#i wish i could draw everyone but it just a sketch and my ability won let me

[yellowieart]

It feel just like yesterday i read the first chapter when its first release and Byebye tpn! ! ?

#tpn #the promised neverland #the promise neverland #yakusoku no neverland #emma #ray #norman #emma tpn #ray tpn #norman tpn #ynn #spoiler #manga #finalchapter #man wht is life now kny is over even tpn is over #noremma #rayemma #norray #i wish i could draw everyone but it just a sketch and my ability won let me #let cry and make a river

[pocket-luv101]

Strange Events || Chapter 3

Fandom: Servamp Ships: KuroMahi (main), LawLicht (side), Tetsono (side), Jekuni (side) Characters: Kuro, Mahiru, Hyde, Licht, Tetsu, Misono, Snow Lily, Mikuni, JeJe

Summary: When Mahiru’s friend goes missing, he searches through the woods for him. He comes across a boy with psychic abilities. He hoped Kuro would be able to help him find Misono. (Stranger Things AU) A/N: This was an AU that @viconekochan suggested.

Ch.1 || Ch.2 || (Ch.3) ||

“The game is almost ready.” Mahiru said as he plugged the game system into the television. He walked back to Kuro who was sketching on the recliner. He was curious about what he was drawing and glanced at the sketchbook as he stood next to him. The page was blank and Kuro simple glide the pencil over the paper. “Are you having trouble thinking of something to draw?”

“Sensei always told me who to draw.” Kuro told him and put down the sketchbook. He glanced around the living room and found that it was different from the sterile room he knew. The warm colours were welcoming and the plush furniture was comfortable. He didn’t know if he could touch anything so he stayed in the recliner.

“You can draw whatever you want now. If you see something that inspires or intrigues you, you should try to draw it. I’m not an artist so I don’t know what kind of advice I should give you. But I’m a great baker and you can have as many cookies as you want.” Mahiru pointed to the jar of cookies on the table. “Just be careful not to get crumbs everywhere.”

He reached down and took the controller from the table. He sat on the arm of the recliner and placed the controller on Kuro’s lap. As he studied the game controller, Mahiru scrolled through the channels. “You have to be on channel three to play. But if you get bored of the game, you can watch cartoons. Just click this button on the remote to find another channel.”

Kuro changed the channel like he showed him. A movie appeared on the screen and he tilted his head at the confusing costumes the actors wore. “Why are they wearing disguises? There’s a lot of singing and dancing too. Are they trying to perform a ritual?”

“It’s Halloween and the characters are at a ball.” From Kuro’s expression, it was likely he didn’t know about the holiday. He smiled sympathetically and told him, “Halloween is my favourite holiday. People dress up and go around the neighbourhood to collect candy. We’re a little old for trick-or-treating but there are fun things to do like the Halloween Ball.”

They watched the scene where a boy approached a girl and asked her to dance. Mahiru spoke his thoughts out loud. “Isn’t it romantic? You’re sitting alone but then a mystery person comes and asks you to dance. You probably think I’m weird. Most guys prefer action movies over romantic comedies.”

“I don’t think it’s weird. I’ve never been to a Halloween Ball before but it looks like everyone’s dancing.” Kuro thought Mahiru would be able to find someone to dance with easily. He was kind and he made him feel comfortable with his smile. His next words made Mahiru blush. “I can dance with you at the ball. We’re friends now.”

He realized that Kuro didn’t fully understand the concept of asking someone to dance. Mahiru wasn’t sure if he should explain it to him. Instead, he said: “Thank you but the Halloween Ball is held at our school. You’re too scared to come upstairs without the curtains being closed so you won’t be comfortable at the ball. It’s okay, Kuro. Let’s get back to the video game.”

Mahiru switched the channel so they could play the game. He leaned closer to Kuro and taught him how to play the game. He was so close that he could smell the subtle scent of his hair. Kuro stared at the buttons on the controller and thought back to the control panel Sensei showed him once. He wasn’t allowed to touch the buttons no matter how curious he was.

“What does this one do?” He asked but he almost immediately bit his tongue. He was accustomed to people being irritated with him if he asked them too many questions. Yet, Mahiru only smiled and explained the controls to him. Kuro relaxed and played through the level with Mahiru’s help. He quickly learned the game mechanics and beat the next level.

“You’re pretty good at this. Oh, watch out for the fireball.” Mahiru found himself caught up in the game and excitedly patted his arm. Time passed quickly without him noticing as they played and talked. The clock above the television caught his attention and he sat up. “I missed two periods already. I should get going. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the fridge if you get hungry.”

“Okay,” He said despite how much he wanted him to stay. Kuro looked down and saw a lever on the side of the recliner. He became curious and reached towards it. “What does this do? Is it connected to the TV like the controller?”

Kuro pulled the lever to test if it would affect the television. He was surprised when the chair suddenly tilted back and he was laying down. The sudden movement made Mahiru lose his balance and he fell forward onto Kuro’s chest. Mahiru groaned softly and rubbed his head. “Well, it looks like you found the release lever. It turns the chair into bed if you pull it.”

“Was I not supposed to pull it?” Kuro asked, worried that he upset or hurt him. The regret on his face pulled on Mahiru’s heart and he smiled reassuringly at him.

He patted his hair and said, “It’s okay. Next time, make sure you warn me or else I might fall off.”

Mahiru slipped off his lap and gently took Kuro’s hand. He tugged him to his feet and showed him around the rest of his home. After he finished giving him a tour, they returned to the living room. He put on his backpack and then faced Kuro. He was looking over the photos on his mantle. Mahiru moved to stand next to him and said, “That’s a photo of Uncle Toru, Tsurugi, Licht and me.”

“Your family?” Kuro looked at the next photograph and pointed to Mahiru standing with his friends. “You.”

“That was the year we won the science fair. It was a lot of fun.” His smile became sad when he looked at Misono. He was still worried for him and he wished he knew where he was. He sat Kuro’s expression in the corner of his eyes and there seemed to be something troubling him.

Kuro reached out and pointed at Misono. He didn’t say a word and Mahiru asked, “Do you recognize him? Did you see him last night in the forest?”

“Not in the forest.” Kuro shook his head and dropped his hand. “Somewhere dark.”

“Can you tell me about it?” Mahiru didn’t want to push him but he needed to find his friend. “Please, tell me about where you saw him.”

“You said the person called you after I left?” JeJe picked up the phone to examine it. The receiver was charred like he described earlier. He briefly told him about the call already but JeJe didn’t know what to make of it. “Last night’s storm must’ve caused the burn. You should get another phone and check the wiring for your home. For the call, it’s probably a cruel prank.”

“But I heard Misono’s voice! Hyde did too. Misono didn’t say anything but I know it was him. Can’t you ask the phone company for records of incoming calls?” Mikuni insisted and he could see that JeJe was skeptical. “I know I sound desperate but it was Misono’s breathing. If Lily called you, wouldn’t you know it’s your brother.”

“I would be desperate for any sign that he was alive. Mikuni, this is difficult but we need to keep a leveled head.” He reminded him. “If you get more prank calls, you can keep a record of them. I’ll look into them if they become a problem. Let’s focus on finding Misono. Where would he go if he was in danger and he can’t run to his friends?”

“He had a fort in the woods but I already checked it the day we discovered him missing. There’s a short cut through the back fence that he uses.” Mikuni led him to the backyard. He took him to a corner of the fence where there was a small gap in the bars. JeJe was surprised Misono could fit through the hole even though he was small. “Hyde ran his car into the fence and made the hole.”

“I have several questions about that but I don’t want to know the answer. There aren’t any sign of blood. If he used this hole to run away, it means he wasn’t hurt.” Mikuni felt slightly relieved. JeJe glanced up at the top of the gate. “Are the security sensors in the same area?”

“Yeah. Give me a boost and we can climb over the fence. It’s faster than walking around the house. Don’t trip the alarm.” He ordered and JeJe groaned. He didn’t want to argue with him throughout the investigation so he gave in quickly. JeJe cupped his hands and helped him reach the top of the gate. Mikuni placed his hands on his shoulder and stepped onto his palm.

He pulled himself onto the stone pillar at the corner of the gate. Mikuni was careful not to move in front of the alarm’s sensor. Once he was perched safely on the small ledge, he reached down to help JeJe climbed up. The gate was tall and it would be difficult for anyone to climb over it. They were only able to scale the gate as a team because they would often do so as children.

JeJe jumped to the ground first and turned around to help Mikuni down as well. He was taken by surprised when Mikuni leapt off the pillar and into his chest. He managed to catch him without tumbling to the ground. With a groan, he said: “You need to warn me before you do something like this.”

“We don’t have the time when Misono’s missing.” He slid down and took his hand to drag him away. “We already searched the west side of the woods where his fort is. We should look for any clues Misono might’ve left behind in the east side now. It’ll help us organize the search party.”

The search party wouldn’t officially gather until the afternoon but Mikuni wanted to spend as much time searching as he could. They walked through the woods and he scanned the ground. He didn’t know what to look for but he hoped something would stand out to him. He trusted JeJe’s experience as the town’s chief and asked: “How do you know something is a clue?”

“Since we don’t know what happened to Misono, it’s hard to say what to look for. For now, just look for anything that’s out of place.” JeJe told him.

“What about that?” Mikuni pointed to a grate cover laying on the ground. He picked it up and searched the ground around them. A few feet away, there was a pipe tunnel. He walked to the small tunnel and held the grate against the opening. It appeared to fit and Mikuni looked through it. “Do you think Misono could’ve crawled through here to escape the person chasing him?”

“It’s pretty small and you’ll have to be desperate to crawl through here.” JeJe remembered Hyde telling him that Misono was able to hide in small spaces. Would a teenager be able to pry open the grate off the tunnel though? He knelt next to Mikuni to look through the tunnel. “Property of The Servamp National Laboratory. That’s the energy plant nearby.”

“That must be where he is!” Mikuni shot to his feet. “We should go there right now.”

“We can’t go barging into a private, government property, Mikuni. There’s a proper way to do things. We have to call them and explain why we want a tour of their facilities. He might not be there though. If Misono crawled to the other side, they would’ve sent him to the police already.” JeJe reasoned. Mikuni didn’t appear satisfied with that answer and sighed. “I’ll give them a call and we’ll go there tomorrow.”

After school, Tetsu and Lily went to Mahiru’s home. He didn’t go to class so his friends wanted to check on him. They knew Mahiru was kind but they weren’t certain if he should’ve taken in a stranger. Licht was staying with him so they knew he wouldn’t be alone with him. They knocked on the door and waited for Mahiru to answer.

Tetsu noticed that all of the curtains were drawn even though it was the middle of the day. He wasn’t able to think about it much before Mahiru opened the door. A relieved expression appeared on his face the moment he saw them. He unhooked the chain on the door and let them inside. With a hushed whisper, he pointed to the basement. “I need to tell you guys something in private.”

“What is it?” Lily was worried by how tense Mahiru was. He couldn’t see the boy they helped the previous night and he wondered if he told Mahiru something strange. They followed him down the basement where Kuro was sitting in a small, pillow fort. He had the super-com in his hands and he shuffled through the channels.

He heard them approach and he looked up. Mahiru knelt in front of him and gently took the radio from his hands. He wrapped his hands around his and squeezed them lightly. He could see that Kuro saw nervous and he wanted to reassure him. “It’s okay, Kuro. You can trust Tetsu and Lily. They were with me when I found you in the woods.”

“Friends?” He whispered and Mahiru nodded confidently.

“What is he still doing here, Mahiru? I thought you were going to take him to the police.” Lily whispered to him. He thought it was better to let the police help him because they had more resources. He wanted to focus on finding Misono as well.

“I was going to but that might put Kuro in danger. There are dangerous people after him. We can’t let them find him.” Mahiru took a deep breath and hoped they would believe his next words. “I think he knows what happened to Misono as well. This morning, he was able to point out Misono in this photo. We did find him in the same place Misono disappeared. The bad men could be involved as well.”

“Isn’t that even more reason to tell the police?” Lily pointed out. “We should tell our parents at least.”

Tetsu walked past both of them and knelt in front of Kuro. He placed his hands in his shoulders and shook him lightly. “Do you know where Misono was taken? If you know what happened to him, please tell us. Help us find him, Big Brother.”

“You’re going to scare him, Tetsu.” Mahiru knew that Tetsu would never hurt a person but he rushed to stop him. He felt protective of Kuro and placed himself between the two. He could tell that he had been through a lot and he didn’t want anything else to hurt him. “You’re not going to get any answers if you force him like that.”

“This isn’t going to get us anywhere. I’m going to get my brother.” Lily was JeJe’s brother and he thought it was best if he knew about Kuro. He turned to walk up the stairs but the table flew into his path. The three stared at the furniture that began to pile in front of the stairs. Cautiously, Tetsu tried to pull the table away from the stairs. The table flew back to the entrance like a magnet.

“No.” The voice made them turn around. There was a trickle of blood flowing out of his nose.

“Kuro, what happened to your nose?” Mahiru walked to him and wiped the blood with his sleeve. He couldn’t stop picturing the furniture moving and question how they were able to move on their own. In a soft voice, he asked: “Did you just do that, Kuro?”

“I don’t want to go back to the bad people.” His words caused the room to spin beneath Mahiru’s feet. He didn’t know how to process that Kuro was able to move things with his mind. He thought that it was only something he would see in movies. “Are you scared of me now? I can leave.”

“You’re my friend so I won’t let you face those bad men alone.” Mahiru whispered back. He turned to face his friends and said, “Let’s not do anything rash and take a moment to think. We can talk about what we should do after dinner.”

“That demon called me a fake. Can you believe that, Kranz?” Licht complained to his friend over the phone. He laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “He thought I was one of those gossiping jerks when I tried to be nice to him. Then, I wasn’t able to find the music room either! Maybe I can sneak back into the school tomorrow. Hopefully, Mahiru will be able to go to school.”

“If you don’t have anything else planned, do you want to go to a party? My friend is throwing a party and it’s in the town Mahiru lives in. His house is on Mirkwood, near the woods. It’ll be fun.” He suggested. Licht considered it but he doubted he would have much fun. Kranz would likely be the only person he knew at the party. He didn’t have many friends since his family moved a lot.

Then, Kranz said: “It has been a long time since we could talk in person.”

“Yeah. What’s the address?” Kranz was the first friend he ever made and he cared enough to send letters and call. He gave him the address and he wrote it down quickly. He grabbed his jacket and climbed down the stairs. Mahiru was in the dining room with his friend and Licht waved to his cousin. “Mahiru, can I borrow your bike? I want to go to a friend’s house. This is his address.”

“This is close to Misono’s home. That was where my friend disappeared. I don’t think you should go near the woods when it’s dark outside. There might be bad men in the woods or other dangerous things.” Mahiru warned. He looked to Kuro but he didn’t add anything else. Kuro knew Mahiru wanted him to warn Licht about the woods but he couldn’t describe the things he saw there.

“I’m a strong angel so you don’t need to worry about me.” Licht puffed his cheeks in annoyance. Mahiru knew how stubborn his cousin was and that he could quickly become unreasonable. With that thought, he was surprised when Licht seemingly relented. He muttered something and walked away.

He sneaked into the garage and found Mahiru’s bike resting against the wall. Licht told himself he would apologize to Mahiru once he returned. He didn’t know where the house was but he knew its general location. He rode the bike down the street and towards the woods. The street signs helped him find his way to Mirkwood.

The lighting suddenly changed around him and he realized that it was the headlights of the car. He moved closer to the sidewalk to let the car pass. The car slowed next to him and the window rolled down. It was dark so he couldn’t see the driver. Licht was able to recognize his voice though. “You shouldn’t be out at this time of night. Where are you going? I can give you a lift.”

“Keep your eyes on the road, Shit Rat.” Licht snapped back.

Hyde was confused by his tone and he turned on his dashboard’s light. They were finally close enough for him to see him clearly and he recognized him from the school. He pressed the gas and drove forward with the intention of ignoring Licht. He thought he was like the other high schoolers he knew and decided that it was best not to bother with him.

His shift ended early and he planned to search the forest for any sign of Misono. He glanced at Licht in the mirror and groaned to himself. Hyde couldn’t leave him riding his bike alone in the dark when his own brother disappeared in a similar situation. He slowed down until Licht was beside him again. “Do you need a ride? If it’s close, I’ll drop you off.”

Licht was surprised by his offer since he believed he would drive away. He considered it but his pride stopped him. “I think I’m close to the party already so I don’t need your help.”

“You think?” Hyde raised a brow but Licht didn’t respond. He watched him ride away on his bike and he didn’t stop him again.

“Where is Hyde?” Mikuni finished installing the new phone and looked at the clock. His brother should’ve returned ten minutes ago. He wished he could call him but he didn’t have a cell phone. Misono was missing and he didn’t want the same thing to happen to Hyde. The phone rang and he hoped that it was Hyde to tell him he was working a double shift or JeJe with news.

“Hello?” He answered the phone but the person didn’t answer him immediately. The line was filled with static and he remembered the last call was similar. He didn’t know if he was deluding himself but he thought he could hear someone breathing heavily. “Misono, is that you? Please, tell me where I can find you.  It’s okay if you don’t know where you are. Just tell me what you can see.”

Mikuni twisted the cord around his finger as he listened for an answer. He almost dropped to his knees when he heard Misono’s voice. “Home…”

He wasn’t able to hear anything more as the static abruptly became louder. The sound made Mikuni winced but he forced himself to hold onto the phone. He closed his eyes and focused on the call for any distinct sounds. Mikuni noticed that the buzzing was from more than the phone and opened his eyes. The lights and electronics around the living room were flicking on and off.

“Mikuni!” Small sparks almost burnt him but he quickly dropped the phone. He saw that the phone was charred like before. The lights all turned off by themselves but Mikuni couldn’t move to switch them back on. He didn’t know if something was wrong with the electricity or if he was losing his mind.

The lights in the hallway flickered back on but its strange pattern caught his attention. He walked down the hall and stopped in front of Misono’s room. Mikuni glanced down where light filtered out from beneath the door. He took a deep breath and stepped inside. The room was empty and the same as how he left it. “I’m losing my mind.”

“Where is your ancient courage?” The cassette player blared to life. Mikuni recognized it as a quote from Coriolanus, one of Shakespeare’s plays. Both of his brothers liked his work and had audio cassettes of his plays. He stood in front of the cassette player and stared at the spinning wheel. He thought he could hear more sounds from the player and his brows furrowed.

“Misono?” As if responding to him, the lamp next to the player began to brighten. He thought it would explode because of how bright it became. The lamp and the record shut off and the room was pitched in darkness again. Mikuni’s hands shook as he grabbed the large player to examine it. He hoped there was a logical reason why it played by itself.

A low grumbled echoed throughout the room and Mikuni thought it was from the player. He looked up and dropped the cassette when he saw the wall start to deform. He stepped back sharply and tripped over the carpet. Mikuni blinked a few times and the light came on again. Everything appeared normal but Mikuni was certain he saw something in the wall.

#servamp #kuromahi #lawlicht #sloth pair #greed pair #servamp kuro #mahiru shirota #servamp hyde #licht jekylland todoroki #servamp snow lily #tetsu sendagaya #mikuni alicein #fanfiction

[darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts]

Devil’s own Luck pt9

Warning: Mobstyling warlords

Masterlist

---

Chapter 9 – Enter Player One

Mitsuhide returned to the building sometime after breakfast Mitsunari was waiting in the underground car park for him stacks of papers in his arms.

“You know you could have just left them on my desk.” Without a word of hello Mitsuhide smiled at the young man who had an uncharacteristic frown on his face. Oh, ground control we may have an issue.

“I could but I didn’t think this could wait.” Mitsunari solemnly handed over a few pages and drew Mitsuhide’s eyes to the highlighted sections. How thoughtful he’s already processed them for me…. now that is interesting. A few highlighted sentences caught his imagination and began to sketch a pattern that certainly promised to be more than standard daily office fluff.

“You see what I mean? Something isn’t right. The movement of cargo and shipments, all the logistics have reactivated and are turning up at the Uesugi sites.” Mitsunari had a serious expression as he explained his findings. There was no faulting the man when it came to this stuff everything he researched was thorough and meticulously checked. It was what he did he was basically like a human equivalent of Google and a high-speed super computer.

“Indeed, it seems that the sleeping dragon has awoken.” Still scanning the papers Mitsuhide’s mind was firing off possibilities left and right. Standard building supplies and general food, nothing out of the ordinary except for the quantities… a few questionably legitimate titles for things though.

“That’s not all I had a few of my men look into it as a matter of interest and have been told there are rumours that not only is he back but he has made an alliance.” Mitsunari’s voice was a bit quieter as he said this.

“Alliance? With who?” Mitsuhide broke his concentration on the paperwork to look into the purple eyes of the silver haired man before him. He’s never shown signs of wanting to form an alliance before.

“Rumour has it… Takeda.” The level voice replied and the violet eyes sparked. It was no secret that Mitsunari had enjoyed researching Shingen. The man’s ability to strategize was superb and to another analyst and strategiser he was something close to an idol. Mitsuhide had to agree reluctantly to an admiration when it came to Shingen Takeda. Takeda’s information network through the underground and more mainstream avenues rivalled his own, for a man who dealt in information that was something to admire.

“So, the dead old tiger isn’t as deceased as we were all lead to believe?” Mitsuhide allowed a smile to drag across his face. Now that is interesting. At least it promises to be more entertaining than all the things he had been doing for a while. Chasing all these small fish around was nothing to hunting some big game. His pulse raced slightly at the promise of something more than basic household maintenance.

“Mitsuhide … the rumours at the minute aren’t solid, but the logistics are an undeniable fact. Something is moving and it might be a serious threat. Something we haven’t seen on this scale for a while.” It was as much a word of warning as it was statement of fact. Mitsunari was clearly a little worried as he looked between Mitsuhide and the papers in his hands.

“You’re right. Well I shall have to do some digging myself and see what comes of it.” Mitsuhide opened the front passenger side and put the papers on the seat. Removing a couple of large bags from the back and held them out to Mitsunari.

“Can you give this to the Princess for me?” At Mitsuhide’s request, Mitsunari’s face brightened up just at the name. She really has affected all of them in a short period of time, hasn’t she?

“Of course. I shall take it to her right away, I was going to ask her if she would like to visit the study and find some books as she seemed to be rather down at breakfast.” The hint of concern in Mitsunari’s voice was touching. He was clearly thinking of her and trying to think of something in his own way to help. Mitsuhide’s chest felt like it was in a vice. Why do I feel like that? A forgotten part of him wanted to scream back through the layers of darkness inside him but he pushed the thoughts aside and simply moved on.

“She was?” Mitsuhide schooled his face and voice, masking anything that might be interpreted as genuine concern or human emotion.

“Yes, but no doubt your gifts will make her happy. You are such a kind thoughtful person Mitsuhide.” The innocence in Mitsunari’s face and voice was almost dripping with his usual upbeat, oblivious cheerfulness and light. Mitsuhide had a flash of thought that was close to what Leyasu might have felt on more than one occasion. Sometimes I would love to smack that face of yours and see if you bleed unicorns and rainbows. It was only a fleeting thought though he wasn’t actually able to maintain it as he looked at the hopelessly angelic smile. It would be like kicking a puppy.

“Hundreds would argue against you on that one. Anyway, I best be off, if I start now I might just make it back before the big social event kicks off.” Mitsuhide jumped into his car and left the underground as Mitsunari waved him off.

---

Refurbishment was drawing to a close and it couldn’t have happened any faster for one rather bored individual who was currently standing by a reflection pool in a rather well-maintained traditional garden. A set of heterochromial eyes focused on something distant in his mind’s eye as they gazed into the depths of the still water in front of him.

Crunching on the gravel behind him announced the arrival of the man he had been waiting for.

“You’re late.” His voice was flat and he didn’t grace the arrival with actually moving to see them face to face.

“Hello to you too. I am on time Kenshin, you just happen to be early. Did you sleep at all or did you simply stay up all night drinking again?” The cheery tone of the response was in direct contrast to the chilly one before it.

“What I do or don’t do has nothing to do with you Shingen I do not answer to you.” Kenshin’s blonde hair moved in the wind as he turned his head to look at Shingen with an unreadable expression.

“I merely wished to show concern for my friend no need to get bent out of shape on such a gorgeous day.” Shingen motioned to the surroundings unbothered by the abrasive attitude of the young man before him. Kenshin had always been the same ever since he had met him, there was of course a time that he was different but that could be said for everyone in this world. Holding on to the past made you stagnate and become bitter, Shingen long ago made peace with that fact.

“How much longer?” The blue and green eyes of Kenshin stared intently into Shingen’s brown ones as if searching him for an answer would yield better results than merely asking directly.

“The site manager just confirmed that the buildings have reached the final stage so they are just clearing it away.” In a friendly tone Shingen smiled at his inpatient friend and answered with something off topic. Enjoying the light teasing moment as he watched the young man’s eyes roll and him give off a sign of building frustration.

“That isn’t what I meant. I’m bored Shingen and you promised me a good fight. That is why I agreed to this stupid idea of combining resources with you in the first place. What is with all the window dressing?” Kenshin had moved closer to him and the agitation in his voice and body was palpable.

This was a man who struck first and asked questions later. His go to response for a lot of things resulted in him gathering a reputation for himself as some sort of deity. His anger resulted in one hell of a smiting. Behind all that Shingen saw a man struggling to control his own demons, one who wasn’t as cold and heartless as he portrayed.

“Patience my friend you shall get your fight in due time. And you know how much appearances can influence a result. The ‘window dressing’ as you call it is all part of it.” Shingen placed his hand on Kenshin’s shoulder and smiled. It was Shingen’s attention to detail that won a lot of fights before they could even get started in the past. It was unfortunate that he had made an error in judgement but God knew he was paying for that.

“Pointless bells and baubles. We should just march into the Azuki territory and meet them head on.” Kenshin was never one for appearances. He was an undeniable great man at reading information and planning accordingly, even during a fight there is no one better or faster but appearances never interested him.

Put Kenshin in front of an active fight and he could spot a gap in the defences faster than anyone. Reading the situation like the entire chaotic situation was a living breathing creature. A dragon waiting for it’s knight to stick his sword in and slay it. But put Kenshin in a position where he had to connect to a normal range of human emotions to interact and he so awkward at expressing himself he jumps straight to fight mode before processing his own thoughts first.

“That would be reckless. Without formulating a plan, it would be like a wave crashing against a wall.” Shingen’s voice remained unchanged and friendly. He knew he didn’t have to point it out but did anyway.

“For you maybe but I am not so weak as to fall that easily.” The boastful tone was not out of place. The pride Kenshin had was easily backed up from his ability to achieve the things he could.

“Says the man who for the last few years has been in hiding just like me.” It couldn’t be helped Shingen enjoyed the wind up nearly as much as the punch at the end of it. Verbal war fare was his forte.

“I was not hiding I have never run from a fight in my life. It is the only thing that makes me feel like I am alive you know that.” Kenshin took the bait and ran with it. He was a bit predictable like hat and Seeing Shingen smile more at the reaction let him know he had just let himself be goaded and it annoyed him further.

“Yes, I do. But the point remains you and I both know this plan had to go this way to work. Nobunaga has had too much time and luck; his territory is larger than it was when we were in our prime. And he has amassed a decent set of followers into his inner circle. The Devil King was always a beast but now his armour is harder than it was before.” Shingen outlined yet again the reasoning behind their particular turn of events and was met with an even more agitated response. It was like watching s storm brewing on a horizon, you knew it would be bad but couldn’t look away.

“I don’t care about that.” Kenshin spat out.

Both men stood firmly in place as they had done so many times before. Silently appraising each other. Long gone the days of fighting with each other, finding themselves equally wanting and admitting a draw over and over. But Kenshin had always been a man of honour for all the fighting he never once acted without it. The territories he gained were run without oppression. He loved a good challenge. Shingen trusted him this man of honour, this god of war, he wouldn’t brake an alliance for his own benefit he would see it though to the end. And at the end of it all Shingen knew he would most likely be coming for his head once more testing his boundaries again.

“You do Kenshin I know it. You are just as angry at that man as I am. His arrogance has decimated the lives and homes of too many to count, the street has run in the blood of both our men. The families of the men who followed us are on his hands and ours.” Shingen knew Kenshin was an honourable man even if he was technically unhinged at times. But that too he understood none of them had remained undamaged.

Trauma affects people differently, sometimes they retreat inward and bottle it up. Others it’s all like water off a duck’s back, and then there is the grey area. You get angry you fight before you think you guard yourself faster because you have felt the tremor of an attack ripple your way without understanding its origin. He had seen it in others he recognised it and Shingen tried as best as he could to ease the discontent without making it worse but even he had his limits. ‘This is why you need to get laid my friend.’ Shingen thought to himself as he watched the lights of the past dance in Kenshin’s miss matched eyes.

“You don’t have to remind me I remember.” Kenshin moved his eyes back to the depths of the water, unable to maintain that all seeing look from Shingen, his voice drifting.

“Just a little more time my friend and we will be able to formally announce everything.” Shingen moved closer to the waters edge and looked at their reflections on the surface.

“Is this going to be another one of your audacious bits of window dressing?” The tone of his frustrated voice also held a level of acceptance. And Shingen smiled more at that as Kenshin dropped his shoulders slightly in apparent defeat.

“You’ll see my friend, but right now we need to go and find some formal wear.” Shingen’s retort caused Kenshin to almost visible squirm. He enjoyed a party if there was a lot of drinking but he had a horrible feeling that Shingen intended to attend one that also had a lot of women there and that was definitely not his idea of fun.

---

Mitsuhide had driven around most of the day his neck was stiff and as he parked up once more at base he rolled his head from side to side to ease it.

The information he had found seemed to confirm suspicions and he had messaged Nobunaga accordingly. The response was, “So the Tiger is still alive and teamed up with the God of war. And just when I thought things were getting tiresome. Good work now come home we have a party to get to.” He didn’t need telling twice it had been a rather long day dipping and diving into areas where he normally would visit just not all in one day.

His mind was spinning slightly and he knew he still had to get ready for the evenings festivities. He dragged himself out the car and up to his room dropping his keys, phone and wallet on the side table as he began to remove his tie a knock came at his door.

“Who is it?” He called out. There was next to no way for an intruder to be on this level in the building so he was confident it wasn’t anyone dangerous.

“Erm... sorry to disturb you Mitsuhide I know you’ve been busy I just wanted to...” That voice. Sweet as a bell cutting through his exhaustion.

“Princess?”

---

[sketchesofsam]

The Illustration Master Class - A First Timer's Journal

This is a long blog post. It's mostly for my own purposes, but also for those who want an in-depth look at what being at the IMC is like. I have some pointers for first timers, things you might not think of and things to consider in advance. They'll be at the end of the article. I want to thank Dave Palumbo for allowing me to use a couple of his amazing photos too, he's a talented SOB. 

probably won't forget the moment my Facebook messages suddenly started pinging off. 'Congrats Sam!' 'Hey Sam, you won!' I distinctly remember thinking, hmm, what did I win? Did I enter another twitter giveaway or something? Then someone followed up with 'you won the scholarship!' It took me a moment. Then the chat I was in the middle of with my other half suddenly filled with lots of expletives and capitals on my end. Holy shit. I'd won the Muddy Colors scholarship to the IMC, something that had been a long-term wish of mine since I'd found out about it 5 or 6 years prior but hadn't ever had the funds to attend. So to find out that my entry to their scholarship program - through the generous donations of the Muddy Colors Patreon - submitted on a 'what have I got to lose' mentality that was still shadowed by the fuzzy sting of not getting into Spectrum, had scored me the full cost of the course. I'd honestly forgotten I'd applied. Let that be a lesson to those of you who hold back on submitting to things, especially the things that are free. It's always worth a punt. 

So what's it like to go to the IMC? I can tell you that winning the scholarship made the pre-IMC thumbnail assignment a lot more stressful than if I'd paid for it. The weight of imagining disappointing the people who had seen my work and voted for it - artistic heroes of mine -  was pretty heavy. It made me feel like I couldn't just go and do the same thing I'd always done, even if it had won me the scholarship. Before I started drawing, I reconsidered my influences. I'd started a secret pinterest board a few months back simply called 'Ho Fuck That's Good.' Stuff that gave me a gut punch when I looked at it. I spent a lot of time looking at those images and a lot of the others I had pinned. I stopped paying attention to work that I simply found technically impressive, that had awesome composition or great values. I looked for what moved me. Why it moved me. I started making notes about themes I found compelling or that cropped up a lot in my own work. I decided I wasn't going to do just a straight up realistic narrative Whaler Girl piece, I was going to try and make my own work be more like that which moved me. A risky, and perhaps somewhat dumb move, given those same realistic, narrative images had won me the scholarship. 

We were asked to provide 4 or 5 thumbnails, either of our own choosing, or from an assignment provided, such as an illustration to accompany a short story, the likes of which are often published on Tor.com. With themes like duality, death, grief and love in relationships crowding my brain, I created a lot of thumbnails. I wasn't going to take the first 3 or 4 that came out. I did about 20 in total and narrowed it down to the 6 I felt most attached to. Some of them even had hints back to The Whaler Girl in a very asbtract way. They'd come out better than I'd hoped for and I could see a tiny glimpse of the sort of painting I might get out of it. It made me excited to put them in front of my chosen faculty member. 

We were asked to pick a top 5 from the vertiable smorgasbord of faculty. That was hard. It turned out that most people got grouped with their top pick and that dictated who the other faculty were that would give you feedback. I suspect my pick would have surprised a few people. Kent Williams was actually the instructor I was least familiar with, but researching his work, especially his most recent work, it hit the same kind of buttons that my inspiration board had. His work felt emotionally personal and while I knew I didn't want to necessarily paint like he did, I felt he might be able to give good feedback on how to tap into that sense of the personal. Perhaps someone who could help keep me on track with the first wibbly steps I was taking with my own work. I count myself lucky to have landed in the group with Rebecca, Kent and Tara (McPherson). 

I wanted to make a good first impression, but there were so many approaches to the dreaded 'crit day'. Some folks brought only one or two finished colour thumbs, some folks just had small, traditionally drawn thumbnails, occasionally done on arrival the night before. Some brought photo mockups of the exact piece they wanted to work on. All approaches got good feedback. I'd been forewarned that crit day could be rough, but I think the Studio 201 guys were pretty chill. I did peek my head in on the other two rooms briefly. Donato, Greg Ruth and Scott Fischer were all highly animated and I've been told often argued with each other's feedback. Dan Dos Santos, Irene Gallo and Greg Manchess were part of the group that, from chatting to folks, seemed to get the most direct feedback.

I was a little surprised when there was no tracing paper used during my crit. All three faculty members responded favourably to what had been my favourite thumbnail, despite its weirdness. No direct suggestions other than resolving the shapes in my minimal, non-figurative space (that minor bit of feedback would come to haunt me by The Thursday of DOOM, but I'll get to that later). Inspirations like Inka Essenhigh, Hope Gangloff and Dorothea Tanning were thrown my way, I loved all three for very different reasons. It was safe to say inspiration was running high and I had a tonne of positive energy to run with. 

I felt like I was well prepped going into the IMC, but I wasn't. Choosing to go full traditional when having to fly internationally was a pain. I didn't have a lot of the stuff I needed and had to rely on the infinite kindness of my fellow students and faculty to see me through. Stephen, Annie, Chris, Julia, you were all lovely, I can't thank you enough. 

My Tuesday started with James Gurney sat at my breakfast table. That was surreal but awesome. He and his wife Jeanette are as lovely two people as you could hope to meet, full of insight and always taking notes. The previous day's lecture on photo reference was flowing through my mind and I dreaded having to ask fellow students. My figures were both nudes and that wasn't something I was comfortable with, though I thought perhaps I could take individual legs and arms and use a little online ref to fill in the rest. I wish I'd drummed up the courage to ask my fellow students, but that particular social step eluded me the whole week. I spent the day instead with many sheets of tracing paper, figuring out What marks were what. I had discussions with Greg Ruth and Donato Giancola about how to find those shapes and make them fit in my piece. You have to figure out who to listen to, and whose advice to stash for a later date. You get bombarded with advice if you go in as open-minded as I did. I'd thrown myself into a pool I should have been paddling in first, pretty much at the very public deep end. I'll admit I found ways to put off getting to painting, as it was only the 2nd oil painting I'd done in the last 20 years and the company I had in the room was stellar and a little overwhelming. Eventually, I chose to redraw via a grid so I could edit as I went along and I used some reference I shot of my own limbs to help flesh the drawing out. I left Tuesday feeling reasonably positive about the work.

Wednesday was a full day with faculty feedback, up to the first 5 pm lecture. Dan Dos Santos, who is perfectly lovely, but also very honest with feedback, stopped by my easel. Overall, very complimentary, he pulled me on a bit of weird anatomy, that after using a lot more photo ref with the rest of the piece, had begun to stand out. He suggested I grab Rebecca after our discussion. I'd responded best to her feedback, as she seemed to understand what I was trying to do, so I grabbed her after lunch. She immediately told me the leg and anatomy I'd had in the thumbnail had been working, and that if I liked the weirdness (which I did) to go weird with the rest of the piece to make the leg fit. Literally the opposite of Dan's feedback. Feedback is such a personal thing, every instructor has their own view of art and own journey. I'd probably tried to take a little bit of everyone who'd stopped by and given feedback and every little bit had nudged me slightly off the course I'd intended to take. Dan's feedback was spot on, if I'd been after something with a solid grounding in realism, but I wasn't. I was after an emotional feeling rather than muscles that looked like they fit where they were supposed to go. Rebecca suggested I just print the thumbnail out, mount it to masonite and paint on that. But resolve my shapes first. 

That led me to ask Tara for advice and after some back and forth, I thought I knew where I was going, and decided rather than be tied to the values I'd got in the thumbnail to start with, I'd trace down the printed thumbnail and resolve my shapes. All went well, I got the drawing on the board, and aware of the ever-ticking clock and my ability to get feedback on my painting process, I was keen to get started the following day.

I nick-named Thursday 'Thursday of DOOOOOOOM' in my sketchbook notes. With that many 'O's'. It started well, with my sketch on my illustration board, I figured I'd use acrylic underpainting to speed up the process, then seal with matte medium and start on top in oils. I'd brought a lovely lime green and violet with me, my underpainting was done in warm purple-reds as a counterpoint, and I was winging it. It felt good. I stepped away for a bit before lunch and came back after to the horror of a C-shaped warped board. A brand I'd not used before, I hadn't been heavy with it at all. I threw some matte medium on the back in the hopes it would pull itself out of the curve, but it only stiffened. I think panic set in at this point, I knew there was no point in doing more on the board, but I'd been stubborn over mounting the printouts I'd done. Old dog, new tricks and all that.

Distraught, I knew I had no choice. I slunk off to the back of the studio and tried not to blub my eyes out as I tried a totally new method of mounting with less than perfect tools. Flustered, my hair constantly got stuck in the medium, making me even more panicked that the whole thing would be a disaster and that I'd missed the last supply run and would have to face the very public shame of asking someone for actual help. If there's one thing I hate, it's not being self-sufficient. My fellow students would have happily helped out, but shame is a pretty powerful emotion, it tends to rule what you do. I prayed the mounted paper wouldn't need a 2nd sheet mounting on the back to counter the drawing mounted on the front. At best, in the blazing sun, this stuff would take a couple of hours to dry to the point I could paint on it. The wind did its best to prevent me from stacking the board outside and in my hours of deepest bleakness, I figured that maybe if it blew over into the dirt and insects, I'd say fuck it and make them part of the fucking thing too. It was also at this point I realised the printouts had cropped the two thumbnails I'd chosen to work with, altering their composition drastically. My own dumb fault for not setting the page size up properly in the printer. One more shame I'd suck up and live with. I wish I'd asked for help. I think knowing the pieces weren't what I'd initially intended broke my ability to give them my full attention and killed my mojo for the next couple of days. My anxiety rats, as Rebecca delightfully referred to them, were in full swing. 

While I waited for it to dry, I headed back into the studio and mentioned to Rebecca I'd given in with the curved board and mounted the thumbnail and would she have a look over what I'd chosen to do with the background. Rebecca is gracious and lovely and patiently listens to me explain what I've done. Then she points to some of the graphic elements I'd put in and gently says that they still feel too literal and forced, that the motifs I choose should be something I relate to closely and that it doesn't quite live up to the right hand, figurative side of the painting. I suggest a couple of other ideas, feeling a scrabbling panic bulding in me, only to hear her tell me everything still feels too literal. My logic brain knows she's right, but after a distraught morning, I'm clasping at any straw I have to salvage the situation. I don't know if it showed, and she saw that I was struggling with it or if it was just honest feedback for the moment, but at that point, she looked at me and said 'maybe this piece is a step too far for you right now, maybe you should do the other piece, if that's something that's more comfortable for you.' I think I agreed with her, nodded and extolled the virtues of taking a step back into my comfort zone, getting a painting I knew how to do done was a good thing, yes? But damn if that wasn't a kick to the gut at that very moment. 

She was absolutely right, though. I'd throw myself into a deep pool, with people who were olympic athletes at diving its depths, and in the course of a week expected to be able to at least dive a good distance with them. I'd been able to get my head underwater with my well-planned thumbnails, but in this overwhelming, information packed, inspiring, public test of artistic mettle, I'd punched above my depth, so to speak. Trying to shift gears artistically when you have your own space and the time to find your journey is one thing, I don't know if it can be done in a week, no matter how much amazing input you get from your artistic heroes. Chris, Erin, Annie, I'm sorry if my energy those next 48 hours was a bummer, it wasn't a place I was familiar with being. 

Kent Williams came to the rescue of my very bruised ego that evening with a talk about his personal journey through art. Indirectly, seeing the bredth and depth of his work over such a long time span, I confess to feeling a little idiotic that I'd expected to be able to make that leap in a week. Every faculty member who gave a talk like that had shown me that their journeys were long, and often fraught with failed ventures or periods of doing artistic things they didn't want to. I left the lecture with my tail between my legs, but a renewed sense that I would do my best with the hand I'd given myself. I did a couple of colour studies that evening, traditionally, inspired by seeing James Gurney's master studies in his lecture. I loved doing them, and wish I'd had more time to do more. But I found a piece online that had a palette I liked and did a couple of explorations of a similar theme. I finally, finally, 4 days into the escapade, managed to put down some oil paint. 

Friday and Saturday I painted as much as I could, but tentatively, I was making marks I'd never made before. I listened to the feedback being given around me and let anyone who wanted to stop and give me feedback, do so. I'm not sure I actively asked for it. I struggled as the ladies around me with their amazinly characterful pieces drew the attention of everyone who went past. I wondered if I was so far off the mark and weird that no one knew what to say about my piece. Maybe it was so bland that they couldn't praise or crit it. In retrospect, I recognise that my mood and lack of decent sleep was tinting my mood heavily, and I suspect I was giving off the same vibe, which is enough to make folks give you a bit of a wide berth. 

The theme of finding your niche and doing what you love came up in more than one lecture over those days. I went to bed at 2 am both nights, in an attempt to get as much done as I could. I socialised a little more, realising that was as much a part of the experience as the painting. If not more. I'm hugely thankful for the bonds I forged during that week, something I couldn't have done at home, no matter how much I painted. Those bonds were worth much more to me than the painting I half finished. I think I came to accept that what I wanted to do was going to be a journey that needed a little longer than a week to take. I wish there had been more 'round table' lectures with all the faculty, seeing them interact together on the business lecture was amazing. 

Sunday was chill. I'd had the intention of painting more, but clearing up took a while, and I felt good being relaxed. So I socialised more instead. Our final lecture with Donato was the perfect note to end the experience on and the open house was a chance to take in everyone's work, the standard of which was amazing. After a super tasty mexican dinner and strawberry margherita, the bar beckoned. After drawing I don't know how much hentai in people's sketchbooks and getting a badass Bill Nighy sketch from the awesome Bud Cook in my own sketchbook, alongside the weirdest pseudonyms and animal drawings ever, I crashed and burned as being under the influence after a week of mental stress and lack of sleep took its toll on me. Conan, thank you for making sure I got back safely that night, I really appreciate it, I suspect I'd have passed out in a dark corner of the bar otherwise. Sad I missed out on the late night partying that ensued, but damn, did I need that night's sleep. 

So there's one woman's view of what it's like to go to the IMC, to throw yourself at the mercy of the faculty and your own desires. To fail and not deal with it well, to realise that the painting was never the important thing. IMC was amazing. I can only hope this gives those of you who haven't been a teensy insight. I'm not going to cover what the lectures were or what faculty shared with us, that's a very specific IMC experience, that you really have to go to appreciate. I will say I am hugely thankful to Dan, Rebecca and all of those on Muddy Colors who made that experience real for me. It has enriched me in ways I suspect I'll only realise as my journey continues. Thank you to everyone who gave me kind words and praise and to those who tried to guide me on my way. If ever the opportunity arises for you to attend, I would say grab it with both hands and run with it. Even if your experience doesn't run as profound as mine, and it simply lets you have some time to paint whatever the hell you want, being in a huge room full of people going through the same thing is well worth the price, not to mention watching faculty paint in real time is invaluable. 

So, what if you've taken that leap, some months from now and you're going to the IMC? Here's a few pointers from someone who thought they were prepared and was woefully not. 

1 -  THE DORMS Are basic AF. I was somewhat prepared, but when the FAQ says the beds are firm, they mean it. Think springs wrapped in a bit of plastic tarp. The sheets are functional, but the blanket looked like someone had put used dog bedding through a shredder and mushed it out into a rectangle. I bought a spare blanket at the CVS store, cause no way was that thing touching my skin. I may be a little sensitive though. I affectionately referred to the whole set up as my prison bed, cause honestly, that's all I could think of. If you can bring your own bedding, I'd recommend it.

The dorm bathrooms are gender neutral, which means anyone can use them. I was fine with it, but it's odd the first time you wander into the bathroom and find the opposite sex brushing their teeth. I never had any problems taking a shower, though, they were pretty quiet. 

Morris Pratt Dorm was definitely the more social, I was very thankful to be on the 3rd floor, as a light sleeper, the partying into the wee hours would have kept me awake had I been on the lower floors. The box fans helped with white noise, but the doors are all pretty heavy, so unless folks are very delicate with how they close them, expect some noise. I found the box fan enough without the AC, even when it got pretty warm on the last couple of days. 

2 - FOOD. Having never been to a large educational establishment in the US, I wasn't sure what to expect with the food. Would I have to venture into Amherst to find healthy stuff, would there be much choice? The food was surprisingly decent. It's still a large facility, so it's never going to be amazing restaurant quality, but there were a few choices every day and a well-stocked salad bar. They even had a soft serve ice cream machine, that I managed to avoid until Sunday. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I had it on good authority that the coffee in the dining hall wasn't great. It might be an idea to bring a drinks container with you, as mealtimes are the only time you can get drinks on campus, outside of water fountains. Amherst is only a 10-minute walk down the road, though. 

3 - ART SUPPLIES AND STUDIO SAFETY. I brought paints, brushes and surfaces with me, with the knowledge I'd ordered a couple extra things for while I was there and that there was a supply run. If you work on specific surfaces, it's best to bring those with, Michael's wasn't super well stocked, and more speciality things like large clayboard weren't available. A lot of people bring extras and are happy to share, thankfully. I would have brought more old rags or kitchen towels and some tape. People often used walls to tape up thumbnails or other pieces of art.

The university runs a very strict number of safety policies surrounding paints, water and mediums. Bring some lidded jars with you for mediums and water. Everything has to be labelled clearly and remained closed when not in use. Even water used for rinsing acrylic and watercolours. All have to be disposed of carefully too. Same with anything you wipe paint or mediums on, so using something a bit more disposable like kitchen towel might do you better. They ask you to cover your oil paints when not in use, though that can be with a simple piece of palette paper. 

If you choose an easel, if you have space for a little extra table, you'll likely make good use of it. The chairs they supply are also very basic and not comfortable for long periods, so bringing a cushion is definitely a good idea.  Oh, and they say the studio opens at 8 am on Monday but I got there at 8 am and a lot of the spaces had already been taken, so if you want prime real estate, get there early! 

4 - SELF PROMOTION This sounds like a no-brainer. I brought business cards for the faculty and my portfolio review with Irene Gallo. I thought I'd sorted my work out reasonably well, but actually, my website would have been a better place to show off my work. I also wish I'd brought a physical portfolio to leave out for students and faculty to flick through, perhaps an example of finished work that was either nicely printed if I was doing digital, or one of my traditional pieces. The latter is tricky when flying. My business cards were on the pricey side so I wish I'd had some decent postcards or stickers, printed for the open studio, where folks were picking stuff up. You never know who's going to pick one up! The internet can be spotty in the building, so unless you have some 4G going on, it can be tricky to show off folios digitally. 

You might also be lucky enough to score a second portfolio review if the guests have enough time, I am so glad I could put my work in front of WotC's Jeremy Jarvis. It cheered my Saturday up no end! Make sure you check the lists when they go up and bag your second spot early. And don't puss out. 

5 - DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP I'm stubborn and British, so asking for help is the worst, but everyone there will gladly help you out if they can. Especially the assistant team, Daneen, Julia and Stephen and the 'honored easels' who've been in your situation. Take advantage of them, they are all lovely people.

And that sums it up! An amazing, tiring, exhausting, mentally demanding, inspiring, overwhelming experience that I wouldn't change for the world. I hope to repeat it in the next year or two. I count myself lucky to be part of the alumni and perhaps if you're reading this, I might see you there too. 

[rkmg]

〈★〉MGAS SEASON 4 ↳ 04. demonstrate your extra skill.      ↳ drawing.

Once the interviewer was asking him to demonstrate one of his extra skills written on his form, he feels his cheeks heat up a bit. Perhaps the audience would think he was ‘cute’ (it was all that he could hope for a this point). Although his face made him appear embarrassed, he actually felt rather excited. He wanted to show them that he was more than simply his performance talents. He wanted them to know just how passionate he was about other things, too. Maybe there were people out there who would watch this and admire the fact that he isn’t a one trick pony. Still, he wished that he was better at more than just a few things. Maybe if he had already mastered the guitar, that would have been a great thing for everyone to see. Still, part of him was relieved that he wasn’t going to need to show them anything music-related.

The second he found out he was going to be showing them his artistic abilities, he relaxed more than he has the entire day so far. It was always so easy for him to get lost in his own world when his pencil is moving across the paper. He can focus solely on what’s happening in his own mind opposed to all of the nerve-wracking events happening around him. There was a chance that everyone would get to witness the real, true Kim Mingyu and that made him... both happy and even more afraid. He just had to have hope that whatever he was doing was enough. He had to cross his fingers that he wasn’t going to be the next flop, perhaps not even making it to the next round or just being one of the first to be eliminated. He didn’t plan for that, however. He intended to work hard, and that had already began. Now, he just had to continue doing so to show them what else he was capable of.

“Oh, yeah, of course. I’ll just... sketch something quick for you. Want me to draw you?” He laughed at his own playful remark, amusement flooding his features. He began doing what he could in the short amount of time that he had. In the end, he ended up literally sketching a quick picture of the interviewer, hoping others would also be amused by it and realize that he has a sense of humor as well. It was done quickly, so by no means did it look like a photograph, but it was enough to at least display his talents in the area.

Once finished and preparing for his break, he checked his phone and subtly smiled at the screen.

outgoing → my won and only 💕 ( ✉ ) sort of around... you’re probably busy again by now, though ( ✉ ) i hope you were able to find something to eat ( ✉ ) i think everything is going well, though? you’ve got this, too! ( ✉ ) i miss you already 

#rkmga4 #rkmga4audition4 #; solo. #wc: 448 #rkmg(a)

[totallyseventeen]

Soulmate AU | Soonyoung

In which you and Soonyoung are soulmates.

Non-Idol Soonyoung x Artistic Reader

This is my first work ever posted to Tumblr, so I really hope you enjoy!

It all started in kindergarten. You were sitting at your little desk while meticulously coloring, and you saw a crudely drawn smiley face appear on the top of your hand. Like any five year old would do, you stand up and scream. The teacher rushed over to your side, and after hearing what happened, she told you about soulmates.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar concept to you; your parents had mentioned the term numerous times before, but you just brushed it aside. Your teacher explained that everyone has a link to their soulmate, but those links vary from couple to couple. She then told you about your link. Whatever you soulmate wrote on himself, you could see and vise versa.

You stared at the smiley face on your hand and admired it. Yes, it was a very bad smiley face. The smile was very crooked and the eyes were so off it was laughable, but it was from your soulmate. You ran back to your desk and snatched a baby blue magic marker and wrote “Hi :)” in sloppy letters on your forearm.

That was the first time you and your soulmate ever had contact, but that was years ago. Now, you are nineteen and have much more knowledge about your soulmate. You learned that he was Korean very quickly, as having strange characters pop up on your arm worried both you and your parents. You learned the language over a long period of time, and your soulmate learned some English, but he is still learning.

He loves to dance. You learned that when he scribbled odd lines and dots along your arm. After a few minutes he wrote an explanation on his hand saying how it was choreography. You attempted to decipher and do it yourself, but you couldn’t distinguish what he meant by the mess of lines mapped out on your arm.

He loved his friends, as well as making people laugh. He would often write down really cheesy jokes where he knew you would see it just so you would laugh. His friends were also very prevalent in his life. They would often prank him by drawing things on him which transferred over to you too. You didn’t mind it that much though. It was a (rather unfortunate) method to discovering more about him and his life.

You also tried to show him a part of yourself. You loved to doodle on yourself. Art was a form of expressing yourself when words couldn’t do justice. The doodles ranged in size from a small little flower blossoming from your nail bed, to a beautiful, intricate lion that took up your entire hand. What you didn’t know was your soulmate watched the creations come to life. It was the highlight of his day to see the ink from your pen magically appear on his skin while swirling into intricate designs he could never have imagined. It was like a window into your emotions. The doodles depicted an aspect of your mood to your soulmate, and he treasured your doodles. He would even flaunt them to his friends and brag about your talent.

Of course, both of you attempted to divulge your names or your location. When you tried to write that information down, the ink swirled around like it was mixed with water. It swirled around which made the writing illegible. It was a very frustrating ordeal, but it did create a wonderful water-color like design. You supposed it was like the universe saying sorry for the trouble.

You woke up on this particular day and were immediately dreading the day. You moved to Korea about a year ago. You made this big leap to try to become one step closer to meeting your soulmate. You let your soulmate know through a vague message that simply stated “I’m moving to you.” He immediately began writing when he saw that message, but it was all blurred out. A small smile made its way onto your face when you saw how excited he was.

You have been here a year, as said before, and you are working in a little coffee shop in Seoul. It is a quaint little shop that has a feeling of peace within it, well, when it isn’t full of customers. The shop is located near a fairly busy street that creates a lot of foot traffic, generating a good crowd. The only bad thing about this set up is that most of the people who come in the shop are pompous and arrogant businessmen and women. It very aggravating to deal with a customer that lets you know they could do your job better than you do. You have to stick with it and hope you won’t slap someone, but you get by most days with the help of conversations betwixt you and your soulmate.

After working for about six hours for your morning shift, you return to the counter to attempt to gain some extra spending money. The familiar ding of the bell on the door sounds and you turn to the door to recite your required greeting.

“Welcome to Jeonghan’s Cafe!” The cheer in your voice is obviously forced, as well as your smile. The man that just walked in returns your false smile with a genuine one that seems to be overflowing with joy. His dyed blonde hair sticks out and grabs your attention, as does his smile. His chubby cheeks accentuate his smile in the most precious way and you can’t help but be shocked at how smokin’ hot he is. You shake your head to remove those thoughts and turn to the register where the man is currently waiting to have his order taken.

You scamper over to the register as quickly as humanly possible and turn to face the gentleman. “Hi! How can I help you today?” You notice some of the fake cheer in your voice has disappeared, and the same has occurred with your smile. They aren’t completely fake, which is a first for this job. You wouldn’t hit on him or anything though; he has a soulmate of his own and you respect that.

“Ah, yes. Can I get an Americano please?” His voice was comforting as opposed to the brash and hateful voices you have grown accustomed to hearing day after day.

“Yes sir. Will there be anything else?” The man shakes his head with the same smile adorning his face. “Okay. Your total is 2900 Won. May I get a name to go with that order?”

“Soonyoung.” The name fits him. And, he didn’t notice that this shop didn’t require you to get his name for his order. You walk over to make his drink after he pays you and he takes a seat in a nearby booth. You pour the drink into the cafe’s signature cup and walk it over to him.

“Thank you so much,” Soonyoung states with thanks evident in his small, expressive eyes. He grabs the cup and holds it with both hands, which conveys a child-like innocence. After mumbling out a quick thanks, you rush back to the counter to try to hide the subtle blush creeping up your to cheeks.

You look around the shop and see that Soonyoung is your only customer and it is in the middle of the afternoon lull, so you pick up a pen that happened to be lying nearby. You then begin to doodle on your hand.

You begin at the tip of your middle finger and create small precise lines flowing down to the middle of your hand. You begin to branch off of the little lines to create more lines with several scattered leaves along each line. You drew the most magnificent and unique tree on your hand that you could imagine. After about five minutes, you hold your hand infront of yourself and marvel at your work. You usually dislike your handiwork, but this time was different. You felt proud.

You then remember that you still have a customer and turn your attention to him. His coffee is half gone, and he is currently looking down at the table like he is in deep thought. Well, that is what it looks like from your view in which his back is facing you. In reality, Soonyoung is still entranced by the way the ink flowed onto his skin and by his soulmate’s artistic ability. He looked at what he assumed to be the finished project and was stunned at how talented his soulmate truly was.

The familiar chime of the door’s bell rang again and a group of three men walked in. They all seemed to radiate a certain confidence, and they walked with a certain graceful air about them. You assume that they are dancers due to those observable facts. You have been learning a lot about dance ever since you discovered your soulmate enjoys it, so your assumption may be correct.

After reciting your usual greeting, they all give you a small smile before looking in the direction of Soonyoung. They begin to walk over to him and they greet him with big smiles, which Soonyoung returns wholeheartedly.

They sit down and Soonyoung immediately displays his hand to the three people. “Guys! Look at how talented my soulmate is!” He nearly shouts his comment in the poor boys’ ears and they examine his hand while marveling at the work of art sketched onto their dear friend.

“You have a very talented soulmate, Soonyoung. I just wish you wouldn’t scream every time she draws something,” one of his friends with sharp, piercing features states while still examining Soonyoung’s hand.

You regret to admit that you had been listening to their conversation, but you were now interested and ecstatic. From what has been said, it sounds like Soonyoung could possibly be your soulmate. The thought of your assumption being wrong slips into your mind, and you refrain from going over there to confirm your theory.

“Hyung, can you buy me a brownie?” The shortest of the group asks with a cute, unintentional pout on his lips.

Soonyoung sighs in an overly dramatic manner, “Just this once, Chan.” With that he stands up and proceeds to walk over to you. You rise up from your position slouched over on the counter and prepare to take his order.

“May I please have one brownie?” His eyes dart to the display containing numerous delicacies and sweets.

“Sure! One second, Soonyoung.” You retrieve the brownie and place it neatly on the shop’s special napkin. You grab the four corners of the napkin to hand it to him, as it is a strange habit you have developed . Soonyoung reaches his hand out to get his friend’s treat, when he suddenly froze and his eyes seemed to double in size.

He looked at you and then his eyes traveled down to your name tag. “Y/N. I knew my soulmate would have a beautiful  name.” His cheeks redden from the cheesy line he just used as your jaw drops. He then shows you his hand with the exact same drawing of a tree sketched onto the skin.

You snap out of your shock-induced trance and look into his eyes. They are full of compassion and, dare you say, love. “It is nice to meet you, soulmate.” A bright smile takes over your features as you say this.

Soonyoung’s smile somehow grows bigger and he lets out an adorable little giggle. “It is nice to finally meet you too, soulmate.”

#seventeen #hoshi #seventeen hoshi #kwon soonyong #soonyoung #seventeen scenarios #seventeen soulmate au #I am so scared to past this holy crap

[hereidinathoreauwrites]

Fiona Felicity Frizzle (or: Frizzle, the younger)

Magic School Bus Rides Again one-shot drabble: the adventures of Fiona Felicity Frizzle (travels through science and time with the new teacher)

No one ever could keep me tied down. Not that anyone had ever really tried.

If there was one thing the Frizzle family was, we were proud of our eccentricity and desire to learn. We were also special. Mom used to say we all had a little touch of magic. Nothing world-shaking or time-altering but just a sparkle that let us be extraordinary. And my sister and I seemed to have more than just your average sparkle.

Of the two of us, Val had always been the golden child. She excelled in both school and the extraordinary specialties of our name. She was smart, curious, charming, and talented, even among our family. That’s why no one raised any stink when she was gifted the keys at the tender age of 16. She was ready for them; everyone could see it.

And while I wasn’t far behind her in most things, in this, she indisputably won.

I never wanted to follow in Valerie’s footsteps. No one even expected it of me. We were free to pursue whatever we wished. She was just the perfect embodiment of a Frizzle. Everyone in our extended family looked up to her and I was just Frizzle: the younger.

All the same though, when Val was handed those keys, it awoke a deep hunger in me. Hunger for the kind of adventure only having the keys could provide. But the keys were out of reach. So I’d just have to find adventure on my own.

With that spirit, one day I just grabbed up my knapsack and took off. What can I say? I was 16, it was 1993 and I had waited long enough. The world was my oyster and I intended to know everything about it that I could. Keys or no keys, I wasn’t going to let my education suffer. Maybe I should have apologized for taking Dad’s Time-Winder but the thing was just collecting dust. Wasn’t it better if it was in use?

So my curious tinkering may have set the thing off and I ended up spending quite a long time on ancient Lesbos Island helping a wonderful young woman write some very beautiful poetry. In return, she let me study her father’s books on medicine and biology. It all worked out in the end. After a while, I was able to un-tinker what I had tinkered and the Time-Winder shot me forward to the year 2016. Deciding I should maybe leave exploring time for later, I instead set off to explore space.

After a few hitch-hikes and a brief stint as a stand-up comedian in Lithuania, my lucky break got me all the way to a place I’d always wanted to go — the steppes of Mongolia in the Altai Mountains. So in a way, it was lucky my plane crashed there. I met a fascinating young girl who taught me about how her culture has hunted with golden eagles for generations. I nearly got frostbite cantering after her on her hunt. In return, I taught her everything I knew about medicine and human biology. When I was ready, I left her family to join a caravan heading east.

From Mongolia came a rather trying time in Japan, where I struggled to master calligraphy and the lost art of the sword. After that, I crossed the Pacific in a one-woman kayak and nearly drowned just off the coast of Guam. A passing freighter offered me a ride and I happily bounced from Guam to Hawai’i to the Gulf of California.

Sometime later, I found myself wandering through the Brazilian jungle and somehow ended up being adopted by a family of golden lion tamarin monkeys. I think they wanted my necklace but didn’t know how to ask. They were a lot of fun, especially when they tried to comb my hair for me. I learned a lot about climbing from them. When I left, one of them followed me. Before long, she was sitting on my shoulder, comfortably jumping from adventure to adventure with me. I called her Goldie.

Goldie made my adventures more interesting by far. She was curious and sneaky, often getting her fingers into things people didn’t want them in. One time, I’d had to pry her away from a bakery in Germany after she’d discovered banana crème filling. I don’t think we’re welcome in that bakery anymore…

She’d also once pilfered the Hope Diamond. I don’t think anyone noticed though; I had recently perfected my espionage skills in study with the KGB and CIA (independently, of course) and those transferred rather well to breaking into the Smithsonian to restore the jewel.

Goldie eventually learned though that some times were better than others for sticking her fingers into things. It took a few years (and a lot of stern reprimands and banana crème pastries) but I eventually taught her.

If there was one thing I never did, it was settle down. There was just too much to see and learn. I had barely cracked into world languages, let alone the dead ones! My pack was always home to half a dozen books or so that I swapped out as I finished them. Reading a chapter or two of a classic before falling asleep at night was the best way to finish off a day of adventure. And long flights between new adventures were perfect for picking up phrases in other languages.

Goldie and I traversed the world, never once looking back in our endless thirst for knowledge and adventure.

At some point while rocketing down the Alps on stolen skis, I realized I had turned 33 somewhere in my wanderlust.

And for some reason, that made me more homesick than anything else. I debated going home but never made a move to. For one, I had effectively vanished for twenty-three years when I’d used the Time-Winder the first time. I’d be the wrong age if I went home. Val would be nearly twice my age now. It just seemed wrong. And I hadn’t even told my parents when I left.

I didn’t belong at home.

After that, I stopped counting my numerical age. I measured my life in adventures and I had more of those than I had years on this Earth. Besides, it was harder to keep track of one’s age when one was leaping through time constantly.

Despite the inherent danger I’d found in using the Time-Winder, it was irresistible to have that power and not use it. What was an adventure without a little risk after all?

And use it I did.

It was finicky but functional. I couldn’t choose the destination precisely but it always seemed to take Goldie and me where we needed to go.

1567 was an incredible year. Yes, I may have romanced both the captain’s wife and the captain himself aboard a trading vessel and then accidentally won a sword duel to become captain of a passing pirate schooner but life was so dull without conflict. So I may have picked those fights deliberately. Elizabeth was an incredible woman though…she didn’t even care that I was a woman.

Shame the pirates learned I was a woman as well and chased me halfway across the Caribbean before I managed to slip into Costa Rica and vanish.

Nikola Tesla was a surprising ally in my quest to explore time. He was fascinated by my Time-Winder, even though I’m not sure he completely understood what it was. I spent many months at his side, studying engineering, chemistry, and electricity alongside him. Leaving was difficult but I had to. Edison was getting suspicious and I wasn’t looking to end up in any history books.

I picked up guitar somewhere between Han dynasty China and 1980’s New York, which surprisingly opened up more doors for me than my newly-cultivated ability to speak 14 different languages (2 of which were dead languages!) fluently. Seems throughout most of history, people have had more use for music performers than they have for reliable translators. Goldie and I played our way across America and Russia during two different centuries on the pennies cast by passersby and the tips of the tipsy.

Splashing along the tide lines with Rachel Carson was a truly illuminating experience. Was there nothing that woman didn’t know about the ocean? She was an incredible friend and companion to me in the 1950s when I’d stopped to study the early days of space exploration and the rise of the environmental movement. And who better to apprentice myself to than Rachel herself? We took a great many tidepool specimens back to her study and spent many weeks identifying each one and making small sketches. I even offered my critiques on some of her writings.

But when she mentioned Val, I knew it was time to leave her. Coming so close to my sister while she was chasing her own adventure was jarring and it brought back feelings I hadn’t realized I’d buried so long ago.

I could pretend all I wanted but what I knew I craved, I couldn’t have. Without the keys, I was imprisoned in this life of wandering. The most I could hope for was a surface look at whatever phenomenon or historical event caught my eye. I was doomed to see everything through unbreakable glass.

But still, it was all I had. Val had inherited the keys. That left me with whatever I could take and whatever I could explore on my own. So I got even more daring.

Maybe Alcatraz was a step too far though...

Goldie and I were sailing down the Colorado River on a raft I’d constructed on my own sometime in 1842 when my real adventure finally began.

As I struggled to both man the tiller and the sail (Goldie scouting ahead from our mast), an anachronistic ringing sound came from my pack.

Strange…I wouldn’t have thought my phone would work in a time before it was invented…

Risking letting go of the tiller, I dug into the pocket and pulled out the ringing device.  Wow, cell reception was surprisingly strong out here.

I answered the phone with one hand. “Hello? What’s up?” The sail rope slackened and I leaned on it to rig my sail back up.

“Hello Fi!” It had been years since I’d heard that voice.

“Val!” Goldie shrieked, drawing my attention back to the river. “Can you hold on one second?” I tucked the phone between my teeth so I could hold the sail with one hand and adjust the rudder with the other. Goldie and I shot down the river, dodging nimbly between the rapids. The rope burned into my hands and I smiled around the phone in my mouth. This was just as incredible as I had imagined!

We burst out into some steady water a few seconds later and I finally released my grip on the sail.

“Sorry about that, rapids.” I continued, holding the phone to my ear again. “What can I do you for, Val?”

“I’ve got a proposition for you, dearest sister of mine.”

“Oh yeah? What?”

“How do you feel about teaching?”

“Teaching…?”

“Yes. You’d have to give up your lonely quest to explore all of time though. How does 2017 sound?”

“Does this mean…!”

“Yes Fiona. The keys are being passed. It’s your turn to inherit the Bus.”

I didn’t wait a second. Barely giving Goldie time to jump onto my shoulder, I scooped up my bag and tinkered the Time-Winder one last time.

At last, I was stepping right through that glass door.

#Fiona frizzle #fanfiction #drabble #magic school bus #magic school bus rides again #adventure #humor #short story #prequel #fiona is bi #this is my headcannon #kate mckinnon #ms frizzle #history #time travel #i'm not saying kate has to be gay in everything #but its cool if she is

[sparkleyunicornllama-blog]

Good Morning 💜

*real talk alert*

Last night was horrible for me. I was really unwell. I was in severe pain with my stomache and felt extremely sick. I was very dizzy and really lethargic at work yesterday too. It was 20°c (to british people thats like lets get naked hot) I wore layers of clothes and a big coat and shivered all day with my hands turning blue. My muscles hurt and are just cramping up with almost every movement. And no surprises but the bruises up the backs of my legs have gotten worse.

So this morning my mum had a good chat with me. She told me how ill I have started to look and that she knows I am struggling, but today as traumatic as it will be for me As I struggle through my relapse and these intense negative thoughts I have to refuel. I have to rest. In my previous relapses this has worked and its been able to break through my behaviours until my eating becomes something that resembles “normal” I have never been in any kind of formal treatment despite being hospitalised briefly a year ago when my organs were failing. So all I have ever done is focus on changing eating patterns and never actually fixing anything that goes on inside my head.

I have to try and avoid my anorexic behaviours even if I just get through today and I struggle on and I cant keep up with this. It is something to keep me going until I do start outpatient treatment next week.

I really wish things were different amd I could love normally and it would be amazing. But my whole world has begun to revolve around being skinny. Again. For a while I convinced myself that the excessive exercise I was doing was healthy. That only having certain foods was just healthy. Until this past week I was was eating relatively nothing apart from the 5 safe foods I had left. Just bland. Low calorie low fat with hardely protein. A couple of weeks back I started to loose progress at the gym. What I could lift easily dropped by 30kilo to something I struggled to get even through 1 set. And I still I continued. I only ate using a specific tiny spoon. I would only eat of a bowl that fit in my hand or a child sized plate. I told my self it was just something I liked to do. Because eating disorders, are deceitful and manipulative. For me its control, fear, guilt and anxiety and the need to feel some sense of achievement. Every person is different and everyones eating disorder is fuelled by different things as well as manifesting in different ways.

Its doesn’t fit a generic stereotype, and so there isn’t a single treatment plan that works for everyone.

I hear it all the time.. people trying to educate me on whats healthy and whats not on intakes and metabolism and whats good for you. Why treats are ok. I don’t want to be rude but honestly I know pretty much all of it. Through the almost 7 years now I have struggled with eating disorders and tried to recover on my own I have spent days educating my self on nutrition amd exercise. Vitamins and minerals. Macros and gains. Muscle building and shredding. I mean a few weeks ago I started to realise I was struggling and I had an appointment with a GP, I explained everything that was going through my head for him to say… “oh just eat 3 meals a day” … 🤔 but… what… would you tell a schitzophrenic to stop hearing voices? But according to my eating eating disorder non of that infomation is correct. Irrational right? I know my self as well as all of the scientists and people who develop and work with all these different programs know that it is true.

I know the effects it is having on my body and I know my nails are brittle and my hair is falling out. And I know it will only get worse. But for some of us, it is isn’t enough to give us the encouragement that we need to recover.

I dont want to loose my job, I honestly love it as challanging and demanding asnit is. The people I care for inspire me to keep going. Their happiness gives me happiness.

Theres things I do want to achieve in life, i want to own my home, excel in my job, travel to Japan and the world I want to get back into drawing and go to conventions.

As well as all of that I want to enjoy the little things again, Trying something that looks tasty just because, going for trips or to meals with my family amd friends. Getting a take away on my way home from work just because I fancied it. Go to a food festival actually eat the Japanese snacks I buy from conventions. Experiment with recipies. Bake with my mum and cook for my grandparents. Have a movie night with snacks or pop corn at the cinema. Eat drunk pizza toast after a night out. Just drink a cup of english breakfast tea. Maybe even be super British and dunk a biscuit in there. I want to run and enjoy it like I used to. Be proud of my gains or just accept my self. To look in the mirror without tearing my self apart. I want energy and the ability to conventrate.

We need time to process things. To overcome what it is that triggered things. How to deal with things we can’t fix. But most importantly. We need that time to love ourselves and accept ourselves. Because what size you are or your weight does not define you. At all. I don’t judge other people on those things. It doesnt change their kindness or their talents or their sense of humour or who loves them.

Eating is good for you. Exercise is good for you. But when it starts to consume your every thought or it starts to isolate you from your friends and it makes you ashamed or feel guilty. It is a problem, and you always deserve help no matter what your weight what you eat. If you feel you need to reach out you do it.

Moderation is a wonderful thing. You should enjoy the foods you love while they give you the energy to do the things your passionate about. To experience your life in the possitive way possible.

I actually started this blog as a way to keep my self motivated and focused on the possitive things. I don’t want to sit here and pretend my life is great. Because theres to much of that bullshit on social media. This is all so negative.

I’M SORRY!

Today! Bed rest for me! On my mums orders this wonderful food. I adored giant crumpets and its been years.. with salted butter of course. And a bowl of alra skyr high protein yogurt passion fruit flavour, maxi shredded wheat granola, urban fruit coconut chips, mango, apple, pomegranate and some strawbs.

Pretty much all fear foods at the minute. Terrifying, delicious but nutritious foods. In a normal adult sized bowl. The horror. But fuck eating disorders and their negativity I will enjoy day of gaming and watching films and hopefully sketching and napping. While my body does some repairing.

Body shops vanilla chai body lotion and the delicious vanilla almond Forest friends candle. The little things 👌

All of you fighting. All of you who have won. And all of you struggling. Your amazing, beautiful and deserve happiness.

You always deserve to recover in your own way at your own pace.

Stay strong and stay safe.

💜💚

I just needed to say somethings. If you read this far . Sorry I bored you to death and thank you!

#long post #goodmorning #rant #vent #ed recovery #ed relapse #refeed #refuel #sickness #poorly #mental illness #memtal health #mental disorder #anorexia #an #anorexia athletica #mental health recovery #food is good #food is life #its only temporary #family #morning #lunch #crumpets #warburton #giant crumpets #butter #healthy #healthy fats #good food

[resonantrequiem-blog]

Chapter 1

[Confrontation and Contemplation]

@siren-legion

The night air was slightly chilly. 

Perhaps a little too much so.

Ethan was spending his break time outside, enjoying a rare cool night in the blooming spring. He wasn’t all that for heat. He much preferred the cold. So, this rare bit of chill was more than welcomed.

After finishing quite a few songs, his throat felt raw. He was used to this feeling---the overuse of his voice to satisfy a hungry crowd. At some point, it had become the norm. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He’d always kept his head down, lying low, avoiding attention. It’s how he got away with so many things as a kid, and it’s how he kept from engaging with anyone.

Of course, once he was old enough, that just wasn’t enough to keep people away. His apparent “attractiveness” caught the eye of many suitors. He repeatedly turned them down, but for some reason, they just never let up.

And somehow, this “attractiveness” had become a valuable tool in both of his jobs.

Ethan sighed.

The northern wind ruffled his mess of curls, tickling his face.

Ethan already knew the woman was there, watching him.

He did not move.

The woman chuckled.

Layla couldn’t hide her grin.

Prancing up to the vertically gifted fellow, Layla spoke with a merry tone, “Isn’t it lonely out here? You must be rather bored, no?”

The brunette grunted irritably. The young woman knew she was already getting on his nerves, but she remained determined. She had some business to address with him, and she refused to leave until she’s had her way.

“Well?” she pressed, taking a step closer.

Mistake number one.

“Step any further and I’ll gut you.”

The casual ease with which he spoke. It sounded like he was talking about the weather. He just didn’t have a care; the thought of eviscerating her didn’t bother him in the slightest.

She could see it in his eyes. He really could. And would.

Oh, how exciting.

Raising her hands in mock defeat, Layla conceded, “Apologies, dear. I’m simply curious is all.”

The male snorted with what must’ve been mock amusement. “Curious, eh? You’ve been watching me for the past few months, and you simply write it off as ‘curiosity’? That’s one hell of a curiosity you’ve got there.”

Her grin widened.

“So, you noticed? You really are a scary man,” she cooed. “I was extra careful, too. You must have some talent for observation.”

“Years of practice.”

She clapped her hands together gleefully. “I expect no less from the scary Purple Gallinule of the South! Or at least, that’s what they call you around this area, right? For being a former murderer and all.”

The muscles in Ethan’s neck tensed, turning to finally look at the woman he now addressed. 

His eyes were chillingly, hauntingly empty. Save for the desire to destroy.

“How do you know that?”

A dangerous question.

Layla would need to answer carefully, lest she create an unnecessary conflict.

Her smile lessened.

“Oh, just a rumor I heard."

Doubt.

“I’m being honest. I wouldn’t have come otherwise. It’s no fun investigating a boring Siren.”

Ice.

Layla sighed, feigning irritation. “Doubt me all you want. I just came to see if you were the real deal. Look---I’ll introduce myself, okay? I’m Layla Chambers, the Lamprotornis Siren.” As if to show her proof, she exposed her finely crafted mask, that of which held the power to give her the ability to siphon life force off of others.

“See--”

“Leave.”

The raven-haired woman looked at Ethan with genuine surprise. It seems he’s only grown colder towards her.

Keeping her composure, Layla hummed in confusion, “Pardon?”

“Leave.” It was a command. And from the sound of it, he’s not used to being denied. 

As if to shock her more, he continued, “I want none of whatever Siren shit you’re trying to drag me into. I’m just a casual Siren. I just want to live my life in peace.”

Layla took a few seconds to let those claims soak in, choosing her next words with extreme care.

She paused.

“...Your company’s boss is the Dwarf Bittern Siren, correct?”

That got his attention.

For the first time in this conversation, he seemed to legitimately hesitate.

“What of it?”

“And you’re one of her top Sirens, right?”

His eyes narrowed. 

“What of it?”

Layla threw on a contemplative look. “It’s just that---The Dwarf Bittern Siren isn’t known for being overly generous in that regard. You can’t be one of her best, and just be a casual Siren. Or at least, that’s what I’ve heard.”

She could practically see the flicker of life---of a fire within his crimson irises. It took everything within her not to smile with delight.

“You seem to hear a lot of things, Layla.” He practically spat her name. How charming.

“That I do. I’d be rather useful as a comrade, though, wouldn’t you think?” Her smile was positively serpentine.

Ethan now eyed her as a challenger. She could see it. See the gears turning, the spirit to defy, the kind of will that could destroy the gods.

That undeniable determination that drew her to him.

“What do you want?”

She softened her tone considerably, so as to sound more kindly. “Oh, dear Ethan, I’m not as terrible as you think. Honest!” Gesturing like that of fanatic, Layla smiled with more sincerity, like that of a seeker of good times. “Truly, I wish only to see the intrigue of your company. I offer that in return for simply learning of the interesting qualities of your life, I will help to protect you from the Dwarf Bittern. I’ve heard that she can be quite nasty, and you’d need all the help you could get against a woman like her.”

The resolve flickered.

His eyes betrayed it all.

Weighing his options.

Weighing if he should kill her.

Weighing the risk and the payoff.

The resignation.

She won.

“Honey, is something wrong?”

Ethan was startled out of his daze by Karen’s concerned voice. It took him a moment to realize that he’d been staring at a blank page in his sketchbook for the past five minutes. He’d planned on sketching something, only to get lost in his thoughts. What was it he wanted to draw again? Ah, it didn’t matter now. He didn’t feel like drawing anymore.

The brunet exhaled slowly, readjusting his sitting position and setting his sketchbook and pencil onto the coffee table before him.

“It’s nothing. I’ve just been really tired lately.”

He could tell just how skeptical she was. For a moment, he thought she was just gonna drop it like she usually did. But to his complete and utter surprise, she questioned in a soft tone, “Is it about that Siren stuff?”

Right.

She knew about that.

He’ll never get used to the fact that she knows.

Ethan felt his datemate’s arms slide around him in a soothing embrace, and he couldn’t help but relax against her touch. Her mere presence made him feel immensely better.

Karen patiently waited for his response. He was considering what he should say. What was on his mind, well---

It had everything to do with Karen.

It’s been two months since he met Layla.

It’s been two months since they’d started exchanging information.

And last night...

“You need to leave her.”

“What?” Ethan exclaimed incredulously his grip on the handrail tightening so much his knuckles turned white. He was practically fuming with rage.

Layla stared at him with unrelenting firmness, and it pissed him off even more. “I’m serious, Ethan. You know what the Dwarf Bittern is like. All it takes is one slip-up, and Karen will be the first person they go after. You’ve already said torture can’t break you. She’s your weak point, and you need to eliminate any advantages they have against you if you ever want to be free of them.”

Ethan wasn’t buying it. “How the hell is me leaving her gonna do any good? She’ll be vulnerable!”

That sly grin he knew all too well slid onto the damned bitch’s face. “Not if they think you no longer cared for her.”

“What.” A demand.

Layla took that as her cue to explain herself, and...

Ethan tilted his head to examine the fine details of Karen’s face. The soft chubbiness of her cheeks, the way her eyes were naturally small and closed into a squint. Her skin was smooth, and her nose---God, it was the cutest damned nose he’d ever seen.

Leaning down, he gave it a gentle kiss. Karen gave a soft giggle and snuggled closer. Ethan reveled in the warmth.

But he still felt troubled.

Extremely so.

After all...

How was he supposed to convince everyone that he hated the love of his life?

Convince Karen that he despised her?

...Does he even have the guts to do it?

If it meant she could be safe?

...He already knew the answer.

#ic #zinnia arc #violet feathers #aqua feathers

[bmxbusiness-blog]

Interview with SCg Shoes/owner Steven Caro Q.(-How many years has SCG been around?)   A.I started SCg in Greenville NC back in 1999, making us the First Rider Owned Shoe Company. That would put us about 20 years old! (Some may recall you guys being Dave Mirra 2 video game back in 2002!)   A.I wish I could have been! hahaha. Although Dave was a really good friend, he was sponsored by DC and they were featured in the game. Rest easy Dave, you are missed and loved more than words could express... Q.(What motivated you to start a BMX shoe brand in the ERA of Etnies and DC being on the throne?)   The funny thing is I started SCg after getting really pissed because a popular shoe made by one of the big guys blew up on me riding. I had gone to Florida from NC to meet up with my cousin to ride and hang out. At the skatepark, I purchased the shoes and went on to do a wall ride to table and my foot blew off the pedal. After I crashed I realized I could see my sock through the side of my brand new shoes. I tried to warranty the shoe at the skatepark, and when talking to the brands sales rep on the phone about warranty, when I mentioned I blew it up riding bikes, they said it was designed for skateboarding not BMX. The back and forth with that got me so pissed off I turned right around and headed back home. Driving back from Florida, I stopped for gas in Georgia off the highway, and literally standing in socks and still pissed about it all and the money spent on the blown up shoes, and it starts raining.. Livid, standing in a gas station parking lot in socks, and feet getting wet because of the rain, thats when I decided I'd make my own damn shoes.. lol. That was in 1998. When I got back home I sketched up what I wanted pretty quickly, but it took the rest of the year trying calls and what felt like about a million emails  to find someone that would talk to me and actually help me get the first shoes produced. Q.(You currently sponsor Zack Gerber who seems to share the same core BMX values your brand, not to mention he is also extremely underrated. Have you released a signature products with him yet?)   A.Yes sir. We sponsor Zack Gerber.  That came about indirectly through Billy Woodfin, who rides for us and also rides for Standard Bykes. Billy had been riding SCg's and told Zack about them and Zack put his money where his mouth was and bought shoes. I remember thinking, Zack fkn kills it, and offered him a discount on his purchase, and he flat out refused. Said he liked what we were doing and wanted to support SCg, so thats where it all started. I was stoked getting to know him more and wanted to support his as well, and thats how it came to be Zack riding for SCg. I think his BMX values, and his outlook on life and other things are on the same page with me for sure. A while back, Zack was on a road trip and came through Florida and he stayed with us here at the house for some days and it was awesome to get to not just ride with him, and hang out, but talk a bunch and had some really great conversations and a lot more stuff way more profound then just BMX. Zack is awesome. We've done some limited edition Pro Insoles with Zack's grafix, and literally about time to restock so have to call Zack to see if he wants to keep the art work the same, or if he'd like to do something different. We'll be doing more signature stuff with Zack and the rest of the team guys as well. Q.(You have sponsored some legends of the years such as Bruce Crisman. Care to name a few others that you have hooked up over the years?)   A.Bruce Crisman and I met when he moved to Greenville, and quickly because one of my best friends. Bruce is family to me, and love that guy to death. Not to mention, he's killed it on a bike forever. He was riding for us when he won the X Games, and then he got an offer from Adidas that I told him he should't pass up! lol. Been fortunate to have some great guys ride for SCg over the years, some briefly, some have never left. Alejandro Caro, Will Love, Rick Moliterno, I think fit that bill of legend and I think Glenn Salyers would have been in the same light as well. Rest easy Glenn. We've got Zack now that fits that bill and is still killing it.  Our current group of guys are all awesome and I'm sure they will all be legends in their own right. We'll be a legend factory.. lol. Seriously, I'm honored to have such great riders and guys being a part of SCg Shoe Co.  Billy Woodfin, Zack Gerber, Riley Jordan, Mike Hinkins, Mike Bennett, Brian Fox, Patrick Guimez, Ryan Torrence, Jed Mildon, Jay Cowley, James McGraw, and Alejandro Caro. We've got some other guys on the BMX side of things we're helping out as well and we've got guys repping in the MTB world as well. Q.(What can we look out from SCG this year? Any plans or new products in the works?)   A.”For SCg Shoe Co. as a business, we've recently increased our stake in the factory that produces our shoes in Colombia South America.  We own 50% now, and we're moving to own 100% hopefully by the end of this year. So thats a huge one. Controlling the product from the drawing board, to making tooling, to selecting materials, making the shoes, and shipping them out.  We control the entire process and to me, thats the most important part of being able to produce the quality shoes that I want. Its taken a really long time focusing on the back end to get to the point where we own 50% of the factory, and we're not done yet.. lol. With new products, we're working on clip shoes for bmx racing and mtb. We'll be offering every shoe in the line up as a flat pedals shoe, or available in a clip pedal shoe as well. We've got a Enduro shoe we're about done with that will be in the Enduro World Series this year with a new team rider there, but we're not announcing his name just yet, but he's fast as hell, and fits who we are as a brand and group of guys. Absolutely sure we'd be able to have a SCg bbq and everyone that would be there would all have a blast and enjoy everyone else thats on the team. Thats always the goal, to have awesome guys with different perspectives, and all be able to dig being around each other. For plans, I'd love to do a team trip. We've never done one really, since its always been keeping inventory on the shelf, new products getting developed, and mostly buying tooling and equipment to get to the 50% ownership of the factory now and working to that 100%.” Q.(How can shops go about becoming a SCG dealer?)  A.”Right now, we don't have any outside sales guys, but we're working on that right now. Working on distro in the UK, and outside sales here in the states, but any shop that wants to carry SCg , we'd love it. We don't do any crazy big buy in's to become a dealer. We suggest a full size run to start, but each shop is different with what their needs are and budget is. Any shop that wants to be a dealer, shoot us a message and take a peak at the website to see what we've got. ‪www.SCgShoeCo.com‬ email me at ‪[email protected]‬, and ‪[email protected]‬. We're looking for distro and shops and I think we can do a lot of stuff kinda tailored to the shops and locations with our grafix capabilities since we do it all ourselves. Proudly Handmade in Colombia South America. Our soft-goods are gut and sew and we've been moving away more and more from the bigger tee brands to doing our cut and sew more and more with the aim of it all being 100% cut and sew. Hoodies, socks, tee's, back packs, bmx bike bags, and most importantly shoes. I'd like to start this last bit with a huge Thank You James! I appreciate you and what you are doing with bmxbusiness. We'll have to keep in touch and do some kind of contest to win some goodies. Also a huge Thank You to Alejandro Caro and Jason Duque. With out those guys I wouldn't be producing shoes in Colombia and honestly, I'm lucky to have the ability to work closely with those two, who are like brothers to me. Jason is one of my best friends and is my production manager among the 30 hats he wears with SCg, and Alejandro again, one of my best friends and was the one person to directly get me into Colombia to start this amazing journey, and he's always had great insight and advice. Love you brother..  and the biggest Thank You to my mom and pops for all the help and support all these years and the boss lady Margarita Caro. I couldn't do what I do with out you... Thank You to everyone that has ever helped me in any way, words of support, purchased shoes, invested time and money, blood sweat and tears, the OG riders that helped launch a dream and become some of my best friends in this world, and the two guys that never like when I say Thank You, Lee Flythe and Brian Lee Stroud.... You've both saved me.. :)” Steven Caro Owner/Rider SCgShoeCo ‪813-334-6454‬

[winryl25-blog]

Civil Engineers

The final place I labored at was previously a thriving design / build firm. On the couple of occasions the mind trust in the Architecture department and the Construction department would gather their donuts and coffee and meet within the conference room to go over the caliber of our construction sketches and how you can improve them. To read more about slip critical connection, visit our website.

Our sketches had the standard problems because of the usual pressures of the busy architectural work atmosphere missing information, conflicts, coordination issues, CAD anomalies, etc.

Recall the days when firms had drawing checkers? It appears that no-one checks sketches any longer there's just virtually no time within the schedule or budget. Now we call that process putting in a bid. It sure helps make the construction guys angry. We obtain sensitive about our design work, however they get sensitive when cash is involved. Many people are simply so materialistic.

Because the CAD manager, I'd sit and take notes during these conferences, while attempting to balance an espresso, diet coke and two donuts within my lap. After around an hour and one half, everyone had their say. Although I'd a lot of notes, these were just details pointing to the point. The issue was surprisingly simple, the sketches weren't coordinated.

ARCHITECTURAL DESKTOP

Because the CAD manager, I had been greatly grieved with this. I was using Architectural Desktop for our work. I was utilizing it like a BIM tool, building a 3D model and removing all of the 2D sketches. Very awesome however it was difficult to do, needed many years of training on my small part, many years of setup and the enter your car and training of recent people. A few of the new everyone was very resistant against employed in 3D and with tools they weren't acquainted with. Some were really subversive. I known as these folks flat-landers simply because they desired to experience architecture in 2D. I guess it had been much better than giving them a call things i wanted to. More information on sfd and bmd for simply supported beamcan be found by visiting our website.

As difficult because it was, i was receiving targeted results. We're able to create live renderings quickly, we understood exactly what the building really was likely to seem like and we understood in which the design problems were developing. We even made cash on our architectural charges from time to time. Just how did this issue occur?

Because the project got nearer to finishing and the resolution from the detail grew to become finer, Architectural Desktop grew to become harder and finicky. When crunch time came, the subversive flat-landers would explode the work. Once exploded into lines, the less experienced would deconstruct the coordination in order to produce the illusion the project was really finished. Once the inevitable changes arrived, the work CAD data degenerated even more.

REVIT ARCHITECTURE

Then along came Revit. The program satisfied the commitment of what Architectural Desktop was said to be. Don't misunderstand me, it had been a large pain to apply however i understood when I possibly could make Architectural Desktop work for us, i then could implement Revit. Management was definitely not always supportive, supplying no training and no setup time to really make it work, however they did provide doubt and critique. A minimum of they compensated for the needed hardware and software.

In Architectural Desktop you needed to invent complex systems to handle a task. In Revit it was already taken proper care of. In Architectural Desktop you needed to invent complex CAD standards and program them directly into your system, and then train users and enforce the factors. With Revit, the factors from the box labored for us. It was absolutely amazing. I'm able to enter any office with Revit on the computer and just begin working. Suppose? I can not even start to tell you just how much CAD personalization I've done within the last two decades. I do not do anything whatsoever to Revit except to produce families, (their term for parametric block styles) shared parameters and project templates.

Architectural desktop is rough, Revit is smooth. Architectural Desktop is fragile and breaks, Revit is powerful and solid. Upgrading Architectural Desktop is really a multi-week process involving breaking all of the a lot of current personalization and rebuilding it after you buy a couple of books, email some gurus, and discover the hidden cache of secret inside info on what's really happening within the stupid program. It requires not just one but a minimum of three programming languages to create this factor work right. Then obviously you need to re-train you.

Upgrading Revit can be achieved over lunch, without any training. I do not even consider the readme file.

BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING (BIM)

BIM? I truly did not like this acronym. I loved SBM (Single Building Model). It did not appear to match Autodesk's marketing strategy though. Nobody requested me anyway. Really I have faith that the mounds of knowledge in each and every magazine today and on every site about BIM are mainly crap. Each one of these pros who avoid using Revit say you can perform this, that and another factor. I do not inflict of individuals. I am not really sure what they're. Possibly we'll see sometime later on.

But here's where BIM and Revit Architecture rocks. You cannot explode the Revit model. Which means that the geometry will be coordinated. The reference tags and sheet figures can't be edited individually from the model. These tags aren't fragile they're reliable, from the model and the schedules. I am unsure that you can place a Revit project from coordination despite great effort. So much like that, nearly all our drawing problems have left. This is evidence of how intelligent software could make you a much better architect. Yes I stated it Revit can make you a much better architect.

At our firm, Revit stopped is the office joke as our efficiency improved. Whenever we needed to bring in help for our architecture department, Revit experience was our main concern. It had been beginning to become focus in our marketing at that time I left. The very first factor that won people's hearts about our Revit results was that people were solving design problems that people might not have seen previously. Our solutions were valid right right from the start. Inside a design / build office where construction guys are searching over your shoulder, this really is critical.

RENDERING

Through the design process, you are able to place a video camera and snap a nearly perfect rendering. The rendering abilities are perfect and also material and link suitable for 3DS Max if you opt for it. The simple Mental Ray rendering dialog box produced amazing results fast with no work. Any Revit user are now able to make excellent renderings having a couple of minutes of training. Not just could you have top quality renderings fast, however you may also have plenty of made images inside a project to obviously articulate your design for your client. Revit can make you a much better architect.

After I printed the assistance system for Viz Render, the rendering tool in Architectural Desktop, it filled two volumes and was on the 1000 pages, in addition to taking plenty of time for you to master. For more information on risa 3d tutorial, visit our website today.

DESIGN PARADIGM SHIFT

Between your smooth 3D interface and rendering stacks of views, architects are in possession of a brand new first. They be capable of easily see every uncovered surface inside a building design - walls, floors, ceilings and roofs - Inside and out. For the very first time we are able to see everything of all time built. Wow, can you begin to see the implications?

There's now no excuse for bad design or design mistakes. Many people have no idea this but nearly all architects and designers really do not know just what the built design may be like. Sure they know and many are way much better than others, but this can be a fundamental problem especially in which the design charges are low and things are in black and white-colored and 2D. Once while designing some ductwork, I produced an MC Escher like sculpture. My boss was amused while he caught it, however that might have been a large problem.

Revit can make you a much better architect due to the fact you are becoming immediate feedback in your design. If you begin to see the object as it will likely be, then you will correct and optimize it. It might be absurd to not. You will not have the ability to sleep understanding that flaw is within your design. I believe what flat-landers like is that they look in their 2D black and white-colored drawing and can think perfect and congratulations since it matches their imagination. 3D and color is just too many details for them.

Architectural drawing without 3D is much like typing instructions on the computer with no monitor. You most likely got the majority of it right. You are most likely not really able change it out. You may redo it a couple of occasions. Wouldn't the feedback from the monitor be great?

I've found it interesting what size contractors are among individuals leading the proceed to BIM due to collision recognition tools and the cash they save in stopping construction errors and identifying design errors. Some contractors are getting their in-house Revit guys model the 2D construction documents the architects issue to trap their design errors. Stick to the money.

Should not the architects be leading this? I wish to think that the architects not using Revit just have no idea better. They do not know about its coordination features, rendering abilities, and its detailing tools. They do not know it may completely replace AutoCAD. They might believe that attracting 3D wastes time, instead of saves time. I did not know all of this after i began with Revit and I needed to decipher it by myself.

Architects keep listening to how BIM will benefit everyone except them. They may not realize it may benefit them, and contemplate it an encumbrance.

Regrettably everyone knows architects which use AutoCAD 14 and will say "whether it was adequate for An Artist to make use of as he designed the pyramids, then it is adequate for me. " This option are often really fast and perform a very specific kind of work. They're also very gradually losing share of the market, developing carpal tunnel and eventually they'll find society will no longer have a necessity for their professional services. Seen worthwhile ink on vellum hands drafting recently? What about press-on letters, pin registration mylar, leroy lettering sets, or ruling pens?

CAD really required off when Bob Rental property demonstrated a designer utilizing a system on "This Old House". The hardware would be a Plastic Graphics workstation costing nearly $80Thousand and wasn't a practical option at that time, however it produced a notion that resonated using the public. Not embracing CAD was the finish of a lot design firms.

An Artist labored in 3D and colored.

SKETCHUP

Sketchup is becoming very popular lately among architects. These architects are smart enough to understand the need for color and 3D. It's the work they do flow which i can't stand. Most firms using Sketchup will also be using AutoCAD. So basically one group utilizes a design with Sketchup, another group utilizes a construction documents with AutoCAD. (More about AutoCAD later. ) Very little if any data reuse between your two groups. Additionally, it appears like it might be tough to model the inside and outside of a building in Sketchup. To obtain photo-realistic renderings in Sketchup, you require an add-on renderer. Still with Sketchup you are giving your customers sketches they are able to connect with, and that is a superb part of the best direction. Can Sketchup do layouts now?

REVIT WORKFLOW

In Revit you can begin modeling with walls, doorways and home windows or you may use their awesome mass modeling tools, extract volume and area data, and then parametrically attach the walls, floors, roofs, etc. Everything Sketchup can perform, Revit can perform better.

In Revit, you get one database and all sketches and schedules emerge from it. You don't have to draw a random line within the sand and say that's a design drawing and that's construction document. Both of them is one, progressing along together in perfect Zen. The truth is, does not the architect keep designing with the construction document phase? Most carry on doing it in to the construction phase. Revit makes it simple to achieve that. This can be a huge chance for profit in line with the efficiency from the Revit workflow versus the Sketchup / AutoCAD workflow.

Versatility

Among the best options that come with Revit isn't readily apparent. It's data versatility. For example In AutoCAD someone can create a door schedule. Presuming he's a workplace standard, and some door understanding, he blasts this out, done! That schedule doesn't have link with the work. Later if you erase a door in the plan, it's still within the schedule. It's also still around the wall elevation. With sufficient edits with time, the whole door schedule must be rechecked for coordination issues.

[gadiola-blog]

Civil Engineering

The final place I labored at was previously a thriving design / build firm. On the couple of occasions the mind trust in the Architecture department and the Construction department would gather their donuts and coffee and meet within the conference room to go over the caliber of our construction sketches and how you can improve them. To read more about slip critical connection, visit our website. https://www.civilax.com/slip-critical-connection-with-long-slotted-connection/ Our sketches had the standard problems because of the usual pressures of the busy architectural work atmosphere missing information, conflicts, coordination issues, CAD anomalies, etc. Recall the days when firms had drawing checkers? It appears that no-one checks sketches any longer there's just virtually no time within the schedule or budget. Now we call that process putting in a bid. It sure helps make the construction guys angry. We obtain sensitive about our design work, however they get sensitive when cash is involved. Many people are simply so materialistic. Because the CAD manager, I'd sit and take notes during these conferences, while attempting to balance an espresso, diet coke and two donuts within my lap. After around an hour and one half, everyone had their say. Although I'd a lot of notes, these were just details pointing to the point. The issue was surprisingly simple, the sketches weren't coordinated. ARCHITECTURAL DESKTOP Because the CAD manager, I had been greatly grieved with this. I was using Architectural Desktop for our work. I was utilizing it like a BIM tool, building a 3D model and removing all of the 2D sketches. Very awesome however it was difficult to do, needed many years of training on my small part, many years of setup and the enter your car and training of recent people. A few of the new everyone was very resistant against employed in 3D and with tools they weren't acquainted with. Some were really subversive. I known as these folks flat-landers simply because they desired to experience architecture in 2D. I guess it had been much better than giving them a call things i wanted to. More information on sfd and bmd for simply supported beamcan be found by visiting our website. https://www.civilax.com/draw-sfd-bmd-simply-supported-beam/ As difficult because it was, i was receiving targeted results. We're able to create live renderings quickly, we understood exactly what the building really was likely to seem like and we understood in which the design problems were developing. We even made cash on our architectural charges from time to time. Just how did this issue occur? Because the project got nearer to finishing and the resolution from the detail grew to become finer, Architectural Desktop grew to become harder and finicky. When crunch time came, the subversive flat-landers would explode the work. Once exploded into lines, the less experienced would deconstruct the coordination in order to produce the illusion the project was really finished. Once the inevitable changes arrived, the work CAD data degenerated even more. REVIT ARCHITECTURE Then along came Revit. The program satisfied the commitment of what Architectural Desktop was said to be. Don't misunderstand me, it had been a large pain to apply however i understood when I possibly could make Architectural Desktop work for us, i then could implement Revit. Management was definitely not always supportive, supplying no training and no setup time to really make it work, however they did provide doubt and critique. A minimum of they compensated for the needed hardware and software. In Architectural Desktop you needed to invent complex systems to handle a task. In Revit it was already taken proper care of. In Architectural Desktop you needed to invent complex CAD standards and program them directly into your system, and then train users and enforce the factors. With Revit, the factors from the box labored for us. It was absolutely amazing. I'm able to enter any office with Revit on the computer and just begin working. Suppose? I can not even start to tell you just how much CAD personalization I've done within the last two decades. I do not do anything whatsoever to Revit except to produce families, (their term for parametric block styles) shared parameters and project templates. Architectural desktop is rough, Revit is smooth. Architectural Desktop is fragile and breaks, Revit is powerful and solid. Upgrading Architectural Desktop is really a multi-week process involving breaking all of the a lot of current personalization and rebuilding it after you buy a couple of books, email some gurus, and discover the hidden cache of secret inside info on what's really happening within the stupid program. It requires not just one but a minimum of three programming languages to create this factor work right. Then obviously you need to re-train you. Upgrading Revit can be achieved over lunch, without any training. I do not even consider the readme file. BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING (BIM) BIM? I truly did not like this acronym. I loved SBM (Single Building Model). It did not appear to match Autodesk's marketing strategy though. Nobody requested me anyway. Really I have faith that the mounds of knowledge in each and every magazine today and on every site about BIM are mainly crap. Each one of these pros who avoid using Revit say you can perform this, that and another factor. I do not inflict of individuals. I am not really sure what they're. Possibly we'll see sometime later on. But here's where BIM and Revit Architecture rocks. You cannot explode the Revit model. Which means that the geometry will be coordinated. The reference tags and sheet figures can't be edited individually from the model. These tags aren't fragile they're reliable, from the model and the schedules. I am unsure that you can place a Revit project from coordination despite great effort. So much like that, nearly all our drawing problems have left. This is evidence of how intelligent software could make you a much better architect. Yes I stated it Revit can make you a much better architect. At our firm, Revit stopped is the office joke as our efficiency improved. Whenever we needed to bring in help for our architecture department, Revit experience was our main concern. It had been beginning to become focus in our marketing at that time I left. The very first factor that won people's hearts about our Revit results was that people were solving design problems that people might not have seen previously. Our solutions were valid right right from the start. Inside a design / build office where construction guys are searching over your shoulder, this really is critical. RENDERING Through the design process, you are able to place a video camera and snap a nearly perfect rendering. The rendering abilities are perfect and also material and link suitable for 3DS Max if you opt for it. The simple Mental Ray rendering dialog box produced amazing results fast with no work. Any Revit user are now able to make excellent renderings having a couple of minutes of training. Not just could you have top quality renderings fast, however you may also have plenty of made images inside a project to obviously articulate your design for your client. Revit can make you a much better architect. After I printed the assistance system for Viz Render, the rendering tool in Architectural Desktop, it filled two volumes and was on the 1000 pages, in addition to taking plenty of time for you to master. For more information on risa 3d tutorial, visit our website today. https://www.civilax.com/draw-sfd-bmd-simply-supported-beam/ DESIGN PARADIGM SHIFT Between your smooth 3D interface and rendering stacks of views, architects are in possession of a brand new first. They be capable of easily see every uncovered surface inside a building design - walls, floors, ceilings and roofs - Inside and out. For the very first time we are able to see everything of all time built. Wow, can you begin to see the implications? There's now no excuse for bad design or design mistakes. Many people have no idea this but nearly all architects and designers really do not know just what the built design may be like. Sure they know and many are way much better than others, but this can be a fundamental problem especially in which the design charges are low and things are in black and white-colored and 2D. Once while designing some ductwork, I produced an MC Escher like sculpture. My boss was amused while he caught it, however that might have been a large problem. Revit can make you a much better architect due to the fact you are becoming immediate feedback in your design. If you begin to see the object as it will likely be, then you will correct and optimize it. It might be absurd to not. You will not have the ability to sleep understanding that flaw is within your design. I believe what flat-landers like is that they look in their 2D black and white-colored drawing and can think perfect and congratulations since it matches their imagination. 3D and color is just too many details for them. Architectural drawing without 3D is much like typing instructions on the computer with no monitor. You most likely got the majority of it right. You are most likely not really able change it out. You may redo it a couple of occasions. Wouldn't the feedback from the monitor be great? I've found it interesting what size contractors are among individuals leading the proceed to BIM due to collision recognition tools and the cash they save in stopping construction errors and identifying design errors. Some contractors are getting their in-house Revit guys model the 2D construction documents the architects issue to trap their design errors. Stick to the money. Should not the architects be leading this? I wish to think that the architects not using Revit just have no idea better. They do not know about its coordination features, rendering abilities, and its detailing tools. They do not know it may completely replace AutoCAD. They might believe that attracting 3D wastes time, instead of saves time. I did not know all of this after i began with Revit and I needed to decipher it by myself. Architects keep listening to how BIM will benefit everyone except them. They may not realize it may benefit them, and contemplate it an encumbrance. Regrettably everyone knows architects which use AutoCAD 14 and will say "whether it was adequate for An Artist to make use of as he designed the pyramids, then it is adequate for me. " This option are often really fast and perform a very specific kind of work. They're also very gradually losing share of the market, developing carpal tunnel and eventually they'll find society will no longer have a necessity for their professional services. Seen worthwhile ink on vellum hands drafting recently? What about press-on letters, pin registration mylar, leroy lettering sets, or ruling pens? CAD really required off when Bob Rental property demonstrated a designer utilizing a system on "This Old House". The hardware would be a Plastic Graphics workstation costing nearly $80Thousand and wasn't a practical option at that time, however it produced a notion that resonated using the public. Not embracing CAD was the finish of a lot design firms. An Artist labored in 3D and colored. SKETCHUP Sketchup is becoming very popular lately among architects. These architects are smart enough to understand the need for color and 3D. It's the work they do flow which i can't stand. Most firms using Sketchup will also be using AutoCAD. So basically one group utilizes a design with Sketchup, another group utilizes a construction documents with AutoCAD. (More about AutoCAD later. ) Very little if any data reuse between your two groups. Additionally, it appears like it might be tough to model the inside and outside of a building in Sketchup. To obtain photo-realistic renderings in Sketchup, you require an add-on renderer. Still with Sketchup you are giving your customers sketches they are able to connect with, and that is a superb part of the best direction. Can Sketchup do layouts now? REVIT WORKFLOW In Revit you can begin modeling with walls, doorways and home windows or you may use their awesome mass modeling tools, extract volume and area data, and then parametrically attach the walls, floors, roofs, etc. Everything Sketchup can perform, Revit can perform better. In Revit, you get one database and all sketches and schedules emerge from it. You don't have to draw a random line within the sand and say that's a design drawing and that's construction document. Both of them is one, progressing along together in perfect Zen. The truth is, does not the architect keep designing with the construction document phase? Most carry on doing it in to the construction phase. Revit makes it simple to achieve that. This can be a huge chance for profit in line with the efficiency from the Revit workflow versus the Sketchup / AutoCAD workflow. Versatility Among the best options that come with Revit isn't readily apparent. It's data versatility. For example In AutoCAD someone can create a door schedule. Presuming he's a workplace standard, and some door understanding, he blasts this out, done! That schedule doesn't have link with the work. Later if you erase a door in the plan, it's still within the schedule. It's also still around the wall elevation. With sufficient edits with time, the whole door schedule must be rechecked for coordination issues.