#welcome to the most fun and frustrating hobby

[vellichorbindery]

First, I want to say that I adore your binds. They are stunning.

I am working on getting into book binding, but I do have some questions/things I’m struggling with that I’m hoping you might be able to help with.

I’ve designed several typesets and covers, I’ve just not yet made it to the finish line. Perfectionism is kinda kicking my butt tbh.

1. What kind of printer do you use? (And do you love it?) I’ve currently got a b&w laser printer, but I want to be able to print typesets in color, but I’m debating between an ecotank inkjet printer or a color laser printer. I’ve never had a color printer before so I don’t really have a frame of reference for what’s better.

2. My other big issue on my typesets has been figuring out the margins. I’ve been formatting my typesets in MS Word. If you use word, do you mind sharing what you set your margins at? And how much you cut off when you trim your textblocks?

I can’t seem to find the best balance between wasting space/paper and having margins that look too small.

Thank you! :)

Hiiii! Thank you for the sweet words 💖🫶🏼

For printers—I have a canon pixma ip8720 that I use for wrap covers, dust jackets, paperback covers and endsheets. I LOVE this printer so much (any of the pixmas are solid color printers) I also use off brand ink bc I can’t be bothered to spend $$ on brand name and it works like a gem.

My other printer is the canon imageclass which I love/hate. It’s a color laser printer so works like my b&w but with color (so I could do foiling on it) the quality is great but I did have issues with it once I put off brand toner and I need to clean the cartridges so I don’t fully love it 100% yet. Still a fan though for the price point. Thats what I used for my Sugar High & ‘tis the damn season typesets. Otherwise I just use my brother b&w for typesetting.

For margins I typically go for .6 on the side margins and usually .5 top and bottom for hardcover. Larger for paperbacks. I try to cut the least amount off on my guillotine but I def have cut off far too much sometimes.

Make sure your layout settings in word are for a letter sized paper and under book fold. Then update the margins and then you can upload it into book binder js to make the pdf into a signatures! (Also I would HIGHLY suggest using Blak Bindery’s macro (find them on insta) it saves me so much time with typesetting in word. (Also ALWAYS hit control A to highlight the entire doc before changing margins/page layout (have learned this the hard way hehe)

Hope this helps!

[luvlunajpg]

Truth or Dare

♡ pairing: johnnie x fem reader

♡ Summary: Tara knows you have a crush on Johnnie so she dared you to be handcuffed to Johnnie for the whole night.

♡ Classification: fluff and very very light smut

𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆.✧˚ ༘˚⋆ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ༘˚⋆𐙚｡

You were crossing your arms over your chest sitting at the passenger seat beside your roommate Tara Yummy. Both of you just pulled up infront of Jake’s house for a quick get together amongst all of their close youtuber friends. You never agreed to be apart of this ever since Tara told you about it. infact, you’re not even a youtuber, you’re just Tara’s close friend that pops up in her youtube videos every once in awhile cause her content needs a partner.

“Oh come on y/n! Please! You’re so going to enjoy tonight just trust me i’ll be there with you the whole time. its not like you don’t know them! We’ve hung out with them before” Tara whines as you roll your eyes at her. You knew she was just saying that so you would get up and follow her get drunk so that someone would accompany her home when shes hammered. Tara kept whining and whining while tugging onto your mini skirt. As much as you hate socialising you just know you hate it when Tara starts being annoying.

“GOSH FINE! Lets get inside. Only cause i love you” you groaned in frustration causing Tara to giggle and peck your cheek before leaving the car. Jake welcomes the both of you and offers us some alcohol thats available in the fridge. The whole night we all had fun, played games, shared stories, shared experiences, talk about life and hobbies. You hate to admit this but Tara was right, you actually did have fun. But throughout the whole night, only one person really catches your attention and has never failed to do so for months.

His beautiful blue eyes that reminded you of the sky. His style is like one of those guys you would stumble across on Myspace. His cute smile that really compliments his piercings. You just couldn’t get enough of him, your eyes were on him the whole night, you tried your best to not be obvious about it but Tara was not going to let it slide when she caughts you admiring him from afar

“You like what you see huh??” Tara giggles as she wiggles her eyebrows towards you and johnny. “Oh shut up” you whine as your cheeks turns slightly pink at her comment. You don’t only like what you see, you love what you see, hearing him talk gives you butterflies. His croaky crunchy voice made your stomach churn in excitement. Tara smirks as an idea comes up in her head “GUYS! LETS PLAY TRUTH OR DARE!!” Tara yells as she pulls you to the centre of the living room. Your eyes widened knowing what your cheeky best friend is up to. Tara winks at your flushed face and sets down on the floor followed by the rest that is interested in playing as well and surprisingly Johnnie was one of them. Tara takes an empty bottle of beer from Jake’s hand and set it in the middle of the circle “lets get this game started” Tara smirks as she spin the empty glass bottle at this point you were just praying hard that the night would end faster.

-

The game has been going on for awhile and it was a mess. Tara was dared to make out with Jake as an ex. Jake had to tell a truth on what he hates the most about Tara during their relationship, Sam was dared to lick whipping cream off Colby’s belly button and many more crazy shit. Meanwhile Tara was frustrated how the bottle has not landed on you or johnnie this whole time which made you more than blessed cause the party is about to end soon since everyone was really hammered. You gave Tara and innocent smile as she squints her tired eyes at you giving you the “we are not leaving until i say so” look. Tara spins the bottle one more time just for it to land at her

“WTF?? This is not fair! Y/n and johnnie hasn’t even gotten their turn yet” tara whines as everyone agrees with her

“Yeah Johnnie! You’re missing out all the fun! Lets just pick them to do the next truth or dare” Jake says as he nudged johnnie with his elbow. “Yeah whatever i don’t care” johnnie chuckled as he takes another swig of his Dr Pepper. Tara giggles and looks at your now pale face and your big round eyes that is filled with fear.

“ok Y/N truth or dare?” Tara smirks

“Truth” you manage to choke out. You were so nervous your throat felt tight, you feel like you were about to faint

“Do you like anyone in this room? Truth only my love” Tara giggles as your face turns red. You did not expect her to ask you that, you expected her to ask you about an embarrassing memory that happened when you were a teenager or maybe what kind of kink you’re into but you never expected Tara to be so straightforward.

“Uh uhh dare, i choose dare please” you stuttered out as everyone around you groan at your sudden change of mind

“Alright alright, i dare you to be handcuffed to johnnie throughout the whole night. Its 12am now but at 7am sharp, then you’ll be free” you felt the whole world was crashing down on you. You swallowed your saliva as the room sounded muffled, your vision was getting blurry and your palms are sweating as if you just finished rock climbing or something. Tara comes back from Jake’s room with pink fluffy handcuffs that is usually used during sex which made you and johnnie turn red even more.

“Don’t worry its clean. Jake and i got this in our Fan Mail, we never used them but now it serves a different purpose” Tara exclaims as she handcuffs you and Johnnie together. You were in shock and lost of words, your face was heating up as if its about to explode but you’re more than surprised that Johnnie had no comments or refusal throughout the whole situation. He just stood still and let Tara handcuffed him to you.

“Tara come on this is ridiculous! How are we supposed to wash up tonight? I reek of alcohol right now! How am i supposed to shower” Tara only giggled at your annoyance and kept the keys in her back pocket. She walks away from you and grabbed the car keys on the kitchen island.

“And that is for you to figure it out yourself. COME ON GUYS PARTY IS OVER. LETS LEAVE THIS LOVEBIRDS ALONE” Tara blows a kiss to you before holding Jake’s hand and heads out just like everyone else is doing. You were left dumbfounded with a hot emo boy handcuffed to you.

-

12:45AM

it has been 45 minutes of dead silence between you and Johnnie. After everyone left you tried to tidy the place up but Johnnie suggest that you two just sit on the couch since there is no point of cleaning when the two of you are handcuffed to eachother. After that tiny interaction with Johnnie the both of you just sat on the couch in silence while being on your phones. It was so silent you could literally hear your own heartbeat and breathing. Johnnie was scrolling through Tiktok and meanwhile on your side you were spamming Tara with middle finger emojis and cussing her out. Tara only replied with a kissing emoji and disappeared afterwards. You yawned and rubbed your eyes, the alcohol was starting to drain out your energy and all you want to do now was sleep, but you know too well that you can’t sleep without a shower and a new set of fresh clothes.

“wanna head to bed?” johnnie turns to you noticing your eyes getting tired every minute. You lightly shook your head trying to stay awake for another few more hours. “Come on. You look like you’re about to pass out. Lets just head to bed and we’ll be free the moment we wake up” Johnnie insists, you shook your head again and sit up against the couch “I don’t feel comfortable sleeping like this.. especially not showering after a long day” you commented causing Johnnie to chuckle. He stood up forcing you to follow him to his room where he has a sleeping mask by his bedside. He hands you his T-shirt, pair of black boxers and a new towel. “The bathroom is opposite my room, you can take a shower there while I’m blindfolded” johnnie shakes the blindfold in his hand assuring you that he won’t be seeing you shower, at this point you can only sigh and agree since there are literally no other choices left.

Johnnie drags you to the bathroom and immediately wore the blindfold the moment he stepped foot into the bathroom. You slipped out of your croptop and mini skirt. You were grateful that your outfits were easy to take off since you clearly did not planned to be handcuffed to a boy tonight. As you were about to hop into the shower you noticed that you were wearing a strapless bra with a clasp. You always ask Tara to undo it for you since it is something that you are not used too yet. You sighed at the problem your facing knowing that you only have one option left.

“johnnie.. can you help me take my bra off..” you sighed

“Wait what-“ “JUST DO IT JOHNNIE” you cut him off as your face turns bright red, you swore to yourself when you meet Tara in a few hours you’re going to kill her. Johnnie took off his blindfolds to see you in your undergarments, he swallowed his salive before undoing your bra then wearing back his blindfold. You shook your head and hop in the shower after taking your panties off.

-

1:30AM

The both of you are now sitting up against Johnnies headboard. You are currently drowning in guilt, after showering you noticed that Johnnie was only in his Jeans. He ripped his shirt off and you could only guess he did it due to the humidity of the long steaming shower you were having. You insisted johnnie to shower too but he said he was too tired to shower so you end up getting dressed and dragged him to bed after taking his blindfold off. So now here you are, a duo that is muted and awkward like a married couple that just finished their heated argument. You wanted the floor to just swallow you so bad of how awkward this is, you’re trying to distract yourself by being on your phone but you literally have nothing else to search or look through.

“want to continue the game?” Johnnie ask looking up from his phone. You tilted ur head at him not knowing what he meant. He puts his phone down and stares at you with his bright blue eyes.

“The truth or dare game. Want to continue that?” Johnnie ask again.

“What why? We’re technically still undergoing the game” you asked back while sitting up

“Well… you’re clearly not sleeping and im guessing its because you’re uncomfortable to sleep on your roomate’s friend’s bed. So lets just waste time since the night is still young” johnnie reshifts himself on the bed so that he is facing you.

You just nodded to him suddenly feeling your heart beating out of your chest

-

3:00AM

The both of you spent what felt like hours on the game. It started off as the both of you picking truths for the longest time ever until Johnnie decides to break the pattern by saying dare and you dared him to take a shot of tabasco sauce. After that incident the both of you just had your own fun playing truth or dare, answering saucy questions and doing dumb dares.

“Omg i can’t believe you just prank called your mom saying you got a girl pregnant” you laugh out loud holding onto your stomach

“Yeah can’t wait for her to nag at me in the morning you idiot” Johnnie laughs with you as the both of you sat back down on his bed “alright truth or dare” Johnnie ask

“Truth”

“Is it true that you like me?” Johnnie smirks at you as your face turns red. “I uhh i don’t- well.. yeah” you confessed blankly. You did not expect Johnnie to ask you that, you were really embarrassed you just hid your face in your hands. Johnnie smiles removing your hands from your face “hey.. i like you too..actually i like you alot. Jake caught me so many times watching Tara videos that has you in it, I’m actually surprised that idiot did not blurt out anything to you.” You giggled at his confession, it was cute of him to come forward like that, you never really thought Johnnie actually has a crush on you since he never really shows it whenever the both of you meet. You cup his face and gently place your lips against his, feeling his cold lips touching yours made your heart melt the both of you stayed like that for a few more seconds before pulling away.

“gosh im so sorry i should’ve asked fuck i’m so-“ you got cut off by Johnnie’s lips crashing into yours. You kissed him back but this time more passionately than before. Both of your tongues meet and danced in eachothers mouth, Johnnie lifts you up and place you on his lap not breaking the kiss. The both of you made out for awhile, Johnnie’s hands wanted to be all over you but the handcuffs were too restrictive.

“Gosh i want to touch you so bad” Johnnie sighs before kissing you again. You hummed into the kiss agreeing with him, as you were about to slip your hand into Johnnie’s Jeans the both of you were shocked by a sudden flash coming from the door of his room

“Sup lovebirds! Say cheeeeese” Tara takes another shot from her Digicam with Jake standing right behind her waving at the both of you like a child at a playground.

“Tara uncuff me now so i can love my girlfriend easily” Johnnie groans as you turned your head towards him “Girlfriend?” You giggle “what you don’t want too?” johnnie smirks as he leaves kisses down your neck “Of course i want too” you peck his lips and felt a key dropped beside your thigh.

“Urgh this is nasty go unlock it yourself. Lets go jake” Tara exclaims sarcastically before closing the door. She is actually more than happy to see her two close friends get together since she has been planning this for so long. johnnie immediately took the keys and uncuff the both of you. You sighed at the feeling of relief when the cuffs were finally off, it felt good to feel your hands again. johnnie jiggles the handcuffs infront of your face while smirking

“Want to give these a try in a different way?”

-

Anon note: GUYS THIS IS SOOO LONG IM SO SORRY IF THERE ARE ANG TYPOS MY HANDS ARE CRAMPING ARGH. Its been a while since i posted so i gotta comback with a long one ya know what i mean? Hehe hope u guys enjoy! Love you guysss ❤️

[mellowtrashtrash]

FNaF World: Sister Location and Pizzeria Simulator finished!

Hey folks! I've had more characters in the works for a while now, and I've finally almost finished this row! Are you excited? I know I am! Let's get into it!

First, I elected to finish off the Sister Location animatronics, with the rambunctious scamps themselves...

The Bidybabs!

With all the wound-up energy of a pair of british schoolchildren, the Bidybabs are a welcome addition to the cast! These were a fun set of characters to make, and like last time, gave me a lot more practice animating multiple characters in one! In terms of animation, I endeavored to express the energy of a couple of silly kids roughhousing. This hurt animation features some walking, and while it is unusual, it was ultimately necessary for encapsulating the wobbliness of their stack. Like with the Minireenas, it was a tough decision whether or not to do an individual or a duo, but I knew it was going to be necessary for them to be a group in order to keep them distinct from the next character...

Electrobab!

This kid scares me. Someone find this kid a hobby. Preferably something non-conductive.

The neglected weird kid of the Sister Location Custom Night group, this overcharged infant is packed full of likely lethal electrical powers can put any pitiable poltergeist in this franchise to shame! Jumpscares? Hallucinations? Possession? That all pales in comparison to Electrobab's capacity for emitting immensely powerful controlled shocks! I guess it learned from how it was raised.

Now that we've finished off Sister Location's cast of oddballs, let's finish off the strange folks from Pizzeria Simulator! First up we have our unforgettable bowl of overcooked ramen...

Molten Freddy!

This noodly feller was quite a bit of fun to make. Rigging up all the wires was tough, but in the end I achieved exactly effect I was going for. And it's just plain fun to watch him go! For the main body, I was going to use a set of rigid bones to make it bend, but after some testing it didn't look very good. Too robotic, not silly enough. That was when I remembered the stretchy bone I'd used for Phone Guy's cord. I gave it a shot, and the resulting stretchy bouncy effect was just what he needed! The hurt animation is a little brutal-looking, but he'll probably be fine. These guys have been murdalized and melted down how many times now? They're troupers, they'll go through a thousand new marketable forms before they're finished!

Since everybody loved one bear so much, how about another Heeeere's...

Lefty!

The surprise puppet-trap himself! Lefty was a fairly simple one, as the character is largely a recolor of Rockstar Freddy. Nonetheless, I tried to give Lefty a distinct personality from Rockstar Freddy as best as I could. The animation direction for this character was very unnatural, disjointed, and jerky; like a dancing beartrap (or puppet-trap, hee-hee). In his hurt animation you can see the Puppet's eyes inside his detached jaw, dizzy from being spun around and stretched. I would be too.

I do not envy Charlie's situation, being stuck inside a robotic bear and forced to burn to death. Oh well, at least the darkest pit of hell is ready to swallow her greatest enemy whole— oh, he got out again? Why do we keep using fire?

Oh well, guess we've got...

Scraptrap!

Designing a cutesy version of this character is a tall, tall order. I did my best, and I think in the end it captures his design pretty well while remaining pretty simplified all-around. It's a little more stylized than I usually like to do, but I can't tell if that's on my part or if that was inherent to the character. He's not the most stylistically consistent of Scott's designs, even in his original FFPS appearance. In terms of animation direction, I decided to animate him like a bit of a cartoon villain. Exaggerated hunched posture, unbridled aggression when attacking, and shocked frustration upon being damaged. Fun animation tidbit, the skull inside his helmet moves its jaw with his. Look closely at his mouth and you can see it. Pretty spooky! Here's a behind the scenes look at his skull. Yikes!

That about does it for the scrap animatronics, though I've got another cooking up for next time, just you wait and see...

To finish us off, here's a remake of my Yenndo hurt animation! I decided the last was too generic!

Thanks for tuning in as always! I hope to bring you some more neat stuff soon! I'll catch you on the flipside!

[succubusvalentine]

⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ THE THUNDERDOME ⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺

Hiii, I'm Val :3

If you're new here welcome welcome. Enjoy your stay. If you're a repeat stalker, ily don't abandon me.

I don't have a schedule or anything, I post when I do. If you get frustrated that I don't post frequently enough for your liking, womp womp.

I don't wanna be mean or nothing, but mind you I am doing this for no money nor taxes. I do have a life. I have college, friends, boyfriend. This is a hobby for me. Not a job.

If you're one of the lovely people that reblog my posts with reaction images or amusing hashtags, I LOVE YOU. Seriously, I live for those.

Anyway I'll finish up my yapfest. Have fun on my page sluts ‪‪❤︎‬

MASTERLIST !

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Requests 

⚰︎ Requests are always welcome unless my pinned post says otherwise. Do be patient in waiting for your request to be answered. And if I don’t do your request, don’t be upset! I most likely didn’t see it within the onslaught of the other requests.

What can you request?

⚰︎ I mainly write blurbs for requests! I like to keep full length fics and stuff to my own wall of ideas just to keep it fair for everyone. So, have a blurb idea? Awesome! GIMME IT. ⚰︎ Request character x character, or character x reader, even character x reader x character!

What won’t I write about?

⚰︎ Im sensitive to outright rape. So I won’t write about that. Although I will write dub/cnc as long as somewhere in the writing I mention that it is at least somewhat consensual. ⚰︎ Scat/watersports. It’s just not my groove. ⚰︎ Child stuff OBVIOUSLY. ⚰︎ Anything morally wrong. ⚰︎ I don’t write anything about cheating unless it is a planned thing. See an example here.

Who do I write about?

⚰︎ Any and all COD  ⚰︎ Stranger things (all underage characters are exempt from this) ⚰︎ Criminal minds ⚰︎ Gladiator  ⚰︎ TLOU

[dippindaz]

Aaah you did my request :D it was so good aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa so in character and wonderful and cute <333 i am mentally printing it out and hanging it on my fridge. Also Billy not knowing how to deal with people looking after him?? Please, my heart 😭😭😭

If you're still looking for requests, I'd love to see Billy, Eddie, and Steve (and maybe Robin if that's not too many 👉👈) teaching a reader one of their hobbies (d&d, basketball, etc.) Tbh i don't think Robin HAS any canonical hobbies so I'm excited to see what you hc she does in her free time

Oh my gosh the praise is too much!!! 🥹 Thank you so much and I’m so happy you liked it!! ^_^ I did all four characters :)

I love this idea as well!!!! I’m sorry this took so long to get out, I got stumped on some theseee

Eddie Munson — Teaching You D&D

• Eddie is beyond excited when you show interest in Dungeons & Dragons. He acts nonchalant at first, but the second you actually agree to play, he’s pulling out his DM’s guide and grinning like a madman.

• He insists on making your character with you, talking you through all the races and classes in the most dramatic fashion. “Do you want to be a noble warrior, sworn to protect the innocent? Or a cunning rogue who trusts no one but themselves?”

• When you get overwhelmed by all the stats and dice, he reassures you with a pat on the head. “Don’t worry, my little apprentice, you’ll get the hang of it soon.” (In the voice you’d imagine an old mentor having.)

• During your first session, he gives you just enough guidance to keep you engaged but lets you struggle a little for fun. “Roll for deception. No, you can’t just lie your way out without rolling—welcome to the cruel reality of dice, sweetheart.”

• If you roll a natural 20, he makes a HUGE deal out of it, narrating the most ridiculous and over-the-top outcome possible. “You don’t just convince the guard—you have them questioning their entire career choice.”

• If you roll a natural 1, expect him to cackle and make your failure as hilariously painful as possible. “Oh no, you trip on your own shoelace and insult the king’s mother. Good luck with that.”

• He definitely starts calling you his favorite party member, even if you’re terrible at the game.

Billy Hargrove — Teaching You Basketball

• At first, Billy thinks it’s hilarious that you even want to learn basketball. He teases you constantly. “Think you can keep up with me, sweetheart?”

• He’s surprisingly patient when teaching you the basics, though. He stands behind you, guiding your arms when you shoot, and smirks when you get flustered. “You’ll never get it if you’re too tense. Relax.”

• If you miss a shot, he doesn’t let you live it down. If you make one? He acts like it was pure luck. “Alright, rookie, don’t get cocky now.”

• The first time you manage to get past him and score during a one-on-one game, he pauses. Stares. Then smirks. “Okay, okay, I see you.”

• Absolutely shows off while playing against you—spinning the ball on his finger, dribbling between his legs, pulling no-look shots—just to be extra.

• If he ever catches you getting frustrated, he actually encourages you. “You think I got this good overnight? Hell no. Keep going.”

• When you’re sweaty and out of breath, he rests his hands on his hips and smirks. “Guess I gotta go easy on you next time, huh?”

• If you really impress him, he’ll jokingly challenge you to a real game. “Loser buys dinner. Better start saving up, babe.”

Robin Buckley — Teaching You French

• Robin insists that French is the coolest language and that knowing it makes you at least 20% more attractive. “Trust me, nothing sounds hotter than a perfectly pronounced ‘je ne sais quoi.’”

• The first thing she teaches you? Not useful phrases like greetings or directions. No, she starts with the good stuff—insults and sassy comebacks. “Okay, repeat after me: ‘Va te faire voir.’ It means ‘get lost,’ but it sounds way classier in French.”

• She definitely teaches you how to swear in French and then makes you promise not to use it in front of teachers or authority figures. (“Actually, never mind, totally use it in front of Keith at work.”)

• Whenever you butcher a word or mispronounce something, she laughs but immediately reassures you. “Hey, you’re doing better than me when I first started. I sounded like a drunk tourist for the first month.”

• She randomly quizzes you at the worst times—like mid-conversation or while you’re eating. “Quick! How do you say ‘the cat is on the table’?” If you get it right, she cheers dramatically.

• If you really struggle with pronunciation, she gets unreasonably close and exaggerates how to shape your lips, totally unaware of how flustered it makes you.

• She casually drops French phrases into everyday conversations and refuses to translate them. “If you were paying attention, you’d know what I just said, mon cher.”

• Eventually, she teaches you something actually romantic, like how to say “Tu es magnifique” (you are magnificent), but she says it so casually that you’re not sure if she’s flirting or just being Robin.

• If you start getting too good, she pouts. “Damn, you might actually be better than me soon. I take it back, I’m never teaching you again.” (She’s totally lying.)

Steve Harrington — Teaching You Baseball

• When you agree to let him teach you baseball, he acts like it’s some super serious training session. “Alright, rookie, let’s see what we’re working with.”

• If you miss your first swing, he shakes his head dramatically. “Yikes. We got a lot of work to do.”

• He absolutely uses it as an excuse to stand behind you, adjusting your grip on the bat. “Loosen up a little. Here, let me—” and suddenly, his arms are around yours, and yeah, he knows what he’s doing.

• He definitely teases you if you get flustered. “Oh? Distracted? Can’t imagine why.” (The smirk he gives you is criminal.)

• When you finally hit the ball, he cheers obnoxiously. “Look at that! My little slugger’s getting good!” He even does a little celebratory fist pump.

• If you hit a really bad shot, he laughs but tries to make you feel better. “Okay, okay, that one sucked, but hey—at least you didn’t hit yourself in the face.”

• Eventually, it turns into competition. He steps up to the plate and crushes a ball just to show off. Then he looks at you with the smuggest grin. “Think you can top that, babe?”

• When you do manage to hit a better shot, he stares for a second before pretending to be unimpressed. “Eh. Not bad. Lucky swing.”

• If you lose the competition, Steve is supportive and careful not to make you feel bad. He reassures you that you just need more practice and you’re doing better than he was when he started. If you win… well let’s say Steve is conflicted between his ego and celebrating you. At first he might pout and be in disbelief but then he’d also be saying: “My baby’s a natural! You did so good!”

[ask-october-fox]

Hey OctoberFox! Welcome back! I've been a spirit viewing from afar ever since my partner introduced me to your existence a few years ago, so happy to see you're doing well! We always make sure to stock up on apple cider frycakes when we can (and apples, of course), so if you'd like an offering we can set some aside at a shrine.

I wanted to ask you a question... well, maybe advice is the better word to choose here. I've been diving into a lot of things over the past couple of years: voice acting, blender/3D art, and coding to name a few. However, I often find myself either losing all confidence or interest in these things (that I find myself loving to do) after a few weeks of investment. As an entity that has continued to push forward and return with dedication year after year, do you have any words of wisdom you could offer this lost spirit? I apologize if I'm asking for too much, but different perspectives makes a complete picture and I feel like knowing yours would be helpful.

Hello dear spirit! I am so glad that you could join me this year! Also a an extended "thank you" to your partner for introducing my little corner of the world to you. I hope you have been enjoying it. As for your question, that is a tough one I would have to say, but do know that the feelings that you have are very normal. Im not too sure what to tell you in terms of you losing interest- unless losing interest is part of the losing confidence, but either way please dont be hard on yourself for having a fleeting passion for one project before moving to another. I suppose that inspiration is a finicky thing like that! As for the losing confidence, please know that this happens to literally everyone. I think part of that can be how we see others around us, social media has a tendency to show usually the best of someone's work all while hiding the mistakes, trials, and errors to get where they are now. To be honest, it is very hard to be where we want to be with the hobbies and passions that we love, because for most of us, there is no true ceiling. Once we reach one step, we're already looking ahead trying to get to the next, and then the next, and so on. Its a want to be better, to strive for more, and its a beautiful and frustrating thing. If it helps at all, when I first started as a spirit guide I was... not very good at it. I had no idea what I was doing or what I was supposed to do! I made so many mistakes, its almost embarrassing to admit. But I kept going, because for all the mistakes I made, there were times when I could help someone, and when I could help one person.. I could help two.. or three. Each person I helped has become a memory that I keep close to my heart, and when I feel like maybe I cant do this, I try and remember those times. If I can make one person smile, or offer some words of comfort; if I can do one good thing for someone, then I know im going in the right direction. Its because of you spirits is what has kept my own fire alive for all these years, and because of that I want to be better not just for myself, but for all of you as well. Also another thing to keep in mind is that projects and hobbies are meant to be fun! If they start to become work, or a drag, step away from it. Dont turn something that you love into something that you hate all due to some imaginary pressure to be perfect from the get go. After all life is short, yes? Why spend that time not enjoying yourself? So keep going! Keep trying! Keep making mistakes and keep learning! Try new things and try old things! After all, if you feel like youve hit rock bottom.. then the only other way to go is up. I hope that wasnt too lengthy, but if they helped you-even a little, then know that will be another memory that I will carry with me for the rest of my days. Take care, spirit. Be kind to yourself 🤍🖤🧡🕯️

.....are those treats still available...? 👀

[and-the-times-we-had]

As a somewhat newer member of the Silmarillion fandom (I've been here for two years but compared to a lot of people I've come across that seems pretty recent to me) I'm not entirely familiar with the history of arguments and discourse in this fandom but I feel like I know enough at this point to have thoughts about it. I know it's there because I've seen discourse posts on here as old as 2011. I know the feanorians v lathrim/Thingol's line discourse in particular has a nasty history (including fans verbally attacking other fans) and I know that this fandom has had an issue with misogyny in regards to female characters (and even more importantly in regards to female fans).

I just have to wonder when we as a fandom and as individuals in the fandom are going to make the choice to stop doing this. Because it seems like it's been going on an awfully long time, and it comes back in cycles. And because of that, every time someone new comes into the fandom and says anything even vaguely adjacent to that discourse (and others), someone who has been around longer and experienced that discourse inevitably jumps down their throat about their take. A take that is clearly not connected back to that old discourse given that they are new to the fandom. A take that they most likely came up with while engaging with the text themselves (yes, even if it sounds similar to a take you've seen before. of course it is. We're all working off the same text/story).

How is this in any way welcoming or helpful? All it serves to do is drive away new fans who do not want that drama, add tension to a space that should be fun, restart the discourse that people say they are tired of seeing but do absolutely nothing to stop, and make it difficult to have any interesting discussions without worrying about inadvertently causing drama.

I've been in a lot of fandoms and been involved in discourse before (even in this fandom to an, in my opinion, limited extent) so I'm in no way going to say I'm above it but like, aren't you guys tired of this? Because I am. I'm tired of feeling like I'm going to be lambasted every time I post something. That's no way to engage with a hobby as far as I'm concerned. I could choose to leave the fandom out of the sheer level of frustration I feel about this, but there are still lots of things that I like, and honestly, I don't really want to. I dont think I've ever felt as creative or engaged in thinking analytically about the source materials in my fandom as I have in this one. I just want the fandom to be a generally more positive experience for myself and others.

I'm going to do my best to not contribute to the discourse issue and while I can't tell anyone else what to do, I hope you guys might also take a few moments to think the next time a post you disagree with comes across your dash or you see it in the tag. If nothing else, can we please avoid bashing other fans during the course of the discourse? It sucks to see the characters we like questioned/disliked/villainized/etc, but it sucks even more to be an actual person being bashed and told that they shouldn't even be able to consider themselves fans because they don't agree with your take on the text.

Can we just try to be better about this? Please?

[jjkamochoso]

hello hellooo my love 🤩✨️

can i request a match up with jjk men please? 🥹🙏

ok so im an infp. im very quiet and reserved and speak only when necessary. im pretty stoic and often come off as relaxed and nonchalant despite the raging storm inside me bc anxiety hehe :) but once you get to know me deeply, you'll get to meet the whimsical/fun side of me. im really closed off tho it will be so hard to break down my walls. i might come off as cold, but deep down im pretty affectionate and romantic. im very sensitive to my surroundings, people's behavior etc. and notice the smallest changes in them and may get upset over things that many people don't even notice. im super into philosophy and psychology, always analyzing everything and never letting things go easily. im all about being both rational and emotional and maintaining a balance between the two. i also love art, cinema and literature. they're basically my life lol... so... yeah ig that's about it :)

love you and appreciate you so much take care babe byeee👋🫶❤️‍🔥

JJK Matchup for @cntloup

Hello!! Thank you for sending this in!! I hope you like it :) <3 also, thank you for always being so very sweet!!!

There were a few JJK guys that you definitely could be a good fit with but ultimately I'd match you with...

Nanami Kento!

Nanami certainly doesn't mind your quiet demeanor; in fact, he welcomes it with open arms! I could envision you two enjoying an evening in, no words necessary, watching television or engaging in your separate hobbies (him reading while you do whatever it is you like!) while sitting next to each other or cuddling.

As a couple, your stoicism confuses anyone who knows either of you, but only in the sense that they're surprised you both happened to find someone who was so extremely similar to yourselves! With you being an INFP and interested in philosophy and psychology, Nanami loves the way he can talk with you about those types of intellectual topics since he's never had anyone in his life capable or willing to hold a conversation like that with him. Your INFP traits of being loyal and compassionate also resonate with him as those are characteristics he embodies as well and desires in a partner.

His calm and collected personality comes in handy whenever you feel overwhelmed by your anxiety. He encourages you to speak openly with him about how you're feeling so you two can work through whatever problems you might have and lead you to overcome any bad thoughts. Breaking down your walls is a challenge that Nanami understands well as you're most likely doing the same thing with him. With enough patience and understanding, you two slowly but surely unravel each other's fears and uncertainties, uncovering the whimsical and fun side of you, and exposing the romantic, softhearted side of him.

Nanami often shows his irritation on his face so you don't have to put your keen senses to work to see if he's frustrated. I could see how his aptitude for bluntness can lead to friction in your relationship because of the way you might interpret that as him being upset with you, but as long as you two don't revert to your cold exteriors when talking over the issue, you can quickly work it out with proper communication and reassurance. Your balance of rationality and emotion is helpful in these situations!

Ending on a positive note, I think you and Nanami would go on dates to museums, art galleries, theaters, operas, libraries, anything in the realm of sophistication. Before or after the activity you would enjoy romantic candlelit dinners, whether at home or at a high caliber restaurant, and Nanami would never hesitate to offer you his jacket if you were cold! And, of course, as you two head home, you would be analyzing everything you saw or experienced, holding a fantastically cultured conversation.

[br4inr0tx]

WE MEET AGAIN. now I’m here with another matchup! I’m guessing you can just screenshot the information I gave you, but if I need to send it I can do that!

Anyways, since I think I’m doing a matchup with a specific character I’m choosing… I would just like a TPOF Matchup with Derek Goffard please (:

Thanks!

hey bestie! hopefully you like this little treat, since I know how much you love Derek!

tw - forced affection, implied parental neglect, kidnapping, torture, toxic relationships

your other Price of Flesh matchup is… DEREK GOFFARD !!

• I can never see Derek having a normal relationship, or one where one party is completely happy. Almost everything he does is forced and shouldn’t be reenacted in real life.

• Nonetheless, I oblige. You want Derek? Good fucking luck man.

• The only way I can see you guys working on in all honesty is if you accept your fate as his personal "plaything". No fighting back..your his now.

• It comes to a point where the only way to get out of certain situations is to beg. He loves hearing you beg.

• He most definitely takes advantage of your disorders. Say you’re having a schizophrenic episode, he’ll provoke it, moving things around when you’re not looking and doing other things just to get a reaction out of you. Your suffering is his pleasure, after all.

• He especially loves provoking your anger. Like I mentioned with Komodo and Dragon, if you eventually get to a point with Derek where you guys can be civilized next to each other, he’ll invite you to take out your anger during the yearly game of manhunt. That’ll probably take years to accomplish though.

• He’ll also take advantage of your shy nature, mostly poking fun at you for it. He can appreciate your silliness depending on the mood, and sometimes you even manage to make him laugh! Especially if it’s dark humor.

• Derek loves when you cause trouble, and will actively support it. You most likely started out as a victim yourself, working your way up to eventually become Derek’s favorite plaything. So much so he most likely took you home, as he couldn’t get enough of the reactions you make when he he slices open your skin.

• He has his daddy issues, so if there’s any chance by quickly getting on his good side it’s listening to him rant about his rich boy life. At the same time, I can’t guarantee he won’t take out his frustrations on you regardless.

• You want to stand up to him? Just try. There’s nothing you can do to escape Derek now. Once something is his, it’s his forever or until he says otherwise. I can tell you now he’s not letting you go.

• You’re greedy? No worries. If you’re a good plaything, he indulges you by buying your favorite things. If you’re really good for awhile, he might get you a big present. You better continue to be nice though, as with the snap of his fingers he can take it all away.

• Most gifts will be your favorite snacks. Depending how far into your relationship with each other, be might hand feed you while you’re chained up. I can also imagine him buying lingerie for you and giving you to put it on. It is technically a “gift”.

• Some quick ways to get on his good side would probably be to clean up and do nice things for him, especially on those days where he has a hard time with his dad. With your natural welcoming personality, that itself shouldn’t be too much of difficult thing.

• Derek’s very intuitive though, so don’t try faking anything. He will know, and immediately punish you for it.

• He’s also very touchy, and if you don’t want to get hurt so much you’ll unfortunately need to deal with it. Although seeing as you like him back in this situation, who’re you to complain as you’ve hugged others before anyway.

• Cry all you want! He loves emotions and cracking them out of you. Especially when you cry and beg, that’s his favorite. So what lease do it, it’s sooooooo cute!

• He indulges in your hobbies sometimes, especially on a chill day. He’ll sit and watch Anime or YouTube with you for awhile, but his patience can sometimes run thin depending on what you watch. For him, any action or horror movies are his go to. Maybe true crime too.

• Don’t get cocky with another language other then any he knows, because meh might unfortunately assume you’re saying something fresh and punish you.

• After awhile of being kidnapped in his home, he’ll give you free reign to dress in what you want other then the clothes you were auctioned off in. He’s pleasantly surprised by your style, but overall isn’t judgemental of it. He’s just the type of guy to probably have an endless string of “why” questions when it comes to your style. Yeah, he’s that guy.

• You’re his now, and there’s not much you can do to change that outcome now. Good luck my friend, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

[ahammz]

Not everything is Postable!

Talking to beginner artists, I've noticed a trend: many feel that every time they put pen to paper, something Postable should come out. Posting is the final stage of all drawings; the crown that makes it complete. And if the drawing isn't of a quality worthy of posting...it's personally frustrating to the artist. And the beginner artists -- and experienced ones too, sometimes -- feel caught in that frustration.

But it's good and normal to draw a lot of pictures that are, in the end, more flawed in your eyes than good, by your own personal standards. This is how you get better at art! And if you embrace the bad art as part of the process, you have more fun.

Very little of what I draw is intended to be shared. To demonstrate that, here is like...1/8th of what I've drawn this year but never posted.

Some drawings, I tried to make good, but just weren't coming out the way I wanted. Some were never intended to be good -- I was just having fun, warming up, testing a thought, copying another artist for practice (marked below), etc. I am embarassed by a lot of these lol.

I hope this doesn't seem like I'm positioning myself as an expert by any means. Drawing has been important to me since I was very small (I did my first study from life out a hotel window when I was 5, I wish I still had the drawing!!!). I would like for fellow hobby artists to let go of any feelings of not-good-enough or Must Post, and have fun too. :3

If you are self-teaching drawing, and you feel like most of what you draw is rough... you're normal. This is what it means to be an artist. Welcome. One of us, one of us. Please don't let it stop you!

And here is my dog helping me take photos of the sketches.

[vellichorbindery]

Hey! I’m a big fan of your binds, you are seriously so talented. I was wondering how you made your covers for Crimson Rivers and Grounds for Divorce. I’m very very new to book binding and I’ve only ever made blank covers, and I’m trying to figure out how to make designed covers but most binders use a Cricut and I don’t have one 😅 It looks like those binds aren’t heat adhesive vinyl, so I was wondering how you made them! Thank you SO MUCH!

Hiiii! Firstly thank you for the lovely words, you’re so kind! Also welcome to the most fun & frustrating hobby of all times 🙊. For grounds for divorce I did a wrap cover method where you just print your design on paper and then usually laminate or spray it to protect it from scratching and cover the book boards with that paper rather than using bookcloth and htv.

For crimson rivers- I did use bookcloth and htv for the actual binds but then made dust jackets with fan art for over top.

If you have a printer you can do the following methods for covers:

1) wrap paper cover (as I mentioned above)

2) print on fabric decorated or make your own decorative fabric

3) cardstock with foil using the toner activated foil through a laminator for the front and back covers and a cloth spine piece!

I do have the wrap cover tutorial on my insta and TikTok but there’s others ones I see that are probs more detailed.

Hope this helps!

MUAH,

Jules

[msommers]

☠☮♦ + riya and auretta!

thank youuuu mwah (had to rewrite half of this after tumblr erased it somebody end my suffering) // headcanon meme

☠ - angry/violent headcanon

RIYA — her first handful of attempts to cast fireball were failures where the magic fizzled out and she got angrier and angrier until that fury and determination built up enough to properly fuel the first successful cast. fantastic news progression wise, terrible news for her mama's nearby tapestry that caught the very edge of the blast radius and went up in flames. mid-teens Riya had the emotional comedown of the decade after feeling such intense frustration and anger that abruptly shifted to panic and tears once she saw the fire catching on Priscilla's things. (it's fine i'm sure Loren and/or some college mage was there to help douse the flames and mend the tapestry but yikes)

AURETTA — prime candidate for magic user whose power starts to flare up alongside her anger. kinda hot of her to snap at someone and they have to succeed a wisdom save right quick because the glare she leveled at them came along with some cute ✨ miniature sparks of lightning and a minor gust of wind to their chest to shove 'em back. she deserves that trope, especially the extreme of it where there's nearly a full ass thunderstorm brewing around her once she's reached furious or vengeful status. having divine magic from a deity of storms is kinda sexy and fun, i think

☮ - friendship headcanon

RIYA — god it must have been incredible to be one of Riya’s socialite friends back in Nevarra. can you imagine winning the ye olde fantasy party person game that hard? to be friends with the daughter of the richest woman in Cumberland who often hosts or funds others to arrange parties and have an invitation to them, and if she’s attending parties that aren’t hosted by her own family then you’re still welcome to accompany her to wherever she’s going because everybody knows she’ll be able to bat her eyelashes and be let into whatever event she wants?? with any size entourage she wants??? crazy. you won the lottery there with endless open invitations and the knowledge you could get down with one of the most fun ladies of the age’s social scene.

AURETTA — she and Gale become fast friends because he reminded her of some of the other wizards back on Taltempla. a well-studied man who isn’t afraid to start rambling on about the topics he’s knowledgeable on, equally as verbose as the elves but perhaps a bit quicker in speed on his delivery. he even has their ego and sheer audacity! truly makes her feel right at home just hanging with him for a few minutes lmao

♦ - quirks/hobbies headcanon

RIYA — just brought up being an ancient party girl so it’s as good a time as any to throw out the predictable fact of Riya’s favorite hobby being dancing. she was obsessed with the paint the town red lifestyle for many reasons, but attending events was the most fun way to guarantee a night of dancing to and enjoying musical performances. she misses dancing so much let her actually have fun at a fucking party for once they keep going so bad

AURETTA — it’s too boring and easy to bring up reading as one of her hobbies so i’m gonna not do that. i’m gonna come up w something else right now. on the spot. and that something else, that i know of for sure as i type, is board games. that actually sounds right, i think she’d enjoy a good game of chess or tric-trac (i’m deciding Faerun has it idc) with some playful taunting back and forth.

[gothamswords]

National Motivation & Inspiration Day

So we’ve somehow already reached the second day of January!  It’s that time of year when we begin to evaluate how we want to spend the next twelve or so months at the Fechtschule.  To help you out, we’re celebrating National Motivation & Inspiration Day!  Whether you are new to swordplay or a seasoned student here’s some tips to help keep you on track to achieve your goals for the upcoming year:

Remember to celebrate all the progress you’ve made!  If this is your first class: Welcome! You already made huge progress by taking initiative and showing up.  Swordplay is wicked fun and you’ve started yourself off on a new wild journey!  Is this your 50th class? Congratulations on the dedicated effort: you found a hobby you enjoy and hopefully are benefiting in all sorts of wonderful ways from your training.  This idea extends to individual class sessions as well, because each little success is a stepping stone to reaching larger goals.  Did you pull off a really excellent piece of footwork during a sparring session? Remember to think about it in the context of other goals and celebrate with an extra sip of beer at the Taco Bell after class.

Approach your training with purpose, thoughtfulness, and accountability — remember that training any martial art can be both fun and incredibly rewarding work but it is not without its own set of challenges! It’s important to understand when and why things aren’t going how you planned so you can make a plan to practice and improve.  There are going to be some days when you feel unstoppable, and others that feel impossible and downright frustrating. Always remember to forgive yourself, move on from difficult feelings and remember you’re surrounded by people who want to see you succeed.  We get it.  We all have had our difficult days.  How can your comrades and mentors help?  Go ahead and ask!

Most importantly: the learning never stops!  Day 1 or 100, foundational exercises or advanced techniques, every training session is a new lesson in some way or another.  Embrace the mindset that martial arts is a lifelong pursuit and always approach class with a humble attitude, willingness to learn, and you’ll get something out of each day on the training floor!

In the comments below tell us what motivates and inspires YOU to train!

[kenobster]

Hey just wanna say i (as an individual who ships obikin) thank u for putting encouraging words about obikin even if u see them as besties. It’s really discouraging to see so many other shippers sh*tting on obikin people just for shipping obiwan and anakin. Yes ik it’s a controversial ship if u look at it closely but i just do it for fun (and love the chemistry between them). I dont shit on other ships (unless it’s really REALLY problematic) and like cant they just leave us alone in peace?? Same with reylo like yes it’s another controversial ship but again if u dont think and/or look too hard then just have fun with it.

I dont mind codywan im not a huge fan but i see why they ship it, just aint feeling it like obikin does. Same for the rest of other ships (except for dinluke i will die for it as well)

Sorry for the ramble (^^;) long story short that campaign speech u put for the silly ship poll was well put!

Hi anon, I am incredibly glad to hear that I could reassure you after all the mean things that antishippers have been saying about your ship. Ship and let ship is a crucial rule in this house of mine, in which Obikin and Codywan are both very welcome. :D

However, I do invite you to examine some of your own beliefs about this subject. Specifically, I'm curious what compelled you to say "I don't shit on other ships (unless it's really REALLY problematic)." While that's the part that most stood out to me, there is other concerning verbiage in your ask (i.e. the frequent use of the word "controversial" and "if u don't think and/or look too hard" which both felt like similar apologetic statements you use when shipping something you feel others will judge you for).

First, I want to highlight what you said about why you ship Obikin — "i just do it for fun (and love the chemistry between them)." To me, that communicates that you don't see any harm in someone enjoying a ship purely because it is appealing to them. Additionally, you say, "can't they just leave us alone in peace??" which suggests frustration that other people don't share your opinion.

Is it possible that the "really REALLY problematic" ships are enjoyed by people for reasons similar to yours? Is it possible that they, too, would like others to leave them alone and let them enjoy a harmless hobby in peace? What makes it acceptable to shit on their ships and not yours? Who gets to decide which ship is an Obikin-level ship and which is a "really REALLY problematic" ship? You? Me? Can you be certain that our definitions agree?

The first thing you should consider is what makes you feel like a ship is "really REALLY problematic." I think you'll find that most of it is a Squick factor — a gross-level factor. Maybe Obikin is "hot" to you, but it does gross other people out. Similarly, perhaps some ships, especially ones with components that might not make much sense in real life, are "hot" to others but gross you out.

For example, I'd like you to picture Chancellor Palpatine kissing AOTC Anakin on the mouth. Make sure your imagination includes Anakin's young boyish features and his barely-legal Padawan braid. 😉 Now imagine them having sex. In case you're having a hard time picturing this, here's some pictures of them to help you out! 😊

If you're like most people I know, I bet you're super grossed out right now. You might even consider Palpakin to be much more problematic than Obikin. But I chose Palpakin as a comparison for a reason! Because, when it comes down to it, how are these two ships any different in scale? Anakin views both Obi-Wan and Palpatine as a father figure. Both have mentored Anakin since he was 9 years old. There is a significant age gap and power imbalance in both ships. I've even read both Obikin and Palpakin fics that feature sexual activities with Anakin while he's still a minor.

It seems the only difference is that one tends to gross out the average person more than the other. Is being grossed out a reason to shit on someone's harmless hobby? For example, I'm extremely grossed out by sushi. Is that a reason to ban sushi worldwide? Obikin might gross me out, but I don't come after you or your fellow shippers. Palpakin might gross you out, but that's not an excuse to come after me. And maybe other ships gross both of us out, but I will not join you in going after them.

In other words, ALL fandommers, as you so aptly put, "just want to be left alone" and "enjoy the chemistry" of their ship without "thinking about it too hard." So until you agree that NO ship is problematic, you are inviting the same criticism upon ships that YOU like. Because anti-shippers aren't just coming for the "really REALLY problematic" ships; they're coming for every single one of them.

[two-reflections]

Hello, I'm PS. I sometimes paint minis and write fanfic.

I primarily rep the Salamanders, but I also like the Red Corsairs, the Iron Warriors, the Thousand Sons, Vashtorr the Arkifane, my original Dark Mechanicum sect, and several Astartes/Legionary characters from other Chapters/Legions.

Ao3

[Lists: Salamander Stories, My Salamander OC Squad, Chaos Stories, Imperial Stories, Xenos Stories.]

Mini Painting

Salamanders Lore

This is (unfortunately) a sideblog, so apologies if it's hard to tell whether we've interacted. If it helps, my main is a very old astronomy-related blog!

Asks are always open! I welcome feedback on my painting and writing. I'm trying my best to improve at both. 😅

Peek under the "Keep Reading" and I'll tell you way too much about myself and about my favourite guys.

Y'know, if you want. Don't say I didn't warn you. 💚

About me:

I live in the UK, but I wasn't born or raised here.

I was an archaeologist, but I'm a copy editor now. Cheers, Brexit. 🙄

My major hobby is LARP. I crew and play quite a lot of small and mid-size games.

My first experience with Warhammer 40k was a Dark Heresy TTRPG Campaign campaign where I played a "pilgrim" (scout equivalent) from a renegade Space Marine Chapter who was part of an Inquisitor's retinue. Still one of the best TTRPGs I've ever played.

Fell in love with the Salamanders due to a plot point in that game. Later read the Tome of Fire books, which only deepened my love.

I wanted to start painting, but after an uncomfortable experience at what was then my local GW store, I didn't feel like it would be a good idea.

My spouse and I painted minis for a few RPGs and Legacy board games together over the years. We sucked, but it was fun.

Last year, I started watching Warhammer videos while painting Frosthaven minis. Finding Ebay Miniature Rescues was what finally got through to me.

Since then, I've been painting and reading when I can. I've played Killteam a few times with my spouse, loved it every time.

I'm neurodivergent and a bit bad at communication. I have three modes: enthusiasm, anxiety spiral, and complete hermit. All of these can make me difficult to interpret. I've spent years giving myself hell for it and I'm trying not to do that any more, but please understand that it only takes one brief conversation for me to consider us friends. If I forget to reply, I still think you're amazing and I will genuinely be delighted if you nudge me or randomly get in touch months or years later.

I'm currently pregnant and off my narcolepsy meds, so my painting is on hiatus because I'm not awake enough most of the time. Very frustrating.

Canon Faves:

ALL THE SALAMANDERS - literally all of them. I'm super hung up on Nick Kyme's Rebirth though, so my favourites are Ur'zan Drakgaard (whom I HC as being a dreadnought in current 40k), Adrax Agatone, and the poor little meow meow x feral massive hiss hiss duo of Exor and Zartath (yes, he counts!!). Also, Chaplain Elysius is always 10/10. Sa'kan from Pariah Nexus is also wonderful and I hope we see him again soon.

All the cool humans around the Salamanders - RIP Makato. Issak and Agatone should kiss once. Shoutout to Tsu'gan's brander, he didn't deserve what happened to him. Colonel Redgage is babygirl and I'll always wonder if he survived.

Non-Salamander OCs:

Kemal Afshar and Setka Radjedef of the Thousand Sons. Technically my spouse's OCs, but they're kind of shared at this point. Despite being on different sides of the Ahriman-Magnus divide, these ancient Terran boys meet often to play sorcerous board games together. You can read more about them here! Also, these lads have minis! Plus, they're in my Thousand Sons Killteam.

After writing this story and one more that isn't on Ao3 yet, I also have Yazid Melek. He's an Exalted Sorceror from the Cult of Mutation who focuses on psychically active and mutated plants.

Warsmith Kirakos Neman of the Iron Warriors and Fleet Captain Roscius Sedulius of the Red Corsairs enter into a trade agreement together with personally devastating consequences. You can read more about them (and other characters from their warbands) here!

Skitarius Escher has been requisitioned from Forgeworld Urum by the Inquisition, serving in a team headed by Interrogator Arion Astraeus under the auspices of Inquisitor Griselda Novaria of the Ordo Hereticus. You can read more about them (and the rest of their team) here!

I also have several techmarines-in-training and Deathwatch marines. So far, I've only uploaded two stories about any of them: Adathan of the Blood Angels and Julen of the Imperial Fists.

OC squad: Salamanders 6th Company's 3rd Tactical

(Apologies for the Heroforge pics below, I hope to actually put together my squad's minis this year and then this'll have proper pictures. Or I'll commission some artwork.)

The 6th's 3rd is a squad of Salamanders currently stationed in the rotating garrison at Clymene. Currently eight men + a Sergeant, though they often deploy with the addition of Lexicanum An'terea, an elderly Astartes who was caught up in the Psychic Awakening at the turn of the millennium.

Brother Lattis (R) describing a creature to Sergeant Te'rien. (L).

Led by Sergeant Benedan Te'rien (~160), a fixture of the 6th. In the forge, Te'rien specialises in fine metalwork. Te'rien has tried to run his squad like a family where he is the paterfamilias, but he's still emotionally compromised after the death of someone he had an intense friendship with in the past. Even though younger Astartes are often seen as more emotional and less detached, Te'rien is an example of how untrue this is. His deep love for the 6th Company stands in contrast with his stubborn refusal to leave Clymene to rejoin the rest of the 6th in Aethonian. Only his current Captain and second-best friend Nehr Ur’Venn knows the reason for his self-imposed exile.

An'terea (L) and Philo (R) reminiscing.

Pe'tar Philo and Carix An'terea go back like 250 years and are absolutely devoted to each other. It's not that they exclude others on purpose, they're just unrelatably old and are the only ones left from an extremely tight knit squad that died many years before. An'terea isn't technically part of the same squad as Philo any more, but he takes advantage of his new Librarian status (thanks, Psychic Awakening) to attach himself to whatever squad Philo is part of. There are several younger Astartes he cares about like Kea'hi and Val'ten, and both Philo and An'terea have grown closer to Sabinus in recent years.

Philo is a brash, avuncular man who cares deeply about the squad. He was a Sergeant in the 5th many years ago and hated being in charge. Since then, he has rejected promotion. He just wants to fight on and spend the calm parts of his life reminiscing with An'terea. Only bothered crossing the Rubicon because An'terea asked him to.

Cor'en (L) scanning Bai'keti (R) after an accident with a malfunctioning power sword.

I don't plan to discuss this further in any of my Salamander stories beyond All-seeing Dawn, but pilot and emergency medic Cor'en (~300, claims 75) is an infiltrator. Not from Alpha Legion, but from a homebrew rogue chapter called the Reavers in Metal. He was meant to infiltrate the Deathwatch, but got stuck with the Salamanders by mistake. He genuinely respects Te'rien. Watching the flawed little Sergeant do his best reminds Cor'en of humanity's tenacity. He's not a big fan of the rest of the squad, though. He misses his old squad. He hopes to leave the Salamanders soon. He just this needs to get his hands on one thing, and then he can “die” on the next battlefield and go home. He's the only Firstborn in the squad at first, though more will arrive as young Primaris marines are promoted and older Firstborn marines transfer to the reserve companies.

Lattis (L) and Ke'leth (R) having a drink.

Lattis (60s), Ke'leth(80s), and Kea'hi (~45) are the tight core of the squad. The Themian Lattis thinks he's the ringleader of this group because Te'rien was his Forgefather when he was a child, but it's actually Ke'leth, a cuddly Hesiodian who takes on many young apprentices. Kea'hi is a bit younger, he is a very normal Salamander. Kea'hi worries that his position might be insecure since he's the youngest in the core and Lattis gives another soldier called Atsen Bai'keti a hard time for being “the baby”, but Kea'hi only thinks that because he doesn't understand what's actually going on between those two. The truth is that Lattis hates people he sees as dishonest, so he saw red when Bai'keti showed up and started swaggering around. Unfortunately, Lattis hasn't noticed that Bai'keti has grown up a lot over the years, so he keeps tormenting him.

Ke'leth (L) with one of his forgechildren.

Sabinus (R) comforting Bai'keti (L).

Sabinus (~65) used to be part of the core group until Bai'keti showed up. His defense of Bai'keti from Lattis's bullying split him off a little from that group, but only Lattis actually lost respect for him. Everyone else still likes him, and Sabinus, Philo and An'terea have become more friendly since then. Sabinus has a heavy, sullen face, but he's actually calm, perceptive and knows the backgrounds of all his squad mates except Cor’en. He has a big heart and a forgiving nature. He would make a good Sergeant, but he's utterly uninterested in command and doesn't know the rest of the 6th Company well on account of being stuck in Clymene for many decades. He may still be promoted someday. Teased Val'ten a little at first because he found him a bit soft.

Bai'keti (R) discussing his dodgy power sword with Sabinus. (L)

Atsen Bai'keti (~32) was never meant to be in the 6th's 3rd. He was once a special scout, not intended for the companies at all but for Mars. However, he suffered a medical mishap and ended up taking significantly longer than average to ascend, meaning that a different scout who began ascension after him left for Mars in his stead. Unfortunately, all the stress, memory issues, and the fall from star scout to disappointment meant that he was a complete mess when he joined the squad. At first, he acted childishly superior and conceited out of insecurity. He has mellowed over the years, especially now that his body has stabilised. Nevertheless, Lattis still gives him hell. When Sabinus stood up in Bai'keti's defense, this unfortunately created tension in the squad and isolated Bai'keti further. With only two friends and a horrible power sword he is desperately failing to make work, Bai'keti doesn't feel like he's part of the squad. Things will improve tremendously for him once he leaves for Mars and finds that he's older and more experienced than the average Techmarine-in-training. He will probably join the Deathwatch after that and return in his 80's with an actual reason to swagger around.

Val'ten (R) gets a talking-to from Sergeant Te'rien (L).

Dejan Val'ten (~25) is the newest member of the 6th. He was a PDF orphan from Heliosa before he was apprenticed to a Brother there. He's the opposite of Bai'keti, having had a relatively straightforward ascension. Unlike his Brother Salamanders, he isn't particularly gifted in the forge, but what he lacks in technical skills he makes up for with tenacity, diplomacy and a strategic mind. He's overly aware of his youth and inexperience, so he tries hard to fit in. He makes friends quickly with Bai'keti, which makes Kea'hi avoid him by proxy. Lattis and Keleth, however, treat him relatively well. On the flip side, Sabinus makes fun of him sometimes. Val'ten idolizes Sergeant Te'rien at first, but comes to see his human side. They will have been good friends for many years by the time Te'rien dies and Val'ten replaces him as Sergeant.

Dal'ris Moloi (~27) is not a Salamander. He was an aspirant who failed to ascend, and is now Val'ten's brander-priest. He requested to be assigned to Val'ten because Val'ten helped his family while he was a scout. The two become very close, working on a secret project together. Val'ten discovers that he enjoys making Dal'ris happy, Dal'ris thinks Val'ten is hot and is flattered that his Lord Astartes pays so much attention to him. They're falling in love.

Drek'tyr (~300) is a very old firstborn who moves down from a higher company when he realizes everyone around him is Primaris now. He replaces Bai'keti. He has a stupid saurian hat and I love him a lot. A little gremlin of an Astartes. He's here because my spouse gave me a very silly mini of a Salamander with a dinosaur head.

[pensbridge]

Just For Fun: My outline of episode 1 (Polin edition), but I'm not sure if I wanna post more (or finish) -

I started this awhile back and got motivated to add more after the update w/the date announcement. (it might not be completely in line after the new interview)

Season 3, Episode 1: Out of the Shadows ☆

Colin/Penelope return. We see Colin arriving home. The Featherington household is going through revisions as Portia is instructing for downsizing/majority of their stuff to be sold due to the recent financial crisis. As Colin pulls up to the family, we see 'welcome backs' & teasing exchanged. He looks on to the Featherington estate. Portia is on a quest with a new scheme/seems suspicious-ABC brothers look on in bewilderment/curiosity; C looks up and sees Pen from the window, who steps back and ignores when he waves.

Francesca debuts. (Colin questioning most of the ep). We see them back at the house; family plays catch up w/lots of set up for sibling dynamics (inc El-Colin exchanges re: her current status w/Pen & him trying to relate it to Pen's dismissal of him & a mention of the letters). also some talk about Colin's travels & an exterior look at what could be deeper to his internal change (he'll boast a lot & seemingly have found his purpose/worth). We'll get references and hints to his new 'hobby' and we'll get a shot or 2 of some things he brought back including a book (journal), while he maybe struggles with some of the intricacies of family living together after being alone on his travels.

We get Pen avoiding him at all costs [the ball is where things get awkward-Pen attempts flirting (more on that later) // she probably has some solo attempts in random moments we don't expect, where she is not actively in the position to be seeking, but tries to strike up a convo with random men].. We get the 1st confrontation in some private area after she walks off from one of her solo attempts, where Colin pops up- (Colin will be very confused, and in the dark of Pen's quest/frustration; Pen very standoffish/comes off rude to him).

Pen goes through makeover. Earlier in the episode we get Madame Delacroix interaction & foreshadowing to her physical change + LW updates & we'll see a tonal change of Pen's mission regarding it (aka girl=enraged).

Later, at the ball, we get things like small notices of Penelope's new look, Pen-Lady D. interaction, and an awkward El-Pen encounter [as well, we'll probably get onlooking disapproval from Eloise when she notices her exterior change]. Francesca probably meets John. Again, Penelope will try to flirt (this time with a man with great prestige) and somehow in her nervousness (or unknowingness, at the time to his status), she will go on to stumble through her interaction or unintentionally offend him in some way, feeling embarrassed at the witness of a group of surrounding people. So she runs off.

Meanwhile, Colin will notice a change, but be more confused than anything at her new shift/demeanor and, seemingly, personality; he spends the ball trying to speak with her again/worried if something had happened and of the correlation of her not responding to letters. (They have 1 more little encounter involving him trying to talk with her in the commotion of the ballroom, but it is interrupted by Cressida when she attempts to throw a dig at Pen, taking notice of her new wardrobe).

When he notices her run off, he follows..

They get into a tense & heightened exchange, where she admits her desire to find a husband. He is shocked and thrown off by her words, but offers to help her in his quick-thinking, desperate attempt, just hoping to get back on her good side. She instantly refuses at first, but he persists about it. She may not even accept at his first proposal due to her determination to forget him and/or the general timing at the ball with all the things going on close by them. The episode ends with a Lady Whistledown paper, setting the tone for a much darker figure with some foreshadowing of what's to come later.