#bling bling: contrast | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tteokdoroki · 1 year

Text

☆༉ — KATSUKI BAKUGOU. love island’s heart rate challenge.

about. you’re the bombshell katsuki tells her not to worry about. i just wanted to hop on the love island!bakugou trend because i finally managed to catch up and watch some.

warnings. suggestive. minors & ageless blogs do not interact. implied cheating but not really bc it’s love island, british slang lol, lap dances, making out, saucy outfits & fem!reader.

the girl bakugou couples up with has been worried about you from the moment you first stepped into the villa.

and rightly so.

you’ve had almost every boy charmed since your arrival. kirishima made you lunch on your first day, todoroki and sero eagerly followed you for a chat by the pool to express their interest in you at the party hosted in your honour on night one. but you, you had your sights set on katsuki bakugou.

as a bombshell, you’d been given the power to choose any guy you wanted to take on a first date to the sandy shores of Majorca — with crystal clear waters, fresh fruits and champagne as your wingmen. and while you had initially picked bakugou for his sharp jaw line, mysterious wine red eyes and obviously the rest of his good looks (those abs looked like they were taken straight from a magazine) you were pleasantly surprised by how warm he was. his eye contact was strong, the raspy lilt to his voice was both alluring and calming and he seemed genuinely interested in you as a person and not because you were his type down on paper (though that was a bonus).

you laugh and smile about where you grew up, your favourite things and your red flags and by the end of the date — bakugou is feeding you fruit and helping you stand with a warm hand wrapped around your wrist. “s’only been a few days so i’m not completely closed off,” he mumbles a little too fast. “i’m open to getting to know you.”

you want to get to know him too.

you don’t tell the girls this when they crowd around you with blinged out bikinis and coconut scented sunscreen to ask you how your date went. you’d rather keep your cards close to your chest, but you tell them how nice bakugou is, how sweet he is. some of the girls can instantly tell how much he’s into you. bakugou’s match doesn’t say much.

“obviously, i don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.” you expressed politely to the girls, your eyes doe eyed and bright, voice level and sweet. “i’ve come in at a difficult point, so i’ll just get to know everyone and let the boys know that the ball is in their court.” you don’t care if it makes you seem fake, but you don’t have any plans on leaving the island without bakugou on your arm.

the rest of the week is spent hopping between the boys, wearing all of your most sizzling swimsuits and pyjama sets — knowing that katsuki’s eyes are following you everywhere around the villa. he makes you iced coffees and scrambled egg with toast at breakfast times. he likes you and you like him and it’s causing problems with the girl the blonde is coupled up with.

on the fourth day, you get a text whilst in the pool — schmoozing with bakugou’s rival, deku. you announce it while he smooches up your ankle, making bakugou see flashes of red “islanders, it’s time to see how much of your heart truly belongs to the person you’ve coupled up with. tonight we’ll test that #heartratechallenge #peepthepulse!”

it’s then that you know exactly what to do. exactly how to get your man.

the producers supply you with a cute little number, one that you specifically request in bakugou’s favourite colour — the burnt orange lace of your corset and tiny shorts contrasting perfectly against your skin, accompanied by thigh high socks that squeeze around the plush flesh. your new best friend in the villa helps you smoke out your eyelids and touch up your makeup for the perfect look while she tells you that you look good enough to eat.

and you are. when it’s your turn to get those hearts racing — you stand before the boys at the fire pit who drink you in like a tall glass of water on simmering hot day and eat up your curves highlighted in your skimpy little outfit like men starved. you start with sero and make your way down the line, taking his finger into your mouth before kissing up his arm and right to his ear once you’re in his lap. todoroki digs his thumbs into your waist when you throw it back on him, kirishima let’s out a low whistle when you give him extra special treatment and a kiss on the neck (courtesy of being bakugou’s best friend), you let kaminari feel up and down your curves and nibble on your ear.

bakugou is rigid in his place by the time you reach his rival izuku — and you put on an extra show, pulling the man to a stand and grinding on him like nobody’s business. the boys holler and whoop and scream, practically sweating at the show you put on for them.

when you reach the blonde, you crawl into his lap tantalisingly slow, his rough hands instinctively coming up to cup your thighs — smooth over the skin as katsuki leans back in his seat and manspreads to make room for you.

“hi handsome,” you greet him with an innocent purr, running your hands up to the back of his neck to toy with his baby hairs.

you’re so close to him that he can feel your heat spread through his soul and burn him from the inside out — replacing any memory of the girl that he’s coupled up with. “hi gorgeous, what took ya so long?”

“i wanted to save the best for last.”

bakugou’s cheeks flood with a red that rivals his eyes when you grind down into him, calculatedly placing your lips inches away from his thumping pulse point. you grab at his hair and he grabs at you, practically groping one another as you ghost over his lips, tease him with the prospect of a kiss. he can hear his own heart thundering through his ears, the blood rushing to his head (and between his legs) making him too dizzy to even think. saliva pools in bakugou’s mouth as you make a mess of him without even trying, rolling yourself in his lap, shaking your ass against him, whispering filthy shit into his ear even though the mics can pick it up.

to wrap it up, when you slide off of katsuki, you pretend to drop something — standing up sensually to give him a little treat. his eyes clearly glued to your cute behind.

by the time your turn is over, katsuki knows that he’s done for. he wants you, and the way your vanilla perfume lingers on his sun licked skin. he’s in a daze for the rest of the game and doesn’t even notice the way his girl’s face twists at the sight of your lipstick prints all over him.

neither of you can hide your faces when deku begrudgingly announces “the girl that raised bakugou’s heart rate the most was….” and your name follows suit. you offer up your most winning smile, giving the blonde those “fuck me eyes.” that really get him going from across the fire pit and he can’t help but smirk back.

the boys clap for him but the girl he’s coupled up with gives you a look that could kill.

before it all comes to head, katsuki approaches you and your best friend by the bar — hands tucked into his lose cargo pants, silver dog tags around his neck glinting around his thick neck as he juts his head in the direction of the sunbed’s.

“can i pull you for a quick chat?” he grunts and you grin, offering him your hand despite the stares from the other islanders. you want katsuki bad, so you’ll be as controversial as you want — no matter who’s coupled up with who. “obviously, i like you, a lot.” he starts, helping you sit down, hand around your wrist and eyes full of admiration.

since you’ve come into the villa all he can think about is you, your laugh and your smile. to say his head was turned would be an understatement. katsuki bakugou is crushing hard on you.

“i think you can tell, ‘specially from how that challenge went.” it’s hard for him to open up like this and admit it to you, but your connection goes beyond your beauty and bakugou feels himself gravitating towards you more than his old match. he doesn’t want to pass this up, maybe lose you to izuku. “i said i was open, but i think… if you picked me. i’d be completely closed off for you. i want you like that. if you’d want me too.”

he fiddles with your hands nervously as you sit opposite him, all dolled up with shiny eyes and glossy lips under the evening sky. you think katsuki couldn’t get any cuter which only solidifies your choice.

“i’ve only ever wanted you since i came here, katsuki. i feel like we get each other,” inching forward until you’re a breath’s width apart, you tenderly brush a blonde lock away from his pretty face. “i wanna be yours just as much as you wanna be mine.” you add, quietly.

and you don’t care if your next move makes you shady or betrays anyone’s trust — but you came into the villa looking for love and you think you’ve genuinely found it within katsuki. so you lean forward, pressing your lips gently against his and squeak in surprise when bakugou reciprocates almost instantaneously. he cups the back of your head, deepening the kiss and pushing his tongue past the boundaries of your soft lips to tangle with your own.

“your lip gloss tastes like shit.” bakugou pulls away with a grumble, but his face breaks out into a wide and accomplished grin. “c’mere, kiss me again.”

“m’kay,” you tilt your head towards him, your own expression light with laughter, and place your hand over the one that cups your cheek. “i like kissing you.”

“i like kissing you too.”

smiling again, you squish bakugou’s cheeks. “so does this mean you’re picking me at the next re-coupling?”

katsuki nods dumbly, wanting nothing more to pull you into his lap. he knows they’ll be drama tonight, dealing with the last girl, his sleeping arrangements and yours — but he doesn’t care. he just wants to share this moment with you.

“i’ll pick you a thousand times over. at this re-coupling and every single fuckin’ one after.” katsuki reaffirms, knowing that he’s absolutely fucked up and in love.

and that’s enough for you to kiss him all over again.

#bakugou x reader #bakugou x you #bakugou thirst #bakugou smut #bakugou imagine #bakugo x reader #bakugo x you #bakugo thirst #bakugo smut #bakugo drabble #bakugou katsuki x reader #bnha x reader #bnha x you #bnha thirst #bnha smut #mha x reader #mha thirst #✧ ₊˚੭ — writing #tteokdoroki

952 notes · View notes

corviisquire · 3 months

Text

Creatures have colors!!

Left to Right: @moonchild-in-blue @leonsleftbicep @ghxstly-death

@pear-island

Left to Right: @a-s-levynn @foundationsofdecay @polteergeistt

They have been colored along with making some minor adjustments. If anyone wants anything changed please let me know! These creatures are yours so name them whatever you want, develop lore if ya want, and do whatever you want with them. Possible next batch will probably be made later next week.

Art notes under cut :D

I put some music drops because music inspires me too much.

Moonchild-in-blue: The blues and purples!! Opals and the insides of muscle shells inspired me a lot with the coloring (particularly the stars and moon). There’s another shell that has that shiny blue and green lining on the inside but I can’t remember the name of it. It was a full moon last night but I forgot to take a picture! Thought of you but anyways I loved coloring the lady. It was fun but I first I struggled on deciding if I wanted more blue or purple.

Some songs I listened to a lot while coloring this:

Sweet Disposition - Temper Trap

Moon Child - F16s

The Night Does Not Belong to God - you know who

Leonsleftbicep: Colors go crazy! Idk what your favorite colors are but I chose The Blue. I also incorporated some red (for yummy contrast and complementary colors). I realized this looked very vampire media core. EyAH enjoy the critter!

Some songs I listened to while coloring this:

Blue Monday - Orgy

Military Fashion Show - And One

The Apparition - do I really need to say who?

Ghxstly-death: Per your request, red and black was incorporated! Was inspired by Mohg, Lord of Blood, from Elden ring cause he has cool robes and a trident thingy. I really like how it turned out. Like I’ve been doing with every design is adding the bling and I felt gold would work well.

Was resisting the urge to put the entire One EP right here:

Get The Balance Right! - Depeche Mode

Mascara - Deftones

Jaws - Slep tonka

SEVEN HOUR SHITTER (pearisland/perryisle): You use bright colors in your art all the time so we got the colors goingggg. Little guy reminds me of Pumpkin Patch protagonist or Hollow Knight. Idk. Not much to say except TRIPLE DEATH SLIME BARRAGE!!!

No normal music for you. only Kevin Macleod and Pizza Tower ST.

A-s-levynn: More Dark Sun Gwyndolin inspiration… (you can tell I have my dark souls art books open next to me right now). As requested, tendrils/tentacles were added! I think it improved the design a whole lot because it was originally very symmetrical and the tentacles added just the right amount of asymmetry to balance out the overall look. I’m a huge fromsoft fan (playing Elden Ring, waiting for new DLC, have dark souls 1 remastered but haven’t started it yet, have bloodborne Elden ring and DS1/3 art books) so lots of my art has elements from Fromsoft games (neutron activation).

And just like everyone else, some music for the soul:

Too Late - 311

Scared Together - Silversun Pickups

Dark Signs - eepy coin

Foundationsofdecay: Again, taking more inspiration from your blog, colors and stuff. The design had subconscious influence from the game sky: children of the light. Had lotsa fun coloring it. I don’t know much about you like favorite colors or flowers but I tried my best!

Songs that inspired me:

Let It Happen - Tame Impala

Flux - Bloc Party

Rain - tired currency

Polteergeistt: The oarfish colors… A lot Of these characters have cool blues so I tried to use some teal blues to contrast the red/pink(?). “Nintendo switch core” I’m sobbing. I fixed the feet. Now my Pinterest is filled to the brim with fish images (specifically oarfish, sea jellies, and blue lobsters).

The music!!!!!:

UNDERWATER BOI - Turnstile

The Illness (Teenagers Remix) - GoodBooks

Descending - exhausted dollar

Thank you so much. All of you are such lovely people. 🫂💕🫶

#art #my art #digital art #art gift #gift art #gift #creature #oc art #OC

40 notes · View notes

tarnussy · 5 months

Text

Shout out to this bling post on reddit for drawing my attention to how Malenia's grieves look almost black in snowy area lighting. Now of course it's not a new phenomenon that lighting can drastically change everything, starting from texture to colors to mood. Still, I wanted to show it because I find it interesting. In the reddit post, they look almost pitch black.

Here they are at night:

For comparison, here are some other areas too:

No surprise that it looks warm and light in Altus lighting (also without the stark white contrasting color in the background).

Sometime's Rennala's hair also looks like a light brown color, I assume it's the way they light up certain models in certain areas.

#elden ring #malenia blade of miquella #tarnished #tarnussyscr #elden bling #fashion souls #screenshot #i rarely wear her grieves bc it nowhere near looks as good on me as it does on her (much like most demigod drip)

36 notes · View notes

pyritesdumpster · 4 months

Text

“WHO ARE YOU?!?”

(TW:BLOOD)

(AgaXSB Crossover)

Mike was anchored down in a office, but it wasn’t the office, his office that he grown a accustomed to over the years in fact it wasn’t even the correct building sure everywhere he looked the name Fazbear was plastered on every surface imaginable - except for the stained bat that was slanted on a wall.. but this wasn’t the pizzeria. Its was a mall known as the “Mega Pizzaplex”,

“It definitely lives up to being mega…” mike grumbled flickering through the numerous security cameras, that laid about on the small desk, to see if he spots any near by roaming animatronics.

The animatronics here too are stark contrast to the ones back the the pizzeria, they had much more polished and bulkier builds as well being higher aggressive to the point of hunting you down like prey, compared to the bots mike was originally going to watch over, who have a plushie exterior & behavior more decently… but here he in some— Freddy Faz-hell! (Im sorry, i can already sense the second hand embarrassment from y’all, it’s beautiful)

As much as he wanted to stay here in play it safe, it wasn’t much of an option. He had obtained a substantial injury to the left arm from earlier that definitely needed to be bandage and if the animatronics were capable of smelling he would rather not leave behind a trail. The injury itself felt like it was eating away on mike blood and skin, it stings similar to a wasp.

“The doors of the office are temporarily powered, leaving was bound to happen either way.” Mike tried make it seem like it wasn’t big deal to himself, the batteries on the walls taunted him as the bars on them slowly disappeared.

Mike let out defeated groan, scanning the camera once more to locate a near by first aid station. He pulled a folded up map from his back pocket, he had received from a Map-bot, he briefly thought back to the interaction between the both of them but snap back to the task at hand. He unfolded and flatten the map on the cluttered desk before grabbing a near by pencil, scribbling out what path he will take to get the first aid.

He scanned the map over a couple times on what to do, not bothered to check cameras (dummy). He quietly walked up to left door tucking the map away in his front pocket this time before grabbing his bat with his good arm. Pressing the button to release the door, he stepped out and started walking down the hallway but before he could past the office window a voice boomed behind him.

“Who are you?!?”

Mike turned back to look, swinging his bat into both hands despite the injured protests, he could feel a rush of adrenaline pumping in. Towering over him was the face of the company , Freddy Fazbear’s himself (more accurately a variant of the bear), while being all decked out in bling and sparkling clothing the main mascot was weirdly missing his signature top hat & bowtie. The bear’s glowing face made mike feel like deer in headlights, a very pathetic deer.

“No don’t get distracted” Mike tried to knock some sense into himself, he gripped the bat harder . “What am i thinking? I can’t go up against a bear even if it’s a robotic bear!” Panic began setting in.

What will mike do? What can he do?…

(Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes writing is not my strong suit, ALSO SORRY IT OKE SO LONG!!!! yall have free permission to beat me especially cuz its so ass)

Bonus+ (full body of the both of them)

#ask goldie anything #grawolfquinn #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #glamrock freddy #AGAXSB au #i have not slept #also also really sorry if mike sounds ooc

47 notes · View notes

operafantomet · 5 months

Text

FAVE CHRISTINE COSTUME 2023: The dressing gown

Yang Chenxiuyi, China: I am fascinated by the large pattern they do for the dressing gowns in China. Also a nice fit with a raised waistline and beaded belt.

Lily Kerhoas, West End revival: Just one of those very neat UK versions where the flounce in the neckline is not overpowering, while the belt is beaded and decorated in front and offers a dash of bling. Nicely fitted too, and a larger pattern in the skirt than what they usually do. Cool.

Kanisha Marie Feliciano, Broadway: I love the discrete paisley pattern fabric in the US versions, contrasted by rich flounces and ruffles. Both Kanisha and Emilie had good things going on in their costumes, but I feel Kanisha's was better fitted in the waist so I went for a photo of her.

Amy Manford, Restaged Aussie Tour: Nice classic UK version, beautifully fitted and looking pristine.

(original design by Maria Bjørnson)

#phantom of the opera #christine wardrobe #fave christine wardrobe 2023 #christine daae #dressing gown #maria bjørnson #costume nerding

37 notes · View notes

ohmightydevviepuu · 10 months

Text

fanbinding: roses in december

the story: the fic that installed my buttons for OUAT 3b divergence in all of its glory and delight. it is a testament to the wonders of fandom community that i now get to call @justanotherwannabeclassic a friend, and to have made this for her--a small token of how much i've enjoyed this fic and her company over the years.

binding: half-letter sewn boards, fabric bookcloth cover. kept it simple in the design, leaning in to the contrast of the gray and red and the images it evoked of something bright in a cloudy, snowy time. i decided to bling it up with gem motifs and add a rose as an obi band.

#cs fic #fanbinding #3b divergence #renegade bindery #FFWAD #door of time books #renegadeloves(fic)writers #fanfictionwritersappreciationday #renegadelovesfic

53 notes · View notes

9800sblog · 11 months

Text

horoscope tarot reading;

the energy of each zodiac sign this week.

july 2 - 8

you should read about your:

• ascendant/rising sign - for the events happening in your life and your patterns of behavior this week. • moon sign - for your personal perspectives and introspection. • sun sign - for how you might react to all of it.

ARIES

this week you're recuperating, may get an upgrade on your material situation which will make you feel good and renewed, you may engage in worldly pleasures to get over your worries, but you'll stay have much anxiety at this time.

otherside - red hot chilli peppers

key words: artificial, cleaning, black page, art, stars, big eyes, glossy eyes, writing, fantasy, red, stop sign.

TAURUS

the wheels are moving and the world is turning. you may be dealing with some karma you haven't resolved, therefore, you have intuitive knowledge you don't know how to use yet. this week may be a little hard for you, you may be forceful with your emotions and hurt others to feel better about yourself. you may give financial support to someone.

good 4 u - olivia rodrigo

key words: greens, insects, base and support, pink, allergy, under water, olivia rodrigo songs, fake smile.

GEMINI

definitely a time for isolation and subconscious thinking. you may be fixing your problems more precisely this week and have fun doing so. I think you'll find some much anticipated relief, but be careful to not make yourself numb in the process, bask in the sunlight of greatness.

solo - jennie

key words: astros, sleep and dreams, forced isolation, breaking free, independence, celebrating alone, blush, relaxed.

CANCER

you still feel unsupported by an important female figure in your life on who you depend for your material stability, but, this week, another important female figure will help you feel nurtured and heard. you're trying to find real confidence that isn't based on what you have and own and you're making progress this week to lift the weights you put on your shoulders.

half the world away - oasis

key words: baby blue, moving your muscles, skin cleanse, hunger, distractions, looking for problems, feeling helpless, crispy.

LEO

you feel like the world is against you, trying to break you down, but you won't settle down, even if they cut you, your roots are deep and you will grow again. you may feel lonely, tired and insecure, incapable, like you can't catch a break, but you're good! you'll realize this week, you have a gift, maybe you or another person is that present, either way it's precious and it will renew you.

cool people - chloe x halle

key words: select everything, moving water, seasonings and seeds, 16, hand on hand, body tension, chills, physical pain, dissociation, bones, very tired.

VIRGO

you're working hard to get over some heartbreak, you may have a relapse and I will warn you about a guy (or an amab) that looks like good news, you know they're unreliable, do not trust them this week. think before making decisions, even if you think they're small, and start new habits.

hotline bling - drake

key words: details, focus, media from your teenage years, miniatures, dirt, discomfort, using your body, lasting consequences.

LIBRA

you're very good at protecting yourself and others respect you a lot for that. this week has an exciting emotional opportunity, a new beginning of some kind, you may feel unprepared, but don't be fooled, you have a strong presence in your life to back you up. you won't get to the finish line immediately, but you'll see some results which may not satisfy your perfectionism a lot, just chill.

talk dirty to me - poison

key words: sighing, getting irritated by distractions, dissociating for focus, laughing at your mistakes, good work ethic, "a well deserved rest".

SCORPIO

you have contrasting energies this week, you may fall into old habits for temporary fulfillment, but it's not gonna make you feel good this time, it'll serve to remember why you don't do that anymore. this week you're taking real, practical actions to help yourself out of a bad cycle, rest assured, you're on the right track! spiritual, intuitive, subconscious knowledge is what will get you out of that place of scarcity. trust and fight for yourself, you'll be ok! I'm proud of you!!!! finding something you believe in is what you need to feel that fire of life again.

the man who sold the world - david bowie

key words: book, old knowledge, following a recipe, confusion, finally relaxing, comfortable silence, adjustments, a warm home life, fire, monsters, sleep paralysis, dreams.

SAGITTARIUS

you're trying very hard and doing it in unusual ways that others may say it's wrong. a female energy is way too demanding on your spirit, they're not worried about what's underneath the surface, but you very much are. you're not trusting many people and you feel isolated, but you're like a fish in the water, dealing with these comes naturally to you. don't be afraid to feel all your emotions, even if you're alone when you do so. and trust this important male energy or man in your life, they're experienced and they will help you. this might be about love, finances, venus or mercury energy.

church girl - beyoncé

key words: organized mess, unique, distracting fun, natural, inner child, offspring, spirit, unusual, animals.

CAPRICORN

you have your perfect match, for some reason you can't find them and you deal with it by being overly cautious and insatiable, you two mirror each other, this person is also acting like this. you might burn some bridges this week and that's honestly the best thing you could do, it'll open doors for you, you're guaranteed to see your life moving in the direction you want after this, lighting up means it's working.

breaking free - zac efron, vanessa hudgens

key words: assistant, happy cat, opening up, not thinking much, big smile, blushing, practical reasons, relief.

AQUARIUS

this week is a lot, you may feel really out of luck, like you wish somebody would just tell you what's wrong and what's right, but you need to be your own guide! you have to analyze things and decide what they mean, what do you want from it? is it good for you? don't try to follow what you think is a moral book, it's not worth it, it'll lead you to a downfall, a breakdown. your luck will change soon because you'll believe in yourself, the fact you're still alive and not giving up, shows your strength ;)

contramão - o grilo

listen to my heart - ramones

key words: organized mess, apocalypse, unserious, your own map, weird fun, sandals, little white lies, journey of the hero, shameless, childish.

PISCES

you're lacking self control this week, you're embarrassed by it but you don't know how to stop, you may be running away from responsibilities. my adhd is attacking bad in this reading, that's probably relevant for someone, I'm very very bored and i wanna bang my head on a hard surface, I just can't focus on the cards and what they mean, everytime I try, my head and my jaw hurts and I start thinking of other things, anything. I don't even know what the cards are saying, but this is the message, I'm sorry. here are the cards: page of wands reversed, king of wands, the empress reversed, wheel of fortune reversed, ace of pentacles reversed, 10 of wands.

the very thought of you - al bowlly

key words: balancing, randomness, old habits die hard, disappointment, shame, spotlight effect, subconscious knowledge.

#tarot #free #astrology #horoscope #zodiac #signs #weekly horoscopes #ARIES #virgo #libra #taurus #capricorn #scorpio #leo #sagittarius #aquarius #pisces #natal chart #cancer #gemini

43 notes · View notes

the-nosy-neighbor · 2 months

Text

The Nature of the Beast (Black Ooze)

This post includes spoilers for Welcome Home a little bit, but there are also several spoilers for science fiction/horror movies/tv/stories.

It's nothing new though, I think the most recent reference is Deep Space Nine. Also !Spooky Pictures!

A history of oozing blob-like creatures in American film and television--

Ominous Obsidian Ooze:

According to tvtropes.org, this trope (of oozy black stuff) is called “Ominous Obsidian Ooze.”

It is defined by a black ooze, often shiny and often in stark contrast to its environment (and of course the example picture is Supernatural) . It is believed to have evolved from the prevalence of and concern about oil spills and other pollution. I think, for me at least, that pollution does really fit the vibe. It reminds me of Pollution from Good Omens.

So black ooze (the creature/entity) often leads to pain, mutation, unnatural death, and “even a Fate Worse Than Death.”

(So help me if we find out Sunny is the weathervane on Poppy’s house…)

Anyway, the ooze is speculated to have evolved from a fear of pollution, but also basic human fears such as water too dark to see into and water that you shouldn’t drink.

The closest association I have from this trope is the Stephen King short story, "The Raft," which was dramatized on Creepshow 2. I saw this as a younger kid, and the whole thing was spooky. There is a group of teens at the lake, probably playing hooky and definitely smoking cigarettes. They swim out to a raft in the middle of the lake (think floating wooden platform) and then this black slick on top of the water appears, and starts stalking and eating them, and they are trapped.

Just for you, I went to see what the plot is because I probably have misremembered all the important bits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raft_(short_story), OK, so, college kids, one of the girls sees pretty rainbows on the surface and touches it, and she gets sucked in and “ripped to shreds”

So, then the beastie pulls someone through the cracks on the raft, and they are no longer safe on the raft. The remaining woman faints, and the remaining guy can’t swim to shore while it is eating because he’d be leaving the woman to die, and he couldn’t swim fast enough while hauling her. They spend time taking turns watching and then end up committing the sin of sex, so death it is.

The thing that I find interesting in this portrayal of the black ooze is that it is attractive to the viewer. I guess secondarily, I find it interesting that this is a monster of inevitability, kind of like the Evil Dead universe, where they are trapped in one spot, die upon leaving the safe zone, but at the same time are convinced that they will die if they remain in the same place. What I’m trying to say is that someone needs a chainsaw hand.

(Evil Dead has some black goo in the form of on or coming out of Deadites.)

Of course, there is a version in DvD, named “Black Pudding,” deltailed as “large ooze, unassigned.” So thank goodness the ooze in neutral. It is very strong and has a strong constitution. Immune to blinging, charming, deafening, exhaustion, fright, and being knocked prone. It also can eat through 2-inch thick wood or metal in 1 round. It can also climb, including hanging upside down on the ceiling. They can be split apart into separate entities of a smaller size with certain hits taken. (https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/16808-black-pudding)

This is actually pretty reminiscent of the puppetmaster creature that I saw before, the Puppeteer Parasite, which seems to be somewhat cross-referenced to the pudding monster. The Puppeteer Parasite catches a ride and eats your life force. It can make you do things. (I believe that Skip from Dropout’s Dimension 20, Starstruck is a creature similar to this.) https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/2506151-puppeteer-parasite

Star Trek had its own version of the black blob monster, Armus from the episode, “Skin of Evil.” The concept in this episode is that the people of Vagra II had found a way to remove all evil from themselves and it mainifests as a black goo that can take the form of a human shape. It could also absorb people, and inflict psychic damage and physical weakness while you were in there. This guy famously killed Tasha Yar. For some reason, I must usually skip this one, because it is very vague for me. Anyway, it wants to torture people (castaways normally, they abandoned him on this planet) he wants to find a way to find those that made him for revenge purposes. Picard pulls a fast one (Look, a three-headed monkey!) and they beam up and take off. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Armus

Fun fact: Later that year, Ensign Mariner, furious over Boimler being promoted to lieutenant junior grade and transferring to the USS Titan, threatened to "feed [him] to an Armus." (LD: "No Small Parts")

You could make an argument that Odo from DS9 is a creature of this type, as he is a shapeshifter that spends a necessary amount of time in a liquid state regularly. If he doesn’t, he will be forced to revert (forced by his body). Any time Odo is in a liquid or shifting state, however, he is gold.

He doesn’t know if there are any others like him at the beginning, but as the show progresses, he forms a difficult relationship with his extended family, who exist as a sort of single consciousness, like the Borg, but more evolutionary instead of tech-based. When the changelings are in their natural state, they essentially look like a gold ocean on the planet’s surface. While this is dark, it also has the gold highlights. In fairness to the theme, though, these are not good people and they believe themselves to be god-like creatures or at least more worthy than anyone else. There is a whole period of the show where the paranoia of who is humanoid and who is changeling reaches a fever pitch. Listen, I could talk DS9 all day. (https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Changeling)

I think the original version of this being is the classic movie monster, The Blob. “The Blob is an amorphous mass of alien goo that appears in the 1958 film of the same name. Appearing as nothing more than a mass of red gelatin, this creature possesses animalistic intelligence, acting purely on the instinct to feed. It feeds on flesh and gains mass as it consumes other creatures.”

Common tropes for ooze monsters:

Mesmerizing

Grows when it eats

Eats all life forms it comes across (the changelings qualify for this, but only in the conquering sense)

Eats the inexperienced

Can’t be killed by guns, electricity, or fire

Inescapable (at least seems to be)

This quote: “The Blob does little else except eat and grow” Same girl, same. But I think that the eat grow cycle is the thing that might be most important about this kind of monster. Impervious to ways that humans generally attempt to control or avoid things, and dead set on eating everyone. (https://monster.fandom.com/wiki/Blob)

For Welcome Home, that could be a direct link. We have seen the black goo underneath Home grow during our time with the website. We’ve also noticed stringy bits that have started to reach outward from home, like fingers looking to grab. Whatever else this force is, I think the idea that it is trying to devour people/puppets in some aspect is the right idea.

Coming soon, part 2, where goo in Welcome Home specifically is explored.

#welcome home #the blob #the raft #black ooze #welcome home theory

5 notes · View notes

procrasti-pastel · 5 months

Note

Just wondering how you come up with costumes/looks for your characters

They look very stylish 💝💘

That's a good question (and MASHA'ALLAH TYYY💖💖)! To which I answer with:

✨️I simply find a specific fashion era to style your oc in✨️

The process in which I pick out a certain look for a character depends on the type of era/setting they are in. For example:

● Ansels' design is based off of a medieval jester, just less on the patterns and bright colors. His earthy tones are in contrast to the bright and vibrant jester aesthetic, while a part of his outfit remains a bit true to the nonsensical/wacky design of a jester costume.

● Mousai's design is just a heavily stylized version of a traditional Greek/Roman womens' toga(?), with a simple headdress and gladiator-ish leg and armbands, plus that iconic laurel (that has bronze pseudo-earrings on them)

● Khaloms' whole aesthetic/fashion taste is based around Russian costumes/uniforms/the Russian tsar, but with some ✨️ details and bling✨️ (beffiting of the fact Soleil is just, Russia blended with the Middle East).

● And lastly, Violets' design (or redesign, now) is a based off of the Japanese kimono, with a headscarf, with the second dress underneath serving as a callback to her short, but modest upbringing with a Muslim family before moving to Soleil.

The style varies between my ocs and the era's that they are based around in, but it also reflects a part of their personality/character through the way they dress.

Hope this helps💖✨️🌸

#kingdomverse #imbalancetale #undertale #ask blog #undertaleauocs #ask #au ocs #oc #ocart #ocs #collage #fashion design #character design

9 notes · View notes

mariana-oconnor · 1 year

Text

A Case of Identity pt 1

If we could fly out of that window hand in hand, hover over this great city, gently remove the roofs, and peep in at the queer things which are going on

Sherlock Holmes Peter Pan crossover! Also this sentence starts with them being normal size and then halfway through suddenly they're able to 'gently remove ... roofs'? It's a sweet little scene, though.

We have in our police reports realism pushed to its extreme limits, and yet the result is, it must be confessed, neither fascinating nor artistic.

Weird to see here the dichotomy of Holmes the romantic and Watson the realist. So often depictions of Holmes have him being so factual and without whimsy, and yet the start of this story is the opposite. It's Holmes who has the 'flight of fancy' and finds the fascination in life, and Watson who is arguing that real life is common and without interest.

There is half a column of print, but I know without reading it that it is all perfectly familiar to me. There is, of course, the other woman, the drink, the push, the blow, the bruise, the sympathetic sister or landlady. The crudest of writers could invent nothing more crude.

Also Watson not showing any empathy here. 'Oh, domestic violence is so run-of-the-mill, it's so dull.' He's very jaded in this story. On one hand, I agree with him that there's no delight or artistry in domestic violence, on the other hand, he comes off as a bit callous here.

he had drifted into the habit of winding up every meal by taking out his false teeth and hurling them at his wife, which, you will allow, is not an action likely to occur to the imagination of the average story-teller.

...I can't remember this story. It may be one of the ones I have not read before. But this made me blink and do a double take. Seriously? His false teeth? That's so oddly specific. Also, taking a moment for ACD to pat himself on the back there. I see what you're doing, sir.

He held out his snuffbox of old gold, with a great amethyst in the centre of the lid. Its splendour was in such contrast to his homely ways and simple life that I could not help commenting upon it. "Ah," said he, "I forgot that I had not seen you for some weeks. It is a little souvenir from the King of Bohemia in return for my assistance in the case of the Irene Adler papers."

Oh hai, Irene!

Weird that Holmes is displaying all the bling he got from a man he doesn't respect and didn't want any reward from.

Oscillation upon the pavement always means an affaire de coeur.

Well, that certainly is a sentence.

When a woman has been seriously wronged by a man she no longer oscillates

I have never seen the word 'oscillate' used this much outside of a science textbook.

Sherlock Holmes welcomed her with the easy courtesy for which he was remarkable

This is fascinating from the perspective of someone who has seen so may adaptations. 'easy courtesy for which he was remarkable' this isn't just a one time chance of Holmes being courteous. Watson himself finds Holmes' manner remarkable and to specify that it comes easily. Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of different Holmes adaptations, even the ones where he's rude, but this sentence makes it so clear that Holmes is polite and that it at least appears to come naturally to him.

for it made me angry to see the easy way in which Mr Windibank—that is, my father—took it all

I had a 'why do you refer to your father as Mr Windibank?' moment, then read the next few sentences and went 'oh'. Stepfamilies are complicated. Honestly, this bit reads like it could be an excerpt from an AITA post. Which leads to me thinking of modern day Sherlock hanging about on Reddit and asking really random questions before telling people that clearly the meaning of the cat hair on the third cushion is that OP's life is in imminent danger and they must at once leave the house and block their best friend on all social media.

I believe that a single lady can get on very nicely upon an income of about 60 pounds.

And the illusion of modernity is shattered. I bloody well wish. Hey inflation calculator, what's that in real money?

£6,033.44

(I put this around 1892, but that was my estimate based on when the other stories have been set. I might be out by a few years)

Yeah... I know she's living at home, but that's Holmes' estimate for any single woman, not only those being supported by their parents.

so they have the use of the money just while I am staying with them. Of course, that is only just for the time. Mr Windibank draws my interest every quarter and pays it over to mother

Hello motive! Fancy seeing you here. I do not trust Mr Windibank at all, for all I may find his name amusing to say and read. This coupled with his insistence that nothing is wrong is very fishy. Mmhm. I am getting a distinct whiff of 'greedy, thieving stepfather' here with distinct notes of 'manipulative arsehole'.

Mr Windibank did not wish us to go. He never did wish us to go anywhere. He would get quite mad if I wanted so much as to join a Sunday-school treat. But this time I was set on going, and I would go; for what right had he to prevent?

Please add 'controlling' to the list above, forthwith. Guy's a massive dick. Good for you, Miss Mary Sutherland for calling him out on it.

And he said that I had nothing fit to wear, when I had my purple plush that I had never so much as taken out of the drawer.

Anyone else getting Cinderella vibes from this line? I'm surprised he didn't accidentally ruin the dress as well, or spill a bowl of rice into the cinders of the fire and make her pick them all up.

"I suppose," said Holmes, "that when Mr Windibank came back from France he was very annoyed at your having gone to the ball."

"Oh, well, he was very good about it. He laughed, I remember, and shrugged his shoulders, and said there was no use denying anything to a woman, for she would have her way."

I hate this guy. I really do. ACD was very good at writing men I loathe even when they haven't appeared in person.

Oh, and I remember this story now, btw. It's all coming back to me.

He wouldn't have any visitors if he could help it, and he used to say that a woman should be happy in her own family circle.

Abuse tactics really haven't ever changed, have they. The flags were as red in the 1890s as they are in the 2020s. Ugh. I hope this guy dies in a shipwreck too. Fingers crossed.

The fact that I keep reading the 'gasfitters' ball' as the 'gaslighters' ball' feels very fitting.

"What office?" "That's the worst of it, Mr Holmes, I don't know." "Where did he live, then?" "He slept on the premises." "And you don't know his address?" "No—except that it was Leadenhall Street."

In the immortal words of Gytha Ogg: Always get the young man's name and address. (And never trust a dog with orange eyebrows)

Mr Hosmer Angel came to the house again and proposed that we should marry before father came back. He was in dreadful earnest and made me swear, with my hands on the Testament, that whatever happened I would always be true to him.

Not suspicious at all. Absolutely normal behaviour. You should definitely swear on your holy book of choice to always be true to people 'whatever happens'. This is entirely rational and not worrying at all. Not a bit.

The flags, they are scarlet.

Mother was all in his favor from the first and was even fonder of him than I was. Then, when they talked of marrying within the week, I began to ask about father; but they both said never to mind about father, but just to tell him afterwards, and mother said she would make it all right with him.

Not remembering all the details, but knowing the general gist of this story, this part actually makes me feel a bit sick. Does the mother know what's going on? I don't remember. If so, I think Miss Mary Sutherland needs to take her £100 a year and go on a world tour. Honestly, she should do that anyway, just... nausea.

"Oh, no, sir! He was too good and kind to leave me so. Why, all the morning he was saying to me that, whatever happened, I was to be true; and that even if something quite unforeseen occurred to separate us, I was always to remember that I was pledged to him, and that he would claim his pledge sooner or later. It seemed strange talk for a wedding-morning, but what has happened since gives a meaning to it."

Mary, Mary, Mary... no. Just no. This is not good or kind. This is weird and suspicious and controlling. I'm sure your wedding dress is lovely, but I cannot see it because all the red flags are in the way.

Above all, try to let Mr Hosmer Angel vanish from your memory, as he has done from your life.

Holmes giving excellent advice here. The trash took itself out.

"You are very kind, Mr Holmes, but I cannot do that. I shall be true to Hosmer. He shall find me ready when he comes back."

Oh Mary. I'm so sorry. You really should take the advice.

This absolutely could be written as a reddit post, btw.

#Letters from Watson #Sherlock Holmes #A Case of Identity

52 notes · View notes

beardedmrbean · 4 days

Text

Every month, Aying* sends a part of her earnings to her family in China. Back home, everyone thinks this “60+” grandmother-of-one works in the checkout at a local supermarket.

The reality could not be further from the truth.

For the past decade, she has belonged to a small group of Chinese women who, for various reasons, have ended up selling their bodies on the streets of Belleville, a working-class neighbourhood located in the northeastern part of Paris.

Aying did not mean for things to turn out this way. When she first arrived in Paris in 2013, she had hoped to land a job in one of the city’s many restaurants or bars, perhaps in a boutique.

“I chose France because people said it was easy to make money here. I had this very romantic image of France, and for me, Paris represented luxury and fashion, Coco Chanel, Dior and all that,” she said with an ironic laugh as she reminisced about her former naivety. “But Paris is not at all that. It’s dirty, far from just bling-bling,” she said, describing through an interpreter a world as full of contrasts as the pretty Prada scarf around her neck and the chunky black combat boots on her feet.

Finding a job, it turned out, was a lot harder than Aying could have imagined. In just a few months, her money had run out and she found herself working on the streets of Belleville. Returning to China, which she had left for financial reasons and unspecified but seemingly painful “changes in the family”, was never an option.

Repressive methods

The Chinese sex workers in Belleville are well known to locals and tourists alike for their cutthroat rates and forward style of propositioning, approaching potential clients on the sidewalks or by traffic lights.

Historically, the women are said to have set up shop here because the Belleville intersection marks a crossroads between four of the city’s 20 arrondissements (districts). By operating around it, they made it harder for the different police districts to distinguish which was responsible for arresting them.

In 2016, France decriminalised public solicitation for prostitution, and instead transferred the punishment onto those buying sex. Aying said that although the law change scared many of her former clientele away, it did at least result in fewer police controls targeting her and the other prostitutes.

Until about a year ago.

Since then, Aying said the controls have become more and more frequent, and the closer the Paris Games approach, the worse they have been getting.

“They carry out checks all the time now. They even come in the evenings and in the nights. It’s become systematic on Tuesday nights, for example, and on Sunday nights too,” she said.

For her, there is only one reason: “They want to stop us from working.”

Other sex workers in the city have also complained about the increasingly oppressive police methods. In March, a collective of 17 associations and unions representing Parisian prostitutes issued a joint statement in which they condemned an “all-out repressive approach” ahead of the Olympics and warned it had “clear consequences for the health and safety of sex workers”.

But since police can no longer book them for selling sex, the prostitutes say officers have turned to another, more efficient way to drive them away: carrying out identity checks.

Murders and heart attacks

For the Chinese sex workers, the ID checks are devastating. Not only are the women undocumented, the vast majority are also older and experiencing health issues.

“These aren’t young women. Most of them are 45, 50 and 60 years old, sometimes more,” explained Ting, who works as the manager, coordinator, administrator, interpreter, accountant and much more for the association Les Roses d’Acier ("Steel Roses"). The association was set up in 2014 to help the Chinese sex workers understand their rights as undocumented migrants and to help them navigate France’s administrative system to be able to access fundamental services like healthcare.

To have access to doctors and medical treatment is essential for these women. The fact that they are older means that many are going through radical hormone changes linked to menopause and therefore suffering a host of health issues compared with their younger colleagues.

“There are a lot of cancers – uterus and breast cancers – and many strokes. And, as we all know, strokes are linked to stress,” Ting said, pointing to the women’s dangerous work environment.

“I get calls like: ‘I’ve just been raped and the guy has a knife, what do I do?’” she said, noting that aside from rape, they are also often subject to robberies and other types of attacks.

Because the women are undocumented, few of them dare to go to the police for fear of having their papers checked. If they are caught while in France illegally, they risk being sent back to China and losing eligibility to ever get a visa again.

One of the group's members was sent back to China as recently as December.

Since Ting started working with the women 10 years ago, several of them have been murdered. “More than six or even eight, and that’s without counting all the natural deaths we’ve had. We’ve had quite a few who’ve died from heart attacks.”

Mothers and grandmothers

Ting, the only one in the collective who speaks fluent French, said that most of the “Steel Roses” (some 150 in Belleville, and roughly 600 in France) came to Europe in search of a better life after experiencing severe social and financial hardships in China.

“Perhaps they lost their job, escaped a partner who beat them, or found themselves isolated and without recourse after their husband passed away,” she said. “A lot of them are mothers or even grandmothers who are trying to improve their situations in some way while still fulfilling their [financial] responsibilities towards their families back home,” she explained.

The fact that they now appear to be targeted by police has sent a shockwave of fear through the community, she said. “We’re very worried. We’ve already noted a lot more police controls and arrests in the past few months, and it’s clear they’re targeting the Chinese sex workers [in Belleville]. It’s totally discriminatory – if there are three sex workers in the street and one of them is Chinese, they’ll go for the Chinese one. And it’s only going to get worse the closer to the Games we get.”

Ting said that Belleville, one of the few areas with overt prostitution activity still found within Paris city limits, may become so unworkable that many of the Chinese sex workers will either have to leave for other cities – to locations and clients they are unfamiliar with, and possibly far from necessary healthcare services – or not work at all.

“If they can’t work, that means they have to save up and make more money now. And that means taking more risks,” she warned, estimating that the women earn between €30 and €80 per client, depending on the service.

In an emailed response, the Paris Prefecture acknowledged it had stepped up its “fight against prostitution” ahead of the Olympics by activating its anti-pimping and anti-brothel brigades. But it did not make any mention of the prostitutes, despite the specific questions asked about them, or the type of controls it is carrying out in the Belleville area. It left the accusations voiced by the prostitutes unanswered.

The mayor's office of the 20th arrondissement, where Belleville is located, was unreachable for comment on the issue.

Easy targets

Aying, who now represents the "Steel Roses" as their president, said it was obvious that authorities are zooming in on the Chinese sex workers because they are particularly easy targets. “Most of us are undocumented, so they’re using the ID checks as a pretext to clean up the streets,” she said.

Although Aying no longer has to fret over the ID checks herself – she is one of just a handful of "Steel Roses" to have been granted legal status in France – it is already hard enough for an aged Chinese sex worker to find clients as it is.

“There are many days I have zero clients. Zero revenue.”

On those days, she said, it is even more important to keep a cool head and not take any unnecessary risks. “It means everything in trying to keep safe.”

But for her undocumented Belleville street sisters, she said, the pre-Olympics crackdown is making that difficult.

#nunyas news #I chose France because people said it was easy to make money here #they lied #that's a really big one too

2 notes · View notes

blackswaneuroparedux · 1 year

Photo

Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules are absurd, their perspectives deceitful, and everything conceals something else.

- Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

Dubai. What can I say of my time living and working here for these past few months?

There are vast swathes of Earth that confound human habitability, and yet humans persevere in these places. Being struck - or stuck - between scorched desert on one side and sea on the other may not seem like the best of locations to build a city. But Dubai turned this apparent deficiency into a positive asset - indeed much of its 21st Century futurism rhetoric was built around its desert location.

Advantage one of a tabula rasa traipsed over by Bedouin tribes for hundreds of years is that there’s little built history to contend with. No foundational forebears or symbolic, mythic origins to tiptoe around. It’s been billed as one huge sheet of blank paper to reboot the future.

Advantage two is that there is nothing to limit growth. Like Las Vegas, one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., Dubai has virginal space to expand as and when it wants. And it does so in both directions, devouring desert and invading the sea.

I found it weird, when I looked up what a desert is geologically speaking, to discover that the largest ones are Antarctica and the Arctic. Desert is defined as a barren area of landscape where living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. Sand is not as necessary an attribute.

In Dubai, the endless conveyor belt-like walking in the world’s largest shopping mall felt like sensory torture to me. The best thing about Dubai was leaving Dubai and heading instead into the desert. In contrast, the silence of the desert was instantly cleansing. A pilgrimage to the desert at weekends reinforced the spiritual dimension of deserts. The body felt different out there. Less able to hide behind the camouflage of cultured life.

I��ve also been wondering if the city is the opposite of the desert? If the mall is the desert in a city?

We glean so much aesthetic and moral pleasure from the pictures of brand-new settlements built in desert landscapes - Saudi Arabia and parts of China come to mind - which are never inhabited, and instantly transform into ancient, ghostly ruins. There‘s the whole story of civilisation‘s ambition and idiocy in these hubristic failures, especially, as archaeology tells us, many deserts hide previous civilisations’ buried cities.

The desert is, thus, one of the ultimate encodings of deep time. Against which, human time will always lose.

I don’t know which Arab writer described Dubai as an example of ‘Gulf Futurism’ - a city built on shiny skyscrapers, petro-fuelled SUV machismo, nouveau-riche bling-baroque interior design. But, arguably, the kinds of deserts found in the Arabian Gulf are deep in the subconscious of the cities that have grown out of them: like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Manama, and Doha.

Gulf Futurism knows that from sand the skyscrapers were made. To sand the skyscrapers ultimately one day will return.

#italo calvino #calvino #quote #city #cities #civilisation #dubai #middle east #desert #urban #design #gulf futurism #architectecture #society #personal

22 notes · View notes