#ms paint addition is mine

[crymsc]

so i've been playing genshin again lately

[deliciousangelfestival]

Cozy Secrets || Chp 3

Character: Spy!Bucky x Roommate!Reader

Summary: Y/N found herself at her high school reunion, accompanied by her unexpected fake boyfriend, who also happened to be a spy.

Chp 1 , Chp 2, Chp 3, -

Main Masterlist || buy me Ko-fi 🥹💓

Thank you to anyone who gave a like, reblog, and left a comment. It motivated me to write more. 

The days turned into weeks, and there was still no sign of Bucky returning home. Y/N continued with her life, focusing on her work as an interior designer. Today's agenda involved meeting a new client, Mr. Kensington, an eccentric aristocrat who had recently acquired a house in New York.

Y/N arrived at the grand mansion, its façade oozing opulence and mystery. The butler led her through the elaborate corridors adorned with priceless artifacts until she reached Mr. Kensington's study. The room was filled with antique furniture, rare paintings, and an air of sophistication.

"Ah, Ms. Y/N, delighted to meet you," Mr. Kensington greeted with a flourish. He was a distinguished man, dressed in impeccable attire that matched the grandeur of his surroundings.

"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Kensington," Y/N replied, taking a seat.

Mr. Kensington wasted no time in getting to the point. "I've heard of your extraordinary skills in interior design, particularly your ability to keep matters discreet. I have a rather unique project for you."

Y/N nodded, intrigued. "I'm all ears. What do you have in mind?"

Mr. Kensington leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with a spark of excitement. "I need a secret vault hidden in my study. A concealed door, perhaps behind a bookshelf or a portrait. I trust you can handle such a task?"

A secret vault, Y/N thought, the intrigue deepening. She had designed various rooms and hidden spaces in the past, but this request added a layer of mystery she found intriguing.

"Of course, Mr. Kensington. Creating concealed spaces is my specialty. Do you have any specific preferences or themes for the hidden door?"

Mr. Kensington stroked his chin, contemplating. "I fancy the idea of a bookshelf that reveals the entrance when a particular book is pulled. As for the theme, surprise me. I enjoy the unexpected."

Y/N nodded, mentally noting down the details. "Very well. I'll start working on the design, and we can discuss any adjustments or additions as the project progresses."

"Excellent, Ms. Y/N. Money is no object, so spare no expense in ensuring the utmost secrecy and sophistication," Mr. Kensington declared with a sly smile.

As Y/N delved into the intricacies of the project, discussing potential materials, hidden mechanisms, and the overall aesthetic, she couldn't help but be drawn into Mr. Kensington's eccentric world.

Days turned into weeks as Y/N meticulously planned and executed the design for the hidden vault. Mr. Kensington, appreciating her dedication and creativity, granted her access to the entire mansion, including rooms filled with his vast collection of artifacts.

One day, while working in the study, Y/N felt a subtle change in the atmosphere. The workers seemed unfamiliar, and a hushed voice whispered, "Psst, it's me."

Startled, Y/N turned to see Bucky disguised as one of the workers. The realization dawned on her – Bucky had been undercover in Mr. Kensington's mansion all along.

"Y/N," Bucky greeted with a smirk, "Surprised to see me?"

A mixture of relief and curiosity washed over her. "Bucky, what on earth are you doing here?"

Bucky chuckled. "Let's just say, your client and I have a mutual interest in keeping things hidden."

Y/N's surprise at seeing Bucky in disguise quickly transformed into a mix of confusion and intrigue. As she absorbed the revelation that Bucky had been undercover, she couldn't help but wonder about the true nature of Mr. Kensington's secrets.

Bucky, maintaining his cover among the workers, approached Y/N with a conspiratorial glint in his eye. "Fancy meeting you here, Y/N. Turns out, our dear client has more than just a penchant for eccentric designs."

Y/N, still processing the information, replied with a subtle nod. She had become accustomed to the unexpected twists in her life, but this one took the cake.

Bucky leaned in, speaking in a low voice. "There's a nuclear code hidden within Mr. Kensington's vault. My mission is to retrieve it, but the security here is tighter than I anticipated."

Y/N raised an eyebrow, realizing the gravity of the situation. A nuclear code – a high-stakes game that transcended the realm of her usual discreet designs. She glanced at the intricately designed vault, wondering how it concealed such a dangerous secret.

"So, what's the plan?" Y/N asked, her words measured and composed.

Bucky explained the intricacies of the security systems and the need for Y/N's expertise. Her task was to create a diversion, something significant enough to draw attention away from the vault, while Bucky maneuvered through the mansion in pursuit of the elusive nuclear code.

As Y/N immersed herself in planning the diversion, she couldn't shake the feeling of being caught in a web of espionage and secrecy. The mansion, once a canvas for her creative designs, had transformed into a labyrinth of hidden agendas and dangerous secrets.

The night of the operation arrived, cloaked in shadows and suspense. Y/N, clad in dark attire, executed the diversion with precision. A well-timed malfunction in the mansion's power grid created chaos, diverting attention and leaving the security team scrambling to restore order.

In the midst of the commotion, Bucky, still disguised as a worker, stealthily navigated through the mansion. His every move calculated, blending seamlessly with the chaos Y/N had orchestrated.

As Bucky approached the vault, the tension escalated. The intricate mechanisms of Y/N's diversion worked their magic, creating a window of opportunity for Bucky to access the vault without raising suspicions.

However, just as Bucky reached for the vault's hidden entrance, an unexpected voice echoed through the study. "What's going on here?"

Y/N, stationed strategically to monitor the situation, recognized the voice – Mr. Kensington himself, drawn to the scene of the disturbance.

Bucky froze, his disguise momentarily at risk. Y/N, acting on instinct, stepped forward, her voice calm and authoritative. "Mr. Kensington, there's been a technical glitch. We're working to resolve it. Please return to a secure area."

Mr. Kensington scrutinized Y/N for a moment, his gaze piercing. Yet, something in her demeanor convinced him to heed her instructions. With a reluctant nod, he retreated from the study, leaving Y/N and Bucky in the tense aftermath.

As the seconds ticked away, Bucky resumed his mission. The hidden door creaked open, revealing the vault's mysterious contents. The nuclear code, concealed within a secure compartment, awaited extraction.

With the mission accomplished, Bucky discreetly exited the study, merging back into the chaos of the diversion. Y/N, maintaining her composed exterior, discreetly observed his retreat.

Once the mansion returned to a semblance of normalcy, Y/N and Bucky reconvened in a discreet location. The weight of the mission lingered between them, unspoken words echoing in the air.

"Thanks for the assist, Y/N," Bucky acknowledged, his gaze a mix of gratitude and an unspoken understanding.

As he prepared to depart, a sincere expression of gratitude painted his face. Bucky enveloped Y/N in a heartfelt hug.

"Y/N, you're a lifesaver," he whispered, the weight of unspoken appreciation hanging in the air. With a nod and a final glance, Bucky disappeared into the night, leaving Y/N to navigate the aftermath of espionage and the echoes of a world she had unexpectedly become a part of.

Y/N returned home, the events of the covert operation still playing in her mind like a suspenseful movie. The intricacies of espionage and the clandestine world were not something she had ever imagined becoming a part of, yet here she was, entangled in the mysteries that unfolded beyond her interior design projects.

The next day brought an unexpected visitor to her doorstep. A woman dressed in black, exuding an air of mystery, stood on her porch. She introduced herself as Natasha, a member of the same agency as Bucky.

"Y/N," Natasha began, her gaze sharp and assessing, "you handled the situation with Mr. Kensington admirably. You have a knack for navigating high-stakes scenarios. We could use someone like you."

Y/N, still processing the surreal turn of events, regarded Natasha with a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty. The agency, with its covert operations and hidden agendas, seemed like a world far removed from her artistic endeavors.

Natasha continued, "You've proven yourself resourceful and discreet. We have a proposal for you – join our ranks. Work with us, and your skills won't be limited to interior design."

Y/N hesitated, the weight of the decision hanging in the air. The quiet life she had known, filled with designs and creative projects, now stood at a crossroads. The allure of the unknown, coupled with the desire to unravel the mysteries that had become intertwined with her life, tugged at her curiosity.

"What do you say, Y/N?" Natasha inquired, her expression unreadable.

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Chp 1 , Chp 2 , Chp 3 ,-

Main Masterlist || buy me Ko-fi 🥹💓

Thank you to anyone who gave a like, reblog, and left a comment. It motivated me to write more. 

[smalltimidbean]

Hey you!!! Do you wanna make a silly, little guy in my style? Well now you can!!!!!

Here are some free-to-use linearts of my versions of the Fake Peppinos and Peppino Clones from Pizza Tower! Link to Drive with all versions here!

There are five different linearts; Tall Fake, Wide Fake, Peppiclone, Baby Fake and Baby Peppi! (tho the last two are technically mostly the same but shh)

And each variation has four versions, so at least one should hopefully work regardless of your art program! (Except traditional, sorry traditional artists kjgfsl)

There is: PNG with white background, PNG with transparent background (marked with 'Trans'), Photoshop Document (marked with 'PS'), and an MS Paint friendly version (marked with 'Paint')

Please Read Before Use!

I have a few rules when using these, so please follow them! If these rules are broken, I reserve the right to ban anyone from using them or revoke free use entirely. Just be respectful, please!

These are free to use - but if you would like to support me or give a tip, I have a Ko-fi right here!

Please do not remove my signature!

Please credit me when posting your own versions - I am SmallTimidBean on most sites, but if posting to a site I am not on, just say SmallTimidBean on Tumblr (also probably credit McPig/Tour De Pizza for the og concept!)

You may edit the lineart to add features (tails, horns, wings etc) or change features (the expression etc) - just keep in mind, if you are going to edit very heavily, then consider drawing your own version first!

Please do not use for commercial use - IE Making designs to sell (aka adoptables)

Please do not use in AI databases, or for AI bots

Please do not use for hate or bigotry

Please do not draw anything sexually explicit on these - I don't mind what you do with your clones outside this lineart, but I don't wanna see that on my art Imao (Also, two of these guys are literal babies)

Adding Body Horror or Gore aspects is fine, - those come with the territory of being a clone - just be sure to use the appropriate content warnings!

While these are based on clone characters from Pizza Tower, they do not have to be used as such - any characters you make with these, are yours to do with as you wish!

I encourage you to draw your new clones after you have created them! I would love to see them in YOUR style, not just mine!

And have fun!

Hopefully that's everything! I do plan to make versions with additional features and maybe even a version with all features to mix and match - but I do not have the spoons for that right now, so check back later!

Please let me know if there are any issues, or if you have any questions or suggestions for me!

[koterkot]

explain the entirety of pluto lore in one comprehensive tumblr post. GO!!!!!!

ok so first of all fuck you Second of all- Pluto is a gieeg oc of mine, here's a old reference sheet i made for them in ms paint because that is somehow my main art program:

(tw: comedical usage of the f slur. i'm sorry gay people.)

[* Due to the gieeg mothership that Pluto has lived in for most of his life having like, weird time dilating shit, a gieeg year is roughly 5 human years. (HIS ASS IS 80 YEARS OLD DURING MOTHER 1!!!! HI GRANDPA!!!!!) ? I just picked random numbers and that's now his birthday in the gieeg calendar that has like 50 days and 50 months lma-]

SSOOO COUGH COUGH IGNORE THE SHITTY ART I SWEAR THAT I HAVE IMPROVED ANYWHOS- Pluto's story is simple, he was born in the mothership with two disorders, being them SPD (Selfharming Psionic Disorder) and OPD (Overwhelming Psionic Disorder) together with the bonus addition of The Tism. Raised in the Mothership of their species, their mother Eris is one of Giegue's strongest troops, and is mostly absent from Pluto's life as she is too busy beating the shit out of alien scum on other planets that Giegue plans to conquer.

[credits to thealmightyven for cooking this shit up, this was her first drawing and ofc the first thing she does is ask pluto if he's a queer] COUGH COUGH WHEEZE AAND THEN THERE'S CERES!!! HIS DAD!!!

(AALSO OLD ART AND STUPID SKETCH BLEUGH) he works for marketing giegue as like this super cool warlord when in reality he's just a traumatized teenager that got weaponized because he's really fucking strong and stuff OH!! OHH!!! SPEAKING OF GIEGUE!!! wait no nevermind we need to touch on pluto's childhood first uhhh uhhh Pluto basically got bullied a LOT as a kid. Last one to get picked for everything, always made fun of due to their lack of tail and inability to use PSI without physically and mentally straining themselves. Sooo... What did Pluto do??? Shut himself away from the outside world, watch their dad's massive collection of holotapes full of movies and tv shows and cartoons and shit

[ANOTHER OLD ASS DOODLE RRAGGGH!!!!] AND LIKE!! THEY LIVED BY THEMSELVES AND THEIR DAD FOR A VERY LONG TIME!!! Until... BBOOM!!! A good while after Pluto's 16th birthday, and 2 days after their last check up on their psionitrist, (doctor specialized in psionics and shit) THE FEDS PULL UP AT CERES' DOOR!!! AND THEY CALL FOR!!! PLUTO!!!

ok so cutting a long story short pluto has like a FUCK ton of psi, and like, the same level as giegue's, soo he basically is supposed to get drafted into their army but unfortunately he has SPD in which has no distinct treatment, sooo their best solution to fix up pluto was to SEND HIM TO THE BIG BOSS!!! GIGAGAS!!!

resuming a entire fanfic's worth of gay tension they eventually come to one conclusion

AAND NOW PLUTO HAS HIS FIRST FRIEND!! EVER!!! using the insane confidence boost of being the Commander of All Gieegkind's best friend (secretly boyfriend), Pluto goes from "loser dork town mayor" to "COOLEST GUY IN TOWN!!! YEAH!!!"

this helps pluto form a few friendships, and by a few i mean like 6 people (probably more than you have anon. HAHA!!) this relationship with giegue though, lasts for only 2 years before it is permanently ruined by giegue's first invasion onto earth. and his loss. i'll touch more on that later on my SECOND POST!!! (YES!!! THERE WILL BE PLURAL POSTS!!) that'll cover what happens to pluto after the events of mother 1 and during mother 2 and stuff BUH BYE!!

[frosty-sneasel]

I guess this is an introduction!

Hello! I'm Lumi.- Or Frosty. The Sneasel's Camellia. You might know me as @battle-subway-ghost's friend lol, I still have his account password and everything! 😉

Accidentally deleted my account, decided to remake it now though. You can't keep me away forever.

Used to be a Pokemon trainer, I've retired from that though. Still sometimes battle if someone asks, but I'm just trying to live a calm life now! ♥

Nowadays I'm a freelance artist/graphic designer (sometimes!) I have my own professional accounts, this rotumblr is just for me to have fun. (If you do want to contact me for commissions though... 👀 lumi-p@porymail.com)

Anyways, here's my trainer card!

My pokemon:

Camellia the Sneasel (♀)

Aspen the Glaceon (♂)

Cookies & Cream the Vanilluxe (⚧)

Zena the Beheeyem (♀)

Hello! @act11as here again! You know the drill- ooc posts will be tagged as such, and will usually have the color green. I don't always do this, as it can be grating to look at after a while.

My rotomblr "hub" account is @battle-subway-aftershow!

Muse is an adult, mod is a minor. Don't be weird, or I'll screenshot your ask and make fun of you with my friends. Into the hall of shame with you.

(Weird: NSFW/Suggestive asks, fetish mining, etc. Do not fucking do these.)

Like my other blogs- All trigger warnings will be tagged as "[word] tw"! This is to make it easier to blacklist things! if I ever miss something or you need me to tag something in specific, shoot me an ask or a dm! I'll try to remember.

Additional warnings: chronic illnesses, hospitalizations, etc. are an important part of Lumi's character! This will be talked about a lot, sometimes more in-depth. They will be tagged accordingly, but if these topics make you uncomfortable, it may be for the best to unfollow!

Guidelines/Rules I guess?

ANY kind of Pokemon Irl blog can interact! Eeby deebies, sapient pokemon, evil teams, whatever! I cannot guarantee that Lumi will be nice to you, (ESPECIALLY an evil team) or believe you.

*Self-Insert fallers, please do not interact. I personally cannot handle these kinds of blogs. Self-insert ocs are fine, but the idea of a real person on rotomblr being isekaid into Pokémon is not.

IN CHARACTER anon hate is perfectly fine! Be an asshole to Lumi! I'm fine with (again, in character) homophobia, whatever. Keep in mind that I won't always respond to these however, especially if they go too far in my eyes.

Extra:

Pelipper Mail, un-mail, and Malice are always open! Feel free to torment Lumi whenever you so please. (links go to the source posts for all 3 lol)

Musharna mail, (sending dreams) and Musharna malice (sending nightmares) are always on! Once again feel free to torment her.

Magic anons are usually off, unless I specifically specify otherwise!

Organizational tags:

#[nickname] the [pokemon] - Most posts about Lumi's pokemon should be tagged like this.

#Frosty doodles - Doodles, usually MS paint. Probably inconsistently tagged, I forget

#Frosty's actual art - Actual art that may or may not get posted!

#Jore (Jean Lore) - Jean lore... elaborate bit between Mylah, Sprite, and Lumi involving jeans. Yeah I dunno how else to explain this.

#Jylah tag - Lumi's tag for @/tinkatinktrain !

#Jrite my jon - Lumi's tag for @/thatfailedpokemontrainer !

And that's all for now! There'll probably be updates as time goes on, Who knows? :3

[apothygrossest]

Last Updated: May 2nd, 2024 (check source post for updates)

vv MS PAINT 27m $30 // CSP 42m $30 // CSP 50m $30 vv

vv CPS 36m $30 // MS PAINT 1h1m $30 // 1h26m $30 vv

vv CSP 1h9m $30 // CSP 1h20m $30 // MS PAINT 1h17m $30 vv

vv CSP 2h3m $45 // MS PAINT 3h17m $60 // CSP 5h23m $90 vv

COMMISSIONS.. OPEN!! [0 / 10] SLOTS TAKEN

$15/HOUR ($30 MINIMUM, BREAKS NOT INCLUDED) + $5 for image description (disabled persons exempt)

$45 (3 hours) recommended but not necessary. I will NOT refund if you overpay, please be careful w/ ur moneyz. ACCEPTING PAYMENT THRU KO-FI ONLY!!

$15 AUD ≈ 9.80 USD ≈ 9.15 EUR

This blog is my art blog! Scope out my posts for a better idea of my artistic strengths :3 (additional, unfiltered art on my main blog #🖍️ art). Boundaries are as follows:

NO : fetish art, anything nsfw or otherwise sexually charged, pregnancy, realism. DISCOURAGED : excess gore, environmental pieces, animations. YES : artistic nudity (no explicit genitalia), blood, self harm, significant scarring, varying body types and abledness.

I'm an aroace gillion gender he/it schizo faggot, and I share a body with an angel headmate. If you have an issue with that fuck off :3 NO NFT OR UNCRITICAL A.I PPL.

Contact me through discord or ko-fi msgs @ apothygrossest!! Do NOT send payment before doing so!! ↳ ko-fi ↳ commissions

More details under the cut...

What should I message you? Open with something like,, "Hi! I'd like to commission you. Here's what I'd like-" and then attach details for your commission. Please include 1. the type of art desired (reference sheet, illustration, doodles, comic, etc) 2. the subject of the commission (reference of your character, description of the scene, any additional references for the pose or accessories) 3. the style of art desired (my style tends to shift, so include what art of mine caught your eye when you thought of commissioning me). Include as MUCH detail as possible, it'll make the process go a lot smoother. Then close with any questions you might have or just,, "Thanks in advance!" or something. NOTE: Ideally character references should be flatly coloured and/or have swatches for colour picking. Also, I switch between the programs Clip Studio Paint & MS Paint, each program affecting the process and style, so the distinction is important to consider. Also important is that more details / drawings / rendering / backgrounds = more time = more expensive. So please be wary!

What should I expect after? I will confirm details of the commission with you and then there'll likely be a small pause for me to set time aside to draw. When I'm ready, I'll message you to send payment through and begin on the commission itself. During the process I will share updates on the commission asking for feedback and alterations will be made until it's done. If I hit my time limit, I'll show you what I've done so far and you can either take the work as it is or give me the extra payment needed and I'll continue working on it until completion.

What art will I receive? The finished exported file and any extra sketches that I made along the way. If I know you personally, I'll happily send you a copy of the .clip file too if you'd like!!

What can I use the art for? If you plan on using my art for anything profit related, please let me know as this might alter how much I'd like to be paid. The general rule is if you make more money using my art than I would producing it, that's shitty as hell. If you have any questions about this then ask. Do NOT use my art for NFTs or anything similar, do NOT use my art in anything A.I related. You can do whatever you'd like with the art personally though- DO feel free to use it to customise your blog, DO feel free to print it off to hang in your room... And obviously, don't claim the art is yours :/

What if I break your rules? Blocked and added to a blacklist.

I'd like my commission to be private. Posting the art to my own blog helps me with advertising my work, but of course I won't do so if you'd prefer it be kept out of public eye for whatever reason. Just let me know!

I need accommodations for my visual impairments! Of course!! I will happily draw more distinct lineart, use less eye straining colours, use more accessible fonts, etc, if needed! Just let me know in advance what accommodations you need ^ ^

Who's exempt from paying for an image description? Anyone with visual impairments and anyone who struggles processing visual information are obviously my main concern- But I will write IDs for anyone who's disabled since there tends to be an overlap in community there. I trust that the people commissioning me can make the distinction.

Why do you charge money for image descriptions? I'm autistic so it's especially difficult for me to translate visual information into an ID. I don't think I'm asking for that much considering that IDs can take up to 15 minutes for me to write (or more if it's really difficult, yikes!), VS a neurotypical who'd probably do a better job AND do it faster than me :/ Just saying.

Your commissions are so cheap! I'm currently using a lower pricing to scope out the interest in my work- In future I'd hope to bump up the prices though. Also… The economy.

Why don't you want to be paid per piece? I don't feel getting paid per piece would properly represent the amount of work I put into a given artwork. Even bad art takes time and effort, so I would rather be compensated for my time than be paid per piece.

Would you ever consider starting a store for prints/shirts/etc? At some point, maybe? But atm no. Feel free to make your own stuff using my art though! So long as you don't use my art for profit, you can make your own shirts or print off ur own posters or whatever you want :3

What will the money go towards? I am unemployed and would like to earn some income so I can be financially independent and ideally (eventually) move out. I'm not struggling atm though, so I will also use the money to support other artists. I will also draw for charity, charities which I will list somewhere in this post once I get around to it :3

Contact me through discord or ko-fi msgs @ apothygrossest!! Do NOT send payment before doing so!! ↳ ko-fi ↳ commissions

[denimbex1986]

'At the outset, it felt like the cinemas of Pakistan were just as excited for Barbenheimer as the local movie-goer community. Local theaters were offering two-for-one deals – cheaper tickets for one of the biggest movie events in recent memory. The fact that they were even acknowledging the existence of the dual release of Oppenheimer and Barbie felt promising: if you could buy tickets, that had to mean you would get to see the films, right?

Cinemagoers weren’t so sure, since the local censor board can be volatile. It’s usually safe to strike anything that isn’t a four-quadrant blockbuster off the calendar, and even local films aren’t safe: last year, Saim Sadiq’s Joyland, a film that won the Jury Prize at Cannes, was banned from screening in the Punjab province. That movie, which touches lightly upon queer issues, has nothing on the full-frontal nudity and controversial maps of Oppenheimer and Barbie, and the prospect of both films being banned felt depressingly conceivable.

It was a pleasant surprise, then, that tickets for Oppenheimer and Barbie went up for sale a full three days ahead of July 21. What’s more, Oppenheimer wasn’t marked with a red 18. That implied they were screening a censored version cleared for exhibition – a guarantee of sorts. As we got closer to release, however, my friends in Punjab got antsy: they’d been told that the tickets they’d purchased for Barbie were at risk of being refunded, since the censor board hadn’t cleared the movie. The anvil dropped on Friday with the announcement that the Punjab Censor Board had banned Greta Gerwig’s latest for featuring “objectionable content.” Early screenings were cut short and audiences were told to leave after sitting through half the film.

The ban, temporary only in name, is limited to the province of Punjab, and it hasn’t stopped people from buying tickets in droves throughout the rest of the country. In Islamabad (where I live), showings for the weekend were completely booked, and we barely got tickets for Sunday. When our group arrived at the theater, it was swamped with people in pink (there was even a group of boys wearing suits with pink ties, Gentleminions-style), and we found that most of our crowd was there for the double feature. The atmosphere was electric.

Our screening began at 4:30 with Barbie, and we tried to catch the objectionable content Gerwig had snuck into the Mattel movie. The film was fun, and completely uncensored – by its end, we were perplexed as to why the censor board had taken issue with a film whose closest aesthetic reference point is Lazy Town.

Oppenheimer was another story. Usually, when the censors need to prune a film, they make brutish cuts that make the omission obvious. The censorship in this case is different. It’s an international hatchet job, and the censors appear to have appreciated the painstaking care Christopher Nolan and editor Jennifer Lame put into the edit. That’s why, instead of upsetting the rhythm, they decided to try their hand at post-production.

This distracts most during the two sex scenes. The censors have zoomed into the background of certain closeup shots, while wide shots have their nudity concealed behind fuzzy black columns. A friend of mine thought the first such column was a wall in the foreground, mistaking it for a strange aesthetic decision on Nolan’s part. To me, the columns look more like the monoliths from 2001: A Space Odyssey (which Barbie does such a great job of spoofing).

The most technically innovative censorship occurs in the scene where Murphy and Pugh are seated opposite one another in the nude. The censored version drapes Pugh in a pitch-black shift dress that looks like it was applied by a gifted artist working in MS Paint. The inclusions obviously rob the scenes of their intimacy, but they at least allow them to remain legible. I was partially grateful for the cuts – obtrusive as they were, they had allowed me to see the film on the big screen (albeit while seated next to a 10-year-old who asked his parents if the bomb had gone off during the silent part of the Trinity Test sequence).

Barbie’s banning feels more disturbing, since our censor board doesn’t usually ban films with messaging as innocuous as Gerwig’s. It sets a dangerous precedent, even though it’s become clear that the censors aren’t nearly as influential as they think they are. Banning a film these days is the same as giving it free publicity for the home video release, and even now hardcore Barbie-heads have been embarking on cross-province road trips for the movie. I’m sure a few of them must’ve been present during the screening I attended on Sunday.

I’m glad for them, since the phenomenon has been a joy, and not just because the films are excellent. Cinema culture in Pakistan has been in the death throes for ages, and it’s been amazing to see people come together in their appreciation of the medium. Case in point: my audience broke into applause as the credits for Barbie rolled. I saw the boys in suits get up, and thought they were going to give the film a standing ovation. But no; they were changing their pink ties to black ones. And nobody batted an eyelid.'

[sydneymetaltrading]

"From where can you obtain MS or Seamless pipes?"

The building industry is frequently utilizing Mild steel pipes for an extended period. These MS PIPES contain less carbon content, like 0.25 per cent. To make them durable and robust in extreme conditions, these pipes are fabricated with coatings of paints, metals, varnish and other materials composed in the production to dodge all kinds of deterioration.

Two qualities are categorized into this steel, enhancing resistivity to deterioration, wear resistance, and increased tensile strength. Among its many uses, this steel is perfect for pipe and tubing fabrication due to its excellent weldability and machinability.

Here are some of the most noteworthy attributes of Mild Steel pipes:

They have increased tensile strength and are exceedingly long-lasting.

It can be readily soldered.

These Mild steel pipes have less carbon in them.

Best-grade MS pipes have a lifetime of approximately 100 years.

It is easy to create and generally available.

Low-cost.

What are the characteristics of steel pipes constructed of Mild Steel?

They have exceptionally high tensile strength. As a result of their significant iron and ferrite range, they demonstrate magnetic properties. They have a prolonged lifespan but will oxidize if they are not sufficiently coated with appropriate materials.

In contrast to other steels, they are less costly. In addition, soldering them is easy and can be custom-made to fulfill various necessities.

What are the applications of MS pipes?

MS pipes can be utilized to construct robust frameworks, and sheets can be used to complete sheds for structural causes, including industrial shelters. In addition, bridges are built from them as these materials are appropriate for the construction enterprise.

In addition, they are widely employed in constructing radio and telecommunications towers.

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[jcmarchi]

MIT welcomes nine MLK Scholars for 2024-25

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/mit-welcomes-nine-mlk-scholars-for-2024-25/

MIT welcomes nine MLK Scholars for 2024-25

Every year since 1991, MIT has welcomed outstanding visiting scholars to campus through the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professors and Scholars Program. The Institute aspires to attract candidates who are, in King’s words, “trailblazers in human, academic, scientific and religious freedom.”

MLK Scholars enhance the intellectual and cultural life of the Institute through teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and through active research collaborations with faculty. They work within MIT’s academic departments, but also across fields such as medicine, the arts, law, and public service. The program honors King’s life and legacy by expanding and extending the reach of our community.

“The MLK Scholars program is a jewel — a source of deep pride for the Institute,” says Karl Reid ’84, SM ’85, MIT’s vice president for equity and inclusion. “Scholars who come to us broaden the perspectives of our students in the classroom, and they help power innovations in our labs. Overall, they make us better. It is an honor to advance this program through partnerships with faculty and students across the Institute.”

Headquartered in the Institute Community and Equity Office, the MLK Scholars Program is also working closely with MIT’s new Vice Provost for Faculty, Institute Professor Paula Hammond. “These individuals bring so much strength to us. We want to expand the program’s reach and engagement,” she says. “We want to cast a wide net when we recruit new scholars, and we want to make the most of our time together when they are here with us on campus.”

This year’s cohort of MLK Scholars joins a group of more than 160 professors, practitioners, and experts — all of whom are featured on the program’s new website: https://mlkscholars.mit.edu/. 

The 2024-2025 MLK Scholars:

Janine Dawkins serves as the chief technical director for Jamaica’s Ministry of Transport and Mining. She holds an MS in civil engineering and PhD in philosophy, both from Georgia Tech. Hosted by professor of cities and transportation planning Jinhua Zhao, Dawkins brings a wealth of experience in transportation engineering and planning, government administration, and public policy. One of her areas of focus is identifying a balanced approach to traffic compliance.

Joining MIT in January 2025, Leslie Jonas, an elder member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, is an Indigenous land and water conservationist with a focus on weaving traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM). She is a founding board member of Native Land Conservancy Inc. in Mashpee, Massachusetts, and earned a MS in community economic development from Southern New Hampshire University. Her work is focused on involving and educating communities about environmental justice, cultural respect, responsible stewardship and land-management practices, as well as the impact of climate change on coastal areas and Indigenous communities. Her faculty hosts are Christine Walley and Bettina Stoetzer, both from MIT Anthropology. In addition to her ongoing collaboration on an MIT Sea Grant project, “Sustainable Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation: Weaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge and STEAM,” she will help foster relationships between MIT and local Indigenous communities.

Meleko Mokgosi is an associate professor and director of graduate studies in painting and printmaking at the Yale University School of Art. He is hosted by Danielle Wood, an associate professor with joint appointments in the Media Lab and Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Mokgosi will join Wood’s Space Enabled Research Group in the MIT Media Lab. His expertise in post-colonial studies and critical theory align with the group’s mission to “advance justice in Earth’s complex systems using designs enabled by space.” In collaboration with Wood, Mokgosi will use art to explore the meaning of African space activities. He earned his MFA in interdisciplinary studio program from University of California in Los Angeles.

Donna Nelson, a 2010-2011 MLK visiting professor previously hosted in the Department of Chemical Engineering, returns to the program sponsored by Wesley Harris, the Charles Stark Draper Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, as her faculty host. She is a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Oklahoma. Her two areas of focus are on fentanyl data standardization and dissemination and using mindset and personality surveys as performance predictors in her work in STEM education research. Her visiting appointment begins in January 2025. Nelson earned her PhD in chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.

Justin Wilkerson is currently a tenured associate professor and the Sallie and Don Davis ’61 Career Development Professor in the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University. His research interests include micromechanics and multiscale modeling. He brings to MIT a specialized knowledge in the thermomechanical behavior of materials subject to extreme environments as a function of their composition and microstructure. Zachary Cordero and Raul Radovitzky, both from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, are his faculty hosts. Wilkerson earned his PhD in mechanical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and received the 2023 National Science Foundation CAREER Award.

Four members of the 2023–24 MLK Visiting Scholars cohort are extending their visit with MIT for an additional year:

Morgane Konig continues her visiting appointment within MIT’s Center for Theoretical Physics (CTP). Her faculty hosts are David Kaiser, the Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and professor of physics, and Alan Guth, the Victor F. Weisskopf Professor of Physics, both from the Department of Physics. Konig will build on the substantial progress she has achieved in various research projects, including those on early-universe inflation and late-universe signatures. These efforts could offer valuable insights to the scientific community regarding the enigmatic nature of dark matter and dark energy. Konig will organize a series of workshops to connect African physicists with the global scientific community to provide a platform for collaboration and intellectual exchange.

Angelica Mayolo-Obregon returns for a second year co-hosted by John Fernandez, a professor of building technology in the Department of Architecture and director of MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative, and by J. Phillip Thompson, an associate professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (and former MLK Scholar). Mayolo-Obregon will continue to lead the Afro-Interamerican Forum on Climate Change (AIFCC), a forum that elevates the voices of Afro-descendant peoples in addressing climate action and biodiversity conservation and expand its network.

Jean-Luc Pierite, a member of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana and the president of the board of directors of North American Indian Center of Boston, is hosted by Janelle Knox-Hayes, a professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning and director of the Resilient Communities Lab. Along with Leslie Jonas, Pierite will continue his work on the ongoing project, “Sustainable Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation: Weaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge and STEAM.” He will lead two full practica projects on the integration of Indigenous knowledge in restoration projects along Mill Creek with the City of Chelsea and creating an urban greenhouse model that partners with Indigenous communities.

Christine Taylor-Butler ’81 will build on her existing partnerships on campus and in the local communities in promoting STEAM literacy for children. Hosted by Graham Jones, associate professor in MIT Anthropology, she will complete The Lost Tribes series and explore opportunities to create augmented experiences for the book series. Building on a successful Independent Activities Period (IAP) workshop in January 2024, she will develop a more comprehensive IAP course in 2025 that will equip students to simplify complex material and make it accessible to a wider range of reading levels. 

For questions and more information about the MLK Scholars program, please contact Beatriz Cantada or visit the program website.

[andatsea]

XP-Pen Artist Pro 24 Review

I drew this with an XP-Pen Artist Pro 24, which the team at XP-Pen kindly sent to me for review. I’ve had to opportunity to use this tablet on-and-off over the course of the past several weeks, and while there were a few issues my overall impression is positive.

Unboxing / Contents

Apart from the 24” display tablet itself, the package comes with the usual cabling peripherals, plus some bonus extras. If your machine supports a USB-C connection for display, you’ll only need the one cable (plus the power connection). Otherwise, there’s a HDMI and a USB-C to USB converter included as well.

The extras include: an additional stylus, a one-size-fits-all artist’s glove, and a microfiber cloth.

The container for the stylus twists open to reveal 8 extra stylus nibs. Its cap can also be removed to use as a stylus holder.

Driver (Installation & General Use)

There were a few issues with installation, mostly tied to interactions between the driver, Windows 10 and Windows Ink.

Initially, brush strokes were offset from the stylus’ point of contact with the screen by about 3-4 centimetres when attempting to draw in Photoshop CS6. Random straight strokes also occurred frequently. This same problem did not occur in MS Paint or Photoshop CC 2019. This was fixed by changing the UI scaling setting for the monitor in Windows settings from 125% (which was apparently the default) to 100%.

Initially, brush strokes had no pen pressure in Photoshop CC 2019. Photoshop CS6, on the other hand, did (but suffered from the previous offset problem). This was fixed by turning on the Windows Ink setting in the XP-Pen driver menu. So in other words: CC 2019 needs Windows Ink on to recognise pen pressure, while CS6 didn’t, but was affected by UI scaling.

Interestingly, if Windows Task Manager was in focus and Windows Ink was not enabled in driver settings, stylus input was not recognised at all. There may be other programs that have this issue, but this was the only one I encountered so far.

I will say that I’ve had many problems with Wacom drivers interacting badly with Windows Ink and other things in the past before, so these types of issues are not exclusive to the XP-Pen drivers.

I’m currently using driver version 3.0.5, a beta build that has a lovely UI; it’s clear and laid out well. I did also try version 1.6.4 initially, which was fine — the UI for that version was similar to the layout you find with Wacom drivers.

Apart from the issues during installation that required troubleshooting, I haven’t had many major complaints with the driver in day-to-day use, I do think that there are a few areas for improvement, however.

The driver stops working correctly each time the computer is set to sleep and woken up again. To fix this the driver must be exited from the system tray and then relaunched.

There also doesn’t seem to be a way to bind WIN+SHIFT+ARROW to any of the express keys. WIN+SHIFT+ARROW (left or right arrow) is the Windows shortcut to quickly move a focused window to another monitor, so it’s something I use a lot if I’m on a multi-monitor setup. Unfortunately, attempting to set this shortcut in the express keys menu will simply move the actual driver window over to the other monitor while the custom input is not properly recognised in the text field.

The driver does offer a “switch monitor” option for the express keys that when clicked will transfer your stylus input to another monitor, which is extremely useful.

Screen

At 24” with a 2560x1440p QHD resolution, images are sharp and crisp even when viewed from a close range while drawing. Genuinely, it feels great to paint on based off this aspect alone.

The colour temperature is set to 6500K by default in the the driver settings. I think initially it felt just a touch too saturated, but overall I’m fairly happy with the colour display.

The monitor has touch-sensitive inputs on the top right corner: a -/+ for quickly adjusting the brightness, a menu for further settings, and power. I found myself using these to adjust the brightness throughout the day frequently. The power input requires a few seconds of continued contact from your finger to react, which prevents you from accidentally brushing it and turning the monitor on/off.

The monitor comes with a built-in stand. I found it easy to adjust to different viewing angles and also incredibly sturdy. I had no problems leaning on the monitor while drawing.

The monitor also comes with a pre-applied anti-glare screen protector. I wasn’t bothered by it and it seems to be holding out well after several weeks of use. I think the screen itself definitely needs the additional anti-glare, as being a display tablet means that it’s significantly more reflective than my main display.

Stylus

My first impression of the stylus was that it’s lighter in comparison to the Wacom styluses that I’m used to — there is very little to no weighting on the back end of the stylus, which makes it feel noticeably different when gripped. To be honest, though, I forgot about it when I was actually painting. Still, I would prefer a bit more weighting because I do think it makes the stylus more comfortable to hold overall for long periods of time.

There’s also no eraser nib, but I’ve personally never used those on Wacom tablets (I always use shortcuts to switch between brush and eraser instead) so this was a non-issue for me.

The two shortcut buttons on the side of the stylus sit quite flat to the surface, so I think they would be less likely to bother people who don’t use them. I use them a lot, however, and found that they were still easy to click despite being quite flat.

Unfortunately however I ran into a curious issue with using one of the stylus buttons to activate the eyedropper tool. When the “alt” key is mapped to one of the triggers on the stylus, activation of the eyedropper function in Photoshop (tested in both CS6 and CC 2019) is somewhat unreliable. That is, when the “alt” key is held down, the expected result is that once you tap the stylus on the canvas, a “mouse-click” will be triggered and the eyedropper will activate. While this works perfectly fine if you hold down “alt” from the keyboard (or hold down an “alt” that’s bound to one of the 20 express keys), when you hold “alt” from a stylus trigger I found that tapping quickly with the stylus only seemed to activate the eyedropper about 50% of the time. In order to activate it more reliably, I had to press harder and longer with the stylus, which can become tiring and slowed down my painting process. I also found that frequently, pressing down longer would lock me into the eyedropping function until I clicked the trigger key again.

After submitting feedback about this XP-Pen’s R&D department, I was informed that this issue occurs because the stylus is only able to send one message to the tablet at a time. Pressing “alt” on the stylus and trying to “click” at the same time counts as two messages, which may interact with each other unexpectedly. This is why it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t.

The buttons seem to otherwise work completely fine for any other functions that don’t require the stylus to send two simultaneous messages, so unless you’re like me and like to bind “alt” to a stylus trigger, this won’t affect you.

Pen Pressure & Activation Force

Most current-gen tablets flash a big number for the pen pressure levels as a selling point. Having used tablets with 512, 2k, 4k and 8k levels of pressure sensitivity, I’d say I noticed the biggest difference when switching from 512 to 2k, but in my opinion beyond 2k the change is minimal and has no real impact on the way I draw. The XP-Pen Artist Pro 24 comes with 8192 levels of sensitivty, which is a very big number, but in practical application all I can say is that it works the way I expect it to and I don’t have any complaints regarding the transition between pressure levels on the default linear pressure curve.

More importantly I did notice that the IAF (initial activation force) was not as low as I would have liked. Very light input is not recognised, or only partially recognised before dropping off and on again. In a practical sense this doesn’t actually impact me through most of (perhaps 97%) of the painting process, but it did give me pause once in a while when I wanted to make a really light stroke and had to adjust my method. The drivers for this tablet do come with a pressure curve you can adjust to your preferences, so this can help a little, although after some tests I preferred to leave mine on the default setting.

Summary of Drawing Experience (tl;dr)

I think the mark of a good tool or piece of hardware is that it does not draw attention to itself during the course of its use. An ideal drawing experience allows me to be fully immersed in the act of drawing without having my focus shifted to dealing with the tool. With this in mind the XP-Pen Artist Pro performed very well for the most part, but was held back by a couple of issues.

Pros:

The monitor resolution honestly feels great to look at; the pixel density means that I can basically forget about pixels even with my face positioned closer to the screen.

The parallax between the tip of the stylus and the actual position of input was very minimal and basically not noticeable for me, especially after the simple calibration process offered by the driver.

At normal room temperature (say up to about mid-20’s celsius) the monitor screen stays impressively cool to the touch and I was never bothered by resting my drawing hand on its surface even when painting for long sessions.

The 20 express keys and 2 roller rings are extremely helpful and I actually found myself using all of them, despite initially thinking that I’d only need half of them. The keys are also comfortable and responsive to click (which sounds like it should obviously be so, but having used some Intuos iterations in the past which had some very annoying-to-click express keys, I don’t take this feature for granted anymore).

Cons:

The driver needs to be restarted everytime the computer wakes from sleep in order to work.

Higher IAF was noticeable when very light strokes were desirable. Also, the input will on rare occasions glitch by performing a completely straight max opacity + max brush size stroke. This seemed to happen primarily when I was trying to get light strokes to register. (It didn’t happen often enough to bother me much since it’s just a quick undo, but it did happen enough times that I noticed it.)

The issue with eyedropping using “alt” mapped to a stylus trigger as detailed above. Quite unlucky for someone like me who has over a decade of muscle memory for this particular mapping.

Overall, as I said at the beginning, my impression of the tablet is positive. While I think it has room for improvement when it comes to driver performance and the initial activation force especially, it also has a lot to offer at a highly competitive price point ($900USD at retail), and it would’ve been amazing if something like this had been available to me back when I first started digital painting. As I do enjoy using it for the most part I’ll probably continue to use it on-and-off in future.

[simpingfortheages]

//EYE CONTACT//

CORDELIA GOODE X FEM READER

(ANGST AND FLUFF)

A/N : she be looong as fuck sorry nat sorry 😂

Eyes are the gateways to the soul, words and feelings can be exchanged by a simple act of making eye contact.

Cordelia is busy and seems to no longer have time for the reader . All the reader wanted to do was help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~♤~~~~~~~~~~~~~♤~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cordelia knew that being Supreme was tiresome, but she never thought that it would be to this extent. She hasn't slept in almost a week and she is pretty sure that there is coffee coarsing her veins instead of blood. Cordelia has been up, keeping track of all the suspicious activities happening around the world in hopes the cause is a witch. That's just Cordelia for you. She is always looking out for others before herself. Putting the needs of others before her own. Staying up all day and night so that she can grow and teach those in her coven. She really is deserving of Supreme. Cordelia has been trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes for the past while. Her head bobbing while filling out documents and having to shake her head ever so often to keep on track of whatever file she was reading. Cordelia's new project has been her trying to track down this other witch, however her attempts have been futile. Everytime she thinks she has a lead on the witch she seems to change location and vanish . The witch is powerful and would be a great addition to the Coven. This took a toll on her, She was snappish and everyone knew it, but no one blamed her because she was stressed, even Madison didn't annoy Cordelia or made any snarky comments. After internally debating with herself, the choice of sleep won. She shifted the stack of paper that she was currently working on to the side of the mahogany desk. She laid her arm on the desk and laid her head between the crook of the elbow while her other hand tried to massage away the 3rd on coming migraine. Her migraine for the past days were seemingly becoming worse, as though her body was begging her to stop and reset herself. She didn't have a choice at this point, she needed to rest otherwise she would have crashed and gotten less time to get work done.

Y/N's POV

I am fairly new to Ms Robichaux's academy, I was "enrolled" 3 months ago, not by choice but by force. I set my mother's boyfriend on fire out of accident. YES BY ACCIDENT.... Well maybe not all the way an accident. I got angry and let my temper get the best of me. Surprisingly I didn't get in trouble from my mother, she said something about a witch bloodline. I didn't really pay much attention to her words or have much time to react to what i did,because my mother was quick to call some witch lady whose hair was firey red and the way she spoke was regal. I later learned on the ride to the academy, that her name was Myrtle Snow. I have learnt the names of my fellow sisters Madison, Zoey, Queenie, Coco and Mallory. So far they have been fairly nice to me but I don't really interact with them much. Most of the times I keep to myself and listen to Fleetwood Mac in my room all by myself. Apparently everyone has someone to room with but me,not that I am complaining. But i must say, out of everyone in the Coven whom I've met so far, my favourite is the Surpeme. The first time we met I was taken aback by her beauty. The way her blonde hair rested delicately on her squared shoulders , the way her makeup was done in such a way that it highlighted all of her best features, which by the looks of it. It was her whole body. Her eyes were captivating , she smiled at me through them. I couldn't help but stare right back into her dark brown eyes, they held power and safety. The eye contact wasn't uncomfortable, it was an unspoken exchange.

Cordelia took it upon herself to show me around my new home. It was majestic, I took note of every detail ,from the paint brush strokes done on the painting that hung on the walls to the crack on the 4th step going up the twin staircases. My favourite place however was the Greenhouse. Well, her greenhouse. She told me that it was her place of relaxation,her get away from it all. The walls were covered with vines, the sunroof allowed the golden rays of the sun to filter into the room and paint all that it touches. The walls variety of plant species and herbs that she has collected over the years was quite impressive. It was beautiful. Overtime this became our habit. After dinner or lunch we would both make our way to the Greenhouse to create new concoctions. Whether it would be sleeping potions, manipulation potions or simply love potions. We never used on each other , it was just done merely for the fun of it. I felt happy for the first time in many. The little hugs ,inside jokes and nicknames we would share. It was all innocent fun at the time until, one time I was making a potion and Cordelia stood right behind me watching my every moves. I don't know what came over me, I dont know if it was the closeness of our proximity ,the warm breathe of her breathing that brushed my neck whenever she exhaled or the fact that she kissed my cheek right after telling me how good of a job I was at following orders. After that day I can't help but blush whenever we locked eyes. Light brown on dark brown. Neither of us looked away. Her eyes felt like home, a place that i longed to be. These few months I've developed quite an attachment to the Supreme,one might even say a crush on her.

However these past days I noticed that she was quite distant. She wouldn't catch on to the jokes I made, like she normally would. The amount of times she paced up and down the walkway in the Greenhouse, the layer of dirt and colour of orange on the brick floor started to fade. Cordelia kept ranting and complaining about finding a certain witch. Of course I didn't mind her talking to me. I always liked to know what new projects she was up too. But It was evident that this one occupied her mind. When she was with me, she wasn't with me mentally just her physical appearance. She would sometimes forget about our daily meet up, some days turned into few days and eventually a few days turned into none. I didn't hold anything against her. She was busy. I took it upon myself to help her find who this witch was. So you know she can spend more time with me,it wasn't a selfish act. Just killing two birds with one stone. Cordelia would be able to finally relax and I would get to spend time with her more often. It's a Win/ Win.

Cordelia just went into her office so that meant I had basically the whole evening until dinner to find out who this witch was. As I sauntered my way to my room. I began to recollect all what Cordelia told me. It was a little witch on the run, maybe she didn't what to join a Coven like me. Cordelia knew every thing about the little witch. She was a slippery one, evading the hands of the Surpeme. I remember her saying that the witch was a little younger than I was, with black hair and green eyes. Her speciality is Cloaking, she could cover her tracks very well. A rare skill some witches possess.I laid out my pens and my leather bound notebook on the bed and started to make notes of what i knew so far. After I was done, I realised it wasn't much information. I needed more if i was going to help Cordelia. I needed to see from another set of eyes. I shifted my notes aside and laid flat on the bed. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. No one knew but i was Clairvoyant. I could make myself hear and see what someone was thinking.

******time skip*******

THAT'S IT !!. I found the witch. She was running from something or someone. The little witch was seeking safety,maybe she did need to be in a Coven. Without any time to waste. I quickly wrote down all that I gathered into my note book. I couldn't contain my excitement, Cordelia and I will finally get to hang out like old times. I scrambled off my bed and made a beeline towards her office. *knock knock* "Dee I found out how to get the witc-" I began,but she wasn't in her office. Huh where is she then? . After a few minutes of futile searching in the upstairs I decided to check the kitchen. As I walked downstairs, the kitchen came into my view. There she was. My supreme making her possible 7th cup of coffee. I couldn't help my heart from fluttering at the sight of her. We haven't spoken in so long. " Hey Dee, do you remember when we used to hang out in the Greenhouse, i miss those times but thats not the point, anyways you always used to speak about this witch you couldn't find??Apparently I never told you but i am Clairvoyant which is really handy beca-" I rambled but was quickly cut off by Corldeia," Y/N! Be quiet . Stop talking Oh my God shut up. Please can't you see that I am busy and tired??"

Immediately I felt small, wishing the ground would just swallow me whole. Her eyes were locked on mine, the once safety and calm that I loved were replaced with anger and annoyance ....at me. I could feel my chest tighten, so tight that it began to squeeze my heart till it slowly cracked. I bit my tongue to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. It was evident that Cordelia's expressions changed based on my now small demeanour. I forcefully swallowed the lump that built in my throath. Out of hurt I threw my notebook on the marble counter where she rested her half way made coffee. The only words i spat out were "There's how to get your witch to join this shithole Coven Miss Goode". Her mouth was now slightly ajar at my words. No longer wanting to stay in her presence, I turned my heels and made my way back up to my room as Cordelia struggled to find her words.

*******TIME SKIP PT 2********

Thanks to me Cordelia managed to get in contact with the witch who will be joining the Coven in 2 weeks time. For these past few days I have suscessfully managed to avoid Cordelia. Of course I didn't avoid her presence. I had more dignity than that. I just made sure that I was never alone with her. That way she couldn't "apologise"or ask me the questions she really wanted too. I was mad at her. She didn't have to yell at me,I know i am talkative to people when i get comfortable with them, but still out of everyone to yell at me I would never suspect that it would be her. I no longer joined her in the Greenhouse to help her with her potions. Having breakfast and lunch with everyone was the worst. I no longer sat next to her at the table, instead I sat next to Madison,but that didn't stop her from trying to talk to me. As everyone else engaged in mini conversations at the table, Cordelia silently spoke to me from the head of the table " Y/N how have you been?". I lifted my head and focused my gaze from my tea cup to the silver in her bracelet, dismissing the hopeful look in her eyes. "I've been better Ms .Goode" I replied with extra emphasis on her last name. You know for an extra punch of guilt. Cordelia has noticed my lack of eye contact over the past days and she couldn't help but feel hurt at the act.

********time skip pt3**********

It was probably about 7 pm when i heard the clattering on heels on the floor. Shifting my attention from the crackling of the fireplace I looked over my shoulder to see that all the girls were dressed up and ready to head out somewhere. "Hey? Where are you guys going?" I questioned. "Out." Said Madison. I couldn't help but scoff at her reply. "Okayy???And you didn't ask me because??". Madison abruptly turned around "You and Cordy need to fix whatever is going on between you too. Don't think we haven't seen the change" she commented as she roughly pressed her index finger into my chest. Before I could even find my words. The door was slammed in my face. If Madison and the girls think that I am staying alone in the academy with Cordelia alone they are wrong. In another situation I would have taken that chance in a heartbeat. Lost and confused at the exchange that just happened, this gave Cordelia time to enter the living room. " Y/N?" She spoken almost in a whisper. I swear to the ex Supreme herself my eyes almost jumped out my eye sockets . My movements were stiffened as i tried to turn around. I took a deep breathe and attempted to make the situation fall into the better of my hands. " Yes Ms Goode? How are you?" I asked, while facing the floor. " I am sorry y/n I didn't mean to yell at you, you helped me a lot on my project and I cannot repay you enough" Cordelia spoke. I genuinely smiled at her gratitude "you're so very welcome Ms Goode" . Suddenly I felt her hands wrap around my form pulling me in a strong hug. I was stunned for a while and didn't know how to react. Sobs and small apologises fell from her lips as she buried her head into the crook of my neck. I reciprocated her hug but this caused her to cry even more. " Ms Goode please don't cry" I tried to comfort her, but all that left her mouth was a small, muffled "no". As she calmed herself she pulled away and wiped her tears away as she tried to look presentable. "Don't call me that. Call me by my nickname" she demaded. I chuckled at her command " okay dee." She cupped my face into her soft palms. I could smell her vanilla lotion that she regularly applies on her hands. She lifted my face to hers, but my eyes still didnt need hers. " y/n look at me" she whimpered. " Dee I am looking at you" I said smiling nervously as my eyes darted over the beautiful features of her face, never settling on her eyes. " baby..." she whispered. My heart constricted . Cordelia repeated the statement to look at her once more. This time I complied. Did she really mean that? does she like me back?. Her eyes were watering, her gorgeous brown eyes even when they hold the emotion of hurt. I still cannot help but stare in awe. Her eyes were filled with longing and hope. I don't know who closed the gap but our lips met in the middle. Kissing Cordelia was pure ecstasy, the kiss was one of tender and love. It felt as though part of me was finally completed. After a while we both pulled away, she delicately laced her slender fingers together with mine, interlocking our hands. Both of us trying to catch our breathe , Cordelia slowly leaned forward and gently rested her forehead against mine. Ever so quietly whispering to me the sweet words," and I do feel the same..."

[bhikshu]

Please good sir, provide for me the post of your lovely Ms paint drawing of humans destroying the space rabbit menace I can’t find it.

Here you go:

Full disclosure, that picture isn't mine, it's an ancient Touhou shitpost about "First contact between the Lunarians and Humanity". I saw the imageset and realized I had the perfect addition.

[jennaismaking]

thought it was time for another ms paint tutorial. this is a great beginner project if you have the patience to keep fluffies out of your way as you sew

image id under the cut

[image description: a series of slides illustrating how to sew a simple santa hat. first reads “let’s make a santa hat.” next, “fabric.” two bullet points, “velvet or felt,” and “something fluffy, faux fur is easy.”

“the pattern” slide shows an isosceles triangle with a slightly convex base. each side is about fifteen inches long, and the base is the circumference of your head plus one inch, divided by two. “mine was about twelve inches.” the pattern for the trim shows a fluffy rectangle, about four inches tall, and the circumference of your head plus one inch long. a note reads “this tutorial will assume you are using faux fur or felt for trim, but i’m a fan of gluing or stapling whatever’s on hand for trim. follow your heart. (heart)” next slide says “oh yeah also POM POM, cut three weird fat footballs” with a drawing of three fluffy football-ish shapes with flat bases which are labelled three inches tall and around two inches wide.

next slide says “fold in half right sides together and stitch,” with an illustration of a stitching line along the legs of the triangle piece and the short end of the fluffy trim piece. next slide, “pin (or don’t if you’re me) the trim to bottom of the hat, right sides together.” next slide reads “cool tips: this part of your sewing machine probably comes off so you can sew around circles like sleeves or hat hem,” pointing to the base on a drawing of a sewing machine. the section around the stitch plate slides out. next slide says “tuck in hairs and fluff so you don’t catch as much in your seam and sew (smiley face).” the illustration shows a stitching line around the base of the hat and trim, with a quarter inch seam allowance.

next slide says “flip your trim down and keep your seam allowance tucked downward as well.” the illustration shows two hats with the trim turned down so the right side of the hat and trim are facing outward. the first hat, with a check mark next to it, shows how the seam allowance on the inside is folded down so the hat material is on top. the second hat, with an x next to it, shows the seam allowance inside turned upward, with the trim fabric on top. next slide reads “fold your fluff to the inside of your hat, over your seam allowance” with a drawing of the trim folded to the inside and just over the seam line. an additional caption reads “oh yeah also pin.” next slide, “stitch ‘in the ditch’ of your previous seam, or right next to it (hat side).” the drawing shows a stitching line right next to the outside of the trim, catching where you have folded it up on the inside of the hat. more text reads “sew from the outside to catch what you folded inside.”

the next slide is another “cool tip: a zipper foot can help you sew close to the trim while pushing it out of the way.” a drawing of a zipper foot with a note “attach here” the right side of the foot, “so needle sews here” the right side of the foot, just left of the fluffy trim, which is being pushed off to the right. additional text, “this whole part is a pain tho.” next slide says “okay pom pom. right sides together, sew the three footballs together along the curved sides. leave the bottom open.” with a drawing of the three fluffy football shapes stitched together along the curved sides. all pieces meet at a vertex on top, and about one inch is left unstitched on the bottom. next slide, “flip right side out and stuff with fluff or fabric scraps.” the illustration is of a fluffy ball being stuffed with fluff from the bottom. an arrow points inside.

next slide says “hand stitch that guy on” with an illustration of the tip of the hat slightly inside the bottom of the pom pom and whip stitches which close the ball and attach it to the hat. the stitches are drawn loose to give an indication of where the needle should enter and exit the fabric, and a note reads “(but like don’t be afraid to pull snug).” the last image is a selfie of the artist wearing a black santa hat with brown, black, and white plaid trim. it says “you did it you have a hat now.”]

[1-800-roflmao]

Wash Day Delight Pt. 1

Fandom: Undertale (Video Game)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Warnings Apply

Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus (Undertale) & Reader

Characters: Papyrus (Undertale), Reader, Original Characters, Original Female Character(s)

Additional Tags: Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), reader is poc, reader is mixed, Reader has curly hair, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, Friendship, Wholesome, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, I’m Bad At Summaries, Not Beta Read

*Felt a need to write a fiction about a reader with thick, curly hair. And the Papyri in her life wanting to get their hands in it.

NEXT

“Girl, you’ve got a lot a hair!”  She could feel the corner of her mouth tweak up in amusement beneath her mask.  It would not be the first or last time she heard those words.  Yet they always brought her amusement, especially considering the move she was about to pull next.  

    “What if I told you this was only half of it?” she challenged the woman, eyes lighting up mischievously, while her client’s eyes widened only a fraction before narrowing in  suspicion.  Oh, she loved doing this.  Not another word could be uttered before she laid the papers in her hands down neatly against the counter and was digging her fingers gently into her curls.  She threw her client a sly wink as she lifted her curls up from her nape  and turned her face to the side.  An intricate undercut was now fully on display.  She had gone with a diamond pattern this time.  They laid like neat scales, stretching and repeating from her temple down to her ear, and back to her nape before looping back around.  Some were painted with a gold mica for a little accent.  

She couldn’t help the little giggle that escaped as she heard the woman’s dramatic gasp.  “You weren’t kidding!” She could hear the smile in the older woman’s voice and it warmed her that her antics and hair could bring joy to some.  “Oh, I wish I had hair like yours…” She wouldn’t be saying that if she knew how much work this hair was.  Plus, her hair had to be finicky to boot.  “I’d never cut it!  Oh, the things I could do with it!” The novelty would wear off she was sure.  A wig would probably be a more practical option.  Letting her hair fall back into place, she gently finger combed it and pulled on the ends to help situate it.  “Was it..” she lifted a brow at the pause, her fingers releasing a curl and watching as it bounced back into place, hiding it’s true length as it coiled back up.  “... oh… hard? Yes, hard to choose to cut it?”

Oh, that was an easy question to answer.  “Nope.”  The answer was short, but not curt.  Her voice warm and her eyes curving with mirth at the other’s disbelieving look.  “I’ve had my hair much shorter than this at one point.  Actually had it shaved all around for a good bit,” she admitted with a shrug.  She was pretty sure her client was pouting under her mask and that made her smile more beneath hers.  She finally took this moment to look over the other.  She saw nothing wrong with the older woman’s beautifully white hair.  It was obviously well taken care of and so long as you weren’t looking for flaws, you couldn’t tell that the senior’s hair was thinning.  Effort had been put in, most likely with rollers, layers,  and hairspray, to fluff and shape the thin, delicate strands into a soft coif.  “Your hair is beautiful as well.  I can only hope mine looks as good as yours when I’m your age.”  The compliment was just as genuine as it was meant to comfort.  

She watched as thin shoulders dropped and the crows feet at the edge of her client’s eyes eased.  “You’re too kind,” the old woman tittered.  Hands just as thin with joints a little swollen from arthritis lifted to bashfully touch her hair. 

“A friend of mine says one can never be too kind, Mrs…” the young woman rebuked lightly while letting her voice drift off towards the end, fishing for a name.

“Mrs. Ida Thomas,” the elder filled in, smile reaching her eyes.  Those eyes dipped down to look for a name tag, but found it missing.  Her eyes darted back up, flustered, after hearing a little chuckle from the young woman across the counter.  She was spared any more embarrassment as the other provided her name with a hand outstretched over the desk, palm open and fingers gently splayed.  Her darker skin tone stood out against Mrs. Ida’s nearly translucent hue as they shook.   

“Now, Mrs. Thomas, why don’t we get back to why you initially came in here?” she prompted, releasing the other’s hand and picking up the papers she had put down earlier.  It was back to business after those words as she lead the consultation.  

It would be nearly two hours later before she would finally be showing Mrs. Ida out politely.  The two had gotten off topic again, but the tinkling of the little bell from above the front door of her office broke through their conversation.  If that hadn’t done it, the cheerful and unmistakably loud call of her name in a familiar voice through the small space would have certainly done it.  She smothered a chuckle as Mrs. Ida lightly jumped in her seat at the volume and suddenness.  “That would be my friend, Papyrus,” she stated like it provided all the answers needed.  

Mrs. Ida only nodded, currently turned in her seat with a curious gaze locked on the doorway.  They could hear sure steps getting closer and closer as he marched his way to the inner sanctum.  “He is quite… enthusiastic,” the older woman carefully chose her words and the younger held back a snort in response.  Oh, she had no idea.  She counted the seconds down in her head before finally the door to her private office was thrown open and the towering figure of the monster skeleton stepped inside with a flourish and yet another loud call of her nickname.  She was sure if he was wearing his battle armor that the little cape on it would have been blowing in the nonexistent wind.  How this monster managed to break physics always astounded her.  Instead, he was dressed in blue training shorts and a loose pastel sweater over top his usual black tights that clung to his bones.  On his feet were thankfully a pair of bright red trainers, rather than his fire engine red boots.  Atleast they matched the just as bright red gloves.    

“THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS HERE TO FULFILL HIS DUTIES AS THE GREATEST FRIE-” his monologue broke off as he finally took in the additional, apparently unexpected occupant of the office.  “OH!” he jolted, empty sockets widening comically before he gathered himself and cleared his nonexistent throat, “Oh.”  His volume dipped to what could be considered an “inside voice” considerately.  The poor old woman had at first been in awe at the tall skeleton monster, but that awe had been replaced with a strained expression at the booming voice bouncing and filling the small space.  The young woman was sure the skeleton had noticed and being the sweetheart he is, he had lowered his voice for the old woman’s comfort.  

Before the moment of silence could stretch into something awkward, she gently tapped a nail on her desktop and then pushed herself to stand with one palm pressed flat to the smooth wood.  With her other hand, she waved to the skeleton monster, “Papi-rus,” she greeted, having to stop herself from saying his nickname at the moment.  She pouted under her mask as she noticed the little quirk to his teeth that gave away he was very much aware of her slip.  She powered on and nodded her head to her client, “I was just finishing with Ms. Ida here,” she informed, introducing the two at the same time.  

Ms. Ida seemed at a loss for words as Papyrus bounced back with a gloved hand thrust forward enthusiastically for a handshake.  “Consider Yourself Lucky To Have Met THE GREAT PAPYRUS This Day, Hu- MRS. IDA!”  She held in an inelegant snort at her friend’s efforts to keep his volume under control.  Bless him.  And bless Mrs. Ida who seemed even more starstruck, but thankfully had recovered just enough to lift a hand and take his.  The old woman was now blinking at their hands as the skeleton’s much larger one gently gripped hers and was soon joined his other, sandwiching hers.  She still hadn’t said a word and it took the young woman finally releasing a giggle to knock her out her stupor.

“Oh, goodness me!  I have been so rude,” Mrs. Ida gasped, eyes lifting to look up at the skeleton who had leaned down with a concerned tilt to his teeth and scrunch to his surprisingly malleable eye sockets.  “And I’ve worried you, I apologize, sweetie,” she went to hide behind her free hand, but seemed to think better of it and instead patted his hands that were still gripped around one of her own.  

“Nyeh Heh Heh!  It Is Quite Alright.”  Papyrus’s words, but mostly his genuine laughter as his features brightened up seemed to melt the tension from the elder.  “Afterall, That Sort of Reaction Is Expected-” the younger watched her client blink as the skeleton monster struck a pose.  He stood tall, head held high, and one hand pressed to his purposely puffed chest with fingers splayed dramatically.  His expression couldn’t look more smug and proud… then again, this was Papyrus.  He could find a way and considering she had met some of his cousins, she knew it was possible.  “-When One Meets A Skeleton As Cool As I Am!  Wink!”  

She could see her client’s eyes crinkling as she was undoubtedly smiling under her mask up at the monster.  If it wouldn’t ruin the moment, she’d have taken a picture of the wholesome moment for memories.  Instead, she gently tapped at her phone’s screen and it illuminated, displaying the time.  Eyes widening briefly, she glanced up at the clock on the wall as well before sparing a glance out the window.  The sun was not visible, but the world wasn’t quite dark yet.  It was the cool colors of twilight that dominated the world outside.  “It’s later than I realized,” she commented, mostly to herself, but the other two occupants still heard her and broke from their idle chatter.  

Mrs. Ida peeked out the window as well before looking at her own wrist watch with a chuckle.  Papyrus nodded in affirmation with arms crossed, not bothering to look outside or look to any clock.  No, his focus was acutely on the youngest human in the room.  Though his sockets lacked any eyelights, she could feel his gaze on her as those sockets narrowed.  Leave it to Papyrus to scold her without saying a word; though she’s sure he’s practically vibrating in his metaphorical boots to lecture her.  The reason he did not expect any guests in her office was because she should have been closing up a good hour ago and been ready to go by the time he stepped through her door.  He was always punctual and most times early. 

Subconsciously, she twirled and pinched a curl at the nape of her neck as she looked away guiltily to the oh so interesting texture of the wood floors.   

Mrs. Ida giggled at the silent exchange.  Just what had she interrupted? Had they had a date planned?  As amusing and precious as it was to watch the two, she would take pity on the girl.  A smirk curved her lips under her mask as she decided to help the young agent out.  She released a dramatic sigh before looking over and up to Papyrus.  “Mind giving an old woman a hand?  These joints of mine get stiff when I’ve idled too long,” she beckoned with an outstretched hand.    It worked like a charm as the skeleton’s attention was immediately focused on the old woman.  Once again, her hand was swamped in his gloved digits and with surprising care for someone so boisterous, he helped her stand.

“Stiff Joints Are Never Fun.  I Would Know!” he joked, beaming as he earned yet another soft titter from the frail looking human before him.  She looked so small and her hand, it felt… fragile.  Like if he gripped too hard or moved too harshly, she would break.  He offered his other hand for her to grip as well as she straightened up and steadied herself.  

“I’m sure you do,” Mrs. Ida playfully replied.  Her eyes moved back to the young woman who had finally left from behind her desk and now stood before the duo.  “I’m sorry about taking up all your time like this,” she dipped her head to the young woman who quickly responded with raised palms and a shake of her head.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Mrs. Ida,” she assured.  “It’s not your fault you make such good company,” she complimented, a teasing lilt to her voice as her eyes crinkled due to her hidden smile.  

The old woman hushed the younger with feigned embarrassment.  “Flatterer,” she accused lightly and didn’t bother to hide an unlady-like snort as her agent just wiggled her eyebrows in response.  

Papyrus hummed as he listened to the exchange.  He spared an anxious glance out the window and resisted tapping his toes in impatience.  Not that he didn’t enjoy meeting new people--new potential friends--, he simply wished to spend time with his already established friend for their usual outing.  “I Feel I Need To Remind You Two Of What Time it Is.”  The statement did not have the intended affect as the two women simply laughed after a small lull to stare up at him.  “NYEH!” His little burst seemed to only make their mirth worse, “THIS IS SERIOUS.  WE HAVE PRIOR ARRANGEMENTS TO GET TO!” he was pouting and he knew it, but another glance at the clock and his sockets were narrowing as he leveled an accusing glare on his human friend.  “CORRECTION!  WE SHOULD ALREADY BE THERE!”  

Mrs. Ida was thankful for the serotonin these two had blessed her with this evening as even the skeleton’s loss of volume control couldn’t bring her down at this point.  “You two are just adorable!” she was practically cooing.  After taking a deep breath in and slowly releasing, she felt the giggles dissipate.  “Apologies, Papyrus, Dear, but it’s a southern thing.”

A beat of silence, then.  “WHAT DOES A CARDINAL DIRECTION HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?”  Yet another snort left the woman and she had to bring a hand up to hover in front of her masked mouth to suppress another bout of laughter.   

Fighting her own battle against a bout of giggles, the young woman managed to speak up.  “She’s referring to a geographical region, Papyrus,” she clarified, “It’s a running joke that southerners don’t know how to say goodbye since they take forever to part ways.”  Both women watched the monster take in the information and sighing as he nodded firmly, indicating he understood.   Not a moment later they were jumping as he straightened up, one hand on his hip, and the other pointing to his roof before swinging down.  Once his hand stopped, the humans found themselves staring down his finger as the skeleton somehow managed to aim an even toothier grin at them. 

“AS THE ONLY ONE HERE NOT A ‘SOUTHERNER,’ ALLOW ME TO BESTOW ON YOU HUMANS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAYS TO SAY GOODBYE!” Papyrus declared, his tone exuberant, but unable to completely mask the sassy, sly lilt from his friend.  Mrs. Ida, though, was none the wiser and just found the whole idea of being taught how to say goodbye entertaining.  She nodded, agreeing to play along.  “PERFECT! STEP ONE! LOOK AT EACH OTHER.”  The two human women humored him as they made eye contact.  Mrs. Ida gave the young woman an admonishing look as she wiggled those brows again.  Thankfully, their teacher did not notice, or maybe he was just ignoring their antics.  “GOOD!  NOW, STEP TWO.  REPEAT AFTER ME: GOOD NIGHT!”

It was such an abrupt order that both women just blinked in disbelief.  The younger recovered first with a meager shake of her head and a giggle, “Good night, Mrs. Ida!” With a little nod to her client, the old woman replied with a just as enthusiastic farewell. 

Papyrus nodded in approval with only a small narrowing of his eye sockets at the two as they giggled.  “FINAL STEP:  PART WAYS!”  he stated with a flourished wave of his hand to the doorway.  A tap on his arm brought his attention back to his friend who was gesturing for him to bend down.  He did so with minimal complaint, but only completely quit his grumping as she set a hand on his shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his metaphorical ear.  

Mrs. Ida had only glanced at the doorway and just barely gotten to take a step before she was jumping in place as a loud gasp filled the room.  Before she could question what had happened, she felt as if she was floating for a moment as she was quite literally swept off her feet and into Papyrus’s arms.  She couldn’t have been more thankful for the mask mandate as it hid most of her quickly reddening face.  She hadn’t been held in years, much less lifted so effortlessly.  She was too stunned and flustered to utter any sort of protest.

“Sorry about that, ma’am, but with it getting dark outside, it would ease my mind if you allowed Papyrus to escort you to your car?” The old woman simply blinked at her junior and then up at the lad who currently had her suspended.  Escorting was one thing, but to be carried? 

“AND I FELT IN MY INFINITE WISDOM, IT WOULD BE MOST EFFICIENT IF I CARRIED YOU,” the skeleton interjected, reminding her that he had been aiming to teach them “efficient goodbyes.” “YOU ALSO STATED EARLIER THAT YOUR JOINTS GET STIFF.  THIS WAY YOU DON’T HAVE TO STRAIN!” he added, proud and eager, “NO WORRIES ABOUT ME.  MY BONES AND JOINTS ARE IN TIP TOP SHAPE!  AND YOU, HUMAN IDA, ARE NO CHALLENGE TO HOLD!”  

The elder just nodded along.  “You were right, I was pretty lucky to meet you today,” she recalled his introduction fondly.  With a final wave goodbye and short parting words, Mrs. Ida found herself being swept out the room, through a short hall, small waiting area, and finally out the front door.  

That tinkling of a bell signaling to the young woman currently straightening her office and filing away papers that her client was gone and she now had until Papyrus got back to finish up.  

Papyrus eased his impatience by thinking of his current task as training.  A very easy warm up.  A very unexpected, unplanned warm up.  The elderly human’s… Mrs. Ida’s weight in his arms was no challenge; and despite the buzz in limbs begging him to move faster, the memory of her frail hands and aching bones helped keep him grounded.  He settled into a steady, swift pace.  His long legs covering plenty of ground with each step.  

At first, the two had been chatting idly and he had been quick to get her to point out where she had parked.  It was alarming to learn she had not parked anywhere and he had been confused until she mentioned she had “caught” a cab.  Her little giggle as she took the time to explain what she meant and that she had not literally CAUGHT a cab.  He admits he is still figuring out humans’ rather creative use of words or language.  She’d even taken the time to explain “euphemisms” to him as he brought her to the nearest bus stop after a quick google to check the schedule and location.  

“EUPHEMISMS SEEM LIKE SOMETHING MY BROTHER WOULD ENJOY,” he had commented.  Mentally, he added on that his brother would probably catch on to them easier as well.  Sans, along a couple of his “cousins,” was a walking dictionary, considering his preference for crossword puzzles.  Maybe his puns would improve in cleverness if he introduced him to the world of euphemisms.  One could only hope.  Thankfully, he had plenty of that.  The conversation had continued, easy and casual, until finally the bus stop came into view and the bus just rolling up.  

Papyrus picked up his pace just a bit and secured his grip on his passenger.  Mrs. Ida managed to loose an arm to wave as both called to the driver to wait up.  The bus remained idle thankfully and once they slowed to a stop before the door, it slid open to a rather plump man sitting in the driver’s seat who simply tipped his hat to them.  “Lucky I saw you two in the rear view,” his words brought forth yet another little giggle for the old woman.  

“Today is just my lucky day, it seems!” she boasted, tapping Papyrus’s shoulder as he eased her onto her own feet.  The driver had gotten up and stood on the steps, hand held out to help his elder up the steps. 

“Goodness, all of you are going to have me spoiled by time I get home,” she teased, taking the young man’s hand and letting him guide her up onto the step.  She could feel Papyrus kept a steadying hand at her back.  What a sweet gentle monster.  

“Oh! Before I forget,” she chirped and turned to look  over her shoulder at the skeleton.  Said skeleton didn’t bother hiding his widening smile as she still had to look up at him despite her standing on the top step at this point.  She had simply huffed and set a hand on her hip, “Go easy on her, big guy.”  If he had eyebrows, one would have been raised at her warning tone.  Before he could even part his teeth to ask her to elaborate, she was speaking again, “Unless that’s what you two are into.”  If his tongue was summoned, he’d be choking on it.  The driver was doing so for him as he could hear the portly human coughing and beating at his chest.  “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Papyrus,” she finished with a wink and her tone was so cheeky, even his dense skull knew what she was implying.  

It wasn’t until the doors of the bus had closed that he could practically feel his skull burning with excess magic summoned to surface in his embarrassment.  He buried his face in his hands, trying his best to muffle his flustered screech.  It didn’t do much.  As streets down, some poor soul was wondering if they had left their tea kettle on.  

NEXT

[msotherworldly]

The Black Rain: Chapter One

In my previous posts, I mentioned my series in progress, The Children of Pandora, and how it was technically a multi-protagonist project. While Eradica is the main protagonist of the books, Insula and Rowan also have their own occasional books. The chapter below is the first in Rowan’s story - like The Blue Door, it’s still in need of editing. 

If this whole multi-protagonist business sounds confusing, check out my earlier posts. You’ll be introduced to the characters, their stories, and my comparison to Narnia on how this functions.

CHAPTER ONE: THE POSTCARD

The afternoons when I could be alone were the best, because they were also a relief. Outside, clambering over the rusty playground and dodging around the scattered beer cans, the children played. The place, with a few stunted shrubs for it’s fence, was filled with litter: there was a discarded tire, a few cardboard boxes, and some dirty clothes. The children used them as their toys, but I had my own toys to play with.

    From the window, I could see the mountains. They partially blocked a watery sun, which already fought a swath of cloud. I didn’t know that day would seem bright, when compared with the ones to come. I didn’t know a lot of things, such as what Dad looked like.

    I only knew his handwriting. I turned the postcard over. The writing was spidery and small, but I had looked it over at least once a day for the past three years. I flipped it over to the picture on the front: palm trees swayed in the wind, casting long blue shadows over the fancy cars and the newly paved roads. There were green hills, and a beach side resort with shirtless old men and grinning, skinny twenty year olds, most of them blonde. I had bought into a myth of my own making: if you stayed in the sun long enough, it turned blonde...but you had to live where it was hottest.

    At eight, that myth seemed flimsy. I curled a strand of brown hair around my finger, which was also brown, but sort of gold.

    The Palm Tree Place, where Dad lived, was like something from a dream. It was funny how it made me deeply happy and deeply sad at the same time.

    “What are you doing up here?” a voice hissed. Ms. Brocklehurst ambled into the room. A Seagull Anthromorph, she was a confusion of frayed feathers and pinstripe clothes. Her skirt was bunched around her knees, and her jacket was too loose on her thin frame. Glasses slid down her sharp, dirty beak.

    “I was just-”

    “If you don’t get down, I’ll switch you good.” Ms. Brocklehurst’s beady eyes narrowed. “Actually, I think I will anyways. You’ve already disobeyed me, haven’t you?”

    “Please, I was only-”

    “Bend over.” Ms. Brocklehurst took a cane down from the wall. “Now.”

    A lump formed in my throat. Hot tears spewed from my eyes. Mom always said I was a baby. What was the word she used? Ingrate? That’s what I am.

    The pain thudded over my back, and I screamed. That was bad, but I couldn’t help it: it whistled through the air. It hit harder. It bit. I screamed louder. My eyes were glued to the floor. A piece of it peeled away.

    Whoosh, whap, whoosh, whap. The sounds were so gentle, but they felt so hard. I tried not to count the hits. That always made me hope, and that made it worse somehow.

    The next hit didn’t come. I remained bent over. Snot streamed from my nose. The floor was a blurry mess, like a painting.

    I heard the cane being hung up. That was such a happy sound. I heard a stomp of taloned feet, squeezed between black shoes.

    “Down, or I’ll give you another set.”

    My back burned as I straightened myself. My whole body ached; my legs stung, and it was hard to move. I was stiff.

    I shuffled past worn beds with identical gray coverlets. The walls were gray; everything was. It matched the cobwebs that hung in the corners. It matched the rickety stairs that had been brown, but were now rotting and bleached from too many days of sun exposure.

    I stopped at the foot of the playground. I realized I was still holding the postcard. I shoved it into my pocket. I wore a pair of jeans that were always sliding down. My pink hoodie was baggier, or I was just too skinny.

    I saw Emma Ruth skipping along a hopscotch she had made from snapped twigs. I wandered over to her, smiling.

    “Hi, Emma.”

    “Hi, freak.”

    “Can I play?”

    “Sure. Just don’t touch me. I don’t want to catch your freak bug.”

    I hopped along behind her. I felt oddly cheerful. It was one day at a time, right? Also, nobody was hitting me. That was always a plus.

    “Do you ever think about your parents?”

    “Don’t talk to me.”

    “Maybe they’ll come back for you. Or maybe a rich man will come here and adopt us all. And he’ll check back in to get any new children that come in. And then Brocklehurst will sell the place to him. He’d be a billionaire, and he would make his money selling children’s clothes. But he’d buy all our clothes for free!”

    “You’re really stupid, aren’t you?” Emma hopped along behind me. We went in a circle. “That stuff only happens in storybooks.”

    “My dad wrote to me right before I came here. It was his only letter, but he told me how palm trees grew. He talked about coconut milk and-”

    Emma shoved me to the ground. My head hit the edge of the playground box, and pinpricks of light, golden and white, flashed across my eyes.

    Emma looked big, though she was only a tiny girl in a dress, red and white and checkered like a picnic blanket. She crossed her arms, her blue eyes growing small. “Just leave me alone, freak.”

    A mean picture came into my mind: Emma’s dress on fire, her face as she screamed. I brushed the picture away. How could I have a thought like that? How awful! It wasn’t Emma’s fault I was weird. What if I could give it to her? I guess I’d be afraid too. I didn’t want to hurt Emma. The meanness was gone, leaving behind cold.

    And she’s sad too. We all are. We’re in the same boat.

    A bell rang. Children rushed past me. I stood up. My butt was damp. I realized the grass was wet, glinting in the gray-gold light. It must have rained. I wiped my hands on my jeans; the palms were stained green.

    I was sure I would have hated school, even if it was a nice one. Math just didn’t make sense, though the other children seemed to get it, and science was sort of creepy. I only really liked art and language.

    Ms. Brocklehurst passed out our papers. We had been tasked with essays. As usual, mine was covered in red circles, red underlines, and red comments. These said things like, “Do you hate commas, or are you just dumb?” There was also, “My brother could write better than you, and he’s illiterate.”

    The comments might have bothered me, but Emma Ruth’s paper looked like it was dripping with blood. I know it’s mean, but it’s kind of awesome, too.

    We were asked to write short stories. This was the part I liked. I flew into another tale about a lost prince and the king who had sent him away because dragons were looking for him. He lived alone in a cottage, but he could see the castle from his window, surrounded by palm trees. The king drank coconuts for breakfast, ate pineapple for lunch, and dined on mangoes and watermelon in the evening.

    Emma snickered. “You’re writing that story again?”

    “I like it.”

    “You don’t have much of an imagination, do you?”

    I blushed. “It makes me happy. I wasn’t going to publish it or anything.”

    “I hope not. Otherwise people will be vomiting everywhere because it’s so bad.”

    “You’re just unhappy because your stories get picked on too.”

    “Excuse me? You don’t know anything, freak.”

    My face was on fire, and shame coated my stomach. “I didn’t mean...but I understand, Emma. I like your stories. I’m glad they have happy endings.”

    “You’re mocking me.”

    “No! My favourite was the one with the golden haired Elf. I’d run away with him in a heartbeat, though I probably would make us move somewhere warmer than in the story.”

    Emma stood up. Her chair scraped over the floor. She raised her fists. “Keep talking.”

    “Okay.” I didn’t understand sarcasm. “Um, I liked the one with the blue Dragon, too, and how it had green polka dots. I probably wouldn’t date him, but he was really cool.”

    Emma’s fist connected with my lip. It felt dull, the pain spreading in a blanket through my whole jaw. I fell to the floor. The chair caught my elbow, and I yelped. I could still hear the wet thud in my head; the moment replayed itself through my spinning head. I pressed my cheek to the floor. It was cold, and felt good on my hot skin.

    “What in the name of Genitrix-”

    “She made fun of me!” As I rolled onto my back, Emma pointed to me. “She made fun of my story!”

    Ms. Brocklehurst glared at me. She slapped a long ruler in her hand, before trotting forward. She stood over me. “Up! What are you, a dog?”

    I scrabbled to my feet. I sank into my chair. I wanted to cry that it wasn’t fair, but what good did that do? I pressed my lips together, keeping the tears in.

    “Put your hands out.”

    She’s just doing her job. I spread my fingers out over the desk. Below them lied my sketch of the prince. He had brownish gold skin, brown hair, and eyes that were so dark they were almost black. His lips were full, his nose wide and hooked. He looked just like me, except that his hair was cut short, almost a buzz.

    Mine hung down my back in a lank ponytail. The prince also has a shower everyday. He bathes on the beach, and waits for the king to collect him.

    The ruler came down with a slam. It was louder than the cane, but less painful. Even as I teared up, I couldn’t help thinking how funny that was. My fingers wrinkled back, bending at the knuckles. She hit me three times. That was easy to count.

    Addition is the only math I like. I felt dazed. My stomach growled. Was it the hunger or the pain? But subtraction sucks. I only like the math where numbers get bigger.

    Ms. Brocklehurst stocked to the front. I resumed my story, like nothing had happened. Because nothing did. She’s doing her job. She thought I was being mean, and that’s okay. So she was wrong. So what? If I had been mean, I would have deserved it. I glanced at Emma. She’s just scared, is all.

    A second voice, the one I thought of as The Meanie, answered me. Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.

    I will. There’s no need to be gloomy all the time, or nasty. Gloom settled in the pit of my stomach. Despair clutched my heart like a hand. My chest sank on the inside. My eyes stung.

    “Not fair,” I whispered. I glanced at Emma again. “I’m sorry.”

    “Huh?”

    “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to be mean.”

    Emma furrowed her brow. She returned to her writing, shaking her head. All around me, pencils scratched. I wanted to read all the stories. Weren’t they all good in their own way?

    A delightful idea came to me. I had to struggle through math first, and the equations made me weep—literally. I was dreading algebra when I got older. That was when math stopped making sense for everybody.

    When class was over, I rushed to enact my plan. It was like clockwork: the kids tossed their last stories into the recycling bin. They dumped out their books.

    I knelt by the blue plastic container as they filed out. When the last kid, a Dog with Rottweiler markings named Jimmy, trotted out, I shoved my arms, elbow deep, into the paper. I plucked tales and drawings from the mix. I ordered them carefully, clicking them against the floor to make them straight.

    When I had collected them all, I had a fat, albeit unbound, book in my arms. I scurried up the stairs, ecstatic over my treasure. I didn’t have any books to read, but now I could read everyone’s stories.

    I flipped through the papers, knees pulled to my chest. I sat on my bed. I felt like a jeweler, surrounded by gleaming rubies and emeralds.

    I found Emma’s story, and put it at the front. The heroine (who always looked like Emma, with blue eyes and blonde curls) was falling in love with a Bear this time. She took half a page to describe his bulging muscles and glossy fur.

    She’s going to be a great romance writer someday! The story made me happy and warm all over. I decided it was my new favourite.

    I put my story at the back. It wasn’t that good, and I knew how it went. When I had read through all the stories, including mine, I pulled out the postcard again. Even though I loved Emma’s tales, this would always be my favourite thing to read.

    I closed my eyes, smiling. I sank into sleep. In my dreams, I saw the palm trees, and a sign with the postcard’s address: Similo, Sapphire Crest, Calidi, Queen Street, 4321.

[duscarasheddinnswriting]

I forgot to post this sooner.

This is for Night Shift at Freddy’s: Ultimate Custom Night.

This is the map of the location within the VR game of the same name as the fic it’s in.

I mostly based it on the location from FNaF 1, but I added and changed several things.

Here is what each camera is:

CAM 1: Central Vent. This is above the Office Hall, which it shares space with here. It is based on the Ticket Booth that Blank uses to get into the Office in Five Nights at Candy's, so it can be shuttered. This shutter consumes more power the longer it is closed.

CAM 2A: West Hall.

CAM 2B: West Hall Corner. There is a blind spot in this camera, and the Hall Lights within the Office let you check this blind spot, which is right outside the West Door.

CAM 3A: East Hall.

CAM 3B: East Hall Corner. There is a blind spot in this camera as well, and the Hall Lights within the Office let you check this blind spot, which is right outside the East Door.

CAM 4: Party Room 1. This has the entrance to the Left Air Vent and is accessed through the West Hall.

CAM 5: Party Room 2. This has the entrance to the Right Air Vent and is accessed through the East Hall.

CAM 6: Left Air Vent. There is a blind spot in this camera, and the left Air Vent Light lets you check this blind spot.

CAM 7: Right Air Vent. There is a blind spot in this camera, too, and the right Air Vent Light lets you check this blind spot. Many characters can be seen in the blind spots of the Air Vents and the Doors, but some bypass it.

CAM 8: Party Room 3. This is like how it is in FNaF 2, but is accessed through the West Hall.

CAM 9: Party Room 4. This too is like it is in FNaF 2, but this time, it's accessed through the East Hall.

CAM 10A: Show Stage. Far more characters share the stage this time, holding Classic Freddy, Classic Bonnie, Classic Chica, Toy Freddy, Toy Bonnie, Toy Chica, Candy, and Cindy. The ones that aren't enabled for a particular run just stay there, as other disabled characters that are normally visible on camera do.

CAM 10B: Dining Area. Unlike in FNaF 1, this isn't for parties. Instead, it's for regular dining, as the pizzerias in the first two games seemed to lack those in addition to lacking a visible entrance or exit.

CAM 11: Backstage. Unlike the one in FNaF 1, this is literally behind the stage. It fills in for multiple locations throughout the games I adapted.

CAM 12: Supply Closet. While this is accessed from the West Hall in FNaF 1, I don't have room there. So I put it where the Backstage area is in FNaF 1.

CAM 13: Restrooms. The robots don't need to use these, and the real ones are programmed to not go into them. That said, some hang out near each.

CAM 14A: Arcade Area. This surrounds Pirate Cove and takes its name from an area in Five Nights at Candy's.

CAM 14B: Pirate Cove. Foxy resides here, and as the cameras are always on, Foxy instead becomes aggressive when you don't look at Pirate Cove enough.

CAM 15A: Kids' Cove. This surrounds the Funtime Stage.

CAM 15B: Funtime Stage. The characters with "Funtime" in their names start here. That means Funtime Freddy, Funtime Bonnie, Funtime Chica, Funtime Foxy, Funtime Candy, and Funtime Cindy start here. It serves as Funtime Foxy's counterpart to Pirate Cove due to their mechanics being a bit different.

CAM 16: Kitchen. This is audio only, but in a different spot because most others are taken.

Also, the Office in this has six ways to get in! That's as many as Scott Cawthon's official Ultimate Custom Night! However, his are two doors, two vents, and two ducts. Mine are two doors, two air vents to either side, an Office Hall, and a Central Vent.

Yes, I made this in MS Paint.