#spineripper

[gasha40k]

I have unfortunate news. I think that, in the last three months or so, this has unexpectedly become a Khorne blog. I really and truly did not foresee this when I first started posting. No factions really spoke to me on a grander scale, except for my own. But now I’m actually legitimately obsessed with the World Eaters. To be fair, I guess no loyal servants of the Emperor expect their corrupted descent into Chaos ahead of time. The tragedy is always in the lack of foresight, after all. I don’t think my own dark baptism is anything close to a tragedy, though. I’m having a good time with it so far I think.

Got quite a few things to talk about, but first and foremost, I got my hands on some Valhallan Blizzard and finally finished the bases on the few Berzerkers that I have painted. I’m pretty happy with these! The dry brushed stone beneath the snow gives a sufficient enough impression of, like, a rocky, mountainous environ, and the white contrasts really nicely with the red armor and dark ground, I think.

Initially, I was going to really drench the snow with blood—I think you can see that in a few of the bases that I painted first—but I decided against that after seeing how it actually looked. The bloody snow is a neat effect, for sure, but it’s super eye-catching and makes the minis a little noisy when overdone. In the future, I’ll likely save the blood for the more notable or interesting members of my World Eaters army (likely on characters and standout grunts), so as to make them stand out and add a little bit of base variety to the army.

This is my third time painting an Ultramarine, and my second time painting a dead Ultramarine

Lord Akselos, though, gets next to no blood on his base, so as to make him stand out in an inverse fashion. The snowy, mountainous base here represents the frigid crags of Gorranax, the planet upon which Akselos landed after betraying the Ultramarines on Valefar. Gorranax is also where he would first encounter his Berzerker-Surgeon partner, Kastigor Spineripper, who would eventually be responsible for implanting the Butcher’s Nails within Akselos.

I think his base is probably the best of the bunch. The placement of the snow sort of visually balances the black, swooping cape, and adds some interesting color in that bottom right section, which is a spot where the model is otherwise lacking in visual variety. I’m mad happy with this and glad it looks as cool as it does! And with the base finished and his highlights complete (complete enough for me, at least), Akselos is fully finished, and ready for the tabletop!

I say this all the time but I love this sculpt so much, the 2002 Daemon Prince is the most iconic Daemon Prince—the fella from Dawn of War—even if it is pretty silly looking objectively

Speaking of finishing things, my big boy is finally complete. My ugly, ugly son is painted, based, highlighted, and Ready to KILL. This is, by far, the largest non-flyer model that I’ve finished, and while he definitely isn’t the prettiest or best painted model on the planet, I’m really proud of it. I pulled out all the stops on this model and utilized just about everything I’ve learned about miniature painting in the last few years. I also took a good handful of risks and learned a bit from him, too, and despite it being a kind of treacherous and elongated ordeal, it was a super fun experience painting him up, and I’m glad he’s done with. I did, however, lose the hilt of his sword to my carpet, but I’m working on replacing it with a cool little custom skull hilt, which I’ll post eventually, probably.

But with one big boy done, another boy has filled the empty slot in my to-do list with his huge red bod.

Finally got my hands on Angron, the man himself. I can’t quite describe just how obsessed with this model I am. Not only am I excited to have him because he’s one of my favorite characters in the 40k mythos, but he’s also a fucking Primarch—and a strong one at that—which is something I never thought I’d get to have as a custom Chapter player. All in all, I’m incredibly excited to paint this guy up and get him terrorizing my group on the tabletop.

I did have the opportunity to run a test game with my list on TTS a little while ago, which was both my 2nd ever World Eaters game and my 2nd ever 10th Edition game. Lemme just say about Angron: wow. He barreled into the enemy deployment zone in the first turn of BR1 and immediately mauled an Armiger. As a Space Marines player, I’m very used to none of my units being extraordinarily good at destroying shit, but those days are OVER!!!

Since he’s a big ass model, though, it also means that he’ll be a big ass painting project. I plan on making him a proper centerpiece, and after painting my Daemon Prince, I’m totally confident that I can make him look pretty fancy given a few weeks of work. To make that process easier for me, here’s the subassemblies that I’ll be painting him in.

I also got my hands on some Mephiston Red primer, which I’m using to expedite the painting process. As shown above, I’ve primed

My Khorne collection is getting pretty huge. So huge, in fact, that I now own more Khornate shit than Space Marines, both in bodies and points. My Khorne collection contains:

2,115 points of Adeptus Astartes units

59 individual Astartes models

2,995 points of Khorne units

107 individual Khorne models

Dark baptism confirmed. Corpse worshippers malding.

That being said, I’ve been focusing super hard on my World Eaters recently—mostly for economical reasons—but I’d definitely like to shift focus back onto my Astartes soon. There’s a lot of new, cool kits that I want to get my hands on, and a brand new codex, too. Feels neat having gone through an entire edition. Wonder if I could sell my codex from 9th. My current chore is just to paint my men, as per usual. I have some plans for my Thunderbearers that I’ll post about next.

[spinnersendprince]

The Crownless King - SherlockMalfoy - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own]

@writing-fics

[vladabacus-blog]

DM if interested! #psychickarate #booksigning #drawing #sketch #bookmerch #bookstagram #independentauthor #supportauthors #pittsburgart #bookphotography #spineripper #gigadeath (at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxC3zwjnw2K/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=lnrurkupt0xy

[dragons-ire]

Stripped (II)

(Music )

His hands plunged into the icy depths of the Wilholm for water. Splashed two cold handfuls on his face and rubbed vigorously. Plunged in again and lifted to rub against the other. Between the fingers. The palms. Up the wrists.

Wash the blood off immediately, the old superstitious adage ticked through his head like an erratic heartbeat. Don’t let it linger on your skin. Don’t let it sink in. 

When his hands looked clean, he examined the scratch on his upper arm where one of the aevis had gotten him with a claw before his lance had found purchase.  Scooped a little water up in one hand to wash the blood away.

Don’t let it sink in.

The trader who’d mentioned it to him first had been anxious the whole ride to Idyllshire, once they were out of the caelumtrees. Nervously looked up at his lance, then down before venturing it. I’m glad you’re here. We lost two caravans in the last year to attacks, and I know we can’t be the only ones. Clever bastards, just enough to be a nuisance, but not enough to get any help on. I asked the Ishgardians and they couldn’t tell me anything.  I don’t know what to do anymore with the..?  His gaze had gone towards the mountain and the structure near it - three towers topped with draconic ornamentation - and Breandan had just tilted his head, asked a few questions, then went to ground and went to work.

It was fortunate that the colony was small, because they’d made up in tenacity what they’d lacked in numbers. Peeling the first sentry away hadn’t been too difficult, but he’d been a little too slow to keep it from sounding the silent alarum to its comrades, and then he’d been surrounded. 

He could have called in backup, but he couldn’t help but feel the edge of guilt every time he asked Silvestre to leave his much-earned retirement. Knowing his old war comrade would come running, lance at the ready, prepared to throw himself into danger. He’d seen his old friend on the ground, wounded in body and spirit, twice too many times this past turn.

He’d seen it twice. 

Better to let the man just come out when it was done and drink beers in the sunlight.

He’s put his head down and lowered his lance, started moving and kept moving. Sometimes that was all the difference between getting eaten - being too quick to catch. The lance never stopping , driving home with all his strength and training. A feint-and-dodge tactic that had been very effective against -

A l

 e h

in 

A particular larger and older wyrm.

All those years ago. 

The dragon who caught him with its claw had reared back immediately afterwards, and he had too much experience with what was to come next to not immediately leap out of the way on pure instinct. An aevis breathed lightning traditionally, but also breathed fouler magics that could corrupt a wound and man’s mind both.

When it was over, he went down to the river to wash until he felt clean enough, and then he stood again. Rolled his shoulders and stretched his back and took a moment to think about how much easier and shorter that would have been with Spineripper along.

There’d probably be a next time.

He returned to the site, taking himself first to the crumbling vantage point to check out the view. Looked out on the grass and the distant mountains and structures, then down at the remnants of the fight, pale lips pressing together.

Jolmister says the aevis cause problems with Anyx Trine, too. Especially for the dragonets. Silvestre’s deep voice came back to him, and for a moment, he thought about Lohs. That small thing he’d plucked out of Garlean hands without even stopping to think about why he was doing it. Her annoying tendency to show up in places unannounced, her penchant for exploring.

Just because he wasn’t so fond of the fucking dragonet didn’t mean he wanted anything to happen to her. 

Jumping back down, he took the knife from the top of one tall boot and went to work. A few claws, the webbing off the wings. Bones exposed to the sun, the flesh to the air. 

The knife passed over an oval-lump buried beneath scales. A bit of scraping revealed a metallic glint of something silver. A locket or a bit of jewelry fused right into the flesh with time. 

His free hand reached to his throat to touch the collection of saints’ medallions on their silver chain before he put his head down. Cut around the antique locket, then pulled it free along with some of the hide. 

The sun was going down when he finally finished. Before he went to make the hike back to Tailfeather, he took one last tour around the ruin. Still enough roof to keep the dust storms out, be cover enough in case the colony had any friends that might want to come sniffing around later. 

The moon rose behind Sohm Al as he put his back to the place at last and started back towards the river. A near-silent fluttering of wings behind him - birds’ wings, as a lone owl came flying out of the caelumtrees on its way to somewhere unknown.

(Mentions: @loadedmemory )

(Stripped (I) )

[harrionstark]

— harrion stark, prince of the north

ABOUT

the second of the stark litter, harrion was born with his elder brother rodrik already a boy of nine. two years later, a younger sister was born and their closeness in age meant that harrion and cassana grew up thick as thieves

when he turned 11, he was sent by his father to be fostered as a ward to riverrun but was only there a few years before the conflict of the dance kickstarted and he was bought home again to the safety of winterfell as his house swore to the side of the blacks

he remembers the night jacaerys targaryen came to winterfell to conscript the starks to his mothers cause, watching quietly and peeking out from behind rodrik’s legs. 

before the dance he had ambitions of proving his bravery by joining the nights watch but when the conflict broke out, houses could not spare heirs, and he was talked out of the idea by his father

during the dance he was left at winterfell with his younger brother and sister, deemed too young to fight. he spent these years doggedly training at his sword (spineripper) to be worthy of joining the wolves and when no word came, he took things into his own hands - he took his horse from the stables and his sword in its sheath and rode south to meet his father and brother. 

a few months later, to very little surprise on harrion’s part, cassana followed. 

a fairly adept warrior, he held his own in all the battles he faced, though they were few before he returned to winterfell. the master-at-arms of winterfell believes he’d be an incredible swordsman if he had the discipline but he does not. he would rather be in a tavern or hunting the wolfswood with his friends than slaving too long over the training ground. 

raised in the cusp of the north, he is fairly naive to the ways of the world outside winterfell and is a very curious about these strange soft southron people

tldr; number one stark headache-giver, likes getting in trouble much more than he likes being a prince, but is fiercely loyal to his family

WANTED CONNECTIONS

- rumoured/potential political matches that harrion is trying to wiggle his way out of - drinking buddies  - fellow lovers of nefariousness - someone to teach him a bit more about how things go in the south - casual affairs (m or f)  - childhood sweetheart - sparring partners / mentors - someone he fought beside in the dance  - someone he met on his covert little flight south to find his father and brother

[spacepissbabies]

Used my free level 50 to make a Draken warrior, since I didn’t have a high level Warrior yet. Behold: Smiley Spineripper

[notstars-doors]

For the Pacific Rim au: how do Dick and Wally befriend the other Titans? How does their first mission as a team go? Does Roy have any history with Jade or Donna in this 'verse? fuck i love this idea so much i have so many questions sdfjl

Dick and Wally just have this natural, gravitational pull. They’re so close that they just radiate pure friendship and trust and loyalty, and others want to take part in that. It helps that the rest of the Titans were in their sector in training, as they’re all on a similar level of skill and compatibility. They both already knew Donna and Roy from their childhood, so that was an easy enough friendship to fall back into, and the rest of them fell into place after that.

Roy and Jade were definitely an on and off thing during training. That’s how Dick and Wally got to know Jade, and subsequently Artemis. They both hit it off right away with her, loving her sarcasm and eye for mischief. They made fast friends with them both. Donna and Roy are too focused as pilots to even consider trying a relationship while active in the program, but after years of being in the drift, they eventually figure out how to say out loud the things that have been in their heads all this time.

When Tim, Conner, and Bart enter the academy a few years after them, Dick immediately latches on Tim. He’s got the technical skill of a engineer with a PhD - at the age of 18 - and Dick feels like he has as much to learn from him as he can teach. Tim makes friends with Conner and Bart during training, so when he introduces them to his new surrogate brother and his boyfriend, Wally and Bart hit it off right from the start. They’re as alike as Dick and Tim, and can spend hours talking about physics and chemistry and Kaiju biology. They’re both massive geeks and it’s really nice to have SOMEONE to talk about this shit with.

Cass and Steph enter the academy the same year as Tim, but Dick and Wally already know them very well: Cass is Dick’s adoptive little sister. Bruce had found her the same way he found Dick, but she needed far more guidance than he did. She threw herself into training in a way Dick had only ever seen in Bruce, and to this day she is still the Most capable fighter ever recorded in the Jaeger program. She’s quiet and ruthless, but luckily she has her other half that has softened her up more than anyone will know: Steph.

Steph manages to befriend everybody, particularly Tim and Conner, tying them all together like the red string of fate. She’s bubbly and friendly but always goes with her gut, because she knows she can trust it. And eventually, so does the rest of the team.

When they finally get the government to green light the ‘Titans’, their first deployment as a squad is a double event: Category 3 and 4 on the Alaskan coast, codenamed Spineripper and Austerity. Dick and Wally, as the founders of the team, are on point in Crimson Thunder. Striker Obsidian flanks them on the right, Red Victory on their left. Carmine Fury, as a heavy hitting tank of a machine, defends the coastline with Envy Assassin, which nimbly uses various projectiles and blades from afar to protect the Miracle Mile.

The Titans take down the two Kaijus in less than one hour, their combined skills and implicit trust making it easy for each of them to do their job accordingly. Dick takes his natural place as leader, with Wally supporting his every decision as it flows into his mind through the drift.

Jaeger pilots are known for their unpredictability - it makes them adaptable in the field, but it makes it hard to force them into submission, as most militaries do. Luckily, the Titans aren’t a squad of random Rangers put together for their abilities. They’re friends, and that’s what makes them the strongest Jaeger Team to date: they trust each other not because they have to, but because they WANT to, and they carry that with them through the drift.

[transmogwow]

Niennilohar - Gilneas (eu) head: Lightdrinker Hood neck: Manapearl Choker shoulder: Rivermane Shoulders back: Hidden Cloak chest: Imposing Vest wrist: Spymistress' Wristguards hands: Drake Tamer's Gloves waist: Aged Abomination Tripe legs: Bloodfang Pants feet: Silent Footpads finger1: Band of Malorne's Chosen finger2: Bloodbeard's Seal trinket1: Ormgul's Bug Sprayer trinket2: Lodestone of the Galeborn mainHand: Hungering Spineripper offHand: Hungering Spineripper

[vladabacus-blog]

With yesterday marking the 2 year anniversary of the debut Psychic Karate book, THE AUTODIDACT, a period of reflection is inevitable. The idea was a simple one: throw a rock at the literary trend toward "paranormal urban" fantasy and YA fiction by chronicling the rise of a shapeshifting devourer who's trying to be one of those sexy literary vampire types. Of course, the heart and soul of the book is in the ultimate failure, showcasing multiple absurdist and comedic moments against the backdrop of over-the-top human butchery. Setting out to write it, I was terrified it was going to come out reading too much like American Psycho or something like that. In the end, it came out like something more Mark Twain-ish... to the point of me often joking, "If you forced Mark Twain or Kurt Vonnegut to write out Dracula with no plot notes or sense of context, you'd get THE AUTODIDACT." Anyway, today and tomorrow, the Kindle version of this book, as well as its "sister" book, M1ST3R WH1SK3RS, is FREE. Grab the books and put the money saved toward an artist or small business that can use the help right now!!! #psychickarate #anniversary #gigadeath #spineripper #freekindlebooks #freebookgiveaway #freebook #supportindependentbusiness #supportindependentartists (at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_U6y1pgrKO/?igshid=13wdo10l9rjwf

[vladabacus-blog]

If you're anything like me, and I suspect you are, you like to read tasteful, refined books about people. Who get their arms and legs bit off. And spines ripped out. And faces stabbed into puddles of gore. Do you like torso explosions? How bout teeth the size of skyscrapers? Well, THE AUTODIDACT has all this and so much more AND it's FREE today on Kindle! And if you're anything like me, and I suspect you are, you wish you could do more to help others in this strange time. Somehow, I believe that simply doing what we can will add up to making a difference. So, I can give away some books and you can take the money saved and support an artist who can use the boost right now! #freekindlebooks #supportindependentbusiness #freebookgiveaway #supportartists #freebook #supportbands #supportcomicshops #supportsmallbusinesses #supportauthors #psychickarate #spineripper #gigadeath (at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-yzPcbAsSK/?igshid=1eu4y8ddmsmid

[vladabacus-blog]

Looks like everyone will need to juice up their reading list for the near future. While that may be happy news for someone like me; my mind turns to all the bands, comic books and small businesses who's livelihood is in immediate danger. So, I present to you THE AUTODIDACT. This is a light-hearted coming of age tale about a pandimensional devourer. A confessional of a mass exctinction event told from the perspective of that mass extinction event. A transgressive panoply of human mutilation cast in the mold of a tasteless joke. This is the debut Psychic Karate book and you can get it for FREE today on Kindle, readable on your phone, tablet or ereader. In return, please take the money saved and find a way to support that artist or small business in your community that needs it the most right now. #supportsmallbusinesses #supportindependentbusiness #supportbands #supportartists #supportauthors #freekindlebooks #freebook #spineripper (at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-PEAzJAmz4/?igshid=1g09aeh515auo

[vladabacus-blog]

In an ongoing to raise awareness about the critical importance of supporting your favorite artists during this strage time, I'm offering each Psychic Karate e-book for free each Friday through the end of April. This past Friday was M1ST3R WH1SK3RS, this upcomong Friday will be THE AUTODIDACT. A lighthearted coming of age tale, yet also a menacing onslaught of mass human evisceration, THE AUTODIDACT is a black comedy about a talkative goth culture nerd who coincidentally happens to be a world-devouring space anomaly. Being the debut book in the "series" ( they can be read in any order), I was still learning how to display artwork in a scaleable way. Like manga, this black and white artowrk needs to "pop" at various different aspect ratios and resolutions (website, paperback book, ereader, coffe mug, tramp stamp, etc.) So, there was this one image in the book I just wasn't happy with. Alluded to in the back jacket synopsis and straight up explained in the first chapter, the "hero" of the book... eats Pittsburgh. The internal art of the book indicates a scrapbook of sketches indicating the destructive path this character is on, but the fine details are a bit misleading along the way. So, when Pete, our hero, finally attacks in a large-scale manner, I had an idea in my head that I just couldn't execute at the right scale... until this morning. By this Friday, all future editions of the book will display this image. Final version will be posted sometime this week, but here's a timelapse: pencils, then ink, then charcoal. #psychickarate #drawing #supportindependentbusiness #supportartists #supportauthors #spineripper #gigadeath (at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Cg2SagPlA/?igshid=gezvryk1linr

[vladabacus-blog]

So, there I am, right? Minding my damn business, turning 42, the age that reveals the Meaning of Life, the Universe and Everything, and Pete comes out of nowhere and forces me to buy HIM a birfday present! Granted, I think he just needed an excuse to gaze at this dope album cover, as I know from experience he can't figure out how to work a turntable. Or turn into a bat. #birthday #nonsense #belalugosisdead #spineripper #gothculture #dealwithit (at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0hU0O0AbbX/?igshid=ysldmh6owlzh

[vladabacus-blog]

"The heroism of those brave men and women in uniform that night was truly an inspiring tale. For hours, they fought valiantly, the paramedics stabilizing wounds and wrapping children in blankets, all the while their torso skin is being ripped off in footlong squares by my prehensile hook flagellum that can stretch for blocks as they try to run away. Those brave police officers, forming triangular ranks as they fearlessly unload their small-caliber pistols into my skin plates, even though the bullets ricochet back into their faces. In that moment, I really saw the best of humanity as I fell into the rhythm of pulling the legs off the paramedics and the arms off the cops, because that was surely the fastest way to render each group completely ineffective." - THE AUTODIDACT, page 115. #psychickarate #booksigning #bookobsessed #independentartist #bookstagram #pittsburghartist #spineripper #independentauthor #horrorfiction #gigadeath https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz1dMqVA0MP/?igshid=c21mec9dhha7

[vladabacus-blog]

Update to the list of contributors at www.vladabacus.com Pete Langlla, your best friend and narrator of THE AUTODIDACT: "Known by aboriginal humanity as, 'The Outer Sky Worm,' Pete is a loving, friendly and nurturing cosmic devourer. Despite the intense existential danger of keeping him around, Vlad uses Pete as a cultural correspondent, believing this shapeshifting menace can somehow be kept at bay with Psychic Karate. Pete has deeply nuanced opinions on goth culture, urban fantasy, freshly-bitten human gore and absolutely nothing else, making him something of a troublesome conversationalist. Pete's hobbies include spineripping, Penny-wising and gigadeath." You can find a full list of all the contributors here: https://www.vladabacus.com/p/rogues-gallery-contributors-to-vlad.html?m=1 You can find Pete's first article, where he discusses the success of THE AUTODIDACT, here: https://www.vladabacus.com/p/pete-discusses-autodidact.html?m=1 #psychickarate #newfiction #supportindieauthors #bookobsessed #pittsburghartist #goth #gothaesthetic #gothliterature #gothculture #spineripper #gigadeath https://www.instagram.com/p/BzV41CbA_-s/?igshid=12fpd1mjgme8z