#technically red and green flags with Blade

[batsvnte]

𝐂𝐔𝐓𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐘 — Blade was one who you never expected to be with. Being part of the Stellaron Hunters has its ups and downs. The first months were light for you since you were sticking with Kafka. Occasionally Sam or Silverwolf would tag along if they were needed, rarely it was Blade. You didn’t push immediately to form some sort of relationship with him. You’d rather kept at a safe distance from the swordsman till the time was ready. Which was sooner than expected.

The inner turmoil sparked within him at the beginning. His goal was directly towards death. Taking every opportunity to throw himself into battle without any repercussions. During the few days he was developing feelings, he took precautions onto what he chose to battle whenever you were near. Protecting you was one of his priorities as it was for everyone else he was around. Kafka would often point out how he seemed to be showing off at rare times.

You on the other hand had an entirely different goal than what Blade had. Only Elio knows what it was since he was the one you came to. Often you would refuse to speak on your lifelong wishes, but as far as anyone knows it’s one of the more tamer goals you had. Fighting wasn’t the main concern, but it was something else that was more off the field.

The habits with Blade started out subtle but it was beginning to become noticeable. There was a day where nobody had seen him. Not even Silverwolf. When you entered your shared room during the night, he was there. Standing there with an blank look on his face. You could’ve sworn he was there the entire day since he wasn’t part of the script. He acknowledged your presence when he saw the movement out of the corner of his eyes. And yet he stayed, wanting to be with you after being gone for so long.

Anywhere you would go, he was there somewhere within your presence. It only took a few seconds (actually three according to Kafka) before he was there by your side. He’s grown comfortable after some time to finally trust himself to be physically affectionate with you without the fear of harming you. Sometimes he would have his arm around your waist, his hand holding yours or just standing close to you to where you might lightly bump shoulders. He wasn’t the type to admit things out loud. Rather let actions speak louder for his words.

But another thing was he was silent as hell. You lost count of the amount of times he had scared you since he was silently follow you and wouldn’t warn you about anything. It’s just seems like he appears out of nowhere when he’s there the entire time. Just going out for some fresh air, he was leaning against the wall with his eyes fixated on you. Going to the kitchen for a snack, he’s already grabbing it for you when you were just looking for it a second ago.

At times you would back up and accidentally bump into him out of nowhere when you thought you were by yourself. You would ask him to at least give you some sort of sign that he was there. Sometimes he did, sometimes he didn’t.

It rarely ends well when he comes back from mission in the middle of the night covered in blood.

[candy69gurl]

It's me I wanted to ask a student!Gojo x Student!reader,male x male,they are hidden in the basketball room or like changing room? were Gojo does an handjob at the reader and then when the reader cum Gojo is to worked up so he needs to fuck him?

Idk it's my first time asking yaoi so..umm thanks in advance

REALIZATION

PAIRING heart-throb Gojo Satoru x quiet shy boy (yaoi)

WARNING male x male, closet sex, dirty talks, handjob, cock rubbing, fingering, loss of virginity, anal, neck kissing, nipple play, cum on face, then some flulff and assuration (Red flag Gojo turns Green flag)

It's quite a sight, isn't it?

Everywhere he goes on campus, he's bombarded with screams, cheers, and catcalls from his adoring fans. The popularity, the attention, the admiration—he's practically swimming in it. It's a given: Gojo Satoru, the living, breathing epitome of Tokyo Metropolitan Technical College's ideal man, with his chiseled jawline, snow-white hair, and eyes as blue as the ocean on a clear summer day.

He's the golden boy of Tokyo Metropolitan Technical College, with a reputation that precedes him wherever he goes. Popular among both genders, and known to be quite the flirt, Satoru basks in the attention showered upon him by every student, acquaintance, and stranger alike. He's got a knack for getting his way, and he doesn't shy away from using his charm, wit, and skills to get what he desires.

And then there's the little matter of his romantic escapades.

Perhaps it's the thrill of the chase, or maybe just his insatiable curiosity, but one thing's for sure: Satoru never stays with a partner for long. He's the epitome of a commitment-phobe, moving from one girl to another, leaving a trail of broken hearts and bewildered faces in his wake.

It's become a running joke among his peers, the way he changes girlfriends as frequently as some people change underwears, LOL. But hey, it's all part of his charm, right?

For Satoru, variety is the spice of life, and he's determined to enjoy every flavor. He's not one to settle down with just one person, nor does he want to. In his eyes, the grass always seems greener on the other side, and he's more than eager to explore every blade.

But beneath his carefree facade and playboy lifestyle, there's a secret he's yet to reveal.

Amidst the chaos of his love life, there's a quiet, shy boy who's been nursing a secret crush on a girl—let's not say the name—for what feels like forever. She, however, has eyes only for Satoru.

But Satoru, as per usual, seems oblivious to this hidden affliction. He's too busy bask in his own world of popularity and admiration to notice the quiet boy's silent pining or the girl's unrequited love. He's a master of selective perception, focusing only on those who actively throw themselves at his feet. Little does he know, there's a hidden story unfolding right under his nose, one that could potentially shake his world.

One day, a new twist unfolds in the campus drama. A lottery determines that Satoru and the quiet, unassuming boy are to be paired up for a group project. Uproar and disappointment ripple through the halls, especially among the swooning fans who had hoped for a chance with Satoru.

The quiet boy, on the other hand, is a mix of surprise and confusion. He didn't expect to be paired with the campus heartthrob, the one his crush has been crushing on. Nonetheless, he remains silent, he does not want any drama in his life. He hopes to complete the project all by himself and add Gojo's name on it too.

Despite the disappointment all around, Satoru has another plan. He wants to befriend the quiet boy, not letting him carry the entire workload alone.

His interest in this new companion is more than just courtesy. He sees potential in the quiet, unassuming soul, and he wants to break through the shell of shyness and hesitation. He believes in teamwork, and he wants to show the quiet boy that they can make a great team together.

"Hey, buddy. No need for you to do all the hard work yourself, huh? Let's make a plan, and we'll make this project a piece of cake. So wait for me after school ends ,kay?"

The quiet boy nods uneasily, he hates to be the centre of attention, but whenever Satoru is talking to him or trying to him, everybody gives him a dirty look. Of course they are jealous, why this guy?

On hearing the news, the girl with a crush on the quiet boy rushes to him, her eyes wide with excitement and hope. "Is it true? Are you really working with Satoru?" she asks, desperation in her voice.

The quiet boy nods blushing furiously. "Please, please help me," she pleads, her eyes full of pleading. "I'll meet you outside the girls' changing room later today. I need to talk to you."

The quiet boy, his cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment, can't help but nod again avoiding eye contact.

But, as he agrees to meet his crush, he remembers the promise he made to Satoru. He recalls how Satoru told him to wait after school, but he can't shake the feeling that the busy, popular guy might forget or run late.

His heart tugs between loyalty and desire, Should I wait for Satoru first? Or should I stick to my promise with my crush? he wonders.

In the end, he chooses to wait for his crush, hoping beyond hope that his decision won't backfire.

After school, the quiet boy nervously waits at the designated spot, his heart pounding like a drum. He is earlier than usual he does not want to miss his chance with his dreamgirl. His anxiety heightens as a group of girls, the same ones who gave him dirty looks earlier, walks towards his direction. Panic surges through him, and he decides to hide near the locker room, peeking from the doorway.

As the girls pass by without incident, he breathes a sigh of relief. While the quiet boy nervously waits for his crush, Satoru is diligently keeping his word. He searches the school corridors until he spots the boy hiding near the "girls" changing room. Suspicion flares in Satoru's mind, and he approaches the mysterious rendezvous.

"Oooh, boy, what are you doing here?" Satoru teases, his voice filled with mischief. The quiet boy's heart jumps, caught in the act.

"P-please .. forgive me, I-I" he looks up to see Satoru with his cheeky smile, he lets out a sigh, "Oh.. you scared me"

"Why are you here? I told you to wait for me after school, so why you-.. Oh so are you trying to do some naughty thing here?" Gojo smirks.

"N-no.. I am n-" he is stopped by the sound of footsteps echoing and growing closer.

Just in time, Satoru pulls the boy into a small closet, the space barely fitting their bodies. They listen as the girls enter the room and the quiet boy's heart leaps as he hears the voice of his crush.

They're hidden, but the close quarters send a thrill through the boy. He can feel Satoru's warmth and hear his shallow breaths, his heart pounding in sync. This unexpected intimacy leaves the quiet boy even more flustered than before.

"It's all your fault, Satoru!" he whispers, his face burning with embarrassment, but Satoru chuckles softly, the dimple in his cheek deepening. "Hey, you were the one hiding in here first" he retorts playfully.

Then, their whispers are cut short by the familiar voice of the crush. "Oh, I hear Satoru's voice" she says, disappointment evident in her tone. Her friend pipes up, "Yeah, yeah, you always hear his voice"

The quiet boy's heart sinks as he hears his crush speaking. His only crush continues, her words leaving little to the imagination. "You don't know, I touch myself to thoughts of Satoru, I want him to fuck me, so hard and fast..." She trails off, adding more explicit details.

Satoru's laughter vibrates against the boy's back, his grip tightening ever so slightly. "What a down bad person" he murmurs, his voice low and teasing. The boy feels heat spreading across his face, both from the words and the situation.

Despite the embarrassment, the quiet boy can't deny the effect his crush's words have on him. His body responds, betraying him as he gets hard, brushing against Satoru's hand in the cramped space.

Satoru's laughter dies down, replaced by a low hum of appreciation. "Well, well, someone seems to be enjoying her horny imagination" he says, his voice a seductive rumble. The boy freezes, not sure how to react to this new turn of events. "Tell me do you have a crush on her" he teases.

Satoru does not know why but his hands move without warning, wrapping around the boy's suddenly hardened cock. It's a bold move, and the quiet boy is shocked. He's never even masturbated before, so he quickly covers his mouth to stifle any noise.

This unexpected touch startles and excites him, his breath hitching. Satoru's hands are warm and skilled, moving in a rhythm that sends shivers down the boy's spine. Despite the unusual situation, the quiet boy can't help but lean into the touch.

Satoru continues to tease the boy, his voice thick with amusement. "Imagining fucking her, huh? You're already leaking" he mocks, his fingers slipping beneath the boy's waistband with ease.

The quiet boy's breath hitches as Satoru's warm fingers brush against his most intimate place, his cheeks burning. He never imagined this would happen, but there's no denying the sensation is electrifying. He can't help but wonder how it would feel to be touched like this by his crush. His mind races with thoughts of what could be, his body responding to the taboo experience.

Satoru's fingers glide against him, and the boy bites down hard on his lip to suppress a moan. "But.. she can't make you feel the same way I do" he whispers into his ear, his voice husky and full of promise.

The boy's heart races, his breaths coming faster. He's never experienced anything like this before. He lets out a small moan, tears coming out of his as he is reaching his peak.

Satoru grips his cock tightly helping him to reach his best orgasm, but the boy lets out a loud whimper,

Outside the closet, the girls start whispering, discussing the sound they just heard. "Did you hear that?" his crush asks nervously, concern creeping into her tone.

Satoru reacts instinctively, pressing his lips against the boy's to muffle any further noise.

Their lips touch, soft yet firm, as Satoru continues to pump the boy to completion. The quiet boy's mind fills with a jumble of emotions - shock, arousal, and gratitude. He could taste the sweetness of Satoru's mouth, the connection sending sparks through him.

In this moment, the boy forgets about his all-ever wished girl, lost in the unexpected intimacy with Satoru. The pressure builds within him, the release imminent.

Satoru's kiss is brief, but potent. His lips move swiftly, breaking away just in time to allow the boy to let out a muffled gasp as he reaches his climax. Sweat drips down the quiet boy's forehead, his legs trembling as he comes.

As the aftershocks subside, Satoru pulls away, as the boy catches his breath, he hears his crush's friend snicker. "You're even hearing Satoru moaning, huh?" She teases, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Satoru pulls away, adjusting his clothes, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. He turns to the quiet boy, his eyes filled with a mix of mischief and warmth. "Did you like it?" he asks, a challenge in his voice.

The guy says nothing, he is too busy in getting over with the effects of the orgams. It's his first time after all.

Satoru listens carefully, hearing the footsteps fade. So he swings the door open, only for the poor boy to lose his balance and fall to the floor.

The quiet boy lies on the floor, his face flushed and sweaty, a testament to the intense experience they just shared. He's a sight to behold, tempting and vulnerable. His limp cock, covered in cum and nestled between his legs, is a clear sign of what just happened.

Satoru swallows hard, his erection straining against his pants at the sight before him. This feeling is unfamiliar, overwhelming. He's never felt this way for anyone, especially not for a boy. The thought that he could be attracted to a guy is foreign, yet undeniable.

Unable to hold back, Satoru unzips himself, his cock springing free. He approaches the boy, his heart pounding in his chest. He kneels before him, captivated by the sight of his cum-covered cock.

Slowly, he takes the boy's soft, sticky member into his hand, his own throbbing erection brushing against it. Satoru can't explain what's happening, but he feels an irresistible urge to claim this boy...

The quiet boy looks up at him, his eyes wide and filled with confusion and desire. He doesn't understand what's happening, but there's no denying the pull between them.

"What are you doing?!" he says in surprise, as Gojo keeps stroking himself against him.

"I want to fuck you" he confesses, his voice hoarse. The boy's eyes widen, shock etching across his features. "Are you crazy? I'm not gay!" he protests.

Satoru meets his gaze, his own eyes filled with sincerity. "Neither am I" he admits, his voice shaking slightly. "But I've never felt like this before. Please, I'll make you feel good."

The quiet boy takes a moment to process Satoru's words. He's never been with a guy before, let alone someone as confident and experienced as Satoru. But there's something in those blue eyes that makes him hesitate, something undeniably earnest.

He swallows hard, glancing down at their hard cocks. "I... I don't know" he murmurs, uncertainty creeping into his voice. "I... I'm not sure if I'm ready for this."

"Let me prepare you" Satoru says softly, his voice steady despite the nervousness echoing through the room. He pulls the boy closer, their bodies brushing intimately.

With gentle deftness, Satoru helps the quiet boy remove the rest of his pants, revealing his enticing ass. He can't help but swallow hard, desire coursing through him.

Reaching out, Satoru lubes his finger with his saliva and gently inserts a finger into the boy's tight entrance. The quiet boy gasps, his body tensing. He winces, the sensation foreign and unexpectedly pleasurable. He lets out a faint whimper, his dick hardening despite the confusion swirling in his mind. This sensation is new, foreign, yet undeniably good.

Satoru adds another finger, his movements slow and deliberate. The boy's eyes flutter shut, his body trembling under Satoru's touch. He's never felt like this before, overwhelmed by emotions and sensations.

"It's okay" Satoru whispers, his voice a soothing balm. "Just trust me."

He adds another finger, his touch steady and reassuring. The quiet boy takes deep breaths, trying to process the barrage of sensations assaulting him. His cock pulses in his hand, hard and eager.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Satoru asks, his voice laced with quiet triumph. "I promise, I'll make this good for you."

The quiet boy nods, his face flushed and breathless. Despite the confusion, he can't deny the pleasure coursing through him. Satoru's fingers inside him feel strange, yet exhilarating.

"Feels... strange," he admits, his voice barely above a whisper. "But...."

Satoru smiles, his fingers never pausing. He can feel the boy's body slowly relaxing, yielding to his touch. "Just relax, alright? You're doing great."

With a gentle tug, Satoru removes his fingers, the quiet boy's body protesting the loss. But before he can register what's happening, Satoru positions himself between his legs.

Their eyes meet, filled with anticipation and apprehension. With a slow, measured thrust, Satoru enters the boy, his cock sliding smoothly into his tight heat. The quiet boy gasps, his eyes widening in surprise.

Satoru's movements are slow and gentle, his thrusts deliberate. With every stroke, the quiet boy feels a rush of pleasurable sensations. He's never been with a guy before, let alone someone as skilled as Satoru.

"How does it feel?" Satoru asks, his voice husky. The quiet boy bites his lip, his heart pounding. "Unlike anything I've ever felt" he admits, his voice soft.

Satoru nods, his movements slow and gentle. His hands reach up, wrapping around the boy's cock. He strokes it in time with his thrusts, their bodies moving together in perfect harmony.

"Mghh~" the boy moans, his face reddening in heat. He can't believe he's enjoying this, enjoying Satoru's touch. His entire body trembling under the dual stimulation. The sensations are overwhelming, a perfect blend of pleasure and vulnerability.

Embarrassment floods him, his face flushing bright red. He covers his face with a hand, hiding his reaction from Satoru.

Satoru chuckles softly, his thrusts growing more forceful. "You're so beautiful, you know that?" he murmurs, his voice thick with lust.

Satoru trails kisses down the quiet boy's neck, his tongue tracing delicate paths. With his other hand, he reaches inside the boy's shirt, his fingers brushing over his nipple. The boy jolts, a sharp gasp escaping him.

Unable to control his response, he cums, his walls tightening around Satoru's cock.

Satoru groans, his thrusts growing frantic. The quiet boy's reaction fuels his own desire, sending sparks of desire through him.

"Fuck" he breathes out, his voice rough. He slows his thrusts, letting the quiet boy ride out his orgasm. The boy's cum spills over his hand, the sight sending a shiver down Satoru's spine.

His grip on the boy's nipple tightens, his thumb rubbing it in a circular motion. The boy arches, his body trembling under Satoru's touch. "You feel so good" Satoru whispers, his voice thick with desire. "So tight, so warm" he groans, his hips bucking involuntarily. "I can't... I can't take it anymore."

He picks up the pace, thrusting harder and faster. The quiet boy's eyes widen, his body arching with each thrust. His skin glistens with sweat, the room filled with the sounds of their passion.

With a final thrust, Satoru pulls out, the quiet boy gasping for air. His body trembles, still reeling from the intensity of their encounter.

Satoru grips the back of the boy's head, guiding it towards his cock. The quiet boy hesitates, but then closes his eyes, bracing himself. Satoru's release pulses onto his face, hot and sticky. He opens his eyes, a look of surprise crossing his features. Satoru watches, his breath hitched, the boy's face painted with his cum.

Satoru kisses the quiet boy's forehead, gentle and tender. "Your crush wants me, but I want you" he confesses, his voice low. "And don't worry, I'll make our thing public. What do you say? Will you be mine?"

The boy's face is still red, his eyes wide. He thinks for a moment, hesitating. "But what if people—" Satoru cuts him off, placing a finger on his lips. "I don't care about people" Satoru interjects, his voice firm, "I only want you." He looks into the boy's eyes, filled with sincerity and desire. "I want everyone to know you're mine. I want everyone to see what we share, to see how special you are to me."

The boy swallows, his confusion evident. "You really mean that?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper. Satoru smiles, his eyes shining.

"More than you'll ever know" he promises, his hand cupping the boy's cheek. His heart swells, feeling a sense of pride and joy. This boy, so quiet and innocent, has captured his heart in a way no one else has.

"We'll make it work, alright?" he continues, his gaze steady. "We'll face the world together, hand in hand. I'll protect you, I'll cherish you, and I'll love you until the end of time."

The next day, the quiet boy and Satoru walk through the halls, hand in hand. The sight catches everyone off guard, from girls to boys, jaws dropping in shock. The boy's ex-crush, caught off guard, stares in disbelief.

Satoru doesn't miss a beat. He looks around, his voice ringing with confidence. "Yes, he is my boyfriend" he announces, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

The whispers start, a ripple of shock spreading through the school. Satoru feels the eyes on them, but he doesn't let it bother him. He's made his choice, and he's not backing down.

"Don't worry" he tells the quiet boy, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "They'll get used to it. They'll see that we're happy, that we belong together."

The quiet boy looks up at him, a mix of fear and hope in his eyes. "What if they don't?" he asks, his voice low. Satoru chuckles, a small, reassuring smile playing on his lips. "They'll have to" he replies with a confident smirk. "I'm not the type of person you cross, remember?"

The quiet boy swallows, his heart racing. "But what if they... make fun of us?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper. Satoru leans in, whispering in his ear.

"We'll show them what we have," Satoru repeats, his voice low and firm. "We'll be stronger together than any rumor or gossip. We'll prove to them that love knows no bounds, that our connection is real and powerful."

The quiet boy takes a deep breath, his grip on Satoru's hand tightening. "Okay," he says, his voice barely audible. "I trust you, Gojo."

Satoru smiles, his heart swelling with warmth. "That's my good boy" he kisses the top of the boy's head, while everyone watches them from confusion to awe.

Tagging @rabbidbunwy @sweetchildcloud

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Caesar Gattuso - Year One

Cassell College, Norton Hall

Norton Hall was not accustomed to this level of decadence. The stately hall had hosted its own manner of events that catered to lords and ladies in the fashion of high society, but this event had the formality of a massive rock concert-slash-frat party. Although the sun had set, it was still technically Freedom Day and Caesar Gattuso had made his presence known in his first year by winning the contest. Now it was time to cement his legacy. As soon as the announcement of the winner was read, trucks rushed to surround Norton Hall and opened their back doors to reveal equipment that had to have been ordered weeks in advance. Huge speakers, stage equipment, sound, lighting and confetti. By the time the guests arrived, the music was loud enough to shake the building. 

The blue and white Sikorsky helicopter, the mother of all helicopters, swooped over Norton Hall blowing the hair of the women and sending decorations flying. A rope was lowered down and Caesar Gattuso - year one - swung down recklessly, a vicious cold smile on his face, firing a gun in the air. There was a moment of gaiety and joy as the new students of the Student Union welcomed their President with cheers and raised glasses and thunderous applause.

Caesar landed cleanly in his Cassell Uniform, that old green, but he quickly tossed away that jacket to reveal his bare muscular chest. A huge crate landed on the ground next to him and he opened it and pulled out a huge gun that looked like a bazooka and fired it into the air. The rocket exploded into bright red fireworks and he laughed, like a joyous king on conquering the enemy capital. The jacket soared into the gathered crowd in the garden where the women in bathing suits pounced on it, tearing and yanking on it like packs of hyenas.  The day was hot and humid and the perfect time for a pool party. There should not have been any time to build a real pool but Caesar anticipated his win so far in advance that he ordered the sculpture garden revamped. The water was just ready enough as he made his entrance and all the guests dove into a new pool that stretched the length of the backyard.

Dancers surrounded the pool in sequined bathing suits waving feather fronds in their own individual spotlights. The walls of the outside of the building were covered in billboard-sized LED screens so people could watch themselves party. The sound and lighting alone had to cost a few hundred grand and the power demands were so great that generator trucks sat outside. But Caesar doesn’t care about time, money, or restrictions. That’s why he hires people. He just wanted it done and Caesar had over staffed. The attendance was bloated with waiters pouring champagne, valets taking clothes to lockers, cooks replenishing the buffet and cleaning up crew to cart away the bottles. He never wanted his guests to wait or wonder when the next plate of hors dourves would pass by. He wanted everyone to get roaring drunk. And they weren't drinking from some old well. They were drinking the finest, top-shelf liquor and spirits a Gattuso could afford.

And that meant all of them, open bar. 

Security detail especially was huge.  Caesar was accustomed to party crashers. Before you could even approach Norton Hall on this night you had to get through layers of checkpoints. If you weren’t on the list, you couldn’t even approach the street the building was on and had to watch and listen from a distance, knowing that you just weren’t good enough to make the cut for Student Union.

Nono was poolside, cooling her toes in the water. Her bikini accentuated the curves of her body and the length of her legs. If anything was worthy about Cassell it was her. Despite the rich and joyous smiles of everyone around, their eyes met easily over the fray and the noise. She was calm as though this was a nice day at the beach and that unruffled manner in a sea of revelry just made his heart beat faster. He made his way over to her and offered her her own glass of Champagne which she accepted with serene grace. 

“Enjoying the party?” He asked, sitting down next to her.

She sipped, her eyes taking in the scene in front of her.. “Hm. It’s certainly fun watching everyone have such a good time. But I’m more curious about what’s happening next door.”

He followed her gaze. The revamping of the backyard to accommodate the pool had left a gap in the shrubbery and they could both see the cars parked out in front of Amber Hall as a shield. “Those flags on the antennae of the cars don’t come from any coat of arms or country I’ve ever seen. What about you?”

“It does seem like a state visit. The student inside registered as His Royal Highness.” Caesar smirked a bit. “But results on his exam are still pending. We’ll see how much of a King he really is.”

“Are you planning to start a war?” Her eyes sparkled with intrigue, that unique shade of crimson that fascinated him the moment he saw it the first time.

“Well, they’ve drawn the battleline already haven’t they?” Caesar’s eyes glittered with malicious humor. “Kings are meant to be conquered.” He finished off his glass and a waiter was there to take it immediately. “But since you’re so interested. Shall we go spy on the neighbors?”

“You’re going to ditch your own party that you paid millions for?” Nono snorted.

“I will if you want to.” He said softly, so that only she could hear.

Nono suddenly felt a perverse rise in rebellion at this but, in fact, she was curious who those people were. She didn’t answer verbally. She just stood up and started walking. Caesar followed. 

The only way to see over the trucks was to rise to the second floor but this mystery family had even thought of that and installed black tarps over the garden where people could go outside if they wanted fresh air. These tarps extended from the second story windows of Amber Hall to the SUVs. The rest of the grounds were empty of people. Nono had her bare legs over Caesar’s bare shoulders on the open air balcony, using binoculars to peer in though a tiny gap between the tarps, watching people pass by a single window. Because they thought the tarps would hide it, they left that window uncovered.

“They look older. The people in attendance aren’t students. But they must all be hybrids. Some of them are armed. I saw one with a gun earlier.” Nono said. “They look antique though. Nothing modern.”

“Old men come to cosplay? Typical royal family. Turns out this isn’t as interesting as I thought it would be.” Caesar said.

As soon as those words left his mouth, a sound reached his ears, soft, but unmistakable. A gunshot. Caesar blinked in confusion, not sure if he had heard right. Then another and another! 

“Something’s happened, the crowd is scattering!” Nono said.

He lowered Nono from his shoulders.. “Get down!”

“Hey, put me back up!” 

But Caesar had already vaulted over the balcony and landed on his feet, dashing towards Amber Hall. Nono followed him, determined not to let him get to know what was going on before she did.

-------------

While Dominic was taking his royal vows, a pair of green eyes watched him from the upper floor of Amber Hall. Those Green eyes belonged to Tjark - silent T - Beninga. He was also in a Cassell Uniform but stayed in the shadows. He’d heard of Dominic from his family after he got accepted to Cassell, his parents had applied for him to go here as a ‘special assignment’. His family were underground merchants, mercenaries, and the rich people below needed someone to watch their favored son and with his high level blood, he was a shoe in for the job. It wasn’t until after his arrival did he understand that his job wasn’t to protect the little prince, but to keep him from escaping.

Apparently, he didn’t want to be a prince. Tough break. You can’t pick your parentage.

But he didn’t mind being on watch duty. Dominic was easy on the eyes. If he played his cards right, perhaps he could be promoted to his closest side rather than being a peripheral.

When Dominic fell to the floor, he sat up straight watching Sylke race to him with a feeling of jealousy. That is until his black sword nearly took off her head and the gun fired. Dominic was running up the stairs, firing the pistol, efficiently dropping people one by one and he felt his heart flutter with amazement, excitement, and admiration. He hadn’t really believed this guy was an escape artist. Now he could see it with his own eyes. His job was to stop him from getting away at any cost.

The man was racing right for him towards a second story window, but Tjark simply raised his foot to catch his shin. Dominic fell forward but twisted his body immediately to face him. His eyes were crazed and desperate. He was running for real.

Tjark was top of his class in Taekwondo, Karate and Judo and immediately as he saw that fiery bright light in Dominic’s eyes he felt it spark in him. He no longer had to hold back for sporting rules of competition. He wondered how many hits this guy could take as he lashed out with his fists against and again.

But each time he struck, Dominic continued to back away, ducking, keeping his distance and blocking with one arm. Until he reached the window. Tjark saw his plan and hurried to block him from jumping through. That glass wasn’t the safe kind that could break into little pebbles but the kind that would shatter into sharp blades.

Dominic raised the pistol and fired at Tjark’s head and Tjark ducked away.

Dominic recklessly leaped through it, crystal shards tearing into his suit as he rolled down the tarps to the vans with Tjark right behind him. “Are you insane?” He asked, laughing. 

Dominic didn’t answer, he just turned, fired the gun once, but his aim missed.  He leaped down from the SUV and took off towards where Caesar and Nono were approaching with stunned looks on their faces. He passed them with the full unnatural speed of a hybrid.

 “Nice ass, buddy!” Tjark hollered as he passed them. “Just let me handle this and go back to your party! I’ll see you later!”

Caesar sneered.

When Tjark turned back around, Dominic was on him like a tiger. As soon as he realized Tjark was distracted he turned right back around, ran back to him and destroyed his temple with a roundhouse kick that knocked him flat to the pavement. He pulled a pistol and shot him once before turning and running away.

Nono gasped and rushed to where Tjark was lying on the ground.

“He’s fine. That was an alchemy round. He’ll wake up in about thirty minutes.”  

At this time, people were pouring out of Amber Hall. “Find him! Don’t let him get away!”

Caesar’s eyes widened. This was way more fun than a frat party. A game of hide and seek, a scavenger hunt, a chase. He had to keep this in mind for the next Day of Liberty. He turned and ran back towards Norton Hall.

“Where are you going?” Nono asked.

 He shouted over his shoulder. The cold light in his eyes was replaced by a fiery challenge. “This is way more interesting. You’re right! I’m going to join in!”

[starletteex]

Men's Singles Table Tennis Final - Full Match | Rio 2016 Replays

Court Dimensions:

The tournament in the video is played indoors, with its court dimensions consisting of a table that measures 9 m in length by 5 m in width. In addition, the playing surface is 2.5 cm high and it stretches 6 cm beyond the width of the table. These tables can be made out of a variety of materials, including plywood, concrete, metal, plastic, and fiber-glass.

Equipment:

The equipment that can be found in the video includes a table tennis shirt, shorts, shoes, socks, and paddles. 

Ma Long - In the video, he wore a red shirt with yellow and dark red lines, a white symbol on the right, and a Chinese flag on the left, his name can also be seen in white text on the back. He wore black shorts with a blue design and a white symbol. He had white socks with white shoes, red ties, and design. If you look closely you can see that his socks had a design as well.

Zhang Jike - In the video, he wore a black shirt with yellow lines, a white symbol on the left, and a Chinese flag on the right, his name can also be seen in white text on the back. He was wearing black shorts with a blue design and a white symbol. He also had white socks with white shoes that consist of a blue and yellow design. If you look closely you can see that his socks had a design as well.

In the video, the paddles are red and black on either side, and there's a little bit of blue in it. They also used paddles that are made of hardwood. Paddles made of wood are known to be the best choice for most players, as the blades have a certain elasticity to them. There is also a rubber surface that comes in contact with the ball, they are called rubbers, they affect the amount of friction applied.

The general equipment are the table tennis ball, net, and table 

Table tennis ball-The ball in the video is white-colored and is made out of a plastic-like material called celluloid. There is air trapped inside the ball which would allow it to bounce after hitting a paddle or a table.

Table tennis net-The net is colored black and stretches across the width of the table surrounded by white posts. It is also made of a stretchy nylon material.

Table tennis tables-The table is probably the largest and most expensive equipment needed to play the sport.  Its color is blue-green with a yellow pillar holding it up, it also consists of white lines which mark the area of play and a net in the center that divides the table into two.

Basic Skills:

The basic skills in table tennis include the forehand drive technique, backhand topspin, forehand push and backhand push, forehand flick, backhand flick, backhand loop of the underspin ball, forehand attack of the semi-long ball, forehand fast serve and forehand pendulum serve. I noticed that they both used the forehand drive technique quite well with the help of proper grip, learning the forehand drive is one of the first basic skills that should be taught to the players. It also serves as the basis for advanced strokes, such as the forehand topspin technique. Next is the backhand topspin, which could also be seen redundantly in the video, this skill should be learned as you learn the forehand drive technique because it's a basic skill that every player should master. In addition, the backhand topspin is a very quick move that can give you an advantage if your opponent doesn't pay close attention to the ball. Next are the forehand push and backhand push, both of them had an aggressive push with a quick pace and a powerful hit, which caught their opponent off guard and helped them score points. Next, is the forehand flick, which requires the players to aggressively return the serve, which both of them executed very well. Next is the backhand flick which is kind of similar to the forehand flick except for the way you hold the paddle is different, it is still a must to exert aggressiveness in doing these various skills. Next is the backhand loop which incorporates the lower part of your body, the concept for using your legs for your backhand attack is known as "power from the ground". In the video both the players widely used their lower body parts during the entire game and not just their upper body. Next is the forehand attack which has a ton of advantages, they can either do a short serve which is not risky, a long serve, and a semi-long serve which allows you to hit the ball off the table. If one of the players utilizes this skill then they will either perform a backhand flick or an aggressive forehand flick technique. Next is the forehand fast serve, which focuses on both the speed and power of the players, utilizing this skill has various advantages, such as giving your opponent a surprise, putting the opponent under a lot of pressure, reducing the quality of the server's return of the opponent, opening rallies and counter-rallies, and lastly, you're most likely to have a higher chance of attacking first. Lastly is the forehand pendulum serve which can be seen at the beginning of each round and is the best serve in table tennis. Overall, all the basic skills I've stated can be seen in the video, and both of the players have managed to perform them very well, along with proper footwork and grip of the paddle. However, I observed that both players need to work on their backhand skills because many faults occurred. 

Technical and Tactical Skills:

Teaching technical and tactical skills is important because it helps give the player who uses them an advantage over their opponent, with that being said, the technical and tactical skills at table tennis include playing on your opponent's weakness, playing consistently and not making unforced mistakes, portraying great stance and proper movement, varying strokes, playing using your strengths, and offense or defense strategies.  Playing on your opponent's weakness requires you to know who your opponent is and use his or her weaknesses to your advantage. Playing consistently requires you to keep practicing and keep the ball in play for as long as you can.  It's important to have the right stance as it gives you balance, stability, and range of movement while playing the game, movement also plays a crucial role in table tennis, in the video you can see that they kept on traversing across the table trying to hit the ball in areas where they could potentially score a point. Varying your strokes is important because playing the same stroke over and over again will give your opponent a greater advantage. Play using your strengths is significant because using your best shots can stop your opponent from dictating the match thus, giving you an advantage while playing. Lastly, is the offense/defense strategy, applying these in the game, requires players to take the initiative and act aggressively to enforce errors due to speed, spin, and placement variations. In the video, Ma Long won because he was better at applying the strategies of offense and defense.

Rules of the Game:

It is very important to know the rules and regulations of a sport before playing, as this gives understanding to all the players involved. That being said, there is a myriad of rules and regulations that players must watch out for while playing table tennis.

To start a point, the server must stand at the back of the table and serve either the forehand or the backhand. The ball must be thrown up either equal to or above the height of the net before the ball is struck, and the ball must be thrown from an open palm to stop finger spin.

If the ball hits the net on the serve but continues on the other side, then a 'let' is played.

Players are allowed to hit the ball around the side of the net.

The ball has to bounce on the player's side of the table before they play their shot.

During play, the competitors are not allowed to touch the table with their non-bat hand. If they do, the point will be conceded.

Players must swap ends at the end of the game, and in the final match, players will switch ends after five points.

How to Officiate the Sport:

There are only two officials in table tennis, the referee and the umpire. The referee is required to be present throughout the tournament and is required to uphold the rules. The umpire, on the other hand, uses their judgment in applying the laws and regulations. Overall, the officials in the video did a great job officiating the tournament, as they made sure that the game was played fairly.

Link of the Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5H-Eq_Kcxw&t=546s

[chalcid]

9: Follow the Swords (Disappear

I was solid, again, I think. The world still resembled an abstract painting I made in third grade, but I staggered to my feet. Wild Magic was like the worst amusement park ride ever, but it has sure helped me appreciate the feeling of my boots on the ground.

As the world began to stop swirling and churning before my eyes, I could make out Edonia and Kev.

"You weren't there before," I think Edonia said. It was hard to tell in this dreamy state.

"Hey guys," I said weakly "So, I just had a really bizarre encounter with the guitarist from Thordis's band and I think we're supposed to follow the swords."

"Swords?" Kev asked "A guitarist? What?"

"Hang on," Edonia said "How do we know you're the real Merika?"

"Test me."

"How do you classify any objects you find when you're not sure where it's from or  what it is."

"Usually by whatever's going on in my life at the time, along with relevant information, like the School Dance Vase or the Unit 3 half a pot," I replied.

"It's her," Edonia said to Kev.

Kev hugged me tightly. "I'm glad you are okay."

"Me too," I replied.

"Look," Kev said "Swords. We should follow those right?"

"Yeah," I confirmed.

Swords, heavily rusted from who knows how many years of rain were stuck blade first into the ground like they were garden lights. It was almost annoying how painfully obvious it was.

We had wandered the woods for several hours. I was absolutely soaked to the bone, although the rain had stopped. Curse my arrogance. Umbrellas, as it turned out, were not for the weak but for the clever, and oh, what a fool I was.

"Kev," I said, "If anyone ever offers to teleport you with Wild Magic, ask them for a map instead."

"I will."

We plodded on a bit longer.

"End of the line," Edonia said, holding her arm out to bring us to a halt. "There are no more swords."

I glanced at the swords, and then glanced up. There was a curtain of ivy concealing the ruins at the end of the path.

"Open the ivy-curtain," I mumbled, sitting down on a tree stump. "I need to sit for a moment."

"Okay," Edonia said. She glanced at me, and then at the ivy-curtain. "You don't think that the... the spirit who told you all this was lying? This could very well be a trap."

"I know them," I said "I mean, I met them once, and they didn't say anything to me, but they seem cool."

"Did they ask for something in return?" Edonia fretted "What did you promise them?"

"Just that I would buy them some coffee. They get to choose when and where, though."

Edonia relaxed "Then we probably won't die walking into here. You two wait here, I'll scout ahead."

She parted the ivy-curtain and disappeared inside.

"It's past my bedtime," Kev said, moving to stand beside me. "Our family must be super worried."

I chuckled bitterly "You're a good kid, Kev. I'm so sorry I dragged you all the way out here."

"I didn't want you to be lost and far away from home all alone," Kev said, touching my arm.

"I should have been firmer. I should have lied," I buried my head in my hands "I do reckless, stupid stuff all the time and everyone's used to me just... running off. Disappearing. I shouldn't have let you come with me."

"You'd be out here with just Edonia," Kev argued.

"So what? Eddy is an absolute wizard and she knows all kinds of cool things and she's got her life put together."

"You're my sister," Kev said "Sisters are there for each other, right?"

I sighed deeply "This isn't you keeping me out of trouble. This is me dragging you right into it."

Kev didn't answer that.

Edonia poked her head out of the ivy "Okay, it's safe."

"Wait," I said "What did I get you for your last birthday?"

"A pocket watch from an Asterellan shipwreck with amethysts," Edonia replied.

"Okay, it's her," I said mostly to myself. "Let's go check out these ruins already.

I pulled open the ivy curtain "After you,"

Something echoed back "No, after you."

The ruins were absolutely creepy. I mean, the whole woods were creepy, sure, but the village was a completely different kind of creepy. I expected it to be like the rest of the woods with the black and red trees and bones and swords and things whispering about you in the shadows.

Here, there was grass, good old green grass poking up from the dirt. The trees were cleared in an almost perfect circle. The actual village had been sunk into the mud, leaving only the crooked tops of the buildings. The only structure left untouched was a tower on the opposite side of the woods.

"I don't think we should try and go into any of the houses," I informed Edonia. She nodded in agreement.

"Anything interesting has got to be covered in mud," Edonia sighed "If it wasn't so dangerous, maybe we could excavate the place, but..."

"Let the past be buried this time. Cheer up, there might be something cool in the tower," I said. I paused "Actually, everyone, take a turn-back-check. It's here, we saw it," I fumbled with my phone and snapped a few pictures "And now we have photos. So, at this point, it technically wouldn't be a loss if we went home."

"Let's check out the tower and then head home," Edonia said "This is the only chance to explore here we've got."

I glanced up at the stars in the sky "We could come back when it's daytime."

"No, we should see this through," Kev said.

"Curses. I hate it when I'm the sensible one. Alright, let's go check out this tower, but there has to be something cool I can bring home or I'm going to scream."

"Sounds fair," Edonia said "Just don't scream while we're here, or the Calandra Deer might mistake you for a mate."

The thought generated a large amount of yikes.

Runes were gouged in the tower's wood. I squinted at them. Yep, that wasn't written in a language I could understand. They did look vaguely similar to the runes on Deyanira's skin, though. The same language maybe? I took a picture.

Edonia pushed the door open, and we stepped into the tower. She turned on her flashlight and begun swinging the light back and forth.

"Wait," I said.

She froze.

"Up and to the right a little."

The light hit a mural. I took a picture.

"The Calandra Deer," Kev said, touching the paint carefully "And the village."

It was a gruesome painting. People screaming. Blood everywhere. Calandra Deer with arms and legs in their mouths. But...

"Did someone just... stop and paint everything in detail while everyone else was packing up," I questioned. "Edonia, to the right, please."

Another mural. Fire raining from the sky while ships sailed away. The castle looked like the old Mariveyan one in pictures, but the Bazflamep flag was raised. Ships were sailing away.

"This would be the war," I said.

"But that would have been hundreds of years after anyone lived here," Edonia said. The light fell on the third mural.

"And I have no idea what this is," I declared.

There were a group of singers in a circle, heads bowed. In the background, there were more people playing instruments, a couple with swords, and plenty of people using various water magics. A stormy sea with waves ten times as tall as them, at least. And a water demon with a crown and some sort of weird blue lightning.

Wait. That wasn't lightning, it was the barrier.

The barrier cracking.

"This is weird," I announced "How could anyone have known anyone about this."

"Let's search the place," Edonia suggested. "Maybe the resident kept a diary?"

She shone the flashlight around the room, while Kev and I checked under things and on top of things.

"Nothing in here," Kev declared.

"Let's check upstairs then," Edonia decided.

"Watch your step," I warned Kev "Old staircase are rarely stable."

Luckily, we made it up the steps without incident. And... jackpot! A desk.

"Logical place to keep a diary, right," I said, gesturing to the desk.

"Maybe a bit obvious," Kev said skeptically.

"Maybe. But let's check anyway," I said.

Edonia passed Kev the flashlight and opened the drawers. "Nothing... wait, no, I spoke too soon," she pulled out a book and held it aloft like a divine scroll of knowledge. "This is it. I hope."

Something thumped, and we all jumped.

"Hey, let's get out of here," Kev suggested.

"Fully agreed," I said. I glanced at a table "Ooh, shiny. Could I take this with me?" I asked, pocketing a ring of some sort.

"Sure. Let's just get home. My family must be terribly worried," Edonia fretted.

"Ours too," Kev said.

We all glanced at each other. There was another thump.

We sprinted for the door, slammed it shut, and raced back into the woods proper. The heavy rain had returned, so did my terror.

"Keep the flashlight on," I suggested "Maybe it could scare off predators? We could link hands, too, so as not to get separated again."

"Smart," Kev said.

I grabbed Edonia's hand and Kev grabbed mine and we all stumbled through the woods until we found a road.

"Oh thank the stars," Edonia said, collapsing into the roadside grass. "I'm never doing that again. But we've got the diary, and we can read it together tomorrow after school."

"Sounds great," I said, patting the pocket with the diary and the ring to make sure they were still there. "I'm going to call a ride home."

I dialed Uncle Decimus. He picked up almost immediately.

"Merika? Are you hurt? It's two in the morning, what happened?"

"Uncle Decimus, I'm somewhere outside Bramble Woods. I'm not sure where. I need a ride, but I'm not alone."

"What?" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, that came out confusing. I set out on what I thought would be a fun adventure in the rain this afternoon and then it went downhill. My friends and I, we found the road though. We're scared, please come and get us."

"I'm on my way," he declared.

"Okay, Uncle Decimus is coming to pick us up," I announced "Let's just sit tight for now."

It started raining even harder. Kev whistled quietly to herself. I vaguely recognized the tune as a theme song to something Lawrence watched.

I spotted a car zooming down the road at ten above the speed limit and pointed "I think that's him!"

The driver rolled down the window, and it was, in fact, Uncle Decimus.

"Merika," he shouted.

I waved, and he parked the car next to us. "Oh, you girls look so pale... No wait, you might just be naturally pasty, but Merika, you shouldn't be that color. You're halfway dead."

He paused his speech to embrace me only to pull away and mutter something like "So cold."

"Thank you, Mr. Saltwaters," Edonia said politely.

"Yeah, thanks," Kev piped up.

Uncle Decimus rubbed his eyes and stared at her "You're a child. Why is this child accompanying you on a dangerous quest."

"She invoked my emotional weakness and I couldn't say no," I mumbled "Never again."

"Never again is right. Get in the car, kids, I'll take you wherever you need to go."

"Thank you," Edonia said again. She glanced at me "Should we test to make sure it's really him?"

"Nah," I decided "He didn't come from the woods."

"What?" Uncle Decimus asked.

"Wild magic," I spread my arms "It's real. I'll tell you more about it on the ride home."

Uncle Decimus opened the the door, and Edonia and Kev moved the window shield to squeeze into the backseat.

I plopped down next to them, and to home we rode.

[meredithmcclaren]

All the Pride Dinos from 2018.

Line 1 from Left to Right: Pride-acosaurus, Lesbian-asaura, Me-gay-lodon, Bi-lociraptor

Line 2: Trans-saurus Rex, Pan-oplosaurus, Poly-ptoceratops, Queer-zalcoatlus

Line 3: Questioning-saurus, Sinocallio-intersex, Ace-eroraptor, Aro-tosaurus

Line 4: Demi-ceiomimus, Gray-gilisaurus, Kulind-androgynous, Agender-oraptor

Line 5: Genderqueer-anadon, Genderfluid-osuchus, Non-Binary-bbachisaurus, Abrosaurus

[Description: Various dinosaurs colored in accordance with different pride flags atop a black background.  More detailed descriptions below the cut]

[Dinosaurs listed from left to right.

Line 1, Dinosaur 1: A Psittacosaurus colored like the pride flag.  It is standing upright facing just forward and to the left.  It has a brown base that gets darker towards the bottom of its feet.  And it has spots colored like the rainbow starting with red at the head and ending with purple at the tail.

Line 1, Dinosaur 2: A feathered Leaellynasaura colored like the lesbian pride flag. Its body is angled to the audience’s left with its face towards the viewer.  Its tail is curled behind it.  Its feathers mostly pink, with a lighter underbelly and a dark spot on it’s tail.

Line 1, Dinosaur 3: A Megalodon colored with the gay pride colors.  It is swimming towards the viewer’s right.  Its underbelly is white and it has stripes arranged in a rainbow along it’s back.

Line 1, Dinosaur 4: A feathered Velociraptor colored with the bisexual pride colors.  It is in profile with one foot on the ground and another raised up.  Its arms are stretched out and its tail curves behind it.  The legs are blue, the underbelly is hot pink, and its back is purple.

…

Line 2, Dinosaur 1:  A feathered Tyrannosaurus Rex colored with the trans pride colors.  The dinosaur is in profile facing the viewer’s right with its head low and its tail curved high behind it.  Its body is mostly blue with a pink tail, feet, and coloring around the eyes and nose.

Line 2, Dinosaur 2:  A Panoplosaurus colored with the pansexual pride colors.  It is jump/running with its front legs low to the ground and its back legs high in the air.  The dinosaur is facing the viewer’s left.  Its legs and underbelly are hot pink with a yellow scaled head, followed by blue scales along the back dotted with pale yellow spikes.

Line 2, Dinosaur 3:  A Leptoceratops colored with the polyamory pride colors.  The dinosaur’s body is angled to the viewer’s right while the face is forward and to the left.  Three legs are on the ground (though one back leg is mostly hidden) and the fourth front leg is held up.  It has a red underbelly and and blue coloring along its back.  There are black spots and stripes along it’s eyes, crest, spine.

Line 2, Dinosaur 4:  Not technically a dinosaur.  A feathered Quetzalcoatlus colored in the queer pride colors.  The dinosaur’s body and head are facing the viewer’s right.  Its hind legs are tucked behind its wings in a crouched position.  Its head is looking upwards.  The body is mostly white with black legs, pink wings, a blue beak, a yellow crest, and a small ring of bright green around its eye.

…

Line 3, Dinosaur 1:  A Qauaesitosaurus with questioning pride colors.  It is lying down with its front legs forward and its back legs reclined towards the viewer’s left.  It has a long neck and its face is looking towards the viewer’s left.  Its tail curves up and behind its body.  It has a green underbelly with yellow spots coming around its back and red spots along its spine and tail.

Line 3, Dinosaur 2:  A feathered Sinocalliopteryx with intersex pride colors.  It is a raptor like dinosaur with its body and face looking towards the viewer’s right.  It is mostly yellow with a purple beak, hands, feet, and a purple circle on its chest.

Line 3, Dinosaur 3:  A feathered Acheroraptor colored with asexual pride colors.  The raptor’s body is mostly in profile towards the viewer’s right, but its neck and face are turned towards the viewer’s left.  It is seated on it’s haunches with two small wings mostly covering its hind legs.  The underbelly is white while a stripe of purple goes across its shoulder blades down both wings and then up the neck towards the eyes.  Its back end and tail is gray.  Its beak, wing tips, legs, and the end of its tail are all black.

Line 3, Dinosaur 4:  A seated Rhoetosaurus colored with aromantic pride colors.  This is a long necked dinosaur that has its back end seated and its tail curved behind its body.  One front most leg is picked up slightly.  The dinosaur is facing the viewer’s right.  Its underbelly is gray with black along its back. Its spine has spots of a dark and light green.

…

Line 4, Dinosaur 1:  A half feathered Dromiceiomimus colored with the demisexual pride colors.  The ostrich-like dinosaur is running towards the viewer’s left but its head is turned to look behind it (the veiwer’s right)  Its legs and tail are unfeathered and light gray.  Its head, neck, back and arms are covered in black feathers that end just as the tail begins.  There is a spot of white under its chin, and its eyes and beak are purple.

Line 4, Dinosaur 2:  A feathered Agilisaurus colored with graysexual pride colors.  The dinosaur looks to be in mid hop and in profile.  Its body faces the viewer’s left.  The underbelly is white, while most of the rest of the body is purple.  Its legs, eye, and beak are gray and its eye is ringed in black.

Line 4, Dinosaur 3:  A feathered Kulindadromeus colored in the androgynous pride colors.  The dinosaur is facing towards the viewer’s left with its head slightly lowered and its tail curling around behind it.  The legs are dark gray leading into a lighter gray along its sides.  Its under belly is hot pink and stripes of thin pink go from along its front to its back.  Its head is mostly blue with stripes of blue going alongside the pink along its back.  Its beak is a darker pink and its eye is a lighter blue.

Line 4, Dinosaur 4:  A feathered Eroraptor colored in the agender pride colors.  The dinosaur’s body is mostly facing the viewer’s right with its head turned towards the viewer’s left.  The legs and hands are black while the lower half of its body is a light green and its upper body is white.  Around its snout and eyes it is gray.

…

Line 5, Dinosaur 1: An Iguanadon colored with the genderqueer pride colors.  It is standing on it’s back legs with its front legs picked up.  The body is facing the viewer’s right but the head is facing the viewer’s left.  Its tail is curved upwards.  The body is mostly green with stripes of white around the legs and back.  The toes, eyes, and beak are purple.

Line 5, Dinosaur 2:  A feathered Indosuchus colored with the genderfluid pride colors.  Its body is mostly forward facing with a slight angle to the viewer’s right.  The head is facing the viewer’s left and its tail is curved upwards behind it.  The legs are black, the underbelly and arms are pink, and the upper back legs and back are white feathers.   Along the back there are spots of blue, ringed in purple ending in a tail that has blue top feathers and purple under feathers.

Line 5, Dinosaur 3:  A Rebbachisaurus colored with the non-binary pride colors.  The body is facing forward and to the viewer’s left.  The long neck is curved and the face is angled towards the viewer’s right.  The head is mostly in profile.  Both front legs and a back leg are on the ground, the fourth leg is picked up slightly.  Its tail curves downward behind it.  The body is mostly yellow with a zigzag pattern along it’s back in black and purple.  Its back has a large lighter purple ridge with spikes along its top pointed straight up.  The head is black.  The eyes are purple.  And the tail has white stripes towards its end.

Line 5, Dinosaur 4: Description: An Abrosaurus colored with the abrosexual pride flag colors.  Its body is facing the viewer’s left with a long neck and head curved toward the viewer’s right.  It’s foremost front leg is picked up in midstep.  The tail is curved behind its body.  The body is hot pink with a chin and forehead crest that are lighter pink.  It’s legs have stripes in light and dark green.]

[rowdownthrowdown]

1-100

You’re such a fucking shit but fine

The meaning behind my url: Rowing is lyfe and I’m always ready to thrown down it’s pretty simple 

A picture of me:Ugh fine to come

How many tattoos i have and what they are:3: A paper airplane with a blue/green watercolor background in the crook of my hip, a heart rhythm pattern on the side of my ribs, and a set of my University’s oars on my shoulder blade

Last time i cried and why:Um I’m not sure but probably Depression

Piercings i have:Ears

Favorite band:I have a couple of favs but probably Walk the Moon

Biggest turn offs:Dicks, choking, disrespect, not being a decent person in general

Top 5 Disney Movies:Mulan, Lilo and Stitch, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, Zootopia

Tattoos i want:I want a watercolor phoenix that takes up the entire (other) side of my ribs

Biggest turn ons:Showing she cares and is interested, neck kissing, being herself, confidence

Age:21

Ideas of a perfect date:Picnic out in the country under the stars, talking about anything and everything, cuddling and smiling and just enjoying each other

Life goal:To help people

Piercings i want:I’m not really a piercing person

Relationship status:Technically single but talking to someone and definitely not looking 

Favorite movie:The Martian

A fact about my life:I won a national championship in robotics in 8th grade

Phobia:Sneks. I have an irrational fear that they’ll slither into bodily orifices. So I still think they’re cute while contained or from a distance but they can fuck right off if they’re next to me.  

Middle name:That’s unimportant. It’s gross.

Height:5′6″ if I manage to unslouch all the way but usually more like 5′5″ bc I’m a trash human being

Are you a virgin?Lol no

What’s your shoe size?8 in women’s, 6 in men’s/boys

What’s your sexual orientation?Good fuckin question. I like girls and I like sleeping with girls. I find some men attractive and could see a relationship but absolutely nothing sexual. But even with girls I’m a little strange about how I experience attraction so probably somewhere on the ace spectrum.

Do you smoke, drink, or take any drugs?Drink socially, no smoking or drugs

Someone you miss:I mean I miss my dog always

What’s one thing you regret?So, so many things

First celebrity you think of when someone says attractive:Anna Kendrick

Favorite ice cream?Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked probably 

One insecurity:My teeth are fucked bc my family was too poor to afford orthodontics when I was at the usual orthodontic age but I’m starting a higher paying job soon and will hopefully be fixing them

What my last text message says:“She will text when close”--my mom about my sister dropping something off

Have you ever taken a picture naked?What else do you use snapchat for?

Have you ever painted your room?Indeed. It’s currently grey. 

Have you ever kissed a member of the same sex?Thank God yes

Have you ever slept naked?Mhmm, after sex let’s be honest. I’m not one for being naked otherwise

Have you ever danced in front of your mirror?Probably at some point lol

Have you ever had a crush?Well yeah

Have you ever been dumped?Actually no, I’ve always been the dumper lol

Have you ever stole money from a friend?Nope. From my parents yes

Have you ever gotten in a car with people you just met?I mean kinda? Went out with friends who brought other friends

Have you ever been in a fist fight?Yes. I used to do tae kwon do so obviously there but I’ve been in a couple of actual street fights

Have you ever snuck out of your house?Once to get Taco Bell with my best friends the night before my senior year of high school

Have you ever had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back?I had three in a row from like November to May

Have you ever been arrested?Nope

Have you ever made out with a stranger?Nope

Have you ever met up with a member of the opposite sex somewhere?I mean yeah? 

Have you ever left your house without telling your parents?Tons of times but not in like a bad way

Have you ever had a crush on your neighbor?Nope

Have you ever ditched school to do something more fun?Not in high school but yeah I’ve skipped class in college in lieu of better things

Have you ever slept in a bed with a member of the same sex?Duh

Have you ever seen someone die?Not like flatline but I’ve volunteered in hospitals for several years and seen a lot of people very close and several already dead people

Have you ever been on a plane?Yep!

Have you ever kissed a picture?...yep

Have you ever slept in until 3?Indeed

Have you ever loved someone or miss someone right now?Loved of course, I love several people. I miss my best buddies

Have you ever laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by?Yeah, it’s therapeutic 

Have you ever made a snow angel?Not that I remember but yes

Have you ever played dress up?Yes, notably Power Rangers

Have you ever cheated while playing a game?Oh hell yeah

Have you ever been lonely?All the time

Have you ever fallen asleep at work/school?Yep

Have you ever been to a club?Yes indeed, of various types

Have you ever felt an earthquake?Nope

Have you ever touched a snake?Yes

Have you ever ran a red light?Yes

Have you ever been suspended from school?Nope

Have you ever had detention?Nope

Have you ever been in a car accident?Yes

Have you ever hated the way you look?Yes

Have you ever witnessed a crime?A couple of drug deals, shoplifting, drug use, underage drinking

Have you ever pole danced?Nope

Have you ever been lost?Yes

Have you ever been to the opposite side of the country?Yes

Have you ever felt like dying?Lol yes

Have you ever cried yourself to sleep?Yes

Have you ever sang karaoke?Not like formally

Have you ever done something you told yourself you wouldn’t?Unfortunately yeah

Have you ever laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose?No but I’ve gotten close

Have you ever slept with someone at least 5 years older or younger?Nope

Have you ever kissed in the rain?Yes

Have you ever sang in the shower?Yes

Have you ever made out in a park?Made out, more...

Have you ever dream that you married someone?Nope

Have you ever glued your hand to something?To itself, to paper. I like crafts

Have you ever got your tongue stuck to a flag pole?Nope

Have you ever gone to school partially naked?Ew no

Have you ever been a cheerleader?Nope

Have you ever sat on a roof top?I love it

Have you ever brushed your teeth?Yes??

Have you ever been too scared to watch scary movies alone?Yes

Have you ever played chicken?Yes

Have you ever been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on?Not that I remember

Have you ever been told you’re hot by a complete stranger?Yes

Have you ever broken a bone?Yes, the same toe twice, the ball of my foot (which never healed properly and is now prone to stress fractures)

Have you ever been easily amused?I mean yeah?

Have you ever laughed so hard you cried?Yes

Have you ever mooned/flashed someone?Nope

Have you ever cheated on a test?Yes

Have you ever forgotten someone’s name?All the time

Have you ever met someone who didn’t seem real?Ugh yes 

Give us one thing about you that no one knows.I usually get Zeus when I take “Which god/goddess is your parent” quizzes

[necro-hamster]

reblogging with a caption, totally my fault for forgetting the first time, trying to keep on top of that more often. under the read more because it's long

[ id: a digital drawing of a white teenage boy with overgrown red hair, mottled, pale skin, patchy stubble, green eyes, and a large white bandage over one cheek. he's wearing makeshift armor strapped over dirty blue jeans and a long sleeve brown shirt. he's wearing a bandana around his neck with the fallout version of the american flag, where the 50 stars are replaced by only 13 stars; 12 in a circle around a center, larger one. the teenager is standing on a dark green background, and several blurbs of text surround him. from left to right, top to bottom, they read*;

"'vulture' — a.k.a. james cowell. he/him. cis. bi. 17 (in 2287). 5 feet 5 inches tall. ex-raider. currently living at sanctuary hills. technically allied with the minutemen."

"his cheek got fucked up from a bad fight with another one of the raiders. both of them were high on psycho and it ended really badly for everyone." [ a small illustration of his cheek without the bandaging is pictured above, showing major scarring from the corner of his mouth, across his cheek. several teeth peek through the damage. ]

"his armor is SHIT. it is so clearly made by a teen in a 200 year old warehouse for sure. he needs new shit a.s.a.p. or he will die. the most effective part is the vest he tore off some skeleton in an army base."

[ another small illustration shows a dark gray hunting knife with a red handle. white tape is wrapped around the midsection of the handle, and the name 'rager' is carved poorly into the blade. ] "knife that he stole from the dead body of the leader of his old gang lol. he isn't exactly mourning the guy, not gonna lie. none of the raiders were particularly kind to say the very least."

"he doesn't bother armoring that part of his leg because it's not real, it's a prosthetic. this is a stupid idiot move on his part to be clear. the prosthetic is a leg torn off a gen 2 synth. it works i guess? he certainly isn't going to be running any marathons, but you know."

[ another small illustration shows his prosthetic leg; a stained, yellow-gray material that's patched, taped, and stitched in several places. it connects at his knee, and leather straps keep it fixed to his leg. ] "the straps are attached to the prosthetic, and the top strap is tightened and loosened around his thigh. there are still robot parts in there, by the way."

*some words or phrases have been modified to be more screen reader friendly. end id. ]

forgot to post this lol. anyways new fallout guy

[impressivepress]

LACMA’s uneven new Picasso and Rivera show reveals an unprecedented, must-see discovery

In 1915, Pablo Picasso acquired a small Cubist still life painted by his casual friend and acolyte, Diego Rivera.

The young Mexican artist, 28, had been traveling through Europe and living in Paris for years, and he and Picasso were neighbors in Montparnasse. A small but powerful surprise haunts his little still life, on view in an unusual new exhibition about the dialogue between the two artists that opened last Sunday at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The tabletop is covered by a turquoise-green decorative cloth, similar to the patterned designs Matisse was making after his return from Tangiers. In the center, a yellow, white and red bottle of sweet Anis liquor opens out like a Cubist fan, next to a triangular black inkwell pierced by the blade of a tall purplish pen.

Sand is mixed into some pigments. A technical experiment, the rough surface compares actual textures with illusionistic ones, like the painted wood-grain table that Rivera also surely borrowed from Picasso.

Amid the still life’s faceted planes, however, Rivera also painted something strange — one or maybe two wine glasses that overlap. One appears white (light reflected on glass), the other wood grain (the table refracted through glass); a mottled green circle of tablecloth pierces each. Their conjoined forms produce an unexpected double-image — not just wine glasses but a human skull.

The gesture is sly. Rivera’s painting knits together two robust traditions — a common European still-life symbol for life’s vanity, plus a distinctly Mexican version of the death’s head motif, which dates back before the European conquest to Aztec, Mixtec and even Mayan art.

Rivera’s home country, 5,000 miles from Paris, was then deep into a bloody peasant revolution — a convulsive civil war that would drag on for another five years. It was plainly on the artist’s mind.

Except for a brief 1910 visit, Rivera was absent from Mexico for the war’s duration. But the painter was no stranger to its long-simmering motivations.

He was born in the once absurdly rich silver-mining hill town of Guanajuato, scene of some of the most horrific abuses of the Spanish viceroyalty after the European conquest. The family’s house was just up the street from the market warehouse where the slain leaders of the 1810 Mexican War for Independence had their severed heads strung up by Bonaparte forces loyal to New Spain.

The small painting’s admixture of traditional and avant-garde French, Spanish and Mexican elements is thus remarkable and revealing. “Cubist Composition (Still Life With Bottle of Anis and Inkwell)” adds a subtle but inescapable political dimension to Cubism’s otherwise formal investigations, which focused on principles of representation and abstraction.

Here’s another surprise: The Rivera painting, which has remained in Picasso’s family ever since he acquired it a century ago, has apparently never been publicly displayed — or even published — before now. The LACMA exhibition will be seen only in Los Angeles and Mexico City (it travels to the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes in June), so don’t miss the unprecedented chance for a look.

Oddly, however, neither the object label nor the exhibition catalog mention the skull. Nor does either text offer any interpretation of what the picture might suggest.

Instead, the focus is fixed on details of the artists’ biographies — on how Picasso got the Rivera painting and what Rivera got in return — plus their formal experiments with materials and techniques for re-imagining representational painting. Both are important, but neither is enough.

“Picasso and Rivera: Conversations Across Time” is uneven that way. There are wonderful objects to see. But sometimes a viewer is left hanging.

Part of the reason is structural. The exhibition is organized like a graduate school art history lecture, where slides of different artworks are projected side-by-side to compare and contrast. The show juxtaposes actual paintings, sculptures and drawings, not photographs; but the binary system creates a closed loop that has trouble breaking out.

For instance, it’s easy to read visual similarities and divergences in the Cubist faceting of paired landscapes. Picasso’s earthy color and schematic architecture in a bracing painting from the crucial summer he and Georges Braque spent painting side-by-side in the French Pyrenees couldn’t be more different from the explosive burst of light in Rivera’s semi-rural scene, where the sun breaks through fog over a viaduct and factory smokestacks.

But the Rivera, painted in an industrializing town just outside Paris, is finally more closely informed by the work of Robert Delaunay than Picasso. The pairing is peculiar — as is the colorful little still life’s juxtaposition with a fine Picasso drawing in black ink and watercolor, when its vibrant palette owes so much to Juan Gris.

The show’s structural organization is reductive, simplifying art’s layered density. That’s counterproductive, working against the very complexity that makes Picasso and Rivera such brilliant, enduring artists.

In five sections, the show means to tell the story of the relationship between the two artists, as well as the relationship between the art of antiquity and their individualized forms of Modern artistic expression. The aim is not without merit.

Both artists began their training in tradition-minded academies — Picasso at Barcelona’s Academy San Fernando, Rivera at Mexico City’s Academy San Carlos. With great facility they both drew from plaster casts of Greco-Roman sculptures, as academies everywhere taught.  

Picasso’s Venus de Milo drawing, done when he was about 14, focuses like a laser on her naked upper torso and perky bosom. Rivera’s, executed at about 16, shows the armless sculpture lying on its back on the ground — European Classicism toppled. Picasso the ladies’ man and Rivera the anti-colonialist are announced, at least in general terms.

Then comes the essential Cubist room. It’s one of two major highlights in the show, partly because great Cubist paintings are rare in L.A. museum collections.

This selection of 10 includes “Student With Newspaper” (1913-14), its inebriated young man crowned by a jaunty beret, his face derived from a bleary-eyed, West African Wobe mask. Bold block-letters spell “urnal,” a fragment of “journal,” also wittily evoking “urinal.” Mixed materials of plaster, sand, crayon and paint — a delirious experiment — connect it to Rivera’s still life.

Rivera’s magnificent “Zapatista Landscape” will join the show in February, following a prior commitment to a Paris exhibition. (LACMA’s exhibition remains through May 7.) It’s an astounding mountain of Cubist structure cobbled together from the revolution-minded iconography of a serape, sombrero, straw mats and peasant gourds all anchored by the vertical slash of Emiliano Zapata’s rifle.

The catalog, however, is determined to emphasize the painting’s formal properties at the expense of its meanings. Rivera is said to have been furious that Picasso “stole” a new foliage technique from “Zapatista Landscape” for use in the shrubbery in one of his own paintings — shrubbery he later painted out.

I suspect, though, that draining the political power of Rivera’s motif for simple decorative ends might have had something to do with the Mexican’s anger toward the Spaniard. The Zapatistas were hell-bent on agrarian reforms, fueling the revolution. Rivera’s landscape foliage wasn’t just any shrubbery, and Picasso’s “theft” could easily be seen as an affront to a painting that stood as a resolute repudiation of Spanish colonialism.

The catalog even mistakenly says that Picasso’s discovery of his own “native” antiquity, shown by his use of forms from the art of ancient Iberia, predates his Cubist phase, while Rivera’s use of pre-Columbian motifs occurred afterward, beginning in 1921. The claim is disproved by the unmentioned skull in Rivera’s Cubist still life.

In the 1920s, after World War I and the Mexican Revolution were over, what shifted in Picasso’s and Rivera’s work was the artistic balance of power. For Picasso, that meant formal play derived from ancient Iberian sculpture, which reflected his Spanish heritage, mixed with Greco-Roman formats. For Rivera it meant greater prominence for pre-Columbian painting and sculpture.

The show juxtaposes the monumental, tunic-wearing graces of Picasso’s “Three Women at the Spring,” his first Neo-Classical painting, with the “Lansdowne Artemis,” an imposing first-century Roman sculpture of a Greek deity.

Meanwhile the frontal, bilateral symmetry of Rivera’s “Flower Day,” its central figure wrapped in the red, white and green of the Mexican flag, valorizes the vendor stooping beneath the massive basket-load of calla lilies, their phallic golden stamens transforming the white blossoms into sombreros. The painting faces similarly designed basalt sculptures of the Aztec female water-deity, Chalchiuhtlicue, personification of fertility.

The 15 pre-Columbian sculptures form the show’s other highlight. All but one are on loan from the peerless collections of Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology and the Diego Rivera Museum-Anahuacalli, the “modern Aztec temple” housing his mammoth collection of nearly 60,000 ancient artifacts. LACMA deputy director Diana Magaloni, who co-organized the show with director Michael Govan and several specialists, is former director of the Anthropology Museum and arranged the exceedingly rare loans.

In a nutshell, then, the show’s story arc goes like this: The two artists both started with Greco-Roman antiquity, then went Modern; finally, they synthesized the radically new with the venerably old, forming a kind of “Modernist Classicism” — Picasso’s based on European models, Rivera’s on American ones.

After bloody, bitter wars, a destabilized present was undergirded with indigenous foundations. That story is already pretty well-known, of course, so points off for lack of originality. But extra credit for all those impressive highlights.

~ Christopher Knight · DEC. 9, 2016.

Los Angeles Times art critic Christopher Knight won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for criticism (he was a finalist for the prize in 1991, 2001 and 2007). In 2020, he also received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Art Journalism from the Rabkin Foundation

[mugiwara-lucy]

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 20 Review-DEM EYES & Papa-Daughter Time-My Thoughts/Review!

Hi, everyone! Emi’s here for my review of episode 20 of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations!

Now I know everyone might wanna rip me a new asshole for being a day late but I highly recommend you read this post of mine I made yesterday!

http://mrs-gossipgirl.tumblr.com/post/164227588887/whats-your-schedule-like-this-year

In any case, let’s dive in!!

The episode starts off from the last one where the masked person who attacked Sasuke is later revealed to be Celebi!

Or rather his lookalike XP

This raises massive red flags for Sasuke who decided to send a message to Naruto via his handy-dandy traveling hawk

This then leads Naruto to contact Kakashi who estimates that the person who attacked Sasuke might be an Uchiha survivor

Jeesh, Naruto! Let an old man relax when he wants to retire! Geez....

But on a serious note, Kakashi’s note honestly makes a lot of sense because just because Itachi killed the Uchiha who were in the Leaf Village doesn’t mean those were the only Uchihas in the world so there possibly could be more Uchiha around.

Just Saiyan.

Speaking of said “Uchihas”, we see how the mysterious boy meets with a cloaked figure who looks to be his master. And it’s shown how they both consider Sasuke to be nothing more than a disgrace to the Uchiha, mainly because he killed Itachi.

Then again, Itachi is the revered fan favorite of the series.

.....Save for Minato and Madara XD

In any case, we switch to Sarada who visits her mother in the hospital before going to her closet and dons her Gaiden/Boruto movie garb

FINALLY!!!!!! I was WONDERING how long it’d be before she wears this outfit again!!

Soon after, we see her follow Naruto who leaves the village before being stopped by Chocho who wants to find “her real parents”.

.....Yeah XD

In any case, before Sarada and Chocho can go aware, they notice how Boruto arrived at the village gate to give Naruto a boxed lunch that Hinata made for him but he left. This leads to Sarada wanting to deliver it to Naruto for him while this also leads to a small argument between Boruto wanting Sarada to drop it while Sarada insisted before he eventually gave in, thanks to Shikamaru.

As Sarada and Chocho finally leave the village we see what looks to be a mini version of the Ten Tails watching the two from afar

Seriously, you can’t tell me that DOESN’T look like the Ten Tails!

Following this we jump back to the site of the mysterious boy and the cloaked figure who now have a special interest in Sarada due to being the daughter of Sasuke

Said daughter is later ambushed by the mysterious man which leads to a brief altercation

The two are quickly overwhelmed and it seems all is lost.

Until Lord Hokage saved the day!

In order to combat the mysterious foe, Naruto powers up into his Nine Tailed Tailed Beast Mode

Beautiful!

...Although I have to say this looks kind of.....underwhelming when I compare it to the manga

Just a small nitpick XP

In any case, Naruto easily disposes of the kid and before anything bad happens, the mini ten tails clone teleports the kid away using his own version of Kamui

Naruto then powers down before quickly deducing the kid was after Sasuke.

Because after all, what’s the series without Sasuke? XD

Okay, I just got the idea for a POTENTIAL future post! I might do a post analyzing the series WITHOUT Sasuke.

I can say the series WON’T have a happy ending. Yes I know A LOT of people hate him but he’s VERY, VERY important to the series.

A series without Sasuke is like Dragon Ball without Vegeta. (I’m ready for the flames for that comment XD)

Sarada then decides to give Naruto the lunch box Hinata made, thus triggering a memory of the bell test when Sakura and Sasuke fed him

Naruto then thanks Sarada before deciding to have lunch time with Sarada and Chocho.

Lucky! I WANT lunch time with Naruto!! =(

Okay, sorry for that XD

Getting serious, Sarada is curious about Sasuke and how he was as a kid and Naruto then decides to give them his tale of how Sasuke was in comparison to him.

To start, Sasuke was a playa just like Naruto.

Okay, technically Naruto is a ladies man with a Tropes Page about him listed under “Clueless Chick Magnet” as well as “Chick Magnet” so that’s not TOTAL BS XD

Here’s the page if anyone’s interested XD

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/CluelessChickMagnet/AnimeAndManga

That ain’t a lie :3

How many pics do I have of Naruto like that on my hard drive? :3 You all don’t need to know XD

Sasuke was also at the top of his class in ninjutsu like Naruto

Sorry, Nardo. Can’t defend ya here! XD

Props to Chocho for calling that out XD

The most honest comment from Naruto was how Sasuke was essentially a prick, unlike him.

SO FRIKKIN TRUE.

But if there’s one thing that will ALWAYS be true is that Sasuke is Naruto’s boyfri-I mean Rival.

This vid sums up the entire of Shippuden, TBH

Naruto also then points out how Sarada is essentially the spitting image of Sasuke while she has Sakura’s personality

The trio then finish their lunch before making their way to where Naruto will rendezvous with Sasuke. While taking breaks of course. On the way there we see how Sarada feels relaxed when she’s around Naruto.

Then again Karin did say how “bright and warm” Naruto’s chakra was

After a few more trekking, Naruto, Sarada and Chocho eventually make their way and are in route to a green tower where Naruto will meet Sasuke.

Sarada then has to “go to the bathroom” which is later revealed to be a plot for her to meet Sasuke for the first time.

We see this desire is so deep and emotional that it awakens the Sharingan in her

1 Totem Sharingan I should add!

Sarada then makes her way inside the tower where she discovers the Sauce in all his glory!

However....before a tearful daughter-father reunion can take place...

Sasuke turns his blade on Sarada!!

And that’s the episode.

My thoughts on it?

1.) The animation and soundtrack. I liked the soundtrack used in this episode and I think the one where we see *SPOILER ALERT* Shin was a new one. And the animation was better than episode 167 BUT I still think the scene I mentioned above with Naruto in his chakra mode was kinda underwhelming compared to the manga, haha.

2.) Plot Progression. Considering how we’ve covered FOUR out of the ten chapters for Naruto Gaiden, we’ve made AMAZING plot progression! Especially considering how Sarada has finally come in contact with Sasuke. Although I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of Sauce’s sword :O And I’m also shocked SP is really getting through Gaiden at this rate. HECK, we could be done by late August or early September at the rate we’re going!!!

And speaking of Sarada this brings me to my next point:

3.) Sarada’s outfit change. I am SO happy Sarada is wearing her Naruto Gaiden/Boruto Movie outfit! I mean look at it! It looks kickass!!

However, unlike 75 % of the fandom I don’t hate Sarada’s “next generation” outfit though. I think it’s pretty adorable!!

As I’ve said countless times on my blog, I think people are making a mountain out of a molehill over her outfit. Especially considering how I’ve seen people call Ikemoto a PEDOPHILE.

SMH.

But something I noticed in this episode concerning Sarada’s outfit, if you noticed, she got the outfit out of a closet in Sakura’s room so is the outfit Sakura’s outfit??

Just something to ponder.

4.) Spoilers! I’ve already read all this in its manga presentation two years ago and for the sake of anime ONLY people, I won’t spoil anything for anyone. ^_^

5.) My review schedule. Okay, so some of you may be wondering why this review came out a day later. Well I’ve gone back to school yesterday and as said in this post:

http://mrs-gossipgirl.tumblr.com/post/164227588887/whats-your-schedule-like-this-year

Mondays and Wednesdays are my busy days along with Fridays to an extent while on Tuesdays and Thursdays I only have one class in the morning so I’ll have these reviews out on THURSDAYS rather than Wednesdays.

Sorry for the inconvenience if it causes any but it’s something that has to be done.

In any case, thanks for reading and enjoying my review and I’ll see you all in NEXT week’s episode!! ^_^

[suzannezehrius]

Inspired by Technology

Inspired by their son, Quinton Humbard, and the knowledge base he brought to the business as a recent civil engineering graduate from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Chris and Tammy Humbard restructured their Arkansas excavation firm and took a new direction.

The Humbards moved aggressively into sewer inspection, cleaning and rehabilitation. They parked their bulldozer, excavator and dump truck on their 5-acre facility in Green Forest, Arkansas, and walked away from the buckets and blades in favor of trenchless technology.

Humbard Contracting first hooked up with Illinois-based TT Technologies to learn the basics of pipe bursting. From there the company added a Vac-Con with a hydroexcavation package, and a fully equipped R.S. Technical Services CCTV van. The company took another step in 2015 with lining equipment and training from LMK Technologies.

New direction

Quinton Humbard immediately stepped into a major role as an estimator, field worker, CCTV operator and project coordinator. Tammy Humbard is the other CCTV operator. Quinton’s younger brother Garrett, while still in high school, works with the team as time permits.

Quinton pays close attention to bid notices in local newspapers, various bidding sites such as Bid Ocean Inc., and opportunities with engineering and contracting firms. He visits the project site before putting in a bid, looking for red flags or obstacles that could stand in the way of a professional job.

“We need to know what we are dealing with,” he says. “The line could be in the backyard of a neighborhood, and you have to see where the entrance is, and know what is accessible.

“If we really want a job, we usually come out winning the bid. We usually do not turn down an opportunity to bid. We advertise our capabilities through various channels, including associates we have from the years we did excavation.”

Crews can be on a job as long as six months, depending on the needs of the customer. They will clean, televise, repair and replace laterals and mainlines primarily with trenchless technology. They occasionally dig and replace, but they are seeing a growing demand for trenchless technologies in most municipalities.

Tammy Humbard says that although she and her husband come from an excavating background, they realize times are changing. There are pockets in the country where the dig-and-replace mentality is still prevalent, but new technology is taking hold. By getting on the leading edge, they hope to position the company with the experience and expertise to drive the trenchless market closer to their home base.

Training day

Building a staff of qualified technicians who can help further the company along its new path is no easy task, notes Tammy Humbard.

“We are dealing with specialty equipment, some we own and some we rent,” she says. “We want someone who is going to embrace this technology — someone who takes pride in what the job entails, and understands the importance of doing it correctly. We explain what we do and we look for the same enthusiasm that we feel, not just someone looking for a paycheck. We want someone who wants to be there and do the job correctly.”

She says they devote time to teaching the technology at their facility and on the job site. The process has worked well for lateral lining as well as all other duties.

“On the job site we do hands-on training again to let the technicians build awareness of what they are actually going to be doing. Things don’t always go as easily or as fast as anticipated, but we make sure everybody knows where they need to be and what they need to know.”

During the work cycle on out-of-state projects, they have a per diem package for employees, who can typically travel home on weekends while the equipment stays on site.

Quinton will schedule himself to lead one job, while Chris and Tammy team up on a second project. As president of the company, Tammy is a hands-on administrator who understands the equipment and the job. Jobs are scheduled to make efficient use of equipment. When inspection work is done on one project, for example, the CCTV equipment might move on to the next job, while the jetter stays on location.

“On a recent project in Indiana, we were in a neighborhood where they had a lot of issues with I&I,” Tammy says. “We were there as a subcontractor to install the T-liners into the laterals. We are bidding on another project in the same city for laterals and mainlines.

“The municipalities are beginning to see positive results. They see we fixed one neighborhood and they want us to take a look at another.”

She also notes that many of the smaller municipalities don’t have the equipment to handle this type of work, and would otherwise likely rely on opencut repair or replacement.

The company is often called in to provide CCTV inspection and determine the cause and location of problems.

“An example, a wastewater treatment plant might have an extensive amount of sewage coming to their plant,” she says. “They keep track of the water distributed throughout the city, and they should know based on how much water they are distributing how much should be coming back for treatment. If what is coming back to them to be treated far exceeds what they are distributing, then they know they have a problem.

“When we inspect the pipeline, we find out. There might be a crack in the mainline so there is stormwater when it rains. Not only do you have sewage water, you have rainwater running down the line. We come in to find out what is going on.”

Tammy says the conditions of job sites across the states they work in are similar in many ways. In the older communities it is often clay tile pipe. Most newer towns or neighborhoods have PVC pipe, but even there roots can flourish if there is a crack or the pipe wasn’t installed properly.

“When relining, you go in and cover the possibility of anything getting in that line.”

The next step

Humbard uses LMK equipment for laterals and lines from 4 to 12 inches in diameter. Recently, the company took another step and moved into UV lining for larger mainlines. Humbard consulted with SAERTEX-multiCom to learn about the process. The Humbard crew was able to learn the process and how to use the equipment, and was able to rent the necessary equipment with rental fees applied to the purchase price. SAERTEX will send out a UV truck and operator for Humbard’s initial projects.  

“They will become a supplier for our company for future mainline projects.”

Humbard’s relationship with TT Technologies continues. The company’s Grundotugger lateral pipe bursting system includes the bursting unit, bursting heads for 4- and 6-inch pipe, hydraulic power pack and pipe fusion equipment.

Inspections are handled with a full complement of R.S. Technical Services equipment, including OmniEYE cameras and transporters, coupled with IT Pipes software.

On the job

One of the company’s recent sewer repair and rehabilitation projects took the crew to Blackwell, Oklahoma, for a 60-day stay.

This project consisted of replacing approximately 725 feet of 8-inch vitrified clay sanitary sewer with pipe bursting, pulling in new 8-inch HDPE. They also inspected and lined approximately 8,400 feet of sewer line. Another manhole rehabilitation portion of the project was subcontracted.

“We do not offer complete manhole repair at this time,” Quinton says. “We do have a confined-space entry training program and offer that as one of our services.”

The project required re-establishing all lateral connections and maintaining sanitary flow throughout the project. Quinton Humbard served as project manager and ran the CCTV van.

Another interesting project took place in August 2016 when the company was subcontracted to handle lateral cleaning and CIPP lining in Dunkirk, Indiana.

“This was our first project pertaining to CIPP lateral lining,” Quinton says. “The job consisted of approximately 45 lateral CIPP liners to be installed. Dunkirk has opened up bids for another upcoming project that involves lateral lining, and we are planning on submitting bids for that job as well.”

Regardless of where the next job takes the company, Humbard Contracting is establishing a new niche with new technology.

“We believe this is exciting technology and the industry is important for the welfare of our country,” Tammy says. “We like to impart that. Anybody can dig a hole. The true excitement comes when you are not having to tear up a yard to achieve an important goal.”

The proper cure

Humbard Contracting has supported its shift in direction with a relentless determination to find the best processes and provide the most beneficial services for its clients.

From its initial relationship with TT Technologies, its ongoing partnership with LMK  Technologies, to the most recent connection with SAERTEX-multiCom, the company has exhaustively worked to bring their company into the trenchless spotlight.

When the company was ready to expand into larger mainline rehabilitation, the Humbards talked to local engineers about their needs and concerns. They wanted a system with a proven track record that meshed well with municipalities’ needs.

Research pointed them toward the UV curing process, and then they were given the opportunity to observe a demonstration for an Arkansas engineering firm, where they saw firsthand the benefits of a UV-cured mainline CIPP project.

“There were no folds or wrinkles in the curing process,” says Tammy Humbard. “Also, with UV lining the process does not allow for any styrene to escape into the environment, making it a logical solution for environmentally sensitive areas. With the SAERTEX UV product we can line anywhere from 6- to 64-inch pipe with several different liner products in many different situations.”

Humbard says she was personally impressed with the company and the passion they showed for their product.

“As a contractor trying to push the new technology in our area it was very helpful to have a company willing to provide the demonstration of the product, and then answer any questions we had. We feel confident in their product because they are confident in their product.

“They are all about the contractor being successful.”

from Cleaner Magazine | For Drain and Pipe Cleaning, Inspection and Rehabilitation Services - Editorial http://ift.tt/2rSvZsS

[meredithmcclaren]

All the Pride Dinos.

Line 1 from Left to Right: Pride-acosaurus, Lesbian-asaura, Me-gay-lodon, Bi-lociraptor

Line 2: Trans-saurus Rex, Pan-oplosaurus, Poly-ptoceratops, Queer-zalcoatlus

Line 3: Questioning-saurus, Sinocallio-intersex, Ace-eroraptor, Aro-tosaurus

Line 4: Demi-ceiomimus, Gray-gilisaurus, Kulind-androgynous, Agender-oraptor

Line 5: Genderqueer-anadon, Genderfluid-osuchus, Non-Binary-bbachisaurus

[Description:  Various dinosaurs colored in accordance with different pride flags atop a black background.  More detailed descriptions below the cut]

[Dinosaurs listed from left to right.

Line 1, Dinosaur 1: A Psittacosaurus colored like the pride flag.  It is standing upright facing just forward and to the left.  It has a brown base that gets darker towards the bottom of its feet.  And it has spots colored like the rainbow starting with red at the head and ending with purple at the tail.

Line 1, Dinosaur 2: A feathered Leaellynasaura colored like the lesbian pride flag. Its body is angled to the audience’s left with its face towards the viewer.  Its tail is curled behind it.  Its feathers mostly pink, with a lighter underbelly and a dark spot on it’s tail.

Line 1, Dinosaur 3: A Megalodon colored with the gay pride colors.  It is swimming towards the viewer’s right.  Its underbelly is white and it has stripes arranged in a rainbow along it’s back.

Line 1, Dinosaur 4: A feathered Velociraptor colored with the bisexual pride colors.  It is in profile with one foot on the ground and another raised up.  Its arms are stretched out and its tail curves behind it.  The legs are blue, the underbelly is hot pink, and its back is purple.

...

Line 2, Dinosaur 1:  A feathered Tyrannosaurus Rex colored with the trans pride colors.  The dinosaur is in profile facing the viewer’s right with its head low and its tail curved high behind it.  Its body is mostly blue with a pink tail, feet, and coloring around the eyes and nose.

Line 2, Dinosaur 2:  A Panoplosaurus colored with the pansexual pride colors.  It is jump/running with its front legs low to the ground and its back legs high in the air.  The dinosaur is facing the viewer’s left.  Its legs and underbelly are hot pink with a yellow scaled head, followed by blue scales along the back dotted with pale yellow spikes.

Line 2, Dinosaur 3:  A Leptoceratops colored with the polyamory pride colors.  The dinosaur’s body is angled to the viewer’s right while the face is forward and to the left.  Three legs are on the ground (though one back leg is mostly hidden) and the fourth front leg is held up.  It has a red underbelly and and blue coloring along its back.  There are black spots and stripes along it’s eyes, crest, spine.

Line 2, Dinosaur 4:  Not technically a dinosaur.  A feathered Quetzalcoatlus colored in the queer pride colors.  The dinosaur’s body and head are facing the viewer’s right.  Its hind legs are tucked behind its wings in a crouched position.  Its head is looking upwards.  The body is mostly white with black legs, pink wings, a blue beak, a yellow crest, and a small ring of bright green around its eye.

...

Line 3, Dinosaur 1:  A Qauaesitosaurus with questioning pride colors.  It is lying down with its front legs forward and its back legs reclined towards the viewer’s left.  It has a long neck and its face is looking towards the viewer’s left.  Its tail curves up and behind its body.  It has a green underbelly with yellow spots coming around its back and red spots along its spine and tail.

Line 3, Dinosaur 2:  A feathered Sinocalliopteryx with intersex pride colors.  It is a raptor like dinosaur with its body and face looking towards the viewer’s right.  It is mostly yellow with a purple beak, hands, feet, and a purple circle on its chest.

Line 3, Dinosaur 3:  A feathered Acheroraptor colored with asexual pride colors.  The raptor’s body is mostly in profile towards the viewer’s right, but its neck and face are turned towards the viewer’s left.  It is seated on it’s haunches with two small wings mostly covering its hind legs.  The underbelly is white while a stripe of purple goes across its shoulder blades down both wings and then up the neck towards the eyes.  Its back end and tail is gray.  Its beak, wing tips, legs, and the end of its tail are all black.

Line 3, Dinosaur 4:  A seated Rhoetosaurus colored with aromantic pride colors.  This is a long necked dinosaur that has its back end seated and its tail curved behind its body.  One front most leg is picked up slightly.  The dinosaur is facing the viewer’s right.  Its underbelly is gray with black along its back.  Its spine has spots of a dark and light green.

...

Line 4, Dinosaur 1:  A half feathered Dromiceiomimus colored with the demisexual pride colors.  The ostrich-like dinosaur is running towards the viewer’s left but its head is turned to look behind it (the veiwer’s right)  Its legs and tail are unfeathered and light gray.  Its head, neck, back and arms are covered in black feathers that end just as the tail begins.  There is a spot of white under its chin, and its eyes and beak are purple.

Line 4, Dinosaur 2:  A feathered Agilisaurus colored with graysexual pride colors.  The dinosaur looks to be in mid hop and in profile.  Its body faces the viewer’s left.  The underbelly is white, while most of the rest of the body is purple.  Its legs, eye, and beak are gray and its eye is ringed in black.

Line 4, Dinosaur 3:  A feathered Kulindadromeus colored in the androgynous pride colors.  The dinosaur is facing towards the viewer’s left with its head slightly lowered and its tail curling around behind it.  The legs are dark gray leading into a lighter gray along its sides.  Its under belly is hot pink and stripes of thin pink go from along its front to its back.  Its head is mostly blue with stripes of blue going alongside the pink along its back.  Its beak is a darker pink and its eye is a lighter blue.

Line 4, Dinosaur 4:  A feathered Eroraptor colored in the agender pride colors.  The dinosaur’s body is mostly facing the viewer’s right with its head turned towards the viewer’s left.  The legs and hands are black while the lower half of its body is a light green and its upper body is white.  Around its snout and eyes it is gray.

...

Line 5, Dinosaur 1: An Iguanadon colored with the genderqueer pride colors.  It is standing on it’s back legs with its front legs picked up.  The body is facing the viewer’s right but the head is facing the viewer’s left.  Its tail is curved upwards.  The body is mostly green with stripes of white around the legs and back.  The toes, eyes, and beak are purple.

Line 5, Dinosaur 2:  A feathered Indosuchus colored with the genderfluid pride colors.  Its body is mostly forward facing with a slight angle to the viewer’s right.  The head is facing the viewer’s left and its tail is curved upwards behind it.  The legs are black, the underbelly and arms are pink, and the upper back legs and back are white feathers.  Along the back there are spots of blue, ringed in purple ending in a tail that has blue top feathers and purple under feathers.

Line 5, Dinosaur 3:  A Rebbachisaurus colored with the non-binary pride colors.  The body is facing forward and to the viewer’s left.  The long neck is curved and the face is angled towards the viewer’s right.  The head is mostly in profile.  Both front legs and a back leg are on the ground, the fourth leg is picked up slightly.  Its tail curves downward behind it.  The body is mostly yellow with a zigzag pattern along it’s back in black and purple.  Its back has a large lighter purple ridge with spikes along its top pointed straight up.  The head is black.  The eyes are purple.  And the tail has white stripes towards its end.]