#opal program

[without-ado]

Hubble Multiwavelength OPAL Saturn

l NASA Hubble Mission Team l OPAL program

[bbudailydoodles]

bad sketch of Billie idk an au maybe

[pale-opal]

Something that's been on my mind for a while is that a lot of artists have been struggling to find programs that work with their budgets. Adobe's prices are... infamous, to say the least, and there seems to be a sharp learning curve for the more affordable options. And if you're like me, you might not feel comfortable with pirating to get an art program that is out of your price range. So here's a list of free art/editing tools. Any options without links are either mobile apps or can only be downloaded on Macs: Options without ads or watermarks:

FireAlpaca (notes: while this is an art program at heart, it can also be used as basic photo editing software once you get the hang of it. There is also a blog dedicated to tutorials on how to use FA in case you get stuck)

Medibang (note: the aforementioned FireAlpaca blog has some information on this software as well)

Krita (note: also available as an app for android and Google devices)

Storyboarder (notes: not to be confused with "Storyboarder.AI". While this program does require your email address before downloading, it is safe to use as far as I know (but please use caution regardless))

Pixilart (notes: link leads to browser version, also available as a mobile app)

Audacity (notes: apparently, the company behind this software, Muse Group, have also created a separate, subscription-based AI-voice program. I am unsure if it uses AI in a way that is generally considered to be ethical, like SynthV does, or if it follows the trends typically expected of those kinds of applications. The reason that I include this information is that I want to give everyone the ability to make an informed decision about whether or not they want to use anything from Muse Group, as I know many users on this site are anti-AI. However, I also know that some of those users wouldn't mind using Audacity since downloading it wouldn't be giving Muse Group monetary support - hence why the program is staying on the list.)

Clipchamp (notes: there are also paid tiers for this program. It is also available in-browser and as an iOS app. Furthermore, please be aware that there are some optional features that use AI)

iMovie (note: also available as a mobile app on iOS devices)

DramaQueen (notes: this is a software used to write scripts for plays, movies, etc. While it does require you to fill out some information before downloading, as far as I am aware, it is safe to use (but as always, use your own discretion))

Options that do have ads, watermarks, or microtransactions

ibisPaint X

Sketchbook (notes: formerly known as "Autodesk Sketchbook". PC and Mac versions do exist, but you have to pay to download them)

Medibang Paint

Capcut (note: has optional AI tools).

Be sure to check what system requirements are necessary for each program, and be aware of their limitations before downloading (for example, many users report Clipchamp has a tendency to crash, while others seem to be able to use it fine). Also, please feel free to add on to this. I know I haven't even scratched the surface here, as I tried to stick to software that I've either heard of extensively or have used personally.

[opal-owl-flight]

Screams and explodes Nintendo PLEASE Im already working on a rewritten rotm and you show us the concept art for SO is also wilder than the finished product.......god...it couldve been GOOD

[vodka-and-ocs]

Dungeons & Inkwells 23: Tiefling fighter

[commanderauri-art]

Just celebrating a little now that I've finally finished Steven Universe! That show, man. Talk about psychological trauma!!

I'm happy things ended fairly well, I just wish home girl Opal got more screen time. Out of a lot of fusions, she's always been my favorite!

Pose credit -> theposearchives

[montereybayaquarium]

Welcome to the raft, Opal! ✨

We asked, and you answered. 

🗳️Thanks to nearly 30,000 of you who voted in our online poll, we’re otter-ly excited to introduce our newest southern sea otter, Opal. 

🦦Our team is already hard at work training Opal to join Ivy, Selka, and Ruby on exhibit. 

💙They describe Opal as smart, sassy, confident, and protective–an otter that watches out for her raft. 💎 We can hardly wait for you to meet this gem; stay tuned for updates on the timeline for her official debut!

In addition to enchanting visitors and showing off for the exhibit live cam, Opal has a big part to play in the conservation of her species. Opal may act as a surrogate mother to orphaned sea otter pups as part of our sea otter surrogacy program. Though Opal was deemed unreleasable by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after she was rescued as a stranded pup, she may give young pups a second chance by teaching them the skills they need to survive in the wild, like grooming and foraging. 

Our work with sea otters has a real impact on their survival—and the vital coastal habitats they call home—as the two are inextricably linked. The sea otter is a keystone species, which means that the health of sea otters is a good indication of the health of other species and ecosystems nearby. 

By releasing their adoptive pups back into the wild, our sea otter surrogate moms help restore California’s treasured kelp forests, keeping them healthy and thriving!  Learn about the history of our Sea Otter Program and how protecting this beloved species has enormous environmental benefits for California’s coastal ecosystems.

[angelic-writer]

Project Mimicry (Vol 1) - Chapter 1

"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the Earth." - Genesis 1:1

1983

"This is a test. This station is conducting a test of the Emergency Broadcasting System. This is only a test."

A long, screeching noise blared from the old TV. The Markson family had a different program on when they announced the test. It was some cowboy show their dad loved so much. For eleven year old Jade, it made her stomach churn. It was an odd sound, different from the sounds of horses and gunfire that came from the living room while they were doing family worship. It made her want to jump into her mother's arms and pray to Jehovah for the noise to stop.

Her mom, dad and brother were silent as the attention signal droned on. After a minute, it stopped.

"This is a test of the emergency broadcasting system. The broadcasters of your area in voluntary cooperation with federal, state and local authorities have developed this system to keep you informed in the event of an emergency. If this had been an actual emergency, the attention signal you have just heard would have been filed by official information, news or instructions. This station serves the northern Alabama area. This concludes this test of the emergency broadcast system."

Jade fiddled with the pages of her book, trying to think of the right words to say. Her brother, Caleb had resumed work on his drawing, seeming to not care about anything. Her mother let out a small sigh. "I swear, can they not scare the kids like that?"

"Mom..." Jade quietly said. "Why do they send out something like this? What if it hadn't been a test? Are... Are we gonna die?"

Opal got up from her chair and pulled her into her arms. "Oh sweetie, we're not gonna die. Everything's gonna be okay. This whole thing will blow over in no time."

"Well Jade," Opal's husband, Simon, chimed in. "They played the test on our TV because they want to inform us on what's happening. The world is at a very turbulent time at the moment so they are doing their best to keep us informed. If we were actually under attack, we would've been hiding in the basement." He let out a small chuckle.

"Well, what can we do to make it better?" Jade asked.

"Pray to Jehovah, of course. Our safety is his priority and if we pray to him, he'll protect us."

Jade smiled and snuggled into her mother. Jehovah is the only thing she knew. She may not be like the other "worldly" kids, but she didn't need all those material goods. She didn't need to see the latest movie or buy the newest toys. As long as she had her family and Jehovah, she can get through anything.

Caleb let out a soft coo.

"Oh, we didn't forget about you!" Simon lifted him out of his baby chair and gently rocked him. The whole family began to giggle.

This was their life. This was their routine. Jade was determined to be a good older sister to Caleb. And soon, he will be baptized.

-------

December 24th, 1983

"This is an important message from the Crestwood police department. This is not a test. I repeat, this is not a test. The Crestwood police department has issued a Shelter-in-place Warning for the county of Crestwood until further notice. Reports of unknown figures have been confirmed by law enforcement and the Department of Babylonian Crusaders. For your safety, until 5 PM to 6 AM, stay home, lock all doors and windows and, in the event of a break-in, have access to a loaded weapon at all times. Do not call 911 unless you need to report an emergency. The Crestwood police department and the Department of Babylonian Crusaders thanks you for your cooperation.

Stay tuned for a message from the representative of the Department of Babylonian Crusaders."

"Hello. My name is Dr. Lloyd Evans from the Department of Babylonian Crusaders. We have been receiving reports of unknown organisms that we've decided to call mimics. You may have already gotten the alert from the EBS about this phenomenon, but we're here to tell you about what those mimic types are and what you can do to protect yourself.

The first type are the defensive mimics. They are a sub group of mimics that take on the role of a protector when they find a human. Some pose as aggressive mimics to ward off other humans or they deceive humans they perceive as harmful with their harmless look and kill them. Think of it as a predator camouflaging itself in order for them to eat their prey.

There are three types of defensive mimics. There are Batesian, Mullerian and Emsleyan or Mertensian mimics.

Batesian mimics are harmless. They pose as a harmful mimic to ward off anyone they tries to hurt them or their human.

Mullerian mimics are two or more mimics that advertise themselves as harmful to ward off predators. These mimics often work in groups of two or three.

Emsleyan or Mertensian mimics take the form of a less harmful mimic to deceive the predator and kill them.

These ones can be considered safe, but you should still be wary of them. Aggressive mimics are the ones you need to watch out for. Now, aggressive mimics are the type of mimic that pose as humans to kill them. These types use mind games to toy with their victims. If they haven't committed suicide, the mimic will finish the job.

Predators are a mimic group where they take the form of a loved one, deceive them into thinking they are the real person and then use psychological manipulation. Those are the most dangerous types of mimics and we strongly advise to avoid them at all costs.

Parasites are [REDACTED DUE TO SIGNAL GLITCH]

Now, here's what you can do to keep yourself safe. Stay in your homes after 6 PM, lock all windows and doors and keep a loaded weapon with you at all times. In the event of a mimic attack, follow the S.A.F.E. principle.

S - Secure yourself in a room.

A - Access the situation. Learn how the mimic operates.

F - Fire your weapon. If the mimic attacks, do not hesitate. It can mean life or death.

E - If possible, escape. Do not let them win.

We hope this message keeps you safe. We're very sorry for the interruption and we hope you have a Merry Christmas!"

Though this message was broadcasted to most TVs, some of them reported the S part saying something different. According to reports, it said "Surrender yourself to the Lord."

--------

1987

The young man's back was pressed up against the wall. The shotgun he had in his hands had one shell left. The creature that was at his door kept calling out to him in a mockery of his wife's voice.

"Ralphie... Please let me in... I'm sorry for sca-a-a-aring you back there. You know how I am."

His grip tightened. That wasn't her. That wasn't his wife. She was dead. And now, he was going to die too. His eyes started to fill with tears.

Marla... I'm so sorry... I couldn't protect you... I couldn't save you from these things.

The image of his wife sprawled out on the kitchen floor flashed in his mind. Her neck that was gushing blood... He swallowed, trying to hold back his vomit. They had followed the rules. They had done everything the broadcast said. What did they do wrong? They had to have done something wrong for something like this to happen.

He gritted his teeth. Pondering over this won't help him now. Remember the S.A.F.E. principle, Ralph. Remember.

He secured himself in his bedroom, grabbing his shotgun so he could protect himself. He analyzed the situation. The creature, the mimic, was trying to use his wife's voice to lure him out, using his nickname. Ralphie was what she would call him when he came home from work. The way she said it made his heart soar. However, when it said his nickname, it felt like nails on a chalkboard.

The high school sweethearts had moved into the rural Alabama town after they had gotten married in New York. They thought getting away from the bustling city life would help them. They were in the talks of starting a family when the broadcast came on, talking about reports of mimics.

"Talk about bad timing. On Christmas too." Marla had said while bringing out the cookies and milk. "Let's hope Santa gets there okay."

"I hope so too. But hey, look on the bright side. This lockdown will end at 6 AM tomorrow. We've still got time to celebrate, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Besides, anything's fun with you." She gave him a light peck on the cheek.

A low sob escaped him. There was so much they wanted to do together. So many things they had planned. Their entire life... They were now gone.

Oh Marla... Why did they have to take you? What did we do?

God, please... Please help me.

He wiped his face. No, crying and pleading to some higher being isn't gonna solve anything. I have to survive. I have to live on for Marla! If I can get out of here, I could alert the police.

With a sense of courage taking over, he pointed his shotgun at the door. The mimic had begun to claw at the door, no doubt leaving scratch marks in the wood. "Ralphie... Please... Let me in. It's so cold. My neck hurts. Help..."

"Shut up... You're not her..."

The doorknob rattled.

"You're not her. You're not her! You're not her!!"

There was a sudden loud banging making him jump. "Ralph, open the goddamn door! You'd really leave me out here with these things?! How could you?!" The thing screeched.

"You're! Not! Her! Leave me alone!! You killed her, you monster!! You're not- You're not her!" He screamed, tears streaming down his face. "Just try and get me! I dare you! I'll fucking shoot you if you try anything!"

"Ralph..." His 'wife' had begun to cry. Normally, it would cause him to go over and hug her, but he will not be swayed. What it was doing, it was disgusting. It's desecrating his wife's memory, his image, his everything. The nerve of the creature...

The door flew open, allowing Ralph to see the monster. Though it was hard to see through the darkness, what he could see made him freeze.

Its form was tall and lanky, its arms and legs stretched out to an almost inhuman degree. What little hair it had on its head was beginning to fall off. Its skin was beginning to sag. Ralph could swear he was beginning to see bones. The mimic looked at him with empty eyes yet it pierced his soul with an intense glare. It opened its mouth to speak, but all that came out were rasps and gargles.

Ralph began to shake, his aim wavering as he stared at... He didn't even know what he was seeing. It was human, but at the same time, it was not. It looked like his wife, but it was like looking at a decomposing carcass. The smell... It smelled like rotten eggs left out on the hot sidewalk. Bile threatened to come up his throat, but he held it in.

One shot. He had to make it count. If it failed...

The creature began to laugh. It was the kind of laugh that made you cringe. It was an ear-piercing, gurgling laugh that was like if you tried to imitate a toy clown on its last legs.

Ralph pressed his finger on the trigger. Taking a deep breath, he screamed out.

"I will not let you kill me!!"

The gun went off.

--------

2017

The group of kids stared at the small house as their two older brothers talked to the movers. The smallest one of the bunch hugged her teddy bear. Though leaving their home state of Florida didn't seem like a huge deal at first, Catherine still had her doubts. Sure, they were free from all the hurricanes, but they still had friends there. They still had people they could talk to.

But now, she and her brothers moved to a new town. There was no one she knew there. And there was... an abundance of churches. Lots and lots of churches.

@chibisrpblog

[ephie-om]

Pure Mammon x reader fluff to make up for yesterday :))

Song: From the Start - Good Kid

CW: None

Day 2: Mammon

“I don't get what's so great about the sun.” Your guardian demon grumbled, pulling you out of your thoughts.

“Huh?”

“The sun. All you humans whine and complain about how the Devildom doesn't have it. Well, I don't want a big ball of light telling me when to wake up and when to go to bed. Anything your sun does, we can do fine.”

You cock your head, confused by the fights this demon picks. “Well, it lights up everything for most of the day.”

“We have lightbulbs too. Way easier to turn off.”

“It gives important vitamins to humans we need to live.

“Yeah, we have food.”

“It warms up the whole planet, otherwise we'd freeze to death.”

“Oh wow, I've never even thought of that. Except- oh wait- a heater.” He scoffs at you. “See? Nothin’ special about the stupid sun.”

You walk through a busy Devildom market, towing your boyfriend along behind you. Mammon's arms were laden in bags he had insisted he carry, despite you offering to share the burden. You and Mammon had grown close quickly, even after your rough start at the beginning of the exchange program. The two of you fit together so perfectly that his brothers had teased the two of you about being a couple long before either of you had even brought it up. But it's undeniable how happy he makes you.

He finally catches up to you, momentarily distracted by something at a stall behind him. “I thought we were here for groceries.”

You stick out your tongue at him playfully. “Doesn't mean I can't have some fun while we're out.” You grab his hand and swing it back and forth as you walk.

A small jewelry stand up ahead catches your eye. Were you mistaken, or were those real human world stones? “I wanna look at those!” you exclaim, tugging on his hand.

“Hey, don't go runnin’ off like that!” He stumbles behind you. “What was that for?” You reach the stand, keeping a tight grip on his hand as you inspect the jewelry.

“Look Mams, they're real! Real human world jewels! This one is turquoise, this one is topaz, and I don't know what this one is but it's pretty!”

He finds himself with a stupid grin plastered on his face, the one that always finds him whenever you get happy like this. Seeing you smile makes him feel like it's just you and him. He swears it lights up the whole Devildom, makes him feel all warm inside. He doesn't think he could go a day without it.

“You remember what I said about the sun that one time?” he asks, rapidly changing the subject.

You laugh, remembering the moment. “You said it was stupid.”

“Well, I take it back.”

“You don't think it's useless any more?”

“Nah. It took me a long time, but I figured out what you were sayin’.”

You buy a few pieces, wasting no time in putting them on and modeling for him. He takes a couple pictures on his D. D. D. He sends one to the house group chat of you striking a flashy pose to show off a necklace with a purple stone. He holds your hand in the other picture, with a simple golden band on your finger studded with tiny opals. That one he saves to a personal album on his phone, marked only with a heart. He thinks for a moment, then goes to rename the album with a simple emoji of a sun.

[redjademilktea]

Last night's episode of 4 Sided Dive was absolutely wonderful in terms of the amount of insight and perspective we got. Not only the Crown Keepers interlude, but also for campaign 3's themes as a whole.

Specifically what fascinated me though, was the incredible analogy Aimee drew between the Ruidian culture and colonial influence on indigenous/colonized spaces in real life (around the 1h32m mark for reference). It was amazing question to ask and I'll love Aimee endlessly for it because it touches on am interesting parallel between the discourse surrounding the Exandiran gods and what they thematically can represent to us as an audience.

Before I dive into my thoughts, I want to preface this by saying this is my specific perspective as a queer woman of color and daughter of a refugee. While my year-5-in-a-PhD-program brain may just be over analyzing this too much, what Aimee brought up just deeply resonated with me in a way that I don't really see talked about in discussions around the themes of campaign 3. Additionally, the ideas I'll be talking about borrow heavily from Christine Taitano DeLisle's Placental Politics: CHamoru Women, White Womanhood, and Indigeneity under U.S. Colonialism in Guam (2023). Its an incredible piece on indigenous knowledge production and political action that importantly looks to decenter colonial perspectives and history (and more importantly recenter indigenous histories, knowledge, and perspectives in a way that allows us to dislodge the idea that colonialism is something that is immutable and inevitable.)

To quickly summarize Aimee's point/follow up question, she pointed out that the way Ruidians have engaged with, repurposed, and were resentful towards Exandrian cultures mirrors some of the real life experiences of colonized/marginalized communities in relation to colonialism. It was such a powerful comparison to make because in a lot of ways, the struggle of the Ruidian people over the course of the campaign along with the looming question about the gods and whether or not to save them is (intentional or not) deeply resonant with the idea of colonialism and the ways it is deeply ingrained in the even mundane aspects of our life.

In a lot of ways, the Exandrian pantheon can be seen as a colonial force. One that came in and displaced a preexisting order of things and entrenched itself in the new way of being it established. Ashton and Laudna have repeatedly pointed this out throughout the campaign. There was life and existence before the gods. The gods are merely a different mode of being, not the only and inevitable mode of being. Life, society, and being can and did exist without them.

And its important to recognize that aspect of the gods, because it helps us understand their motivations that much better. Aabria in her description of what Opal saw in the Spider Queen as she tried to take Opal as her champion was poignant. Opal did not see an omniscient, unknowable entity. She saw a woman. A woman who was frustrated, angry, and most importantly frightened. They keep Predathos chained away not to protect life on Exandria nor because they feel a moral obligation to do so. They are doing so because they are afraid. Their mortality is at stake. And, as Aabria keenly pointed out, their pride is as well. Every action, every move is out of self preservation. An attempt to save themselves because Predathos demonstrate that not even the gods are a permanent thing.

You'll find (as Anne Stoler writes about frequently) that colonial systems are much the same. They are vehemently intent on self preservation. Any action they undertake and any narrative they create about themselves is solely done to preserve the way things are currently. And that includes narratives that the way things are currently is somehow inevitable. That things were always coming to this moment. Often, this is done at the expense of framing other modes of being as somehow antithetical to the way things are now. That it needs to be this way. And that this way is right and forever.

To me, its important to recognize these parallels. While Ruidians may engage with, adapt, and innovate off of Exandrian ideas, culture, and art, it is only because - as Aimee aptly phrased it - Exandrian culture as a direct result of the gods actions has "sucked all the air out" everything. What is there to engage with, if not the looming orb in the sky that has shaped every aspect of their existence?

It really brings the campaign-wide question of "should we save the gods?" into new light, at least in my opinion. Because its suddenly not about "saving the gods in a morally righteous act to preserve all life." It becomes a layered and complicated network of issues that makes the answer to that question incredibly difficult to answer. Is preserving the status quo because its how things operate now worth it at the expense of the suffering of others? What would saving the gods and the Ruidians look like? Is it even possible to save both? What changes to how things operate would be a result of that? How would those changes be handled?

I bring this up because there is a tendency in some discourse that I've seen to frame questioning the validity of saving the gods as inherently the "wrong" choice to make. When instead, when you see the cast struggling over the question, its because the answer is not straight forward. The gods are not necessary for life. They never were. They just are necessary for life the way things are now. And the question of what disrupting that means is such a fascinating one to engage with.

[apod]

2024 December 8

Aurora around Saturn's North Pole Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, OPAL Program, J. DePasquale (STScI), L. Lamy (Obs. Paris)

Explanation: Are Saturn's auroras like Earth's? To help answer this question, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Cassini spacecraft monitored Saturn's North Pole simultaneously during Cassini's final orbits around the gas giant in September 2017. During this time, Saturn's tilt caused its North Pole to be clearly visible from Earth. The featured image is a composite of ultraviolet images of auroras and optical images of Saturn's clouds and rings, all taken by Hubble. Like on Earth, Saturn's northern auroras can make total or partial rings around the pole. Unlike on Earth, however, Saturn's auroras are frequently spirals -- and more likely to peak in brightness just before midnight and dawn. In contrast to Jupiter's auroras, Saturn's auroras appear better related to connecting Saturn's internal magnetic field to the nearby, variable, solar wind. Saturn's southern auroras were similarly imaged back in 2004 when the planet's South Pole was clearly visible to Earth.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241208.html

[kafus]

warmup doodle of opal from earlier in my normal art program… really trying to get a good feel for drawing her

[jadetheblueartist]

So like superhero teenagers :DDDD imma ramble a lot under the cut and also put individual shots of them

Um so like I needed to character design as a palette cleanse from the background art (don’t worry Im determined to get to the asks at one time or another) so I revived a story I made a few years ago and like :D there’s something about teen superheroes in a team that just gets me every time, like Sky High? Fantastic. This one random marvel kids movie that I can’t remember the name of but watched soooo much back in the day? Spectacular. My comfort book, “The Class Villain” by Coral Elizabeth and Katherine Lee, that plays with the concept of what makes heroes heroes and villains villains and that I think is recommended bc the only other person I’ve seen talk about it is my sister who I told about it. My bread and butter.

But yeah I had the idea of a several season episodic type show where the superheroes go to school for superheroing a few years back and it never really got anything more than a few sketches, so now is the time to revive it apparently

Past me accidentally set up future me for a really interesting thing thematically tho which I appreciate. It’s semi inspired by the whole “autism is a superpower” thing in a way bc all of them are neurodivergent and/or disabled in some way, some of it resulting directly from their power, some less so. In their world, the superhero industry isn’t the most inclusive but their school is starting a new program to actually include people who need whatever accommodations. They’re kinda the test run so it’s they are they’re whole class but if possibility for additional classmates could be a thing in the future 🤷‍♀️

But yeah that’s the very broad overview so like if you wanna inquire about specific characters (or all of them bc I haven’t really given any specifics on them at all teehee) feel free :D I’ll also probably get around to making some little intro posts for them at some point to so we’ll just see I guess

No actually here’s teeny intros for each of them: Ryker is the aloof rich boy who learns how to have friends (Fish is his service dog), Bellamy is a book loving daydreamer who learns self love, Angelo is the resident tough guy (who has to actively fight the cute allegations) who learns that it’s okay to need help, Opal is the reliable and ambitious one of the group who learns that she doesn’t have to prove anything to the people around her, and Benjamin is the chill guy with mysterious inner conflict that learns that hiding things from his friends never works out in the end.

And uh… @plumsodapop 👉👈 can my superhero bebes be fwiends with your superhero bebes :3

[rebel-sqrrl]

got a thought experiment for you: what do you think sabah and lily would be like like as case 53s?

junebugtwin made a post about case 53 undersiders back in 2023 and I liked her ideas, especially the concept for case 53 tattletale, but there was a distinct lack of needlepoints. so I was wondering, as the world's premier parian + foil expert, what do you think they would be like as case 53s?

Since it's a thought experiment, there aren't any limits, other than they have to be similar altpowers with a distinct case 53 vibe (thinking of most case 53 fics where canon characters have their canon power completely unmodified but some slightly weird animal body).

I do say "similar" because the idea is that it's basically the same trigger trauma, but a vial equivalent of the resulting powers.

Sabah

Dozens (maybe hundreds) of layers of telekinetically controlled ribbons of skin, wrapped around each other to form an approximately humanoid figure. She can peel off the layers and form hollow constructs of varying sizes and shapes from them. She has no face or hair or anything, just skin, but she can hear through any of the skin, or speak through it by vibrating it (probably takes her a while to learn how to do that though). She can also "see" the area around her or her constructs in the form of a map of density (basically borrowing the shard's way of seeing the world, since it fucked up and got rid of her eyes); so she can tell objects apart from air, but can't see color (finally, colorblind Sabah is real), and can't always distinguish the borders between objects of similar density.

In April, 2009, in her second semester of college, she went through her trigger event like in canon, but didn't get powers. She got inspired by Bad Canary and other rogues, and started looking into how to get powers, thinking that maybe what she needed was to drop out of the engineering program and go into some other field, with powers to give her an edge, or at the very least give her the confidence to tell pushy men to fuck off. Eventually Cauldron notices and reaches out to her. She can't afford a vial on her own, so they ask her to transfer to a school in NYC, join a group of rogues there that's on the verge of imploding, and act as a stabilizing force and as Cauldron's eyes and ears there, in lieu of payment. She never gets that far obviously, because she gets mutated and memory wiped, although she does end up getting dropped in New York anyway, possibly as some other Cauldron cape's nemesis.

Lily

Still mostly human, but with skin and hair that looks kind of like black opal: grey with a rainbow shimmer to it. Her body is non-organic in a similar manner to Weld's—doesn't need to eat, sleep, breathe, etc.—but without much durability. She has her canon power, more or less, but she can apply it to herself as well, basically letting her choose how physics applies to her. When she empowers things other than herself, the power only lasts a couple seconds after she lets go, and her accuracy power is more oriented toward precision in her own movements than accuracy at range.

In January, 2008, she went through her canon trigger event on an alternate Earth, but didn't trigger. She spiraled badly afterwards, started doing a lot of heroin, and eventually overdosed. Cauldron nabbed her as she was dying, gave her a mix of three different samples (well, four if you include Balance), and then dropped into Bet's NYC after she mutated, with some conditioning to guarantee that she'd join the Wards.

[mxnsterbabe]

A comprehensive list of all of my fave monster romance so far! You can basically count on me adding anything and everything by @lyonnerileyauthor honestly <3

Trollkin Lovers Series by Lyonne Riley

Five Gifts for the Blacksmith's Wife by Lyonne Riley

Programmed for Love by Lyonne Riley

Vacationing with the Vampire in Hallow's Cove by Lyonne Riley

Seduced by the Werewolves by Lyonne Riley

Stories from New Eden Series by Lyonne Riley

Thrum by Meg Smitherman (More horror, but with dark romance elements!)

The Void Series by Cate Corvin

Gotten by the Gator by Lizzie Strong

Given to the Ghoul by Desiree Niccoli

A Deal with a Demon Series by Katee Robert

My Monster Valentine by various authors

Duskwalker Brides Series By Opal Reyne

Land of the Beautiful Dead by R. Lee Smith

Cottonwood by R. Lee Smith

[the9mm]

Here Tumblr, you can see it first. I'm making social media posts because that's just part of what you do as an indie author/artist/anything these days and I'm prepping stuff for my upcoming crowdfunding campaign of my debut novella The Warm Machine. It's live now as part of Booktopia - a massive indie publishing even hosted by BackerKit.

Anyway, I'm making all these graphics and callouts and everything and I'm not going to post to Tumblr daily because that's just not how things work here.

Let me tell you about the book real quick: It follows the story of two robots with two vastly different jobs who run away together in search of a fabled robot utopia. I admit it's really not anything new, but it's totally my love-letter to the sci-fi community as a whole. I packed everything I love about sci-fi into these 3 bots' bodies.

Sterling is our main character and the POV of the book. He's a foreman style construction robot, also known as a laborbot. He's responsible for carrying out the daily operations of his container crew robots. Strong, durable, and curious, Sterling asks many questions even if he is not always guaranteed an answer. Loyal to a fault and quick to trust, he’ll follow Zev to the ends of the Earth.

Next up is Zev, Sterling's love interest. He's an overpowered military prototype bot with a curious set of "classified" schematics. Tricky, cool, and calculating, Zev always says what he means but never shows exactly what he’s thinking. With a soul too big for his robotic body, he sees in Sterling what Sterling is unable to see in himself.

Last but not least is Inix, a personal style android model. Meant for home use and other human comforts, she sports a customized cosmetic skin of crushed black opal. Cheery and bubbly, Inix has a way with words – along with a peculiar way of getting information. Inix delivers a dimensionality to the other two androids that only an emotionally-complex bot can – or at least one that’s programmed to fake it well.

If this is your thing, you can reserve a copy NOW. It will be available in ebook formats (PDF to start, probably also epub, I just have to figure out how to do these things along the way), paperback, and hardcover. There's also goodies you can get for participating with me and my partner's project, as well as with Booktopia as a whole. Ebooks cost as little as $5 and you'd be greatly helping out an indie author if you throw your five bux in!

I hope you'll join me on this adventure! I'm ridiculously excited to get this out into the world so you can love my silly robots as much as I do.

GET ROBOTS HERE!