, Tim reasoned, what good would his guilt do anyway? It wouldn’t bring Jason back, and it would only distract him from his current task: finding Batman a new Robin.

Batman had gone berserk after Jason’s death, and at this rate, he was going to end up dead or killing someone. Neither outcome was conducive to the future of Gotham’s Dark Knight. Observing the situation, Tim realized that Batman needed a Robin.

Tim briefly considered tracking down Dick Grayson and convincing him to return to Gotham to take up the role again, but eventually he decided against it. Grayson was old now; Batman needed someone younger, someone for whom he would feel responsible. Someone like him.

Tim didn’t believe in destiny, but when he finally convinced Bruce to take him on as the next Robin, he knew someone was looking after him. Tim gave the role his all; it was the least he could do after everything Jason had done for him. Jason had given him Robin, and Robin gave Tim magic.

[vintagesimstress]

IV. The most useful meshing tools in Blender

(Previous: IIIb. Method II: The sneaky way)

Only in my own, very subjective opinion, of course. I bet many other creators would disagree with me on this selection, but those are the tools I use almost every time when I mesh something new.

This part is going to look a bit different that the previous ones: it won't be a step-by-step guide, but rather a short explanation of different options (some of which I already partially covered) and their possible usefulness, so that you could just implement whichever you want in your own projects.

1. Snap to symmetry

You can find this option in that dropdown (dropup?) menu hidden under the 'Mesh' button, in the bottom bar. It does just what it says on the tin: if a vertex on the left side on your mesh has it's exact equivalent on the right side (so, let's say, vertex A has x = 20, and vertex B has x = -20, and y and z are the same), Blender will recognise them as mirrored.

Make sure to use this option only on parts which really are symetrical! Otherwise you might end up with some of your vertices being symmetrised and others not, and then it'll all become a hot mess. So, in case of our dress, you shouldn't use it on the skirt, but it's perfectly safe to use it on the upper body parts, which are, by default, completely symmetrical – even if Blender doesn't necessarily know it yet. Of course, that applies only if you used the same top as me – I can't speak for others!

2. X mirror

A follow-up to the whole symmetrising process. You can find that option in the toolbar on the left (T), in the 'Options' tab. Just tick it. And now select any vertex of your symmetrised top and move it wildly around. You'll notice that the same happens on the other side of the mesh as well.

3. Proportional editing

I know, I know, we've already used it so many times...! But proportional editing is pure magic and I think it deserves another mention. Depending on the falloff type, you can use it to quickly create a variety of different shapes. Just as a reminder: you turn it on by pressing either O (for all vertices) or alt+O (only for connected vertices) and then select the falloff type in that bottom bar. By default it's set to 'Smooth', which is probably the most universal option. You can make a bigger or smaller area affected by your edits by moving the mouse scroll – by default it's set to VERY big, so probably your whole mesh will be moving. Don't panic and just scroll until you see a white circle – that's exactly the 'affected area'.

Why mention it now? Because combined with the 2 previous tools it's a perfect way to make those 1890s puffs! Let's take a look at it, shall we?

===============================

Practical Application Corner

I think by now I can admit it: the dress I'm trying to make here with you is this 1897 wedding dress:

As you can see, the dress has some shoulder-puffs: moderate in volume and rather roundish, so they shouldn't be hard to make. I already symmetrised the mesh, turned on the x mirror and proportional editing. I'll just change the falloff type to 'Sphere' and I'm ready to go.

Now I'll simply select a vertex on one of the shoulders and move it up. It's probably the best to do it while looking at the mesh from the front (num 1) - that'll make it easier to see what's going on.

Doesn't look bad, but I'm aware that the puff is still very 2D. You can see it very well if you switch to top view (num 7). To solve this problem, I'll select two vertices this time, one on the front of the puff and another on the back, and scale them – still with all the same options. Much better!

If you want to, you can spend some more time fine tuning your puff. Depending on how much you enlarged it, you might also want to select both puffs, turn triangles into quads (alt+j), then subdivide it smooth (W, select from the dropdown menu) and change to tris again (ctrl+t). However, it might be quite difficult to just 'select your puff' now, so maybe wait with it till the next part, where I'll talk about uv maps...? That'd make stuff a lot easier.

===============================

4. Dissolving

That's a very simple and very useful tool, which lets you just dissolve – but not delete – vertices, edges or faces. What it means practically is that if you use it instead of deleting, you won't get a hole in your mesh. Lets say you subdivided your puffs, triangulated them again and discovered some weird lines here and there...

When you switch to edit mode, you immediately see that it's because some of your new vertices aren't proprely connected. At the same time you see that if you let Blender do it automatically, you'll be left with very unpleasant, narrow triangles. It'd be better to get rid of those diagonal lines which I marked in red.

And how do you do it? Very simply: select them and either press x (or delete) and select 'dissolve edges' from the dropdown menu, or – while in edge select mode - simply press ctrl+x.

And how do you change them into sensible triangles? Well, you either triangulate them automatically (ctrl+t), hoping that Blender will be reasonable... Or you can use another simple yet super useful tool.

5. Knife

You activate it by pressing k. It's just what it sounds like: a tool which lets you cut your mesh in any way you want. You can use it to manually cut proper triangles (which I'm going to do right now), but also for a variety of other things. Cool feature: it gently snaps to existing vertices, so if you want to connect vertex A and vertex B, you can do it without much struggle. Press enter when you're done.

But why would you want to use it for anything else than correcting triangles? Why would you cut some random shapes in your mesh? Well, because then you could use another cool tool.

6. Extruding

The principle is very simple. You select any vertices, edges or faces you want and then press e – and suddenly new vertices, edges or faces appear. You can freely move them around, or – which is almost always a better idea – right after that 'e' you can press s to scale them, or x/y/z, to limit the movement to only one axis. You used it while making the skirt and way earlier, when you were meshing a cup. But extruding isn't limited only to this; it's also a perfect way to make 3D collars, belts, cuffs, trims, random deco – almost anything, actually.

7. Flip direction

An interesting peculiarity of Blender meshes – no idea how other software deals with it – is that meshes have only one side. In other words, if you extrude something from your main mesh – let's say, I don't know... Wings? - they will be visible from side A, but if you look from the opposite side, it'll be as if they weren't there at all. Perfectly invisible. That's why in case of such parts you have to duplicate them and then flip direction of that copy, to get the texture on both sides.

Select the part you want to duplicate. Chances are the texture is not even all on one side; in such case press ctrl+n or open the left bar (T) and, in the Shading/UV tab, choose 'Recalculate'. Now press shift+d to duplicate, press enter immediately, and from the same tab select 'Flip Direction'. Your mesh should be double-sided now.

===============================

Practical Application Corner

I want to make that weirdly shaped deco piece my dress is supposed to have on the front. I dissolved some edges and recut them, to get a pretty smooth curve, and now I'm going to extrude it. Whoops, I almost forgot to turn off the X mirror!

So I press e and, immediately afterwards, y, to extrude that part to the front.

As expected, the extruded part became a mess. I'll switch to face select, select all the faces and then hit 'Recalculate'.

And here comes the surprise: I won't duplicate it and flip direction immediately. First I'd like to adjust it, so that it sits perfectly; some subdividing, some proportional editing, moving vertices around to get a natural, smooth look. Creating the other side is usually the very last thing I do, just before taking in-game screenshots and posting my CC. Single vertices are easier to deal with, and every piece requires tons of corrections and small adjustments, long after you first think it's already done.

In any case, in some distant future, when I'm sure that this... Frill? What even is this? ...works properly, I'll select those faces again, press shift+d, enter, and then flip direction. Let's just see how it'd look now...

The frill is double-sided. Victory!

===============================

8. Knife project

My absolute favourite tool ever, which I use in almost every second mesh. Similar to knife, but way more sophisticated. It lets you project a shape of one object on another one, cutting it into the mesh. Let me explain...

So, let's say your dress is supposed to have a round collar. You could dissolve some edges, make new ones and move already existing vertices, hoping to get that perfect, round shape – but for reasons which we'll discuss next time (uv-1) I would advise against it. So what's the alternative?

Go into object mode and create a new circle (shift+a). Move it around, rotate it, scale it etc. - do whatever you have to to position it exactly in the place where you want your mesh to be cut. Watch out: your viewpoint matters! Knife project is cool, but a bit dumb and will just cut through the first layer it sees on its way. From my experience, it's the best to make two cuts: one exactly from the front, the other from the back. So press num 1 and put the circle (which you can also make into a half-circle btw, that might be easier) in the right place. Let's say we want it here...

Now, go back to object mode. Click the cut called 'Circle' and then, while holding shift, your mesh: s4studio_mesh_1. Go to edit mode. You'll see that you're back to your base mesh, but the red half-circle is still floating in the air right before it.

Open that sidebar on the left (T), go to the 'Tools' tab and click 'Knife Project'. Now, before you do anything, go to back view (ctrl+ num 1) and click 'Knife Project' again. Hide the circle by closing that little eye on the right (or just right-click it and choose ‘delete’, if you’re sure you won’t need it anymore) and admire your newly cut collar.

What about all the new vertices? There's so many of them, how to clean them? Again talking from my own experience: merging (alt+m) is safe only in case of vertices which are located very close to each other. Also, if you merge after using knife, always merge at center. However, the rule of the thumb is: it's always better to dissolve and cut new edges than move the existing vertices. Uv-1 can be nasty and trust me, you don't want to deal with it more than necessary. Be extra careful if you're merging or moving anything in the breast area! In there every tiniest mistake is immediately visible.

9. Edge split modifier

The last point on the list is not really a tool, but a modifier. Maybe you remember how Blender Guru was using something called 'Subdivision Surface Modifier' in his tutorial? The one we're going to use can be found in exactly the same place. Go to the little wrench on the right, click 'Add Modifier' and select 'Edge Split' from that menu.

Untick the 'Edge Angle' option, leaving only 'Sharp Edges' selected.

Why would you want your edges to be split in the first place? Because Blender by default smoothes any edges in your mesh. Normally it's a very welcome feature, but sometimes can be annoying. For example, if you 'close' your dress at the bottom – select the lowest row of vertices, extrude and scale them and then merge at center – the bottom edge of your dress will get slightly curved, creating an ugly, dark line:

There are two ways to fix it: either you select that lowest line, press ctrl+e and click 'Edge Split'... Or you choose, from the same list, 'Mark Sharp' and leave the actual splitting to the modifier. The immediate visual result will be the same; however, by only marking edges as sharp you don't actually split them yet, which makes it way easier in case of any future corrections. You don't have to remember to select each vertex twice, as they're not doubled. You can select all and remove doubles, and your edges still will stay marked as sharp. It's super useful and I wish I knew of its existence earlier – it would have saved me SO much work!

Just as a side note: obviously, those closing lines of skirts or sleeves aren't the only places you might want to mark as sharp. The same goes for anything that's layered, so e.g. edges between a shirt and a jacket, edges around a necktie, around a belt etc. If you're not sure what you should mark and what not, just take a close look at your mesh in solid shading. Any weird shadows visible? Mark the edges. The problem should disappear.

And you know what's the best? Even when you apply the modifier – e.g. because you want to be able to quickly select only a certain, separated part of your mesh (with L) – the edges still stay marked as sharp! So you can just do your corrections, select all and remove doubles, and then add the Edge split modifier again. It's so quick and simple.

By the way, you don't even have to click apply for the modifier to work. Even if it's left unapplied, S4S will still recognise it and import your mesh with all the sharp edges being split. Magic!

*** *** ***

I'm sorry it got so long, but I think I really managed to cover every important aspect of meshing. You know all my secrets now :P. Unfortunately, meshing is only a small part of CC making, so there are still many things we'll have to discuss – but hopefully it's somehow comforting to you that at least that part is over. I hope I helped you feel more confident in Blender and saved you some meshing struggles! I know for a fact that not knowing the majority of those things was the reason why meshing my first dress took me two months ;].

Let me know if anything isn't clear and stay tuned! We'll finally talk about uv maps next time.

(Next: V. Adding missing body parts / Frankenmeshing / Finishing touches)

[carelessannie]

maybe it goes like this: tony courts peter (part 8)

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Epilogue

Read on A03

Read the Stuckony backstory

Word count: 10.1K

Starker, WinterSpider, SpiderShield, Peter x Clint x OFC

Peter’s POV -> it’s been a rough semester, and pack related stress isn’t making anything easier. Maybe a packmate (or the whole pack) can help him out?

Major warnings: D/S Au, A/B/O Au, explicit d/s abo smut, femdom, edging, face-sitting, come eating, uhhh light CBT and hair pulling, light bondage, subdrop, and non-apologetic long discussions of sex-ed

---

Maybe it goes like this:

There’s only a few weeks until finals, and of course this is when the pack has decided to move forward with officially mating and bonding. It’s not like Peter wants to postpone it, per se— it’s just, there’s so many steps involved with combining packs, and Peter can’t deal with dividing his attention between home and school.

And the lab. Dammit.

Until the end of their lease, his pack is living at their apartment during the week and at Tony’s place over the weekend. The whole upstairs of their house was built with bedroom suites, so each of them not only get a room of their own, but they have also built a makeshift nest upstairs that’s separate from Bucky’s nest downstairs. It’s been an easy transition this way— taking claim of a part of Tony’s home before a more intimate bond takes place— but Peter feels more and more stressed out as the weeks pass.

Currently, he’s staring at a screen in the lab, failing to comprehend any of the information in front of him. Over winter break, Peter was moved to a permanent position in a lab away from Tony. Pepper had insisted on it since they started getting serious, and Peter agreed. It was unprofessional to do that much cuddling at work.

The one downside now is that work has become mind-numbingly boring for most of the day. After this semester, Peter can transfer back to working in chemical engineering, or mechanics. Or even robotics. And after spending the last few months in software development and computer science, Peter is so ready for the change.

He checks the clock for the third time in the last five minutes. Still four o’clock. Still the same information in front of him.

If he squints hard enough, the code on his computer looks like Hieroglyphics.

“To- neeeey,” he whines, turning fully to face the Beta, “thank god, I’m dying. I can’t go on.”

There are a few snickers from other scientists in the lab, but Peter could care less as he watches Tony’s face crumble, “Oh sweet baby, come here,” and he opens his arms, pulling Peter in for a hug.

It only lasts a few moments, but Peter absorbs as much of Tony’s scent as he can while the Beta rocks him back and forth, stroking down his back and kissing whispered reassurances into his hair. He holds onto Tony’s tie, using it as leverage to stand up and nose around his collarbone.

Tony laughs and murmurs, “That tickles, Pete,” but Peter ignores him, dotting small kisses up the side up his neck until he can smell HappyArousedCalm coming off of his Beta.

There’s a hitch in Tony’s breath after Peter nibbles on his pulse point, “Need something from me, Omega?”

Peter hums, even as Tony pulls away slightly, “Yes, Beta,” he pauses as Tony tilts his head expectantly, “I need you to take me home.”

Peter hums, even as Tony pulls away slightly, “Yes, Beta,” he pauses as Tony tilts his head expectantly, “I need you to take me home.”

He watches Tony laugh, stepping back and looping an arm over Peter’s shoulders, before calling out to the room, vaguely, “Whoever’s in charge here, I’m taking him home. Because I’m actually in charge here. Okay— have a good weekend, goodbye.”

He’s towed away, barely sparing a second to grab his phone and shut down his station. They practically run out of the building— holding hands and laughing wildly as they throw their jackets into the back of Tony’s car and jump in the front seats.

“So— what are we doing with the long weekend, Tony?”

Tony starts the car, pulling out into the city, “I thought we’d go out for dinner and spend the evening in with our pack— how does that sound?”

“ Ooo,” Peter claps his hands, “that sounds perfect, Tony, oh my goodness. What do you have in mind?”

“How does seafood sound? I have a place I’ve been dying to take you.”

Peter turns, grabbing his boyfriend’s arm, “Where? Tony, where are we going?”

“Nope, not this time,” Tony shakes his head, weak, “it’s gonna be a surprise, dammit.”

“I’ll get it out of you— no secret is safe around me, Tony Stark.”

He winks and blows a kiss when Tony looks over, and the man looks terrified. Peter laughs, pulling a pair of sunglasses out of the center console and reclining back in the seat. It’s a little chilly still in early April, but the change of season means more sun, and the Omega is happy to roll up his dress shirt sleeves and bask in it like a pampered cat.

The drive passes comfortably and Peter adores sitting next to his handsome Beta— the whole world seeing that Tony is spoken for and claimed by the young Omega on his arm. Peter never thought he’d want to be a trophy Omega— and, technically, he isn’t— but something about being pampered and loved by the most powerful man in New York City has him preening where he sits.

He’s thankful the windows are down, or Tony would be able to smell it on him.

They pull around 59th and up to the curb across from Central Park. Tony exits the driver’s side, throws his keys to a waiting driver, and rounds the car to open Peter’s door. He steps out and grabs their jackets from the back seat, handing over Tony’s as the two of them link arms and hop onto the sidewalk.

“Where to, Tony?” he blinks up at his date, smiling innocently.

Tony hums, distracted, “Marea, just through the—”

“— Aha! —”

“— dammit! No! That doesn’t count!”

“Yes it does! I win,” Peter skips forward, doing a little dance in victory.

He feels Tony catch him around the waist, nuzzling into his neck, and knows the Beta is enjoying his HappyOmega scent. The two of them joke and tease for the rest of the walk into the restaurant, but Peter notices something as they walk through the door to be seated.

“Uh, Tony?”

“Yeah, Pete?”

“Where is everyone?” he asks, gesturing around the empty room.

Tony looks around and gives him a suspiciously innocent face, “Well... they may not be open, officially, for another hour.”

He tries to pull them further into the room, but Peter is frozen— speechless.

“Don’t give me that look, baby, I made some calls today and everything’s set, I’m paying for the extra hour, the service and the meals—”

“Tony,”

“— and even extra for the inconvenience, okay? I just wanted to treat you—”

Peter grabs his shirt collar, shutting him up with a kiss. Tony inhales against Peter’s lips and immediately takes control, snaking his hands up into Peter’s hair and pulling gently, tipping his head back to deepen the kiss. Their lips move together, perfectly synchronized, and Peter opens his mouth in an invitation. Tony just chuckles— briefly licking underneath his upper lip before pulling away and looking at Peter with a mixture of awe and amusement.

“You never have to justify treating me, Tony. I feel so special when you do,” Peter reaches up to brush his fingers through Tony’s short hair, feeling safe and warm in his hold.

The older man just grins, eyes bright, and leads them to their seats. Right in the center of the Ravello Room, their table has been set and lit with candles— a bottle of wine is chilling in an ice bath, and the maître d' stands nearby, greeting them and explaining the menu for the afternoon.

When she walks away, Tony reaches over and grabs Peter’s hand. They sit like this through the first two courses, and Peter’s content to share each of them with Tony, even if that means being basically hand fed by his boyfriend.

And it’s pretty hard to hand feed someone oysters.

The food is incredible, though, and their conversation is even better. Peter tries not to complain about work and school, but even when he inevitably does, Tony is patient and listens. He asks questions when necessary, and they even work through a few solutions to tougher problems together.

“I guess... I wish a few of the things with our pack were more definite,” Peter picks at his meal, separating the shrimp from the pasta.

“What do you mean, baby?” Tony asks, reaching over to steal a piece of shrimp.

Peter tries to defend his plate, jabbing at Tony’s hand with his fork, but misses. His pout deepens, “I dunno. I wish it wasn’t still up in the air who’s going to bond. I wish I knew how synchronizing goes, with our heats. I wish there was more communication about sex, and scenes, and who’s comfortable with what. I wish I knew the timeline,” he shakes his head, finally putting his fork down, “I don’t know, Tony, it just feels so out of control most of the time, I don’t know how to handle it.”

“I don’t think you can control it, sweetheart. There are six different people in this pack, and fifteen different individual relationships. Plus, two unique pack dynamics that need to merge. It’s uncomfortable, Petey, and it’s gonna take time.”

“I know that, Tony, it’s just… I’m supposed to be the center of this pack, and some days I don’t even know if you want to bond with me, so how—”

“I do.”

“— am I… what?”

“I do want to bond with you. God, I want nothing more in the world,” Tony reaches up to cup his cheek, “I can’t believe you doubted that, Peter. You know I love you, right?”

“I… I don’t…”

Tony’s eyes start to tear up, and he looks absolutely devastated, “I’m so sorry, baby. Dammit— I love you. I am completely gone on you. Every day I have to stop myself from keeping you all to myself; running away and starting a familial pack, just the two of us. There are so many steps: mating and bonding and collaring and marrying, and Peter— I want them all with you.”

Peter’s vision is blurry, tears falling freely as he frantically tries to wipe them away, “Tony, I— I had no idea. You never… we didn’t… I just assumed that we were getting there, you know? I’ve never been in love before, Tony—”

“It’s okay, Peter, you don’t have to—”

“— but I am in love with you. God, we’re stupid, aren’t we?” both of them laugh, wet and joyful, “everything’s just so confusing right now.”

“I know, baby, I know,” Tony coos, pulling on Peter’s wrist until he’s up, out of his seat, and moving to sit across Tony’s lap. He loves that when he sits like this and curls up, his head fits perfectly under Tony’s chin, and his mate’s arms wrap soundly around his waist.

“Da— Tony,” Peter whines, barely catching the slip up— not time for that conversation yet, Pete— as Tony holds him tighter.

“Need me to help you, baby?” Tony murmurs right next to his ear, making him shiver, “you know, you don’t have to do it all alone.”

“I know— Steve is supposed to help—”

“Not just Steve,” Tony grips his arms, looking him in the eye, “all of us. Especially me. I want to help you. Will you let me?”

It’s a heavy question, Peter knows. He knows that he needs help— but trusting someone else to do the work and do it right… only Clint, Annie and May are close enough for that. And barely so. It takes a lot for Peter to trust, it’s uncomfortable. But if he claims to love Tony—

“Yes, Beta. I need— I need your help.”

The restaurant around them is forgotten as Tony whispers, “Good boy,” and Peter starts to float, only tethered down by the warmth of his mate’s arms, the scent of Cinnamon and smoky Bonfires holding him together.

“Eat this, baby,” and he opens his mouth, biting down obediently. It’s chocolatey and creamy and crunchy— he has to focus on chewing, and Tony’s fingers around his mouth and on his arms are helping to pull him back up. “Stay up for me, Peter. I’m gonna talk and then we’ll have a conversation, baby.”

Peter finds himself switching focus between eating the dessert and following Tony’s story about… his mom? And a secret hideout?

“— mom could never find me, but, I don’t know, I don’t think she ever tried, you know? It wasn’t that hard to find.”

“She probably knew and just wanted you to have a place to yourself,” Peter mumbles into Tony’s neck.

Tony pulls him away, holding him at arm’s length and looking into his eyes for a long moment.

“You up, Pete? Ready to talk?” he asks, and Peter nods, moving to get off Tony’s lap. The older Beta lets him, and Tony stands up to move their chairs closer together. When Peter sits down, Tony immediately takes his hand and continues eating like nothing happened.

“Okay— I’m gonna start. First, we need to talk about your pack Pete. I know Bucky’s gonna want to bond with everyone, he’s told me as much, but especially you and Annie need to decide who you’re bonding with. Have you talked to Steve at all about it?”

“Yes, we’ve been going on dates, and... everything is so natural with Steve, which I guess makes sense since we’re so compatible,” he pauses, thoughtful, “I think I want to bond with everyone, too. I can’t speak for Annie, but I think you and Steve are the only ones who she’s hesitant about.”

“I get that. Have the three of you talked about going to the O clinic?”

Peter gives an affirmative hum, “Yes, but Tony… I don’t think Bucky’s ever been. I mentioned going together, and he looked so confused.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Tony chuckles to himself, eating the last bit of his mousse and wiping his mouth with a napkin, “I’ve never seen him go to an Omega doctor… I think he’s had a semi-permanent suppressant implant since he presented.”

“Well, yes. I do, too, but hasn’t he been sexually active with multiple partners for like… years? You’re saying he’s never had a pregnancy scare? Never had an internal exam or pap—”

“Uh… I don’t—”

“What about an STD test, Tony? Have any of you guys ever been tested? I swear, what on earth were you doing before us—”

“Okay, okay— to be fair, it’s worked so far. And Steve makes us all go to our primary care and the dentist once a year. It’s like… hell week. When all of us have appointments.”

Peter buries his face in his arms, groaning at the utter idiocy of his future bondmates, “Thank god I met you, Tony. You guys are worse than Clint,” he laughs a little bit, picking up his head and glancing over at his properly chastised boyfriend.

Reaching out, he gives Tony a boop on the nose, startling him out of his sad expression, “I’ll talk to Bucky, okay? Annie and I are going to the O clinic next week, and we’ll help him make an appointment. They’re flexible about pack stuff, I think. And… I guess we’ll talk to the doctor about the steps we need to take to bond.”

Tony makes a flicking motion with his hand, and Peter sees the maître d' walk across the room and silently collect the black card Tony hands her.

“Sounds good. Let’s talk about the rest on the way back, okay? I’m gonna call Steve and see if he wants us to pick them up anything to eat.”

While Tony makes the call, Peter thinks through a few of the questions he has. He’s thankful for their overall dynamic and compatibility, but there are so many variables and unspoken limits—

“Tony?” Peter tries to interrupt, tapping on his arm, “hey, Tony? Can I talk to Steve?”

“Yeah, hold on,” Tony responds, turning back to the call, “yeah, Steve? Peter wants to talk to you… okay, okay here he is,” Tony hands over the phone with a brief, “here ya go, baby.”

“Hey, Steve?”

“Hi sweetheart! What’s going on?” Steve sounds like he’s in the car, probably heading home from work.

Peter glances at Tony’s questioning expression before answering Steve, “Nothing bad, Alpha, no worries,” he ducks his head, a little embarrassed at his small smile. The low rumbly voice hasn’t failed to affect him yet, “I’m wondering if we could have a talk tonight. You know, as a pack.”

“Of course, Peter. What do you want to talk about?”

“I think we need to discuss sex,” Peter says, bluntly, and has to keep himself from laughing as Tony’s eyes almost pop out of his head, “specifically, we need to talk about scenes and dynamics— especially before everyone bonds this summer.”

He hears Steve clear his throat before responding, “O— okay, sweetheart. We can do that. Do you feel comfortable leading this conversation tonight?”

“Yes, Alpha, I’d like that.”

“Okay, thank you for bringing this up, Peter. Bucky mentioned something similar this week, but I just haven’t thought too much about it. You’re stepping into this role so beautifully, Peter, and I’m constantly awed by you.”

“Oh— well...” Peter feels his face flame red, and he puts a hand up to hide from Tony, “th— thank you, Alpha.”

Steve laughs— a low, rumbling sound even over the phone, “You deserve it, sweet Omega. Let me talk to Tony, and I’ll see you tonight.”

Peter mumbles his goodbye and basically throws the phone back to Tony, who takes it with a curious look, “What did you say to him, Alpha? He smells so sweet… oh, really? Mhm… I know he is, he’s my soulmate, Steve…”

After that, Peter tunes out the conversation and hides his face in his hands. These doms are really trying to kill him with the constant praise. They haven’t even had a proper scene together— he hasn’t even kissed Steve, for goodness sake— and they are already onto the things that make him tick. Is he really that transparent?

On the way back home, Tony stops briefly to pick up a take-out order of Chinese food. They don’t talk about the pack again— but it’s okay. Peter feels like everything that needs to be said will be brought up tonight.

---

One of his favorite things about their combined pack is spending evenings together. All six packmates sit in the living room, eating take-out and sharing quiet conversation. Every so often, an innocent argument will break out— usually between Tony and Clint— and the volume level will raise. But for the most part, all of them are content to touch, and eat, and snuggle in close stillness.

“Did Bucky pick out these couches?” Annie asks, sitting on the loveseat with Steve while the other four packmates squish together on the larger couch. She keeps grabbing his muscles, and Peter can tell their Alpha loves showing off for the pretty Omega.

Bucky is sitting on the floor, leaning back in between Tony’s legs. Both Betas have an arm around Peter, and he sits in the middle of them on the couch, reaching over every so often to play with Bucky’s hair.

The question makes Bucky look up, jostling the couch behind him and almost overturning Clint’s bowl.

Tony answers first, “Kind of. We all picked out the furniture together, but Bucky did have the final say.”

“Damn right I did,” Bucky says around a mouthful of noodles, “gotta be comfy for the whole pack. Tony wanted these ugly leather things,”

“Hey! They were tasteful—”

“— I’d rather sit on a concrete slab, Tony, they were so bad—”

“Steve, you liked the leather couches, right?” Tony tries to get the Alpha’s support,

“Uh,” Steve looks between his packmates, “I liked them until Bucky vetoed.”

Bucky lets out a whoop! in victory, and both Clint and Annie dissolve into laughter as Tony sinks back into the couch, pulling Peter in close for comfort.

Tony turns to Peter, “You like my couches, don’t you, baby?”

Shifting to face the Beta, Peter makes a small cooing noise while reaching up to stroke his hair, “I love you, Tony— but I’m on Bucky’s side. I like these ones.”

With a gasp, Tony practically dumps Peter off the couch, “Betrayal! My own mate betrays me!”

Bucky finishes pulling him off the couch, hauling the smaller Omega into his lap with a greasy kiss on the cheek. Peter can’t help but giggle as his Beta pouts and lets Clint pull him in for a hug, whispering to Tony that no, leather couches actually sound fuckin’ awesome.

Peter turns sideways, looping his arms around Bucky’s waist and tangling their legs together as Bucky continues to eat. He feels a familiar hand in his hair and hums, happy to have Tony’s touch back, even if it’s reluctant.

After another half an hour, Annie and Steve get up to clear the dishes, talking softly and spending a few extra minutes in the kitchen cleaning up. Peter takes this as his cue to start their conversation. He moves to a large, chaise barrel chair, facing the couches, and waits for everyone to grab their drinks and settle down.

When Steve walks back in the room, Peter extends his hand— an invitation that the Alpha takes and gently rearranges them to sit together on the sofa. He watches as Clint opens his arms and Annie runs to join the rest of the pack on the long couch.

The room gradually quiets down, and Steve clears his throat, getting their attention. Peter gives him a quick peck on the cheek and addresses their pack, “So I realized today, while I was talking to Tony, that we should probably have a serious talk about sex before moving in together and bonding, uh... forever.”

A few of them chuckle, but the room feels uncomfortable. Peter looks to Steve for help,

“Yeah, so it’s gonna be important that we have open communication about this,” Steve continues, “especially ‘cause our separate packs already have established dynamics and such. Uh,” he looks at Peter, shrugging, “maybe it would be easiest to talk now about personal preferences for scenes, and later we can share official limits? I have paperwork!”

Both Bucky and Clint groan— causing Steve to roll his eyes— but Tony interjects, giving Peter a secret wink, “Should we update our existing papers, Steve, or just use the old ones?”

“Probably update them. I assume you guys have your own contracts, right?” he asks, turning to Peter.

“Yes, but it’s mostly non-intimate stuff. We only scene if I really need to go down, and we rarely do intimate scenes,” both Clint and Annie nod in agreement, “Oh! Plus we’ll need to talk about heats, too.”

“Have y’all hadda heat together yet?” Bucky asks, motioning toward Annie and Peter.

Annie answers, “No, we’ve both been on suppressants since before we met. I only had three heats before I went on them.”

“I only had one— I presented late,” Peter adds,

Bucky nods, “Okay, yeah I only had one in high school.”

“And none of you have shared a heat with someone before?” Tony asks, giving Bucky’s shoulders a squeeze.

There’s a resounding no from all the Omegas, and Steve lets out a long exhale, “Are you guys plannin’ on goin’ to the Omega clinic?”

“Yeah,” Annie confirms, “we have an appointment on Monday.”

Peter looks over at Bucky who’s looking back at him with wide, uncertain eyes, “Can you come with us, Bucky? That way we can talk to the doctor together.”

“Yeah, I’ve just… I’ve never—”

“It’s okay,” Peter stops him, “we’ll do it together.”

Tony reaches down and pulls Bucky up by the armpits, earning a squawk of surprise as he’s wrestled into Tony’s lap. Everyone laughs a bit as Bucky struggles and eventually submits to Tony’s hold on his waist, relaxing with a sigh.

The rest of the conversation is awkward, but easy. Each of them talk a little bit about their orientation and what they prefer in their current pack dynamics. For Peter, it’s interesting to hear from his Versatile packmates about their experiences swinging dominant and submissive. Bucky has spent almost six years being Steve’s submissive and three years submitting to both his Alpha and Beta, so it’s uncomfortable and different for him to be dominant in a relationship, since he’s never had to dominante a partner before.

In contrast, both Annie and Clint have experiences swinging both ways in their relationship with each other and with Peter. Clint has reservations about permanently swinging dominant, because of his past with abusive dominants, and similarly doesn’t want to swing permanently submissive. Annie feels comfortable both ways, which is something Peter already knew. She is very vocal about her preferences.

Peter shares about what it’s like to be a SubOmega, and his preferences during a scene— which, at this point, are very few. He lost his virginity to Clint and Annie, and has never taken a knot before. He smells SmugHornyAlpha coming off of Steve after this confession, and giggles slightly as Steve shamefully apologizes.

Steve and Tony both keep their time short. Peter knows a bit about Tony’s past, and knows he’s been in an intimate and unique familial pack before. Steve and Bucky have both been in other relationships, but only Steve was sexually active before they officially got together.

Possibly the most interesting part of the conversation is learning about how Steve and Tony balance being Dominant over the same Submissive.

“I think the most important part is to realize that Dominant, Submissive, or Versatile, the purpose of our orientation is all the same: service to others,” Steve explains, holding Peter tight around the waist, “so whether it’s five Doms and one Sub in a room, or a balanced pairing— Tony, Bucky, and I have all decided to love and serve each other. To put one another first. And because of this, our scenes are always fun and satisfying.”

“Ya soun’ like ‘n infomercial, Stevie,” Bucky mumbles, eyes blinking slowly— dangerously close to sleep.

“Shaddup, jerk— you know it’s true. Our scenes always build trust and support between us. And that’s what I want for our intimate pack.”

A few voices hum their agreement, but with a glance around the room, Peter realizes most of them are falling asleep. He yawns and pulls on Steve’s sleeve, getting his attention.

“Alpha, can we finish this later?”

Steve hums, distracted, and then suddenly focuses, his hum shifting— changing to a deep, rumbling growl. It startles Peter into looking up, and the Alpha’s eyes are half-lidded, dark and intense. Peter’s breath picks up. He watches as Steve moves closer, reeling him in, and leans to press his nose against the base of Peter’s throat.

Peter keens, and lets his body go limp in the strong, safe arms of his Alpha. He feels each of their breaths align, he feels their hearts beat together. He’s not sure what he smells like right now, but assumes it compliments Steve’s ProudContentStrongAlpha scent pretty well.

It doesn’t matter, though, because there’s a cloud at his back.

Gentle fingers run through his hair.

He feels the shuffle of clothes against his skin.

Floating, weightless.

---

It’s light when he wakes up again, surrounded by warmth and the sound of gentle snoring. He knows who he wishes were next to him, breathing into his neck. Drooling down his neck.

“Clint, my god,” Peter pushes at the big Beta, trying to get him to roll over, but only gets a loud snore in response.

He flops back down and tries to scoot the other way, happy to burrow into Annie’s soft curves, trailing his freezing fingertips up her hips and underneath her t-shirt—

She gasps awake, “Peter! Dammit!” and tries to squirm away from him as he cackles, waking Clint up with a snort.

“Wha— what,” Clint flails around, aimless, as Annie shoves Peter his way. One of his arms catches Peter across the back of the head, and the small Omega yelps in pain.

“Ouch, Clint. The hell?”

“Aw, poor baby,” Annie coos, pulling Peter into an octopus embrace and incidentally shoving his face right in between her breasts, “I’ll make it better.”

Mngh mmngh mngghh, Peter tries to beg Annie, and she finally releases him to heave a deep breath of relief, “You trying to kill me, woman?”

“No, Petey, just suffocate you a little bit.” Annie gives him a shark’s grin and starts to crawl towards him on her knees. He retreats, scrambling backwards until his back hits Clint’s chest and the Beta pulls his arms behind his back, holding him still.

Peter struggles, grunting, “Hey! What is this? Let me go, Clint,” but there’s no mercy as Annie finally reaches him, kneeling between his legs and leaning forward to kiss his nose.

“Wanna play, bunny?” she purrs, trailing a finger down his chest, clothed in a loose t-shirt, down to the waistband of his tight, black briefs. He can’t take his eyes off her face, and finds himself nodding in a daze, entranced by her wicked smile.

She looks over his shoulder and tilts her head at Clint, and he stutters, “P— please, Omega,” the desperation in his tone making Peter tremble.

“Good boy, birdy,” Annie mocks him, reaching around Peter to run a hand up Clint’s thigh and settling over his boxers, in between where he’s pressed up against Peter’s ass. She crawls a little closer, grabbing Peter’s chin and tipping his head up to look at her, “gimme a color, little bunny. Want me to make you both feel good— use his body to make you come?”

Peter struggles to blink, and his sight goes crossed for a second as he mewls, “Green, Omega.”

She keeps eye contact with Peter and asks Clint, “How about you, baby bird? Gonna keep you on edge, share your body with our sweet bunny, and control your pleasure. Color?”

Clint is physically shaking behind him, and he barely whispers, “Green, Omega, please,” before Annie is encouraging him to lean back against the headboard, shifting to hold Peter’s arms even further behind his back.

His Omega grabs him around the hips, and uses her knees to keep his legs spread.

“Strip him, birdy.”

The command is sharp and has Clint moving instantly, yanking Peter’s shirt up over his chest, and effortlessly moving his arms and legs to pull the shirt and his briefs off completely. Peter doesn’t have a moment to shy away from his Omega’s stare, because his arms are restrained again and she’s spreading his legs wide.

Clint’s breathing heavy on the back of his neck, and he can feel the Beta’s hardness pressed up against his back through the thin layer of boxer shorts, rutting against him lightly.

It seems that his Omega knows this, because she orders Clint’s clothes off next. Once they’re naked and rearranged to her liking, she runs a finger down Peter’s waist, scratching gently through the sparse hair above his cock, and feels underneath his balls, humming thoughtfully at the mess of slick she finds there.

He squirms as her small fingers trace around his rim, panting and throwing his head back at the tease. He hears her laugh and tries to hide his face in Clint’s neck, instead getting a whiff of HornyDesperateBeta scent from his mate.

His Omega dips the tip of one finger into his hole, up to the first knuckle.

“Play with his little titties, birdy,” she instructs, and immediately Clint readjusts his grip on Peter’s arms so that he can pinch and tug on the smaller man’s nipples.

“Oh, dammit, Omega more, please,” he begs, bucking into the torture across his sensitive chest and grinding down onto the finger inside of him.

“Patient, sweet bunny,” she shushes, pulling her finger out and swiping three of them through the slick leaking out of him. She lifts up her hand, acting surprised, “wow, feeling needy, little bunny rabbit? How about a taste?”

He nods his head yes, opening his mouth wide, but his Omega just shakes her head with a fake, sad pout, “Aw, baby— not for you,” and he watches as she reaches over, and—

— and feeds his slick, finger by finger, into Clint’s open mouth.

“That’s my good baby bird,” she coos, pushing her fingers in and slowly fucking his face with her hand. His eyes close in pleasure as he sucks desperately, eager to get all of Peter’s taste off of her fingers.

Peter whines as Clint pinches his nipple a little too hard, and his Omega turns her attention back to him.

“Hungry, baby bunny? Need something in your mouth?”

“Yes, Omega, please— anything, ‘m so empty—” he begs, and his Omega shushes him.

“Put your fingers in his mouth, birdy. I’m gonna put him on your cock.”

Both of them groan at her words, and he can feel Clint twitch against his back. The Beta reaches up and hooks two fingers into the side of his mouth, pulling slightly and forcing his head to tip backwards. He releases Peter’s arms and uses his left hand to flick across his nipples. Peter grabs at his thighs, desperate for control.

His Omega uses the distraction to work a second finger back into his hole, twisting and scissoring until Peter is grinding down, rhythmically, against her hand. His tiny, Omega cock is rock hard, and Clint has started alternating between flicking his nipples and his cockhead, making him cry out in torment.

She adds a third, and he begs around Clint’s fingers, “Oh— Omega, I can’t, please. Please, I need. I need—”

“Hush, baby bunny,” she shushes him, and Clint pushes his fingers deeper into Peter’s mouth, giving his cock a pinch with his other hand. Their Omega wipes away a few of his tears and pulls her fingers free, “why don’t you lift up, bunny?”

It’s torture. He can barely move, and his arms are trembling where they hold onto Clint’s thighs. After trying twice and failing to pick himself up, tears are flowing freely from his eyes and he looks to his Omega, blubbering, “I— I can’t,” sobs, “O— omega, please, I can’t!”

“Help him, birdy,” she instructs, leaning back to watch as Clint moves his hands down, cups under his ass, and effortlessly lifts him up. He cries harder, humiliated, as he feels Clint’s cock line up with his fluttering, empty hole.

There’s a soft hand on his cheek, and he realizes his Omega is waiting for something. He blinks through his tears, opening and closing his mouth— unsure of what she wants.

He must make a sad noise, because she’s quick to repeat, “It’s ok, Peter. Can you give me a color?”

Oh, okay. “Green, ‘mega,” he slurs, trying to give her a reassuring smile, and hears Clint whisper his agreement.

“Good boys, so good for me. Alright, birdy— you can lower him. Slowly.”

Peter lets his body go limp, helpless, as he’s worked slowly onto Clint’s cock. He feels every inch as his body is split in half for his Omega’s pleasure. For his pleasure.

Clint is shaking and panting, whimpering cries of please, Omega and holy fuck.

After a few long, agonizing moments, Peter is fully settled into Clint’s lap. The Beta is still cursing, and moves his hands from Peter’s hips to underneath his knees, pulling his legs back and exposing him wide.

“Fuck, Petey, how are you so fuckin’ tight, my god,” Clint breaths into his neck, and Peter rests his head back against the larger man’s shoulder, relaxing in his arms.

He feels a hand stroke up his tummy, and across his chest. His arms are moved again and settled onto the top of the headboard with a command of, “hold on tight, bunny.”

All of his focus is on obeying the command, so he almost misses his Omega’s next instructions—

“Baby bunny— you can come as many times as you’d like—”

— Peter whines in relief—

“— and baby bird, you can fuck him now,” Clint sighs, “but don’t you dare come, do you understand me?”

“Fuck, holy shit—” Clint curses, “green, Omega. Green, oh my god.”

The first thrust takes him by surprise. It’s almost like a levee breaks, something that was holding Clint’s hips back, and he pulls Peter up by his knees— like a fucking cocksleeve— and slams him back down on his cock with a howl.

All Peter can do is hold on as Clint begins an unforgiving pace, chasing his own pleasure. He feels the hands on his skin, the praises rolling over him, and he tries to say something but can’t, buried under pleasure and praise and—

— and he almost loses his grip on the headboard as his orgasm shakes through him. His lips open and close in a wordless plea as he clenches down on the thick cock still hammering into his hole, slapping wet against his ass.

His Omega moans her encouragement, “Fuck, baby, so good for me. Come for me baby bunny, so pretty, so good,” and he faintly feels her lips, her tongue, tracing around his cock and cleaning up the clear cum pouring out.

“Shit, Omega, I’m— I’m close, fuck,” Clint curses, still moving inside Peter even as he starts to shake from overstimulation.

“Absolutely not,” their Omega commands, standing up on the bed to move them. Clint drops Peter with a heave, both of them groaning as he bottoms out, and their Omega carefully moves his hands off the headboard, setting them back on Clint’s hips. She looks down into Peter’s eyes and then into Clint’s, “two more orgasms, birdy. Two more times— either me or him— and I’ll let you come.”

She kicks a leg over, stradling Clint’s face, and Peter realizes that at some point she took her panties off but left her shirt on. She’s beautiful, and he tries to say as much. Sadly, it just comes out as a choked gasp.

Clint’s pleas turn into moans as their Omega settles on his face, grinding down against his mouth with a firm grip in his hair. Using him. Clint flails, grabbing at Peter’s knees, and picks up where he left off, lifting him up and dropping him fully onto his cock, over and over.

Peter struggles to keep his eyes open, staring up at the vision of Clint licking, hungry into his Omega, but spiraling quickly, floating higher as he feels his orgasm build again.

Knock, knock.

“Fuck!” his Omega curses, and slaps Clint’s shoulder when he slows his pace, “keep going, they’ll go away.”

Clint hums and picks up his pace when—

Knock, knock, knock.

“Dammit,” their Omega jumps off of Clint’s face and looks into his eyes, “keep fucking him. There’s a reward in it for you if he comes before I get back,” and she jumps off the bed, grabbing a pair of their boxers on the way.

Clint resumes his pace, gathering both of Peter’s legs together in one of his long arms and using his free hand to turn Peter’s face, capturing his lips in a wet, sloppy kiss. Peter can taste their Omega on his lips, and suddenly his orgasm is right there.

“Clin’ oh, uh, uh, ‘m gonna,” he tries to warn, but it more or less comes out as a high pitched squeal.

“Yeah, pretty Omega, come on. Come for me. Come on Peter, give it to me, fuck, you feel so damn good, baby—”

His eyes roll back as the second orgasm overtakes him, shaking through his legs and bursting out of his chest in a desperate wail. Clint’s thrusts slow back down, but he barely feels them. He opens and closes his fingers, trying to hold on, and fails, floating high above his body. Below his body.

There’s a release of pressure.

Warmth shifts from his back to his side.

Small wet noises and low rumbles of begging.

His eyes blink open, soft and slow. He feels light. He feels empty.

As his vision starts to swim into focus, he realizes his Omega has moved him to the side. She’s now riding Clint into the mattress. Hard.

A flash of Clint’s face— it looks like he’s seeing heaven open— and Peter smiles, curling into the Beta’s side and clinging to one of his arms as he floats away again.

---

An hour later, Peter is up and cuddling with his pack. It took awhile to bring him back, but his pack let him float— content to relax in his submission and forget about the hundred other things going wrong outside their bedroom.

Turns out the interruption was Bucky, coming to check on them after hearing a “horrific dying animal noise.”

“Was it the noise I made or the noise Clint made?” Peter asks.

Clint rolls his eyes, and Annie answers, “Clint howled like a fucking Alpha when he dropped you on his cock.”

“Oh my— Annie!” Peter yelps, hiding his face in Clint’s arm as his mate cackles.

“You’re just too delicious, Petey. Couldn’t help myself.”

Peter rolls his eyes, but still nestles closer, “Did you float, Clint?”

“For a bit— definitely not like you did, Pete.”

“Hey,” Annie buts in, “drink this, Peter,” and she presses a bottle against his lips.

He takes a few moments to down the whole thing— he is exceedingly thirsty— before asking, “Did Bucky say anything?”

“No, he brought us water, though. And snacks. And then he ran away.”

Peter yawns and pulls Annie’s arm around him, “I wish he’d stayed to cuddle.”

His packmates snuggle in closer and pull up the blanket, cocooning themselves and drifting off for a nap before starting the day officially. When they wake up around noon, the first thing Annie does is call the Omega clinic to book Bucky an adjoining appointment with theirs.

Monday comes sooner than they expect, and all three Omegas pile into the small clinic for their appointments.

Peter keeps looking up at Bucky. The older Omega has been quiet since they left the house, and it’s starting to get concerning. Annie went into her appointment a few minutes ago, so the two of them are alone in the waiting room. He threads their fingers together, placing a small kiss on the back of his hand.

“Bucky?”

No response.

“Bucky? Buck? James? Jamie?”

At the last one, Bucky blinks a few times and shakes his head.

“Wha… what did you call me?”

“I— I don’t know, I was just trying to get your attention—”

“Only my parents ever called me Jamie,” Bucky says, looking down at Peter with wide eyes.

Peter tries to apologize, stuttering, “I’m so so sorry, Bucky, I swear, I wasn’t trying to—”

“Pete,” Bucky squeezes his hand, “it’s okay, darlin’. I… I enjoyed it, is all.”

“... what?”

Bucky sighs, “Stevie called me Bucky for the first time when we were in middle school, ya know? I’d always been James or Jamie, but hated it when I was little. After that day, I only went by Bucky— I guess that was his claim on me, even back then. But now, it sounds good to be called Jamie by someone I consider home, alright?”

Peter scrubs at the tears forming in his eyes, looking up at Bucky as he asks, “I feel like home?”

“Yeah, Pete, you do. You don’t have to, but I’d love for you to call me Jamie. Damn... okay maybe that’s actually a bad idea, you know what, forget—”

“No, no,” Peter interrupts, “I’d love to call you Jamie. Really. We should… we should spend some time together. Like, alone together.”

Jamie finally smiles at this, nodding along, “I’d love that, Pete. Wanna go away for a weekend, or just spend a few days in my nest and kick everyone else out?”

“Either, but I’d like to do it before… before we have sex together. Or share a heat. I’d like to know you a bit more.”

“So no sex on our weekend away?” Jamie asks, and Peter looks up in surprise— and he’s laughing. Oh.

Peter gives him a light push, “I swear, you’re no better than Clint.”

Both of them end up laughing, leaning against each other and getting dirty looks from a few other patients that they ignore.

Within a few minutes, the nurses call their names and they go back for their appointments. Separately. Everything goes normally for Peter, but he can’t stop worrying about Jamie the whole time. He knows his scent must reek, but the doctor, thankfully, doesn’t comment on it. Once he’s given a clean bill of health, plus a negative pregnancy test, the nurses usher him into a larger exam room where Annie and Jamie sit waiting for him.

They take a few moments to scent each other, holding on tight, before specifically checking in on Jamie. They’re relieved to hear that his STD and pregnancy tests are negative, and all of them share details about their own exams, ultrasounds, and other blood work they had to do.

After a minute, there’s a knock on the door, and an older, female doctor enters the room.

“Hi, I’m Doctor Michaels,” she says sitting in the chair across from where they’re piled on the large exam couch, “I’m told you would like to talk about pack bonding today, correct?”

All of them exchange a look, but stay relatively silent. Great. Perfect time for them to swing submissive.

Doctor Michaels is patient, and Jamie finally speaks up.

“Yeah, Doc. We need’ta know how to bond. We’ve got an Alpha and two Betas at home who we want to bond with, but none of us have any idea what to do.”

She laughs lightly, politely, and Peter gets a whiff of sweet Omega scent from her.

“Here, all three of you take these booklets,” she passes them out, and Peter almost scoffs at the title: How to Make Your Forever, Last.

She continues on, “I’m sure you’ve had conversations with your whole pack about bonding, so the only reminder I’ll give is that a bond, when formed correctly between two consenting parties, will last indefinitely. If any of your bonded pack members were to leave and start a separate, familial pack, the bond you share will still remain and that member would be unable to rebond with another person. Understand?”

All three of them nod their heads affirmative.

“Good, now— are you all living together yet?”

“Yeah,” Jamie answers again, “we have a home and by the summer we’ll be livin' together permanently.”

“Okay, that’s imperative for testing compatibility and establishing territory. You will also need to set rules and guidelines for sexual intimacy, especially regarding gender dynamics and orientations. Speaking of which, do you have designated spaces for nesting and scenes?”

“We do. Right now, we have two nests, two dens, and two separate scene rooms. I think Stevie— that’s our DomAlpha— is plannin’ to build out a main den and the Omegas will rebuild one nest together durin’ a heat or somethin’.”

She hums in acknowledgement and makes a note, “Let’s talk about heats. I see here on your charts that none of you have shared a heat with a partner, is this correct?” they all nod, yes, “The only way a pack can bond is when an Omega mate is in heat. If all six of you are to share a bond, it will be strongest if the Omegas are synched. Have you heard this term before?”

Annie speaks up, “Once or twice. My mom used to talk about it— where Omegas off their suppressants and intimate together will get on the same heat cycle.”

“Right,” the doctor agrees, “you’ll need to go off your suppressants and wait two or three cycles before your bodies officially synch together. I’m going to suggest that each of those heats you spend with each other and try to keep other packmates from interacting unless absolutely necessary. It’s best that your hormones aren’t affected by other mates during this time.”

Jamie makes a small displeased noise, but quickly clears his throat, motioning for her to continue.

The doctor smiles again, “I know, it’ll be hard spending a few heats without your full pack, but truly, it will be for the best if you want to form a strong bond.”

“So,” Peter asks, “what about during the heat that we all have together? When we’re ready to bond— what happens then?”

“Well, it depends. I have to ask— will your bonded pack have a Dominant Alpha and Submissive Omega present?”

Peter nods, “Yes, me and Steve.”

“Okay, that will help the process significantly. You’ve probably already talked about your role as the cornerstone of the pack, but during the bonding process, it is essential that the two of you bond and knot first. It’s going to be hard for the other pack members to refrain from mating during that time, but it will help to establish an order of bonding before the occasion to curb any confusion during the hormone-fueled heats.”

“So, we have to… Steve and I have to bond before anyone else can?” Peter asks, avoiding his packmates’ attention.

“Yes,” the doctor agrees, “the whole pack can be with you, if you desire, but he will have to knot you and both of you exchange a secure bite on the neck before other packmates can join the process.”

The three Omegas shift uncomfortably at the description, and Peter slips his hand into Jamie’s, holding on tight.

“After this, just make sure all of the desired bonds are completed before the end of your shared heat. I assume your Betas know of their ability to satisfy an Omega during heat?”

“Uh…” Peter pauses, looking to Annie and Jamie, but both of them seem confused, “probably not?”

“It’s okay, it’s all in the booklet, too. Betas have the ability to help Omegas in their heats and Alphas in their ruts by simulating biological responses necessary for satisfaction in their partners. For instance— when the three of you enter heat together, your Beta packmates will both be able to knot you temporarily. It’s a shorter duration than an Alpha’s knot and only happens for the heat, but their semen still has calming properties, and under the right circumstances, can help an Omega conceive.”

At this, Jamie makes a sad noise that has both of them turning to him.

“Doc,” he starts, head down and body language tense, “is it true that only the Dominant Alpha and Submissive Omega can pup?”

Peter spins to look at him in surprise. What?

“Yes, after bonding, the cornerstone pair in the pack will undergo a hormonal shift in their reproductive system, creating a symbiosis and making it so that only their systems are compatible. The Alpha’s semen only works on the Omega’s uterus, basically.”

“How… wait, so— my body… what about Steve and Jamie? What about Tony?”

“I can only assume those are your other mates. It will still be possible for the two of you, James and Annie, to be impregnated by either of your Betas should the desire arise. Because of this,” she transitions, ignoring the ShockedDevestatedUpsetOmega scent overtaking the room, “I will still keep all of you on contraceptives unless you are wanting to conceive during your first heat. Is this okay?”

They nod, wordless and still shocked.

“Perfect. And lastly, what is the general timeline for bonding? I need to know in order to schedule appointments to retract the semi-permanent suppressants.”

“It’s,” Jamie clears his throat, “it’s as soon as possible, I think. We wanna be bonded this summer.”

“Great, then we can remove the suppressants today before you leave. Are there any other questions you may have for me?”

They shake their heads, no, and she excuses herself from the room, promising to send a nurse to complete the procedures.

When the door shuts, the three of them crowd together, hooking their chins over shoulders and shifting into each other’s laps. Peter feels Jamie grip him tight, and looks into his eyes, which are glazed over and blown wide.

He’s dropping, Peter thinks to himself, and he’s dropping dominant.

Because of this, it isn’t surprising that Jamie growls when the nurse enters the room. Peter shushes him, lacing their fingers together, and the nurse waits for their permission before approaching the chair where they sit.

The nurse pulls out a few of the tools, and asks them, “Alright, who wants to go first?”

Jamie growls again, but answers, “I will,” before lifting his shirt, giving her access to his suppressant site.

They watch as she squeezes around his stomach, feeling for the insertion. His face is screwed up in discomfort, breathing heavily.

She finds the site, a small bump underneath his skin that feeds directly into his endocrine system, and squeezes it towards the surface of his skin. Grabbing the syringe, she warns him about the sharp pain and quickly inserts the needle, puncturing the suppressant site, and injecting a clear liquid. Jamie hisses through his teeth, clamping down hard on Peter’s arm, as the nurse changes out her tool and attaches a suction to his stomach, turning on the corresponding machine that starts to massage his skin.

“It’s going to break apart the remaining parts of the suppressant site, and it will be absorbed into your system with little side effects,” she says, turning off the machine and starting to sanitize it again.

“Alright,” she turns back with a new syringe, “who’s next?”

---

“I’m never goin’ back to that damn clinic ever again.”

After their procedures, Jamie had towed both Omegas out of the clinic and back to the car, throwing them in the backseat, buckling their seat belts, and taking off towards their house.

Annie tries to get his attention, “Bucky, we should probably call—”

A deep, feral growl cuts her off, and both Omegas remain silent for the rest of the ride. Peter pulls out his phone and sends a quick text to Steve, letting him know about Jamie’s drop. He also texts Tony and Clint, asking both of them to be ready to help when they get home.

Jamie isn’t driving fast— honestly, he’s probably going under the speed limit— but Peter and Annie are still holding on tight to each other, struggling to keep themselves from dropping submissive as Jamie pumps AggressiveUpsetDistressedOmega scent into the car.

When they pull up, Jamie is immediately around the side of the car, hauling both of them out of the back seat and stalking towards the front door with a low, persistent growl.

Before they even reach the door, Steve steps out with Tony and Clint not too far behind him. Jamie lets out a louder growl, straightening up, shoving both Omegas behind him— facing the Alpha head on. Steve steps closer, meeting his challenge,

“Stand down, Bucky.”

The command washes over all of them, and Peter feels his knees give in, crumpling to the ground. He can’t tear his eyes away from his Alpha— standing in front of Jamie with an expectant look on his face and ordering him to his knees in submission.

He sees Jamie finally collapse, sinking to his knees in front of their Alpha, and then there’s suddenly a set of hands on his shoulders.

“Peter, come with me, baby,” Tony croons into his ear, and he nods his head, letting his Beta scoop him up and carry him away, far away, into the house. They settle onto the nesting couch, and Tony starts to wrap him in blankets, whispering sweet encouragements into his ear that make Peter feel safe and warm.

Distantly, he hears sniffling and crying. Tony takes a moment to help him drink water, and he hums his appreciation.

“Tony?” he whispers, cursing himself quietly for how weak he sounds,

It surprises his boyfriend, though, and he’s immediately shifted to stare deep into his Beta’s eyes, “Yes, baby? Are you okay? What happened?”

He ignores the question for now, “Where’s Annie? And Jamie? Are they okay?”

“Yeah, sweetheart, they’re fine. Steve’s got Bucky in the den and Clint has Annie up in your nest.”

“Oh, okay,” he closes his eyes, “I’m fine, Beta. We had a rough time at the clinic— they gave us a lot of information and then we had a painful procedure to get our suppressants removed— and I think that caused all of us to drop.”

“I can tell, Pete. I’ve never seen Bucky challenge Steve like that before— it was quite a sight.”

Peter sighs, “I think he felt like we were in trouble. I should be with him.”

“No, not right now,” Tony’s tone is firm, “we can talk tonight, but right now he needs to spend time with our Alpha.”

“Beta, I need to talk to you about something,” he whispers, ducking his head to avoid eye contact. Tony grabs his chin, not letting him get away, while motioning for him to continue, “the doctor said… she said I can’t have your pups, Tony.”

His tears start to gather in his eyes, and Tony wipes them away tenderly,

“I know.”

“... you know?”

“Yeah, baby. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, but we figured it out a few years ago when the boys were courting me.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t— no, I’m really sorry, I really am Peter. I would have told you before we bonded if the doctor hadn’t mentioned it today. Bucky is devastated that he can’t have Steve’s pups—”

“I know—”

“And— oh, okay. So I can assume that’s one of the things that set him off?”

Peter rolls his eyes, “You think, Tony?”

“Damn, okay, I’m really fucking this up,” Tony scrubs his face, “Peter. I’m… you gotta know, baby, that I love you regardless. So does Steve. None of us expect pups from you, and you know that you don’t have to bond with Steve, right?”

“Stop it, Tony. I heard the news and then got my suppressant removed. I made this choice. I’m just pissed that we got so far without anyone bringing it up. I mean— we’re already living here! Dammit Tony, you asked me to trust you and I’m trying.”

“And I know that, sweetheart,” Tony says, caressing a thumb across Peter’s cheek, “I didn’t mean to keep anything from you, Peter. I respect you— you know that, right?”

Peter mirrors his touch, putting his smaller hand on Tony’s cheek, “I know, Tony.”

Tony looks relieved and leans closer. Peter closes his eyes, ready for the kiss—

“Hey— oh, sorry—”

They whip around to see Steve waiting next to their chair, shifting awkwardly where he stands and holding one of his hands behind his back. Peter scans the room, and sees Bucky curled up with Annie and Clint on a nearby couch, watching them intently.

“It’s okay, Alpha, what’s going on?” Peter untangles from Tony’s arms, sitting up straighter to look Steve in the face. Tony rubs his back encouragingly.

Steve looks to Tony, looks behind him towards their pack— all of whom give him a thumbs up— and then slowly gets to both knees, pulling a red, velvet box from behind his back, and opening it to reveal a sparkling, diamond ring.

“I— what?”

“Peter, I realized that I shouldn’t wait to ask you this. You’ve stepped so gracefully into the role we’ve required of you, and it happens to come with a lifelong bond to an Alpha you barely know. I want you to know— I’m falling in love with you. I don’t want our bond to be built out of necessity, I want it to be built out of affection and commitment to each other. I don’t just want forever with this pack— I want forever with you,”

At this, Steve bares his neck in submission and holds out the ring, “Peter Parker: will you be mine? In love, in bond, and in marriage?”

Peter feels Tony’s thumb on his cheek and realizes he’s crying again.

“Y— yes, Steve. I’ll be yours. I’m—” he takes a deep breath, “— I’m falling in love with you, too, Alpha.”

He slides off the couch, joining his Alpha on the floor, and melts into his arms as the room erupts in excited cheers.

With Steve’s ring on his finger and nose in his neck, his problems start to melt away. They’re strong together, they’re right together. And even though his pack won’t make his worries disappear— with all six of them celebrating around him and embracing each other— it seems as though they can face anything, together.

[grilledcheeseandguavajelly]

could you talk a bit more about your internship thingy? it sounds so fun!! (only if you're comfortable, of course!!) i think i want to do something similar 🤔

Of course!!! I’m so sorry it took me so long to answer, nonnie 🙈 I don’t know if there’s something specific you’d like to know, so I’ll just give a little overview!! And if you have more questions, feel free to message me or send more asks!! 🥰🥰

So my internship is in television production. Which sounds SUPER exciting, but because of the pandemic and the nature of internship site (they work in advertising), I didn’t do as much as I would have liked. However!! I did learn a great deal about pre- and post- production. I also got to work with some huge national companies (which I’m not technically allowed to talk about, shhhh 🙈) and be a production assistant on set while filming!! Here’s a breakdown of a typical day in my different “roles”:

Pre-Production Assistant: On days when I was working pre-production, I would do anything from budget catering for shoots to create call sheets and budgets for the entire project. I would also help with scripts and blocking with the director and director of photography. However, sometimes this also meant sorting through thousands of pictures to choose eight for a 30 second b-roll montage. So, definite ups and downs.

Production Assistant: These days were my favorite!! They were hectic and boring and long and they flew by. And I know none of that makes sense, but trust me. It was a journey 😂🙈 So on these days, I was more of a typical “intern” (think like the ones you see in movies and tv shows). I was constantly on the phone with my director before I arrived, getting everyone’s coffee orders, grabbing breakfast and lunch, setting up tents and loading up water coolers for the crew. This sometimes also meant assembling furniture or scrubbing the labels off of wine bottles and lighter fluid (don’t ask 🙈). I was in charge of snacks and keeping the crew happy and caffeinated throughout the day, but I was also in charge of making sure the set stayed quiet while they were filming. There were days where I sat in operating rooms for hours and opened and closed the door quietly while the director and DP argued about the difference between the procedure of a colonoscopy and an endoscopy. There were days where I was cleaning ketchup off of our actor, picking hot dogs off the floor and washing them to reset props, and getting charcoal all over my shoes (and clothes and face) as I reset again and again and AGAIN. These days have a LOT of sitting around and waiting. I mean… a LOT. It’s probably going to be over half of your 8-16 hour day. But you’re also the runner for anyone and anything. So when I was needed, I was sitting in lavish chairs while the lighting team color balanced for the camera, I was running to the grip’s truck and opening EVERY drawer to find a hammer, and I was taking notes and marking time points for voice over work. It was so much fun 🙈

Post-Production Assistant: This was the part of production I was most familiar with before I started my internship, and it’s pretty self-explanatory. On these days, I worked with the editing team, the graphics team, and the creative director. The one division I never worked with was audio, and it still bugs me because I wanted to. Post-production is where most of the “magic happens”, so to speak. It’s where you really see your project start coming together and where the most changes happen (in my opinion). One minute you could be clipping together a 30 second commercial, and the next you could get an email saying that the client wants it to be two minutes and they need it in three hours. And you don’t have enough footage. And graphics hasn’t even touched it yet. But you’ve got to figure it out. It’s a weird kind of rush 🙈 Honestly, post-production is so broad and there’s SO much that happens in this stage, it’s hard to describe it briefly.

My advice to you (not that you asked for any, but here we are) is to be prepared for anything. And be open to anything. If there’s one thing about any stage of production, it’s that it’s CRAZY and constantly in flux. But that’s what makes it so fun!! If you’re not going to school for production, try to familiarize yourself with film and editing software!! Go shoot a few videos on your phone and try out the free trial of Adobe Premiere. Mess around in Logic (if you have a Mac) or Ableton Live if you’re into music. Watch tutorials on YouTube and research different kinds of demo reels. This will get you familiar with what is expected of you in this line of work and what you should be prepared for. And then, start applying!! I find that most people in production are patient and willing to help you learn. They want to share how cool their jobs are!! And don’t be discouraged if you can’t find an internship — if you take the time to study up on the different processes, you can make your own projects in Final Cut (Mac) or Premiere (PC) without a ton of fancy equipment!! I would say, before you start applying, to try to create a few things on your own. First of all, you’ll see if you enjoy working in production. And second, you’ll have finished projects, however short, to present to potential employers so they can get a good feel for your skill level.

And remember: you’re going to be an intern. You’re not expected to know everything. You’re not really expected to know anything. It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to say “I don’t know”, as long as you’re willing to learn. You’ve got this 🥰👏🏼