#more modeling than sculpting rip

[greetingsfromuranus]

I've been messing with the Edd squishy 3d model all day, the sleeves are now smoothly connected to the shirt, the shirt collar is a bit rounder and cuter, and things are generally looking nicer! I've been lightly sculpting parts to get a more organic look, as well as fixing some potential issues with the physical product (the legs on the original had really small ankles, could lead to the shoes kitting ripped off if stretched too hard. Made the legs a bit thicker, ankles wider, and legs shorter!)

Half of my time was spent fixing the horrible topology resulting from the booleans and sculpting, not sure how much was necessary to a good print but whatever, perfectionism won today

I have a buddy who's offered to 3d print for me, I just have to decide if I want to 3d print a solid piece, then use mold putty to make a flexible mold, or just 3d print a solid mold and hope nothing goes wrong with it. I know I'm going to print the solid piece, but to use that as the mold base I'll have to smooth it down, either by sanding it or applying whatever chemical to smooth it well, but that means buying MORE stuff....... and figuring it all out..... auurgh...

And yhe problem with the solid printed mold: I'll have to sand that down too!! And there's a chance it would end up just getting stuck in there and I'd have to break something to get it out. Oof.

Though I could just be overthinking it lol. I've never 3d printed anything or made my own squishy so really I dont know much

I think my plan is to use ecoflex 00-10, and color the silicone itself to color the diff parts, because paint could come off pretty easily. Only problem is that it would be a very tedious process to get all the colors in the right spot, so I may just have to paint it either way lol. I'm a bit worried about the paint affecting the actual shapes and the general feel of the squishy, since these types almost never have paint more than just a couple decorations.

Of course I could just let it be solid color, but I really want mine at least to look like a real life Edd chillin with me lol. I'll figure it out

There's also the ecoflex gel and gel 2, but from the video I saw they seemed to be a bit too squishy lol

I also have another idea for an edd squishy where he's on his belly with his arms reaching forward, would be super cute lol

I've just been imagining various Edd shaped decorations/furniture, like one of those right angle book holding things, but it's edd and his legs are flattend under the books lmao, or a little solid piece that's just edd hanging off the side of your desk watching you work or something

[wakebymoonsleepbysun]

Spider plushie!!

Lap spider!

Before and after thread sculpting to give her face/chalicerae more definition.

(I need to learn how to take better pics if I'm ever going to set up any kind of store bjgaddafasfadsfasdfas)

Second plushie sewn, but first using an original pattern! Here's how it looked on plushify:

The pattern has written definitely has a LOT of issues so I'm going to be tweaking it for round 2. I also discovered why you DO NOT stuff limbs BEFORE sewing them on unless you're sewing them to the outside of an already stuffed plushie.

As you can see, the carapace is a LOT wider on the pattern because I had to do a much bigger inseam to get the legs to cooperate so we lost probably 1-1.5 inches of fabric. The legs are kinda a mess and I had to do a lot of hand sewing to fix them. I actually had to do a lot of hand sewing in general. The abdomen is attached via hand sewing as is all but the bottom of her face panel, because I put her together in a way that she could not physically fit under the machine's needle to be machine sewed.

I had to redo a few portions a few times, and got my thread horribly tangled in the machine the first time I was doing the applique. (I'm still not completely sure what went wrong other than starting the satin stitch on those tight corners is Not The Way.) So what you see here is my second attempt because the fabric ripped, but this one still has some puckering on the lower part of the hourglass.

I think I'm going to change where I put the seams on the carapace, and probably sew the legs on after the rest of the spider is rightside in and stuffed. I also need to curve some of the pieces plushify generates for me because there are some slight "corners" on the abdomen from them because I didn't round out the model all that much.

So yeah, will be making another version of this pattern, and then...I dunno, making some to sell on etsy or something?

[palmofafreezinghand]

twilight advent calendar - day eleven: Besides painting, what art forms does Esme enjoy? How do you imagine her art room/setup looks? (prompts here)

Art forms Esme enjoys, and a little bit of her history with art: 

There are very few mediums she has not tried at least once. 

As a child she doodled on every scrap of paper she could get her hands on. As she got older she found the small details portraiture required particularly enticing, she’d nervously slip someone a portrait she had sketched of them or their loved one. Her grandparents were the ones to purchase her half-used paints at a church rummage sale, she rationed them as if they were gold. 

She never considered what she made art. Her mother found her little hobby frustrating beyond belief. The woman had tried to teach her daughter the finer hobbies expected of her, needlework, knitting, the piano, anything that would stop Esme from donning her paint-stained too-short dress and climbing to the top of a tree to “sketch the birds.” Esme did not take well to knitting or cross-stitch as she grew. Her grandmother had barely taught her to sew and only after Esme ripped one too many of her handmade dresses did her mother force her into sewing her own wardrobe. (This backfired when Esme discovered how to sew pants). 

When introduced to an eternity of free time she did not revisit these art forms, in fact, she had barely remembered how much she once enjoyed art. She only picked up a pencil again when Edward forced her to, desperate for her to find a hobby and stop bothering him.

She swore Edward to secrecy, knowing Carlisle would run out and buy far too many supplies. He kept her secret but bought the supplies himself. After her initial irritation wore off she was quite grateful for the gift and needed more paint quite shortly after. 

Her love of interior design and architecture made itself known when she found a dollhouse in the attic, left dusty and broken by the previous owner. She renovated it in secret, compelled to finish the project for some reason she could not quite place. Turns out she had a knack for that too. 

At first she thought her skill was one nonexistent but two nothing more than vampiric ability. Carlisle and Edward spent one afternoon attempting to paint a simple still life with her help and she dropped that second suspicion. 

Oil painting is her first choice when it comes to paints. She loves the ability to jump back into a painting after a few weeks. Nowadays, in her scarce free time, she has been experimenting with water soluble oil paints, much to Carlisle’s amusement who had only just become used to the constant smell of linseed oil. Although he will not lie and say he mourns the constant worry her rags will start a fire, again. 

She sculpts and brings an at-home kiln with her on most moves, although she has to be cautious because she has also started a fire with one of these. She enjoys sculpting people the most. She has made countless ceramic renditions of her husband’s nose, face, hands… 

She has experimented with 3D printing and glass blowing but is still new to the medium. 

Miniatures are still a constant in her art, but these days they look more like architectural models than dollhouses. 

There is a camera with her almost all the time. The rest of the family likes to sneakily take photos, knowing she won’t discover them for a little while. They all know better, Emmett learned the hard way, not to go through any of her SD cards. 

On the few rare occasions she has showed her art in galleries she prefers to exhibit installations rather than collections. Her personal favorite she managed to convince Edward to write and record a score to play throughout the gallery. 

She eventually found her way back to knitting and crochet, but never had the passion for it. 

When Renesmee was born and in her growth spurt Esme sewed constantly, building in growth tucks into every garment, knowing any dress would need to be let out within days.

As Renesmee grew up Esme picked quilting and needlepoint back up. While she no longer had any memories of her own grandmother teaching her to thread a needle and the importance of a thimble, but it makes her feel closer to the woman she doesn't remember as she is asked to be a grandmother herself.

A few details about her workspace: 

 In her dream world, she would have a stand-alone studio and a space to create in the house. Her family is inspiring and simultaneously a huge hindrance to creating.  She naturally gravitates towards picking properties with an old gardening shed, carriage house, and dilapidated guest house/cottage she can renovate to have perfect natural lighting, ample soundproofing, climate control, and ample storage. (Until she has to very quickly renovate a guest house as a ‘welcome to vampirism’ gift). If she has a stand-alone workspace she will settle for working in the family library or at the kitchen table (which are all specially designed to convert into drafting tables when needed). 

 The walls are white and the only art hung on them are her current work in progresses. There are a couple of framed photos on her desk: one of her and Carlisle, a candid of her and Edward taken by Carlisle in 1931, one of the entire family, and a print of the first painting of hers she thought truly resembled her son. She is very particularly about lighting and has OttLites scattered about both her workspace and the house.  

Everything has a place, but that place changes frequently. She reorganizes any time she is stuck on a piece. The family knows to keep their distance if they hear her vacuuming out drawers and moving dozens of paint pots. 

[gamebunny-advance]

Kun3h0 Accessories DLC + Patch Notes v.1.0.1

Added:

GAB accessory

Karrot-98 accessory

Changed:

Updated top.

Fixed hair bug. (Hair would easily slip off model.)

Minor improvements.

(More pics and notes under the cut.)

So I finally finished up Kun3h0's accessories and fixed up her top.

So, we've got her GAB and her drill, the Karrot-98.

GAB started out as this little dino thing that I just cut up and sculpted onto.

The original plan was to sculpt onto the original arms after I cut off the wings, but they kept bumping into the head, so I opted to completely resculpt them.

Now they can still turn their head, but that's the only point of articulation. I really should have sanded it more, you can really see the texture still in the clay, but such as it is.

The collar isn't the most elegant thing in the world, but at least it's there~ It's also disappointing that I couldn't get the edges of her screen completely straight and even, but it is what it is.

Overall, I think it's a decent recreation of the original design, even if the purples aren't quite right.

I should take a pic of them next to my other GAB recreations so y'all can really see the difference in scale. I believe this is the smallest GAB I've made so far, and also the only one that has the big heart-shaped tail~

Next is the Karrot-98, Kun3h0's magical drill. I don't have any "before" pictures, but it's made from another accessory that came with the doll, a little clay, and a piping tip that I had lying around + extras.

I don't have a set design for the Karrot yet, so I just kinda painted it with colors I already mixed. When Kun3h0's holding it, it does kinda get lost in the pinks of her outfit, but by itself I think it looks fine. If I come up with a better color scheme for it, then maybe I'll repaint it.

Next, I completely re-did her top. This time, I doused all the fabric in fray-check first to keep it from pulling apart while I was sewing it together, and I completely redid the sleeves. Originally, I had painted the arm guards onto the sleeves because I didn't think of any other way to do it. This time I tried making them with craft foam to better replicate that they're supposed to be two different materials. I'd say it was mostly successful.

Since it's kind of a pain to slip the sleeve into the guards, I don't have any pics of the top without them on, but the sleeves are more form fitting, so the top looks more like a proper tracksuit without the guards on. It's a slightly better look than the original IMO, but it's still not perfect: the guards are basically like a Miku sleeve, so you can still see into them even though the only opening is supposed to be through the cuff (which are barely visible in this pic, but they can stick out for a more accurate look.)

I would show the new top next to the old one, but I kinda destroyed the old one trying to test ideas for this new one XP (in fact, the collar IS from the old one, I just ripped it off and reapplied it to this one).

Lastly, I fixed her wig a little bit.

I don't have pics of it, but I just stuck some velcro to her scalp and the inside of the wig, so now it should stop slipping off while still being removable.

I'm just against completely gluing it down because I still have a lot of yarn left from this project, so I would eventually like to make her some alternate hairstyle wigs just to use up the yarn.

Now I feel pretty confident in saying that she's actually "done." There are a few places that I could touch up with paint, but as for "making" anything else for this doll, I did everything I really wanted to do.

Admittedly, Kun3h0 is one of my most self-indulgent designs (as though everything I make isn't in some way self-indulgent), so to have a physical object which embodies so much of what I like, truly satisfies me. We'll see if I still feel that way about her a week from now, but at the moment, she is the culmination of almost every creative skill I have, and I'm very pleased with the results of that effort, more so than possibly anything else I've ever made~ <3

I may post more pics of her when I can actually dedicate some time to making a proper scene and/or backdrop. There's a lot of little details that I like that I haven't really taken pics of. I dunno if I have the courage to do it, but it'd be cool to take some pics in an actual arcade with her~

[dragon-communion]

Maybe we’ll get to see a dragon master post like that death one you’ve been considering? ;D

Also, do you have opinions on the Dragonkin Soldiers?

YES I LOVE THEM.

They're pretty blatantly an attempt at making dragons via trolls/giants, and the utter horror of a creature that should've been Fire being reduced to Ice is amazing. Hell, there's that whole war between the ice dragons and the fire giants, this shambling mockery is an insult of the highest order to both of them at once. AND I think they're very blatantly artificial, even moreso than dragon communion heretics. Natural dragon communion results in magma wyrms. Dragonkin soldiers are structured utterly unlike any other dragon-born monsters in the Lands Between, because I think they were never truly born. They were sculpted. Maybe even puppets, of a sort.

The Nox are so very fucked up and someday I'm going to rip into their alchemical studies with my teeth. I love everything they're doing.

Notable detail I should emphasize: the reason they look nothing like dragon communion heretics is because dragonkin soldiers utilize parts from ancient dragons. Ancient dragons, interestingly enough, never drop hearts for us to eat- so I don't think the soldiers were created through blood. I'd have to examine their models more to come to any more detailed conclusions.

[theradicalscrivener]

The Next Big Thing - Pt 2

Johhny is starting to understand what is happening to him. He doesn't know why he's growing, but he does know he wants more.

(P.S. Ya boi's got Linktree and Bluesky now)

[First Chapter] || [Next Chapter]

               Johnny’s original plan had been to head straight back to his apartment after hitting the gym, but the strange, euphoric tingling that coursed through his whole body and the elation of being the center of attention convinced him to take his time and enjoy the afternoon. As he casually strode down the sidewalk, he could feel the occasional gaze drift his way. Even now that he was fully clothed and out in public, he was more than just another face in the crowd. His good looks and natural charm drew attention to him even if he was not intentionally showboating. That’s not to say that Johnny wasn’t hamming it up here and there. Everything from the way he held his shoulders to the angle of his grin which showcased his pearly whites was an intentional act. He had mastered the angles and the attitude from a young age. He was born to be in front of the camera. Actually, scratch that. He was born to be beheld and beloved by all! The gazes felt more than just good. They felt natural!

                As Johhny continued his walk, he became vaguely aware that his clothes were digging in uncomfortably against his throat and thighs. The collar of his knitted undershirt did not have near as much give as the rest of his shirt. Even his button-up overshirt, which he kept tastefully unbuttoned until halfway down his torso, was straining against his chest.

               The odd state of his attire his attire made Johnny pause. His overshirt looked so awkward on his lithe, toned body, and if there was one thing he hated, it was looking bad in an outfit. Not to mention, it was such a nice, sunny day, that it seemed silly to be wearing extra layers anyway. Johhny gave the plaid shirt a light tug which was all it took for the struggling buttons to give up the ghost. The few remaining buttons that remained clasped around the bottom of his shirt popped loose. Unfortunately, that did not mean that removing the shirt was an easy task. His now too-tiny overshirt clinched around his shoulders, limiting his mobility. He was tempted to just rip the garment clean from his body, but being ever fashion-conscious, Johnny instead reached behind and tugged at the back of his shirt and shimmied it slowly down one arm and then the other. Buttons were one thing. It was easy to sew on a fresh set, but it seemed a shame to shred such a nice shirt.

               It wasn’t just his chest that was getting snug, though. His legs had a similar issue. It seemed with each step, his pant legs clenched tighter around his sculpted thighs and calves. The cuffs of his pant legs should normally reach his ankles, but today he was rocking the old-school cool look. The cuffs of his jeans were only about halfway down his shins making his jeans appear to be more akin to chinos. His shirt was similarly short with the lower hem of the garment now reaching only about his midriff. With each step, his shirt was looking more like a crop top than a knit tee.

               It would have been an awkward look on any normal person, but Johnny was not normal. He was born to look good. He took his undersized overshirt and tied the arms around his waist. Suddenly, his awkward, shrunken wardrobe went from “Wearing his kid brother’s clothes” to “slutty frontman for a grunge band.” He was just missing oversized sunglasses to really sell it.

               Johnny was a bit of a meat-head. He gave the aura of the dumb jock or air-headed model, but he wasn’t stupid. He could put two and two together. The doorway at the gym had been lower than he was used to. Most people only came up to his shoulders now, and his clothes were far smaller than they had been just a few hours ago. He knew that he was growing. He didn’t know how, and he didn’t know why, but his surge in size seemed to be tied to the adoration of the people around him. Every adoring look or lustful gaze filled his body with a surge of energy that just seemed to swell within him. The dots were starting to connect in his brain. The bigger he got, the more attention he would garner which meant he would get even bigger! Just the thought sent a shudder of glee up his spine and a twitch of arousal down his cock.

               Johnny’s already well-trained smirk spread into an excited grin. He felt like his whole life had led to this moment. He was rapidly approaching his true purpose which was to be loved and adored and beheld by all! All that he needed was an audience.

               Johnny was no stranger to standing out. One of the tricks was to be the biggest draw in the room. Unfortunately, downtown LA was a bustling place. It was hard to stand out on the street. If he wanted to draw eyes here, he’d have to be a much larger spectacle. That, however, would have to wait. For now, he needed to be a big fish in a small pond.

               While the half-formed plan percolated in his brain, the smell of something else percolating hit his nostrils – roasted coffee beans. There was no shortage of trendy coffee bars in downtown L.A. They ran the gamut from dimly lit dives to brightly lit modern lounges. What Johnny needed was something somewhere in the middle. Not one of those big-name chains where people just went to get their usual and scoot. He needed a place with not just a crowd of regulars who liked to hang out but also a place where the Hollywood A-listers were known to visit on occasion. Someplace where paparazzi were always waiting for a good scoop.

                Johnny felt another shudder and tingle surge through him. His shirt strained audibly against his swelling chest. He had gained a few more fans, and he was just standing on a street corner lost in thought. Just imagine how much attention he’d garner when he had a captive audience.

                Johnny’s smirk spread wider which caused him to flash his fans his pearly whites. Another shudder. Another surge.

                “This will be all too easy,” he thought to himself as he strode across the crosswalk and made his way towards the bean bar his agent had mentioned to him so many times before. Agents loved this place, and countless would-be actors and script writers had taken part-time jobs there in hope of “accidentally” rubbing elbows with a notable Hollywood figure. These were often just pipe dreams, but the place was overdue to produce its next big star.

[First Chapter] || [Next Chapter]

[tomboy014]

Pariah Dark is NOT a Viking

(Disclaimer: all dates are approximate since sources cannot seem to ever agree on the dates)

So, I’ve been working through a redesign of Misery Vex, but before I could do that, my brain took me down a rabbit hole on Pariah Dark and his design.

Pariah Dark always struck me as a Viking when I was a kid.  Maybe it was the accent or his size or his giant mane of hair; whatever the reason, he feels like a Viking. 

Which makes no sense, because there’s nothing about his design that is Viking.  Now dont' get me wrong; I realize it's a kid's show with a limited budget and is heavily stylized to be simpler and easier to animate, but it's implied he’s wearing plate armor with big, metal gauntlets and boots, a huge cape.  Actual Norse warriors during the viking era wore chainmail or leather armor and offset wool cloaks.  Not to mention that Vikings did NOT wear horned helmets.  Horned helmets are not a Viking thing!

I mean, does this look anything like Pariah's design?!

And then there’s the thing that’s bothered me the most about his design since I was a kid: the beard.  The very clearly Egyptian false beard.  Why would you put an Egyptian beard on a guy that makes me think of evil Odin?!

In reality, it’s probably because Fartman doesn’t have an ounce of creativity behind his thought processes other than ripping off other comic designs…

So maybe Pariah was a Viking (793-1066 AD) and ruled for a few hundred years.  Very good, bully for you, sir.  But then it brings up the question of why Pandora would allow such a dangerous upstart to rise to power?  This guy is basically a child compared to her.

But the pharoah’s beard and horned helmets were in fashion during the Bronze age…

So instead of a Viking, what if Pariah was one of the Sea People during the Bronze age collapse (1200-1150 BC).  One of the Sherdan?

If Pariah is from the Bronze age, then he predates Pandora by a few centuries (Theogony was written around 700 BC).  And even if it took him centuries to rise to power as the Ghost King, now he’s been ruling over the Ghost Zone for thousands of years.  It’s also a lot more in line with his design.

Horned helmets are worn by the Sherdan in multiple reliefs from that period.  Pariah’s armor is also a lot more similar to either the segmented plate armor the sea people wore or the sculpted cuirasses worn by Greeks in the Bronze age. Swords were one of the preferred weapons. Plus, that front flap thing is pretty similar to the big belts worn by the Egyptians or the large, starched portions of their pleated shents.

Not to mention the false beard he’s sporting, used in depictions of the gods and worn by pharaohs to imitate Osiris, the King of the Dead.  Something rather fitting for him to wear in that day and age.

After ruling for centuries, it’s more than possible that Pariah has changed up his look more than a few times, always pieces and styles from whatever people was most feared at the time.  Always adding and removing bits and pieces with a few things making up his core aesthetic.  Adopting Spartan and then Roman armor, modeling parts of himself after the Huns.  And yes, I think it’s more than reasonable that after a few thousand years, he had a soft spot for Vikings who sailed and raided around 800AD considering his own background as a Bronze Age pirate.  Even later, he could have adopted the full plate armor that Fright Knight wears around the 14th century. 

But always, he looks like a warrior, a ruler.

A King.

And what’s a king without his queen? 

(sorry, not sorry Dark Age shippers. Clockwork deserves better!)

[therealmaquaroonie]

I am working on this guy finally

I had to cut off the damaged leg, turn it around, and superglue it back on to make it stabilized/look more like a straight leg. I'll be sculpting the missing parts with Crayola model magic air dry clay. The horn was from an Old custom that I ripped off and edited a bit so it would fit. I had to cut a hole in their head to make the horn transition more seamless when I added on more clay. There is another horn, but I'm waiting for this one to dry first before I do the other one. Plus, doing them separately I think will help me make them more even.

The horns were originally sculpted with super fancy apoxy sculpt or something and were MUCH less brittle than the Crayola model magic, which I think kind of helps in this situation. The only issue is that they're heavy, but I think after I'm done with the new leg, the stability will be fine.

There's definitely ways I could have done this to make it easier for myself, but I also have never done this drastic of a custom before, so I am legit just fucking around and finding out.

[voerman]

Collecting Hanusa lore that even she doesn't know and putting it in a timeline that is almost certain to change. Dark Urge typical content warnings and spoilers below:

Born from the flesh and blood of Bhaal, Hanusa is sculpted into a half-elf and given to a dedicated cultist; Locusta Fern to raise until she was fully grown.

Hanusa was a model child, as a toddler she bit everyone she spent any time around unattended, by the time she was six she had ripped a girl's hair out so hard it had taken half her scalp. She killed rats and rabbits because they ate the flowers in her mother's garden. Her mother rewarded her with cakes and sweets.

Around this time, Locusta Fern made the worst mistake the mother of a bhaalspawn can make: she began to love her. When Hanusa was ten, her mother was a hair's breath away from taking the girl away from Baldur's Gate.

Though Hanusa loved her mother dearly, she felt her entire childhood that something was missing and was desperate to know more about her father.

In response to her mother's doubts, her father decided that it was time for her to make her first proper kill and join the other spawn and sent Sceleritas Fel to meet Hanusa for the first time.

Fel told her what she needed to do to meet her father and make him happy, and Hanusa did it. After killing her mother in a daze, Hanusa broke down, crying over her body before mutilating it until it was unrecognizable. To this day, she keeps a lock of her mother's hair.

The Butler returned, delighted at what she had done, and took her to the temple of Bhaal, where she met her brother and sister; Sarevok and Helena. Helena was nursing a newborn Orin at the time.

At the Temple, Hanusa became very reserved and dedicated to her training. Her life had been shattered but now she knew her purpose and would do anything to achieve it, to be the perfect Slayer for her father.

She grew close to Helena, and was saddened when Orin killed her in self-defense, though she hardly held it against the child. After all she had killed her own mother in far less dire circumstances.

After that, Hanusa took over her training, being as cruel as she felt was necessary to motivate her to improve. Often chiding her for being a half-breed and a grandchild of Bhaal to cover her own insecurities. Bhaal was as cruel and indifferent a father as he was a god, and Hanusa often felt that she would never truly make him proud of her despite her dedicated efforts.

(tw: Sarevok typical incest)

Hanusa was barely twenty when Sarevok began making advances towards her. Already dissatisfied with her life and seeing Helena's in her future, she took that action as the final straw and left the Temple, on her way out advising a twelve year old Orin to do the same as soon as she could.

(Author's note: This scene involves some major miscommunication, with Hanusa telling Orin that it's not worth it and that their father will never love her, and Orin taking that as an insult to her rather than a failure on Bhaal's part.)

She went out on her own, in the process meeting an order of Paladins, and for a while found some peace. She was able to sate her need to kill on those her order deemed evil but it wasn't enough. She felt just as empty, just as numb as she had before performing ritual killings in her father's name.

One night, she simply couldn't help herself and slaughtered the entire order, just to feel something. She mutilated their bodies, ripping and eating their flesh until she felt truly satisfied. It was also the first time her father deigned to speak to her directly, commending her and telling her that he did love her, she just needed to do what came natural to her and stop forcing herself to perform stilted ritual murders she felt no passion for.

And so she did, ignoring almost everything else and becoming the most renowned serial killer in Baldur's Gate history, enlisting her favourite butler to aid her in the torture and vivisection of any victims that felt particularly special to her. She had a particular predilection for beautiful women who were particularly kind to her.

[remys-rockets]

L2 Certification Attempt

After obtaining my L1 attempt, I had originally planned to fly for an L2 attempt on the same rocket. However, I attended a VRA club night where a swap meet was being held and ended up with a Rocketry Warehouse (now Madcow) Broken Arrow 54. Sometimes a great deal is a great deal.

This was a pretty big step up from the cardboard and plywood construction I was used to, being entirely filament-wound fibreglass. Its large diameter/length ratio combined with its small split fins also made it intimidating. This kit is also intended only for dual-deploy, which is something I had never done before. I decided it was a good opportunity to challenge myself.

Build

The kit was pretty bare-bones, meaning I had to source a retainer and much of the hardware for it. I ordered a 38mm Aeropack retainer, and then I began the build.

The process was relatively simple, with through-the-wall fins like all my previous builds. However, this time they did not fit into divots in the centering rings, so I 3D printed a fin jig to hold them in place while the epoxy cured.

Speaking of epoxy, I moved away from the 5-minute Araldite I had used for previous builds in favour of a more serious adhesive. I used JB Weld for anything motor-adjacent because of its thermal tolerance, and Epiglue for all other structural attachments and fin fillets. This was recommended to me by a friend in Perth who flies truly ridiculous rockets and has used it on flights of up to Mach 2. It is also available from a local marine supplier, meaning I didn't have to pay through my nose to get hold of Rocketpoxy or West Systems. I was very pleased with how nicely it went on and how strong it was.

By this time I'd also nailed down my epoxy application and filleting methods - I use cheap silicone sculpting and grouting tools which can simply be cleaned with acetone after I'm done. For filleting, I also found that mixing the epoxy in a ziploc bag and piping it on like icing worked a treat.

My work gets cleaner with every set of fillets I lay down. These ones don't look fantastic, and the split fins were something I had never dealt with before, but that didn't matter for reasons that became apparent shortly after the epoxy had set.

The morning after I applied these fillets, I got up to continue working on the rocket when I noticed that something had shifted overnight. The motor mount tube was somehow at an angle, as shown in the image above. I know I installed it perfectly level, but I didn't secure it while it set so I think it slipped as it cured. In my defense, I was quite sick and not firing on all cylinders when I had completed all the work up until now, but the realisation of what I'd managed to do was pretty disappointing and a bit of a knock to my confidence. Some measurements and a bit of trig suggested that the offset was only a degree or two, but the image suggests otherwise. I consulted some friends who are far more experienced flyers than I, and the consensus was a mix between 'send it' and Do Not Fly That Rocket, with more in favour of flying it than not. I looked at my OpenRocket sim for stability characteristics, and read some old Rocketry Forum posts about this model, all which pointed to it being rather squirrelly. In hindsight, I feel like I made the right decision, as I just couldn't ignore my gut feeling. I decided to rip it apart and rebuild it completely.

I did not take photos during this phase due to being completely covered with fibreglass dust, but I ended up using a diamond Dremel cutting wheel to first cut the fin can off, then cleanly slice the fins out of the body. I cannibalised a small section of the avionics bay tube to use as a coupler to reattach the aft section. I was then able to epoxy the whole thing back together, sand it all down, and it looked no different - apart from the motor mount being at the correct angle of zero degrees. I re-filleted the fins with a larger radius than before, as I wasn't happy with how they looked initially. I was very pleased with this effort, and confident to a) present this rocket to an RSO and b) fly it safely.

I also took the opportunity during this rebuild to modify the rocket to be motor-eject capable, by removing the bulkhead to which the recovery harnessing would be attached. I cut a small divot in the forward centering ring and attached a looped piece of kevlar around the motor tube before reinstalling it. This 'leash' provides the anchor point for a longer recovery harness to be attached to. I am very glad I did this, as not long after I was informed that my university club possessed a grand total of two (2) grams of black powder. Traditional dual-deploy would no longer be an option. More on that later.

To finish off the construction, I 3D printed rail guides from ABS and bolted them to the body, with a bit of JB Weld in there for good measure. I drilled pressure relief holes in the forward and aft sections of the body, and another in the avionics bay for altimeter readings. I then drilled a more smaller holes and installed screws to pin the nosecone to the forward section, and the forward section to the avionics bay. Since the flight would no longer be traditional dual-deploy, the rocket would not need to separate at these points. Finally, I gave it a purple paintjob and the name of CRUNCHWRAP 3.

At some point, Taco Bell might see these and send me a cease and desist. I am going to keep building and flying them until they do.

Recovery

With a proper dual-deploy ejection now out of the question, I turned to my backup plan. My team calls it the 'poor-man's dual deploy', even though it's arguably actually more expensive than using black powder. This involves deploying a drogue with the motor charge, then using a JollyLogic chute release device to deploy the main at whatever altitude you have chosen. There is a substantial risk of the harnessing becoming tangled using this method, but I didn't really have a choice. I used a 4.5m nylon shock cord, tied to the anchored kevlar leash. I divided the cord into thirds, tying a loop at each third. I attached the drogue to the forward-most loop, and the main to the aft loop. Both chutes were on quick links and swivels to reduce the risk of tangling as much as possible. Each of these chutes were wrapped in their own nomex protector, and then placed in the aft section of the rocket with their harness. I used a 36' (91-ish cm) main chute from Loc Precision, and a 40cm 4-gore drogue which I sewed using Scott Bryce's fantastic Spherical Parachute Pattern Generator.

Avionics

Although it ended up not being needed, I decided to send the flight computer I got hold of along for the ride. I thought it would be cool to get an altitude reading to compare with the simulated apogee. A buddy of mine in the US was getting rid of a few bits and pieces, so I bought his RRC2+ off him with the intent of flying it for my L2 attempt. First, though, it needed somewhere to live.

I found the supplied parts for the av-bay were a little lacking, so I added some modifications - the main one being drilled holes for two threaded rods to pass through. I used two for redundancy, since the idea of a single rod made me a little uneasy. I used wingnuts on these so I could fasten them nice and tight without the need for a spanner. It was also missing enough eye bolts, so I grabbed some from Bunnings.

I then designed and 3D printed a sled to fit onto the threaded rods and provide a mount for the battery and the flight computer. A very simple setup. The sled looks objectively awful since the printer was having a bit of a sook at the time, but the actual functionality was not affected and it serves its purpose just fine.

Motor

With an unbelievably limited amount of motors available in Australia at the time of writing, I had to work with what I could get hold of. I was lucky enough to snag was a CTI J-316 (pink!!) through my university team, which is a 38mm 5 grain reloadable motor with an adjustable delay of up to 17 seconds. Unfortunately, we didn't have a 5-grain case so I made do with a 6-grain case and a spacer. I only became aware of that the night before the launch, so I had to very quickly revise my recovery packing technique to account for the now limited real estate inside the body.

It provided an average thrust of roughly 316N, with a max of 450N, over a burn time of about 2.1sec, for a total impulse of roughly 650Ns. A pretty tame J motor, but still far more powerful than anything I'd ever flown before.

Simulation

After carefully weighing every single component of the rocket and entering them into OpenRocket, I simulated the flight on the motor above. The entire vehicle weighed 2.7kg, with a length of 1.41m. It was simulated to hit Mach 0.77, and fly to an apogee of 5191ft.

Theoretically, the centre of pressure and centre of gravity would be 0.86m and 1m respectively from the tip of the nose cone. This would give a stability calibre of 2.44 at Mach 0.3 - however, this rocket is quite a bit faster than that. Also, the 'rule of thumb' which says a rocket's CG should be roughly 1.5 body diameters in front of the CP is not as helpful on rockets with a length/diameter ratio of over 10, such as this one (which is 24). Here, the CG should be roughly 10% of the overall length in front of the CP, which it was, almost (9.6%). The stability calibre off the rod was predicted to be only a little over 1.5 (6%), but given that it would be going 31m/s I was confident this would be fine as long as it didn't launch into a strong wind gust. At motor burnout, stability would be up near 3.8 (15%), which I was happy with.

I set the motor delay to the full 17 seconds for the simulations, as anything shorter would have the recovery devices deployed before apogee. This would a) cut the flight short and more importantly b) place a huge amount of strain on the harnessing and chutes due to a very high deployment speed. With the full delay, deployment would be at 11.3m/s, which the harness and drogue could handle easily. Ground hit was simulated to be a brisk but not destructive 6.8m/s.

As an aside, OpenRocket includes a little disclaimer about 'jagged edge fin predictions may not be accurate'. I bore this in mind through the whole process, but based on others I'd seen fly and forum posts I'd read online, I was comfortable with what I was doing.

Flight

L2 certifications require passing a written exam with two sections - technical knowledge and the Tripoli safety code. I had already passed the exam (100%, don't mind if I do) at a previous date, so all I had to do was install my motor, altimeter, and recovery gear. I didn't even have to drill out a delay. After a quick field CG test and a visit to the RSO tent, I was ready to rack up.

A few new recruits to our team came out to the launch day, so I enjoyed an opportunity to show them how to set up for flight, install an igniter, and test for continuity.

After a small delay to clear the range and ensure the skies were clear overhead, the LCO hit the button.

The rocket flew straight and fast on a frankly gorgeous purple flame, and almost instantly got high enough that we struggled to keep a visual on it. A puff of smoke indicated the ejection charge had blown, and then I was able to see the fluoro yellow gores of the drogue as it opened. The rocket began to drift slowly as it came down, as there was a fairly stiff breeze blowing at the time. I had programmed my chute release to 500ft, and it performed as intended. The main chute deployed and thankfully none of the recovery gear got tangled. I watched it gently descend, albeit with a decent drift going on, and set itself down in a field about 800m away. After a gentle stroll (read: powerwalk to warm up, it was freezing), we arrived at the rocket. It had been dragged a little and the chute had become tangled on the ground, but all was intact. One quick pitstop at the RSO tent later, I had my L2!

Upon reflection....

Things to improve

Use a much smaller drogue. The one I flew was about twice as big as it needed to be, and it was far too windy for such a chute. I simply didn't have a smaller one, although making one would have only taken about an hour.

I didn't get any useful readings from my altimeter. I don't believe I set it up properly, so I need to make sure I learn to do that and fly it as a passenger on at least one more flight before I use it as a deployment computer. I am disappointed that I couldn't get a figure to compare with the simulation.

Use a proper stand to rest the rocket on, perfectly horizontally, during construction. This would have avoided the whole debacle of the motor mount slipping and me consequentially having to rip it apart and rebuild.

Things that went well:

Being absolutely prepared and packing my car the night before, and bringing spares of most components, made launch prep a breeze

That was the first flight of my homemade drogue, and upon inspection afterwards there was no damage. I can now be confident that others of the same design and similar construction that I have planned for bigger rockets will perform in a similar way.

The recovery technique worked as intended, with no tangling. This is probably not a viable option for rockets going any higher, but it's nice to have in the back pocket for projects of this scale if black powder and/or avionics access might be an issue

I am also extremely relieved that this certification only took me one shot, rather than the three that my L1 took. I think it reflects well on my progress.

Next:

Fly it again with proper dual deploy, if I can get my hands on some black powder

Scratch build of a rocket of similar scale

...... L3?

[quackquackcey]

Ch. 23: Hedgehogs, Honey, & Hazelnut-Covered Strawberries

Written for @hdcandyheartsfest day 23 prompt: home, and @kinkuary​ day 23: praise kink. 2174 words. Many thanks to my beta @wqtson​! 💛 Rated E. (cw: explicit sexual content).

Start from beginning on AO3 here, or click the #fic: HHHS tag.

Summary:

A chance meeting—or is it a setup?—leads to the start of a relationship filled with buttery baked goods, sweet smelling flowers, and hedgehogs.~ 🌹🦔

Harry skidded to a stop when they finally made their way outside.

“Wait, I can’t take you home,” said Harry. “Ormr’s there. Let’s go to yours.”

“You dropped him off with Luna, remember?” replied Draco, as if he wasn’t Ormr. “Scamander is taking care of the hedgehogs tonight.”

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh. Right.” He kissed Draco one last time for good measure. “I’m taking you home, then. If you want?” he added after a pause.

“Potter, if you don’t take me home right now, I s—”

They stumbled and crashed through Harry’s flat in a mess of locked lips and entangled limbs as soon as they Apparated there, barely making it to the sofa, much less the bedroom, though really it was Harry stumbling and crashing since he still had Draco scooped up in his arms.

Draco found that he quite liked being scooped in Harry’s arms.

After the war, Harry shot up a few inches, as if his growth spurt had been stunted by Voldemort’s presence—it was probably because he could actually eat properly after the war rather than survive off who knew what while on the lam.

Thus, Harry was now taller than Draco. His build was thicker than Draco’s as well, having always been the more athletic, muscly type compared to Draco’s lean, slender build.

And….

Well….

He clearly kept fit even after he quit being an Auror.

Draco nearly choked on his spit when Harry stripped off his shirt, and his mouth dried when Harry toed off his trousers.

Maybe he was biassed, but Harry was hotter than any male model Draco had ever laid eyes on.

Those sculpted abs and defined biceps, and those toned legs and V-line that disappeared into his low-rise pants—Draco couldn’t see his arse, but even more precum leaked from Draco’s cock just seeing a nearly nude Harry lean over where he’d tossed Draco on the couch and kiss the living daylights out of him.

Only after Harry had appropriately left him breathless and dazed did Harry then begin to undress him. He yanked off Draco’s tight shorts, leaving on the silk thigh high stockings and heeled shoes that perfectly flattered his long legs, then quite literally ripped his pants off.

Draco couldn’t help the moan that shuddered through his body.

“I thought you’d like that,” chuckled Harry as he sat down on the sofa and scooped Draco up so that Draco now straddled him.

It was unfair how unbearably, mouth-wateringly hot Harry was yet somehow still so sweet, his soft affection etched into all of his features along with unfiltered desire, and Draco found himself having a hard time getting his tongue untied.

“How”—Draco cleared his dry throat—“How come?”

Harry tugged on his hair a bit, and Draco gasped. 

“Because you like it a little rough, don’t you?” asked Harry with a smile as he trailed kisses down Draco’s neck. “What else do you like? Kinks? I want to make our first time good for you.”

Draco’s heart squeezed, and he wasn’t even sure why. “I don’t know, I haven’t really tried any kinks out before. It’s— It’s already good like this.” He paused, then added, “If you have any, we can try them.”

They’d never really talked about any of this before, though Draco had definitely hoped tonight would be the night—he’d enlisted Pansy’s help on making his outfit as sexy as possible but not overly much for a reason. 

And it’d worked.

He’d caught Harry staring at his arse and legs and exposed skin more than once, at least until Draco got himself into a sobbing drunk mess, so he was more than delighted that it’d somehow worked out in the end and he’d succeeded in seducing Harry.

“I haven’t tried any either,” said Harry, “although I would like to try some out with you eventually. But for now”—he flashed a mischievous smile and grinded his hips against Draco’s—“how about a continuation? I wouldn’t say no to a lap dance.”

Draco blinked, then flushed pink when the implication hit him. He smacked Harry’s shoulder. “You—!”

Harry laughed and caught his lips in a kiss. “Too much? But you just seem to love dancing so much,” he teased. 

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t,” retorted Draco, courtesy of his big mouth.

Except this time, he did have some experience with it, so….

“You just sit there and watch,” said Draco with a hand pushing Harry’s chest until Harry’s back hit the backrest and the other pulling Harry’s cock out from his thin pants. “I’ll have you know people love my lap dances.”

Unbeknownst to him, Harry’s eyes darkened at those words.

Draco licked his lips and swallowed—Harry was well-endowed, to say the least. Thick in girth and a deep, throbbing red-brown, he almost wanted to bend down and taste the slick of precum at Harry’s tip.

Almost.

But he had a ‘lap dance’ to give.

He hummed just anticipating how full Harry would make him feel, and when he slowly sank down on Harry’s cock, both he and Harry let out loud moans.

One hand on Harry’s shoulder and the other supporting his weight on the sofa, Draco rolled his hips and grinded on Harry’s cock before beginning to ride him, savouring Harry’s groans and restrained expressions of pleasure.

It was kind of cute, really, the way Harry’s brows furrowed or his nose scrunched as he tried to stay still.

Draco kissed the tip of Harry’s nose.

He bounced up and down on Harry’s cock as fast as he could, sometimes pausing to roll his hips on Harry’s cock, and each bounce jolted a breathy gasp past his lips until he felt so full he couldn’t breathe.

The anxious anticipation of earning more of Harry’s indications of pleasure tightened Draco’s chest—he’d never wanted to make someone feel so good this bad before.

“Is this what you wanted?” he breathed with a coy grin as he ran a hand up Harry’s chest and neck, then gently nipped Harry’s earlobe. “Feel good?”

Harry, unbeknownst to Draco, caught the tinge of nervousness behind Draco’s confident seduction, and pressed a soft, fond kiss on Draco’s lips that tugged at Draco’s heart. 

“You’re amazing,” murmured Harry, and Draco visibly shivered, a reaction that did not go unnoticed by Harry. “A little too amazing, hm? What’s this about people loving your lap dances?”

Draco blinked, his mind trying to catch up as to what Harry was talking about, but by the time he did catch up, Harry had his hips gripped tightly in place, stopping him from riding Harry.

“Be good and stay put for me,” murmured Harry.

Draco bit back a moan at the whispered words, but his clenching hole gave him away.

And then Harry thrust up into him, hard.

Any nervousness Draco had previously harboured was fucked out of him along with keening moans and whimpers as he couldn’t do anything but sit in Harry’s lap, hips pinned in place, and take each of Harry’s deep, fast thrusts.

To make matters worse, Harry kept murmuring praises in Draco’s ear, telling him how good he sounded and how amazing he felt amongst other dirty praises like “good boy” that drove Draco insane and melted his brain, as if he wasn’t already melting from it all. Harry then began to play with his nipples through his top, rubbing them and sucking them, and at some point, Harry asked him to lift his top for him.

Draco cried when Harry’s lips finally touched his bare skin.

With each thrust, each praise, each lick and nip on his nipples or between his lips, Draco unravelled further. He lost his mind to the pleasure, eyes unfocused and mouth open as lewd noises that’d usually have him embarrassed and words he’d never say if he was sane streamed from his lips. Begs for more rang out and he agreed with every dirty thing Harry said or asked—he only registered half of what Harry murmured, but he got the gist that Harry was being possessive and wanted to fuck Draco so good he’d never be able to be with anyone else, and Salazar, did that turn Draco on beyond belief.

If he could be turned on even more than he already was.

The climax hit Draco hard and fast. The after waves of pleasure, however, were more intense and lasted longer than they ever had for Draco, no doubt in part to Harry still pumping his hips through Draco’s climax, and when he moved to pull out of Draco, Draco firmly sank all the way down on his cock.

Harry groaned. “No condom, Draco,” he hissed, thrusts growing jerky. “I’m about to—”

“No,” moaned Draco. He still refused to move as his walls spasmed around Harry’s cock. “I want it, I want it— Harry—”

Harry cursed, and with a hard kiss on Draco’s lips, his hips stuttered, filling Draco’s hole with spurts of cum, and much to both their surprise, Draco fell over the edge once again with a cry.

He whited out. When he came to, Harry had cleaned him up and was setting him in bed under the covers—Draco surprised him with a lunging hug that had Harry losing his balance and tumbling onto the bed as well.

“You alright?” asked Harry with a laugh as he snuggled against Draco, limbs looping around each other and entangling with the other’s until they were satisfied. “Too much? I sort of got jealous…,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Then I should make you jealous more often,” teased Draco. He could get used to the way smiles came so easily to him around Harry. 

Harry groaned. “Please don’t. My heart won’t be able to take it.” He paused, seemingly hesitating on whether to say something or not, and Draco waited. “Um, so…,” said Harry at last. “Do you like that position a lot? Riding, I mean. On top? Not because I’m jealous or trying to pry,” he added hastily. “It just sounded like you’ve done, well, that position a lot, and I want to know what you like, for, um, future reference….”

He trailed off and covered his face. “Merlin, I sound like a moron.”

Draco’s heartstrings tugged with affection. “Are you sure you’re not still jealous?” he chuckled. 

“You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?”

“Mm, well, I quite like it when you’re possessive, though,” said Draco.

Harry uncovered his face at that. “You do?”

“Why do you sound so surprised? Don’t most people like that?”

“Well, you’re independent and savvy, so I thought you might not like it,” said Harry. “But now that I know you do….” He waggled his brows and attacked a laughing Draco with kisses all over his face. “You should’ve told me you have a praise kink, though.”

Draco’s face heated.

“Were you embarrassed?” asked Harry with a fond smile. “I think it’s adorable. I think you’re adorable.”

“Stop that!” A shiver went down Draco’s spine just from those words—he smacked Harry’s shoulder and tried to hide his face, only for Harry to pepper his face with even more smooches. “I didn’t know!”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I didn’t know,” muttered Draco. 

Harry drew back to look at him in utter confusion. “How did you not know?”

“It just never came up, I guess,” said Draco.

Harry blinked. “How is that possible? Your partners have never praised you during sex?” he asked incredulously.

“No, I mean, it’s just, it’s usually me, you know,” Draco struggled to say. “Praising them. So I never knew.”

Harry looked even more incredulous, if that was possible. “You. You’re the one praising them,” he echoed as if he couldn’t believe his ears. “You couldn’t even compliment me when we weren’t dating, and you expect me to believe you’re showering praises on people when you fuck them?!”

Draco flushed even hotter. “That’s— That’s different! It’s not like I was showering praises on them; it’s— I’m— I like being in control, okay?!” he burst out, beyond embarrassed and face probably tomato red. “So yeah, I rode them until I had them begging, but this— it’s— you’re different! You’ve always been different!” 

His chest heaved as his words set in on both of them, and then he pulled the covers over his head with a despairing groan while imagining digging a deep, deep hole and jumping in it.

Harry coaxed the covers from his face with kisses and snuggles and whispers of “You’re adorable” and “I want to see you.”

“Did you like it?” asked Harry.

Draco stared at him blankly.

“Um, you know,” said Harry sheepishly. “When I got jealous. It seemed like you did, but you just said you like being in control, so—”

Draco averted his eyes. “Just forget everything I said,” he mumbled. His face burned unbearably hot. “I really liked it. Since it’s you.” 

And then Harry was devouring his lips, ravishing the inside of his mouth with promises of a sleepless, passionate night, and Draco gave himself over to him.

[chellishere]

Character Modeling...p1

I started working on my characters for my short film for school (technically starting early-- maybe a good thing, maybe not...)

Luckily I get free/cheap licenses for these expensive programs that are required to even function as a 3D artist with my tuition (which is way more expensive than those licenses ever would have been...)

Anyway-- to start, I modeled a character in zbrush. I save a lot of backups, so I can go back and see most of the steps of my process (pics below)

Then I brought the highres mesh into maya, did a little retop fun where I zoned out for like 3-5 hours as I made my cute little loops and such:

Then the whole operation was brought back to zbrush for that sweet sweet projection action to then bake maps in substance...(lowres(subdivided a ton but pre-projection) vs highres mesh below)

So I imported the maya retopologized file into substance, baked my mesh, and got to work painting by hand <3 (base color display on left, material display on right)

She's beautiful! For my first real attempt at painting textures, I think it looks pretty good, if a bit scary without... hair and eyes and such.

And I'm realizing the retop job I did might not have enough topology, especially since I'm planning on using her for a short film, so I didn't really need to worry about having too many verts or anything, especially since she has soo few that I can see issues around the edges of the geometry where (I'm assuming) the normal maps are adding shadows to where the geometry oversteps the map, for example this black line on her arm:

But I'm not even sure if I'm going to use the normal maps anyway because I want to experiment with trying to make the renders look painted/flat (rip to all that sculpting work... at least it helped me figure out how to paint details in substance even if I don't end up using the map)

...

So onto hair! I wanted dynamic hair so her gorgeous locks could blow in the simulated wind, and I wanted her to have curly hair. When I looked up how to use nHair in maya, I saw people recommend xgen. I have some limited experience in xgen thanks to one class of one course I took last semester, but really I had to relearn it through a YouTube video (thank you J Hill on Youtube! linked at end of post). It seems like I might've gotten rid of the file that had my xgen attempt so I don't have a picture to show, but... my girl was balding, and xgen wasn't letting me create maps because of issues with the file paths that I coudn't resolve despite going through the path and not finding any issues?? so I gave up. I tried to mess around with it for a bit, but really xgen wouldn't have fit the style I was going for anyway. I wanted chunky hair that I could paint textures for. To fix the mess I made, I would've needed time, and though it would've been good practice and a learning experience, I really wanted to focus on finishing my project following the intended aesthetic than branching out and forgetting about my original goal. So, raincheck xgen. We'll meet again on another day. To make up for no xgen pics, heres a screenie from the file I do have where I tried paint effects on my hair curves:

lol.

I wanted the hair curly anyway, and I didn't really want to use paint effect hair so... onwards:

Then I saw a video on using curve warp deformers for hair (GGP_Animation on Youtube) which was a cool introduction to something in maya I didn't even know existed (plugin wasn't even loaded on my machine) but I realized that if I had the curves and wanted curly hair, I could just make a sweep mesh that followed the curves! So I did, and then followed ANOTHER tutorial (CG MAGUS on Youtube) on how to make dynamic hair to figure out which option in the nHair menu I should choose ^.^ and finally! the curves were moving! --But the sweeps weren't... So I saved the preset I had made for them and applied it to the NEW hair system curves-- and finally, she had beautiful dynamic curls (ignore the eyes--temporary, just a quick 3-color ramp on spheres).

Just kidding, they're kinda ugly lol :,) but that's hopefully just because it's just a generic aistandardsurface shader with no texture. I'm going to repaint the texture on the scalp so even if it shows through it doesn't look like her hair is thinning. I'm also planning on using flair renderer (linked below), so I have to pay for that and do some testing with it to figure out how I can get the final look I'm going for. Concept portrait design below:

[piotrbiecek]

Entry 8 - Completion of the shield modeling process - Week Eight

Week 8 was the biggest week in terms of the amount of work completed. Since I had finished sculpting the snakes last week it was time for the medusa face as well as its features to be made too. I started off by creating a 3D sphere within ZBrush and sculpting the medusa face, using the Total War: TROY shield as a reference.

Colvin, S. (n.d.). Agamemnon. [online] Total War. Available at: https://www.totalwar.com/games/troy/agamemnon/. Sculpting Medusa's face was relatively easy as I was essentially replicating the Total War: TROY medusa onto my shield. Making the high polygon medusa took me around an hour and a half.

In the beginning, I was quite adamant about replicating the original Total War: Troy medusa with a 1:1 ratio however as I was going through the process of sculpting I slowly started creating small but impactful changes that determined the final look of the artefact.

One of these changes was not including holes inside the eyes, in my case the holes made the medusa look goofy which is quite the opposite of the intimidating appearance I was aiming for.

Once the face was done, it was time to model the tongue. Rather than modeling the tongue in Maya and importing it into ZBrush, I did it all in ZBrush to save time. The tongue was quite simple to make but took quite a few alterations for the proportions to look correct.

The final part that would complete medusa's face was the teeth, the teeth were done very quickly but quite tediously as they involved a bunch of copying and pasting. I also made the ends which the snakes come out from appear more natural and as if the snakes violently ripped medusas skin to emerge from. All in all, I was quite happy with the results and thought my shield would be complete after finishing the medusa, however, I ran into a small problem which was fixed quite quickly. When I was making the high poly shield I accidentally bevelled the back of the shield resulting in really harsh lines that were extremely obvious and didn't look natural.

I redid the back high poly to make the lines more spread out and look much smoother.

[moosenotadeer]

We throw in a simple tombstone this time for Day 5 of Sculptober and it's prompt of the day being Dead.

[b000mbayah]

Too sick to handle- Jihyo

Hi! I'm back now 🥳 I wrote this really quick so don't expect anything too good.. 😁

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*|*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Requested:No

Word count: 1.7k

Genre: fluff

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*|*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Nose blistering from frustrated blows of undeniable force and the well rounded edges of her perfectly sculpted lips rinsed of all pigments, staining her appearance with a deadly death marked thought. Her cheeks were like a statues back. Her eyes were half full of emotion, half empty of life. Her forehead glistened with a paper thin layer of sweat that acted like another layer of her just barely wrinkled face as she frowned drastically. 

This is what stood in front of you, an extremely sick woman too stubborn for her own good. She's in denial of her bound to happen state, refusing the offer to have some time off, denying any forceful pushes towards her bed.

She was intoxicated, intoxicated with the problems of everyone else that she forgot to look after herself, an unfortunate mistake of someone with a heart too big to handle and yet, it seemed to make her even more lovable. 

Despite being concerned about your leader's "fake" relationship with her poor health, you still saw her as a role model, the biggest one at that. This, this thought, these thoughts are what confused you and Jihyo herself.

"Stop- I can handle myself" Jihyo whined, her nose leaking uncontrollably as she wiped away at the evidence. "It's just a small- a small" she stopped mid sentence, covering her face as she let a tidal wave rip through her throat, a massive sneeze louder than her yelling. She breathes for a second, catching her breath as her hand rests on her chest "...cold…" 

"Jihyo, this isn't 'just a small cold', it's way worse than that" you both frown at one another, her eyes dimming the life and excitement that they held just 72 hours ago.

Neither of you could decipher what the cause of this drastic illness was, was it contagious? Maybe it's just a glandular fever? Maybe it's- it's… you didn't know to be honest. No guess was able to supply you with a strong point in the right direction. 

Getting Jihyo to the doctors was not an option either. This girl was unstoppable. An applaudable characteristic in most scenarios, but this was unacceptable now.

"Y/n please, just let me get back in there" Jihyo begged, one eye failing to stay open as it grew lazy and shut, looking like an extremely long wink. "No Ji, your body isn't even capable enough to keep both eyes open, what makes you think it'll survive dancing?" The eye opened almost instantly after you said that, as if she were trying to prove a pointless point.

"What do you mean, both eyes are clearly open. Move… please?" You only shake your head at her words "Nope, not until you get some rest" she groans loudly at this, reaching for your arms and when her hand grieves your skin with her sticky touch you shudder. It's not like you were disgusted or anything, it's just that she felt so gooey, so icky. This is what you imagined an alien symbiote to feel like.

"Groan all you want" you smile gently, grabbing her hand that rested on your arm, interlocking your fingers with hers. "But you're coming with me"

"Excuse me?" She grumbles, bewildered at your actions as you abruptly pick her up without permission, holding her bridal style to ensure some comfort as you carry her around the building, taking her down various flights of stairs and out into the open world where one of the two vans waited for you both. "What? Where are we going- we have practice"

"...That's cute" you mumble loud enough for Jihyo to hear, her voided cheeks gaining an ominous tangy red tint. "W-what?" Jihyo stuttered, not knowing how to react to this situation in a proper manner. How could she react in a proper manner anyway? Someone, who is carrying her bridal style, just called her cute directly to her face.

"What? I didn't say anything" Her heart flattens at this, a sense of relief brims over her fuzzy senses, she's just imagining things, surely her delirious brain was pulling some weird prank on the rest of her.

"Here-" you whisper beneath your breath, positioning her comfortably in the car seat, applying and adjusting her seat belt to fit her standards. It partly baffled Jihyo how well you knew her, your especially close bond really proving its existence right now as you tuned everything to her liking, no matter how big or small and she appreciated that.

She watched as you closed her door, scurrying over to the other side of the vehicle as you claimed inside, sitting beside the sick star before the engine began to sing with its roaring vocals.

"I preferred you carrying me" Jihyo sighed after a few minutes, feeling slightly nauseous at the bumpy road as it made her stomach contort in all sorts of ways. "Would you like us to stop for a minute or two?" You asked wearily but received a small shake of the head. "No" she spoke, shyly igniting a small archway for affection as she rests her head upon your shoulder.

"Okay, we'll be home soon Ji" Jihyo could sense your genuine smile, something that captured the hearts of many in a memorable way, including her selfless one.

"Okay" she spoke, closing her eyes as she eased up as much as she could for the time being. The car ride wasn't long at all, but it seemed to drag on for all eternity. So when you did arrive safely, Jihyo released an unexpected growl, cursing beneath her breath.

And you? You were just thankful that her stubbornness had long faded by now. 

"Thank you sadness unnie" you gratefully bow at the older woman, snaking your arm cautiously around Jihyos waist as her breathing remained unstable. "No problem" she smiled innocently before continuing to her work.

With wobbly legs, Jihyo seemed to lead you into the building, going up various flights of stairs since the elevator was broken. You passed multiple doors before reaching the all so famous Twice dorm.

You use your free hand to dig around in your pocket, pulling out the needed keys as they giggle and clash against one another, fighting as they sway from the gravity. The sound of metallic fighting metallic will never grow old.

You insert the key, twisting and turning the perfect fit until the door clicks open. "Comn" you smile at Jihyo, waiting for her to move first, waiting for her to move at her own accord to not force her weakened bones into something they're not able to do 100%

Her feet seemed to hug the floor, trying not to slip, trying not to fail her as that would end much to both of your demise. 

She walked in, holding onto you, both arms wrapped loosely around your neck as you closed the door, throwing your keys aside. You avoided any misplaced items on the floor from last night's rave made by the more chaotic members who seemed to enjoy feeling cheap alcohol coat their sore oesophagus. 

They woke up crying and croaking with a light hangover but had to go to practice nonetheless. That's their fault.

You gently kicked any empty glass bottles aside to make way for you both. Having glass all over the floor isn't ideal right now.

You pushed her bedroom door open, still following her lead, being her support beam, the cane Nayeon needs for her grandma self. However, you both stopped just beside her bed, staring at each other with thoughts racing in and out of your thinking box.

How could you get her to safely lay down without using too much energy? Like it even really mattered since she'd be asleep in no time. You guided her, helping her sit on the bed, her legs stretched out in two parallel lines. Slowly, her upper half descended, her head being caressed by her fluffed up pillow and sheets wrapping around her like a caterpillar in the process of becoming a butterfly. It's her little cocoon, a silky shell protecting her venerable self from all cold temperatures outside.

"I'll go get you a drink, and make you som-"

"Y/n" Jihyo cut you off with a gentle voice, her finger poking at your arm.

"Yeah Ji?"

"You can go back now, I'm sure they need you" You could hear Jihyo's words fumble out of her mouth as she muttered lowly, eyes avoiding your own in a desperate attempt to not break her streak of staying particularly calm. "Ji- I'm not leaving you here, I got you here for what? To head back? Ji, I'm staying with you"

"No, they need you more. I'll just sleep" she gave you a weak smile, your heart plumaged at the sight of it. She looked so… fragile.

"They have each other, they don't need me right now" she rocked her head back and forth on her pillow, giving me a 'no' sign "they'll need you, you know the dance perfectly, they need to learn from you"

"But if I leave you then you'll be alone. No one left behind, right? That's your life motto Ji, is it not?" She bites her lip gently, eyes scarfed with shame as she knows it's the truth. Her life motto being used against her. A dirty trick you pulled from nowhere, that card wasn't in the deck Jihyo dished out. 

Gracefully, you slid into the bed next to her without a care for her growing expression that displayed emotions of panic and confusion, colors of red and pink. Your arms wrap around her, much like her when you walked into the room as you embrace her, acting like a radiator to your iced friend.

"What are you doing? You'll get ill!" She pouts, resisting your touch as she tries to pull away, only to be pulled closer, your arms that wrapped around her torso tightened as she stiffened. Her chest brushed up against yours. The unmistakable feeling of your humid breath on her sensitive neck sent tingles of unexpressed feelings down her spine.

"I don't care if I get sick, just let me hold you"

[csleko]

Oh, Amygdala....

If there was one thing that immediately became apparent to me after first learning how to sculpt in Blender, it was that this technique was absolutely perfect for making organic-looking horrifying monstrosities. Remember my Twisted Abomination?

One of the first things I actually tried to sculpt (after some random dumb practice things) was the Amygdala from Bloodborne. The head turned out okay, but two attempts left me with an annoyingly inaccurate model that I was very much not happy with. Since then, I've learned a good deal more about combining separate parts into a single model with the "Remesh" modifier, and using "meta balls" to make better looking limbs, so I decided to take one more crack at my favorite Bloodborne baddy.

Another part of the problem I had with the first couple of tries was just not being able to find good and consistent references for the dang thing. So for this one I just tried my best to match up with the one you actually fight in the game, which is notably smaller than the invisible ones, lacks the Cthulhu face tentacles, and has 6 3-sectioned arms. (I THINK? Looking more closely, it actually looks like they have an asymmetrical arrangement of *7* arms?)

I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE, AND AS FITTING AS IT WOULD BE I'M NOT GOING TO LET THIS THING DRIVE ME INSANE.

I made the base model, sculpted the details, did the limbs with meta balls, copy/pasted them, re-meshed everything together, touched up the attachment points, did a half-ass rig, posed it, exported it, and PRINTED IT.

It's scaled to a ~100mm base, which should put it at roughly the correct size for 25-30mm player minis if one were to use it for tabletop purposes. Of course, you can always scale it up or down yourself if need be.

Zan: "Oh, come on! I hit it ONCE! Why is weapon durability even a thing!?"

Leko: "Hmm...it looks like these creatures have a propensity for ripping off limbs, which would explain why I can't seem to find my other arm. I suggest we run."

---

And today I painted it, so here's a few shots that really don't do it justice because of the lighting, but yeah...

If you would like to print your own, you can find the file here on Thingiverse!