#increased wait times

[artisticdivasworld]

Navigating the Complexities of Border Security and Trade: The Texas Dilemma

In recent times, the Lone Star State has found itself at the epicenter of a complex dilemma that intertwines domestic security measures with international trade dynamics. Governor Greg Abbott’s stringent border security initiatives, including the deployment of the National Guard and the construction of barriers along the Texas-Mexico border, have sparked a multifaceted debate. These measures,…

[doesephs]

post extinction AU im working on. jon is barely funtioning and martin works a 9-5 overtime office job to make ends meet

[nicedracula]

Sketching some companions I'm looking forward to

[historia-vitae-magistras]

Do you have any thoughts on what a more modern day relationship between Matthew and Alasdair looks like? Your fics with a young Matt and his uncle are very sweet, and I’m curious about how you portray their relationship now that Matt is older.

They're on very good terms. There's always going to be some calming effect Alasdair has on Matt. And there's always going to be a very strong fondness Alasdair has for Matt. He did a lot of work to get him set up in life. But it's mostly when he's young. Partially because the timing works. Matt's at his lowest and neediest when Alasdair is at his most alienated and angry and has anger to burn and motivate him into making sure this welp lives. But even by the 1770s, it's moving away from that. Alasdair's cultural and scientific boom is in full swing, he's taken back and fully restored his place as part of the three headed Hydra that holds the reigns of the empire in so far as he and his brothers interact with it. It's not exactly that he has better shit to do but that's definitely in there.

But he also knows the longer he spends going out of his way with Matt, the longer the boy is going to suffer Arthur's resentment and neglect. Arthur is still the product of the Norman invasion. He's still speaking the result of centuries of language development under a French conquest. He refuses to come second to François, much less Alasdair. He will never admit that but the man swears off fatherhood after Alfred walks out. So I imagine there is a period where Alasdair backs off. He travels, he doesn't write much, he doesn't intervene in Matt's schooling or whatever fresh hell life in the late 18th century has on back order for him after a little while of life not completely sucking.

It's supremely painful. Alasdair doesn't want to leave him. He doesn't want to create distance. But things are advancing so fast in their world, the enlightenment is finally turning towards the dawn of science. Teaching Matt remedial economics is all well and good but entire financial systems are being born in Scotland. He misses the boy, but the way western modernity will look at the world around it is being born as much in 18th century Scotland as it was in Renaissance Italy.

There's power to be had, and Scots, especially the lowlanders but across the country are rising and taking up the reigns of the British Empire which is truly a three headed hydra between the three brothers now. I think especially people educated in Celtic languages tend to think of Scotland and Wales as victims of the British Empire and that's not without reason. But the British Empire is the British Empire. The whole damn island was participating even if suffering at home was incredibly uneven. And Alasdair has ambition. He loves the kid, and I think he's always going to keep an eye on the general state of him and will pop in and out of his life when he has reason too but he knows his brother. Arthur will never be the boy's father if Matt's obviously showing preferences for Alasdair, even if Alasdair is often the only one who gives a flying fuck. Alfred has burned himself off the family tree. Arthur has shed fatherhood like fall foliage. Arthur needs a son. Matt needs a father and Scotland needs Alasdair. Matt will have to be broken down and remade into an only, and then pseudo-eldest child.

So Alasdair steps back and lets him break and never regrets it.

[princesscallyie]

Like how do I know more than the property management people. Trying to raise rent $200 without a 90 day notice like I just can't grab my lease and look at it 😑 They just let us know today, our lease ends on May 31st

[astrobei]

may i offer some byler exes fic in these trying times (it’s a road trip fic but we’re not there yet)

[systemresetrp]

we've got the rules documentation at the ready. our next step is to finalise locations & create accommodating excel documents for locations/housing with a view to do a relationship chart at a later date if desired. we have a tier system we will be writing a document for too; which explains ranks, what they are, what they mean & what rewards they give - as well as how to attain them. you'll see the rules document mention earnable muse slots, which is part of the tiers.

mod recruitment will be underway shortly, as i believe it is crucial to have mods on board to help discuss new ideas, plans i've come up with and ways to implement as well as locations—allowing mods to contribute their own locations, npcs, etc. as a gentle reminder, we are a 21+ only discord server.

[enjoythesilentworld]

Wille's Month - (After) Party

day 22 @youngroyals-events wowowow look how far we've come

After meeting at the Met Gala, Wilhelm follows Simon to an afterparty.

or, the extended version of Day 15's Met Gala AU.

read on ao3 (M, 2k) cw: sexual content

[skitskatdacat63]

This is my personal crossover event of the century

[thefrogdalorian]

Tomorrow is mine and Din's 4 year anniversary (24th March 2020 is the day I watched Chapter 1 for the first time)!!! I wonder what he's doing to celebrate 👀

[thedailybullshit]

If you pay close attention during the Confession scene, you may notice that the only background sound is a ticking clock.

This is, of course, to allow millions of viewers to hear the sounds of their own hearts being curb-stomped with each line uttered.

[sysig]

2024 Art Purge (Part 1)

Original Edition again! Another year of too many doodles between original and fanart that didn’t make the full cut over the course of the year - off we go!

I made some concept art for smol early in the year of a mushroom girl she had a dream about a while ago that she wanted to try making as a low-poly model sometime. Pretty sure we've narrowed it down to the original DS-era style of 3D models

And so some angular low-poly style doodles were also called for! She's so tiny haha

Around the same time I was thinking about ZEX's “Kissing Strangers” meme, I started considering what Charm's reaction to that one might be - I'm always trying to think of animation memes for her, I'd love to animate her sometime ♥ In the end, it was all a bit too weird! In a way it’s fitting, as the meme is all about Looking and not finding the one you want to kiss til the very end lol, but who would that even be! Who would Charm Want to kiss, I don't know...

[Purple Text] only got a very little bit of screentime this year, but they're just as weird and possessive as ever - once, forever and always, at least according to how they see things

Smol and I tried out a few different creative games over the course of the year - my favourite probably being the Crossover Wheel where we each put in our list of fandoms, including ones we share, and then imagine what a crossover would be like haha. House Hunted is one of hers, and she tossed the idea my way of looking at Zillow Listings (specifically this group) and imagining them as Realtors! I got the Sunflower House - you'll know it when you see it haha

Bit of a random one, but I thought the sheep from this little scene was hecka cute and needed to study her. Good shapes! Very adorable! I like her covered eyes quite a lot, and her spindly little legs, funny to me hehe

I also wanted to study her "Leg of Lamb" posing - can you tell this is memory vs. references lol. S'why references are so important! The original's delicate posing is very lovely! The soft positioning of her knees and ankles and the way she's fully reaching across herself with those fluffy "sleeves" are probably my favourite parts, it's a good pose!

Haven't done any Halfway Autumn concept art in a while-while, so why not come back with Diana's bathroom lol. Still a bit of work to be done, moving the door is probably the biggest point - having the leftmost wall lined with counter space is clearly the correct play here. I really like the shapes that naturally occur from isometric, like the way the shower curtain rod connects to "nothing" but it still reads as stopping at the wall! :D

All of this floorplanning just for some flavourtext about Diana's preferred style of hand soap haha. Foaming soap dispensers are the best! Makes everything much much clearer, definitely not just because I prefer it, it's totally objective! Haha

More bathroom flavourtext, either at the schoolhouse or the train station, or both! Since so much of the game is centered around Diana's needs, little things like what soap she uses actually impact the game! I wish something so simple wouldn't affect my day, but sensory needs are called needs for a reason :P

Started a Charm comic that unfortunately only got as far as the first panel haha - she's taking a class! Off to improve her skills at something in a group environment! Good for her :)

Or not, the sads are here :'0

Did a bit of Tsumtsum studying while drawing the Helix boys as such haha - I have one of those little Vocaloid not-Tsumtsums (they're only Tsumtsums if they're Disney, right?), and one full-sized Iron Man one that I studied the approximate shapes of the pattern from, they don't Look complex and they're probably not Actually that hard to make but there's still a good bit to them! 3D shapes, I swear

The 4th Wall group! Their poses and expressions changed a bit from start to finish, Cory once again looking at Bar - I don't think he's actually "seen" Bar's new design before this point! :0 They're all generally aware of each other but "actually interacting" is a whole other thing haha

The two stragglers, made Tala way too tiny here haha. And forgot her bow here, no wonder I forgot it for the full version too! Pfbtl, next time :P

A traditional version of the Just Desserts map! :D Made after putting the digital version together, just kind of loosely studied, general shapes good for mapmaking :) I quite enjoy the little mountain texture here over the one from the digital version! S'hard to make nice-looking shapes without my tablet but I really didn't want to use it Just for that haha, so nice shapes here! Gives me DQIX map vibes, just a little bit... All those little islands to sail to haha

Snake, snake, snaaake, it's a snaaaake ♪ Made for smol's Christmas exchange ostensibly, but really more of a spacefiller and to get into the swing of drawing snakes, the cute lads

Ball python in the style of a ball of yarn! I wouldn't mind wrapping up a plush snake, but the way real ball pythons curl up into a ball is too cute haha

Here was the Actual snake I ended up making for smol - as a bookmark! I printed a few different versions, coloured one like this with extra-dark spots for the scales, and glued on a ribbon-tongue, cut down the middle for a forked look! :D She liked it, and I like it! Double victory :)

A little sticker concept while my laptop was out for attempted repairs - can't save 'em all I suppose. I do like that the head mirror is a disc, the stethoscope is a mouse, cute little details even for an unfortunate set of circumstances

[aromanticasterisms]

khaenri'ah focused patch ohhh my god

[starbuck]

it’s not every week you get offered two jobs AND a position of the board of a nonprofit, but here we are…

[darkaac]

July is over so I am cashing out

arfai! attacks/revenges for AceOfSpades5464, @weirdplutoprince, @diezmil10000, and @jabberwockprince !!

[purbiworl]

Caravan Palace's Detroit concert is tonight but I can't go moodboard