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originalkryptonitepainter · 1 year

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Reduce Lens Flare

Eventually you've likely come across lens flare, that bright glaring light that sweeps into photos, triggering them to have a fuzzy, dappled appearance. Lens flare can occur when any intense, non-image forming light from the sun, or another light source hits the front aspect of your lens.

While flare is sometimes utilized deliberately as an artistic improvement, for the majority of landscape photographers, it can be an undesirable addition in images and something that you'll often want to prevent or prevent. With this in mind, let's take a look at a couple of things that you can do to avoid flare in your landscape images.

Flare Photography Tips

One of the easiest ways to assist eliminate lens style is by buying a lens hood to help obstruct direct sun rays from reaching your front element. As a perk, a lens hood will likewise protect your cam from small knocks and dings. While the majority of lenses feature a lens hood, if yours didn't, they are inexpensive and simple to get ahold of.

If you're combating flare, another alternative is to adjust your angle. Flare is brought on by direct light striking the sensing unit, so standing in the shade can assist to prevent this from taking place. In addition, you might attempt angling your camera in a different direction, so you're not shooting straight into the sun.

Understanding Lens Flare In Landscape Photography

Changing the focal length of your camera can also assist to eliminate lens flare. While just zooming to a different focal length might not eliminate flare completely, typically, it can decrease undesirable sunspots. A dirty or smudged lens is more vulnerable to lens flare.|Adjusting the focal length of your video camera can likewise assist to remove lens flare. A filthy or smudged lens is more susceptible to lens flare.

To clean your lens, usage lens tissues or a microfiber fabric and start cleaning from the center working to the beyond the lens. Just take care that there are no little bits of grit in the fabric or on the lens itself, remove these with a blower or brush first, to prevent polishing them into the lens and scratching it.

Understanding Camera Lens Flare

Certain equipment, such as prime lenses are less prone to lens flare that others. One factor for this is due to the fact that they have fewer internal parts for the light to distribute through. Additionally, layered filters, while more pricey than regular filters, are likewise less susceptible to lens flare than regular filters given that they do not smudge as easily.

Of course, you might likewise edit out the lens flare in post processing. While it would be hard to edit out the haze that frequently accompanies lens flare, the shapes of light might be modified out easily enough. Think about utilizing the brush tool or the spot healing tool to cover up or clone out the areas.

What Is Lens Flare And How To Deal With It In Photography

Finally, while all of us know that lens flare is frequently unwanted in numerous images, sometimes it can be utilized to improve an image also.|Finally, while we all know that lens flare is often undesirable in many images, in some cases it can be used to enhance an image. There's even a Photoshop filter that can help you to place flare into your images. In many landscape images, you'll want to keep the flare to in one area of the composition, rather than enabling it to take over the whole image.

Electronic camera manufacturers have actually used nano-crystal coatings in their designs to restrict ghosting and flare, but unfortunately, light flare is still an extremely real thing. To decrease light flares in your shots, consider following the tips. Shooting into the sun is a proven way to develop unwanted lens flare. While flare can sometimes be used to excellent impact, it's primarily to be avoided.

How Can Lens Flare Be Avoided?

The hood serves as a type of shield blocking any scattering light from hitting the lens. The lens hood function is to prevent the sun from getting in your eyes, just as you would by putting your hand over your forehead. What is a lens hood for when you're out shooting? It'll secure your lens from any damage.

Side note: If you're using filters on your lens, a lens hood might not fit over it. In that case, you can attempt using your hand to shield the lens from the sun's rays. Naturally, you can get video camera flare with any lens. prime lenses are substantially less susceptible to cam flare than zoom lenses.

Lens Flare Tips For Creative Photos

Better quality prime lenses are a much safer option if flare is a concern. Obstructing your light source is an easy way to avoid sun lens flare. Attempt utilizing trees or perhaps mountains if you're shooting in these sort of conditions and if you have enough light without it.

Lens Flare In Photography: How To Deal With It

As a photographer, you need to comprehend light perfectly. You can do both unintentional and deliberate lens flare effects. Some professional photographers like this because it enables you to include some imagination to the shot. All of it depends upon your shooting design and the result you desire to accomplish. Lens flare in photography includes a touch of spice and individuality to every image.

Anyway, it is useful to know what triggers lens flare so that you can find out how to avoid it or, in many cases, actively accomplish this effect in your images. From a technical point of view, lens flare (or light flare) is a reflection of stray light on your cam lens, causing streaks of sunshine in addition to a decline in the contrast and saturation in your photo.

Control Lens Flare For Portraits

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All professional photographers have a love-hate relationship with kinds of lens flares. When you don't want them to appear, eliminating them is difficult. And when you do seek them out, they are tough to produce and control.

In addition, there are numerous lens flare types that can assist add imagination to your work and stick out from the rest. If you wish to include lens flare to the picture and get a really chic impact, consider shooting at the golden hour. Dawn and sunset are the best times of day to achieve the softest, finest natural light.

How Can Lens Flare Be Avoided?

In photography, we call this period around dawn and sunset, the golden hour. At these early and late hours, the sun is at the optimum angle for achieving quality lens flare, and light streaks and orbs are clearly visible in the photo. Another advantage of shooting throughout the golden hour is that you don't have to be in an uncomfortable yoga position to get the desired effect, as you would during other times of the day.

What does a lens hood do? Typically, the anti-reflective hood protects your images from a flare. A lens hood is really an extremely important thing, however not when it pertains to shooting golden lens flares. By eliminating the lens hood, you'll probably achieve fairy light flares in your images.

How To Reduce Lens Flare In Your Photographs

Lens flare can be quickly attained by shooting into the sun. Just enable the sunlight to hit the lens at the ideal angle. What you need to do here is to reroute the light so that instead of straight reaching the sensing unit it shows a number of times internally previously striking the sensor.

If you want to include some creativity, you can partially block the natural light source. If you're utilizing the sun as your source of light, that will be much more magical. However even for an indoor photoshoot, the partly obstructed light coming through the window will still have the same impact.

Lens Flare Tips For Creative Photos

Once you've selected a subject and positioned it in the preferred position, begin shooting a series of test shots to find out which angle will offer the finest optical flares. Remember that when catching lens flares with the sun as your light source, they'll alter considerably and rapidly as the sun continuously moves.

Bear in mind that when we state little aperture, we are describing the actual size of the aperture, not the number itself. So a small aperture will represent a high f-stop number, such as f/22. At a little aperture, you will get a more in-depth lens flare. Your aperture can affect the appearance of the lens flare.

Control Lens Flare For Portraits

And if your camera is set to immediately choose the ISO, it will also instantly pick the shutter speed. This enables you to rapidly switch between apertures and see the difference it makes to your golden lens flares. When you shoot directly into a light source, your camera will have a difficult time focusing and will blur background.

Use one image with flares on another one you wish to get creative with. Modification the quantity of the texture effect, and use mix modes for more alternatives. This tool permits you to have fun with different colors of flares. If you love red flares or possibly want to add a blue lens flare, simply discover an ideal image on the web and blend it with yours.

What Is Lens Flare And How To Deal With It In Photography

You can get unbelievable pictures as an outcome of shooting into the sun + selective focus + shallow depth of field + lens flare. Follow these simple steps and you'll immediately get a premium shot. The smaller sized the aperture, the sharper and clearer the flare effect. But using a little aperture also suggests it will take more time to take the picture.

You can hold a reflector in your hand, hang it on a freestanding base, or place it on the ground. Using a reflector can be efficient if your design remains in the shade. It will help in brightening the model's face, making the image look more pleasing. So you also get an actually elegant flare in photos.

Flare Photography Tips

When it pertains to pictures, the electronic camera flare effect has been considered a bothersome defect that harms photos and need to be eliminated with the usage of a lens hood. Simply like the bokeh impact, the optical flare has ended up being popular amongst photographers for shooting individuals with brilliant light sources.

It's likewise simple to accomplish; all you need is a source of bright light (the sun in our case) and a prepared model. The secret to getting incredible lens flares remains in the positioning, specifically in the angle at which light bounces off the front component of your lens. Positioning yourself so that the sun has to do with 45 from the front element is a good beginning point.

Lens Flare In Photography: How To Deal With It

The size of the front component of your lens will contribute in the kind of lens flare you achieve. Bigger lenses tend to produce a soft haze, while smaller lenses offer clear rings and orbs of light. Experiment with your lenses, change the brightness, discover which supplies the most eye-catching flare, and produce images that leave everyone speechless.

Go out with your camera and equipment on a great day, discover the area you desire to photograph, and try to get lens flare utilizing some simple pointers provided here. There are still cases when lens flare in photography is not preferable.

How To Deal With Lens Flare

You do not want your topic to be washed out by flare and end up being indistinguishable. You still have a lot of innovative flexibility in your decision to include lens flare. That's why it's so essential to take numerous shots whenever you decide to include lens flare as part of your composition.

If you have multiple shots, you can choose the finest, whether with or without the sun flare impact. Shoot throughout the golden hour when the sun gives a dreamy, soft light. Eliminate the lens hood to guarantee your electronic camera will produce flares. Use an appropriate lens: broad or severe wide-angle.

Lens Flare: What You Need To Know

While your very first run through of this may take a while, after masking a couple of images this entire technique will take you less than a few minutes to do. Compare that to the challenging task of attempting to remove flare out of an image in post-processing. Not only does it save you time, it also increases the quality of your last images.

What Is "Lens Flare" And How Do I Avoid It?

You might not observe those tiny water areas on your iPhone camera lens, but you will if they add to lens flare. Try cleansing your camera lens with a dry, lint-free cloth to make certain there are no droplets, spots, or moisture constructed up. There are some fantastic photo editing apps that can assist you remove areas, lines, and circles from lens flare after the fact.

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pannimanagementteam · 1 year

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What's Sage X3? Information To Sage X3 In 2022

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At the end of the day, I'm just a few guy giving my opinion about Elden Ring boss design, and I probably could be ranting a ton, however altering my mindset actually helped me respect some bosses for what they're. Idk how to explain this, however when I stopped combating these bosses like a typical Dark Souls player, I had a lot more enjoyable combating the bosses. Of course, it does not excuse a few of the extra questionable design choices, however I simply simply make do with what is current at the moment. There are 150+ bosses in this recreation and but lower than 5 of them are good bosses. Once the participant reaches Leyndell, they have far fewer options for skipping bosses, as the remaining areas can't be accessed with out defeating the related Bosses. There are certain bosses in Elden Ring who are not Demigods, however the recreation will present you with an achievement for besting them.

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aniviashirtstore · 2 years

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Chopper rebels Star wars droids shirt meaning:

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kaybarrswajasdesigns · 2 years

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lightrookiearchive · 2 years

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∗ 8o﹕ sender and receiver go shopping together . ( Which is to say, Aerith successfully gets Shinra to let her buy new clothes and now Elena is her government designated Galpal )

𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝑵𝑶𝑵𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑩𝑨𝑳 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 . ( accepting !! )

‘ w-wait a second !! ’

the blonde attempts to pull her arm away from the brunette's hold — how the heck is she so strong ?? no wonder she can give tseng the slip sometimes — and steady herself back on her feet. at the other woman's look, elena holds her hands up in a placating gesture.

the sun dappled through the canopy of pipes and metal above them, causing shadows to play on the ground beneath their feet. a shopping bag, which thumped rhythmically against elena's side, was now still, beginning to weigh the turk down slightly.

‘ h-how many stores has it been ?? i think this is getting out of tseng's range now... we shouldn't go too far, miss gainsborough. ’ although having the slim silver card in her wallet right now was a temptation to her, the thoughts of having to file all the receipts as expenses later was crushing her slightly. but... if aerith was happy, then tseng was happy, and that was enough for elena right now. there was silence in her earpiece anyway, meaning that her supervision was content with how elena's mission had gone so far.

‘ actually... i think we can head to a few more. lead the way !! ’

#( miss gainsborough LMAO elena's so polite at first im cackling )#* ( meme reply ! )#* ( ask ! )#whiitemateria #* ( crisis core ! )

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runsuntrans · 2 years

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RunSun Bathroom Design Trends For 2022

Trend signal No. 1: A Tribute to The Ecology

Bathroom design for 2022 aims to bring "green" closer to nature. The choice of natural materials is a trend, not a tribute to fashion. Wood and natural stone are favored in finishes, not only to create a calm and comfortable atmosphere but also for ecological reasons.Thus, the new trend of bathroom tiles features wood, marble, natural stone, and good old plaster that mimic natural textures. Complementing the faux-natural materials are tiled with Italian Majolica-style decoration.A hexagonal tile shape borrowed from the honeybee." Honeybee Hive" tiles, on which the textures of different natural materials and even their combinations find a place.Advances in the ceramic industry have made it possible to create faithful imitations that reproduce the finest nuances of heart beams and annual rings, the different positions of each type of wood, and the cracks and fractures of natural rocks.In addition, the tiles meet all environmental requirements and are made from natural ingredients such as high-quality natural clay, sand, and feldspar. This production does not cause any damage to nature as opposed to cutting down trees and consuming the earth's subsoil in the extraction of natural stone.Indoor plants have become an important element of the interior, complementing the wicker furniture, and they bring the feeling of a summer terrace or winter garden into the home. Caring for potted plants has become a popular activity, and their accumulation in living spaces has even won back the popular name of the urban jungle.Stylish combinations determine which style will be favored - Mediterranean ethnic or Scandinavian, as well as rustic. The plethora of styles casts a "shadow" on overall fashion trends in the bathroom design trends of 2022. The entire picture is completed with untreated, completely natural fabrics.

Trend signal No. 2: Natural Colors

Today, colorless white, black and intermediate gray, beige and all blues are in vogue. The tensions of the past 2021 have led to the choice of a natural color scheme in the new 2022. It was difficult for people to stay in bright colors for long, so dappled shades replaced the natural colors of earth, sea, and weeds as compensation.Neutral grays and beige are called the trusted palette. The trend is to combine a trusting palette with expressive but natural shades of yellow, pink, and red.Sophisticated and elegant truffles, milk coffees, soft beige ginger and pastel yellows, light blues, and dusty navy are becoming popular backdrops. New trendy abstract wall panels look great against this backdrop.Therapies with natural colors, natural textures, and shapes are the trend of the day. Lush greens reminiscent of mown grass, rich emeralds look elegant, and bright amber or a deep blue like the night sky will fill any interior with expressive notes.The extravagant contrast of black and white introduces dark colors into light-colored interiors, design techniques that still hold their own.

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Cluttering up your living space with things that lack personality is not fashionable today. Buying items with history is an emotional experience that cannot be matched by buying mass-produced furniture.However, minimalism retains the upper hand and is a design trend that has not gone out of style over the years. The main mantra of this style is to free up space, which means getting rid of non-functional objects and decorating for the sake of decorating.In 2022, minimalist bathroom designs are beginning to take on soft, rounded shapes. Furniture without corners, smooth faucet shapes, round and oval bathroom accessories will form the basis of 2022 bathroom interiors.Arch shapes, storage niches in various interpretations, and mirrors on the walls and floor are trends that fit in with minimalism this year. Tile as a design element in the bathroom offers a wide range of options. Different shades of marble beige, green, blue, expressive natural stone textures, and worn wood or concrete surfaces are almost the only decoration for minimalist interiors.

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Trend signal No. 5: Asymmetry is the fashion trend

Regular shapes and familiar sizes are boring. 2022 sees the asymmetrical shape of the bathtub or sink become a decorative element in the interior.Modern lighting systems consist of original lighting fixtures that look more like works of art than simple fixtures. The cylindrical shades of chandeliers hang from long wires, and the lights are on tall legs with large spherical tops.

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The new year 2022 heralds a creative breakthrough in the interior design of intimate spaces such as bathrooms. Bathroom design will combine the freedom of imagination with a desire for new experiences.RunSun professional bathroom accessories sets can be presented for each request with different styles, different expressions and ornaments, formats, shapes, colors, and surface finishes.A design feature is the combination of expensive bathroom accessories with mass-produced items, luxurious mirrors, and modern forms of sanitary equipment.Creating original and truly artistic images is the main rule of design in 2022. Just one item with a unique design, or just a bright color for 2022, can form the basis of any style of bathroom interior design composition.

Trend signal No. 7: High-tech fashion

Integrated and/or multi-level lighting, ergonomic bathroom accessories, functional technology, sensors, thermostatic faucets, heated towel racks, and shower enclosures remain among the bathroom design trends of the coming 2022.In our RunSun E-Catalog, there is a series of bathroom supplies for indoor and outdoor, as well as gardening and household products customization and OEM/ODM development. Welcome to contact us to customize your products. #RunSun #Accessory #Application #bathroom #Fashion #Modern #polyesterresins #Polyresin #resin #Set #Soapdish #Trends Read the full article

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yuvistyle · 2 years

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thepringlesofblood · 2 years

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heroforge hoes: pt 1(?)

i keep making guys in heroforge. i don’t know why. is this what ocd is???? i can’t stop????

anyway. i want to share these so that I can stop working on them. so that I can go “there. it is done. it has been put out into the world, and it is complete. stop adjusting tiny little things and do your fucking homework. or eat. or sleep. or shower.”

also, i am weirdly proud of them. but the point of me posting them is so that my brain will consider them “finished” and will stop adjusting every. little. thing.

99% of these are blorbos from my various shows. these are the ones I will be posting (in a series of posts so I don’t waste ALL of today), bc part of this obsession seems to be with getting things “right” - i.e. accurate to the source material. by solidifying one representation of them, and throwing it out into the internet, i’m filing them away under “vetted and approved.”

so please, please, please do not comment “oh you missed this actually :)” no matter how well meaning. keep it to yourself. I guarantee you, I have already thought of it and attempted to do a heroforge representation of it somehow. it’s a good system but it is limited. compliments are fine just. i can’t fix these. fix them yourself if you want but don’t tell me about it.

I’m going to do screenshots as well as links. heroforge is a free service and doesn’t have any ads or anything so it’s not gonna throw a bunch of popups at you. (you can buy heroforge pro but it just unlocks some extra stuff and early access).

For this one I’m going to start with just posting my good omens characters.

one of the first guys i made was Aziraphale, and I’m pretty proud of how he turned out

I was kind of PO’d that I couldn’t put the watch in his jacket but I think it worked out fine. I was originally going to give him a full afro (I’ve always liked the afro = halo look in aziraphale art) but the one they had kind of blocked off part of his face so I went with a shorter one. still a great style, just didn’t really work for me.

One thing I do wish heroforge had is the option to give a character stretchmarks*. I’ve always loved the headcanon of aziraphale with golden stretchmarks. I cobbled together these two options from other kinds of body decals, and I think they’re decent, but still. hf lets you make your characters pretty fat but the proportions can get a little fucky sometimes, especially when you consider that these guys were designed to be 3d printed.

*whenever I complain about heroforge not having something, understand that I am both a. very appreciative of it as a free, kickstarted service with limited staff and time and a variety of options for players of many different cultures, play styles, campaign settings, abilities, gender identities, etc. and b. thinking every goddamned day about the TWENTY-ONE discrete kinds of eyebrow scars you can put on your guy (and they all look the same!!!)

anyway.

here’s crowley!

smallest face tattoo I could find, I think it worked out OK. the shoes actually have the “reptile: black” skin texture lol but hf doesn’t really render individual scales for reptiles most of the time so it just looks black :/ he gets a molotov cocktail bc there’s no tire iron or car/bentley situation and i think he deserves it. as a treat. for the wine bottle on the ground you have the option to both put a label on it AND put a symbol on it, which is great, and there’s a LOT of symbols to choose from, but none that are just “scribbly writing that looks like a wine label” so i chose a rune of draconic power. I also wanted to do some secret scales for him, but again the body decal gods were not in my favor. here’s the two options I came up with.

the “dapples” are p cool and it’s awesome that they have so many options for vitiligo, but also given the sheer volume of “lizard/snake person/dragon/crocodile” options they have it’s real weird that there’s no all-purpose “scales” body decal.

speaking of snakes...here’s an all-snake person crowley. they let you be a “naga” (half-snake half-person, like a mermaid but snake) or a “serpent-folk” (a person-size snake). i didn’t do a naga since I have a person-crowley and a snake-crowley so just like. jam em up in your imagination.

as you can see, surprisingly few scales. the “bands” on the bottom are a body decal called “coral snake” that was the closest I could get to an overall scaly look. they got the belly scutes, the head, the hood (which is optional i just thought it looked nice on him), the tops of the forearms, the hands and some shoulder and back scales. but the real snakey bit - nada. fascinating. i still like him. I would’ve made him all one color and less shiny, but the “coral snake” bands have to stand out somehow, and I figured i’ll make up for the lack of scales in shininess

and the final good omens character I have made...anathema!!!!!

this one was Hard. so we got the Book, we got her bread knife (something left out of the show that I personally love), and I couldn’t really find many weird witchy looking instruments so I went with some bottles. her outfit is really just 50 shades of green and black, but it has all this lace and different kinds of fabrics to keep it interesting. here she’s just. different greens. and blacks. hf can’t do lace (completely understandable can u imagine trying to 3d print that??) and while you can sort of do different textures, it’s just not the same. I think she turned out OK though! glass in the glasses kind of just got in the way of seeing her eyes, so I took it out. I was surprised at how thick the frames are! they’re all like that - very sturdy. also this jacket is called “undercover jacket” hf my guy that is the loudest looking jacket i ever seen in my life.

now you may say ‘fuck finally, that’s the last good omens character i’ll stop reading this post now’ but ohohoho not quite so. you see. i do have several permutations of aziraphale and crowley, so while they’re not new good omens characters they are new takes on the boys.

now. before we go any further you must check out @worse0mens and their many wonderful fics on ao3. these versions of aziraphale and crowley are based on their marvelous Lord of the Rings AUs, and were made early into my heroforge phase, when it was mostly just me playing dress-up with this dnd character creator, before the Madness set in and it became an ocd thing. they’re some of my favorites of all time!

I’ll link the fics each of them came from next to each character, but I cannot suggest enough that if you like Good Omens aus or fics of any kind (perchance, omens of another kind?) I would highly recommend checking them out! ^v^

enough dillydallying, here’s Orc Crowley from “The Orc and the Elf” “What Remains of a Heart” and “The Good Orc”!

ladies, gents, and those of us who know better, you cannot make this dog look not derpy. i hate even saying derpy but there’s no other way to describe him. I tried every menu and sub-menu to see if there were any controls for the warg’s expression but alas, no dice. the warg mount just. looks like that. it’s a dope ass character model though can’t complain about that in a 3d printed model you’d never notice it, he just stares like he sees the end of all things and comprehends none of it. though maybe that’s accurate for some dogs. Rover didn’t strike me as a pinnacle of intellect when I was reading the fic (he is of course still a very very good boy!) but I did want to try and making him look more dynamic. c’est la vie!

I really had fun making this guy. one great thing about the heroforge coloration system (which I will always sing the praises of, it’s WILD how customized you can get without it being a burden to do for each character, there’s so many options) is that you can make anything glow if you want. I decided to give crowley little a eyeglow. as a treat. and I’m super glad I did! it makes them so distinct.

so. one of his hands is gripping the mane to hold on and one is just sort of. floatin. this is because for some reason, of the 3 “riding a horse/pony/warg” poses, none of them is “holding on to the very fast thing you’re riding” I guess it’s to make held items easier to distinguish, but it’s weird that it’s not even an option for characters who aren’t holding things. I had to get in the “advanced poses” menu and really finagle to get that one hand on Rover’s mane (that’s why its clipping through), and after those 15 minutes or so were spent I decided you know what, crowley’s a big strong orc, maybe he only needs one hand to hang on after all!

For some reason, I always wind up picturing crowley with freckles, and I am a sucker for magic people having like. glowing or weird freckles that look like stars. idk where this love came from but here it is. the fic describes crowley’s skin as “pebble-gray” so I went with a bright metallic silver for his freckles, and I’m really proud of how it turned out!

also for some reason while there’s a million daggers/shortblades you can have, only like. 5 of them can come in sheaths. the rest just hang loose wherever you decide to put them. hazardous! so crowley’s “twin daggers” wound up being kukri knives, since tbh I thought they looked cool and the basic “sheathed dagger” is like. really really small. which is great for some things but I figured crowley would have something with a little more heft.

the fic describes crowley’s sword as a “scimitar”, and the 2 swords hf has with “scimitar” in the name were just not sparking joy for some reason, so I looked up the sword I thought looked best (the janissary kilij) and it turns out it is a type of scimitar! incurable pickiness justified.

I pretty much just pictured elf aziraphale as normal aziraphale but with elf ears (i am not a huge elf fan, I very much enjoyed the fic dunking on thranduil lol), so I didn’t wind up making him.

I did make the hobbit!aziraphale from worse0mens’ other lotr au, There and Back Again (And Again, And Again...) though!

for some reason, when you click on “halfling” as an option, they don’t give you the hairy feet. idk if this is a dnd change for copyright reasons from the tolkien estate (everyone knows “halfling” = “hobbit” its just a matter of intellectual property and shit) or what, but I was kinda sad, since I was excited to have a woman with obvious body hair (there’s no decals for body hair either, except for upper chest hair). I tried to find various hairy-looking shoes, but no success. I did give her the vitiligo leg/foot decal and colored all of the patches to match her skin tone except for the bottoms of her feet, which I did a slightly darker color, to indicate calluses bc hobbits walk barefoot everywhere bc they’re just Built Different. I tried not to go too overboard with it though since she is a very clean and fastidious lady and generally just hangs out in her house (oh, to be a wealthy single hobbit spending the day reading unbothered by the whims of society...)

hf also doesn’t do patterns on clothes, unless they’re physically molded into the cloth (like anathema’s jacket). so no tartan :/ I imagined aziraphale to have a dark green tartan shirt under her vest for some reason so I chased that bliss, and otherwise generally followed the “brown and cream” theme.

I was going to try and get some braids and beads in her hair (if ya know ya know) but the braided buns all got rid of the loose strands framing her face and the other braids were really really long and kind of clashed with the vibe, so i stuck with the unbraided bun. and there’s no hair beads. which is fair tbh its a very specific thing (then again.....21 eyebrow scars)

for reasons unknown to me, some objects have a myriad of decals to choose from, and some only let you have blood splatter (and more recently, dirt stains or colorful powder stains). like, anathema’s “ornate book”? only blood splatter. but these books on the tops of the stacks here? a bajillion options. I went with a dragon (bc lol smaug-shadowing for the hobbit, which takes place after this fic) and some flowers to make aziraphale’s folk medicine book ;)

I don’t want to just complain abt all the stuff hf doesn’t have bc it’s a good, free service with no annoying ads, so I do want to say that the default coloring for the books and cups looked really nice - I only made a few tweaks, which is a big deal for my very picky eyes. letting you pick a “theme” which automatically colors clothes/gear/everything but the actual person is really useful for when you don’t want to go as deep in the paint as I usually do. you can still color each individual item if you want, but if you don’t want to do that it offers an alternative where it shows you like 10-15 basic color schemes for you to pick from.

I had to decide b/w the bowtie and the zirak-baraz necklace, and I went with the bowtie, since the necklace options really don’t jive with the look and she wears it under her shirt a lot of the time anyway. also, aziraphale + bowtie = iconic. the normal plain bowtie looked weirdly big on her and kept clipping so I went with another one that was wild west themed or something, but I think it still works.

I did run into hf’s weird ideas about body configuration here. they do let you make your guys decently fat, but it’s really hard to get a ratio that doesn’t look grossly exaggerated, and its partly based on species. the default setting for halflings is like, REALLY skinny, which sucks, and the default for p much all “female” versions of species is large tits and small waists. the waist slider is honestly kind of bullshit in terms of making realistic people. i 100% get that some people like to make cartoon-y looking guys or more caricature-like looks, but since I prefer more realistic-looking characters, I pretty much ALWAYS have to turn the waist slider all the way just for them to look healthy. and then it creates a weird dent where you can turn up the other sliders for weight but the waist is stuck at its maximum so you get these hourglass shapes with sharp corners. it gets covered up a bit when you put clothes on at least, you really can’t see it with aziraphale thankfully. but it does wind up putting a cap on how fat you can make your guys without them looking really unbalanced and cartoonish. I wanted to make her much chubbier but this was sort of as far as i could get with the waist restriction and clipping (and thats a whole other issue) without her look really unbalanced, and *SPOILERS FOR THE FIC* i wasn’t trying to make aziraphale in her pregnancy era here, and idk if it would’ve worked out well. *END SPOILERS*

For dwarf!crowley I wound up making 2 versions, one casual and one in traditional dwarven clothes (and a little grimier) on a pony (if you know you know), mostly bc while i love me some dwarves, i am not a tolkien expert and have only a loose grasp on the aesthetic. some of crowley’s outfits described in the fic are pretty basic, some more complicated, so I decided to do one for each.

here’s casual crowley

I wanted to give them matching teacups so it looks like they’re toasting each other ^v^

also crowley’s tea is way lighter than aziraphales bc i firmly believe this is a ‘coffee as dark as my soul’ ‘so like white chocolate mocha?’ relationship.

the dagger sheaths got me again with this one. crowley’s dagger is specifically described as having a leather sheath, and being as long as aziraphale’s arm. couldn’t get the dwarven runes bc again, the decal gods did not will it. this one is actually called a “disciple of death dagger” - yikes! at least there’s no skulls or anything lol

he’s got the “thin black shirt” from when he’s chopping wood, plus the axe. I couldn’t exactly get a serpent beltbuckle, but I tried to at least get some silver things on him to nod at the whole “crowley silvertongue” thing.

his pants are actually fucking mariachi pants. one thing that does kind of piss me off w hf is that there’s not just. a normal, basic ass pair of pants. or plain leggings. everything has a belt or fringe or pleats or something. the closest you get is scrubs but the drawstring just makes em look like sweatpants. and its not like there’s not basic shit for shirts! there’s a bunch of plain ass t-shirts! but this was sort of the closest I could get without having an extra belt. I will say that you will not lack for belt buckles in heroforge, but they are all the same basic, utilitarian kind for the most part.

both dwarves and halflings by default are really really short. I’m glad the fic specified crowley as 5 ft and aziraphale as 4 ft, which tracks w general tolkien lore n shit, but i had to scale them up a lot from the default setting. huh. another dnd difference?

hf also decided when you click on male dwarf, you still get decent sized tits. I think its the muscle in a compressed space. I am not opposed! i decided he gets to keep them, as a treat. he’s pretty muscular (”lanky for a dwarf” but dwarves are fuckin absolute units) so it checks out and it really works w the 3 button shirt v sexy (can you tell I think dwarves are more attractive than elves?)

the “earring” is my attempt as using the clipping to my advantage to make it look like a hair bead. I think it’s not bad, though you can definitely still tell its on his ear.

one thing that surprised me is the options for wearing braids: single braid (several variations, including queue (think the dai li from atla)). hair down with two braids on top (see above). cornrows (and several combinations of cornrows and afros/natural textured hair). braided bun. “bun held with stick.” “thick braided curls” (held back in an updo).

it surprised me bc #1 good on you hf for having a variety of options for people of color, i wish this wasn’t surprising but still, props #2 you can’t have pigtail braids (2 braids one on either side of your head), and #3 there’s only 1 option for having straight hair down and having braids mixed into it. idk maybe this is a regional thing to where I’m from but people having one or more braids mixed into straight/wavy hair that’s not tied up or in a bun or anything seems p common to me, and at the very least p common in the popular perception of dwarves and their aesthetics. not upset just confused.

I tried to make him a little bit paler due to the dwarf-living-underground thing but i cannot give up my freckle headcanon unfortunately - i just made them very light. maybe he gets them when visiting the shire.

here’s the other one, w the dwarven gear on the pony

it stopped letting me upload screenshots. I have committed way too hard to this. this might be a counterproductive endeavor. we’ll see I guess. here’s the url in case it fucked itself over https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D502896335/

the fuckin. even on a pony they don’t give you reins. i am confusion. w a warg i kinda get it theres not much to hold onto but a pony or horse? no excuse. reins let me at em. i did go through the trouble to get both his hands in there bc crowley does have a history of being bad with horses, and idk if this followed him into this au or if its ok bc its a pony, but i figured he should have both hands in there just in case. he’s very determined at the moment.

I really like the “roan” face decal bc it lets you get your guy grimy around the edges of his face, and as we all know grime is VERY important to the lotr experience. hopefully one day when I have a normal relationship with heroforge i can make an aragorn and he can be so so grimy. or perhaps i can just look up someone else’s aragorn heroforge to check on the grime factor.

its. tilted. the pony. its like tilted to one side. i don’t know why this is. it didn’t start out like that. i don’t know how it got like that. was it all the advanced hand posing to get crowley to grab onto the nonexistent reins??? how would that affect the pony tilting??? maybe he’s going around a very fast corner.

ok thats it. fuck. maybe this way a bad idea. either way, i am putting away these designs and saying “these are complete. I do not need to spend any energy on them anymore. they are done.” I’m even gonna mark their names to say they are done.

if you stuck w this all the way through you’re a fuckin lunatic and i love it.

i use tumblr primarily to either spit things into the void and get them out of my head, keep up on memes, and reblog/compliment fanart, so I really don’t care about any criticism, constructive or not**, and am very much asking you to not do that. compliments are fine just like. please don’t insinuate I should continue to work on these, or find problems with them. they are done. they have taken up far too much brainspace, and I need to let them go. this is me sending them off into the world. i mean use them for your dnd or whatever if you want, just talk to @worse0mens if its one of their characters obviously.

hope you’re doing well and that this was fun and not depressing. I am growing and healing each day. ^v^

**unless you’re worse0mens bc some of them are your characters and I want to be as respectful as possible towards them

#cw discussion of mental illness #cw ocd #cw ocd mention #cw hyperfixation #like the bad kind #good omens #lotr #heroforge #original post

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hufflesmonsters · 3 years

Text

New Beginnings

A/N: hi, just dropping in to say I’m writing again >:D enjoy this slow burn. Also, surprise, it’s not a lizard man story though I do have one in the works so there is that.

~*~*~*~

Torren swung the ax down, splitting the log in two. Sweat beaded his brow as the sun bore down on him. He stuck the ax down in the wood stump and stood, wiping away the sweat with the back of his hand as he looked up at the sky. Just past noon, he’d have to get a move on if he was going to be on time for the kings summon. If he even wanted to take the job, whatever it was. If King Richard the second wished to hire a mercenary, it surely couldn’t be for anything fun. He clearly didn’t want to waste his own men for this, which meant that Torren was likely going to die during his job.

And yet… the money he would get if he lived. He could retire, and finally live his dream of being the towns hermit to its fullest potential. As in, he only ever comes into town on stormy nights to buy ten kegs of ale and disappear for another three months. He grew his own food, hunted his own meat. Of course he kept messing up his tomato plants which meant he had to go into town to get those, but once he can figure it out then mission Hermit was a go.

Stepping back, he grabbed the shirt he had draped over a nearby branch and walked towards his home. It was a nice little shack, one he’d built from scratch back when he was just a young boy. He had found the location by accident really, one minute he was being chased by his elder brothers, the next he was standing in a clearing with a pond and no one in sight for miles. At first it was just a cool hideout, somewhere he could go to get away from his crazy family and village bullies. But over the years he spent more and more time here, fixing it up and expanding the facilities. Next thing he knew he had completely moved in and claimed the land officially as his.

Tossing the shirt on the couch, he walked into his bedroom and opened his dresser. He wasn’t sure what he’d need really, if this was a quick trip, and he hoped it was, he’d only really need two shirts, pants and his washing supplies. He already had his armor on, his swords were already by the door, polished and ready to go. He grabbed the shirts, extra pants, and his bag of supplies and stuffed them into a bag that he could tack onto his horses saddle. He’d grab a small coin purse for food and drink, which should cover him for his trip if he was careful. If he ran out of coin he’d only have to offer to chop wood for inns or something like that.

As he turned to leave, bag in hand, he stopped by the kitchen and grabbed the oat bag for Sweetie. Most of the time she was content to just chew on grass, or even break into gardens and devour everything in sight. But oats, how she loved oats.

The sun glared at him as he exited the house, he stopped briefly to lock it up before continuing down the path to the pasture. He could already see the giant grazing peacefully, black tail flicking away bugs as her dappled gray coat shone silver in the sunlight. She was truly a magnificent horse, holding a presence without even trying. She was a draft horse, one of the few capable of holding a full grown orc. And she was an absolute sweetie, hence, her name.

“Got something for you, Sweetie,” Torren called as he entered the stall part of the pasture, grinning as her large head shot up, ears pointed forward and nostrils flaring. She smelled the oats like sharks smell blood in the water. With a graceful trot, she soon stood in front of him, towering over him by two feet. She bent down and nuzzled his cheek lovingly, snorting into his ear as he tried to shove her away. “We don’t have time to cuddle, girl. The King wants us at the castle by midday tomorrow.”

Sweetie snorted and stood upright again, flank twitching as she moved past him and into the tacking area. She was smart, smarter than most horses he’d met. She waited patiently as he began to saddle her, taking his time to secure the bag and oats in a place where she couldn’t get to it. She was tricksy, especially when it came to oats. But she also knew that those were a night time snack, something that he wouldn’t just give out unless they narrowly avoided death and allowed her to have something to chew on while he fought off a panic attack.

He slid the reins over her head, patting her cheek as she opened her mouth to allow the rod to go in. Once she was fully outfitted, he lead her out of the stalls and closed the doors behind her. He swung up onto her back, and settled in. Gathering the reins, he clicked his tongue and set off down the dirt path that lead into town. The castle wasn’t too far, if he traveled nonstop today he’d be able to make it before midday tomorrow. Talk to the king, get the job done, and they’d be home before they knew it.

~*~*~*~

Reaching the castle, Torren almost turned back around. He’d heard the rumors, how King Richard the second seemed to… overcompensate. The walls around the kingdom were large, but not as large as the damn castle. It towered over everything, almost as if it was a direct challenge to the gods. It was also very, very ugly with its pale brown coloring and lack of windows.

Showing his summons slip to the guards at the gate, he slowly made his way into the kingdom. It was another thing that irked him about King Richard, he was a man with “purist” beliefs. No race other than human was allowed past the walls without a proper invite. There was no trading, or apprenticeship allowed between humans and others. Which raised another red flag about this job offer, why would a king who hates his kind specifically ask him to complete a task for him.

Torren tightened his fist on the reins as he watched the crowd wearily. He was going to die, either here or on this job if he wasn’t careful enough. The townsfolk weren’t bad, they looked more open to him than the guards did, but he didn’t dare interact with them. Not even to the young children who waved at him for the guards were watching him just as closely as he was watching them.

Reaching the palace, he climbed off of Sweetie’s back and handed the reins over to the stable boy, a warning look in his eyes. If they mistreated her, he would rip all of their spines from their backs and beat them to death with it. Torren turned to look at the guards that approached him, back stiff as he towered over them. It was almost laughable, how they escorted him into the palace.

The inside of the castle was just as ugly as the outside, the same beige walls, no decorations whatsoever. Whoever helped the king design this deserved to be publicly executed. Knights stood at every corner, some seemed to be standing at random places the further they got in. It was almost as if someone had just told them to pick a window and stand. The guards increased as they drew closer to the throne room, all of them standing at attention as they stopped in the middle. The guards beside him stood at attention, hands over heart and back straight.

One of the guards announced the arrival of the king, everyone else following in salute. Torren looked up in expectation for the infamous King Richard the Second. Looking, looking, out of confusion, his gaze drew down to the floor when an irritated cough sounded.

Oh, oh gods…

Torren had to physically bite his tongue as he took in the sight of King Richard the second. No wonder the castle was so large and hideous, this man barely stood past a humans waist. He recalled an old nickname for the king, one that was immediately outlawed in the towns surrounding his kingdom. Little Dick Jr, the bane of all of Pufort.

Torren knelt in front of the tiny king before any more offense could be given. And he had a lot to give at this moment in time. “Your grace,” he said stiffly.

“Rise,” came the nasally response. “Do you know why I've called you here, orc?” Dick Jr asked once Torren towered over him again.

“No, m'lord.”

“I am a king without a queen, I'm basically a laughing stock in all the kingdoms!” Torren was willing to put money on it, that wasn't the reason why, but he knew better than to say that. “But there's a princess, locked away in a tower due east. And she will be my bride.”

“And you wish me to retrieve her?” Torren asked for clarification. That didn't sound so hard at all.

“Yes, it's a week’s journey all together, the roads are treacherous, but I'm sure you're no stranger to that,” again, nothing dangerous. “And then of course there's the active volcano and lava surrounding the castle and the dragon guarding it.” Ah, there it is.

“I see, that doesn't sound too difficult for me,” Torren said, lying through his teeth. He could handle bandits, he could even sneak past a fucking dragon. But lava? An active volcano? That was something he'd never experienced before and wasn't too keen on the idea.

“Perfect, we will discuss your payment when you get back. Godspeed, I wish to be married by the end of the month!” Little Dick Jr clapped his hands twice, alerting the guards that he was done talking to the half orc.

Torren bowed his head and turned to make his leave. If he walked fast enough, he could get out of this city by the time the king reached the stairs. The guards had attempted to follow him out, but after they had to literally run to keep up they quit. It wasn't like he was going to do anything anyways.

He eyed the gods awful bust of Dick jr. and contemplated tripping into it…

No, no. Not yet.

~*~*~*~

If there were small miracles, Torren may have found one. Sweetie was in perfect condition when he had retrieved her, granted she had been touched by the stable hands and she made sure to voice her displeasure by biting his shirt and nearly throwing him into a mud pile. Sweetie was a sweetheart up until she had the wrath of the gods placed upon her.

They had made their way out of the kingdom as fast as they could, and Torren was grateful that the guards didn’t give him an official escort out of the kingdom. Though, he had noticed several guards watching him carefully if he lingered too long in an area. Sure, there was traffic, but he was an orc, that was an unforgivable crime don’t you know? He half expected to get harassed when he passed by the front gate guards, but he was uncomfortably surprised to find that they did not.

Oh, he was going to die on this mission. He should have gotten his affairs in order, who was going to take after Sweetie when he was gone? His brothers were half a kingdom away and his neighbors didn’t know he existed. Now, he was realizing as he traversed the hills, it was a bad time to be a hermit. Sweetie was smart though, maybe she’d find a new hermit to adopt and go about her life.

Okay, maybe he should focus on traveling and not his soon to be untimely demise.

Torren had just crested the hill overlooking the neighboring village when a shout came from his right. Looking over, he was wary to see an elf making his way over on his own sturdy steed. The elf seemed friendly enough, though most elves he met rarely stayed friendly. He paused and waited for the elf to approach, keeping a hand on his dagger just in case.

The elf wasn’t bad looking, kind of handsome really if Torren was being honest with himself. Tall, a bit taller than most of the elves he met, golden skin that would make King Midas jealous. Long brown hair braided back in practicality rather than aesthetic, though it was a tad too ornate for pure practicality. He was dressed in simple leathers, with elven embroidery up around the shoulders, partially obscured by the cloak he wore.

“Hail, friend! I see you came from Pufort, a fine accomplishment for those of us considered too “unpure”,” the elf gave a laugh as he settled beside Sweetie. “Gavril, merc for hire,” he introduced himself as he put his hand out.

“Torren,” Torren said as he took the hand and shook it once. A mutual respect was given to the elf, some mercs stuck together, especially those around Pufort. The land wasn’t known for tolerance, mostly the guards fault, and so it wasn’t common to see many mercs who weren’t human. “What brings you to Pufort?”

“Ah, but the king, of course!” Gavril gave the man a bright smile before his smile dropped. “Better to talk here than in the village. Less ears.”

Torren felt his heart drop at the comment, dear gods was this the end? He hadn’t even made it out of Pufort yet! Gods, the amount of fun his brothers would have when they find out that he died in Pufort of all places…

“I can see you’re freaking out, fear not, I am not going to say “long live Dickie”,” Gavril let out a laugh, and Torren didn’t appreciate it, like, at all. “He hired me a month back, and when I disappeared he chose to hire you.”

“And I should believe you, why?” Torren actually did believe him, it was just the dick move that Dickie would pull. But he was a distrustful man by nature, and so grilling the elf it was.

“Why would I lie? Being here in of itself is a death sentence for me if one of his guards spots me,” Gavril shrugged. “No, I felt as if the job was far too… strange for me to complete without the full story.”

“And that story was?” Torren raised a brow as he shifted on Sweetie, who snorted in warning as she grazed.

“The princess, she’s apparently the daughter of the neighboring kingdom, Aster. I did my research and went to them with the information on Richard. They don’t like the idea of an unsavory man such as him “rescuing” their daughter in such an unhonorable way,” Gavril leaned a bit as his voice dropped. “I was riding by, coming back from another business that I had to attend, when I happened to have heard he had another summons, I thought it was only fair to let you know about it all.”

“And what, exactly, are you hoping to inform me of other than the princesses misfortunes?” Torren leaned slightly in despite himself.

“I’m to meet another fellow, a minotaur by the name of Jardor. He was the princess's guard before she was imprisoned so she’d be more trusting of us. Her parents hired me to take her Aster instead of Pufort, and their offer is extended to any other mercenary hired by Richard.”

“And this is legitimate? How do you know they won’t cast you off to Richards' wrath once they have their daughter?”

Gavril nodded as he sat upright. “A fair question, I, myself, found myself doubting it. However, I asked around their former employers and found that they were actually credible. I understand that you have no reason to believe me, but if you are curious you are more than welcome to come with me to meet up with Jardor.”

“And where is he?” Surely a minotaur would be noticeable around a place like Pufort.

“He was smart enough not to come to the welcoming land of Pufort,” Gavril said with a grin. “He’s in Halder’s Rest in the neighboring village, Stonewall, I believe.”

“And you just happened to be riding by Pufort and saw me?” Torren raised a brow as he leaned back.

Gavril let out a soft laugh. “Fair enough, I might have been lingering around to see what the little man’s reaction would have been.”

“How? You couldn’t have been allowed in the city.”

“It’s actually fairly easy to sneak in if you find the really dumb guards,” Gavril said with a smirk. “If you talk fast and use big words to explain away things, they simply just let you in.”

Torren shook his head, “very well. I’ll come with you to this Jardor, but I make no promises that I will join you.”

“Of course,” Gavril gave a bow to his head. “Now, what do you think are the odds that these kind folk will allow us to rest in their undoubtedly comfortable inn?”

“‘Us’?” Torren looked at the elf with furrowed brows. Surely he didn’t think they were going to travel to Halder’s Rest together, did he?

“Yes, ‘us’,” Gavril said with a raised brow. “Surely you didn’t think I’d just abandon you to these unwashed masses, did you?”

“Yes?” Torren wasn’t sure who he pissed off up there, but he was fairly sure he didn’t deserve this kind of forced upon companionship here.

“Oh, my friend,” Gavril gave a sympathetic pout before clapping Torren on the shoulder. “You’re stuck with me.”

Gods help him.

~*~*~*~

Turns out, the good folk were not willing to rent out their plentiful rooms to two distinguished gentlemen like them. So, seeing as the guards started gathering around them once they exited, the duo had opted to camp out on the spacious planes outside of the village. Pro: it was a nice night out with the stars shining bright; con: there were wolves and they very much were eyeing them as a snack.

Luckily for them, the wolves found a rather unfortunate deer and left them alone for the rest of the night. After that, the sleeping got easier, though Torren still kept a hand on his dagger under his pillow. And if he noticed that Gavril did the same with his staff, well, he wasn’t going to be one to talk.

The morning was a tense affair, Gavril had cooked and while it smelt delicious Torren wasn’t one for accepting food from strangers. But his mother also raised a gentleman with manners so he ate anyway. And it pissed him off more that it was, indeed, delicious in all honesty.

They set off not long afterwards, mounting their steeds and making their way to Stonewall, a village that was a good two hours away. Both Sweetie and Torren did their best to ride ahead of Gavril and his steed, Farren, however the two seemed to be professionals Thorn in his Side, for they stayed right on his heels, humming a stupid little song.

Torren really pissed off some of the gods.

But, by the Grace of the gods, they finally made it to Halder's Rest with minimal spats. Or, "character building" in Gavril's mind. The vast difference between Aster's civilians and Pufort's was easily spotted. Where an inhuman was hard to see even just passing through in Pufort, it was hard to not see them in Aster. From vendors, to guards, to just a milk maiden lizard girl.

It felt… welcoming.

"Halder's Rest is just down the road,'' Gavril said as he led Farren though the bustling roads.

Torren let him take the reins, not sure if he should run or not. He had no idea really what sort of situation he was walking into. One kingdom was going to be pissed off, that was for sure. Either Pufort or Aster, and he wasn’t sure which one was better. Aster wasn’t known for its military, sure it had it, but no one had seen it in action in well over a hundred years. They preferred to stay diplomatic in negotiations, and somehow it’s worked so far. And yet, he feared what Aster would do if King Richard the Seconded got his grubby little hands on their daughter.

But another part feared what the King would do to him if he failed to deliver the princess. He wasn’t the first mercenary, and even Gavril admitted he was cheating death when he hung around Pufort waiting for Torren to leave. Pufort was well known for their military power. King Richard was always willing to fling a fleet at a neighboring kingdom, or hell, even his own people, if he felt there was even a hint of offense at him and his legitimacy of his rule.

He should run, Torren realized. Like now, right now-

“Hey, there he is!” Gavril said as he pointed at the minotaur guard that stood outside the inn with his arms crossed. “Jardor!”

Jardor looked up with irritation on his face. He was big, even for a minotaur and just as uniquely colored. Most minotaurs that Torren had come across were either brown or black with white colorations. But Jardor was a multi-colored minotaur, white based but he had russet, black, brown and gray mottled on the skin that was exposed through his armor. His horns were wide and angled high, making him more imposing.

“Stop calling attention to us,” the guard hissed as they drew closer. “You could jeopardize the mission.”

“Oh, please,” Gavril rolled his eyes. “There’s only milkmaids here, it’s not that dangerous.”

“The king could find out and send his fleet,” Torren hissed at the elf.

“Exactly,” Jardor snorted as he shifted his stance. “Our success depends heavily on stealth. Until we deliver the princess back to the capital of Aster, we are not out of the weeds yet.”

Gavril sighed heavily but nodded. “So, are we heading out or is there other business we need to attend to first here?”

“We’ll head out, most of the pleasantries can be exchanged on the road,” Jardor said as he led them to the guards stables and pulled his draft horse out of the stall. As he mounted, Torren surveyed the town. It was a nice place to be, he supposed. But he still preferred his privacy.

“I don’t believe we met,” Jardor said to him as they set out. “I’m the Princesses’ guard, Jardor Stoneskin. And you?”

“Torren Azorrn,” Torren said finally. “Just got hired from the King-”

“-and poached from me once he left,” Gavril interjected with a cheerful grin.

“Yes,” Torren agreed with a heavy sighed.

Jardor snorted and shook his head. “Of course,” he sighed. “I apologize for him, he was supposed to go home and then make his way back here. Though I am glad he did make the detour, I doubt I would have survived the trip with just the two of us.”

Torren found himself smiling as Gavril let out a gasp of mock hurt. “It is nice to have a more level headed company,” he agreed as Gavril mumbled to himself as the two men snickered.

“I will have you two know, I am pleasant company!” Gavril said as he steered his horse next to Sweetie.

“Of course, my friend,” Jardor said evenly with a placating smile. “Of course.”

“Why did you have to return home, anyways?” Torren asked with a raised brow at the elf. He had only mentioned business arrangements, but going home was an entirely different thing “Was that the other business you mentioned earlier?”

“It was,” Gavril said defensively. “I have people at home who were waiting on me, had to let them know I’d be back for good later than anticipated.”

Torren nodded and left it at that, he wasn’t going to judge people for their personal affairs, he knew that if he was still in contact with his own brothers he’d be doing the same. They lapsed into a silence after that, save for the occasional direction change from Jardor the other two were content with just following him. Finally, Torren found himself speaking up. “Jardor, if you’re the princesses’ guard, then why aren’t you with her?”

“Ah, there are two princesses in Aster, the one who is heir to the throne and the second in line should anything happen to the eldest sibling,” Jardor said. “The princess I served was the second in line, though she loathed the whole thing,” he added with a soft smile. “When she was...cursed, I was ordered to stay behind and help protect her sister.”

“So she’s cursed?” Gavril asked with a frown. “You didn’t mention that.”

Jardor shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I, yes, she’s cursed,” he said stiffly. “The sooner she comes home, I’m sure she’ll be closer to breaking that curse.”

“Isn’t true love usually the factor in those curses?” Gavril asked with a furrowed brow as Torren studied the minotaur.

“Yes, but that is not the case here,” Jardor said with such confidence neither mercenary knew what to do with that.

“So what is this curse?” Torren asked. “Why was she moved to such a remote location, surrounded by lava and a dragon?”

“It was considered necessary by the Throne, it was not my place to question it,” Jardor said stiffly.

“So you did disagree,” Gavril noted. “Which means it likely isn’t a curse, and that makes me so much more intrigued, don’t you feel the same, Torren?”

Torren didn’t comment. But he did note that the minotaur was clearly hiding something, and that made him all the more wary of this job. He should have just stayed home.

“Must you grate on my nerves, elf-boy?” Jardor snapped as he looked at the elven mercenary.

“Ah, elf-boy is actually my younger brother, a cute lad but not nearly as annoying as me, elf-man,” Gavril said with a grin, but it dropped quickly in the wake of a grim expression on his face. “Look, we can deal with a dragon, and even the lava. But if she’s cursed, we need to know exactly what we’re walking into.”

“Nothing dangerous,” Jardor promised, and the two men relaxed just a bit at that. The situation was weird, but Jardor radiated a trusting aura that it was hard to suspect they were walking into a trap. At least for Gavril, Torren always assumed there would be a trap involved when he traveled with others. “Just let me take the lead when we get to the tower, a familiar face will help her.”

“How long has she been locked away?” Torren asked finally.

“Seven years,” Jardor said with a weary look in his eyes, and deeper down, pain. “It’s high time for her to come home.” He nudged his horse, kicking her into a faster gait as they made their way out of Aster and into the wildlands. “That said, we’re a three day journey away from the tower, it’s in a remote part of the country that few travel by. We shouldn’t face any resistance before the volcano.”

“Well then, let’s get ourselves a princess,” Gavril said with a smirk at Torren as he sent Farren barreling after Jardor.

Torren sighed heavily and patted Sweetie’s neck, “let’s get this over with,” he said to her as he nudged her side gently, a gentle permission to run with the other horses, a permission that she gladly took as she galloped next to their two companions. In just three days, he’ll be fighting off a dragon surrounded by molten lava just to rescue a princess. That was the only certain thing he knew about this mission, if there was a curse, if they could get her to Aster before the King found out, if he still was getting paid.

Gods, was he still getting paid?

~*~*~*~

[eye of the tiger blasting]

Jardor kept the lead, forging ahead when Gavril decided that bickering with Torren was a Lovely Idea. Both men, both adult men, were constantly five seconds away from getting into a slapping fight that escalated when Gavril, a four year old apparently trapped in a twenty eight year old's body, claimed that Torren had hit him.

Jardor just let it happen when Torren really did hit him.

Setting up camp was a horrid affair, all three of them were skilled in camping, but those skills had varying degrees. Jardor could put up an excellent tent, but the sleeping cot kept getting tangled and eventually he just laid out on the mess with a stoic resolve. Torren was an expert in putting out his sleeping cot, but his tent kept falling out on one side and eventually he just moved Sweetie over to help keep it propped up with the promises of getting her an extra big bag of oats. And Gavril would put his tent up, but in the process of laying out his sleeping cot the tent would fall. When he’d try to put the cot up first, the tent would fall and he’d have to find his way back out again. And so, in a moment where his remaining two brain cells bumped together, he tied his tent up to the branches of the tree keeping it up and elevated while Torren glared at him from the inside of his lopsided tent that was beginning to smell of horse.

The morning didn’t help anything either.

Torren, used to years of cooking and traveling by himself, had woken up early and made himself, and only himself, a nice breakfast. The other two, woken by the pleasant smell of bacon and the heavenly sizzle of fresh eggs being cooked, came out of their tents with growling stomachs and crushing disappointment when they spotted Torren eating it all by himself. Jardor was disappointed, Gavril was dismayed. The two had to fend for themselves, Jardor splitting a piece of jerky with the elf as they glared subtly in Jardor’s case, and blatantly in Gavril’s.

When they finally set back out again, it was in lesser spirits than the day before. They were less than a day away, according to the smell of sulfur that got increasingly heavier as they traveled on. Gavril could see why no one had rescued the princess prior till now, the lands around the volcano were barren, the roads treacherous by hungry wolves. It was dangerous even for the three of them, he couldn’t imagine a merchant or a lone adventurer braving this land.

Well, maybe Torren.

But everyone else would be fucked.

Jardor let out a soft laugh up ahead and slowed to a stop at the crest of the hill. He glanced back at the two catching up, a light shining in his eyes as he grinned at them. “We’re here,” he announced as the tower, tall and magnificent, loomed below. It wasn’t exactly just a remote tower, Gavril could make out some crumbling structures of a once beautiful palace. He wondered, hoped really, that it was still stable and safe for the princess, surely her parent’s wouldn’t have dumped her into this hell hole if it was unstable. He paused, actually, he’s met some gods awful parent’s. It was a high possibility. But that was neither here nor there, the tower was still far enough away, but they would arrive there within the hour if they paced themselves. They still couldn’t spot the dragon, and none of them were willing to go head on against a fucking dragon.

Torren opened his mouth to speak, to ask what the plan was in case the dragon reared its head. But before he could utter a single word, a horn sounded from behind them. The three turned on their steeds to watch as a troop of soldiers made their way towards the tower, banners flying high, and armor glittering in the sunlight.

Pufort.

"Fuck," Gavril said with pursed lips.

Fuck was right.

~*~*~*~

Princess Amirah was absolutely, and positively bored. She had nothing else to paint, unless Harold suddenly changed their mind about her painting his scales. She’s run dramatically through the hallways a dozen times this morning, and really she wasn’t feeling it for a thirteenth time. All the books have been read, a countless amount of times. At this point she could quote the books and she did, constantly, to Harold as they cleaned their teeth from their meal each night. Harold never spoke as to whether or not they enjoyed it, but she assumed they would have put an end to it by now if they didn’t.

She sighed heavily as she paced her room, paint brush in hand as she tried to figure out a new canvas. There was still some room on the window sill, maybe even the dresser if she painted small enough. She paused by the open window, the smell of sulfur no longer bothered her as she breathed it in. She barely remembered the smell of fresh, clean air. Or the sound of bustling streets, the maids coming in with sweet hushed words, her mothers hugs…

Amirah shook her head and smacked her cheek chastisingly with her paint brush. No, no thoughts like that, she’s survived seven years without those things, she can survive many more. In all honesty, she probably could leave. It wasn’t like anyone was going to come looking for her of all the princesses in this unholy tower. They were more likely to go for the skinny blonde overlooking the ocean than her. Which was fine, she was the second born princess of Aster, her sister was always considered the prettiest, the fairest, the princess that all should aspire to be.

Amirah made it her mission to defy that expectation. She hated the princess duties that her mother and sister had forced her to attend. She hated the expectations that were expected of her as the second in line to the throne. To marry a neighboring kingdom, to secure an alliance between the two. To have their heirs and continue the bloodline. It all made her squeamish honestly. In a perfect life, she wouldn’t mind marrying and settling down on her own terms with someone that she truly loved. But she didn’t have the perfect life, she had her mothers expectations and her sister's legacy.

She was honestly safer in the tower than back home.

A strange sound filled the air, and a frown pulled at her lips as she looked off outside. She adjusted her glasses as another horn sounded, a horn of all things. Why would a horn be here, who was blowing the damned thing. They were going to wake Harold up!

Leaning out the window, Amirah let out a gasp as banners crested over the hill. Banners that belonged to Pufort, the kingdom ruled by King Richard. In the distance, she spotted three men charging ahead of the group, and hope glittered in her heart as she spied familiar horns. Was Jardor really here? She didn't know who the other men were, or what she assumed were male honestly she knew some beefy female knights, oh gods was Clarissa here? That would truly make her day.

Before she could speculate, however, a loud roar filled the air and shook the ground. Clinging to the wall, Amirah looked up in slight fear. She knew that roar, and what it meant. A challenge, anyone who wanted her, had to go through them.

May the Divines bless their poor souls.

#exophilia #orcs #elves #minotaurs #orc boyfriend #elf boyfriend #god i havent posted in so long i forgot how to tag akdjskjrfjew #ok #this is gonna be a SLOW BURN POLYCULE #with a fourth wheel who is there for the clusterfuck #guess who is who this week on WHEN WILL HUFFLES CONTINUE THIS #lmao #kidding I have chapter two in the works bitches #my mental health is questionable but waking up at 4 am now has it merrits #you aren't ready for the concoctions i have in store #edited this bc I forgot that google docs doesn't trasfer to tumblr like it does on ff.net #my writing #sfw

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perditus-a · 3 years

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50 Headcanons Challenge

He has a unique bird language strictly specific to himself, but cannot understand other birds nor communicate with them.

His feathers shift slightly as time goes on, so the ones on the ends and lower are older than the ones closest to the base.

His two sword feathers are unique in that he usually uses them last if he can. They’ve been growing the longest, hence their size, and are his strongest ones.

Keigo does rifle through his wings and clean feathers that get too old though, because if they become too strong and dense it makes it harder to fly.

The larger the feather, the more it can carry and withstand. His two feather blades can handle several hundred pounds - but they’re slower to move so there is a limit to how big he should go.

His wings are strong, but as a child he couldn’t really lift himself as easily. It took a lot of fluttering wings and tripping and falling to get to a level of flight that was respectable.

His wings are trained not to react to his emotions, but when he isn’t trying they’re VERY emotional! They rise in excitement, droop in anger, and flutter with intense happiness and love. They also tense up in anger.

Keigo’s visor nullifies the enhanced sight he gained from his bird-like qualities because it’s too much and causes eye strain. He also has contacts and glasses that do the same function.

His earmuffs protect his ears during flight but also dull sounds so he can focus. Since he has his feathers and vibration sensing techniques, he can afford to lose it in exchange for greater focus on the field.

Yes his eye marks are birthmarks! But he also adds on a little eyeliner to make them look smoother.

He collects jewelry, especially earrings. He’s specifically fond of studs and has different sets. He even cheekily buys some to match his best friends as well.

Keigo can use JSL and ASL. He decided to pick it up so that he could communicate with deaf people on the field as well as vocal people. He thinks it’s important and advocates for it to be included in curriculum, though to little success.

He also uses Morse code and has trained his sidekicks and interns to use it as well. He uses it in conjunction with his feathers.

Keigo is well trained in hand-to-hand, but his specialty deals with swords and generally keeping his distance.

Much of his training in his youth was geared towards flight. A lot of the little quirks about his...well quirk... were discovered along the way and then focused on if they proved to be useful ( his vibration sensing ).

He can play guitar sort of, he’s not specially trained or anything - he can recognize chords and play based off of that but can’t come up with much on his own.

He has a pet falcon - their name is Kaze and they’re a TOTAL asshole to Keigo and everyone. But he trained them to deliver messages and do all kinds of things, so he’s stuck with them.

Keigo is trans! He has opted to not do any surgeries and probably never will due to being comfortable enough as is. He does wear binders though!

Keigo is bisexual - but tends to lean towards males.

He despises the League of Villains, but does have sympathy for specific members and the MLA.

He never went to any school before the commission picked him up, and learned things by reading newspapers and listening to people from the side.

He never had friends before the commission - his father wouldn’t let him see anyone.

Though he’s had social training, genuine stuff is actually a problem for him and more often than not he’s faking it. Completely.

The spot between his wings on his back is a sweet spot, and feels relaxing to rub. It makes him calm down from a panic attack.

Keigo is terrible at games unless they’re pay to win. Then he’s at least decent.

Keigo actually makes nests when he sits around and stuff, and have blankets all over his office and stuff. It’s completely subconscious, and he just does it without thinking.

He loves to kiss, it’s very very fun for him.

His preference for pets is dogs, despite having a Falcon. He doesn’t have the time to take care of one...but he wants one BADLY.

He can hold his breath longer than most due to his quirk, and it’s why he can fly in the air without requiring a mask.

After the WAR ARC, his ability to hold his breath is severely weakened and he can’t fly as high anymore without a mask. ( if he ever even gets his wings back TO fly).

His bones are dense but hollow and light, allowing him to take flight easier. It makes his body weigh a lot less than normal people his age, but it’s completely healthy.

Keigo’s favorite food is chicken, followed by strawberries and peaches. He’s a big fruit guy. He makes all kinds of fruit smoothies during his own time.

He has crazy balance, but losing his wings makes him stumble and fall a lot. Keigo is used to having a heavy weight on his back, and without it he’s clumsy and more likely to fall or knock in to things.

Keigo’s wings actually glow under the right type of light! His wings are very much like normal bird wings, and thus have the same properties. The colors are red/blue/purple with dapples of white.

He can see ultraviolet things, when his eyesight isn’t being diminished by his equipment. He dislikes it though.

He had always wanted a sibling as a kid, but has since grown out of that and desires a family instead.

He hates his father, but he’s always loved his mom even when she neglected him or said mean things to him...he wanted her to love and want him. It’s why he left, so he could give her a better life and hoped that maybe she would finally love him.

He didn’t start liking Endeavor until he busted his dad, though he grew more fond of him due to the plushie. He originally liked All Might, but he became more of an impersonal hero at best - Endeavor felt very real to him.

He’s considered dying his hair, but decided to keep it the same. He would rather have something to resemble his mother.

Keigo’s not really afraid of injuries and death because of his mom’s creepy quirk. It’s why it was easy for him early on to accumulate to it.

He loves motorcycles and hate’s most normal modes of travel. He does have a car, but it’s specially modified to allow him to relax his wings and not feel cramped.

Keigo only wears designer clothes while out and about, because it’s for his personal image as well as contracts his agency has.

Speaking of which, he models on the side as well as hero work! It’s pretty fun for him, but he doesn’t do topless shoots unless it’s for charity aimed at supporting LGBTQ+ groups.

Keigo can turn off his vibration sensing, but sometimes it’s difficult and he can get sensory overload. He usually counts under his breath when he’s feeling overwhelmed and needs a moment. He tries to hide this though.

His feathers are also sensitive, and he doesn’t like them being yanked. They only remove painlessly when he uses his quirk to do so.

He hates fire as well as storms.

Keigo also hates swimming, because the water makes his wings heavy and it gives him a back ache.

He has smacked in to a window once. Only once. He was a little intoxicated at the time since he very rarely drinks.

Keigo can’t taste spicy food at all! So he tends to make overly spicy food and his friends suffer for it. Oops.

Keigo absolutely loves swords!!!

#|| ✦ || Our wings are small but the ripples of the heart are infinite || Headcanons #|| ✦ || Where flowers bloom so does hope || OOC #winks at u #I DID IT #bnharpchub

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kaybarrswajasdesigns · 2 years

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010

(You could probably make a subbreed out of this, though idk how popular it would be. Also, I'll make previews of other colours upon request for 1mil WC.)

Token Slots: 0 TD: Dapple, Dragon Tail, Face Fade, Galaxy, Leg Fade D: Dalmatian, Fox Ears, Hindsight Fade Brush: Ear Fluff, Fade, Pied, Points, Spots

Buy this design!

#no token slots #for sale #fire #tempest #spitz #water #imp #divine #normal #dragon tail #fox ears

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dances-with-kuribohs · 3 years

Text

Pegasus is even worse than expected. 1700 words.

...

The sound of the waves and the gentle brush of the wind were the first physical sensations he could identify.

Beneath him, sand shifted as he moved, and he avoided that at first. He had to make sure he was all here. Arms, legs, torso, head. All the parts were there, at least. He could hear the sand crunching, movement around him, and he braced himself as he opened his eyes.

The sky was shockingly blue, but above him, occupying a portion of the skyscape, a smiling face leaned over him, brightening even further when it noticed he’d woken up.

“Kaiba boy! There you are, finally arriving at the party.”

The voice was grating. The enthusiasm ground against him like nails on a chalkboard. Pegasus Crawford leaned back to pull him to a sitting position, then continued guiding him upwards to help him stand.

Unwilling to test his voice, Seto Kaiba waited for several moments, trying to reconcile his knowledge of the world with the reality that confronted him.

He could feel the particles of sand that still clung to his skin. Waves lapped at the sand, palm trees swayed gently with the wind he’d felt, and behind the beach, a cliff face rose steeply to a tropical forest along its edge. He could not see around the edges of the beach on either side, but there was no hint of a road or path to the beach itself, and no one else on the beach or in the water. It was just him, the landscape, and Pegasus Crawford.

“You’ve changed.” Pegasus was evaluating him, his single eye roving over Kaiba’s apparel, and Kaiba wondered if he needed to justify himself. It had been years since they’d spoken. “You know, I do think you’ve gotten taller!”

“Why are you here?”

“I’m here because I want to be, Kaiba boy.” Pegasus was sunnily ambivalent, ignoring Kaiba’s withering glare. “Just look at that. I don’t think my island has ever looked more beautiful.”

“You never had a beach resort.”

“Details, details.” Pegasus flapped a hand in dismissal. “I could have had one. If I’d wanted. I preferred the castle, though, and that takes time to build.”

Kaiba had to follow as Pegasus began to walk, Pegasus’s sandals leaving deep imprints in the sand. “You know what I think of when I see the castle? Ozymandias.”

“‘Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!’” Pegasus crowed, chuckling. “Really, now. I don’t frown, nor do I have a wrinkled lip.”

“The lone and level sands do stretch far away, though.” Kaiba gestured to the beach. “Does Industrial Illusions even need the island anymore?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Kaiba boy. Does KaibaCorp still own the rights to Alcatraz? You’re still on the hook for that hunk of metal deep in the ocean.”

Kaiba wrinkled his nose, although Pegasus wasn’t looking at him. “How do you know about Alcatraz?”

“I know about plenty of things.” Pegasus lifted a hand to tap his temple, his shoulders shrugging with complete ease. “Do you remember that time you thought I didn’t know something, and it turned out I didn’t?”

The wordplay was disastrous. “No.”

“Neither do I.” Pegasus laughed, pleased with himself, and he guided Kaiba up to the edge of the beach where a wooden staircase led up to a path into the forest. “I always knew more than I let on, Kaiba boy.”

Kaiba looked down at his feet as he followed Pegasus up the staircase, hearing the slap of their shoes on the wood. The requirement to walk was unspoken, but it was something about this island: it was still Pegasus’s domain. Pegasus was still the host of this excursion.

Neither of them spoke until they reached the portion of the path where the bare dirt was overgrown with moss and fallen leaves. The sunlight dappled Pegasus’s hair, and Kaiba felt the occasional leafy frond brushing his arms as he followed the narrowing path. Pegasus was not unusual for owning an island, but the way he chose to use it was unique.

He’d built a castle on it. With crenellations. And a dungeon.

“Why didn’t you buy a place closer to the States?”

“If you want an island, come to Japan. I was already coming here for tournaments. And you were here, after all.”

Kaiba could feel how the innocence of the statement set his alarm bells ringing. The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

“You didn’t come here for me.”

“I didn’t have to. You came to me.”

“You had the rights to the game.”

“And you were desperate for the game, weren’t you.” Pegasus grinned, stopping to turn back to Kaiba, and Kaiba could feel the shark’s teeth hiding in that grin. Even now. Even here. Pegasus would still elude him. “Why my game, Kaiba? Why come after this one?”

“You were first on the scene. And it was well-designed.”

Pegasus clapped his hands together in delight. “You flatter me!”

Kaiba wanted to wince, but to react would be to give Pegasus the pleasure. “Your ability was never in question. Even at the tournaments. Even when you cheated.”

“It was not cheating, Kaiba boy. I was using my resources.” Though they’d stopped in the middle of the path, Pegasus made no move to keep walking, and he lifted a finger to his lips as he considered his next statement. “Wouldn’t you use the Eye, if you’d had it?”

“No.”

Kaiba knew that his focus was clear. And yet around Pegasus, the imagery grew...hazy.

“You can’t expect me to believe that you rely on a duelist’s honor. Not when you destroyed lives for the Blue Eyes.”

Kaiba could not react. Did not react. But he could feel his skin crawling. “You tried to destroy mine.”

“So where does that leave us, Kaiba boy? It’s easier when we’re not at each other’s throats.”

“You started it, Pegasus. You were the one who tried to take my company.”

Pegasus brushed aside the comment, shoulders shrugging. “You’re a businessman. It’s business.”

“You kidnapped my brother.”

“You drove a man to suicide.”

It was rare, nowadays, that Kaiba felt the need for physical violence. He had exorcised most of those impulses. But now, he wanted to punch Pegasus in the nose.

He resisted.

“You didn’t even want my company. It wasn’t about me.”

“You were cute, yes, with your toys. Games. Illusions. You never even asked about that, you silly goose, it was right in the name! I named my own company after my intentions and you never realized it.”

“I don’t care about the wordplay.”

“That’s rich, coming from someone quoting Shelley at me.” Pegasus grinned widely, folding his arms in a move all too like Kaiba himself. “That was part of your problem. You were always too honest.”

“Deception is a weak man’s game.”

“Or you’re bad at it.” Pegasus rocked forward onto the balls of his feet, bouncing in a way that seemed to echo his impatience. “You actually wanted to make games and toys. They handed me the proposal and I had to laugh! You took some of the finest programs in the field and fed them my Duel Monsters data so that you could have something to duel against! Don’t get me wrong, Kaiba boy, all that work is impressive enough, but it’s all so painfully obvious.”

Kaiba knew he should leave. Listening to Pegasus was a waste of time, even on a good day. This was unfiltered drivel. “Get me out of here.”

“Even now, you’re trying to convince yourself it’s different.” Pegasus leaned forward, nodding. “If you’re going to lie to other people, you have to learn to lie to yourself first. Didn’t you see that?”

Kaiba felt himself flinch. Hated it. “I don’t need to lie.”

“Yes, you do. It’s why you came to see me.” The entire world shivered, shuddered, resolved. Kaiba closed his eyes. “I know what you did, in the end. Host a tournament to get what you want? It’s a delightfully aggressive method, isn’t it. I’m flattered that I could inspire you. But you can’t rely on other people for all your best ideas.”

This was all wrong. Things had gone wrong. Kaiba knew it. Pegasus was still speaking.

“If you wanted your childhood innocence, you should have just pretended you had it anyway. I did. I almost did. But you were too busy to do it right.”

Kaiba braced himself, feeling the ground drop out from under him, and he twitched with a full-body spasm before he shot up into a sitting position. He gasped in a deep breath, opening his eyes to see his legs spread over the bed before him, and he reached up to tear away the first of the electrodes attached to his temple. At the console near the bed, Mokuba looked between the screen and Kaiba himself, his expression cautiously optimistic.

“So? How did it go?”

“I had to eject, didn’t I? It didn’t work.” Kaiba reached up to feel his throat, swallowing to feel his Adam’s apple bob. “I got Pegasus.”

“Oh.” Mokuba was quiet, brow furrowing slowly as he considered the idea. “I didn’t realize you had...memories of him.”

“Obviously I have memories of him. Even before I was president, he was at tournaments. And then there was Duelist Kingdom.”

Mokuba nodded, lowering his legs to the ground so that he could stand beside the bed and assist Kaiba in removing the rest of the electrodes. “If I knew it was Pegasus, I would’ve pulled you out sooner. But you said you wanted to get as much data as possible, so--”

“It’s fine.” Kaiba ran a hand through his hair, ensuring the wires were properly detangled and freed from his head. “I think it’s worse when he knows he’s dead. He’s even more flippant than usual.”

Mokuba shivered. “I don’t want to know about the Pegasus in your head.”

Kaiba scowled, though he agreed with Mokuba’s assessment. Attempting to translate the brain’s information into usable data was a painful process, and the Kaiba brothers had not yet discovered the trick to finding the data they most needed.

It was disconcerting, to think that Pegasus still lived inside his own head. Even if it had been...nice to see him again.

Pegasus was an annoyance, an irritant, and a fool.

And yet, having seen him, Kaiba could not rid himself of the ache of realizing, again, that Pegasus was gone.

#ah....ahah....#it's Pegasus #and it's Kaiba #listen

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