#in other news my first week in gainful employment was amazing so far

[antique-forvalaka]

Worried im gonna develop a Big Fucking Jawline cuz i keep catching myself gnashing my teeth

[thegameofwork]

Start here...

So here we go, the start of a blog. A blog about work. Well, more (or probably less) interestingly, my take on a few years of being in employment.

A quick run down of my career so far... (all available for skimming through on LinkedIn, if you are so inclined!)

Teacher for over 14 years, Product Design / Graphic Products was my main subject. I also taught Engineering, IT and Creative Media (think digital art / photography and making things). I worked up the rungs of leadership, and decided I needed to get some 'real life' experience before moving into Headship...

Moved into IT training and sales, joining Academia and setting up a training division within the larger company. It was awesome, I learnt a lot... but felt very much like a spoilt child who'd just been bought a pony. Having a company in a box, was fantastic to experience 'business' but I felt I should really see if I could build a company from scratch. LearnMaker was the first attempt at becoming an 'entrepreneur' which I later realised was a dreadful and self serving title. I learnt a lot about what skills I had, and how others can make use of those skills for their own gains. MakerLabs was my first true startup, self funded (with having very little left in the bank after LearnMaker) and self propelled company. It focussed on STEM and STEAM courses / training / consultancy... and it did well. It made enough to live on, and helped support other freelance trainers too. I did some great projects with loads of interesting and amazing people. Pantri, I met Tom at a maker event MakerLabs had a stand (and a few speaking slots) at. He had this awesome little PCB that could order anything at the push of a button, and he wanted someone to help build out a training / education offering with. A partnership, and seat at the founders table, was formed. We ended up being accepted into TechStars 2019 in Munich, a fantastic accelerator... lots and lots of learning... and some of the toughest, and exciting times were had as a founder of a tech company. When Seren, my first daughter, was on the horizon I decided to be based more locally and to be closer to home. I took a role on at Birmingham City University overseeing the development of workshops and digital services that supported artists, businesses and the Birmingham community. Being inside a large institution, in an innovation type centre was tricky and at times highly frustrating. But I walked away from there with a greater appreciation of bringing people 'to the table' and being able to rapidly prototype services and offerings and get them 'to market'... whilst working with some truly amazingly skilled people. Whilst looking for the next step...I met, and talked at length to, Rob Price. A director at Alchemmy. Over the following weeks it was clear to me that Alchemmy would need to be my next move... and so much so, my next career step. A long term career as an Alchemmist... This blog, these posts, will hopefully document some of the learning that goes on in this new stage of my career. I wont be giving away any secrets, or inside plans. But hopefully give you, dear reader, a taste of what a teacher, come consultant learns...

[diyunho]

The Joker X Reader - “Ghost Driver”

When The Joker says you’re his, it means you’re essential to him because he needs your services for his own gain; it literally has zero affectionate connotations. Turbo is The King’s Ghost Driver and although she’s a legend, her life is far from perfect.

Part 2

“Where’s all your stuff?!” Frost asks since the apartment is pretty much empty.

“Gave it to Adam,” you sulk. “He wouldn’t sign the divorce papers so I gave in; I don’t even care… I’m glad he’s out of here.”

Jonny gazes at you in silence, a million words rushing through his mind and The Joker’s henchman can’t articulate anything close to what he would like to vociferate besides foolish small talk:

“How are you holding up?”

“Not sure… I don’t even know what the hell happened to us…It used to be so great and then he started making comments about my weight, gossiping with his friends behind my back, then cheated… I couldn’t handle it,” Y/N confesses although Frost is already acquainted with the dreadful story of her crumbled marriage.

“Not what the hell happened to us,” he decides to underline his personal opinion. “I think the question should be what the hell happened to him: you didn’t do anything wrong. And I believe you look perfect,” he mumbles the last sentence.

“What was that?” you search the fridge for his favorite soda.

“Nothing... nothing…”

“Here you go,” you offer the cold Fanta to a distraught companion.

“Thanks, Y/N. Here’s the money for tonight,” he gives you the envelope. “As usually, half now , half after the job is done.”

“OK,” you accept the terms without issues because it’s how The Clown Prince of Crime pays for your services. “Jonny, why is there an extra thousand dollars in here?!”

“Ummm…” the man tries to find a reasonable explanation yet Y/N can’t accept his strategy.

“Should I text Mister Joker and thank him for the bonus?”

“Nope,” he bites on his lip.

“I appreciate it,” you return the extra cash to Frost. ”I’m fine. Really.”

“Well…” he takes the bills and stashes them in his wallet, “… let me know if you need anything, alright?”

“I promise I will, “ you smile. “I swear on my Turbo honor,” the joke makes him smile also.

“Hey Y/N… I was thinking… maybe one of these days, if you feel like it, we could… and it’s entirely up to you, no pressure… maybe you would want to… ”

Frost’s phone keeps ringing and he retrieves from his suit’s pocket, annoyed about the interruption.

“It’s Audra,” he huffs while declining the call.

“Might be important,” you sort of urge him to answer.

“Meh, I doubt it. She will chew my ears off regarding our relationship that ended 3 months ago. I’m not interested,” he strolls towards the exit due to another pressing matter he has to attend. “I have to go, Mister Joker has a meeting soon; I’ll see you later, Y/N.”

“See you,” you wave and lock the door when your cell alerts of an incoming text from The Joker.

Downloading two pictures… Pictures?!

“Oh…my… God…!” you hold your breath when the first image depicts a totally naked King of Gotham reflected in the mirror at his gym and squeal when the second one shows a close up of his mid-section.

“Oh my God!” you burst out laughing as you admire the unexpected missive. “Heeeelllo Mister Joker,” you mutter and actual phrases pop up on your screen.

“I sent these to the wrong number, Y/N. Ignore and erase them!”

“Of course, sir!” you immediately reply with no intention of doing it for the moment.

Why?

The hilarious error shook you up from apathy and it’s worth saving those pics for a bit longer since you can’t remember the last time something got your attention after the messy divorce.

***************

11:49 PM

The Joker is the first one to get in the car next to you, firmly clutching to his suitcase full of diamonds freshly stolen from “Diamond Emporium” store on Glissan Avenue. You notice the other goons sneaking to the cars deliberately positioned around nearby streets for tonight’s robbery. How come J doesn’t go with them?

The dilemma is simple:

The green haired menace typically arrives with his regular crew when he plans heists but has Y/N pick him up after the job is done.

“Hi Mister Joker,” you greet your employer.

“Hey,” he acknowledges your presence. “Did you delete the pictures?” The Joker gets straight to the point.

“Yes,” you lie and tell the truth in the same time: you erased the whole body image but kept the close up one for future reference.

“Good. What did you think?” the hasty interrogation prompts a careful chosen response.

“You look very…,” and you pause in order to find the correct term since a tiny mistake could set him off. “… Healthy, Mister Joker.”

“I do,” he huffs quite pleased with your statement.

You wish to add more but Frost and the new hire squeeze in the back seat awaiting orders.

“You’re in luck kid,” Jonny places a box filled with precious gems at his feet. “Your first assignment and you get to meet Turbo.”

The young man opens his mouth in amazement as you move the fingers from your right hand in the air instead of a proper introduction.

“You’re Turbo?! I thought you’re a guy!” Nick blurs out and Frost punches him in the head, displeased with the observation.

“Sounds empty,” you growl while The Clown snorts.

“My Ghost Driver A GUY??!! Ha-ha-ha-ha!” the unnerving, screechy noises make the newbie shrivel up. “Turbo, A GUY!” he continues to amuse himself before giving Nick a psychotic glare.

“I’m…I’m so sorry, I meant no disrespect,” he nervously stutters especially since J called you “his”.

The poor bastard’s oblivious about what the label implies in The Clown’s universe: when The Joker says you’re his, it means you’re essential to him because he needs your services for his own gain; it literally has zero affectionate connotations.

“Where the fuck did you find this buffoon?” you chew on your gum, irritated.

“He’s Richard’s nephew,” Jonny sucks on his teeth.

“Uncle Panda is infinitely smarter,” Y/N barks at the revelation.

“I’m truly sorry,” Nick apologizes again and you cut him off.

“Save it!... … I hear sirens,” you slowly inhale and The King calmly articulates:

“I forgot to mention I accidentally triggered the silent alarm.”

Translation: he did it on purpose.

You snicker at the first lights blinking in the distance, excited to have some fun after stressing so much in the past weeks. The vehicles belonging to the gang scatter in different directions as you step on the gas pedal, accelerating towards the numerous police cars answering to the 10-64 code.

“That’s my girl!” J cracks his neck, already hyped at the adrenaline rush burning his veins: The Ghost Driver is perfect to offer him what he craves and she always delivers.

That’s why Turbo is his.

************

4:37 AM

“Hi…Mister…Mister Joker…” you attempt to talk without slurring.

“It’s Ella,” his girlfriend snarls.

“Why…where is he?” you guzzle down half of glass of wine, adamant in having a chat with your boss.

“Well, after you two had a merry time being chased by cops all over town, he came home and now he’s sorting out the diamonds,” the woman bitterly reports.

“I wanna talk to him,” you sniffle and drink some more alcohol.

“You just saw him. I’m sure it can wait until tomorrow.”

“I’m sure it can’t!” you shout. “I just received important information he’d be i…interested in,” you finally make it through the whole sentence.

Ella stomps in the living room, vexed at your behavior.

“It’s Turbo,” she shoves the phone in his fingers. “The bitch is wasted!”

“What did you call me?!” the appalled Y/N is about to burst when The Joker’s deep voice resonates I her ear.  

“Yeah?”

“Sir,” you correct your bitter tone. “I h-have very important news!”

“I’m listening,” J ignores his woman as she cusses you out.

“I have to tell you in person, sir. Let’s go on a date and I’ll reveal the entire shocking...”

“Huh?!”

“I have crucial information…”

“Quit repeating yourself!” The Joker interrupts. “You’re not making any sense. Go to sleep and we’ll catch up after you sober up.”

“But I wanna go on date Mister Joker,” you gulp the rest of the wine and prepare for a fourth round.

“Why, because I look healthy?” J mocks and Ella sighs, not understanding the odd conversation she’s witnessing. “… …. … Hello?”

A loud thud, then dialing tone at the other end of the line.

“I think she passed out,” The King of Gotham concludes, not particularly worried at the sudden halt of your monologue.

***************

3 Days Later

The late meeting is almost done: the buyers already purchased the diamonds J had for sale, among them your ex-husband Adam that has a small crowd gathered next to him; he’s supposedly famous for his crappy attitude enjoyed by jerks sharing the same ludicrous humor.

“You know I’m sensible when it comes to challenges and I couldn’t grasp why she doesn’t want my help in shedding a few pounds. What’s the harm in that?! I love curves but sometimes I don’t, ya’ know?” he winks and the group laughs.

The Joker is arranging money in duffle bags, his concentration diverted by the impromptu comedic performance. What the heck are they yapping about?

Frost is certainly in a foul mood: J can guess his trusted henchman is worked up since the usual chilled Jonny can’t control his anger.

“What’s wrong with being voluptuous, hm?” he addresses Adam and it clicks for The Joker: this is about Y/N.

“Nothing at all,” he smirks and the laughter around the room dies out because not too many dare screwing with Jonny Frost. “I was merely emphasizing that if a woman can’t lose weight, she’s doomed. Y/N lost me, how is she going to get another stud if she…”

“Perhaps she’s not interested in pieces of shit; definitely had her share!” Frost grumbles at the absurd remarks.

The Joker has no clue about what’s going on, yet he won’t deny today’s entertainment is far from boring.

“Give me a break!” Adam scoffs. “Who’d sniff her tail if she refuses to get skinnier? Ooohhh, wait a minute, we might have an admirer,” he arrogantly slides your cell out of his coat. “I was browsing her pictures and what do you know? A gentleman sent Y/N a picture of his junk three days ago. I am deeply sorry, my bad. She does have somebody sniffing her tail. What kind of loser sends images of his dangling goodies to another dude’s wife?!” 

“Ex-wife!” Jonny sneers whilst J’s calculation leads to an easy verdict: you kept one pic.

“Whose junk is this?! Is it yours?” your estranged spouse accuses Frost without any evidence.

“It’s my junk,” The Joker’s serene revelation makes everyone freeze: they have no idea how to react at the puzzling escalation of events.

Is he bluffing?!

“I wasn’t aware I require permission in order to text whatever I desire to whomever I want.”

Awkward silence and Frost approaches Adam, boiling with indignation.

“Why do you have Y/N’s phone?”

Your husband doesn’t have a chance to justify his action: Jonny’s punch throws him to the ground, immediately followed by his unsettling ultimatum.  

“You son of a bitch, what did you do to her?”

Your former husband gets on his elbow ready to attack when The King’s stern inquiry stops his motion:

“WHERE.IS.MY.TURBO?”

****************

After 1 hour

Frost lifts you higher in his arms while you keep wheezing, trying to regain control.

“I’m sorry…I attacked you,” the weakened Y/N whispers. “I thought you were Adam...”

After being abducted and left to starve for the last 3 days, you had one clear purpose: to kill the guy that did it. Adam surely crossed the line with his despicable plan of making you lose weight: he creeped in your apartment, kidnapped you and took you to his home where you were chained in the cellar until Jonny found you. The basement was dark and you couldn’t see, that’s why you used whatever strength you had left in order to attack the individual responsible for your misfortune.

Turned out it was actually a rescue party although Frost is now the proud owner of a beautiful bump courtesy of Y/N.

“No problem,” Jonny takes you to his SUV, carefully laying you down in the passenger’s seat. “How’s your head?” he wipes the dried blood on your cheeks since Adam knocked you out unconscious while you were talking to The Joker after the heist.

“I’m OK,” you start crying, mostly mad at yourself for being such an easy prey, yet you didn’t see it coming.

“You know… It’s OK not to be OK,” Frost opens a bottle of water and gives it to you. “I’ll take you home, you can take a shower and I’ll have the doctor come for an emergency evaluation. Are you hungry?”

“I’m so hungry,” tears stream down your face and Jonny has a great proposal.

“I’ll order some food and if you want me to I can stay with you. After you feel better, we could… and it’s entirely up to you, no pressure… maybe you would want to…”

The Joker rolls his eyes, deciding to emerge from the shadows.

“Wow, this is painful to watch. Frost believes he’s still in high school: basically he’s asking you on a date. There, done. No need to beat around the bush. Jesus!” J scolds about a subject he shouldn’t mess with. “I have a heist next week, you better be good to go by then!” he gestures at the confused duo. “If you’ll excuse me, I have my own date to honor. We’re done here, yes?”

“Yes sir,” Jonny replies for both, unwilling to split hairs with The Joker and his obnoxious aberrations. “Here’s your cell,” he returns the item to you and you snatch it, relieved. You seem to have an outburst of energy as you unlock the secured folder.

“Where’s Adam?”

“I don’t know, we had an altercation at the warehouse then he scrammed,” Frost reports, ogling a strange looking Y/N typing on her phone.

“He won’t be able to hide,” you grin and send the attachment to The Joker.

*************

“We’ll be late for dinner,” Ella kisses The Clown. “I’m not a 100% positive why we had to waste precious time and come for her,” she pouts and drags him after her towards their vehicle.

J’s phone chimes and he stops in his tracks, not expecting a message from you seconds after the encounter.

“Mister Joker, you were very generous to share pictures with me.

Allow me to do the same.

Your Turbo.”

Imagines downloading and he’s not sure what to do when pics appear one by one: frames taken by the private investigator you hired to follow Adam when you suspected he was cheating. The bastard was diligent, but he was eventually caught in the act three days ago.

Who’s the woman he’s with?

The Joker’s Queen.

“What’s wrong?” she frowns at the visible switch in his temper.

The Clown ruthlessly slams Ella against the hood while her cell also receives a text from Y/N:

“Who’s the bitch now?”

 Also read: MASTERLIST

You can also follow me on Wattpad and Ao3 under the same blog name: DiYunho.

[bleached-d-soul]

Capes and Cowls and Romances

Commission for @bunnykingrules!

Jaune was never an adventurous person. Sure, he could easily spend days dreaming of living through some amazing adventure but, at the end of the day, he fully realized that those were just hypothetical situations that he would never take part in. He wasn't a knight who would slay the dragon or the tough-as-nails badass who would put an end to some crazy tytant's rule.

He was just Jaune Arc, a mild-mannered reporter from a small farm town trying to make it in the world of the big city. He expected it to be hard. Everything was way more expensive than back home. The air was heavy and smelled wrong. And he still had yet to go a day without getting called a "fucking idiot" by someone on his way to work or back home. But that was nothing that he wasn't prepared for.

Catching the eye of the country's most infamous supervillain though? How was he supposed to prepare for that?

Cinder Ashen AKA Miss Fall was not your everyday supervillain. She didn't go around yelling out her evil plans and schemes. Neither did she dress up in tight spandex or a mask. No, instead she was the face of one of the city's most influential and powerful companies, the QueenCorp. From food to weapons, her company had a finger in each and every pie. Even when that involved cutting other people's fingers off.

When Jaune first arrived in Vale, he wanted to keep his head low and just live his own little life. But as time passed, he grew tired of writing the same meaningless articles on romances on set or horoscope tips. He wanted make a difference. Why become a reporter if you are not going to change something in the world, right? Expose a dirty politician. Reveal the conspiracy behind the city's damaged infrastructure. Or, in case of Miss Ashen, reveal her as the mysterious mastermind that supplied gangs all over the city with bleeding edge tech to fight heroes.

It was all by pure chance. A small tip from an anonymous source led him to the warehouse full of high-end tech. Some more digging landed him the hard witness evidence of Cinder being behind numerous villain attacks on her competitors, actual or potential. Jaune finally felt alive. He finally felt he was making the difference.

When Mr. Port canned his story, Jaune ignored the warning of a man about how guys like him tended to disappear. He continued to ignore hushed whispers and warnings from every publisher that rejected him. Finally, he was done with it. Tired and annoyed at how everyone seemed so eager to ignore the woman's double life, Jaune did what he thought the best option and published it on his own blog.

By the morning, the story had spread throughout the city and then the state. As people talked more and more about her, Jaune couldn't help but feel the sense of accomplishment.

He expected a lot of things. PR team of QueenCorp. coming after him. Being silenced by some of Cinder's gangsters.

He never expected an invitation to have a dinner.

"You are not eating," she stated in amusement. Jaune had yet to touch his utensils. "Afraid I ordered your meal poisoned?"

"Maybe I am just not hungry," he smirked, trying to play it off cool. Too bad that he hadn't eaten anything the entire day. His stomach growled before he could even finish the sentence. The fact that the steak before him looked and smelled absolutely delicious didn't make it better. "Look, is this the part where your men give me cement shoes and drop into the river?"

Cinder genuinely laughed at that. It was quiet and small, barely above the whisper. But it was there. And it was frightening. Them being alone in quite the spacious room of the restaurant only added to the dreadful feeling in his gut.

"Cement shoes? Sure, after all it is such a practical way to kill somebody," she took another sip of her wine. "I believe you will starve way before I could do anything to you. Trust me, Jaune, if I wished you dead, I wouldn't waste money on the restaurant. A simple bullet and a fake suicide note would be much more efficient."

The way she delivered that line - as if she was explaining the simplest most common stuff - made Jaune feel both worried and relaxed. He could tell she didn't poison his food. But he could also tell she woulkd get rif of him as easily as one would be disposing of trash. With that in mind, he took the first bite of juicy and tender steak.

If she planned to kill him, that was one hell of a last meal.

And yet the death had yet to come. Their conversation stayed far away from him exposing her. No veiled or direct threats to his life or family. No attempts to bribe or coerce him into calling his story fake. They talked about their own pasts and experiences. How he grew up in a small town in the family of eight. How she grew up alone in the giant mansion with only servants and tutors for company. How he paid his way through college. How she had been left to save a multibillion dollar company after her father ran it into the ground.

Was she trying to make him sympathize with her? Why was he sharing his past with the woman who could kill him that very night? As their desserts arrived, Jaune had enough and asked her straight-away:

"What are you going to do with me?"

"Nothing."

There was no lie in her words. But why?

"Why though?" Jaune's eyes narrowed. "I have literally exposed your shady arms dealing operation for the world to see. Your company's stock has been dropping like crazy for a whole week and-"

"- none of that will affect me as bad as you think," Cinder smiled. Not a fake smile she put on every time she opened a new hospital or school. But the real one that reminded Jaune of the cat that caught a mouse. "So my company sells weapons to the criminals and? If you honestly believe that will stop people from buying my products or services, you clearly overestimate the general public."

She took another sip of her wine and continued with the same serene expression, "Trust me, Jaune, the whole thing will be forgotten the moment some celebrity couple break up or my company announces a new phone. What you did was no more impactful than throwing a glass of water into the burning house."

"Then why am I here? If it is so small and insignificant, why did you invite me?"

She put down her glass and smiled. Before Jaune knew, the woman grasped him by his chin and looked him dead in the eyes. Two golden spheres stared straight into his soul, something wicked and powerful brewing in them.

"Because you interest me, Jaune."

He tried to back away only to find himself completely paralyzed. Was she one of the Auraborne - the people with special abilities? Or was it just the power a woman of her status had?

"That anonymous source that gave you a lead... You never tried to find from whom it came, did you?" She saw the shock in his eyes as the realization came down on him like a hammer. She was the anonymous benefactor. But why? What could she possibly gain from all of this? "I see you are confused. Allow me ask you a simple question then, Jaune: Why did you publish the story?"

Her eyes bore further into his soul.

"Honestly, why would you do this? Not only you risked your career and lifelihood, but your very life as well. When your employers refused to publish, you must have realized just how far my reach went. So why?"

He could feel the power in her gaze. The power to crush him if she wanted to. To crush him and everything he cared about and walk away without any punishment or even reprimend. And yet, he couldn't help but glare back as he snarled in defiance, "Because it was the right thing to do. I don't care how rich or powerful you are, I am not letting you hurt others."

He could have sworn something changed in her eyes. A small current of the power too outside of his world to comprehend. He expected to be burnt into ashes or have his skull crushed. And yet, once again, Cinder surprised by planting a hot wet kiss on his lips. Her tongue invaded his mouth, forcing him into submission as she desperately searched for something in the gesture of intimacy.

His mind was on fire, neurons all at work to try and understand what the hell was happening. Cinder deepened the kiss and all the brain activity died as he melted into it. Just what the hell did this woman do to him just now?

Finally, she let him go, looking no worse for the wear whereas he was out of breath.

"Not quite as innocent as I expected from a farm boy," Cinder chuckled. "I can tell we are going to have some truly fun times."

"I answered your question..." Jaune groaned after he finally gathered his thoughts. "So why not answer mine in return? Why did you send me all that info? Is that some sort of game? Or a way for you to prove just how untouchable you are?"

Cinder smiled - that damned cocky half-grin half-smirk.

"Because I wanted to find someone like you, Jaune," she said sincerely. "I have sent the same lead to several new reporters. But none of them proved themselves worthy of my interest. Some were too lazy to follow up on the lead. Some were to afraid to investigate any further once my name popped up. Some were too arrogant or greedy, barging into my office to try and blackmail me. But you? You actually managed to pull it off. I am impressed. I really am."

"And why do any of this? Why risk it all for a thrill?"

Cinder smiled.

"Because I wanted to."

She delivered the line with the same sincerity he delivered his, mocking how simplistic he must have sounded to her.

"Once you reach the top of the world, few things can excite you. I have no equals or rivals. I have no one to challenge me," her gaze fell on him. "Not until now, at least. I hope you will find this new relationship just as enjoyable as I do."

Relationship?

"When did I agree to become yours?"

Cinder smiled. Her eyes were like two burning suns as she bared her teeth.

"And when did I leave any room for discussion?"

S

Two years had passed since that fateful dinner and Cinder's declaration. Two long years of trying to stay sane in the world that no longer made sense.

Despite what many might have thought, Jaune wasn''t one to roll over with whatever came his way. He would fight, weakly and unsuccessfully. But he would fight. With every door to the news publishing cosed out of fear of QueenCorp. retribution, Jaune had little holding him back from his next step. He joined the Atlas - the world's elite taskforce. Quite the jump from a mild-mannered reporter.

Training was harsh and brutal. The lack of trust from his superior officers didn't make it easier. But Jaune refused to quit. And now here he was, the field agent of Atlas, armed and ready to take on anyone.

Anyone but her.

"You have strayed away from the herd, my little knight," the woman purred, fire dancing in her palm. "Came here to put an end to our game of cat and mouse?"

Jaune raised his taser gun only for it to burst into flames. Before he could pull out a stun baton, the woman was onto him. her lips burned against his neck as she hungrily ripped off his suit. It wasn't new or even rare. At this point, it was just the way things happened whenever the two ended up on the same battlefield. When he joined Atlas, the new villain appeared on the scene.

Fall Flame as the media christened her. She acted different from both Cinder Ashen and Miss Fall. More proactive on the field. More talkative and flirt with her enemies - especially him. He doubted anyone but him realized it was the cold and ruthless CEO and weapons dealer. The woman that traded weapons to every thug without powers. And now she had the powers of her own.

Good thing he picked up a few tricks as well.

"Ugh!" Cinder groaned as Jaune pushed her against the wall. Using the momentary surprise, he attempted to put handcuffs on her. "Kinky today, aren't we? But sadly, Jaune, I prefer to be the one in charge!"

He jumped away just as Cinder burst into flames. He tried to contact the rest of the team but without any success. He was all alone against the Auraborne. And he didn't like his chances. They continued on with the dance, trading blows and kicks. But it was only him who was losing energy as Cinder dodged and blocked all his attacks without any trouble.

Eventually, he found himself out of breath.

"You have improved since our last time. You definitely lasted longer," Cinder purred as she carddled his face. "But you still lost and your companions are now my captives. You do understand where I am going with this, don't you, Jaune?"

Jaune didn't even bother with resisting. Sometimes he wondered if Cinder created this persona solely to play with him. In an hour, his team would be released back and he would be locked up in one of Cinder's safe houses, which one he would eventually escape only to start the same game all over again in a month or two.

"You know," Cinder said as she led him towards the transportation cell. "Things would be much easier if you just joined me and my group. I assure you, our benefits package is quite favorable."

Jaune sighed at yet another attempt by Cinder to recruit him, "Let's just go to your safe house."

He didn't miss the way her lips curved into a smile at his rejection. What was it she said she enjoyed, someone challenging her? One might wonder why he even bothered to resist her if it only made it more fun for her. Jaune wondered about it as well whenever he was fighting her.

Guess he just loved the challenge too.

It was complicated, confusing and twisted. But in a way, he enjoyed refusing Cinder's advances just as much as he enjoyed doing anything against her. Refuse to join her. Always do the right thing when she offered him an easy way out through doing the wrong thing.

Maybe he and Cinder weren't so different after all.

S

The trip back to her safe house was surprisingly trivial. If one were to see the Atlas agent and the infamous criminal chatting about movies, work and food, that person would think they went crazy. But for Jaune and Cinder? It was just the way things worked between the two.

Cinder wouldn't tell Jaune anything that could compromise her plans. He stopped trying to get the information out of her a long time ago.

But neither did Jaune reveal anything about his side and their plans. Cinder had yet to give up on her pursuit of making him into her mole.

"I am going to have a shower. Wanna join me?"

Cinder smiled teasingly as Jaune took too long to refuse. "No thanks, I think I might need get some ice for my leg. No thanks to you."

She doesn't apologize or feign sympathy. Of course, she doesn't. Cinder never apologizes. Because in her own mind, she is never wrong.

The safe house is a lot more of a private house in the woods than one would imagine. No camouflage tech involved. No killer robots on the watch. Just a small piece of property away from the city and wandering eyes.

At this point, he spent more time here than he did in his actual apartment. This fact didn't bother him as much as it used to though, something that he would think on during more relaxed times. He still hadn't come up with an answer to that. He would, in due time.

For now though?

He had dinner to cook.

Cinder had many flaws. She was a sociopath, for starters, with very twisted outlook on the world and life in general. All people either had some use to her or could be discarded without a second thought. And when she was bored, she would stop at nothing to feel excitement. She was also quite stubborn and while always willing to improve, rarely acknowledged some of her more moral failings.

Despite those flaws, Jaune didn't find her company as unpleasant as he should have. Otherwise, he wouldn't be making dinner right now, now would he?

"So what are we having tonight?" Cinder asked as she wrapped her still wet arms around his waist from behind. "One of your classics? Or something new?"

He didn't bother to try and remove her arms despite the water seeping into his shirt.

"I was thinking of some stew and miso soup. I tried it a few weeks ago at the new place near my apartment. The chef was rude as hell but the taste I got out of it was worth it."

Cinder smiles before leaving to change. Jaune leaves the food to cook for a few minutes and changes into something more domestic as well. He had yet to get used to having his own room in here.

By the time he changed, Cinder was already at the table waiting for him to serve the food and drinks to her. It wasn't the same as when she waited for her minions to present the results of their work. Or when she awaited the CEO of some other company to surrender the controls over to her.

Instead, it was a more expectant but warm atmosphere that greeted him. It reminded him of the all the times he came back home from college to be greeted by one of his sisters. It felt comforting and peaceful. Not something you'd expect from the current public enemy number one.

They enjoyed their dinner, trading quips and jabs at each other. She commented on how the Atlas needed to better train its agents. Jaune pointed out that she was slipping up with her guys - after all, Roman sang like a bird once they got him.

There was no heat in their words, however. Not even the slightest bit of animosity that was present whenever they fought. As if the two of them were actors and their roles - a Hero and a Villain respectively - were taken off the moment they were here.

Jaune didn't hate the idea as much as he should have.

"You ever get tired of this?"

He breaks the question when they are done washing the dishes. It is something that has been on his mind for a while. And he no longer wanted to wonder on that.

"Whatever do you mean, Jaune?"

"I mean... This whole supervillain thing you got going on," he gestured vaguely around the place. "Building weapons, fighting heroes and et cetera... Since when was this a thing for you?"

Cinder reached for his face and smiled.

"Since I decided to have you for myself. The bond between lovers is strong... But the bond between the opposites? It is eternal, Jaune. Light and Dark. Life and Death. Good and Evil. One cannot exist without the other. And so cannot we."

Her eyes burned as he felt himself entranced.

"Which is why..."

They left the table.

"I am never..."

They were in the bed. Their bed.

"Letting you go."

The Light and Dark.

Good and Evil.

Agent of Order and Mistress of Chaos.

In that night - and many nights after - they were together as one. 

[yorukamiko]

Vampire AU

I’ve been toying with this idea for a while, so here it is in writing.  Julian, somewhere between the fateful Masquerade and the beginning of our story. On the run. We more or less know his route: getting away from Vesuvia with Mazelinka, getting on a ship to Macawi port in the South, then going back to Vesuvia. But the Masquerade was three years ago, and Portia started working at the Palace a year ago, probably shortly after she got to Vesuvia, which leaves us with two years of Julian’s journey. What has he been up to, then?

EDIT: I started writing this 3h ago and just wanted to get stuff out of my head. I guess stories live their own lives, so it became WAY longer than I expected. Oops. It’s 3:30am and starts getting NSFW. Part two will happen when I get sleep. Alas, beware of typos and other mishaps.

Also TW: human trade 

Here an idea:

The ship Julian’s on is attacked by the pirates. Not Mazelinka’s crew, but a more nasty type. Julian tries to make his way out of the situation by telling them he’s a doctor, but they don’t need one on their ship - instead, they decide to make a pretty penny selling him to someone on the coast.

As they arrive to a small port, Julian is escorted straight to the market. There, a young lady dressed in finest lace buys him and a few others. She seems very well educated and rich, but not very kind. She haggles well, not about the money, though, but about additional people for the same price. The handler seems to be cautious with his words, as if afraid of her, and finally agrees. When she’s done, she drives away in a carriage, while Julian and the others make their way to the estate on foot, with a few guards.

The residence is a beautiful place by a river, with a garden smaller, but no less amazing than the Vesuvian one. They pass the fields and the meadows on their way there, and Julian takes a good look at the people working in the fields - there are no guards, and some people are resting in shade, drinking and laughing. They seem.. relaxed.

Upon their arrival to the house, the ropes are taken away and they are offered a bath and a fresh change of clothes. Julian’s clothes are simple and plain, but kind of nice. He washes up in a small tub of warm water, and heads to the dining area.

The lady who sits at the head of the table is the same lady who was there in the market. She’s way nicer now, welcoming them in her house and asking them to enjoy the meal. Everyone is a bit reluctant, but she takes the first few bites and that gains her enough trust among the newcomers. Even if this is all extremely odd, they are hungry.

After the dinner is cleaned out from the table, she announces that they are by no means obliged to stay, and they are all free to go the next morning. However, if they would like to stay, she offers her employment. A roof over their heads, food they will grow with their own hands, freedom to come and go, a fair wage, and her protection - under two conditions. There will be a small donation of blood required every now and then, and there will be her reputation to upkeep. There is a murmur among the guests, but she cuts it off, saying she would like them to go meet the servants who decided to stay, before they make the final decision. 

The lady of the house takes time to chat with those who stayed in the room, and finally makes it to Julian. Unsure what to do, but utterly intrigued, he decides to accept the invitation and stay for some time as a physician. If nothing else, playing by their rules can make an easier escape later on.

The next morning he is asked to move to a long building closer to the servants quarters, where he is given an office and an adjacent room in which he can live. All of it is rather simple, but sufficient. There are no decorations, but there view out the window is pleasant. Way better than his office in the Palace dungeons. He shivers at the thought, but pushes it far away. He is safe now. Everyone dear to him is safe and away from Vesuvia. Mazelinka has reached Portia by now and passed the news of his escape. All he has to do is to lay low for a while.

There is a knock on the door and a young boy with a little girl attached to his leg walks in. Julian smiles and puts on a “kind doctor” face, then throws himself into work.

Weeks pass by and Julian is well-known and liked among the people of this weird place. His initial distrust slowly vanishes. He can see that the people are indeed free to come and go, they are paid, fed, and happy. They work for themselves, mostly. Some work in the fields, some with the animals, others sew clothes or build furniture. There’s a carpenter, a blacksmith, and now him - a doctor. It’s a self-sufficient little town, all under the protection of this young mysterious lady with a bad reputation on the outside. Whatever they have in abundance, they trade away in the port. Julian goes with them once, and plays along when he is told to put on shackles and look miserable. He knows a reputation can save one from the fight altogether, and he is well aware that if those pirates knew the place wasn’t cursed, haunted, and controlled by a powerful witch, it would get raided in no time. 

As they return back to the estate, they joke and laugh about all the silly stuff they saw pirates do - spitting over their shoulders, sprinkling salt, or murmuring anti-hexes while avoiding their gaze. Julian loves it, mischief and drama is something he lives for, and he offers a few new scenarios and tricks to play on the pirates the next time they go to town.

But even before they reach their houses, someone stops them, visibly shaken. They say that there has been an accident and the doctor is needed immediately. Julian rushes back to the estate, where the injured is being taken care of. 

A child is laid on a cleared table in the main hall of the house, pale and motionless. There is a family gathered round them, sobbing and comforting each other. Julian is afraid he’s too late, but the child is still alive. Their breath is rugged and bubbly. A close examination shows there’s a lung pierced and some external bleeding. As much as Julian wishes, he’s way under-equipped to perform a surgery. Instead, he removes his gloves.

The room falls silent as his mark glows. With his head tilted backwards, he sees a movement at the top of the staircase. Then, he folds in half as his own ribs crack and bend inwards, piercing his lung. He gasps for air, but he’s drowning, yet he does not move his hands away until he sees the child gaining back consciousness. He collapses to his knees. Last thing he sees is blood on the floor and his hands as he coughs it up. 

He wakes up sore, in a strange room. It’s dark, with curtains drawn. The door opens and a servant comes in with a tray full of deliciously smelling food and a lit candle. She smiles at him, sets the tray and begins to light the candles. She seems like she wants to say something, but she only utters “thank you, thank you so much” when she’s about to leave. 

Only now Julian realises there’s someone else in the room, sitting in an armchair. The stranger walks towards his bed and Julian can now see a tall, lean figure with a storm of dark hair surrounding her perfectly beautiful face. She looks like a living sculpture, her skin dark, eyes golden. Her entire shape screams elegance. She sits at the foot of his bed and smiles an all-knowing smile.

Julian is too hazy to ask the right questions, and he is starving, so he lets the stranger speak as he ravishes his dinner. The woman seems completely comfortable in his presence, as well as fascinated. She introduces herself as Mistress Zoe, the real lady of the house, and tells Julian she is impressed with his magic, but also a bit hurt he haven’t mentioned being a magician earlier. Julian explains between bites that he is not, in fact, a magician, thank you very much, but he has been cursed by one. She laughs, and asks how possessing an ability to perform miracles and save lives is a curse, to which Julian mumbles something in response, blushing at the compliment.

Zoe asks him to be completely honest with her from then on, and offers the same in exchange. In fact, she would like to start.

She created this whole place, because she dislikes how violent the world has become. There’s no joy for her in hurting and killing, and hurt she must - to feed herself. Now here lies the real curse. She cannot step in the sun, she cannot eat or drink what the others can, she needs to feed on blood. For years she tried to cope with her situation, on her own, with no one to guide her. She did horrible things in her youth, hurt many, just to stay alive. Killed some, yes. But seeing she lived longer than any man she has ever met, she decided to make a difference. That’s why with all her accumulated wealth she bought the estate and surrounding grounds, and created this safe haven. Julian nods and asks about the reputation and Zoe smiles. Well, yes, it’s a repellent for those who would want to attack her, but some of it is true and had the need arise, she would be able to protect her people.

“And the blood donations?” Julian asks. Ever since he took on the physician’s job, he had been tasked with drawing blood from the volunteers. She looks away with poorly hidden disgust. She knows she can draw a little blood from a lot of people to sustain herself and not harm them, but honestly, it’s like taking a bite of every possible dish at the same time. Feeds you, but it’s awful. It’s the closest she’s ever been to being fair with her people, so that’s her way now.

Julian furrows his brows. If she’d let him, he would very much like to examine her. She laughs and it takes a moment until he realises how he sounded. He flusters and tries to explain himself, but she’s having none of it. She teases him and makes him blush even more. Eventually, she lets go and tells him that yes, that is possible, but now she wants to hear his story. Julian obeys, and tells her the most dramatic and entertaining tales of his adventures.

They stay up all night and when the sky behind the drapes starts getting lighter, Zoe decides to bid her goodbyes. She thanks him again for saving the child, and for their time together.

Over the next few days Julian goes back to his routine. He is now treated like a hero, but there’s a bit of distance in how people interact with him. Rumours of magic is what they were laughing at together just a few days ago, not knowing he possessed any abilities. What if he didn’t like their jokes back then? They know he can keep a secret, so maybe he holds a grudge now? Better not get too close with him, better leave him a small gift at the windowsill, just in case. Julian is a bit frustrated by this behaviour, but he can’t blame them - he himself is distrustful towards magic. 

His thoughts, however, go back to Zoe and their night together. He felt so good in her presence. She’s bold, and funny, and she seems to like him, too. And gods, creating all this? That takes some guts.. and kindness. He’s sure she could put a lot less effort into it if she hunted.

The next time volunteers come over to donate blood, one of the house servants informs him that he has to deliver the blood himself. After he closes the clinic for the night, he gathers his journal, and a small basket of vials, and goes to a room upstairs. Zoe is already there, behind a room divider, taking a bath. She invites him to sit in a chair next to her tub, completely unashamed. He passes her the vials and she downs a few of them right away, her irises dilating as she drinks. She rests the back of her head on the edge of the tub and he can see her fangs. He opens the notebook and writes down his observations. 

It takes her a while to come back to her senses. Her throat bobs up and down and she sits upright. “It’s a very vulnerable moment for me,” she says, “when I feed. It’s even worse when I was feeding off of a living human. You know how lone predators drag their prey into hiding before they start to eat? I had to go to hiding, too. I usually lured them into a safe place, and only then fed. When I quench that thirst, I’m completely helpless. I can control myself, but as for anything going on outside - I’m done. So much for a great predator” she laughs. 

Julian sits there, taking notes, asking questions, and trying not to stare. The way she moves, the way she talks, the way her lips curl, her brows furl, her nose wrinkles.. Everything about her is perfect. He is enchanted by her voice and her scent. He blushes, when she catches him drifting away. “Guilty as charged, I was not listening, sorry, you’re just too beautiful” slips his lips and his eyes widen, while his cheeks burn. He did not mean to say it out loud. 

She just smiles, a wide predatory grin. Well, of course she is beautiful, but it’s nice of him to notice. Perhaps he would like to put the notebook aside and pass her the towel?

Julian blinks rapidly, then reaches for the soft cloth hanging on a hook and hands it over to her. He wants to turn around but she stops him. He’s welcome to look, in fact, she would very much enjoy it. He doesn’t need another word. He sits there, transfixed, biting his lip, as she puts on a bit of a show for him, slowly drying herself down, giving him all the right angles. 

He hasn’t been close with anyone since... since that damned witch. He enjoys Zoe’s company, and she apparently enjoys his. She seems dangerous and alluring, a sweet combination he always had a soft spot for.

She steps out of the bath and bends over, putting her hands on armrests, so their faces almost meet. “What’s your poison, then?” She asks. Julian smiles, eyes full of mischief. “I love pain and servitude, Mistress. Bind me, use me, deny me, hurt me - I’ll take it all. I heal well” he teases. Zoe’s eyes light up at that, she licks her lips, slowly. “May I feed on you?” She asks. Julian swallows, hard. “Yes, please.”

[pangtasias-atelier]

That bakery AU story with Keaton and Kaden absolutely fucks, so let's add the other 2 fluffy boys to Corrins collection of feedees with a sequel of that involving Ranulf and Yarne pretty please!

I don't know why but all the beast FE are great for weight gain stuff.

Also, thank you so much! The Kaden&Keaton bakery was my favorite prompt so far! And this one also ended up being a lot longer than I expected.

Corrin’s daily routine is pretty fixed.

Wake up early, begin baking, bring back some for Kaden and Keaton. (It was more around a lot) Head back to the bakery to open and then take breaks to check up on Kaden and Keaton. Rinse and repeat.

His bakery was becoming a community fan favorite as more and more people kept coming back. Each time just a little bit bigger, Corrin was ashamed of it but he loved it. So now he could comfortably keep the bakery closed every Sunday and focus on Kaden and Keaton.

He stopped renting our from his old place and chose to move in with Kaden and Keaton, the two had pooled in their money to somehow buy a whole house. On the edges of the city, it was a great deal which Corrin was thankful for.

But even with a day off, the bakery was becoming a huge chore for just himself. He needed help and soon. So it was on one Saturday that he posted a help wanted sign on his bakery.

—-

Yarne sighs as he stretches his back out on a park bench after another failed interview. Despite his glowing resume, most places seemed to never call him back. Probably ‘cause I’m a taguel, Yarne ruefully thinks. And those that did call him, found his conversational skills a bit lacking.

“I’m a cook. It’s not like I need to talk to others.” Yarne mutters into his hands. He always had a fear of public speaking but he needed a job. Putting his panic on hold, Yarne checks his phone when it vibrates.

Checking the notification, he smiles when he sees a new job listing for a bakery. Seeing that interviewing in store would be faster, especially with the bakery two blocks away, Yarne sighs before heading to the location. Maybe he’ll be lucky this time.

—-

Corrin wipes the counter while there’s downtime. He finally has a lull in customers after a nearly packed store since the morning.

He jumps to alert when he hears the telltale jingle of a customer.

“Hello, I’ll help you by the counter.” Corrin pauses when he sees bunny ears on his customer. Taguel are exceedingly rare. And this one is extremely adorable despite the fact he looks like he wants to run away.

“Oh, h-hi.” Yarne clasps his hands in front of him. “I saw that there is an opening and I wanted to speak to the manager.” Yarne asks.

Corrin smiles as he sees such a quick response. “I’m the owner, Corrin. Pleasure to meet you.” Corrin smiles as he sees the prospective employee.

“I’m so sorry, I thought-” Yarne stutters as Corrin interrupts him.

“It’s okay. Do you have a resume?” Yarne smiles at Corrin’s lack of care of his noticeable features, his ears, tail and abundant hair ignored. Yarne produces his resume from his folder, the paper still crisp after his failed interview earlier.

“This is impressive!” Corrin compliments, reading Yarne’s years of experience. And cute to top it off.

“Thank you.” Yarner nervously says. He lets out a sigh of relief upon Corrin’s next question.

“When can you start?”

—-

Yarne may not be the best cashier, but he’s an amazing baker Corrin finds out. He’s helped create new goods. Corrin finds it adorable seeing the taguel’s obsession with carrots, but the customers love it, so there’s no harm.

Trying new recipes includes a lot of taste testing, and while Kaden and Keaton were always happy to participate, they happily gobbled everything. So Yarne ended up trying a lot of his creations before deciding they were good enough and then having customers try them.

All that taste testing was showing up on Yarne. Yarne followed Corrin’s recipes to a t and he took to using Corrin’s secret ingredient as well. Though Yarne didn’t really understand what it was for, he just knew that it made everything taste better.

It seemed to have the same effect on Yarne as it did to Kaden and Keaton, Yarne’s body clinging to every ounce of weight. Yarne was evenly distributed, he would be slightly more apple shaped, Corrin could predict. He already got his uniform in a larger size. An embarassing event for him, and a hot event for Corrin.

They always had leftover bread, so Yarne was allowed to take some home. Corrin only deemed it fair that Yarne be compensated as much as he could be, business was positively booming and his life was much easier with an extra hand.

Yarne at first took nothing, then he grabbed a bit before taking a near dozen home each day.

—-

“Yarne?” Corrin walks to the backroom, Yarne currently washing dishes and utensils from the mornings bake. Corrin gets a good look at Yarne’s plush size, up another uniform size.

“Yes, Corrin?” Yarne asks as he washes the dishes, struggling to wash off some persistent starch.

“I’m going to need you to watch over the store for a bit.” Yarner barely avoids dropping the glass bowl as he fumbles with it. He jams to the water off as he stares at Corrin.

“I- um- I don’t th-”

“I will be two blocks away. If anything happens, don’t hesitate or worry to call me.” Yarne swallows as he tries to calm his nerves. “You’ll be paid extra of course. And don’t worry what happens, I know I’m asking a lot from you.” Corrin calms Yarne down.

“Okay…” Yarne says, his brain already regretting that decision.

“Thank you so much.” Corrin pats Yarne who turns bright red. “Don’t forget to call me if anything happens. You’ll do great.”

Yarne heads to the front of the store and sighs when he sees no one. He waves goodbye to Corrin. He doesn’t miss the bundle of boxes he’s carrying in his hands.

Standing at attention, Yarne waits for any customer. He’s thankful that Corrin was at least nice enough to put him charge after lunch hour.

The half hour nearly over, Yarne smiles as he cleans the counter. He was worried over nothing.

Cheering when he hears the bell ring, he greets Corrin. “Hey Co-” Yarne’s words get stuck when he sees it’s not Corrin. Instead it’s a cat, the person’s eyes both different colors.

“I heard there was a job for cashier.” The stranger says as he leans against the counter, looking up at Yarne.

“Uh, yes. Let me call the owner.” Dialing Corrin Yarne mentally cheers when Corrin picks up right away concerned about him. “Everything is under control. But, there’s someone asking about the cashier position.” Yarne pulls away the phone when he hears Corrin yell, saying he’ll be there soon.

“He says he’ll be here soon.”

“Thanks. Guess I found a good employer that’ll hire beasts like us.” Yarne blushes at the cat’s directness. “I’m Ranulf.”

—-

“Thanks for stopping by!” Ranulf waves goodbye as he leans against the counter, his moobs squishing against his flabby arms. “Hey boss.” Ranulf waves as Corrin enters from the backroom.

“Hey Ranulf.” Corrin greets back.

Today was the third week of Ranulf’s job and Yarne’s fifth week. Corrin couldn’t ask for better employees, they were great at their job and the two were nice to each other. And they were cute to boot.

Corrin could see that Ranulf took to the take home extra rule much more than Yarne. Ranulf was already sporting a beginner’s belly and the overall chub to go with it.

Done baking, Yarne also comes out the backroom. He sits down as he wipes the sweat. Ranulf notices the way that Corrin looks at him and Yarne. His coworker had gone up a size since he started.

Corrin adjusts the bread and deserts on display when Ranulf calls him.

“Hey boss?”

“Yeah Ranulf?”

“How’re you still single?” Ranulf smiles when it garners a reaction from both Corrin and Yarne. Corrin nearly hits his head as he stands back up, blushing.

“I’m not single.” Corrin quickly responds. Ranulf doesn’t miss the way Yarne lightly frowns, and truth be told he’s a bit upset too.

“That’s a shame. Why don’t you ever bring him around?” Doesn’t mean he won’t continue teasing his boss.

“It’s more of an open relationship with them.” Ranulf tries to register what Corrin was said. He wasn’t expecting his boss to be like that.

Yarne blushes from Corrin’s straightforwardness.

“Open as in, all of you, or individual?” Ranulf questions some more. Yarne stammers upon Ranulf’s question.

“Th-that’s awfully personal!” Yarne blushes.

“I’ve been in open relationships before. I wouldn’t mind trying out another one.” Ranulf winks at Corrin, the intent clear. Corrin turns as red as his eyes.

“Could be either. ” Corrin blushes. “I need some air. You two can close for today.” Corrin tosses the keys to Yarne and escapes.

“Now you know to not give up easily.” Ranulf chastises as he closes the display case.

“You have no shame…” Yarne says, his hands on his ears.

“C'mon, you think he’s cute too. So help me clean up. The usual rush will start in a bit.”

The two prepare for the rush and once the stores usual operating hours end, they both take home two boxes of goods for themselves.

—-

Corrin sighs as he lies in bed. Most days off are peaceful but he couldn’t help but think about what Ranulf said. He does like him and Yarne. And he has talked it over with Kaden and Keaton and they’re okay with it.

But two boyfriends already felt excessive. To have four! The thoughts always bring a smile and a blush to his face but still. He needs to think about it.

—-

About a month goes by after Ranulf’s inquiry. Ranulf had the decency to let it go, Yarne was too embarrassed to bring it back up, and Corrin was still trying to decide.

That decision kept getting harder and harder as he saw his two employees getting bigger.

Yarne seemed to eat his feelings away, more and more goods ended up going to his house at the end of each day. The secret ingredient’s effects far more potent on beasts than humans, Yarne ballooned out. Baking was becoming harder now, it was tiring for the growing taguel.

Corrin wasn’t sure but he felt as if Ranulf was always looking at him. And whenever he looked his way, he’d see Ranulf devouring a snack when there were no customers present.

The backroom was not made with the intent of heavier set people getting there; Yarne’s body is closing the gap between the doorway and himself. And he’s closing it fast. Corrin wasn’t sure but he assumed Yarne was getting near 500. Yarne now has to tuck in his shirt to stop his stomach from showing. His shirt conforms to his stomach, the U shape present standing or waddling.

Ranulf looks like he just made it to the 400’s. Like Yarne, Ranulf’s fat shifted across relatively equally, but unlike Yarne, Ranulf is a tad bit more pear shaped. His chunky ass is seated on a chair by the register. Despite his size, Ranulf seems to get bolder, more and more compliments showered on Corrin.

Standing was becoming an issue for the two of them.

“You come up with a decision or something?” Ranulf asks Corrin.

“Hmm?” Corrin tilts his head, unsure of the question.

“So are you open or not? You’ve been starring at me and Yarne for a long time.” Hearing his name, Yarne waddles to the front, his thighs brushing against the door.

Corrin turns red, not expecting this so soon. “I’m open to another relationship.” Corrin says, his face red. “With both of you.”

Yarne nearly chokes on air; Ranulf smiles, a tint of red on his cheeks.

“I knew you’d make the right choice.” Ranulf waddles and flips the sign to close. He grabs Corrin and Yarne and leads them to the back room. He sits Yarne down and grabs a chair for himself.

“What’re-” Yarne asks Ranulf only to be interrupted by a cake brought to his lips.

“You’ve been wanting to feed us since you met us huh? Well, I’m waiting.” Ranulf leans back into his chair as Corrin brings a slice to his face as well.

Yarne blushes as he chews. Whatever words he has planned get ruined by more sweets fed to him.

“You like it too, just look at you.” Ranulf says to Yarne, looking at his fat body. “And so do I. See, this benefits all three of us.”

Corrin nods his head as he feeds them both. He wonders how he’ll find other employees once Yarne and Ranulf become immobile. But that thought fades away as he savors right now.

[trans-advice]

this article has been copied & pasted in its entirety in case there’s a paywall. however, please try to read the article from the link first so that the journalist & newspaper staff get their wages. thank you.

The film "Framing Agnes" is set to debut at the Tribeca Film Festival this week. (Aubree Bernier Clarke)

Cindy Dampier

Contact Reporter

Chicago Tribune

Chase Joynt and Kristen Schilt might not fit your definition of swashbuckling explorers — he’s a filmmaker and post-doctoral fellow at the University of Chicago, she’s a U. of C. sociology professor.

But when the pair embarked on a research project that involved one of the seminal case studies in the study of transgender people, they found themselves digging in dusty boxes, sifting through reams of old paper stuffed into a dead professor’s unsorted archive, and finally peeking inside a rusty file drawer, Indiana Jones-style, to uncover a never-before-seen part of the past. “You can’t make this stuff up,” says Joynt.

What Joynt and Schilt discovered was a treasure trove of notes, part of the work of sociologist Harold Garfinkel, on one of Garfinkel’s best-known interviews with a research subject: a trans woman called Agnes, whom he interviewed in 1958.

Now, as part of a joint U. of C. fellowship, they have turned that discovery into a documentary film, “Framing Agnes,” that has snared a spot at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, where it will debut Sunday — and is turning a piece of history on its head.

“Agnes’ case is very well known in the field of sociology,” says Schilt, “and has been taken up in the same way that case studies by Sigmund Freud have been taken up, like the Wolf Man or Dora. And because it was such an integral part of sociology and the anchor of the first theory of gender in sociology, Agnes has always seemed very singular; she was one person being written about.”

The revelation in the rusty file drawer was that, in spite of popular perception, Agnes’ case was not singular. In fact, Garfinkel had made a study of eight transgender people in Los Angeles in the late 1950s — and his interviews revealed how those people were a part of a supportive transgender community, and how they interacted with the wider world of the medical establishment, workplaces and everyday life.

“When you encounter the set of interviews as a whole,” says Joynt, “you get a sense of what a world looks like for gender nonconforming people in L.A. in the 1950s. It really deteriorates the idea that people were living in isolation without any resources. While that was true for some, it reveals … this incredibly robust network of support and people who were navigating systems on their own through resourcefulness and creativity.”

Agnes, who had come to Garfinkel as part of her quest to undergo gender reassignment surgery at UCLA, was 19 in 1958. Born with a penis, she had always felt herself to be a woman, and had been living as a woman, with a job as a typist and a boyfriend who knew that she was a transgender person. “For sociologists,” says Schilt, “what the case represented is this idea that gender is socially constructed as opposed to being biological essential. What sociologists found interesting was that someone who was assigned male at birth could create this life as a woman. In 1958, that kind of blew people’s minds.”

As society became more open to recognition of transgender people, Agnes’ tale continued to hold great resonance. “For many trans studies people, Agnes is kind of the folk hero,” says Schilt. “There’s this excitement about this example of someone who was able to do this at 19 years old, and is able to get what she wants out of it. That was pretty rare in 1958.”

With the addition of the cases Schilt and Joynt discovered, layers of detail have been added to those experiences: tales of “parties with 200 lesbians in the Hollywood Hills,” everyday details of struggling to find or keep employment, and a surprising amount of support. “There was a whole network of trans women who would show up for each other in the hospital after someone had had surgery,” says Joynt, “and bring food and snacks, posing as sisters and cousins. They were saying that if someone is trans and lonely, it’s because they’re making a choice, because we’re here and we’re ready to show up. It really revealed how they built these communities.”

Schilt and Joynt, who had “made peace with the fact that we might not find anything” about Agnes in Garfinkel’s overflowing archive, were overjoyed when in 2017 they uncovered new accounts of midcentury trans life. “We went in the first time and thought, ‘We’re going to find something,’ ” says Joynt, “and then over time it was like, ‘Maybe we’re not going to find something.’ When we finally gained access to the drawer and saw what was inside, it was this overwhelming moment.”

“I probably screamed,” says Schilt. “It was like we had really won the archival lottery.”

The discovery changed how they saw their project, raising comparisons between issues faced by the trans community today and those faced by the research subjects, and sparking a new idea about how to present their work. Though they do plan to publish a book, “Conceptualizing Agnes: Exemplary Cases and the Disciplines of Gender,” the two chose to present their work in a 19-minute film that is a hybrid documentary style. “Framing Agnes” employs trans actors Zachary Drucker, known for work on the Amazon series “Transparent,” Angelica Ross of “Pose,” Silas Howard and Max Wolf Valerio to recreate the historical research subjects on screen. Joynt portrays the Garfinkel character.

The presence of the contemporary actors allows the film to focus on the juxtaposition between today’s trans community and the community Joynt and Shilt uncovered in their research. “We gave them character summaries and outlines of the people they would be portraying,” says Schilt, “but we really wanted them to embody these people and bring them to life. Watching them was a beautiful experience.”

Joynt hopes that the film, which is building up a healthy roster of upcoming festival appearances, allows audiences not only to discover a richer past, but shift their perspective on the stories of transgender people today.

“For so long,” he says, “the cultural landscape has been dominated by narratives about trans people that focus on the transition moment, that move from a sort of gender unrest toward a kind of gender resolve. And for us, ‘Framing Agnes’ is an opportunity not to ignore the transition but to say that trans-ness and stories about gender nonconformity are far more complex.”

Schilt agrees: “While social progress is not linear,” she says, “this is this really amazing moment where we get to think about the current context of trans-ness in culture, alongside these historical makings.”

And, she admits, for a sociology professor, it’s also a moment to take in her new career in film. “This was so out of my realm,” she says, “that it took a few weeks to sink in, ‘Wow, this is huge.’ And now I’m so excited, I just can’t wait.”

cdampier@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @csdampier

[wolfpawn]

When Ghosts Come For Us

Chapter 50

NOTE This is based on the movie Crimson Peak, so if any of the subject matter in that was uncomfortable for you, you will find this similar. I will *NOT* be describing incest in this, it will only be implied, same as the movie.

As I have stated already, my laptop is broken at present so please excuse grammar mistakes and the lack of GIFs and pics.

Also, I do not own any image or gif used in this story.

HERE is the link to Chapter 1 on Ao3

Rating - Mature

“I’m fine.” “Lady Sharpe...” “Mrs Matthews, I said I am fine, please, my letters and some writing material,” Charlotte ordered before shifting slightly. “Perhaps a blanket behind my back?” Margaret immediately complied, recalling when Charlotte was on forced bedrest carrying Thomas Jr and liked to sit up in the bed. “Thank you.” It had been over two weeks since she had caught pneumonia and had been forced to fight for her life. She was grateful at least that she was so delirious with fever, she had not felt her body be forced to cease making milk. According to one of the nursemaids, that was horrid and meant burning and painful breasts. “Little graces” Charlotte had called it. She was still weak, her voice was barely more than a whisper as her throat was still recovering and she was only about to drink liquidised meals and most of which seemed to be chicken soup, but she was fine with it. She did not mind the meal and she could feel her body strengthen with every bowl.

She demanded that Thomas be brought in twice a day to her again. She knew she was too weak to even hold him, but she wanted to see him and have him see her. She was terrified that he would forget her in their time apart and that would hurt her more than any beating her parents ever inflicted on her. She had decided to write to her brother and her husband.

As Thomas suspected, as soon as she was over the fever stage, she was adamant she would defeat her illness and under no circumstance was he to engineer a situation where Mr Brown would gain from them any more than they had to bribe him with. Her first order when given a piece of paper to write with in her weakened state was to telegram Thomas and tell him to stay in Allerdale Hall and ready everything. She knew as well as Thomas that Mr Brown would see that the mines were more profitable than even they had thought it would be and with the local police station being the first of many new and local contracts they had been asked for, there was high chance that if he would not go for Charlotte’s fortune but that he would focus on the mine’s deeds and she could not allow that. That was her son’s future, his guarantee of wealth after she left this world and there was no way she would risk it. If she were to die, she would still die with or without Thomas being in Pembrokeshire.

Dearest Edward,

I miss you terribly. I know that were you here, you would have my head hurting from the lectures of what was I thinking. I can even hear your voice as you say it, that little vein in your forehead only fit to pop because of the frustration my actions have caused you. I am so sorry, big brother. I am sorry for the stress and concern I have thrust upon you. I am fine, tired, worn and more than a little cold, but fine, nonetheless.

I have done nothing but eat chicken soup these past two weeks, I fear if I eat much more, I will begin to grow feathers!

I finally seem to be able to wiggle my toes again. I was worried for a time, they seemed reluctant to even work, all I felt there was coldness, it was not pleasant. I had to be bought workmen’s socks, several pairs. I look ridiculous, I think you would find it funny also.

I love you, Edward, so very much. While I was ill, I thought of you. I dreamt that you and Joanne wed and that you had a little girl with the most beautiful auburn hair. I do not know why I saw her with that particular colour hair, you are blonde haired and Joanne is brown, but if you saw her, I wanted to cuddle her so tight, she was the most beautiful little thing. She looked a lot like you. I hope it comes to pass. It brought me joy in my sickness.

Tell Joanne I think of her too, and Mrs Davies, of course. I hope to embarrass you many times more with her come spring. I think when I return to Cumbria, I will make more time to visit her and you too, I suppose (I jest). I realise here how alone I am, even in Allerdale Hall. It is unhealthy and I will have to rectify that.

I fear I must rest now. I did not think writing would exhaust me so, yet I find myself fighting sleep now.

I love you, Edward.

Please look out for Thomas if you see him.

Charlotte.

She forced herself to stay awake long enough to write the address and seal the letter. “Margaret?” “Yes Ma’am?” her ever faithful maid was to her side a moment later.

“Keep these together. I have written to Dr Thompson of what was said of my condition, I will write to my husband when I wake.” “Of course, Ma’am. I will not have Dr Thompson’s posted until you write to Sir Thomas,” Margaret swore as she took the small tray Charlotte had been using to write on away. “Thank you. I just need a small rest.” With that, she lay her head on the pillow and closed her eyes.

Used to her routine from when she had served Charlotte on bedrest, Margaret removed the extra blanket behind Charlotte and placed it to the side, knowing it caused her back to arch too much as she slept before going and informing Mrs Matthews of such.

*

“What was she like in Cumbria?” Jane, the maid who shared with Margaret asked.

“She is so lovely, she always smiles and is kind. She makes sure Mrs Phillips and I bring home extra food if we’re hungry.” “Don’t you live at the house?” “No, it’s too old and parts of it are falling down. I mean, Lady Sharpe is ‘avin’ it fixed in all, but that ‘ouse is only fit to be knocked. It’s sinking into the clay.” “She really is foolish if she is wasting money doing that.” Margaret frowned. She didn’t like how people dismissed Charlotte as a silly woman with little thoughts of substance. She knew that Charlotte was well read and always seemed to know all the odd and complex things Sir Sharpe’s machines did. She didn’t seem as silly as people thought her to be. “I dunno. She seems to know some stuff.” “She went out in the rain and nearly got killed. She fed her baby herself. I don’t think she is smart enough to be left with so much money. It’s a good thing she married a businessman, according to Mrs Matthews, they are worth even more now.” Margaret said nothing. She walked into Thomas’s workshop more than once with his tea to see her employers discussing business decisions together. One time, she heard Sir Thomas state very clearly that Charlotte’s idea had made them a small fortune. Even if she was not the smartest woman, recalling her leaving the house a few days after Master Thomas was born in anger and postnatal hormones, she clearly was not without some mind. “I dunno but what I do know is, if I ever marry, I want to be like ‘er and Sir Sharpe.” “They love each other?” “It’s more than love. D’you know when people talk about soulmates, ‘ow they say they just know each other and are like dance partners, perfectly matched?” Jane nodded. “That’s them. They always seem so ‘appy to just sit with each other and read some book. I see ‘ow Sir Sharpe looks at her, like she is some sort of rare thing, y’know, som-ing not everyone sees and ‘e is like, amazed by it. He loves ‘er so much and the way she smiles at ‘im.” “Wow, I don’t think we’ll ever see that.” Jane was envious at the fairytale-like manner her employers seem to love one another.

“What, not wiv John the gardener?” Margaret jested, referencing the man of forty years of age that seemed to salute the maids as though there were any chance teenage girls would find him attractive. Both girls snorted in laughter at that.

“The only way I would marry an older man is if he was like Mr Hamilton, God rest him.” “What d’you mean?” “Well, before Lady Sharpe was Lady Sharpe, she was Lady Hamilton, did you know that?” Margaret nodded, Mrs Phillips had told her such when she went to Allerdale Hall. “Well, he was fifteen years Lady Sharpe’s senior. Apparently, as nice as they were to one another, and Mr Hamilton was fond of her, she was here to give him children and that alone, hence him choosing a young bride.”

“Oh.” “Yeah, apparently he took her from marrying some young man and paid his fees for him to become a doctor as a way of buying her off him.”

Margaret’s mind immediately went to Dr Thompson and the fact that Lady Sharpe had written him before writing to her husband. “Really?” “Yeah, that’s why I heard anyway.” Jane shrugged.

“According to Mrs Phillips, she is a cousin of that doctor.” “Why would you push for your husband to pay for some cousin to become a doctor?” “I ‘eard his father died when he was young and she wanted to ‘elp ‘im.” “No one helps like that.” “Lady Charlotte does. She went and found him a suitable courtship too, wiv a lovely girl from our town. She genuinely cares for people.” “If she cared that much, she’d pay us more.”

Margaret silenced, she could see no matter what, Jane thought little of Lady Charlotte, a woman she cared for as an employer. She always checked on her wellbeing in Allerdale Hall and her kindness to care for her wellbeing in Foxgrove also came to the fore.

*

Thomas looked around warily. The shadows were becoming more and more frequent, as were the cries. When Mrs Phillips left each night, he became all the more skittish. What scared him even more was that Blake seemed aware of said shadows also. Since Charlotte sent a letter to him explaining she was feeling better and that she wished for the work to end soon so that she could see him again, the art room seemed to be far warmer again and Blake seemed to cease his pining in there from the day before the telegram came, in fact, it ceased the day the telegram was dated from as the date that Charlotte had written it. Instead, Thomas noticed that Blake seemed to have taken on a new role; He was now acting as Thomas’s guardian. When Thomas thought he saw shadows or felt a presence near him in the empty house, Blake was by his side, ready to attack, growling and baring his teeth if required at the direction of the shadows. He would not be parted from Thomas now, he clearly felt it his duty to protect his master, even from the unknown.

Tags @whovianwookie86-captainxev @ilovekingt @sigridlaufeyson @lokiloveheart @lokilover9 @texmexdarling @perpetual-fangirl @wolfsmom1

[romanticatheart-posts]

King Sized Revelations - 2

In this chapter, we will meet Liam’s mother by way of a letter she wrote many years ago. You are interrupted by a phone call from Liam and have a little family time with Regina and Constantine. 

NSFW! Pixelberry owns all characters but I do love writing about them! Enjoy!

You are in your office holding the letter Constantine gave you just minutes ago. It is a letter from Liam’s mother, written to the woman he chose to be his bride.

You slowly unfold it as your heart begins to thump wildly in your chest. Taking a deep breath… you begin to read…

My dearest daughter,

Let me start by saying it is not my wish to introduce myself to you in this manner and yet somehow, there is a feeling within me that I won’t be there the day my sweet Liam marries the love of his life. As dismal as this all may seem to you, I still want to be a part of your life. Even if only in memory. I’m sure you’ve been told many things about me by now, but I want you to know me as a woman and not just as a queen, wife, and mother. I suspect you and I share many similarities in our thoughts and overall character. I’ve tried to imagine the kind of person my son would fall in love with and ultimately marry and I must believe that even though he is bound by the expectations of being royalty, Liam will never let the court decide that direction of his life. Only his beautiful heart will control that outcome.

Since you are the woman he has chosen to spend the rest of his life with, I wish to give you my most heartfelt blessing. And if I know my darling son, he was most likely in love with you long before he would even admit it to himself. I have often observed how he will sit for hours carefully planning an activity. It amazes me how he considers every possibility before making any type of decision. When he realized his feelings for you, he quite possibly considered more of the impact his life would impose upon you than the attachment he felt. I am certain he left no stone unturned and when he finally confessed his love for you, there were no questions left to answer. His decision was unequivocal.

Liam has a kind and generous heart and he genuinely loves those closest to him, but I believe that falling in love means more than a casual emotion, and his vision of love is deep and abiding. Several months ago, he and his circle of friends were play acting, as most children do at this age. But, when it came time for him to choose a ‘wife’, he would not participate. He just walked away and as he approached me, I could see that he was troubled. When I asked him why he didn’t want to play with the others, he simply said, “Mother, they want me to choose a wife.” I explained that all children play this game in one form or another, but he was not going to be one of them. He said, “Being in love should not be a game and I won’t pretend to be married to someone I do not love.” I couldn’t argue with that. Even at this youthful age, he knows love and marriage are to be revered…

You sit back for a moment… thinking how Constantine had expected him to do that very thing. You ache inside at how close it was to becoming a reality and how miserable his life would have been. Thank God fate had stepped in and saved you both from a dismal existence. Turning back to the letter, you continue reading…

I was very proud of him at that moment and I couldn’t help but smile. He dashed up to his room and I followed. Right before entering I overheard him talking to his favorite stuffed animal, so I stopped to listen. “When I’m ready to choose a wife, she won’t be like any of these girls at court. She will be smart, beautiful and kind and she won’t care that I’m a prince. She’ll love me for who I am and not because of a dumb title.” Those words penetrated to the very depths of my soul from the moment I heard them spurt from his mouth. Instead of going in, I slowly backed away to give him this moment of privacy. He has such a beautiful heart and I’m sure that is just one of the many reasons you fell in love with him, to begin with.

Liam does have a beautiful heart and she is right, it is only one of the many reasons you fell in love with him. You marvel at how perceptive she was and is about him.

I must assume that you are not a noblewoman by birth, as I know my son and he has never taken an interest in the lifestyle to which he was born. He wants so desperately to just be a 'normal’ person and I can’t imagine that will ever change. Also, I have read that most men will marry a woman with qualities like their mother and women will marry similarly to their fathers. If this is true, then I will believe you are a commoner like myself and possibly quite tenacious and down-to-earth. Which brings me to the next point of this letter… I was determined to create a life of my own and the only way to do that was to move away from my home and family. They were not direct descendants of nobility, so I had no aspirations of ever becoming Queen of Cordonia. Upon arriving at the capital, I immediately secured employment as an assistant to one of the local florist’s. I became quite skilled at arranging and assembling the flowers, much to my own surprise.

There was to be a ball at the palace within the week and the royal florist had closed its doors for mourning, due to a death in the family. With over one hundred matching centerpieces needing to be created, our little shop was hired to complete this seemingly impossible task. We worked night and day for three days straight, only sleeping in shifts on a cot in the back room. As embarrassing as it might sound, I’m not sure I ever went that long without a full bath, or proper nutrition, but when we finished on time, the accomplishment far outweighed any inconvenience.

Two days after the ball, and our recovery from sleep deprivation and mal-nourishment, we were visited by the King of Cordonia. He wanted to thank us for accepting the job on such short notice and to offer an official request to become the new royal florist! Of course, the owner accepted, and I could see that Constantine wasn’t as interested in that as he was with me. I already knew that his first marriage had ended in an annulment after she abandoned him and their young son. My heart went out to him and how hard it must have been trying to raise his child alone… It wasn’t long after, that he began to frequent the shop, usually, around the time we would close for lunch. For weeks, we spent that time getting to know each other and one day, in front of the store owner and his own guards, he asked if I would be interested in spending some time with him away from the shop and I eagerly accepted. By then, I had fallen in love with him and I was convinced that he felt the same.

After ten months of proper courtship, we announced our engagement… much to the dismay of the nobles at court… They only saw me as a simple commoner who would most likely be the reason for the fall of the monarchy… To my surprise, Constantine didn’t let that deter him from making me his queen. It was hard, but in those few short months before the wedding, I had gained the support of most everyone in the court, not to mention the people. Now, I can’t take all the credit but what mattered the most to me was that I would be with the man I loved… nobles and their arrogance be damned! I know Constantine can be quite commanding in his duties as the king but in private… he is the most loving and romantic man any woman could hope for. It’s why I fell in love with him, to begin with.

After we were married, one of my primary duties as queen was looking after Leo. He is quite boisterous but is always polite and kind to me. I never tried to take his own mother’s place, but I never objected to him calling me mother either. It was very rewarding caring for Leo, but what I wanted more than anything was a child of my own. I’ll never forget the day I learned that my dream would soon become a reality. After the arrival of this precious gift, my life was complete. Having the title of the queen has its advantages, but there is nothing more rewarding than being a mother. Once you’ve experienced it for yourself, you will know exactly what I mean… Motherhood is bliss!

Just then, your phone rings. As you pick it up, you see it’s Liam and smile.

“Hello, sweetheart!” “It’s so good to hear your voice, my love.” “I miss you already.” “I missed you the moment I left this morning.” “Aww, Liam…you are so sweet.” “Only to you. So how has your day been My Queen?” “Okay I guess, but I did have an interesting conversation with your father this morning.” “Oh? What about?” “He mentioned your coronation and…” “Why would he bring that up again?” “I think he wanted some closure and maybe he just really feels bad about what he did.” “Only because you unveiled his scheme. He wouldn’t have given it a second thought otherwise.” “I don’t know Liam… I’m not so sure he didn’t want it to be revealed. He said he’d lost sight of the things that were important, and that he’d let power control his better judgment.” “That’s an understatement.” “He was very sincere Liam and asked for our forgiveness.” “Oh. And how did you respond?” “Well, speaking for myself I told him I already had.” “Things between us have been less tense but I’m not so sure I’m ready to just forget that it ever happened.” “I don’t think he expects you to forget it, but I think he would like the opportunity to apologize. If you could have seen him this morning… he was in tears remembering how devastated you were when you saw those pictures of me and Tariq. I think he truly regrets the whole thing.” “Catherine, I never doubted your integrity, not even for a moment, but it was hard for me to see you in the arms of another man…” “I can only imagine what was going through your mind at the time.” “I’ve thought the same about you… At that moment though, I was so conflicted… my happiness or your safety. In retrospect, there are many things I would have done differently… I have my own share of regrets from that horrible night Catherine.” “I know… and I understand all of it but what truly matters is that we’re together…. I wish I were in your arms right now Liam.” “So do I.”

There is a slight pause in conversation as you begin to imagine him holding you close, his breath gently caressing your skin… you sigh.

“Catherine, is something wrong?” “No, no. I was just… thinking about you actually…” “Oh? And what were you thinking exactly?” “I was thinking… how much I want you right now…” “Catherine…" 

Another pause… and when he speaks you can almost hear the smile in his voice.

"Tell the staff to add an extra place setting. I will be arriving in a couple of hours.” “But, what about the summit? Shouldn’t you stay and finish?” “I can leave early in the morning and make it back in time before the next one starts. They won’t even miss me.” “You’re serious, aren’t you?” “Of course I’m serious. You can’t expect me to neglect my queen in her time of need. And besides, I have a few of my own…” “Mmmm… what should I be expecting?” “Whatever Her Majesty desires…” “And what does His Majesty desire?” “Before or after we undress?” “After… of course.” “Hmm… let’s just say I won’t stop until you’re completely and utterly satisfied…”

His breath becomes shallow.

“… whatever it takes…” “Mmmm… I can’t wait for you to get here…” “I promise to make it worth the wait. I’ll see you soon my love.”

You hang up, your face flushed, and a smile slowly reaches your lips. Liam will be home in a few hours, and you have a few things to prepare. You take the letter and place it in the desk drawer and head down to the kitchen to inform staff that their king will be home for dinner tonight. Then you find Constantine and Regina in the sitting room.

“Liam has decided to join us for dinner tonight.” “Has the summit concluded already?” “My, that was prompt.” “No, not yet. He wanted to have dinner with us tonight and plans to leave first thing in the morning.” “I hope this won’t become his usual practice for heaven’s sake. The cost of jet fuel is astronomical.” “Now Constantine, surely you wouldn’t begrudge these two over a little jet fuel. After all, they are still newlyweds.”

You blush as Regina smiles and Constantine suddenly grasps her meaning.

“Oh! Well… I wouldn’t want a couple of thousand gallons of fuel coming between young love. I look forward to seeing him. Are we still on for six?” “Yes. And I need to finish a few things before he gets here, so I’ll see you two then.” “Certainly dear.”

You make your way upstairs to your bedroom suite and immediately start rummaging through your wardrobe. Finally, you find the perfect dress. It’s a low cut, wrap around that emphasizes your curves and allows easy access…

“Perfect!”

You hurry to the bathroom and turn on the water for a quick bath. Afterward, you get dressed and head to your office with the intent to busy yourself until Liam arrives. Upon entering, the familiar pile of documents still sits on the table, awaiting your attention and signature. Before beginning, you search the playlist of tunes on your phone and after placing the earbuds in each ear, you start. With the diversion of singing aloud and swaying to the music, time goes by quickly… and before you know it, you’ve reached the end of the stack. Just then your favorite song starts playing so you stand and reach for the stapler on your desk. Holding it as if it were a microphone, you close your eyes and start singing along while the beat of the music finds you dancing in perfect rhythm… as you are about to hit the high notes you to look up to see Liam standing in the doorway observing you with a smile. Startled, you immediately drop the stapler onto the desk and your earbuds right next to it… then you smile at him.

“Liam…” “Don’t stop on my account.”

He steps in and closes the door as you run toward him jumping into his arms. He immediately catches you and your lips meet in a sweltering kiss, sending currents of heat throughout your body.

“How long were you standing there?” “Long enough… I was quite enjoying your performance.”

You kiss him fervently as he carries you to the edge of the desk, quickly clearing a spot… his lips never part from yours. You reach to pull off his jacket and begin unbuttoning his shirt as he continues to bathe you in heated kisses.

“What about dinner?” “I have more important things to tend to at the moment…”

You remove his shirt, caressing his chest and arms and then down to his belt. He steps back for a moment and hurriedly pulls it off. You continue to remove his pants and underwear as they fall around his ankles and he steps out of them, kicking them to the side. He quickly loosens the first tie of your dress… sliding it over your shoulders and off…

“Mmmm…”

His hand grasping the curve, he kisses from your neck to your breast… drawing sensual circles with his tongue and nibbling at the tip. With your head tilted back, and your eyes closed, you relish every moment of his touch on your skin.

“Oh, Liam…”

His kisses trail up to your neck and then find your lips again. You reach down slowly, taking him in your hand, stroking his erection with fervor as his breathing becomes rapid and in a raspy voice he speaks your name…

“Oh, Catherine…”

As he removes the dress from the rest of your body, he lets out a deep groan when he discovers you are completely bare. His hand delves down, gently caressing your sweet spot and with tender strokes, he penetrates you with his fingers. You respond with a lively moan, moving against him until you are drenched and on the verge of spasm. With one hand gripping your thigh to pull you closer, he grasps your hair with the other and brings your face to his, thirst in his eyes. With your legs wrapped around him, you can feel the heat of his erection leaning near your wet folds, almost begging to penetrate… He kisses you, nipping at your lower lip then kisses a line to your ear and whispers softly…

“I love you…” “Prove it…”

Without hesitation, he plunges into you with such force that you yelp in surprise, grasping his muscled forearms… but soon pleasure overtakes you, and you release a soft moan as his hips rock steadily against yours… your body responding with equal rhythm.

“Oh, how I need you… Catherine… always…” "I love you, Liam, …so much…” “I love you…”

His kisses are deep and hot as he begins to drive harder, faster… his hands clutching your thighs until he feels you quiver in ecstasy and with one last powerful push, he releases inside you as a wave of warmth flows through your body.

“Liam…Ohhh, Liam…” “Catherine…you are so beautiful…”

You collapse into each other’s arms until the trembling subsides…When you both catch your breath, Liam lifts you off the desk and smiles. “Have you noticed how each time we’re together, it’s always better than the last?” You start gathering your clothes. “I have. What do you think it means?” “I’m not sure…it could be that our love is so strong that it allows us to connect on a much deeper level… as if you know what I need before I do and vice versa.” “Liam, I knew we were soulmates, from day one.” He kisses you and then smiles as you both get dressed and head to your bedroom.

After cleaning up you each put on fresh clothes, then make your way to the dining room where Constantine and Regina are waiting.

“Liam, good to see you son.” “Father, Regina, it’s good to be home tonight.” “We were just about to begin without you two. I wasn’t sure if you had decided not to join us after all.”

She smiles almost as if she knows what just happened in your office. Liam holds out your chair and once seated, he takes the one next to you. Servers bring out the spread and each of you begin helping yourself.

“We are only a few minutes late, but we appreciate your patience.” “Were you able to discuss the platform yet?” “Not yet. I will be presented immediately following lunch tomorrow.” “Oh, that might work to our advantage. Everyone will be more relaxed after a good meal. Keep me informed along the way. I’m anxious to see how Cordonia is received.” “Certainly father.” “I’m actually glad you came back tonight. I have a bit of news I would like to share.” “I’m listening.” “I saw my doctor this morning…” “And?” “And, you know I was placed on a new treatment plan recently and… well, the report came in today.” “What were the results?” “It seems there is a bit of improvement.” “How much of an improvement?” “Enough that my cancer has slowed in progression and with continued treatment, it’s quite possible to achieve remission.” “That is wonderful news father! And I just noticed that you’re not in your wheelchair. This is new.” “I would prefer if you didn’t refer to it as my wheelchair… that thing is such a nuisance. I decided to put it away and try walking more… to build up my strength. ” “So how’s that going?” “Very well actually. And as for my other issues, the lightheadedness is all but gone and the nausea is being well controlled with medicine.” “I am relieved to hear that father. It’s good to know that there is finally some hope.” “Enough about that. I have other news as well. Catherine mentioned the Apple Festival this morning and I had neglected to mention that your brother might be in attendance with his family.” “I don’t know if I can stand any more good news. It will be good to see him and meet his family after all this time.” “It will be wonderful having the entire family in attendance for a change. I have missed many opportunities with regard to that and I hope you won’t make that same mistake Liam.”

Liam looks at you with a smile, taking your hand and kissing it gently.

“Father, nothing is more important to me than family and spending time with the ones I love… And one in particular.” “I’ll make sure he doesn’t forget.” “Catherine, since this will be your first time organizing the festival, will you be needing any assistance with preparations?” “Actually, I was going to ask you about that. I’m not sure about the decorations and I want to keep it as close to tradition as possible. Would you mind giving me a few pointers?” “Of course not. To be perfectly honest, I have missed certain duties of being queen and it would be a pleasure to help any way I can.” “And, I can learn from one of the best in the process.”

Regina laughs appreciatively.

“Oh dear, I don’t know about that, but I’ll be at your disposal. And don’t underestimate yourself. You have done quite well without my help so far.” “I do my best but I’m sure there is a lot more to learn.” “You have mastered many tasks my love and I am very proud to have you as my queen.” “Well thank you, Liam. You’re not so bad yourself.”

Liam laughs, as does Constantine and Regina. Once everyone is finished eating, you all sit back and relax for a moment.

“That was a very satisfying meal, as is the company.” “I’ll second that father.” “Would you just look at us… I think you might say we’re behaving somewhat like a family.” “Yes…it’s quite refreshing isn’t it?”

Everyone smiles pleasantly at each other but no one responds to Regina’s question. Obviously, it is agreed. Liam breaks the silence.

“Father, do you need my assistance before Catherine and I retire?” “No, I still have my nurse you know. No need to make a fuss. And besides, you have an early day tomorrow, so you should get some rest.” “Very well. Regina, do you need help getting him upstairs?” “Actually, he’s walking quite well but thank you. We’ll manage.” “If you are sure then, we shall bid you both goodnight.” “Good night my children.” “Sleep well you two.” “And you as well dear.”

Liam stands, looking at you expectantly and you rise from the table, taking his outstretched hand with a smile. As you exit the dining room, you walk hand-in-hand toward the stairs.

“Hey, Liam?” “Yes, love.” “Would you mind if we took a stroll through the gardens?” “I think I can manage for a moment or two.”

You continue walking until you’re outside and in the palace gardens. The breeze of the summer air caresses your skin and gives you a peaceful sensation.

“So, why the gardens My Queen?” “I just thought we could both use some fresh air.” “Good idea. It is a beautiful night, but would you mind if we sat on the bench?” “Not at all.”

As you both sit, Liam drapes his arm around you and you lean against him laying your head on his shoulder. A wave of serenity falls over you and you sigh.

“Something on your mind?” “No, I’m just happy you came home tonight.” “You were very persuasive.” “Yeah, I have that effect on people.” “I’d call it a gift.”

You both look up to the stars dancing around in the open sky and listen to the crickets chirping and the leaves rustling in the trees.

“Liam, do you remember the Masquerade Ball?” “Of course I remember. It was the second time I laid eyes on the most beautiful sight I had ever seen…” “Aww, you’re such a romantic…”

“I’m only telling the truth, my love.” “What were you thinking that night when you realized I had come here as one of the suitors?”

Liam smiles fondly. “I spotted you long before you made your identity known… And to be perfectly honest, I wanted it to be you. But I had to keep telling myself that it simply couldn’t be. You can only imagine my joy and surprise when I realized the woman of my dreams had traveled all this way just for me. I mean, after that night in New York, I never thought I’d see you again.“ "So you thought about me after you left New York?” “I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Catherine. The truth is, I was in love with you then… even though I wouldn’t let myself admit to it. When I got back to the hotel that night, I felt so empty. I had let the most incredible woman I’d ever met, walk out of my life for what I thought would be forever.” “You know, after I walked back to my apartment that night, I remember thinking that same thing. How could I have fallen in love with someone I’d just met? Before I knew it, I was sitting on the edge of my bed laughing at the irony of it and didn’t even realize I was crying too until a few drops fell on my arm.”

Liam pulls you closer.

“Oh Catherine, I never knew…” “Even with no promise of anything more, I couldn’t stop thinking about you and how meeting you had changed my life. I felt alive for the first time and I was never going to be the same again. We truly had a special connection and I had to come here and find out for myself if it was real, because no one would have ever measured up to you in my eyes.“ "That’s exactly how I felt Catherine… That night was no accidental meeting between two strangers, it was preordained to bring us together.” “Yeah. I’m glad we didn’t disappoint the stars.” “Can you even imagine what things would have been like for both of us had you not followed your heart?” “I’m glad we’ll never know.” “My life would have been so empty without you…”

Liam reaches under your chin, tilting your head up and kisses you softly, slowly. You pull him closer, pressing against his body, wrapping your arms around him as the kiss quickly becomes inflamed with passion. He pulls back for a moment, a hunger in his eyes…

“Shall we take this upstairs?” “You read my mind.”

You both rise from the bench and make your way back into the palace, up the stairs and finally to your bedroom. As soon as the door closes behind you, he kisses you fervently and as if by magic the clothes begin to fall, piece by piece, all around the room. He leads you to the bed where you lie down pulling him with you. He blankets you with kisses as he slides down your body and pauses looking up at you. He smiles a devious smile as his hand delves to your inner thighs and watches your reaction to his roving fingers. You open your legs to accommodate him as he slowly kisses you to your core. He groans when he tastes you and with his tongue probing deeper, you let out a gratified whimper.

“Liam…” “Mmmm… you taste so sweet…”

His hands grasping your thighs tightly as he continues his pursuit of giving you pleasure, relishing every moment himself. When he slides back up to take your lips again, you shift your body, turning him over until he is laying on his back and you are balanced above him smiling confidently.

“What’s this?” “You’ll see.”

He smiles, eagerly awaiting your next move. You bend down and kiss him hard and he moans in approval. He urgently grabs your waist but releases when you begin tracing a line of kisses down his neck, over his chest and down until you reach his length. You take him in your hand and kiss the tip ever so slightly.

“Oh, Catherine…”

Then you let your tongue roll over the top for a moment before slowly taking him in your mouth. His breathing heavy and he groans deeply as you devour him repeatedly.

“Ohhh…Catherine, don’t stop…stop…”

As he struggles to keep from exploding, he reaches for you, but you’re not quite finished yet. You flash him a smile and slide your tongue from the bottom of his length all the way up and quickly draw the tip into your mouth, tasting him as a trace suddenly escapes. He urgently pulls you up as you straddle him and without hesitation, he guides your hips and slides inside you. You hold onto the headboard for leverage as you steadily move against him, he eagerly matches your pace. With the heat intensifying, you quicken the rhythm and once he feels you tremble, a fire bursts inside you with uninhibited power.

“Liam… yes…” “Ohhh… Catherine.”

You collapse on his chest as you both lay breathless. Afterward, you roll to his side and he pulls you close… you lay your head on his chest as he strokes your arm affectionately. Both of you content and satisfied.

“You continue to amaze me, Catherine.” “So I take it you approve.” “Definitely.” “There’s more where that came from.” “I almost didn’t make it this time…”

He suddenly laughs.

“What?” “I just wonder what you would have done if I hadn’t resisted.” “You should have let me finish.” “How would I ever satisfy My Queen if I had let that happen?” “I’m sure you’d figure something out.” “I’m glad you think so.”

He smiles and leans over placing a sweet kiss on your lips. You sigh in contentment.

“Let’s get cleaned up and then try to get some sleep. I think two flights in one day has finally caught up with me.” “Not to mention other activities that might have contributed to your fatigue.” “I’ll never get enough of you Catherine, fatigued or otherwise.”

You both get up and head to the bathroom to freshen up. Once finished you climb into bed and curl up against Liam. He wraps you in the warmth of his arms and kisses your forehead, sighing in contentment.

“I’m so glad you came home. I sleep much better with you next to me.” “Me too my love.” “If only I hadn’t planned that charity brunch tomorrow I could have made the trip with you.” “We should coordinate our schedules a bit better in the future.” “At least I have you for tonight.” “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else love.”

You lean over kissing him and then lay your head on his chest as he pulls you closer and smiles.

“Goodnight, my queen.” “Goodnight, my king.”

Soon you are both fast asleep.

[sweet-or-sarcastic]

So this is a headcanon...

All about @charlesdances/ @shahs1221 1920s Drakgo AU which if you haven’t seen, be AMAZED!

Isabella Go immigrates to the US in the early 20s, leaving behind her family, more depressingly her young sister Sofia, Shego’s great-grandmother. She comes to New York City ready for a new life of freedom and prosperity but is welcomed with the harsh reality that her status as an unmarried, immigrant woman will not bring her many fruitful opportunities. To support herself Isabella takes on odd jobs. Eventually, she ends up working at a burlesque club. She’s unhappy but its stable money for her and her sister. 

One night Isabella defends her boss from a mob lackey, whose boss demands money. Isabella, to the surprise of herself and the rest of the club, takes down the guy with ease, earning respect from her boss and the club, made up of other rich, corrupt men. Word spreads fast through the underworld before reaching mob boss Don Lipsky himself. Furious that a woman defeated one of his strongest men and still with no money, Don barges into the club ready to confront Isabella and give her a piece of his mind. At first glance, Don’s anger is flushed when he becomes smitten by Isabella’s beauty and natural charm. Isabella herself finds Don intriguing: How could a man of such status be so clearly childish and insecure? Before they know it, arguing turns into obnoxious bantering which turns into Don offering Isabella a job(Isabelle would take it to her grave that she knew exactly what she was doing).

At first, Isabella is morally conflicted, believing that the business involves the same violence she saw back home. However, she quickly falls for the freedom and prosperity of the lifestyle that she longed for when she first came to America and is pleased to send a substantial amount of money to her sister. Isabella gains a respectful reputation amongst the mob community with many believing her to be more competent than her employer. Only weeks after being hired, Don promotes Isabella to Lieutenant, admiring her “takes no shit” personality and her passion for success (while also denying the fact that he’s falling for her with every passing day).

The relationship is purely professional at first. Aside from a few sarcastic remarks, Isabella maintains cold towards Don’s attempts at building a friendship, completing her work and protecting the Don when necessary. Otherwise, she keeps to herself, focused on providing for her sister, unwilling to be distracted by her slowly growing fondness for her boss. And yet, with time and surviving several near-death experiences together, Isabella and Don grow close. 

At every event, the two are seen by the hip rarely leaving each other’s side unless it's urgent...like going to the bathroom. Although Isabella can definitely hold her own, Don is secretly worried that some dumb drunk will come up and harass her. Isabella knows that she can easily be on her own and that she’s a strong woman...but it's nice to be next to her oddly handsome, slightly overprotective and marginally annoying boss. Deep down, its also nice to be shown off as the best thing to ever happen to Don Lipsky and see the heating jealousy on all the men’s faces. Yeah, that’s right, she’s with him.

Other mob leaders like Duncan Killigan, Montague Fiske, and Dementz Wolfe are confused about their relationship and often gossip about the two. But, no one really fuses about it unless they want a fist or bullet in the face.

And that’s what I got so far. I have other ideas for this AU but these are my most clear thoughts.

Thanks again to @shahs1221 !Your art is awesome!

[frederator-studios]

Tiya Zhong: The Frederator Interview

Tiya Zhong, known to the interweb as Addictiya, is an animator, illustrator, designer and doll artist still brushing off glitter from her graduation just a few weeks ago. Her final film as a student of Sheridan College’s Animation program, “Lost, Stolen, Dropped,” is an autobiography of her daily struggle. It is also among the most relatable, inspired and squishy 2 minutes of animation I’ve seen in a good long while. Enjoy the short above, then read on for Tiya’s journey from schoolgirl doodling in her textbooks to professional artist!

Did you always want to be an animator or artist?

I discovered my passion for drawing when I was 4 years old, and I have always loved doodling figures on my textbooks, reading comics, and watching animation. When I was little, I never thought about becoming an artist - I just thought it would be fun if I could draw forever. In high school, I wanted to be a comic artist, but I became fascinated with making characters come to life. Animation was even more vivid than comics, which is why I chose to major in it.

How did you decide to move from China to Canada to attend Sheridan?

I grew up in China, so at first I planned to attend a university in Beijing that features the best animation program in China. In an extra-curricular art school where I was studying to pass the university’s entrance exam, I met a substitute teacher who'd studied abroad. Talking with him made me realize how many opportunities and great artists are out there. That’s when I started to research animation schools in North America, and got to know Sheridan.

What did you like best about studying at Sheridan?

I learned a lot at Sheridan. The school has great, experienced teachers. But I learned the most from my peers, who are all amazing artists. Being in that group gave me no choice but to improve. What I enjoyed most is how free the environment is, compared to the one I’d been in. I also had a lot more resources at my disposal. Being at Sheridan really helped me discover my own art style.

Did you work any jobs during your time in college?

Since high school, I have always worked on stuff for conventions: things like zines, charms, and commissions. During college I actively kept my eyes on the industry and started to take freelance jobs. I’ve done character illustrations for games, art for a published illustration tutorial, design work, and more commissions, mostly with Chinese companies. I think it’s really important for artists to have at least some experience working with partners or employers before finishing school.

What are your favorite techniques, considering you've worked in both 2d and stop-motion? And those are just the two I know for sure!

Yes, I’ve done a little bit of 3D for assignments, but so far I’ve only worked in 2D and stop motion. I love both techniques equally! They are two different forms of art and each has stunning aspects. I love how free 2D can be, and how much you can play with crazy distortions, squash and stretch. I also love the process of crafting puppets and sets and being able to hold them in my hand.

What inspires you and your work the most?

Japanese anime definitely influences my work. They are my childhood and what made me keep the pencil in my hand! In the process of creating, I also look for references in many forms: live action movies, fashion, short films, photography. Anything related to art.

Is there anything that comes up in your work over and over?

I built my interest in life drawing while studying at Sheridan. Now, emphasizing the beauty and curls of human bodies has become a core part of my drawings.

How was the experience of creating "Quarters" in a team of 9 animators? 

Creating “Quarters” with 8 other amazing artists was a really great experience! It was our first try, but there were no conflicts and everything went smoothly. Everyone pitched an idea for the film and we voted for the ‘four neighbors’ idea, which became “Quarters”. I worked on layout designs, prop and sets fabrication, shooting area setups, animation, and some post-production color corrections. We spread the work pretty much equally to everyone, so that we could all gain experience in every stage of creating a stop motion film.

What inspired you to create "Lost, Stolen, Dropped"?

I had two other ideas for my final film before “Lost, Stolen, Dropped,” but they didn’t feel authentic to me. Personally, I prefer telling stories on subjects that I’m knowledgeable about, or have experienced myself. So one month into my 4th year, I gave up my first idea and all the storyboards I’d done for it. I thought, “What subject am I really familiar with? Is there anything that I know better than anyone else?” At the same time, I lost my brand new Cintiq pro pen. Not long before then I had lost my wallet. Aaaand my portable hard drive. My roommate commented that losing things is my everyday life. That’s what inspired me - I am really good at losing things! So I decided to make a film about that.

Love it. Do you often pull from your own life in your stories?

Actually, I can trace it back all the way to primary school! I used to draw comics as my diaries. With four panels comics, I’d record anything that happened in my life that I found fun. By the end of grade 7, I had a whole sketchbook of my personal life. I only showed it to my closest friends.

What were the biggest changes you made to "Lost, Stolen, Dropped" while working on the film? What were the biggest challenges?

I made a big change in the story. At the end of the first version, I made lots of copies of the main character, which came from all the different scenarios or timelines. They all appeared in her messy room, staring at her and guiding her to find her phone. That ending had a very dark and absurd feeling to it. The problem was, in order to explain that story and deliver the right feeling, the film would need to be a lot longer. And so, too much work for me. In the end, I changed lots of things and compressed the storyboard so I could finish it.

What do you plan to do now that you've graduated? Sorry to ask that question, I know it's the worst for new grads, haha.

Haha, I was so lost on this before, but now I kind of have a blueprint! The very first thing I want to do is find a job that I like, start saving, and get my PR (permanent residency) here in Canada, which is very realistic. I'll use my savings to go to grad school or take online classes: anything to improve my skills and broaden my perspective. Eventually, I want to work on personal projects without having to worry about financial issues.

Do you have a favorite cartoon, film, or artist?

Different films have been my favorite at different times in my life... I just love work that has great stories or strong emotions. I can’t really pick one film as my favorite, but Masaaki Yuasa is definitely one of my favorite directors! What I admire most about his films is how the abstract parts serve the expressive storytelling, and the drawings are always loose. That’s what I need to learn!

What's your biggest dream?

My biggest dream used to be becoming a zoologist! That was when I was 8. Now, my dream is to connect with great artists and studios over the world. To learn from them, work on fun projects, live a happy, healthy life, and occasionally go on vacations so that I can work on my other hobbies!

What are your hobbies outside of animation?

I’m interested in a wide range of things! Biking, gym exercise, photography, choreography, sculpting, sewing, leathercraft. But my greatest interest, outside of animation, is dolls and puppets! I love all kinds of dolls and toys. Different doll artists always make dolls with different characteristics, and that self-expression element is what appeals to me. I want to be able to create my own porcelain or resin doll one day. I am working hard toward that goal! ❀

Follow Addictiya on Instagram

Thank you for the interview Tiya! Love your work and am so looking forward to seeing what you do next. Enjoy home and your summer vacation pre-Adulting, you’ve earned the heck out of it!

- Cooper ❀

[rosellenjane]

W/C 8th October - Da Nang

So I have completed my first week in Da Nang. I have met some wonderful people and have found employment!

My first 5 days were spent completely chilling out, no sightseeing, no early mornings, just pure relaxation which was really nice.

I made contact with an English Centre with which I have a connection to through my mum, a friend she grew up with lives out here as an expat and his son and daughter in law own an English language school. I explained that I had arrived in Da Nang and although I had no experience in teaching I was looking for employment to help supplement my living expenses to stay in Da Nang for the foreseeable future and my request was met with the most generosity I’ve experienced in a long time. Sophia invited me to come and meet with her and although she had far more qualified candidates she was interviewing she gave me the opportunity to give a demo lesson that evening to a class so she and her colleagues could assess my abilities. Needless to say I was overwhelmed and very grateful for the opportunity. However, once I sat to write a lesson plan I realised that I didn’t have the confidence nor experience to perform as a teacher that day so we spoke again and I apologised for wasting her time and said I needed to assess what I wanted to do here because I didn’t feel capable of being a teacher yet. She understood completely which was really kind and she even offered me a job in the office, helping the TA’s welcome the kids into the centre and checking their speaking abilities if they were new students amongst other duties and I can observe classes and gain the confidence to start my own classes in a month or so. I jumped at the chance of this and although she didn’t actually have a vacancy for this position she created a job for me which I am really grateful for. Since then she has been nothing but generous and supportive and has shown me some real Vietnamese food which I’d never have found on my own.

I’ve met a few people who would like to rent a house together too and they are a really nice and chilled out bunch of people so watch this space. We all want to live in the same area but it seems everyone does so we’re yet to find the perfect abode. We met up at a painting night and I had no idea what to paint so reverted to the only thing that I can draw that slightly looks like what it’s supposed to be, a dog head which my dad taught me to draw a long long time ago. Don’t judge the body, it’s a space filler.

Whilst this week has been fantastic there’s been a couple of low points too. This week I had my first hit of homesickness, it wasn’t too bad but I felt a little lost for a couple of days, maybe through the fact that getting a job means that I’m not carefree and able to fly home at a moments notice, who knows. Having no real life plan at the moment is great and liberating but quite daunting at the same time.

Yesterday was my favourite day in Da Nang and my least favourite at the same time. I had my first full day of work which was really fun. I helped the TA’s welcome the kids into lessons, I wrote conversations for the students to learn for promotional videos on Facebook and I tested some kids for their language skills. After a break and a few hours sleep the evening shift started and we went to Dragon Bridge to film an English conversation with a really bright student which was fun. After that I went with a TA to the new centre they’d opened across the bridge where we did a bit of canvassing on the streets to give away free English lessons to new students, this was fun as I spoke to the kids in English whilst the centre manager spoke to the parents about the offer in Vietnamese, everyone is so friendly and I had a great time. I have found Vietnamese fame through Sophia’s Facebook page with one of the videos reaching over 4K views! You can like the page to see more being uploaded 😂

Unfortunately just as we were finishing our canvassing and crossing the road back to the centre it was really busy and in Vietnam there is no safe way of crossing the road other than just edging across slowly through moving traffic. The TA I was with Jolie was looking out for me as we crossed but I got hit by a motorbike, I wasn’t really aware it had happened until it was over but I wasn’t badly hurt. I just have an impressive thigh bruise (photos upon request) and a couple of scratches but apart from that I was really lucky. The TA’s were amazing and iced me up and although a little shaken I was fine. I asked Jolie what happened and she said she thought he was drunk and driving too fast to see us. He was cross because his bike was scratched and his wing mirror had come off but she sent him on his way. I booked a grab taxi home because although Jolie offered to take me on her bike I wasn’t feeling like being on a bike at the time, funnily enough the taxi stopped across the road meaning I’d have had to cross again to get to it but Jolie came to the rescue again and asked him to pull around to our side of the road.

After all that when I got back to the hotel I decided I needed a stiff drink so went to meet my prospective housemates at a bar for some live music, there was a tiny puppy there and a kitten that someone was carrying around in a bumbag so all was good in the world again. And I had some cracking chicken nuggets to top the night off.

Today I went into work but Sofia arrived and asked me to take today off instead of a day later in the week and I went with her for some food and drinks, we stopped at a street vendor and had these delicious fried somethings that I can’t remember the name of, then we went and had an hour long hair wash and head massage, my head has never been so clean! After that we went back to the neighbourhood I’m staying in and had a drink so it was a lovely day and I think we’re going to be great friends.

This week I did also learn how to ride a motorbike and I rented one for the week! It was really fun to ride about on my own but I decided today that I probably wouldn’t actually want to ride it in the traffic the other side of the bridge or in the rain so I asked them to collect it which they kindly did rather than me having to take it back and they refunded me the rest of the week which was also kind and unexpected! I’ll be a taxi girl for a while I think 👍.

Here’s some photos of food for you and the famous Vietnamese coffee- I’ll write again at the weekend!

Lots of love,

Rosie

[antitheticalsymbiosis-blog]

Beginning the long journey... (Year 0, Day 1 [sorta])

As I begin down this long and arduous path, I figured why not catalog all of my progress (and failures) in a blog for the world to see! 

All memes aside, I should probably begin with an

INTRODUCTION:

I’m Manuel; my friends call me Manny. I’m a recent graduate from a bachelor of music (B.Mus) program in southern California where I was fortunate enough to meet some great friends, mentors, and professionals who helped guide and inspire me to create some awesome aural artwork. I’ve loved music for as long as I could remember, and it was always something that drove me to be my best. I’ve aspired to play many instruments from a young age and always sought perfection trying to master their intricacies. I studied both composition and saxophone performance in college, while frequently freelancing as an audio engineer (my current line of work).

But wait, isn’t this a game development blog?: Yes, yes it is.

Due to a variety of circumstances and personal interests, I’ve decided to jump ship from one extremely difficult creative field (concert/classical/experimental music) to another (game development), leaving behind a life I feel indebted to and, honestly, still love very much. I’ve been thinking of making this jump for quite some time (a year or so), with a long, loooooong history of engaging with the video game medium on a deeply-infatuated level, which ultimately backs up this decision. Throughout my life, video games always played a pivotal role in my own forms of expression, happiness, leisure, and community. From my very first Gameboy Color to the now flourishing Nintendo Switch, from Pokemon to Monster Hunter to Bioshock and more, I’ve been hooked. Honestly, I’ve always considered these worlds my second, third, fourth, and n-th homes. Because of this, I’ve felt like I have a duty to give back to the community however I can. After five years of collegiate study and ridding the struggle bus, I realize that there’s no better time than the present to chase this dream. THE NOW, or WHERE TO START:

In firmly deciding on this change, I didn’t necessarily know where to begin. Hell, I didn’t even really know what careers or roles existed in the game development community. After finding scouring the internet and finding some helpful resources, I was blown away at the sheer amount of readjusting I’d need to do to even think about entering this field. 

For example, this messy bundle of terms flooded my brain while trying to get a grasp of the industry:

Senior-level

Lead

Technical Director

Junior-level

Temp

Frequent moving

Designer

Level Design

Mechanics

Game Design Document

UX/UI

Programmer

Game Engine

Systems

Game Engines:

Unreal

Unity

Doom

Quake

C++

Python

Scripting

Engineer

Architecture

Audio

Tools

Networking

Artist

Environment Artist

Concept

3ds MAX

Maya

Autodesk

Animation

Skeletal Meshes

QA

Automated Scripting

Debug Databases

Localization

Producer

Disengaged from content creation

Overseer

Independent

Freedom to create vs automated jobs in AAA

AAA companies

Subsidiary studios

Outsourcers

Art

Animation

Publishing

Audio

First-Party Studios

Publishers

Outsourcing

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)

Marketing

Analysts

Free-to-Play

Microtransactions

Community

Blogging

Twitch

Streamers

Issues

Pay Disparity

Poverty

Under-appreciated

Sexism

Representation

Minorities/POC

And this list over-simplifies the complex web these roles create with each other. That being said, the last month or so has consisted of me scouring the internet for resources, deciding on what my long-term and short-term goals are, and orienting myself towards taking on Goliath.

MOVING FORWARD:

After being bombarded with this information, I decided that the best course of action for moi was to shoot for a game engineering/programming role, as I also had a brief two-year stint in astrophysics research and STEM coursework during my undergraduate degree. Another one of my passions, the STEM fields have always held a dear place in my heart and I picked up a lot of programming skills/languages in college, notably Java & Python. Intensive music study has also done wonders for the technically-oriented work I currently do, so I figured it would be fun to challenge myself with STEM-oriented work once again. So far, I hold a great, great admiration for lead game designers like Hideo Kojima and others, so design is also something I’m looking into. RESOURCES:

In doing my research, I’ve found a variety of extremely helpful resources that provided me with the insight to start this journey. I’ll post the most helpful ones below: GameDevUnchained (Podcast/Website): 

This podcast, hosted by Brandon Pham & Larry Charles (both established AAA game developers), explores the current state of affairs in the video game industry. Their conversations are filled with wit, charm, and tons of information, from wage negotiation and employment to indie development and technical direction. No topic is missed* (well, except for the exact technical aspects of being an artist, developer, or programmer). Despite this slight oversight, it’s still worth its weight in gold due to the fact that they bring in a new guest every week who touches on a specific topic. I’ve gained most of my working knowledge about the industry’s complexities from this source. [Currently on episode: 26] Game School Online (GSO): 

This revolutionary piece of pedagogy is an online game development school that is ENTIRELY FREE. Founded and ran by the hosts of GameDevUnchained, GSO’s main focus is free game development education with a focus on artwork, modeling, and technical artistry done through the Unreal 4 engine. The school is optionally supported through Patreon and provides special benefits to subscribers; however, a subscription isn’t necessary to enroll. Enrollment periods happen 4 times a year, with heavy waitlists for non-subscribers due to the need to keep class numbers down. Their educators consist of “Scholars” who teach and monitor the courses, all of whom are active AAA/Indie developers. Notable Scholars include Brandon Pham, Larry Charles, Leo Gonzales, Olaf Piesche (my mentor!), Matt Brown, Tai Chen, and many others. For subscribers, there’s the option to interact 1-on-1 with scholars, serving as lessons and mentorships to poise the budding student to enter the field. I’m currently a $40/month subscriber, which gets me a 30-minute session every month with Olaf. I’d like to stress, however, that at its current state GSO seems heavily oriented towards artists, with the art-oriented roles overshadowing the engineer/programmer roles 8-to-2. In addition, all classes are oriented towards art or design. This means Olaf & Matt are only doing 1-on-1 sessions. -_- *Oh well, better than nothing.*

The next two are both variations on the paid-online-schooling trope, but they seem alright nonetheless... 

Coursera:

Coursera is a platform that hosts specialized “certification” courses that were designed by universities around the world. These certification courses are essentially a compilation of videos, assignments, and online templates that are moderated by online staff (and presumably not monitored by the actual course instructors ever). Each certification consists of about 4-6 classes and takes anywhere from 6 months to a year to complete. Each class runs an average of 1-2 months and has about 1 assignment due every week. There is a peer-grading system which can be iffy at times, but it’s worked out well for me so far. The only downside is that these courses can be EXPENSIVE; however, there are financial aid options for those of us *ahemmeahem* that can’t afford the costs. Luckily, my cost for the first class was waived completely. I’m currently enrolled in the Game Design certification course created by Cal Arts. I’ll be updating you all on my progress every week as I work through this course. Something odd I’ve noticed is that the videos for the Intro to Game Design course are astoundingly short; I’m surprised this course costs anything at all given the kind of information I’ve received out of it so far.

Udemy:

Like its quasi-academic counterpart, Udemy hosts courses created by content creators (I’m not too sure on the qualifications these creators have...) that consists primarily of video tutorials. The beautiful thing about Udemy is that, unlike Coursera, their courses often times cost very little if you go through the right channels! This means promo codes from websites like IGN or your favorite tech reviewer, etc etc. I was fortunate enough to grab the Unreal Crash Course course for $10 through an IGN promotion last month. Also unlike Coursera, there are no assignments or grading systems in place for your work. Instead, there are often forums that host dozens and dozens of posts from current and past students of the course. This feature has felt surprisingly fresh and fun; however, not receiving a lot of direct feedback has its downsides. I’ve been slowly chugging away at this course, having finished 1/4th of it so far. I’ve also found that there tends to be much more technical work to be learned from Udemy as opposed to Coursera (in terms of game development); however, this may just be my limited scope, as I haven’t looked around too much more.

Game Engine Architecture, Third Edition by Jason Gregory 

(Naughty Dog Lead Programmer):

This book is AMAZING for the aspiring game engineer, as it’s filled to the brim with a detailed analysis of common game engine architecture as told by the lead programmer at Naughty Dog (go Uncharted/Last of Us teams!!!!). I’m currently in the second chapter of the book, but to give a brief overview of its entirety along with my own descriptions below each heading:

Introduction

“discusses the ins and outs of the industry

Tools of the Trade

“an in-depth look into programming tools”

Fundamentals of Software Engineering for Games

“development cycles and tool usage”

Parallelism and Concurrent Programming

“the title says it all”

3D Math for Games

“3D geometry and Linear Algebra, along with programming algorithms” (go STEM!)

Engine Support Systems

“a look at memory and systems”

Resources and the File System

“how to handle game assets”

The Game Loop and Real-Time Simulation

“graphics rendering loops and gameplay loops, along with dealing with time”

Human Interface Devices

“dealing with I/O”

Tools for Debugging and Development

“the title says it all”

The Rendering Engine

“rasterization and rending pipelines”

Animation Systems

“skeletal meshes and processing”

Collision and Rigid Body Dynamics

“physics systems and other collision systems” (go STEM!)

Audio

“Dealing with sound design and 3D audio” (go music!)

Introduction to Gameplay Systems

“dealing with data, game objects, and world editors”

Runtime Gameplay Foundation Systems

“dealing with all of the constituent parts and updating the game”

You mean there’s more?

“more to be learned”

As you can tell, there’s a whole lot of information to be gained by reading a textbook like this. Jason states in the Foreword that this is really meant to be used to teach a three-class series on game programming at the university level; however, I find that you’ll be able to understand a lot of this pretty well so long as you have an ample amount of programming experience (preferably with C++). That being said, it’s a perfect springboard for me and I’m so eager to continue that I sort of want to finish writing this entry already so I can get back to it! *o* It cost about $85 for a physical copy and $47 for a digital copy (Kindle).

So, that wraps up my currently used resources list! I hope it can serve as a starting point for some of your own deep-dives into the world-wide-web for resources! CONCLUSION: Thanks for sticking with me this far everyone. I know I didn’t dive into my past that much, but I hope it gives you somewhat of an idea as to who I am. In starting this journey, I’ve realized the importance of documentation and reaching out to build a community with others, so I hope that we can all interact and take this journey together, in some form. Tomorrow I’ll be delving into my current projects that I’m aiming to work on and some of my personal inspiration for taking the game development plunge, as well as discuss what I’m currently working on in terms of study/development. I hope you all have a good day, and never feel like it’s too late to start chasing your dreams again! - Manny Extra: Game of the Day - Disgaea 1 Complete on Nintendo Switch I’ve loved this game since I first played it way back in the early 2000s, so when I heard this was coming to Switch as a slightly remastered port, I couldn’t wait! The updated artwork looks great and I’m eager to get all of those extra scenarios completed! ;) GO SRPGs!

[social-illuminator]

The Secrets Your Competitors Don’t Know About The Social Media Presence

Social media is a type of internet communication that allows you to communicate with customers and exchange information in real-time.

This can assist you in better reaching out to your clients, forming online networks, maintaining engagement in social media and selling and promoting your products and services. 

When using social media for business, it's easy to get carried away. Before you take any action, it's a good idea to step carefully and consider both the advantages and disadvantages.

The opportunity for small businesses to build an online presence is ripe, with over one billion individuals using Facebook.

The benefits of setting up a social media account for your business exceed the pain of navigating the social media website signup procedure and understanding all the bells and whistles associated with social media statistics.

In 2019, there were around  2.77 billion social media users. And it’s growing more and more, as a result, building a  media presence on social platforms may be extremely beneficial to business growth.

Consistency is crucial in social media marketing. Maintaining a social media presence can not only assist create your brand but will also aid in the development of relationships with current clients and prospects.

How To Build an Online Media Presence

The digital era arrives! Taking your business online in 2021 will undoubtedly be more than a choice, but a requirement. Creating a social media presence, on the other hand, takes more than simply creating a website for clients to visit. You must do things correctly in order to expand your business

  1. Create a visually appealing website

Every company requires a website. Even if you're active on social media, if you don't have a top-notch website to drive your sales too, you're not going to make any money.

  2. Make a social media marketing strategy.

The first step in developing your company's internet presence is to get it online. Being engaged on social media networks, meanwhile, isn't enough. Remember the days of publishing the next day and passing social media management to your summer intern. You must prepare ahead if you want to prosper in today's environment.

  3. Production of media

Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn are all media-forward platforms to get a great social media engagement. Don't overlook this step because a strong visual strategy is also useful to Twitter accounts. Even if your objective is to drive visitors to your website, you must ensure that your landing page is appealing to consumers, and the easiest way to do so is to employ amazing visual media.

  4. Paid advertisements

The usage of the internet for marketing has opened up a host of new marketing possibilities. Having an online presence is the first step in getting the word out about your product or service, but using a paid advertising campaign can help you reach a far wider audience.

5. Search engine optimization

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a strategy for improving your company's search engine rankings. Nowadays, when individuals are seeking businesses or items, they almost always turn to the internet for help.

You may utilise social media to interact with your customers and find out what others are saying about your business. Advertising, promotional giveaways, and mobile apps can all be done through social media.

Your company can benefit from social media in the following ways:

consumer attraction, customer feedback, and customer loyalty

expand your market to include international markets

lower marketing expenditures by conducting market research

establish consumer networks and advertise to gain revenue

Develop your brand and share ideas to help you enhance your business.

Increase traffic to your website and boost its search engine position by recruiting talented workers, for example through employment networking sites like LinkedIn. Keep an eye on your rivals.

How to Increase Social Media Presence in the Online World?

You understand the significance of social media presence in your entire marketing and consumer interaction initiatives.

However, keeping track of so many different accounts and ensuring you're contacting the appropriate individuals, on the right platform, at the right time has become increasingly complex.

With so much to think about and so little time to spend on social media, you're definitely seeking ways to save time and improve your efficiency. I've compiled a list of some of the best social media tricks from the pros.

Here are a few ideas for making the most of your social media efforts.

1. Make use of hot subjects to raise brand awareness.

SEO expert Tim Schmidt has written on the use of a site called Social Mention. This website displays the most popular topics and hashtags in real-time. Use trending hashtags in your social media posts to reach out to more people and attract new clients.

2. Inviting those who enjoy your postings to like your page is a good idea. This is one of Katie Lance's favourite Facebook business page hacks, according to the social media consultant. Invite those who liked your post to like your page using the list of people who liked it.“I now do this simple hack once a week, and it has regularly helped me increase my Facebook likes.”

3. Distribute your content widely.

Viral Content Buzz is a service that allows you to distribute content across numerous accounts at once, according to Laura Kimball, CEO of Click Measure Media. The built-in scheduling is one of the best features, making content creation a breeze. Check out the other free tools Laura has chosen for their high-quality content and ease of use.

4. Distribute content across different social media platforms.

Another Jay Baer hack is to utilise Buffer to automatically distribute relevant information you've found across your preferred social networks at predetermined, optimum times. This eliminates the need to publish information to each profile separately, and it's a terrific way to boost efficiency and productivity.

5. Using more tools

Kim Garst, a Social Media and Brand Strategist, is clear about her preference for tools that help with scheduling, posting, engaging with content, and creating great social media presence. AgoraPulse, Socinator, Schedugram, ManageFlitter, and SocialOomph are some of the other tools she's examined and praised for their functionality.

[fmpseenandnotheard]

Artist Research...

(1) Boogie-Street & Documentary Photography...

Boogie will blow your mind.

The native of Belgrade, Serbia got his start began documenting rebellion and unrest during the civil war that ravaged his country in the 1990s, and the experience seemed to have a profound effect not only on him, but on his work as well. Though Boogie now resides in New York – he arrived in 1998 – all of his work still carries the urgency and thought-provoking depth of a war-torn country.

Perhaps it’s because Boogie’s latest photographs focus on lives torn apart – from the runaway smoking crack in a drug den that used to be a hospital to the gang member caught in a moment of tenderness while cuddling his newborn child. Boogie appears to have shot everything, everywhere. Beggars on the streets of Caracas, Skinheads in Serbia, birds caged by power lines in Tokyo – the world looks more moody, evocative and meaningful through Boogie’s lens. Every detail takes on a life of its own.

Unsurprisingly, the photography world has taken notice – Boogie has published five monographs and exhibited around the world. He shoots for high end clients, renowned publications and countless awe-struck eyes worldwide.

Daniel: Tell us about yourself, where did the name Boogie get picked up and what’s the story behind it?

Boogie: I’m 40 years old, born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, moved to NYC in 1998 after winning a green card lottery; I’ve shot a lot, published 5 monographs so far, had some interesting solo exhibitions. My nickname was given to me by my friends some 20 or so years ago after a character from some scary movie.

Daniel: You do a lot of “candid” or better yet documentary photography. Are you always geared with a camera where ever you go?

Boogie: Of course, I’m a photographer, that’s what I do

Daniel: Lots of Gangs, Drugs, Skinhead photography. That screams trouble, are you not afraid meeting with these people, taking their photographs? Have you ever encountered trouble? – How do you approach these people at first?

Boogie: While I was photographing gangsters, skinheads, junkies, it never crossed my mind to be afraid. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get those photos. People can sense fear easily – plus, I don’t think any photo is worth risking your life for. I encountered some minor problems, but nothing serious, after all I’m still here. I always listened to my instincts, they kept me safe.

There is no recipe for approaching people. You either have it in you or you don’t. Usually if you treat people with respect they’ll be OK with you.

Daniel: You’ve recently signed a deal with HBO’s new show “How To Make It In America” what were your feelings when you first heard HBO was interested in featuring your photography, and what do you think about the show?

Boogie: It was a great gig, I met some very interesting people and got to know how the movie industry works. I haven’t seen the show, just the pilot, which I liked.

Daniel: Here’s a funny question wrapped around the HBO show – so When did you know you finally made it, as a photographer in America

Boogie: ‘Making it’ is very relative. I made it as a human being cause I have a great family and get to do what I love.

Daniel: Have you ever thought of shooting film?

Boogie: You mean moving picture? If so, while working on this HBO show, I realized that being a director of photography is an amazing job. Maybe the only job in the world I would trade for mine.

Daniel: What is your connection with photography, your personal life, and your photographs of poverty?

Boogie: Maybe the way I grew up led me to see things the way I do? I guess so, everything you go through in life has a purpose and influences what you become in the end.

Daniel: Tell us about the shoot in Brazil Sao Paolo, how was it?

Boogie: It wasn’t ‘a shoot’, I just packed my bags and went there for a week. very intense, I shot in some scary neighborhoods, I published a book after, all good.

Daniel: What was Mexico like, where did you visit?

Boogie: I was in Mexico City with a friend of mine Adrian Wilson … it’s an amazing city, great energy, great people. Al these horror stories they tell you before you go there are bullshit. Although I’ve been in some neighborhoods where I was afraid to shoot even from the car. But you have areas like that wherever you go.

Daniel: I know you’ve visited Cuba, Istanbul, Tokyo in addition, what is it that you learn from these trips?

Boogie: Travels are always great experiences, seeing how other people, other cultures live is priceless. It humbles you in a way, makes you appreciate what you have more.

Daniel: Lots of black and white, lots of flying birds. What is it that you like the most about Black & White?

Boogie: No idea, lately I also shoot a lot of color.

Daniel: Which gallery is your personal favorite?

Boogie: You mean on my website? everything there needs an update …

Ref: bloginity.com

Robert Frank

Influential photographer and filmmaker Robert Frank has died at the age of 94. He died of natural causes on Monday night in Nova Scotia, Canada. His death was confirmed by his longtime friend and gallerist Peter MacGill.

He was best known for his 1959 book The Americans, a collection of black-and-white photographs he took while road-tripping across the country starting in 1955. Frank's images were dark, grainy and free from nostalgia; they showed a country at odds with the optimistic views of prosperity that characterized so much American photography at the time.

His Leica camera captured gay men in New York, factory workers in Detroit and a segregated trolley in New Orleans — sour and defiant white faces in front and the anguished face of a black man in back.

Photographer Robert Frank holds a camera in 1954. His photo book, The Americans, changed the way people saw photography and the way they saw the U.S. Frank died on Monday at the age of 94.

Fred Stein Archive/Getty Images

Influential photographer and filmmaker Robert Frank has died at the age of 94. He died of natural causes on Monday night in Nova Scotia, Canada. His death was confirmed by his longtime friend and gallerist Peter MacGill.

He was best known for his 1959 book The Americans, a collection of black-and-white photographs he took while road-tripping across the country starting in 1955. Frank's images were dark, grainy and free from nostalgia; they showed a country at odds with the optimistic views of prosperity that characterized so much American photography at the time.

His Leica camera captured gay men in New York, factory workers in Detroit and a segregated trolley in New Orleans — sour and defiant white faces in front and the anguished face of a black man in back.

Trolley – New Orleans, 1955.

Robert Frank/National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Maria and Lee Friedlander

The book was savaged — mainstream critics called Frank sloppy and joyless. And Frank remembered the slights.

"The Museum of Modern Art wouldn't even sell the book," he told NPR for a story in 1994. "I mean, certain things, one doesn't forget so easy. But the younger people caught on."

Eventually, the photographs in The Americans became canon, inspiring legions. Photographer Joel Meyerowitz remembered watching Frank at work early on.

"And it was such an unbelievable and powerful experience watching him twisting, turning, bobbing, weaving," Meyerowitz said in 1994. "And every time I heard his Leica go 'click,' I would see the moment freeze in front of Robert."

Restaurant – U.S. 1 leaving Columbia, South Carolina, 1955.

Robert Frank/National Gallery of Art, Washington, Robert Frank Collection, The Robert and Anne Bass Fund

Ginsburg was a friend and photography student of Frank. He also starred in Frank's first film, 1959's Pull My Daisy. It was based on part of an unproduced play by Jack Kerouac and featured the author as narrator.

Pull My Daisy, and the other experimental, autobiographical films Robert Frank made, were his reaction to a restlessness he felt around still photography.

"In still photography, you have to come up with one good picture, maybe two or three," he told NPR in 1988. "But that's only three frames. There's no rhythm. Still photography isn't music. Film is really, in a way, based on a rhythm, like music."

Yet Frank's films shared a lot with his photographs. They were personal; they evoked emotions as much as they told stories. They're like home movies, and he made more than 20 of them before returning to photography. By then, he was a legend, acknowledged as an inspiration by such noted artists as Ed Ruscha, Lee Friedlander and Garry Winogrand.

What comes through in all of Frank's work is his ability to catch a moment. And that came from truly looking.

"Like a boxer trains for a fight, a photographer, by walking the streets, and watching, and taking pictures, and coming home, and going out the next day — same thing again, taking pictures," Frank said in 2009. "It doesn't matter how many he takes, or if he takes any at all. It gets you prepared to know what you should take pictures of.

_______________________________________________________________________

(2)  Weegee (1899 - 1968)

Biography

Weegee, born Usher Fellig on June 12, 1899 in the town of Lemburg (now in Ukraine), first worked as a photographer at age fourteen, three years after his family immigrated to the United States, where his first name was changed to the more American-sounding Arthur. Self-taught, he held many other photography-related jobs before gaining regular employment at a photography studio in lower Manhattan in 1918. This job led him to others at a variety of newspapers until, in 1935, he became a freelance news photographer. He centered his practice around police headquarters and in 1938 obtained permission to install a police radio in his car. This allowed him to take the first and most sensational photographs of news events and offer them for sale to publications such as the Herald-Tribune, Daily News, Post, the Sun, and PM Weekly, among others. During the 1940s, Weegee's photographs appeared outside the mainstream press and met success there as well. New York's Photo League held an exhibition of his work in 1941, and the Museum of Modern Art began collecting his work and exhibited it in 1943. Weegee published his photographs in several books, including Naked City (1945), Weegee's People (1946), and Naked Hollywood (1953). After moving to Hollywood in 1947, he devoted most of his energy to making 16-millimeter films and photographs for his "Distortions" series, a project that resulted in experimental portraits of celebrities and political figures. He returned to New York in 1952 and lectured and wrote about photography until his death on December 26, 1968.

Weegee's photographic oeuvre is unusual in that it was successful in the popular media and respected by the fine-art community during his lifetime. His photographs' ability to navigate between these two realms comes from the strong emotional connection forged between the viewer and the characters in his photographs, as well as from Weegee's skill at choosing the most telling and significant moments of the events he photographed. ICP's retrospective exhibition of his work in 1998 attested to Weegee's continued popularity; his work is frequently recollected or represented in contemporary television, film, and other forms of popular entertainment

[suchawonderfullife]

Rebuilding My Life After a Decade of Illness

It’s been over 1 year since my first round of treatment at Hansa. Honestly it feels like 3 years because my impatience gets the better of me and I just want a normal life again. I am feeling quite frustrated and “stuck” between two worlds at the moment. My health is certainly better than it was before treatment, I’d say I’m still sitting at around 70-80% health. 

My Grandfather became sick 2 months ago and was diagnosed as terminal. My health deteriorated significantly from the stress and grief of watching him slowly die over 6 weeks. I really thought my health was in a better place and was surprised by my deterioration. It just goes to show you how toxic stress is to the body. My health dipped to around 50% and now I have to work to build it back up. I’m struggling with fatigue, air hunger, mood swings, bone pain and more. I’m still able to work, but the pain I experience in my body working a physical job has increased dramatically as my muscles and organs don’t have the strength they had a few months ago. 

My frustration lies with my work life. I don’t see myself as a “sick” person anymore, I don’t really belong in that category of illness being my entire existence and needing the doctors visits, medications and constant rest to simply survive. I have a life now, I can care for myself completely, run errands, work a few shifts a week etc. But I’m not fully back into the working world because I can’t work full time, I don’t have a career or any qualifications and so I feel like I’m balancing on a tight rope, just teetering between the “sick world” and “working world” because I’m not quite in both. 

I’m currently working as a waitress and looking to study a cert 3 or 4 at T.A.F.E. to gain skills in becoming a receptionist. I know I should be grateful to be able to do any of this. Considering 5 years ago I was bedridden with carers, I couldn’t even sit up for 10 minutes, I couldn’t hold a conversation, I left my house once every 3 months in a wheelchair and my Dr thought I was going to die. I wanted to die because my suffering was so unbearable and unrelentless. To have fought as hard as I have to save my life, I should be in awe of my achievements and where I’m at. In one instance I am, but in another, I’m also embarressed. Because I’m not really part of that “sick” world anymore, I don’t see it as ‘well I’m sick so the fact I’m working 10 hours a week is amazing,’ I see it as ‘my health is pretty good (considering where it was) but I can only work 10 hours a week.’ 

I wish I didn’t care what people think, but I do think a lot about how my life appears to those on the outside. That’s what the quote above represents. I’m not quite there yet, of not caring about how my life looks to others. I’m almost 30 years old and I work in a job with people a decade younger than me.They’re doing what is expected at that age of studying at University, or working full time or raising children and using the waitressing as a way of earning extra money. I just feel like - I’m 30, working as a waitress and that’s all I do; it looks like I’m lazy and umambitious to those who know nothing of my story. Which is me putting words in everyone’s mouth of course and simply judging myself because I have no evidence of this. Don’t get me wrong either, I love my job and the people I work with. I’ve always loved hospitality work and I’m proud of where I work, but if I wasn’t sick, that would be my second job on top of a career or study, instead it being all I do. 

Then I think about getting a certificate to help me gain work as a receptionist. People will say to me “so what do you do for work?” and my reply will be “Oh I’m a receptionist at a GP’s office.” Now there’s nothing wrong with being a waitress or receptionist, I mean no disrespect to those who have those jobs. But I’m coming from where I was career wise before I got sick and the vision I had of my life. I don’t want to study to help me get a job as a Receptionist because I think ‘yeah i’d love to do that,’ it’s an option because I think ‘it’s a job my body could cope with.’ I’m angry because I feel my potential and my intelligence has been wasted. My memory and overall intelligence is not as high as it was because of the toxins in my brain and that frustrates me. But I’m still incredibly smart and driven. I’m just restricted greatly by my bodies limitations. 

I also feel like coming out of a decade of illness and rebuilding my work life, it’s similar to when you finish highschool and then get a job. Back when I finished Highschool, I went to University, got my Personal Training qualifications on top of that and worked 3 jobs. Now, I feel that I look like that lazy kid out of highschool, that doesn’t have the ambition for Uni and instead goes ‘meh I’ll go work this waitressing job on weekends and do some cert 3 at Tafe and work as a receptionist.’ You know the type of person, that they’re happy getting by on an easy life and doing the bare minimum? Which is FINE, I have no judgement to those who want that life because we need people in those kinds of jobs. But I never wanted that life. That’s not who I am. I’m a type A personality, according to the ‘personality experts’ I’d make a great Principle, Governer or CEO. Can you imagine the career or things in life you want the most? The goals you set for yourself and work hard to achieve? But not being able to work towards them or achieve them because of your health? Instead you have to settle for far less than you know you’re capable of. No wonder my Dr says I carry so much anger and resentment in my liver. I feel like my body is a prison I can never escape. 

Losing my entire 20′s to being seriously ill, I feel like at 30 I’m back at square one, rebuilding my work life, only this time it’s so much harder because I’m older and limited in my options due to my still restricted health. I have worked in the last 10 years, but it’s been sporadic (in periods of better health), or I’ve worked for myself so my hours were minimal. My biggest drive to recieving treatment overseas was so I could work for an employer consistently without being a burden or having to quit 6 months later due to relapse. I wanted to be able to work and have a life too, before my treatment it was either work a few days a week but do nothing else, or care for yourself and go out once every few weeks. So my frustration is not about the fact that I’ve done no work for the past 10 years, it’s about the fact that I wasn’t given a choice in the work I could do, the career I could build or the goals I could set for myself.  

Also, when it comes to looking for work, I have to be very skillful in how I present myself to potential employers because they can be more likely to pick someone much younger. I also have to have back stories ready as to why I’m only available certain hours or explaining previous employment hours or outcomes because I feel I could be judged for the illness I had. I’ve been fortunate to find work quite easily despite these obstacles and I feel my intelligence is a testament to that. 

I just got hired in a second job today, working in retail, which I’m really excited about. I really hope it’s another step forward in creating a work-life and career for myself that reflects my capabilities and ambition. Maybe in 10 years I’ll be a Manager of a multi-million dollar business, I know I have those skills as I’ve worked as a Manager, ran teams of people and really thrived at it. But right now I’m exhausted, I’m disappointed at my bodies failings from my current stress, I’m frustrated at my limited options for work due to my health and I want so much more because I know I’m capable and it’s what I deserve. 

I still have to focus greatly on my healing. I’m terrified of relapse, or getting cancer in 5, 10, 20 years because of my compromised immune system and the statistics of my life expectancy. I still take all my treatments from Hansa multiple times a day, I have to focus on my diet, I do detoxing multiple times a week and use things like essential oils. I started acupuncture 2 weeks ago under recommendation from my Hansa Dr to help rebuild my health. I plan to do that every week for 4-6 weeks and then look at moving onto a Homeopath or Kinisiologist to work out my next moves to keep repairing my body. This stuff costs a lot of money too. I’m always stressed about money and having to juggle whether I pay for treatment that can help, or pay that bill or contribute to my savings to grow the life my partner and I want. It’s such a hard balance to work out. Then I think what the hell do healthy people spend their money on? 

I think it’s OK that I’m frustrated right now. Because it means I will keep pushing myself to get better and growing my work-life as I want it. Patience has never been my strong suit. I hope my new retail job creates a stable job I can build up my hours with, to create more stamina for my body, I’ll study a cert 3 or 4 at Tafe and maybe go back to Uni for another Bachelor’s degree. The universe usually aligns things for me at the right time so that everything works out. I have to keep reminding myself of that.