#hard surface modeling boot camp

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Month 1, day 13

More work on the cage! It opens now :D

I've also got the start of a chain so we can hang the cage but that's not ready to get shown off yet on account of it's, like, six chain links floating in midair rn XD

[the-slasher-files]

Hello there! I’m back with another request. Can you write some headcanons of Michael, Jason, Bo and Bubba if their S/O was an artist? I’m an artist and I would love to see their reaction if I showed them one of my latest drawings.

Yay.. ok so I’ve got a few requests for this (from a shy s/o to a confident one) so I kind of mixed them together :) also btw I don’t write for Bubba but I will write for all the others, plus more! hope you enjoy 🔪💕  

MASTERLIST

SLASHERS WITH S/O THAT LOVES TO DRAW OR IS AN ARTIST

INCLUDES JASON, MICHAEL, BO, VINCENT, and CHROMESKULL

JASON VOORHEES

First of all living where you do at the cabin there is so much inspo from deer, to the lake, to changing of the seasons.. It is honestly the best place for an artist

Jason always noticed a black notebook lying around with pens and pencils on every other surface, and you were oddly protective of the book, so he left it alone respecting your boundaries

Sitting with him in the quiet cabin Jason loved the sounds of the pencils scratching along the paper, and he loved to watch the soothing motions of your wrist going to work

Slowly he will become more and more interested in what you're doing and he needs to see. Sneakily inching himself closer to you as you work away and stretching his neck as far as he can, catching a glimpse then feeling guilty

Jason wants to respect you so much but it kills him that you’re not showing him. So when you were in the shower he quickly ran to the book and gently ran his fingers over your work, amazed at how good everything was and how you brought the nature/animals to life in the book from around the camp

Flipping a page then he is met with sketches of himself, with the mask and without, his hands, some of his wounds with the bones sticking out... it was beautiful and he couldn’t look away until you walked into the room pushing him away from the book but seeing his expression made you melt, he loved it so much and slowly brought out confidence in you, making you show him your work all the time

A few times he had brought some art supplies home from a group of teens that came along

One day he came home to canvases all over the floor and red paint splattered all over your old t-shirt Jason freaked out thinking it was blood in the dim lighting, he stepped on your canvases with muddy boots and held you up making you yelp... “Baby it’s just paint”... well now he feels foolish and upset for stepping on your art

The next night he still felt bad but you showed him what you had created from “the incident”... Bright colours framed the bootprint and brought out the muddy tones, some of the canvases had pressed flowers along the details of the print and it was so beautiful Jason immediately hung them on the wall  

Just an fyi he wants to always do crafts with you lol so make sure you help him

MICHAEL MYERS

Now this guy is pretty indifferent to everything but something about your art brings out a new side in him

You can say a lot of things about Michael but you cannot say he isn’t observant, he sees everything and knows everything

Like Jason he notices your many notebooks and various art supplies around the house, but he is far more intrusive than Jason and will rip the notebook from your hands holding your neck if you protest as he flips through it

Watching his face nothing changes, he just scans the pages then throws the notebook down walking away leaving into the night

The next morning notebook, paints, pens, brushes and other supplies litter the kitchen counter... wonder who got those???

Michael loves watching you work on your art, watching your facial expressions, the way the pens run along the paper and how the paint coats the canvases.. oop you just gave him an idea

One night he came home gruesomely cover in blood a little more than extra, and Michael moves above you and the art you are working on, whoops he is dripping blood on the canvas, then smearing it, then moving his knife along it using it as a brush, I guess

You yelled at him at first but watching how he seemed to enjoy the colours mixing together and the way the blood dried was sort of.. cute

You knew Michael had a funny and creative side just by the way he walked into the bedroom one night with a sheet over himself and sunglasses on, and the way he leaves marks on your body in a certain pattern or framing his favourite features of you. Michael’s art was his kill you realized

He really loves your pieces, even though he would never say so and Michael’s favourites were the sketches of himself you did and he would paint blood along them

You weren’t gonna lie it made the portraits more interesting and honestly beautiful, they quickly became your favourites as well

I’m sorry but my horny self just wants to see Michael in an all-black suit at an art gallery admiring the masked portrait of himself covered in blood... sorry but it’s hot lol

BO SINCLAIR      

So Bo is not really observant so it might take him a while to notice the art supplies around the house but even then he thinks it’s just Vincent’s

You will probably have to do just do the art in front of him before he gets that its your art supplies.. man sucks lol

Bo really enjoys your company when he is in the shop, you just sitting there working away in your notebook and him under the hood of his truck

He doesn’t necessarily push to see what you’re drawing but Bo teases, the harder you hide it the harder he teases... “what ya got in there sex drawings?” “Fuck darlin’ let me be your model”

If you don’t want him to see what you’re doing never leave your notebook behind because the man is a snoop in every sense of the word

Bo 100% supports your art even though he isn’t very interested in it and doesn’t really get it, if it makes you happy he will steal supplies from his twin and if victims have notebooks or pens he will bring them to you immediately  

On a day where you decided to spend the day at the shop, sitting on your chair sketching away while Bo was organizing his tools, he kept catching your glances and smirked “Baby, you need somethin?” he would ask smugly.

“Nope” a simple answer not stroking his ego “gonna grab a beer from downstairs you want one?” Bo nods as you make your way to the mini-fridge. Quickly the man strides over to the notebook, opening the page where you had placed your pencil. He knew it, sketches of himself, it makes his ego skyrocket.

“BO!!” pushing him away and he grabs the book holding it just out of your reach smirking “Momma always said I’d be a good model” “Don’t flatter yourself Sinclair, you’re the only man around for miles that doesn’t wear a mask or look like a trash man” you laughed as him smirk fell... run

He honestly loves your art even though Bo gives you a hard time... His favourite thing is falling asleep to the pencil sounds against the paper when you’re laying in bed together

VINCENT SINCLAIR

SAAAAAAME... lol

The man notices right away that he begins to lose his an unused notebook and some of his best art pencils

It made you very nervous to show Vincent what you sketched and painted since he was just so good at art in every way. It was unfair

His favorite thing to do with you is make little sculptures from wax or clay, he could tell you were very creative and good at what you made, and he would always be super supportive

Vincent’s praise and support made you more comfortable with doing your art around him and even showing him. The man loves it and loves all of it

Different from his brother, Vinny respects you a lot and is fine with not looking in your notebook until you’re ready to show him. He hates when people see his unfinished work and flip through his notebooks as well

The good thing about dating him is Vincent’s art stuff is now yours

Also he is a very good teacher, somehow though he cannot talk, Vinny never makes you feel bad about your art and if you need help he is more than happy to support

Art date nights!! Getting the idea from your phone, you lit all the candles and brought down all the paint you could along with the large unused canvases you had found. When Vincent strolls downstairs his eyes go wide, seeing you in just your bra and underwear “I’m ready for art class Vin” you giggle

When he finds your paintings or sketches of himself without his mask Vincent’s heart melts, finding someone like you to love him, let alone see his destroyed features as art kills him

CHROMESKULL

Jesse is a very watchful human, even when he isn’t at home the guy has cameras literally everywhere

When he was gone on a "business trip" you had all the free time in the world, plus you had picked up some new art supplies, so why not work a large piece when Jesse isn't around to distract you... When you had worked on for a few hours you got a text 'How's the painting coming along?' And that's when you realized cameras are everywhere!

If you are a shy person with your art he basically doesn’t allow you to be, he’s a pushy spoiled man but he is also very supportive and it makes you more confident in showing him  

Jesse honestly loves art and has many expensive paintings in his large home, so when he sees your art you better believe he will have Preston frame the art and put it on the walls, with special art gallery lights really making it look perfect

If you need any and I mean any art supplies no matter how expensive Jesse supports it *hands you his gold credit card*

"Oh.. renovations? To the already perfect mansion?" "Yup.. it's your new art studio"

Art, wine and cheese nights... the perfect date

Feeling uninspired? alright time to change the scenery, let’s go to a tropical destination or a wintery cabin. The man wants to spoil you and put your passion at the top of his priority list, plus he just wants a vacation and see you in your swimwear

It doesn't matter if you're shy about your art or confident Jesse will say he is taking you to an event, get you all dolled up and take you to an art gallery event that is just your art... surprise! Dumb rich bastard loves your work and flaunts it to everyone he can

[khaosgaming22]

Expunged Part II

Drifter hefted his coat up over his shoulders as he fired up his ship from The Derelict where he transmatted Guardians in for his Gambit. It was tattered and scratched from the last time he wore it. On that cold, desolate hellhole planet with the shadows that snuffed out his crew's light. As for the rest of them well... only one came back to tell the tale. He activated the communications. "How you doin down there Moondust?"

"I've told you numerous times to refrain from using that nickname of yours Germaine." She said back through the crackled radio. The icy moon had a blisteringly cold atmosphere and an almost perpetual cycle of snowstorms.

"Any idea where this friend of ours might be hidin?" He asked and the ship jettisoned from its hangar toward Europa.

"We don't even know who sent the signal let alone what it is. They simply said that they mean to show us something." Eris says stumbling over a pile of snow laden with orange streaks encased in the ice.

"Okay well meet me in this clearing. Storm's too heavy where you are for me to land." He clicked on autopilot and sat back in his chair maneuvering his jade coin around in his hand then setting it ablaze. The ship sat down eventually and Eris walked up to it having crossed the field of ice and snow. She removed her shawl from around her mouth and watched as Drifter got out and stepped onto the moon. He was not two steps on that they heard a low hum coming from the north. They looked and saw a sparrow rounding a glaicer in the distance and speeding towards them. The sparrow disintegrated and the stranger jumped off. Drifter put a hand on his revolver. He turned to her.

"So. You must be this stranger we've been hearin about, the one who sent that signal." The stranger nodded and they saw what she was. Metallic.

"You're an Exo." Eris notes out loud. The stranger nods but does not speak. She walks past them and looks off at the distance.

"Good spot to land." Her voice sounds English with the reverb that always comes with Exos. Drifter and Eris look out at the horizon. A pyramid ship wedged into the surface like a chisel. This is what I brought you here to see."

~

Kenneth and Drake flew to Europa immediately after hearing of what they found. Ken got the signal from the Drifter and Drake from Eris, they knew full well the danger of the situation, Europa was not Vanguard approved, still they piled into Ken's ship

"This ship is a dump. What happened to your old one?" Drake asked looking around at the interior. It wasn't as cozy as Ken's usual one. No Golden Age relics.

"You think I'm gonna fly my good one in this far out? And risk never getting it back? Hell no I took the junker." Drake sighed and sat down in the cockpit next to him after swiping off the dust.

"Are you certain that this flying scrap is going to survive Europa?" He asked and looked out the window as they ascended off Earth and jolted into lightspeed. Ken was hesitant.

"Do you want the nice lie or the cold hard truth that you probably shouldn't even pick it's really not worth-"

"Kenneth."

"....maybe." Drake got up from the chair and grumbled to himself.

"I'm going to walk around." He said halfheartedly and exited the cockpit to find another hopefully not-too-disgusting place to sit and think. He found a broom and began to brush off a place for himself to sit and meditate on the last time he had gone out this far. Eve buzzed around him, she could tell something was troubling her Guardian but ever since his encounter with his father she had been quiet. He thought about calling Torra but he didn't want her to worry anymore.

Drake still felt ashamed for the events of that day. It was idiotic to think he could take on his father alone. He didn't want to involve anyone else because he didn't want anyone else to fix what he thought was his mess. It wasn't his mess. It was his father's, but none of that mattered now and not just others, but his own lover got hurt. When he woke up he saw Torra over him, he remembered the tears down her face. She had taken her hood off to try to get through to him, a fruitless attempt. As he contemplated what had happened he heard the door open and Eve quickly returned to her bag.

"We're here." Ken announced. His gear had changed drastically from his Last City garb. His hood was white as snow with a glow from his Solar Light running through it, he had a thermal mask over his face along with a wolf insignia on his chest piece. His arms had armoring around them and his boots were gray with pipes running through them. Probably some sort of heating system, it looked appropriate for the surroundings but jerry rigged together in classic Ken fashion.

"I was wondering when you would change." Drake said standing up from his spot on the floor. "You were gonna freeze to death in...whatever you had on before."

"For your information I got that from The Nine. But yeah no that ain't gonna stand up to the temperature of this place." He said fiddling with his Hunter knife.

"Right. Well then we should get going now." Drake looked around the ship then turned to Ken. "Where exactly is the exit?"

"Right there." Ken pointed with his knife to a small round hatch that looked about the size of a trash can.

"...on second thought, transmat me out Eve."

Eve did so and Drake was dropped into the white powder below as the ship flew off to find a suitable landing zone. He looked around through his hood and got hir bearings before summoning his sparrow and sidearm. The wind howled around him and he had to use thermals and the location point to guide him through the terrain, but eventually he came to where an glaicer collided with another creating a flat field of ice where he saw both the ship and where the signal came from.

Drake took his sparrow up over the cliff and onto the ice meeting up with Ken and speeding off toward the camp that was set up against the glaicer. The storm was not as bad here as the cliff blocked the bad weather so he could make out three figures. Eris was sitting by the fire, Drifter was standing and fiddling with a radio and another hooded Exo that Drake had never seen before was leaned up against the tent. She had a pulse rifle slung across her back.

"'Sup Drift? How's it goin." Ken asked and got off his sparrow. Drifter waved to him not moving from his place by the fire. Drake understood why, whoever this hooded stranger was was an Exo, with no feeling for the blistering cold, Eris was Awoken and Drifter was human.

"Aside from the storms that come up over the ridge every now and then, not too bad." Drifter answered and took a swig of something in his canteen, Eris said otherwise.

"We have much to talk about." She said gravely and the stranger walked forward to greet the Hunter and Warlock.

"Greetings." She said in a metallic voice. Ken recognized it was modeled after a posh British accent and along with her frame she would be eye candy for any interested Guardian. "My name is Elsie Bray and like Eris said, we have a lot to explain."

~

The pyramid ship, Elsie's origin and why they were here already were heavy subjects, but then she told them why they needed them here so urgently. Drake was astonished at all of it. He had studied the records left on Mars' Braytech facility before The Eclipse, Elsie was Ana's sister but not from their timeline. Instead she somehow was able to move through the Vex Network using her weapon as an anchor point. Fascinating. He would have numerous questions for Elsie, but those would have to wait.

"You have an Exo friend yes? He's a Titan." The two thirds of a strike team nodded. "He is here. But... he is lost to something. He's gone on a rampage destroying everything in his path in blind rage." This concerned Ken greatly. Drake couldn't believe it.

"No. No those days are over, Chao reset himself he is a different person now there's no way-" Ken put his hand on his shoulder and pointed to the ebony pyramid looming behind them. Drake lowered his head and stood up. "Where is he now?"

"He is almost here, but I know how we can help him. He's an Exo, we can use my bastard father's laboratory to reset him again and hopefully that will calm him down. Ken shook his head.

"No. Nu uh no way absolutely not, we are not resetting our friend he will lose everything he knows about us. We'll break his corruption just like we did Drake." Elsie nodded but did not look as sure of herself.

"Come with me, he's just up the glaicer. The storm will have moved on by now."

~

The three of them took their sparrows up to where an old communications satellite dish laid in ruin from both the weather and their corrupt Titan friend. Ken pulled up his hood that had blown off from the ride up and took out his handcannon from its holster. Drake readied his sidearm and Elsie followed suit with her weapon while they braced themselves. They could hear the crushing of metal coming from the radio tower and soon it would no longer hold, fallong over onto the outpost with a crash. On top of the building was a Titan in armor that was black as soot and looked like a knight. His armor had changed. He was breathing heavily.

The Titan turned his head and saw the three of them, then he did something that Drake nor Ken had ever seen. His chest exploded and his fist became encased in ice, he ran off the building jumping up and slamming it into the ground. Drake was so baffled at this that he had to be woken up by a shout from Ken.

"Drake get your head in the game man! We gotta take him down!" Ken shot rounds of his Sacramento at Chao but he slammed the ground and more ice shot up and the shots hit it instead. Then the Titan slid into them and they shattered into shards that exploded out and at Ken and Drake. This was not normal ice, it was sharp and tough as a rock crystal and it embedded itself into Ken's leg. He yelped out in pain.

"Agh- Son of a bitch that hurt! Drake! Don't let them hit you!" Drake ran over to Ken and put his healing rift down but it would only do so much and the Titan was not stopping to let the Hunter go through rehab. Chao slid into Drake and landed a punch knocking him off his feet and over Ken as he clutched his chest in pain. Elsie helps Drake up.

"I've called for Drifter and Eris, they'll be here shortly. Kenneth! Can you keep him busy?" Ken dodged out of the way of one of Chao's attacks and pulled out the shard with another scream.

"Yeah I can keep him busy but where the hell are you going?!" Elsie summoned her sparrow once she heard Drifter and Eris coming up the ridge.

"The Drifter and Eris are coming to help! I'm taking Drake somewhere where we can even the odds! We'll be back soon!" With that she and Drake sped off.

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

And here it is everyone! Part 2 of Chao's story here on Europa. I know this is like 2 seasons late and we're almost to Splicers (which looks really cool btw definitely look out for stuff around this new season) Hunt was the worst season for me and the burnout hit quick, I played enough of Chosen to hear all the voice lines of my favorite blonde mechanic during Battlegrounds and took down Caital's champ in the tank. Long rambling short: It's almost summer and I'm ready to write more stuff as the longest and hardest school year finally starts to wind on down. And as always I hope you enjoy! (Art was done by the Magnificent @scout-fang check out her stuff if you haven't but you probably have already lol)

[aliciameade]

“The Great Indoors”

Author: aliciameade Rating: G Pairing: Beca/Chloe Summary: Beca and Chloe accidentally get locked inside an R.E.I. (An outdoor activities supply store, for those unfamiliar.) Hijinks ensue.

This one goes out to @beyond-bechloe for their generous donation to the @ppfandomdrive​! Thank you for your support!

Also on AO3

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Beca didn’t consider herself particularly outdoorsy (she could get sunburned at night and she was allergic to every type of stinging insect, among other inconveniences), but she enjoyed fewer shopping excursions than those to R.E.I. to be Chloe’s helper whenever she had an upcoming trip. Beca was in charge of the shopping cart and telling Chloe whether or not the gear she was trying on looked cute while still being functional.

And Beca liked the gear and supplies. It was cool how there were so many specialized shoes and backpacks and jackets for all manner of activities. She wouldn’t mind being less prone to emergencies to be able to try something new once in a while.

Plus, she kind of liked Chloe’s dedication to always trying to convince Beca to join her on her next adventure.

She also liked Chloe pouting until Beca admitted whatever she was trying on was indeed cute. Beca always thinks Chloe’s cute but it’s not like she can tell her that all the time. That would be weird. Friends don’t do that.

“Who are you going with?” she asks as Chloe stands in front of a display of kayaking gear.

“The same crew I went out to Zion with. They’re always encouraging everyone to bring a friend. You should totes come with me.”

Beca surveys the kayaks leaning against the wall and visions of flipping over, getting stuck, and drowning flash through her mind. “Pass,” she says quickly. “Maybe something more...terrestrial.”

“Okay,” Chloe says with a shrug. She never argues with Beca over it, but she does always re-extend the invitation. “What do you think: black or pink?” she continues as she plucks two helmets off the display to turn and hold them up for Beca’s opinion.

“Let’s see ‘em in action,” she answers, gesturing for Chloe to try them on.

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

“What kind of adventure would you be down for?” Chloe asks, somewhat unexpectedly, as they meander through displays and racks of camping gear. They’ve already picked out everything on her list but still find themselves browsing. “When you said ‘more terrestrial,’” she adds. “Camping?”

Beca’s about to answer when the PA system interrupts, informing shoppers the store will be closing in 15 minutes. She waits until they’re finished.

“Yeah, camping, I guess,” she says with a vague wave of her hand toward the staged campground the store has set up to display their wide variety of tents, coolers, chairs, and portable grills. “Just maybe not in the middle of nowhere like you do.”

She knows her answer excites Chloe by the way her eyes light up and her back straightens. “I don’t even own a tent because I’m always sharing with someone else on the trip.” She’s already on her hands and knees crawling through the entrance of a small tent before Beca can argue.

Not that she has a point to argue.

Chloe’s kneeling inside and looking out at Beca expectantly. “Come on! Let’s try this one.”

Beca just gives a shake of her head and kneels down to crawl into the tent, too. She hears Chloe zip the flap behind her and then she’s being dragged down until they’re lying side by side.

“We fit!” Chloe declares as she makes it a point to spread out and take up space until she’s crowding Beca.

“Obviously we fit,” she says, trying not to laugh as Chloe’s elbow digs into her ribs until she’s forced to roll onto her side to escape it. “It’s a two-person tent. We are two people.” She should have known better to turn, though, because the second she does, Chloe’s on her like a magnet, making Beca her little spoon as she does so often.

Not that she minds Chloe’s propensity to be close to Beca.

She kind of loves it, in fact.

“See, and we can cuddle for body heat if it gets chilly overnight.”

“Right,” Beca says, letting herself smile when she feels the way Chloe’s almost nuzzling her. It drives her crazy, too. Chloe is so physically affectionate with Beca, more so than anyone Beca’s ever dated, and she and Chloe are definitively not dating. It feels like they are, though, from the way they check in with one another throughout the day if they’re apart and how they download their days when they’re together to their Co-Captain Conferences which is just a serious-sounding name that allows them to lock themselves in Chloe’s room under the guise of working on the Bellas’ next set when they’re actually watching movies or talking or napping and not getting interrupted.

The way Beca’s heart aches when Chloe does go on her weeklong excursions...that, too, makes it feel a lot like they’re dating.

But...they’re not.

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

It’s the last thought that floats through her mind before her eyes are fluttering open to near darkness.

She’s disoriented and her shoulder and hip ache from whatever hard surface she’s lying on. The only thing she does recognize is the scent, sound, and feel of Chloe asleep behind her and she jostles her until she’s startling awake, too.

“Hmm, what?” Chloe says, voice gravelly with sleep.

“We fell asleep in the tent,” Beca says once her brain stitches the events together. Once she sits up and glances out of the tent’s mesh window and is met with the dimly lit retail floor, her heart stops. “Chloe?”

“Hmm?” she says through a yawn as she sits up, too.

“What time is it?”

She watches Chloe pull her phone out of her back pocket—Beca’s own phone is in her purse which...she realizes with additional terror...was left in the cart before they decided to try the tent—and check it. “10:34.”

Beca inhales at that and holds her breath, waiting for Chloe to connect the dots, too.

“Oh, my gosh, it’s 10:34!”

“And it’s dark in here.” Beca leans forward to unzip the tent’s flap and crawl out, relieved to find her purse in the cart, everything right where they left it by some miracle. “Chlo, the store’s closed.”

She watches Chloe crawl out, too, and stand to survey everything, just like Beca’s doing. “There must be a security guard or something,” Chloe says confidently as she starts walking toward the entrance.

There is no security guard, they find. They also decide to not try the doors because setting off an alarm might be really bad. A phone call to the company’s customer support number instructs them to call back during the hours of 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM.

“Okay, we don’t need to panic,” Beca says when she watches Chloe start to do her panic-pacing. “We’re fine. We’re safe.”

“We’re trapped in here!” Chloe screeches.

It makes Beca flinch and she grabs Chloe by the forearms when she paces past again. “Chloe, chill out!”

Chloe gulps and Beca can see the fear in her eyes.

“Chill, okay?” she says, lowering her voice. “They’ll open in the morning and we can leave. They have bathrooms and water, and I know you have at least one granola bar in your purse, right?”

Chloe nods and her eyes start to look a bit less wild.

“Good.” Beca smiles, and then lets herself smile bigger. “We’re locked in a store.”

Chloe whines. “I know, Beca!” 

“No, Chloe. We’re locked in a store!” she turns them so Chloe’s facing toward the sporting goods supplier’s floor, devoid of other shoppers and employees. “Didn’t you ever dream about this as a kid?”

She can tell Chloe’s considering it, thinking about it, until a smile starts to tug at her lips. “Okay, yeah.”

“Then, come on!” Beca grabs her hand to run—not out of necessity but out of excitement—back into the depths of the store. “I want to play with everything. What first?”

“Bikes! Let’s get bikes,” Chloe says pointing off to their left. “This place is huge; we can get around faster!”

“Yes, yes—I love the way you think.”

Armed with speedy transportation, they make it a point to visit every department, trying on hiking boots and life jackets and snowboards. Chloe decides to document the adventure on her Instagram so every department needs to have its own photoshoot.

Eventually, they end up back in the paddling department and Beca’s helping Chloe maneuver a massive tandem kayak down from where it’s leaning against the wall.

“Get in,” Chloe says, gesturing at the front seat while she lowers herself into the back after grabbing a couple of paddles. “I’ll show you how easy it is.”

“I don’t know how to tell you this,” Beca says as she takes the offered paddle and sits down, “but we’re not in the water right now.”

“Shush, I know. But I can show you the stroke.”

Beca can’t help the amused snort that escapes her.

“You just made that dirty.”

“Did not.”

“Yes, you did.” Chloe sounds amused. “Okay, put your hands where the grippy parts are on the paddle.”

Beca does as she’s told and then jumps a little when Chloe’s voice is suddenly close.

“Good.” Chloe’s arms suddenly frame Beca’s, her hands just outside of each of her own. “It’s just this motion.” Then they’re moving, Chloe’s push and pull directing Beca. “See how easy?”

Something about the moment makes Beca’s voice catch for a second and she has to swallow. “Yeah. Something tells me it’s not as easy in a river.”

“It’s really not difficult. Would I lie to you?”

“No, I guess not.”

Chloe hums, happy with Beca’s answer, and then her presence retreats. “Keep going; I need to take a picture. Actually, I’m going to do a video!”

“Of course you are,” Beca laughs but carries on for Chloe’s entertainment.

It’s around 2:00 AM when they’re both yawning, having eaten Chloe’s emergency stash of granola bars and a bag of gummy bears Beca swiped from the checkout area, promising Chloe she’d pay for them tomorrow with the rest of their items. They return the bicycles to their display and wander back to the camping section.

“You know, if there was ever a store to get locked in, this was a pretty good option,” Chloe says as she sits down on the edge of a fully inflated air mattress. It’s the floor’s display model, but it’s a bed nonetheless.

“So true.” Beca follows, settling on the slightly wobbly mattress next to Chloe.

Usually, like in the tent, she would flip onto her side, her back to Chloe to settle in for sleep.

For some reason, this time she turned the other way to face Chloe. Maybe because they weren’t finished talking—they didn’t yet have a plan for the morning, aka what to tell the first person who discovers them—or maybe Beca just wanted to look at Chloe for a few more seconds before going to sleep.  

“I can’t believe this happened,” Chloe says with a giggle once they’re both settled.

“I know, right? So cool.”

Chloe’s quiet for what feels like a second too long before she says, “Thank you for calming me down. You know how I can get worked up about stuff.”

Beca smiles gently. “Yeah, of course, dude. You know I got your back.”

“I know you do.”

Chloe’s eyes are on Beca’s and the silence between them is suddenly heavy. Something about it makes Beca’s heart start to race. Chloe’s just looking at her not saying anything and Beca’s about to ask why she’s staring when Chloe interrupts her.

“Can I kiss you?”

Beca’s not sure she heard correctly. It’s hard to hear over the sound of the blood rushing in her ears. She debates asking Chloe to repeat herself, but she doesn’t want her to backpedal if she thinks Beca’s response means she wasn’t okay with it. Because she is so, soooo okay with it.

And if Beca did mishear, then she’ll deal with whatever she’s about to agree to.

“Yes.”

She didn’t mishear.

She can’t help the gasp that comes when Chloe’s lips are suddenly on hers. They’re soft and gentle but confident in their purpose and Beca is sure to kiss her back once her mind catches up with it.

Chloe pulls back after a few seconds and even in the dim lighting, she can tell Chloe’s blushing. She knows she is, too. “Was that okay?” Chloe asks, eyes wide and teeth tugging nervously at the lip that was just pressed against Beca’s.

Beca lets herself start to smile; the shock is subsiding and happiness is starting to rush into its place. “Why did you stop?” she asks, bringing her hand up between them to tug on Chloe’s shirt.

It’s not hard enough to actually pull Chloe in but it gets her point across and she’s still smiling when Chloe’s gleeful laugh gets muffled between their second kiss, one that is less about determining if it’s okay and a lot more about how their tongues move together.

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

They’re roused by blinding fluorescent lights a few hours later and share the story of their accidental lock-in with the very confused and highly suspicious morning shift. Chloe begs the manager-on-duty to not reprimand whoever was responsible for ensuring all guests were out of the store before locking up, blaming themselves for not paying attention to the time.

Eventually, they’re allowed to leave and pay for what they’d been shopping for yesterday, plus the two-person tent (which Chloe had run back to grab off the shelf and returned with a wink).

“Okay, what’s with the tent?” Beca asks once they’ve loaded up the back of Chloe’s car in the completely empty parking lot and sat down.

“We are totes going camping and making out under the stars.”

“Oh, are we?” Beca asks with amusement as she buckles her seatbelt.

“Yep,” Chloe says, taking advantage of Beca’s proximity to direct her right up and into a kiss. “If that’s okay with you?” she asks, eyes a little softer so Beca knows she’s being earnest.

“Yeah, okay,” she nods. “But I’m not sure it’s fair for you to ask me after you kiss me.”

“So I should withhold kisses until you answer?” Chloe says with a grin as she starts the car and drives toward the exit and street that will lead them back to the house.

“That doesn’t seem fair either,” Beca says with a thoughtful pout.

“Kinda sounds like I get my way if kisses are involved.”

Beca starts to object but instead, just smiles and looks out the passenger side window. “Yeah, it kinda does sound that way.

The End  

[one-boring-person]

Whose Side Are You On? (Part Four)

Terminator (1984) reader insert.

Warnings: reference to war, reference to death reference to injury.

Context: Kyle gives Sarah some clarity on the situation whilst partaking in a car chase.

A/N: I had to look up a script to get everything accurate, so I hope it's not too bad!😂

Masterlist

Shrieking horns pursue them as they hurtle down the roads, swerving between cars and other vehicles, tyres struggling to retain their grip on the smooth roads as Kyle takes the corners at record speed, Sarah only staring out of the window in numb terror, forming a plan in her head.

"Are you injured?! Are you shot?!" The soldier demands, shooting hasty looks over at her in between glancing behind them.

His voice seems to snap her from her trance, her hands instantly moving to try and open the door, only for her body to be pressed back into the seat by Kyle's arm, which pins her to the chair with intimidating force, a squeak of terror leaving her.

"Do exactly what I say! Exactly! Don't move unless I say, don't speak unless I say! Do you understand?" He growls at her, before raising his voice when she doesn't respond, "Do you understand?!"

"Yes! Please don't hurt me..."

"I'm here to help you." Kyle reassures her, "I'm Reese. Sergeant Tech-Con. DN38416. Assigned to protect you; you've been targeted for termination."

"This is a mistake...I haven't done anything!" The frightened girl exclaims, staring, wide-eyed, at her rescuer.

"No, but you will. It's very important that you live."

"This isn't true." She shakes her head in disbelief, "How could that man just get up after you..."

"It's not a man, it's a machine. A terminator. Cyberdyne Systems model 101." Kyle explains, hitting another hairpin corner.

"A machine? Like a robot?" Sarah asks, bewildered by what the hell is spewing from this man's mouth.

"Not a robot. A cyborg - cybernetic organism."

"No, he was bleeding-"

"Just a second..." He checks the rear view mirror briefly, "Get your head down!"

As police siren wails just beside the car, Kyle jerking the wheel to the side so that the two vehicles collide with one another, the cop crashing into another parked car as the soldier speeds on, now pursued by another policeman. Yanking the wheel to the side, Kyle steers the car roughly down a dingy alley, leading the police on a tight chase, until he's managed to shake them off for the minute.

"Listen: the terminator's an infiltration unit, part man, part machine. Underneath, it's a hyper-alloy combat chassis. Microprocessor controlled, fully armoured - very tough. Outside, it's living human tissue; flesh, skin, hair, blood, all grown for the cyborgs." He explains further, voice strained as he navigates the unfamiliar streets.

"Look, Reese, I don't know..." Sarah starts, rubbing her forehead a little.

"Pay attention!" He snaps, casting a quick glance back to where his sister is unconscious, "I've gotta ditch this car."

Veering off into an indoor parking lot, Kyle instantly makes a beeline for the furthest part of the spacious area, parking the car amongst others with precision. Cutting the engine, he signals to Sarah to follow him, grabbing (Y/n) from the back seat and leaving the car, awkwardly shuffling with her cradled against him over to another car, which he quietly breaks into and starts hotwiring, just as the first police cars storm into the area, lights flashing, sirens blaring. Ducking down, Kyle continues his recount.

"The 600 series had rubber skin, we spotted them easy, but these are new. They look human. Sweat, bad breath, everything. Very hard to spot. I had to wait for it to make a move on you before I could zero him."

Sarah scoffs, closing her eyes as a light passes over them.

"Look, Reese, I'm not stupid! They cannot make things like that yet!" She argues, body tense in her seat.

"No, not yet. Not for forty years..."

"So you're saying it's from the future?" Her tone easily betrays her disbelief, but Kyle almost misses it.

"One possible future...from your point of view, I don't know tech stuff..."

"Then you're from the future?" She questions, breathing heavily, her hand once more reaching for the door handle.

"Right."

"Right." Rolling her eyes, she makes a break for it, trying to wrench the door open, only to once again find herself pinned to the seat by a muscular arm, though she is swift to retaliate, sinking her teeth into the soft flesh of his skin until she tastes blood. Unfortunately for her, he doesn't let go, only gritting his teeth as he stares her down, waiting patiently for her to let go of him.

"Cyborgs don't feel pain, I do. Don't do that again." He growls at her as she releases him, slowly withdrawing his hand.

Sarah whimpers, appearing hopeless and lost.

"Please, just let me go!" She pleads, shrinking back into her seat in resignation.

"Listen and understand: that Terminator is out there, it can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with, it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear, and it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead." Kyle tells her, looking almost sorry for her as he reveals the nature of the killer to her, knowing all too well the devastating effects a cyborg hitman can have on a community.

"Can you stop it?" She asks quietly, eyes wide as she looks at him in the dark.

"I don't know." He says regretfully, shaking his head, "With these weapons, I don't know."

They are silent for a minute, listening to the police cars driving around the lot in search if them, Kyle's eyes fixed in the windscreen as he tries to spot an opening.

"Reese, why me? Why does it want me?" Sarah finally says, looking over her shoulder at the body of the unconscious soldier in the back, "And who is that? Why is she here?"

"That's my sister." He lists off her titles, but they go over Sarah's head as she listens, looking over the badly-dressed girl in the back, taking in the oversized police coat and sturdy boots, just catching the glimmer of her handgun in the pocket of the coat.

"As for your first question, well, there was a nuclear war, a few years from now. Everything is gone: all of this, everything you know, gone. There were survivors here and there, but nobody knew who started it. It was the machines, Sarah." He continues to explain, looking over at her.

"I don't understand..."

"Defence network computers, new and very powerful, hooked into everything, trusted to run it all. They say it got smart, a new order of intelligence." Kyle gazes down at his lap, "And then it saw all people as a threat - Not just the ones on the other side. It decided our fate in a microsecond. Extermination."

"Did you see this war?" Sarah questions after a minute, his words instilling a deep sense of fear into her.

"No, I grew up after, in the ruins. Starving, hiding from the HKs." A wistful look enters his eyes, as if not quite in the present anymore.

"HKs?"

"Hunter-killers -patrol machines built in automated factories. Most of us were rounded up for work. Orderly disposal. They burned this into our skin by laser, both of us have one," He pulls up his sleeve to reveal an angry red scar in the form of a barcode adorning his skin, "Some of us were kept alive to work loading bodies, the disposal units ran day and night. We were that close to our end, until one man changed that. He showed us how to resist, how to storm the wire of the camps, to smash those metal motherfuckers into junk. He turned it around for us, he brought us back from the brink."

He looks over at Sarah.

"His name was Connor. John Connor. Your unborn son, Sarah."

As he finishes, a sudden gunshot smashes in the back window, glass shards flying inwards as a police car stops behind them, a horribly familiar face behind the wheel.

Upon seeing this, Kyle curses and crushes the accelerator down, the tyres squealing as the vehicle lurches forwards, avoiding a close shot from the driver behind, Sarah crying out as she is thrown into the door of the car, jarring her shoulder. Deftly, the soldier manages to pull the car into a straight line again, shouting briefly at Sarah to duck as more and more shotgun rounds embed themselves in the car, his eyes focused on the short stretch of road ahead of them, jerking the wheel round again to avoid a wall.

Decisively, he steers the car from the parking lot and back onto the road, where he immediately starts swerving between cars to throw their pursuer off, ducking down as more and more gunshots ricochet off of the car's body. Glancing back, he makes a split second decision.

"Drive!" He commands Sarah, who hesitantly does as he says, taking the wheel in hand as the soldier leans out of the window, shotgun raised and spewing rounds into the oncoming police car. She takes the car round most bends, until one particular problem suddenly pops up.

"Reese!" She screams warningly, sharply pulling on the handbrake as they approach the concrete wall ahead of them, praying that the car will slow in time.

Thankfully, it does, though the Terminator's vehicle is not so lucky, the car smashing into the solid surface at great speed, the bonnet crumpling and shattering on impact, the cyborg's body flying forwards. Pulling the car to the side, Sarah manages to stop the car, leaning back in her seat as they are suddenly surrounded by police, the officers shouting at them to leave the car and raise their hands. Instinctually, Kyle goes to fight back, reaching for his gun until Sarah stops him.

"They'll kill you!"

Just as she says this, a tired voice comes from behind them, movement finally coming from the prone soldier.

"What-what happened?"

Part Five

[eugenesmorphine]

Diamond Earrings And Sweet Words // George Luz Imagine

AN: If anyone has requested anything recently, just know that the imagines will be done, I promise. 

Taglist: @alienoresimagines​ @hihosilvers​ @floydtab​

Words: 1,639

 Y/N hummed at she walked into the Eagle's Nest. A whistle leaving her lips as her eyes scanned the room. Taking in all the nice and expensive items that belonged to the previous Nazi Officers that occupied the place. She walked over to a desk as she heard a few other Paratroopers file into the large room and she looked at the different amount of components littered all over the desk. The female Paratrooper taking each item into her hands and observing it. It had been a very long time since she had seen so many nice and valuable things. First it was a watch,  then a small figurine of some sorts, a small tea cup that was was the prettiest shade a white and blue. Though, one thing that caught her eye specifically was a shine. Her hands slowly placed the cup down and her focus now drawn to the item that carried the large glint. That being a beautiful set of diamond earrings. Y/n was left in total awe.

 See, Y/N grew up on the poorer sides of things. She worked hard her entire life along side her parents to make ends meet. Though, she never really had anything new or expensive. Especially when it came to clothing and jewelry. She only owned one pair that had been passed down through her mother's side of the family. And the female only wore them on extremely special occasions. And now, here she was, staring agape at the most beautiful piece of shiny jewelry she had ever seen. She slowly reached her hand down the the dangling pair of earrings.

 "Hey Doll, snag anything good yet?" A familiar man spoke loudly from behind her. Popping up to her side. Y/N jumped, lurching her hand back to her side as her body jolted upwards. A hand going to her chest from shock as she gulped, looking over to the man. That man being George Luz, standing there with a wide grin on his face and a lot of junk in his hands.

 "Jesus George! Don't sneak up on me like that! I thought you were a damn Kraut or something!" Y/N huffed as she pushed the Paratrooper's shoulder lightly. In which he just chuckled and snaked an arm around her waist.

 "Aw Doll, you know I'm too cute to be any Kraut! And you didn't answer my question," he placed a soft kiss on her temple. She hummed and turned, breaking away from the male. Who let out a small whine in protest and turned around with her and followed her gaze down to the desk in front of them. He quickly grabbed a few items, including the ones that she had just looked at.

 George's gaze quickly landed on the earrings, who Y/N was still gawking over. He cracked a small smile, knowing all about how she lived before they met way back in Paratrooper training. He thought it was cute seeing how Y/N was almost drooling over the piece of jewelry. He grabbed them slowly and brought them up to her hands. Which she quickly cupped in front of her body. Y/N's lover gently placed them in Y/N's  small hands. She looked at them and ran her thumbs over the shiny rocks that created the beautiful piece.

 "Why don't you try them on doll, I know you want to," he grinned as she looked up at him. Her lips quickly forming into a smile and she bite her bottom lip. Quickly walking over to a vanity with a big mirror. Sitting on the soft cushion seat while starring back at her reflection. George leaning down to look at his own reflection. Resting his head on her shoulder. She noticed how dirty she looked. How gross her hair looked. At all the dirt that was covering his S/C skin. In the moment, she had a strange feeling of vulnerability. These Nazi Officers lived this lavish lifestyle throughout this awful war that their commander in charge, Adolf Hitler, started. Whilst grunts like her and the rest of Easy Company, and men all over the globe, were dying every day of frigid temperatures, blood thirsty enemies, sickness, or god knows what. She couldn't even remember the last time that she had a shower. Y/N then glanced at the grinning man whose head rested on top of her right shoulder. His smile could light up anyone's life. No matter what. And don't even get the woman started on this man's laugh. It makes her heart melt each time.

 'How do I deserve him?' was all she thought. No matter how much mud, blood or dirt that was covering him and his uniform. No matter how much of a beard he had. He was so perfect in her eyes. Everything was perfect. But she looked like this. A female G.I. whose hair was knotted and covered in mother nature's grossest. 'He could land any time he wants, but he still choosing me?'

 George new that look that was etched onto his woman's face. He looked at her through the mirror. He pressed a sweet kiss onto the top of her head. Reaching down slowly, his eyes never leaving Y/N's E/C orbs. Grabbing the earrings gently out of her dainty hands and pulling her hair to tuck it between her ears. "You know you are the most beautiful woman I have ever set my eyes on," he spoke softly as he placed one earring oh so carefully into the piercing hole on her left earlobe. Y/N scoffed slightly and shit her eyes. Averting her gaze from his when she opened them.

 "Funny joke, Georgie," she exhaled as she looked back at him through the reflection of the mirror. He frowned slightly as he placed the other earring in. He then leaned over her, so his arms were now over her shoulders and his hands rested on the vanity in front of them. His chin rested on her hair, taking a deep breath and exhaling quite dramatically. For once, George was putting aside his jokes and trying to be serious. Most of the times, he showed his love through jokes, impressions, or god knows what else would come to the Paratroopers mind.

 "I'm serious Y/N, you're the most prettiest woman I have ever laid my eyes on," he spun her around in the cushion seat. She was now staring at him instead of her reflection. he earrings dangled from her ears. The shine sticking out clear as day compared to her rugged, dirty and tattered uniform. George meant his words with every bit of himself. He had fallen in love with the woman back in the beginning of all this shit. Way back three years ago when their boots first hit the dirt in Camp Toccoa. She was the first female in the Airborne, but she fit in so well with the rest of the men. Laughing, cracking jokes immediately as all the guys were being placed into their companies. And when she came up to George, forget it. He fell for her when she jogged over. A wide smile on her face, her hair swaying from side to side whilst in a tight ponytail. How she stuck out her hand as he was at a loss for words. And it was just the beginning.

 George placed his calloused hand so he could cup her cheek. Y/N smiled softly as she leaned into his soft touch. George did have his sweet moments. Besides his normal sweet. Like no jokes, just straight feelings. "Honest doll, you are better than any goddamn model. Whether covered in dirt, mud, and sweat. Or dressed up with a bunch of makeup. And once we get out of this mess of a war. I'm going to take your beautiful ass home, put a ring on that finger, you are going to put those earrings on along with a pretty white dress. I don't want no model that cries if she breaks a nail. I want a strong, determined woman that has killed more Krauts than I have. And that woman is you."

 Y/N was sort of shocked hearing the emotion that was leaving her boyfriend's lips. Sure he had been sincere in the past. But nothing like this. Not one joke left his mouth the entire time! What a shocker. She smiled and cupped his cheeks, pulling him down so their lips met for a short second. "I'd be more than happy George to do that. But first, you and I need some showers," Y/N started, standing up whilst George's arms wrapped around her waist pulling her close. Leaving no space between them. She giggled as the tips of their noses touched. "And a little birdie told me that there was a shower that was free," George smirked as he thought he understood what the female Paratrooper was implying to. He hummed as his head went into the crook of her neck, planting small kisses all over the surface area. Y/N bit her bottom lip slightly as she let out a laugh. Throwing her head back as her lover grazed across the ticklish spot of her neck.

 "Though, I call the first shower!" she shouted, quickly wiggling out of her man's grasp and taking off down the hall, pushing past a small group of Replacements that were entering the Eagle's Nest. George scoffed for a second, his hands dropped to his sides. Soon going to his hips as he stared at the now disappearing figure of his woman. "I'm totally marrying her," he exhaled as he chuckled. Quickly taking off in pursuit of the woman, the shine of those diamond earring still in her ears. George already knew what he was in for soon for his future with the love of his life. And he was more than happy with it.

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #164

Hey, not dropping the ball actually worked!

We’re just a hair’s length away from summer vacation, but unlike last year when Tomoko approached summer with not much consideration, she’s now taking a proactive role in deciding how to spend her last summer in high school. At first glance, Tomoko appears to have become a responsible, young lady. But as we soon will see, that can-do attitude may not be as refined as it looks on the surface.

Chapter 164: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Do My Best Starting From Summer Break 

There’s that time period during the day when most students have already left but school hasn't quite closed up. It’s pretty creepy, even more so before summer break when you’re expected not to stick around.

Have I mentioned Itou is a cute? ‘Cause she is.

It’s usually her looking after Komiyama, so it’s really sweet to see the dynamic flipped around like this. Despite, well, everything, Komiyama is a good friend.

Assuming that cheering for the baseball teams is optional, it’s endearing to see Itou go through with it. Even though baseball isn’t her thing, she’s likely doing it to support her bestie, which I can 110% get behind.

Ah, right. Dude’s in the manga club. That said, I wonder if their plans are for just being attendees, or if they’ll actually be manning a booth and selling their work. With his skills and, er, preferences, I think Hatsushiba could do the latter.

Don’t be so modest, Tomoko. There’s no slouching either when you’re a three-year veteran of the Going-Home Club. 

Studying during summer break? Outrageous!!

It’s intriguing to see just how Tomoko’s study habits have evolved throughout the series. The early days would see her spend summer goofing off on her hobbies, with bare minimum concern for academics. But now, Tomoko is actually considering studying on her own accord. Sure, it’s more-or-less a fallback when she has nothing else planned, but the thought itself is still worth mentioning.

Is that one of those mini-fans that you can carry around in your bag? I love those things.

Study camp, huh? Any other day, Tomoko would be apathetic to the idea, leaning more on the side of brushing it off. But having Katou bring it up makes all the difference, ‘cause let’s be real. Katou could ask her to sign up for a hostess bar at the Red Light District and Tomoko would still seriously consider it.

Miss you, Yuu-chan.

I second that, Komi. Fourteen hours of studying a day is brutal, even if that’s to be expected in what is essentially a boot camp. I’ve always questioned the efficiency of cram schools and the like, mostly because they seem to prepare more for short-term memorization than long-term understanding. But even it actually works in principle...

...I’m not sure Tomoko will be able to handle it.

Perhaps it’s just me, but it feels like Tomoko is overestimating her discipline for studying. She already struggled with Katou’s flashcards and study sessions that a whole training camp feels like it would have a more detrimental effect on Tomoko than a positive one. “Work hard, play hard” was never meant to be that extreme, Tomoko.

That’s...genuinely uplighting. Tomoko has missed out on several of the key “memorable” high school moments, and she usually lets it go with only mild regrets. But here, Tomoko’s actively trying to gain what she once lost. Sure, she’s trying to “game the social system” a little, but what did you expect? She’s a person, not a saint.

This was Yuu’s only line in this entire chapter. My girl deserves more than this.

Will the 2% of Tomoko’s personality that is tsundere ever realize that if you really “didn’t care either way”, then you wouldn’t have asked the question to begin with? Doubt it.  

That romaji tho.

It comes to the surprise of absolutely no one that Komiyama has some pretty...vivid fantasies about Tomoki. But what stands out to me is how deep into the relationship her thoughts go. Most people fantasize about their crush first in their sexual attractiveness, but only a few ever dream beyond that. Ironically, you know your crushing has gone off the deep end if you start thinking about them in domestic, SFW ways. Least Komi’s committed, yeah?

Gee, I wonder what’s that “and stuff” Tomoko’s talking about?masturbating

Nothing like a fresh bowl of Grossi-Os and Gross Juice to start the day!

If what Yuri says is true, then that would mean that she and Ucchi have probably walked to school together several times before–more than the couple of times we’ve seen, at least. And even so, it doesn’t look like they haven’t gotten much closer as friends, if at all. Some people just don’t click, I suppose.

Not sure how blind Ucchi is because anybody with a pair of eyes (beady or not) would see that Yuri has friends, even if you only count Mako. Poor girl just can’t accept the truth even when it's right in front of her face.

Ah, Yuri. Why can’t you just drop the “savior” act and just admit you want to spend time with her?

I’m inclined to agree about Yoshida, but who knows? She’s surprised us before. Mako's a safe bet, though. Especially if the former’s going. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Boy, does that take me back. It still blows my mind that all of Ucchi’s problems originated from one night of misunderstandings. The art nerd in me really appreciates the subtle improvement in Niko’s art style. The character models feel “weightier” and more consistent without compromising the stylization. 

You don’t see it in the previous panel, but Ucchi was totally blushing at the prospect of reliving her trauma/dream. Perhaps she was also looking to live out that ping pong match she never got.

I’m not sure if there was some kind of wordplay in the original text. Either way, it kind of sucks for Yuu-chan that she got such a “flattering” nickname when she wasn’t involved in that scenario whatsoever. Though it sure is a tad classier than Miss Akari “Dick Sister Jr.’ Iguchi.

It’s kind of (read: absolutely) frightening how Katou’s envy towards Yuu feels a lot more intense than Yuri’s. Perhaps it’s because Yuri’s so transparent that you know how to deal with her. But with Katou, that air of secrecy feels like a nuclear bomb about to go off. 

I always wondered where girls picked up that thing where they intertwine their fingers as a sign of affection. It’s precious.

Praise modern technology for convenient storytelling.

Wow, Fuuka’s already made her mark on Tomoko’s “bitch” list. Though exactly why she’s on that list now is kind of odd. I mean, yeah, she asked Tomoko about the whole fondling thing, and she unintentionally presented herself as a pervert for the whole “hair” thing, but Fuuka hasn’t really done anything all that terrible. If anything, Tomoko is probably expressing a rare bit of jealousy towards someone else supposedly perving on Katou besides her.

The most striking part about Fuuka’s inevitably failed plan is that she describes Tomoko’s appearance as “sudden”. It was touched on before, but it further emphasizes that Tomoko’s friendship with Katou was just as unexpectedly quick in-universe as it was for the readers. And in doing so, it brings us one step closer to the real mystery over why Katou is so enamored with Tomoko in the first place. 

Ya’ll know Sayaka’s got her homegirl’s back on this one. Let’s see (hopefully) how Akari screws it up. 

Chapter 58, mothereffers!

I don’t know whether I’d say Nico Tanigawa has been playing the long game, or if they just found a convenient throwaway to capitalize on. But the acknowledgment itself is very much appreciated. Tomoko may have forgotten, naturally, but us overzealous fans certainly never did! 

The chills, man. Chill’s right up the spine.

It’s certainly true that Tomoko’s words can be interpreted in a good or bad way, so it’s pretty telling that Katou’s gut reaction went for the latter. It suggests that Katou may actually have some insecurities that can easily set her off. Then again, a defining part of Katou’s personality is that she takes everything Tomoko says at completely face value, so maybe she’s starting to see Tomoko’s negativity even if it’s not there. Just more of the enigma that is Asuka Katou.  

Not a bad save, Tomoko. Countless battles with shame have made her quick on the fly. Unfortunately, while she’s improved at starting a save...

...she still doesn’t know how to end it.

It would’ve been a clean getaway if Tomoko had just ended about half-way in the above panel. But because Tomoko’s anxiety causes her to try and cover all the bases, she ends up rambling suspiciously. The part about Nemo isn’t even that relevant, but in her burst of defensiveness, Tomoko ends up saying things that could just exacerbate the problem even further.

Fucking shit, Katou is damn scary.

The one fortunate thing about Tomoko’s defensive rambles is that once she starts to cool down, her honesty starts coming out more organically. Self-deprecation becomes self-reflection, and brings to the forefront Tomoko’s endearing side.

Only Tomoko could spout such a cliché moe line and sound so pure of heart. Must be the irony. 

Aha. Ahaha. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

–that totally didn’t happen.

Tomoko, girl, you’re in the CLEAR! Stop trying to fan flames that have already been put out.

But on that note, it does affirm that while Tomoko is honest with Katou about certain things (perversion, laziness), she isn’t quite ready to be honest on anything that would paint Katou in a bad light. I’d say tha’st about 85% due to fear.

Death Flags raised all around.

I had a feeling that Nemo would take the plunge this time and invite Tomoko out somewhere during the summer. It seems like such an insignificant gesture, but considering that this is the very first time a classmate has asked to hang out with her during the summer, it warms my heart.

Hey now, Tomoko. Don’t get cocky when you’re maximizing your own goof-off time by taking a study camp.

The easy guess is that Nemo wants to go to Comiket. But really, it could be anything that Tomoko would have an interest in. And because it’s implied that Nemo is going for research purposes, it could be anything from a seiyuu panel (the last one went so well) to a hot spring to a hentai game company. Hope they bring Okada along...

Mama senses her daughter’s giving in to peer pressure.

Not gonna lie. This hand gesturing from Rena made me think that she was thinking about doing...something else.

Damn mind-in-the-gutter.

Even though Anna doesn’t appear to be the studious type, it’s pretty cool to see that she can respect people who are. Also, I dig the way she wears her tie (or is that a ribbon?). 

Emoji II really has become an honorary delinquent and it fits her perfectly. 

I guess no matter how much more grounded Tomoko becomes, she still thinks reading manga is legitimate practice for playing in real-life (though tabletop games may actually allow for some truth).  

Sub!Tomoko confirmed.

What a way to end a chapter. For the longest, Katou had always viewed Tomoko through a pair of rose-tinted glasses, always seeing the girl’s faults as endearing “quirks”. But as her soul-piercing gaze seems to indicate, Katou has reached a revelation about Tomoko that she can actually disapprove of. Whether or not it’ll shatter her illusion of Tomoko is still unclear, but how she treats Tomoko from here on out may finally give us a deeper look into Katou’s psyche. 

160+ chapters we’ve followed Tomoko, and we’re still learning new things about her. The very extent of Tomoko’s agency has always been a tad murky. She’s good at (poorly) executing short-term ideas, but hardly does she plan out and follow up on her long-term goals. Even her greatest milestone of making friends involved a lot of pushing from outsiders (Ogino, the most obvious case). That said, having to take charge of herself for once is inescapable with college on the horizon. How she goes about it amongst her various mom-friends may end up being Tomoko’s biggest personal challenge yet.  

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Month 4, day 19

HELMET IS DONE :D

I do not want to get headbutted by this thing lol But look at it it's all cool and shiny and stuff n_n

I've also started a new tutorial series by the same guy, this time about procedural shader networks. I thought it was gonna be a more in-depth breakdown of all the components of the shader editor and how they work together and combine into different materials, but no! It's so much better! It's showing me how to squoosh various components together so we can get multiple shaders on the same mesh without having to go into like texture painting and shit, and it's basically the same way they do it in the video games so I'm like hella hyped and excited and I've already learned a ton :D :D :D

Anyway we've still got a bit more to do but here's what I've got done so far :3

Eventually those pistons are gonna be a different color, and all the edges are gonna get worn and/or torn

And then we're gonna plop some snow on it :D

[forbetterorworsefinalspace]

Shonky

Rating: Teen and Up

Fandom: Final Space

Part: 2

Link-  🌌

__________________________________________________

Still trying to leave Earth, Sheryl is reminded time and time again that bringing her son along is a big mistake. However he can prove useful. 

Meanwhile Gary is reminded that his mother is a very different person from his father.

For Better Or Worse AU

__________________________________________________

“Is this wrong?”

Sheryl Goodspeed paused her actions to looked up at the sky, annoyed beyond belief. They were only a day or two into their journey, they hadn’t even left Earth yet for fuck sake, and the kid was already driving her up the bloody walls! Kid was a friggen Stickybeak, with no idea about his own personal safety, (She pulled him out of traffic twice already.) but somehow was insightful enough to know when she was breaking the law.

Trust John to raise him properly. Now she had to wreck all his hard work…

“Yes, Gary, but we need to do this.” Sheryl said, going back to her work.

They had driven down to a place Sheryl knew people stored their space vehicles during the off season. Rich tycoons that camp in space or some other nonsense. If they could get a craft that doubled as a living area, that be perfect… However she’d settle for whatever was stored in the fenced in yard.

They just needed to break in and steal one.

“Why?”

God fucking damn it.

“I’ll tell you later Gary.” She muttered, shaking her head. “We just have to.”

“But-!!”

“SHH!!” Sheryl spun to looked at him angrily, practically hiss in his face. “Listen here you little Drongo, see that there?!” She yell whispered, jutting her finger to the house just a few feet away. “That house?! If you wake up the person inside, then they’ll call the cops and take us away! You want to go into foster care?!”

The boy gave a frightened shake of his head.

“Right, then you’d best PULL your head IN!” She growled, then was back at the locks. She fiddled away for a few more moments, grumbling when she realized how rusty she had gotten. However she finally heard the tell tale click, pulling it apart and easing the door open with an ominous creek.

She looked around quickly. No signs of dogs. Or anything else. Suppose the guy just trusted his community. It was a high end area of town.

Sucks to be him.

She stepped in and could feel Gary follow behind her. She shut the door so it wouldn’t slam before leading deeper into the yard. Gary wandered a few steps away, with wide eyes.

“Are these… spaceships?” He asked in awe.

“That's a bit generous.” Sheryl shrugged. “More like space campers, space RVs and space cars, I suppose.”

“Wow…” Gary didn’t seem deterred by the explanation. He walked closer to a sporty looking craft. Likely a racing model. “W-what are we gonna do?”

“Steal one.” Sheryl said, looking over a large camper, only to deem it too noticeable and cumbersome.

“Why?”

Fuckin’....

“To go to space.” Sheryl glared at him. “Why else?”

Gary turned to her quickly, slack jawed and wide eyed. He began to bounce in place, growing a very large smile on his face. Sheryl realized what he was going to do a few seconds before he did.

“Don’t you dare!” She snapped, thankfully stopping him from squealing in excitement. She pointed forcefully to the house again, before going back to her search. As she looked, she kept having to make sure Gary wasn’t about to give them away. Sometimes he started talking too loudly and she’s hush him, forcefully. Sometimes he knocked over tins on the ground or started babbling to himself...and she kept having to stop him, wasting time they didn’t have.

This was a mistake.

He was a mistake…

Focus Sherie, focus.

Finally, near the back, she found a suitable ride. Perfect actually. It was a tow along trailer that had a self contained bubble at the front, where you could put a vehicle to move it, one just like her bike. The trailer area was smallish, but suitable. It had a mini fridge, sink, a few storage areas, a tiny bathroom at the back and two slim beds.

First, getting it out.

“Go hold the door.” She whispered to Gary, who actually ran off to do as he was told. With a heavy grunt she started to pull the vehicle from the storage area, hefting with all her might until her arms ached and her legs burned. Halfway to the exit she started to hurt.

Think of John. This is for John.

She managed it out before taking a second to breath. Gary scampered to her side, looking concerned and slightly upset. She frowned up at him from her seat on the ground.

“W-what?” She huffed.

“How were you moving that?” Gary asked. “Didn’t it hurt? Like a whole bunch? Forever?”

Sheryl moaned, standing up. “Well, sometimes you gotta work through the pain.”

“Why?”

Ah, this kid…

“Unpack our bags and get them in the camper.” Sherly grumbled. Thankfully the boy seemed interested in looking inside and ran to see.

Though still sore, Sheryl forced her bike into the bubble to act as an engine. Thankfully the bags were off it now, but looking inside, she could see Gary jumping from bed to bed, a big smile on his face as he made a mess.

Good lord this kid…

Sheryl leaned against the bubble. This was a mistake… and this was her last chance to leave the kid behind. Or at least on Earth anyway. She was tempted, so very, very tempted to just dump him here.I mean, sure he might get blamed for stealing the camper, but he was a kid. They’d let him off easy…

The boy giggled loudly, beds squeaking under his weight as he hopped around like a roided up Roo. As Sheryl put her head in her hand, pinching the bridge of her nose, the boy leapt from the trailer and ran to take a look at the rockets on the back.

This is a mistake.

“HEY!”

Sheryl looked up into the barrel of a gun, she went rigid as a man dressed in his pajamas started to come closer. “Who the hell do you think you are?!” He asked crossly, waving the weapon around.

God damn it, she hadn’t heard the man coming because of all of Gary’s noise!

Still she shifted to an unimpressed stance, scowling slightly. “That supposed to be a trick question?” She asked dryly.

The man huffed and went fumbling for his pocket, not taking his eyes off her. “N-now you just stay right there until my help arrives, or I’ll shoot you! Don’t you make any sudden moves!”

Where did this guy get his dialogue, a cop movie? Sheryl scowled when he pulled out his phone.

“Wassa matter? Can’t handle a lady on your own?” Sheryl scoffed. The gears were turning in her head, trying to think of a way out of this. Thankfully Gary was quiet now, which was making it a lot easier.

She had to kill him. She just needed to do it before he called for this so called help, or else they’d have to make a runner. She tried to lean to one side, inching her hand down her waist to a knife hidden in her boot. Guy was still trying to dial his cell, which was perfect for her. The longer he struggled, the more time she had to arm herself.

She closed her hand around the hilt when the man seemed to notice her strange posture. He straightened his gun out. “Hey! What are you-”

BANG!

Sheryl started, eyes rounded, as the man straightened like a board, then fell to the ground in a heap. Behind him stood Gary, who slapped his hands over his mouth when the man folded before him. A brick clattering down with the guy.

Sheryl blinked.

“O-Oh no! Oh no!” Gary whined, shaking his hands. “I killed him! That not good! Thats super not good!” He grabbed his hair tightly. “I friggen wreck his stuff!”

“Calm down.” Sheryl knelt, feeling the man’s neck. “He has a pulse Gary, you just knocked him out.”

Gary slumped in relief. “Oh thank crap!- Oph!” He flinched. “Sorry…”

“Fer what?”

“For swearing…”

Sheryl stared at him before laughing. “Ah you can swear all you fuckin want. I don’t give a shit. Just be quiet when we’re sneakin around, yeah?”

“Oh.” Gary stared back at her, processing this information, then hunched in on himself and spoke in a very soft voice.

“Fuck.”

Sheryl was… actually amused by this. She chuckled. “Feel good?”

“Yeah.” Gary looked up at her, but seemed a bit gloomy. “It just, dad said I shouldn’t…”

Sheryl darkened as well. “Hmm, he ain’t here now, is he?”

“No…”

Sheryl glanced back down at the man before taking his gun, she inspected it quickly, lining up her sights with it, then checked the chambers.

Empty.

So he was all bluff.

Sheryl tsked, but put it on her bike. Looking over she could see the house was still dark, but the door was open…

“Come with me.” Sheryl ordered before marching to the house. She nudged the door open, looking into the building. She flicked on a few lights once she knew no one was in the shadows.

For such a nice area of town, this sure was a dump. Everything was in a state. Newspapers and used dishes everywhere. There was no art on the walls, hardly any furniture, and it was cramped to hell.

She pushed Gary to the kitchen. “Find some bags and grab some food yeah? I’m gonna look upstairs.”

“Isn’t that stealing-”

“Gary, we’re already stealing. You konked this dude on the head with a brick not five minutes ago.”

“Oh yeah.”

“Just grab the food.”

Sheryl headed up the stairs, to a small bedroom. It was also sparse, the bed was unmade and every surface was covered in junk. She checked a few drawers and looked over the clutter. Then she found something interesting.

“Well, well, well. No wonder this place is a mess.” She said, holding up a tiny baggie of white powder. She opened it, dipping her pinky in and rubbed it on her gums. It dissolves instantly, leaving a bit of her mouth numb. Sheryl smiled. “Hello Basuco, its been a very long time.” She spotted a large amount of the baggies under a shirt. “And you brought the whole family!”

Sheryl wasn’t one for cocaine. She tried to steer clear of it, if mostly because she saw addiction as a weakness. She did, however, dabble in a few when… when John tossed her out. Thankfully she managed to slapped herself out of it a few days in and just stick to beer and smokes.

These would, however, sell very nicely.

She tossed the lot in a bag and kept looking. Eventually she found the ammo for the gun under the bed. Huh, maybe the guy thought the gun was loaded. Then a large wad of cash in his underwear drawer. After stealing her fill she came down, finding Gary struggling with a large bag of food. It was all junk food and things like that, but Sheryl didn’t care.

“Give.” She ordered, snatching it from him. She took everything down to the trailer, before tossing it inside. She looked back to Gary, but the boy was worriedly hunched over the man he knocked out. There was a sizable puddle of blood on the ground now, which she could see from the light of the house.

“Is he gonna be ok?” Gary asked, frowning.

“Hell if I know.” Sheryl scoffed, coming over. “Bleeding like a faucet though.”

“S-so I did kill him?” Gary asked, sniffling a bit.

Ugh!

“What? Your sad that you killed him?” Sheryl frowned. “He was gonna die someday.”

“Yeah, but I killed him! Me!”

“For the love of-” Sheryl knelted, pulled out her knife, and slit his throat in a quick motion. Blood splashed out, but not as much as she expected. He was likely running low, bleeding in the brain. She wiped her blood off on the grass before looking back to her son. “There. Now I killed him.”

Gary stared at her, eyes the size of pin pricks.

“What now?” She asked, exasperated.

“Y-you killed him…”

“Thats right.”

“...Why?”

She rolled her eyes. Again with the why! “To shut you up and because the less people who see us the better.” Sheryl grunted. The boy just stared back, horrified, making her scoff. “Just get in the bloody camper. I’m gonna hide the body.”

Gary slunk away and Sheryl grabbed the corpse by the legs, dragging him into the junk yard, where she covered him with a metal sheet. Her body groaned, unhappy with all the heavy lifting and pulling.

As she finished up, the dark sky rumbled, a few raindrops coming down from above. It was an ominous sign, but also a stroke of good luck. The water would ruin evidence, and the thunder would hide the noise of their take off.

Walking back to their new home, Sheryl could see Gary curled up inside, clutching the bug jar like a lifeline and wrapped tightly under some blankets. She paused, biting her lip and staring at him. He looked pretty messed up…

Well, he’d get used to it. She had grown up around that sort of thing. Maybe not people per say, but animals definitely.

She came to the bike and closed the bubble, climbing on so she could pull the ship into the sky.

“Mom..?”

“Eh?” She didn’t look at him.

“W-why did that guy have to die?” Gary mumbled. “Was it me?”

Sheryl paused again, and then turned to him.

“Gary. In this world, its either you or them.” She said lowly. “Sometimes the best thing to do is make sure there is no them at all. He would have made it harder for us to get away to space. Now that he’s dead, less problems.”

“Oh… ok.” Gary looked to the window as they started to rise in the air. “But why are we going to space?”

Sheryl looked back out the bubbled, which was rippling with raindrops.

“We’re gonna bring John back.”

The ship took off with a rumble, blending into the thunder as they rose to the cosmos.

And one step closer to John.

[docile-interitus]

▌real name: Ita [Claims no last name.]   ▌single or taken:  Thread Dependent! ▌abilities or powers:  Particle Manipulation (Deconstruction-Reconstruction) / Teleportation  ▌eye colour:  Natural Brown Eyes // ( Ability Related: Red or Brown with hints of Blue.) ▌hair colour:  Very dark brown ▌family members: All contact with family has been out of his life for a long time. May still talk to his sisters possibly.  ▌pets:  Pumpkin Patch Tarantula (Named Fuzzy Boots)  ▌something they don’t like:  Being completely under water for more than a few seconds // Experiencing any kind of breathing pains // Being touched (specifically poked or jabbed) without being able to see it coming.  ▌hobbies/activities: Hobbies: Doodling/Sketching // Loudly singing to music by himself // Collecting trinkets (mostly stuffed animals) from travels. Activities: A lot of endurance training // Experimental tests regarding abilities ▌ever hurt anyone before:  Yes. ▌ever killed anyone before:  Yes. ▌animal that represents them:  Black Cat ▌worst habits:  Has a really big problem with self-loathing and not seeing value in himself. // Over exhausting his abilities to make people undeserving of his energy happy or satisfied. // Can be incredibly paranoid time to time which plays into difficulty for him to trust anyone.  ▌role models:  Before Talon it was collectively Overwatch and it’s agents. Probably a handful of artists between artwork and music.  ▌sexual orientation:  Pan/Bi  ▌thoughts on marriage/kids:  Marriage would be a really long milestone his partner would have to earn. As for kids, he wouldn’t. He doesn’t like the pressure of being a parent being that his own upbringing was a nightmare. He strives to be a stable and responsible adult and enjoys the company of kids, but the thought of long term commitment when it comes to having a family makes him anxious. He's fine owning some animals with the company of a soul mate.   ▌fears:  Abandonment // Absolute silence in the dark // Hallucinations of his abusers // Dying in a freak accident involving any of his tests he’s forced to take. ▌style preferences:  When he doesn’t have to dawn talon uniforms he is very fluid in his wardrobe. Enjoys body con type clothing that hugs his body, or overly sized shirts/jackets/sweaters to make him seem a little bulkier on the top. Has a love for patterned or simple suits. Enjoys tights/stockings with skirts and dresses. Enjoys color-block or occult/witch aesthetic type clothes and Harajuku fashion types specifically.  ▌someone they love:  Verse dependent.  ▌approach to friendships:  He is very distant at first. Due to emotional avoidance he struggles with. Eventually he will open up more given you show him kindness and care. It’s hard for him to approach first and he may appear bitter or uninterested as he is just trying to not get close to people. It is possible to win him over if you can make him laugh even. But it is also very easy for him to feel like he is getting bad vibes from you.  ▌thoughts on pie:  Likes it, enjoys warm apple pie the most. Though he is more of a cake person.  ▌favourite drink:  His favorite thing to drink is honey milk tea. Half cup of hot boiled water and half milk mixed with honey and cinnamon. Coffee gives him headaches. He doesn’t really like alcohol much. If he drinks he goes for something more fruity to try and get past the actual taste of alcohol.  ▌favourite place to spend time at:  If within Talon HQ he just prefers his bedroom. He enjoys his privacy and his bed. Any travel mission outside of HQ is paradise to him. To be away from a place he considers a prison makes it a favorite place. Could even be the side of a volcano and he would still enjoy it.  ▌swim in the lake or in the ocean:  The ocean. He wouldn’t mind getting lost in it. Also he just likes to pick up shells and enjoys soft sand. A shallow spot with clear water where he can float on his back.  ▌their type: Physically he likes tall partners. But he’s so short usually everyone is taller than him in that respect anyways. Other than that it really really depends on your personality. You can still not meet any physical expectation and it doesn’t matter. Your character and how you treat him can make him fall for you. If you make him feel loved, truly loved, he’s yours.  ▌camping or indoors:  indoors because he prefers to be cozy on soft surfaces like couches and beds or piles of pillows  ✨ TAGGED BY:  @thatmelody \( : v : )/ 💖💖💖 ✨ TAGGING: @zundkerze @mercuryblake and whoever else may wanna do it! 

[decorishing]

[gallery] Make sure this fitsby entering your model number. ✔ WET OR DAMP AREAS - Many uses around the home, boat, kennel, business where excellent traction and damp areas are expected. So many uses around the pool. Put a tile under a plant pot, cut to fit any complex shape. Sturdy tiles that are reusable and re-configurable as often as you want. Install in vehicles and campers as well! ✔ UNDER CUSHIONS - Use for ventilation on your boat under those V Berth cushions or anywhere moisture and condensation are a problem. Promotes airflow under the tiles. Put a few tiles near the door for wet boots / shoes. Pet areas? No problems. 1000's of uses! ✔ RUBBER GRIP SURFACE - Flexible tiles snap together to fit any shape. Can be cut with a sharp knife for pipes, curves, seat posts you name it. Installing is as simple as snapping the tiles together by hand. NO TOOLS REQUIRED ✔ FLOORING SOLUTIONS - Kitchen, Pool, Shower, Pet area for Dog, Fishing boat, Lockers, Farmhouse, Camping, Gym These mats are easy to clean, installation is a snap, and as a carpeting / carpet alternative they are pretty hard to beat. Outdoor or indoor use. ✔ INSTALLATION ON MOST SURFACES - Concrete, wood, tile, even use in a bathtub. Weatherproof and UV resistant. Cleanup is easy with a scrub brush and soap. You can even run these through a dishwasher (low heat) if you need. Cleaning is simple and a snap. Each tile weighs 1 lb 2.6 oz [amz_corss_sell asin="B07Y8MSQZP"]

[bpcparents]

INTEGRITY: The imperfect path toward a more perfect union starts at home

In January of 2020, students at Darien High School entered faculty offices on a Saturday and took photos of answers to two sophomore exams, one in English and one in Social Studies. The information was then widely distributed over social media, implicating about 300 students.

In December of 2020, 73 cadets at West Point were accused of cheating on a calculus exam at the US Military Academy, where an honor code requires students to pledge that they “will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.” The majority of the students involved (55 of them) had actually been enrolled in a program designed to be an “honor code boot camp” as a second chance.

Debates unfolded in both learning communities in the wake of their respective scandals, revealing divided opinion about both the causes and effects of academic dishonesty. While a student in Darien complained that those who had cheated at her school were “not really experiencing any consequences that are substantial enough for their actions," the parents of one of the teenagers involved actually hired an attorney to contest the school district’s handling of the penalties for his client.

Even officials within West Point were at odds over the matter there. Lt. Col. Christopher Ophardt, the academy’s public affairs director, said that the rehabilitation program was designed to increase the likelihood that people would report violations, since the penalty could be less severe than expulsion. Despite the 2020 lapse, he defended the Military Academy’s response, arguing that West Point “has slowly transitioned to a developmental model that relies on a combination of punishment and additional development to restore a cadet to good standing after a violation.” Tim Bakken, a West Point law professor took a less rosy view, charging that failure to handle a cheating scandal aggressively and transparently — and to encourage a culture of honesty — could infect the thinking of generals and their approach to informing the public. “The United States has not been successful in its last four wars,” Professor Bakken said. “The failure of the military to tell us the truth is a big part of the reason.”

As a parent and an educator who has taught for more than twenty years at both the secondary and university levels, I can testify that the battle for academic integrity is not a new one. That said, it has been surfacing with unprecedented intensity in the last year. In reaching for reasons, it’s easy to blame online learning, since the pandemic has forced so many students of all ages to connect to their classes from home. As a high school teacher conducting courses remotely since last March, however, I can testify that the online argument is a red herring. The internet has been accessible for decades now, and the exams stolen in the cases detailed above were both in hard copy. The problem isn’t the medium; it’s the context of our current political culture.

After more than 200 years of peaceful transitions of power in the United States, rioters stormed the nation’s Capitol in a violent insurrection that culminated in the death of five Americans, including a US Capitol police officer. The attack was incited by baseless claims of voter fraud from the highest office in the land and intended to interfere with certification of electoral college ballots. But the events of January 6th, 2021 were not isolated incidents; they followed years of falsehoods and misinformation perpetuated by an administration that vilified the free press and perpetuated conspiracy theories by trafficking in “alternative facts.” From climate change to COVID-19, science was denied within policies that saw the US withdraw from international agreements on the environment and has already resulted in the nearly 450,000 American lives lost so far to a virus for which no national defense was undertaken.

What do these developments in the government have to do with dishonesty in the classroom? Everything.

Accountability is learned, and when discourse at the national level takes place within a context that relativizes rather than reveres the truth, we model to the younger generation that integrity has no meaning.

The weeks ahead are critical: the former president has been impeached again and his Senate trial this time puts the entire country on the witness stand. Neither partisan squabbling nor legal loopholes will redeem the damages already done. Whether or not convictions are delivered, there is an opportunity that this country cannot afford to miss: we must categorically condemn acts of violence and stand firmly against forces that erode our very democracy. As a Resolution recently adopted by the Town of Bedford reminds us, “the insurgents carried Confederate flags, displayed antisemitic symbols and slogans, and erected a gallows on Capitol grounds, manifesting bigotry, hatred, and utter disregard for the rule of law.” True justice can only be achieved when leaders commit to political processes that uphold the safety and welfare of all.

Holding people accountable for their actions matters, from high school students to politicians. And there is far too much at stake at this juncture for anybody to give in to self-righteousness. I’ve encountered the most constructive conversations through Civics education courses. More than just grounding people in the basics of governing structures, Civics done well critically begins by backing up well beyond 1776 to reckon with our country’s history before it declared itself an independent republic. The three branches of government after all are rooted not just in political philosophy but in lands stolen from Indigenous populations and labored over by enslaved human beings. The inconsonance of stated values with enacted policies strikes even the youngest students. These foundational hypocrisies require more than polite classroom debate; they merit real and often uncomfortable engagement in the facts in pursuit of truth. Winning a trial or even being “right” can’t alone achieve true justice; that takes genuine understanding forged in brave spaces.

In a recent community event online focused on the documentary True Justice, panelist Dr. Alexander Smith with the New York organization Rehabilitation Through the Arts was asked how he holds people accountable in working for racial justice. He answered by imparting the term “Critical Humility,” which he defined as “the practice of remaining open to the fact that our knowledge is always partial and evolving -- while at the same time remaining committed to speaking up and taking action in a world based on our current knowledge, however imperfect.” The concept has the potential to make confrontations truly transformative. As Dr. Smith exhorted the audience of young people and adults alike, “We need to expose our vulnerabilities; we need to be there and live in that and help others expose their vulnerabilities... that’s how we have change.”

Parents can begin to cultivate critical humility at home by exercising accountability that starts with themselves. Think hatching an excuse to avoid an awkward social situation is just a harmless “little white lie”? There’s no such thing, and the children are watching. Rather than duck a difficulty, we can face it candidly, without manipulation. We can apologize to our kids when we make mistakes. We can trade out “blame and shame” routines of punishment for a growth mindset that builds responsibility and mutual respect instead. Doing so anchors accountability as a shared practice and social standard by which young people can then measure the wider world and their place in it.

This also means letting go of the ego-bound aspirations for our children that are more self-serving as status-boosters for parents. Recent SAT scandals involving celebrities Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman brought to light much larger college admissions schemes that pointed to corruption at all levels, including coaches, administrators, test proctors, tutors, and others in pay-to-play agreements that involved millions of dollars.

Is there an antidote to this rampant dishonesty? If so, it may lie in exhortations from Julie Lythcott-Haims, the best-selling author whose books highlight how ego-based parenting stunts the development of children and society at large. Adulting, she argues, is a process of “becoming more comfortable with uncertainty and gaining the knowhow to keep going.” Just as parents need to halt freighting their kids with expectations and micromanaging their lives, we need to embrace the imperfections inherent in any project -- whether childrearing or democracy -- that aspires to self-sufficiency, resilience, and integrity.

Elizabeth Messinger is a former journalist with NPR and The Economist of London. Through her educational consultancy, Mind in Motion, she guides children of all ages to think for themselves, and she teaches Humanities at an independent school in Stamford, CT. She raised her son in Bedford, where together they ran the Toddler Room at the Presbyterian Church for nearly a decade. She continues to parent from NY as he attends college in California.

[xiz0r]

Evening Skinny-Dip at the Wounded Coast

Inktober Day 4 - "Underwater"

You can read the ficlet that was written to accompany this art by Lisakodysam.

“Come on, it’s not far.” Garrett tightened his grip around Fenris’s arm, assisting the elf to step over large roots and the organic debris that littered the forest floor.  “We’re almost there.”

“Are you certain you know the way back to camp?”

Garrett shrugged, his mouth twisting into a smirk.  “Probab—”

“Probably?  That is unusually decisive for you.”

Garrett drew to a halt and turned to Fenris, who’d dug both thumbs into his belt, his lyrium-marked arms like moonlit wings as they bent at his sides.  “Sarcasm does not become you, dear,” he said to the elf.

“Oh, but it does.  After all, we’re half a mile out of camp with no clear sense of which direction we’ve taken.”  Fenris pushed his chin out, an indication that he was not only annoyed, but sure of himself.  “I thought I would warm us with my sarcasm, as we also have no means with which to make a fire.  Tell me again where you intend to take us? And for what purpose?”

Garrett frowned a little.  “It’s a bit late to be asking that, isn’t it?”

“Truly?”  Fenris took a sharp intake of breath, which he let out in a chillingly controlled manner.  “Have I not asked you that at several points along our journey, only for you to change the subject with, ‘Ooh, that’s a pretty flower’, or ‘get a lungful of that forest air!’  The forest air smells of dung and rotten leaves!  I do not wish to ‘get’ any more lungfuls of it than I must!”

The mage held his hands up.  “All right, I admit I was a tad evasive.  I wanted it to be a surprise, that’s all.”

Fenris sighed and tried not to show his annoyance.  “I understand that and I’m grateful for the thought, but you’ve been saying we’re ‘almost there’ for the past fifteen minutes.  Isn’t it time to admit we’re lost?”

“No it isn’t, because we’re not.”  Garrett pointed ahead.  “See?  The trees are starting to thin out.”

“And?”

“And… listen.”

“Listen to what?”

“Shh!”

Accustomed to indulging Garrett’s flights of fancy, Fenris rolled his eyes but did indeed pause to listen.  “I hear nothing,” he said after a moment.

Garrett gave a melodramatic groan.  “Oh, Fenris, you’ve no magnificence in your soul, have you?”

“My soul is too cold and lost in the forest to even think about such abstract and whimsical entities as ‘magnificence’.”

Garrett started to walk away.  “Oops!  He’s brought out the big words.  I think I’m in trouble.”

Fenris, not wanting to become even more lost (if that was possible), started jogging after Garrett.  “What was I supposed to be listening to, by the way?”

“Hm?  Hey, look at this!  A SEASHELL,” Garrett said loudly enough to wake the dead.  “Have you noticed the ground’s getting a bit flatter?  And sandier?”

“Will you do me the courtesy of giving me a straight answer for once, mage?”

“Mage!”  Garrett chuckled.  “Now I know I’m in trouble!”

“For the love of—ugh!  Will you slow down?”

By now, Garrett was way ahead of Fenris, but he stopped and frantically beckoned to the elf.  “Here!  We’re here!  Come on!”

“Where else would we be but here?”  Fenris huffed but went after his infuriatingly-bouncy lover–he had nowhere else to go, after all.  When he arrived at the mage’s side, he looked around, his brow crinkling. “We appear to be at the Coast.”

“I know!  Look over there–the sun’s about to set!”  Garrett slung an arm around the elf’s shoulders, a huge grin on his face.  “Isn’t it brilliant?”

Realising this must be Garrett’s surprise, Fenris decided he’d better muster up some enthusiasm, as much as he’d prefer to be seated around a fire with a fur draped over his shoulders.  “It’s… nice.  Thank you for bringing me here.”

“I thought you’d appreciate some privacy and quiet.  That’s why you’ve been grumpy, isn’t it?  I know Izzy and Varric have been a bit boisterous.  Uh… I know I’m boisterous, too, but I figured one was better than three.”

At this, a genuine smile graced Fenris’s face.  “You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.  I appreciate it, though.  No one’s ever given me the sunset before.”

Garrett placed a soft kiss on Fenris’s temple.  “I’d give you the moon if I could.  Might be a bit heavy, though.”  Garrett beamed at Fenris’s ensuing chuckle.  “I do love it when you laugh.”

Fenris looked up at the mage, snuggling against his broad chest.  “No one but you can make me laugh.  Not really.”

“It’s a gift.”  Garrett kissed Fenris again and released him.  He then began unbuckling his pauldron.

Fenris watched for a minute or two as straps, leather accoutrements and pieces of metal were cast to the ground.  “Um… what exactly are you doing?”

Garrett did a double take at the elf before pulling his tunic over his head. “We’re going skinny dipping!  Why else d’you think I brought you here?”

“Skinny dipping?  What’s that?  And why are you…”  Fenris gulped as Garrett unbuckled his belt and, in one movement, pulled it off and threw it down.  “Why are you…”  Fenris’s mouth gaped open, his tongue dry and sticky.

Garrett’s boots were kicked off and he slid his hands down his hips, taking his trousers with them.  “I’m afraid this is the only moon I can give you for now.”  The trousers fell and the curve of muscular buttocks was silhouetted against the setting sun.  “Prepare yourself!”  Garrett warned.  “I’m about to unleash… The Beast!  Behold!”  He spun around, giving Fenris a full view of his meat and two veg.

The elf immediately sprang forward to preserve his lover’s modesty.  “There are bandits and Tal-Vashoth in these parts!  What do you mean by exposing yourself in this fashion?”

“I already told you!  We’re going sk—ohhh.  You’ve never been skinny dipping before, have you?”

“Of course I have,” the elf protested.  “Danarius regularly held skinny dunking tournaments—”

“Dipping, not dunking.”

“Oh.  Skinny dipping tournaments at his estate in Minrathous.”

Garrett crossed his arms.  “You don’t know what skinny dipping is, do you?”

“No.”

Garrett nodded, biting down a smile.  “Well, usual procedure is to get naked.  That’s the ‘skinny’ part.  You know, skin?”

“Skin.  Of course.”  Feeling a little foolish, Fenris looked over his shoulders.  “As I was saying, we are likely not alone here.  You know my feelings about disrobing in public.”

“Look, I told you I was drunk that night, and Varric egged me on.  He wanted to check the statue of me at the docks was in proportion.”

“Only, the statue at the docks doesn’t have its wedding tackle out.”

Garrett shrugged.  “Not my fault if the sculptor was a prude.  I did offer to model for her.”

“Of course you did.”

Garrett bent down to pick up his staff.  “If you’re worried about the Tal-Vashoth screaming in terror at the sight of your willy, I have the perfect solution.”  He raised the staff to the heavens, directing a buzzing blue arc of electricity at the clouds over the forest and hills.  Then he dropped his staff and raised an arm above his head with a flourish, providing him and Fenris with a barrier against the rain that suddenly started falling in sheets.  “There.  No one’s going to see us in this rain.”

“Well, when you put it that way, I suppose I have little choice.”  

“I suppose you don’t.  Now get those clothes off.”

With a long-suffering sigh, the elf started the laborious process of removing his armour.  “And the purpose of skinny dipping is… what, sex?”

Garrett spluttered a laugh.  “Well, sometimes, but not always!  It’s just… fun, you know?”  He grinned at the elf’s blank expression.  “Oh, I forgot… you’ve never had fun before either, have you?”

Fenris pulled his leggings down and stepped out of them before holding them out to one side.  “Are you saying I’m…” He let the leggings drop, “… dull?”

Garrett noisily cleared his throat and exhaled.  “You’re as dull as dishwater my darling, but by the Maker, you’re naked!” He lunged at Fenris and scooped him up, roaring with laughter as he carried the wriggling elf towards the shore.

“Unhand me, you unconscionable oaf!”

Garrett winced.  “Ouch!  That was a really big word!  Well, if I’m in trouble, I may as well make it worthwhile!” He ran the last few steps to the water’s edge and powered into the ocean, waiting until he was thigh-deep before hurling Fenris forward, shielding himself from the impressively large splash the elf created.

A few seconds later, Fenris surfaced looking like a furious drowned rat.  “Now I’m all wet, you swine!”

“Well, that’s the point, isn’t it?” Garrett dashed the water out of his eyes and scanned the water’s surface.  “Love?  Where are you?”  He turned full circle, his eyes darting here and there, but the elf was nowhere to be seen.  “Fenris?  I’m sorry?  Love?”

At the same moment there was a swell of water behind Garrett and, like a majestic elven marine god, Fenris surged out of the water and latched himself onto the mage’s back, sending him off-balance.  

“Oh, no!  I’m going to…” At the last second, Garrett bent at the waist and threw Fenris over his shoulders.  Both of them crashed into the water, but only one of them was laughing when he surfaced.

“Bastard!” Fenris hissed, charging through the water towards the mage, not knowing what he was actually going to do to the man who stood almost a foot taller than him. Stopping in front of Garrett, he opted for a hard chest shove to save face.  “I’m bloody frozen!”

“Hey, don’t worry!  Our clothes are over there and… and…” Garrett’s face fell.  “Oh, shit.”

“They’re in the rain.”  A few tiny wrinkles formed on the bridge of Fenris’s nose.  “Of course they are.”

“This isn’t exactly going to plan,” Garrett said good-naturedly, rubbing the nape of his neck and grimacing.  “It was supposed to be fun, but you look like you want to murder me.”  He cringed a little.  “I’m sorry.  I just wanted to get you away from everyone.  You look adorable, by the way.”  He slicked Fenris’s sopping-wet hair away from his eyes.  

Fenris’s nose wrinkles receded slightly, but his frown remained in place.  “I… I know what you were trying to do.”  He sighed.  “Perhaps you’re right. I don’t know how to have fun.”  He looked away from Garrett, his frown deepening as he looked beyond the mage’s barrier to the surface of the water, which was being lashed with rain.

“Fen?”  Garrett moved closer to him.  “Are you all right?”

“The water… it’s… dancing.”

Garrett looked on in delight at the elf’s awed expression.  “You like it?”

The elf slowly nodded, his eyes moving to the horizon as the sun went down in a blaze of red and gold glory.  “It’s like a lake of molten lava. It’s… wonderful.  I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“This was entirely planned, you know,” Garrett said from behind the elf, his insides glowing when he saw the tiny vibration of Fenris’s shoulders.

“Of course it was.”  The silent vibration grew to a quiet snigger and he let his head fall back against Garrett’s chest as a pair of large, hairy arms wrapped around him.  “I believe you, even if no one else would.”

“And that is why I love you.”  Garrett pressed a kiss to the crown of Fenris’s head and gently turned him around so they were facing each other.  “And the reason you love me is because I give you such amazing memories.  We’ll look back at tonight and you’ll say, ‘Oh yes, the night we saw fire dancing on the water, walked naked back to camp and caught hypothermia.  Good times.”

Fenris bowed his head, laughter wheezing out of him.  “If it were anyone else but you…”

“Now, come on, love.  There is no one else like me.”

Fenris rolled his eyes, but he was still laughing.  “Isn’t that the truth.  What are we going to do about the clothing situation?”

Garrett looked into Fenris’s eyes, the dying sun reflected against emerald glass.  “You know, at this moment I don’t really care.  Maker, you’re beautiful.”

They kissed, the fiery rain pattering against Garrett’s barrier.

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Month 1, day 6

Keys! On a ring! A key ring, one might even say! :D

Tbh I liked my material for the keys better, but we're not done and there's gonna be more fancy stuff done later on. I'm also tempted to put on object collisions and let physics take over for the placement, since things seem rather more floaty than I intended, but meh. This isn't the final composition for this tutorial series, so it's not a big deal rn.

[hollyguise]

November 2017: Photos of the Chena River outside Al Wright’s house in Fairbanks. The river moved so swiftly- you could see ice patches forming on the water’s surface. Al worked a defense job building roads in Alaska before he joined the Army. After he attended boot camp at Fort Richardson and spent time in Whittier, Al was stationed in Atka in the Aleutian Islands. 

Al’s father, Arthur Wright, attended a mission school and he then went to school in Mount Hermon, Massachusetts before he returned to Alaska. Al’s dad spoke many dialects of the Athabascan language and in 1913 he helped Archdeacon Hudson Stuck with the first ascent of Mt. Denali. Al’s mother, Myrtle Rose, served as a nurse in interior Alaska during the epidemics. She moved from Boise, Idaho to interior Alaska after she married Al’s father. Al remembered his childhood in Nenana and Minto when he helped to deliver coal with a Model T. Al’s family also had a dogsled team. 

To supplement his income during the war years, Al carved ivory bracelets which he sold to other GIs. Al explained that one of his friends in the service from King Island showed him how to carve ivory. With support from the GI Bill, Al attended flight school and he then operated Wright Air Service and Wright Alaska Travel. Al and his wife coordinated flights in Alaska and Hawaii. Al’s words of wisdom: “If you dream you could do somethin’, and you work at it hard enough, you’ll get whatever you dreamed of.” 

[lisakodysam]

An Evening Skinny-Dipping at the Wounded Coast

A bit late, but here’s a little ficlet to accompany xiz0r’s ‘Underwater’ drawing for the Inktober prompt:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Come on, it’s not far.” Garrett tightened his grip around Fenris’s arm, assisting the elf to step over large roots and the organic debris that littered the forest floor.  “We’re almost there.”

“Are you certain you know the way back to camp?”

Garrett shrugged, his mouth twisting into a smirk.  “Probab—”

“Probably?  That is unusually decisive for you.”

Garrett drew to a halt and turned to Fenris, who’d dug both thumbs into his belt, his lyrium-marked arms like moonlit wings as they bent at his sides.  “Sarcasm does not become you, dear,” he said to the elf.

“Oh, but it does.  After all, we’re half a mile out of camp with no clear sense of which direction we’ve taken.”  Fenris pushed his chin out, an indication that he was not only annoyed, but sure of himself.  “I thought I would warm us with my sarcasm, as we also have no means with which to make a fire.  Tell me again where you intend to take us? And for what purpose?”

Garrett frowned a little.  “It’s a bit late to be asking that, isn’t it?”

“Truly?”  Fenris took a sharp intake of breath, which he let out in a chillingly controlled manner.  “Have I not asked you that at several points along our journey, only for you to change the subject with, ‘Ooh, that’s a pretty flower’, or ‘get a lungful of that forest air!’  The forest air smells of dung and rotten leaves!  I do not wish to ‘get’ any more lungfuls of it than I must!”

The mage held his hands up.  “All right, I admit I was a tad evasive.  I wanted it to be a surprise, that’s all.”

Fenris sighed and tried not to show his annoyance.  “I understand that and I’m grateful for the thought, but you’ve been saying we’re ‘almost there’ for the past fifteen minutes.  Isn’t it time to admit we’re lost?”

“No it isn’t, because we’re not.”  Garrett pointed ahead.  “See?  The trees are starting to thin out.”

“And?”

“And… listen.”

“Listen to what?”

“Shh!”

Accustomed to indulging Garrett’s flights of fancy, Fenris rolled his eyes but did indeed pause to listen.  “I hear nothing,” he said after a moment.

Garrett gave a melodramatic groan.  “Oh, Fenris, you’ve no magnificence in your soul, have you?”

“My soul is too cold and lost in the forest to even think about such abstract and whimsical entities as ‘magnificence’.”

Garrett started to walk away.  “Oops!  He’s brought out the big words.  I think I’m in trouble.”

Fenris, not wanting to become even more lost (if that was possible), started jogging after Garrett.  “What was I supposed to be listening to, by the way?”

“Hm?  Hey, look at this!  A SEASHELL,” Garrett said loudly enough to wake the dead.  “Have you noticed the ground’s getting a bit flatter?  And sandier?”

“Will you do me the courtesy of giving me a straight answer for once, mage?”

“Mage!”  Garrett chuckled.  “Now I know I’m in trouble!”

“For the love of—ugh!  Will you slow down?”

By now, Garrett was way ahead of Fenris, but he stopped and frantically beckoned to the elf.  “Here!  We’re here!  Come on!”

“Where else would we be but here?”  Fenris huffed but went after his infuriatingly-bouncy lover--he had nowhere else to go, after all.  When he arrived at the mage’s side, he looked around, his brow crinkling.  “We appear to be at the Coast.”

“I know!  Look over there--the sun’s about to set!”  Garrett slung an arm around the elf’s shoulders, a huge grin on his face.  “Isn’t it brilliant?”

Realising this must be Garrett’s surprise, Fenris decided he’d better muster up some enthusiasm, as much as he’d prefer to be seated around a fire with a fur draped over his shoulders.  “It’s… nice.  Thank you for bringing me here.”

“I thought you’d appreciate some privacy and quiet.  That’s why you’ve been grumpy, isn’t it?  I know Izzy and Varric have been a bit boisterous.  Uh… I know I’m boisterous, too, but I figured one was better than three.”

At this, a genuine smile graced Fenris’s face.  “You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.  I appreciate it, though.  No one’s ever given me the sunset before.”

Garrett placed a soft kiss on Fenris’s temple.  “I’d give you the moon if I could.  Might be a bit heavy, though.”  Garrett beamed at Fenris’s ensuing chuckle.  “I do love it when you laugh.”

Fenris looked up at the mage, snuggling against his broad chest.  “No one but you can make me laugh.  Not really.”

“It’s a gift.”  Garrett kissed Fenris again and released him.  He then began unbuckling his pauldron.

Fenris watched for a minute or two as straps, leather accoutrements and pieces of metal were cast to the ground.  “Um… what exactly are you doing?”

Garrett did a double take at the elf before pulling his tunic over his head.  “We’re going skinny dipping!  Why else d’you think I brought you here?”

“Skinny dipping?  What’s that?  And why are you…”  Fenris gulped as Garrett unbuckled his belt and, in one movement, pulled it off and threw it down.  “Why are you…”  Fenris’s mouth gaped open, his tongue dry and sticky.

Garrett’s boots were kicked off and he slid his hands down his hips, taking his trousers with them.  “I’m afraid this is the only moon I can give you for now.”  The trousers fell and the curve of muscular buttocks was silhouetted against the setting sun.  “Prepare yourself!”  Garrett warned.  “I’m about to unleash… The Beast!  Behold!”  He spun around, giving Fenris a full view of his meat and two veg.

The elf immediately sprang forward to preserve his lover’s modesty.  “There are bandits and Tal-Vashoth in these parts!  What do you mean by exposing yourself in this fashion?”

“I already told you!  We’re going sk—ohhh.  You’ve never been skinny dipping before, have you?”

“Of course I have,” the elf protested.  “Danarius regularly held skinny dunking tournaments—”

“Dipping, not dunking.”

“Oh.  Skinny dipping tournaments at his estate in Minrathous.”

Garrett crossed his arms.  “You don’t know what skinny dipping is, do you?”

“No.”

Garrett nodded, biting down a smile.  “Well, usual procedure is to get naked.  That’s the ‘skinny’ part.  You know, skin?”

“Skin.  Of course.”  Feeling a little foolish, Fenris looked over his shoulders.  “As I was saying, we are likely not alone here.  You know my feelings about disrobing in public.”

“Look, I told you I was drunk that night, and Varric egged me on.  He wanted to check the statue of me at the docks was in proportion.”

“Only, the statue at the docks doesn’t have its wedding tackle out.”

Garrett shrugged.  “Not my fault if the sculptor was a prude.  I did offer to model for her.”

“Of course you did.”

Garrett bent down to pick up his staff.  “If you’re worried about the Tal-Vashoth screaming in terror at the sight of your willy, I have the perfect solution.”  He raised the staff to the heavens, directing a buzzing blue arc of electricity at the clouds over the forest and hills.  Then he dropped his staff and raised an arm above his head with a flourish, providing him and Fenris with a barrier against the rain that suddenly started falling in sheets.  “There.  No one’s going to see us in this rain.”

“Well, when you put it that way, I suppose I have little choice.”  

“I suppose you don’t.  Now get those clothes off.”

With a long-suffering sigh, the elf started the laborious process of removing his armour.  “And the purpose of skinny dipping is… what, sex?”

Garrett spluttered a laugh.  “Well, sometimes, but not always!  It’s just… fun, you know?”  He grinned at the elf’s blank expression.  “Oh, I forgot… you’ve never had fun before either, have you?”

Fenris pulled his leggings down and stepped out of them before holding them out to one side.  “Are you saying I’m…” He let the leggings drop, “... dull?”

Garrett noisily cleared his throat and exhaled.  “You’re as dull as dishwater my darling, but by the Maker, you’re naked!” He lunged at Fenris and scooped him up, roaring with laughter as he carried the wriggling elf towards the shore.

“Unhand me, you unconscionable oaf!”

Garrett winced.  “Ouch!  That was a really big word!  Well, if I’m in trouble, I may as well make it worthwhile!”  He ran the last few steps to the water’s edge and powered into the ocean, waiting until he was thigh-deep before hurling Fenris forward, shielding himself from the impressively large splash the elf created.

A few seconds later, Fenris surfaced looking like a furious drowned rat.  “Now I’m all wet, you swine!”

“Well, that’s the point, isn’t it?” Garrett dashed the water out of his eyes and scanned the water’s surface.  “Love?  Where are you?”  He turned full circle, his eyes darting here and there, but the elf was nowhere to be seen.  “Fenris?  I’m sorry?  Love?”

At the same moment there was a swell of water behind Garrett and, like a majestic elven marine god, Fenris surged out of the water and latched himself onto the mage’s back, sending him off-balance.  

“Oh, no!  I’m going to…” At the last second, Garrett bent at the waist and threw Fenris over his shoulders.  Both of them crashed into the water, but only one of them was laughing when he surfaced.

“Bastard!” Fenris hissed, charging through the water towards the mage, not knowing what he was actually going to do to the man who stood almost a foot taller than him.  Stopping in front of Garrett, he opted for a hard chest shove to save face.  “I’m bloody frozen!”

“Hey, don’t worry!  Our clothes are over there and… and…” Garrett’s face fell.  “Oh, shit.”

“They’re in the rain.”  A few tiny wrinkles formed on the bridge of Fenris’s nose.  “Of course they are.”

“This isn’t exactly going to plan,” Garrett said good-naturedly, rubbing the nape of his neck and grimacing.  “It was supposed to be fun, but you look like you want to murder me.”  He cringed a little.  “I’m sorry.  I just wanted to get you away from everyone.  You look adorable, by the way.”  He slicked Fenris’s sopping-wet hair away from his eyes.  

Fenris’s nose wrinkles receded slightly, but his frown remained in place.  “I… I know what you were trying to do.”  He sighed.  “Perhaps you’re right.  I don’t know how to have fun.”  He looked away from Garrett, his frown deepening as he looked beyond the mage’s barrier to the surface of the water, which was being lashed with rain.

“Fen?”  Garrett moved closer to him.  “Are you all right?”

“The water… it’s… dancing.”

Garrett looked on in delight at the elf’s awed expression.  “You like it?”

The elf slowly nodded, his eyes moving to the horizon as the sun went down in a blaze of red and gold glory.  “It’s like a lake of molten lava.  It’s… wonderful.  I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“This was entirely planned, you know,” Garrett said from behind the elf, his insides glowing when he saw the tiny vibration of Fenris’s shoulders.

“Of course it was.”  The silent vibration grew to a quiet snigger and he let his head fall back against Garrett’s chest as a pair of large, hairy arms wrapped around him.  “I believe you, even if no one else would.”

“And that is why I love you.”  Garrett pressed a kiss to the crown of Fenris’s head and gently turned him around so they were facing each other.  “And the reason you love me is because I give you such amazing memories.  We’ll look back at tonight and you’ll say, ‘Oh yes, the night we saw fire dancing on the water, walked naked back to camp and caught hypothermia.  Good times.”

Fenris bowed his head, laughter wheezing out of him.  “If it were anyone else but you…”

“Now, come on, love.  There is no one else like me.”

Fenris rolled his eyes, but he was still laughing.  “Isn’t that the truth.  What are we going to do about the clothing situation?”

Garrett looked into Fenris’s eyes, the dying sun reflected against emerald glass.  “You know, at this moment I don’t really care.  Maker, you’re beautiful.”

They kissed, the fiery rain pattering against Garrett’s barrier.