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aku-jumbi · 3 years

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Hello there, this is the promised eye tutorial. I know how most tutorials are, confusing and I am afraid mine isn’t even better.

Here is a link for my DA site where you can download the original sized file:https://www.deviantart.com/badartmakamati/art/Eyetutfull-863760056?ga_submit_new=10%3A1607698123. Use it as you please and in case you aren’t sure about the colours just use the colour picker, that’s why I added also that little swatches. Of course you can change always the tones how you like them to look and of cooourse there are like a million ways to draw the iris, I just picked that colour cause I hadn’t paint greenish eyes in a while.

As tip, always use a quite big canvas so you can add a lot of details without fighting the small size of your brush. You can always later downsize the painting and all little mistakes will even vanish magically haha ^^ Also try using the navigator to always having control about the overall shape of your picture, you can see more easily what’s off or just see what needs more shadow, what needs more highlights and if the overall harmony is right. Also another tip, check your painting on your phone, the screen is small and you can detect mistakes you can’t see on the big screen of your PC or notebook more easily. At least I am mostly doing that. Mirroring also helps, of course.

Blending colours while not using air brush can be a big pain in the... don’t worry, if it won’t work in the first place I needed a looong time and even shed tears over it until I got used. The pro of the hard round brush is, that you can creat a more realistic texture (at least that’s the thing I like to paint), BUT don’t hesitate to use airbrush if you just go crazy with the hard round. Completley alright, ne : )

While using the hard round try to not be too chaotic, you need to caress the canvas softly haha, no joke and choose the colours very carefully, don’t mix very dark with very bright colours, they should just gradually change so you get a more smooth look.

Another little tip for eyes... at least that’s what I do cause it makes it more dramatic, just add a little light reflex at the part you think that looks good to you. It should be a completly white point. As for guys I wouldnt use too much lashes but I think actually that one can add as many as it pleases just maybe don’t use black for lashes cuz it might be to harsh in that realistic case.

Hm... ok, if there are more questions, just ask me and ah, one thing more: When it will take you 3h or even 4h to paint such an eye... even 6 or 7 hours! Don’t worry! Everything needs time... I did not check the time but I bet I needed 1,5h or so. The blending just really takes time without using air brush but man, it’s worth it! and sometimes mistakes happen so you need to go back from some starting point.

Also, this is just an example of course! The shape of the eyes, the colours can vary in a billion ways, just experiment with them and use references if you are unsure about something!!

#Digital Painting Tutorial #eye painting tutorial

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datninjalyfe · 3 years

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Not Without You, Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Dream

The sound of a loud explosion echoed through the training room of U.A. The students watched as an intense light detonated before them, igniting a fiery ball of yellows and oranges, billowing upwards into a large cloud of smoke that blocked their target. A few screamed from the sound, covering their ears from the deafening sound and blocking their faces, awaiting the extreme and violent reaction that followed. The ground shook, breaking apart under their feet.

Uraraka, despite the ringing in her ears, lifted her feet in the air, touching as many people as she could around her to lift them out of harm’s way. She called out to Izuku, who had jumped into the air, levitating above the debris from the eruption. He used black whip to catch a few students—Aoyama (who graciously thanked him by batting his eyelashes) and Mineta who was caught flying from the initial blast.

“Shinsou, stop him!” Izuku yelled, but when Shinsou’s binds reappeared from the smoke, the ends were completely burned. Shoto put up an ice wall to protect Mina, who had become slightly injured from the initial attack; Momo had made several grenades of her own, throwing them at the unseen, unmarked target. The sounds of the grenades echoed across the training facility and for several seconds, it become completely silent. Izuku landed his feet on the ground, looking into the large cloud of smoke with the rest of the class. Concern itched across his face, but he didn’t move. The classmates that Uraraka had lifted into the air were released, crashing down to the quaked floor.

“Did—did I get him?” Momo said, panting with her gashed cheek beginning to bleed profusely.

“Not quite.” growled a voice. Katsuki Bakugou emerged from the smoke, his body completely untouched, completely unscathed by any of their counter attacks. His clothes were rags that limply hung from his body. In his hand, he held one of Momo’s grenades. Looking shocked and angered she moved towards him, but he pulled the pin and crushed it before it discharged, but before it could do any real damage, he inhaled deeply the tiny pop through his fingers. He slipped his hand into his pocket before smiling menacingly at his classmates.

Aizawa emerged from the smoke as well. “That,” he said in his monotoned voice, putting a hand on Katsuki’s shoulder. “—was an ultimate move. Both offensive and defensive. The rest of you could stand to learn something from that. Good work, Bakugou.” He added under his breath, “You scary little shit.” but walked away as the smoke from the room cleared.

“Damn, Bakugou!” Kirishima said, running up to his friend. “That was awesome, you totally could have killed someone!”

Katsuki exhaled a hot breath. His body was completely spent from that move—his quirk would need at least an hour or so to regenerate. He shivered slightly, and Kirishima handed him his jacket that he had tied around his waist. He covered himself, not used to the cold. Still, he smiled: his hard work at his work study agency finally paid off.

“It’s detrimental,” Katsuki was warned by his mentor. “So be careful where and how you use it.”

Katsuki studied incredibly hard, watched video after video of bombs, studying all of his notes on how they worked, even asking a few of the teachers countless questions to turn himself into one. It finally paid off—in truth, he felt a little badly that some of his classmates had gotten hurt, but he had told them he was working on something, an ultimate move that would put him well-above the rest. He watched Uraraka help Iida to his feet; he watched Tokoyami’s Dark Shadow discuss strategy with him; he watched Mineta try and sneak up on Hagakure and Jiro put him in place. His eyes wandered around the room and shifted entirely when he saw a bit of green hair poke up from the rubble.

Shit! he thought, No! Don’t look! But it was too late. Izuku’s hair was always a mess—the curls weaved themselves into a tight knot atop his head. Izuku hopped up, Katsuki could see in his periphery that Izuku used a bit of float to leap himself up onto the platform.

Directly in front of Todoroki.

Anger flared inside of Katsuki. He silently just watched from afar as Shoto’s arm had extended, touching a light scratch on Izuku’s forehead. Katsuki was out of heat entirely after the training, but he could hear his heart pounding loudly in his ears as he watched Shoto’s mouth gently touch Izuku’s.

Fucking bastard, Katsuki thought, not sure who it was directed at, himself or Shoto. The two pulled apart quickly and then chirped on about something Katsuki couldn’t hear. Shoto looked in Katsuki’s direction like he could feel the intensity of Katsuki’s gaze in his periphery and smirked. He wrapped an arm around Izuku and kissed his forehead again before lightly brushing his finger across Izuku’s nose and kissing him again.

“If only I had killed him.” Katsuki whispered. Kirishima gave him a knowing look and Katsuki was almost thankful to see Kaminari running up to both of them.

“Way to go, man!” Kaminari forced Katsuki to avert his eyes. “You looked like a real bomb, I thought you had blown yourself up, for sure!”

“That’s because you’re a moron.” Katsuki said.

“Get cleaned up, we’re doing Tokoyami’s ultimate move next.” Aizawa informed the class. “Bakugou, sit this one out.” Katsuki opened his mouth to argue, but Aizawa just held up a hand and said, “I swear to God, if you say one fucking word, you’ll sleep outside.”

Katsuki shut his mouth, not sure if Aizawa fully had the authority to do so, but the short break gave him a moment for his quirk to return.

And it also gave him an excuse to watch Izuku. Uninterrupted.

Until his phone chimed. Another match? he asked himself as he looked down at the notification: he’d downloaded quite a few dating apps, but really had no interest in pursuing another relationship after the failed attempt with Izuku a little over a year ago. It didn’t matter really—most people knew these apps weren’t for dating. Not that he’d want to date any of them. Once he turned 18, there really was not stopping him. His taste varied from girl to girl (“Woah, you’re back to being a closeted gay? Does it count as being closeted if everyone already knows?” “Shut the fuck up, Yoyo, just help me make a profile. Aren’t you gays good at this sort of thing?” “You’re one of us, asshole!” *dodges attack from Katsuki* “ONE OF US! ONE OF US!”).

A pretty girl appeared on the screen: I T ’ S A M A T C H! Katsuki refreshed him memory of who she was, swiping through the pictures on his phone of her—a local girl who went to a college not far from where they were. She had soft features and long hair that covered most of her face. Her slim waist held an enormous rack, but he wouldn’t have matched with her because of that. As he flipped through the pictures, he didn’t remember swiping right on her at all.

Until he got to the one picture where he could see her eyes. They were a deep, forest color that stopped him in his tracks. They were clearly contacts as he noticed her eyes in the other pictures were bluer. But this picture—they were a bright, grassy earth tone.

“Damn, she’s hot as fuck, where’d you find one like her?” Kaminari said, looking over his shoulder at his phone. “Those can’t even be real! What’s her name?”

“Don’t know.” Katsuki said, shooting her a quick message: Dtf? “Don’t care.”

“You could at least act like being an adult is hard for you.” Kirishima said. “I’ve barely been an adult for a month and it honestly sucks ass—,”

A response from the girl: At least take me to dinner and a movie first! He rolled his eyes, but messaged her back with: Only if you wear those green contacts. He waited a few moments before he got a picture message. The girl had one of her eyes closed, but the other wide-open and so perfectly green. The contacts looked a little different in this lighting, not nearly as bright, but it would do. Good enough for you? He smirked and responded: it’ll do.

Kirishima and Kaminari exchanged looks before one of them told him, “Alright, man, I mean, as long as you’re staying out of trouble and you’re happy, then have fun I guess.”

Katsuki put his phone back in his pocket, ignoring his friends when Sero and Mina came over. Instead, he looked over at Shoto and Izuku. Shoto’s arm was still wrapped around Izuku’s waist as Izuku punched the air and laughing in his little awkward way and Uraraka ran over to him, the two giving each other high fives and jumping in the air. I’ll never be happy. Katsuki thought, a quick flashback crossed his mind—a clear image of Izuku looking out at a perfect beach sunrise. His green, unkempt curls tousling in the wind, his freckles darkly splattered across his face. As if in slow motion, Izuku’s body turned, showing Katsuki a smile that he would kill to see again.

Now, over a year later, Izuku smiled for someone else.

I’ll never be happy again.

---

Izuku crashed onto his mattress after the long day of combat training, completely spent. Especially after that crazy attack from Kacchan—

NO! he warned himself. It hurts, don’t think about it. But it was hard not to admire the dedication of Katsuki to push his quirk like that. It must’ve taken so long to learn it, let alone master it the way he had. Katsuki was willing to go through all of it for the sake of pushing his quirk to the absolute limit.

He was willing to go through so much for you, too.

After Izuku’s failed relationship with Katsuki, Izuku needed to take some time for himself. He had thought about Katsuki often, even tried to see him outside of school hours just to talk, but Katsuki wanted nothing to do with him. Frequently, the two would pass each other—Izuku could feel Katsuki’s heat of his quirk. He’s still upset. He wanted to call out to him, to talk to him, but after several attempts to do so, he came to the realization that Katsuki had moved on from him. He also left campus every Friday and rumor had it that he was meeting other people. He tried to not listen to such things and focus on his current relationship, but his mind went back and forth until he finally rationalized the breakup: “I would have loved you had you been kinder, Kacchan.” Izuku knew he was intense, feeling things so deeply that at first Izuku mistook the intensity for passion—but the flame that held their relationship together didn’t hold for long enough.

“Dammit, stop!” he yelled into the pillow he placed over his face. Izuku took his advice and to distract himself, he scrolled through his phone, rereading some of the more recent messages from Shoto. It read things like: In a world full of darkness, you are my beacon of light. It made Izuku smile at least, despite the text being as cliché as it was. His relationship with the youngest in the Todoroki member was (using no other word for it) perfect.

Shoto was the ideal boyfriend. He was insanely smart, extremely perceptive, not to mention incredibly handsome. His body was slim, but toned, his muscles outlining his slender frame. His duo-chromed eyes made Izuku weak at the knees, despite having an almost naturally nonchalant gaze to them. He was gorgeous, split precisely down the middle. The curtains also matched the drapes, which didn’t surprise Izuku too much, as his pubic hair was a deep green and tangled up like the madness that sat atop his head. Shoto was sweet to him as they hardly ever argued. And when the two did start exclusively dating, it didn’t take long for them to start exploring each other entirely. They hadn’t had sex yet—Shoto said he wanted to at least wait until after graduation, which Izuku respected.

The two spent the weekends together most of the time. After seeing Shoto’s mother would head to his home, eat with his family and when they were alone, would kiss each other, touch each other a little, fooling around before falling asleep next to each other. It was a routine and Izuku couldn’t help but feel that Shoto had penciled him into his mental schedule, sectioning off a piece of every Saturday for Izuku.

Izuku’s eyes became heavy as he scrolled through more lyrical lines of clichéd poetry Shoto had sent him. Sleep pooled at his eyelids, dragging them down in slow blinks. His breathing slowed, inhaling and exhaling deeply, soothing him with each rise and fall of his chest. With each blink, he was entranced by a dream: arms lightly wrapped around him, soft breaths in his face and Izuku knew he was asleep too. He…? I’m alone. There was a feeling of permanent warmth that surrounded Izuku. His eyes would suddenly open and Izuku was alone, back in his room, but then doze off, back into his luxurious, comforted subconscious. Izuku was fully awake here, not feeling tired at all. Strange…I know I’m dreaming…Izuku turned his body, and closed his eyes, kissing the forehead lightly of the man that held him.

“Hmmm?” a gentle response that echoed in Izuku’s thoughts. It was a deep sound, but lazy and resonated through Izuku. He couldn’t make out a voice, nor a real figure—just a shadow entity that encased around Izuku, overtaking his thoughts and feelings.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” Izuku heard himself say, being fully submerged underneath a hard weight, not being able to tell if it was physically or mentally heavy.

“Sure you didn’t.” the voice said, a tone of sarcasm. There was a light kiss from the shadows in the dark room that Izuku was brought to. Lips plump and wet, like kissing a misty cloud. Izuku raised his hands above his head. Pin me down…Izuku thought loudly and suddenly, two hands pushed him into the bed, holding on to his wrists in a bind. Izuku gasped. Can….can I control this dream?

“Oh, you like that, huh?” the words seemed to ring in Izuku’s head when the man said it, but the kissing didn’t stop. Izuku opened his mouth, their tongues slipping along one another.

“Mmmm…” Izuku groaned loudly, running his hands through his rough hair before sliding his hands down the sides of the body that lay above him. This feels so real. Izuku panted hot breaths. His heart pounded hard against his ribcage. The two fooled around, explicitly exploring each other’s bodies.

“Tell me you want me—,” he heard a voice growl at him.

Is that….? No, it can’t be…

“Deku.”

Izuku’s eyes opened instantly, sitting up straight up in his bed. Beads of sweat dripped down his face, his temperature rising substantially throughout his body. He frantically searched for his phone and once he had calmed himself, he did a couple minutes of research until he came across the words “lucid dream.”

It was the first time he’d thought about Katsuki—really thought about him—in months. No, not him. Izuku thought. Not him. Not now. Not after all this time. But he couldn’t shake it.

I need to have that again.

(next)(all)

#bakugou katsuki #izubaku #bakudeku #deku x bakugou #bakugou x midoriya #izukatsu #izuku midoriya #katsudeku #deku x kacchan #dekukacchan

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itsjustanothertuesday · 6 years

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Lost and Found: Bechloe AU

Howdy, everyone! I wrote a quick AU drabble about a super famous Chloe meeting producer Beca within LA when Beca finds her lost dog :)

Description: Chloe Beale, an incredibly talented and famous actress, happens to lose her dog whilst filming her latest movie. After several attempts to find her dog, she ends up posting on social media for help finding him. It wasn't until amateur music producer Beca Mitchell randomly stumbled upon the dog on her way home that Chloe was able to reunite with her furry best friend.

Chloe Beale was a well-known actress. Everyone knew her bold yet characteristic red hair from the frequency in which she starred in blockbuster films. She was in at least one movie a year, hopping from project to project in a seemingly effortless fashion. Her workaholic nature and overall talent in acting had scored her a variety of roles, spanning from musicals to horror films to chick flicks. This kind of attention had granted her constant talk show interviews, magazine shoots, and even the title “the ginger Sandra Bullock.” She was, by consequence, everywhere.

Chloe Beale was a well-known actress.

So when her small little dog went missing, basically the entire world knew. She normally took her dog with her to every set, letting him sit in her lap whilst she sat in the makeup trailer. However, Chloe was stationed at a new set for an upcoming movie, and her dog had managed to escape her trailer during filming. After a solid day of forcing the cast and crew to search for her beloved dog, she ended up posting a sad callout post on her Instagram, hoping that a kind stranger across the city of Los Angeles would find her dog and bring him back to her.

chloebeale: The love of my life, my dog Billie, somehow escaped the set of When in Rome and has been missing for several days. I’ve been searching relentlessly for him and thought I would find him by now, but neither me nor the cast has been able to find him around the studio. If someone has any sort of news or has spotted my dog, please let me know!! He is kind and friendly so don’t be scared to approach him. He also really likes hot dogs!! He is most likely somewhere around LA and I hope you guys can help me find him!!

The fact that she had several million Instagram followers both helped and hurt: although her post would reach a lot of people, her inbox was usually flooded from fan messages. Adding to the point that wealth tended to accompany fame, Chloe chalked her dog’s return to good faith in humanity, hoping that someone wasn’t sadistic enough to keep him for ransom or to blackmail her. She was still obviously worried, and spent her time between takes constantly scouring her direct messages for any news. This current week in filming happened to be the more melancholic component of her upcoming movie, so she was still able to keep working despite the resurgence of a depressive episode. Once she left the set, however, she no longer had the hair and makeup crew to hide her disheveled, defeated demeanor.

Every now and then one of her friends would call her to check in on her – to which she dismissed them or had no updates. A few of them would try to take her out to lunch or get her out of the house, since she never left except to meticulously scan the surrounding neighborhoods for Billie whilst driving. Her roommate was at least making sure she was eating, and oftentimes had to physically pull Chloe off the couch to have her shower. Secretly, Chloe appreciated it. But she still pitched a struggle regardless.

After 4 days of coming up empty handed, Chloe was ready to give up. Of course she loved her dog to the end of the world, but she found it hard to function without him sitting next to her or sharing a space on her bed. She was steadily running out of ideas. So when she heard her phone ring on Day 4, Chloe was ready to brush off yet another phone call from her friends trying to drag her out of the house. As she lay horizontally on her couch, she could see her phone light up from the surface of her coffee table, chiming with a custom Britney Spears ringtone she had downloaded a few years prior. It rang the full course of the song, and the caller was booted to voicemail.

After several moments of staring at her phone, she ended up slapping her hands against the table to grasp it when it was just out of reach, curious to who was calling her at 1pm on a Saturday. Strangely enough, it was a number Chloe didn’t recognize. But they did leave a voicemail. A shaky voice started to speak on the other end, pausing awkwardly at points and leaving weird moments of silence. Chloe continued to listen anyway.

Voicemail, 1:04pm: “Hey, um, Chloe. I’m calling to let you know that I think I found your dog? Well, I know it’s your dog. Your name is on the tag of his collar, and I recognize him from online and stuff. Anyway, I found this number also on the tag so I thought I’d call. I found him down by the waterfront, so I took him to my place. I fed him some cat food… sorry it’s all I have. Um, yeah. Give me a call back when you get this. Thanks. Bye”

Chloe sat mouth agape for a strong second before immediately pressing the return call button. Her heartbeat continued to escalate as she listened to the dial tone, praying the person would immediately pick up since they only left a voicemail just a few minutes prior.

“Hello?”

“Hi!” Chloe breathed, excitement hitched in her throat. “You found my dog?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I took him to my apartment for safety. He’s doing okay.” The voice reciprocated.

“Holy shit.” Chloe muttered, disbelief plaguing her face. “Shit, yeah, can I see him? Where do you live? I don’t know if that’s a weird thing to ask, sorry.” The redhead was near emanating the awkwardness from the other girl across the line, desperate to see her furry friend. She quickly debated whether or not this was a scam, but not many people had Chloe’s phone number, so she took the risk in thinking this mysterious girl actually found Billie.

“No, it’s totally fine, I get it. Plus I kinda know who you are anyway.” The girl realized that might have sounded crazy fan stalkery, so she continued: “You’re not a complete stranger, I mean. I can text you my address?”

“Yes please, that would be great.” Chloe bulldozed over the asynchrony. “When can I come get him?"

“Anytime today works, I guess.”

“Okay, be there in an hour.” And with that, the redhead quickly hung up the phone to go throw on better clothes and gather an assembly of dog treats.

Beca Mitchell was an amateur producer. She had skipped college to pursue a music career, thriving off a large SoundCloud presence and having a keen ear for mixing. She had self-moved to LA after being hired by a small producing firm by the shore, mainly keeping to herself and just concentrating on her music. Her days at the studio were long, but she didn’t do much at home to warrant complaining about her extended hours.

Beca Mitchell was an amateur producer.

So when she spotted the raggedy white dog that belonged to none other than Chloe Beale, she was a little beside herself. She was walking back to her apartment after surprisingly getting out of work while the sun was still out, taking several side alleys after picking up something at the pharmacy. Although the terrified pup was cowering by a pile of trash and was remarkably dirty, Beca could still recognize the characteristic mop-like look that she saw every now and again on social media. Even though she hated to admit that she followed current celebrity news, it was hard not to when living in the heart of all the showbiz. Plus, she had to keep up-to-date if she ever were to work with any of them.

After she cautiously approached the smaller dog, she took the liberty to take him into the safety of her apartment. Beca had a pet of her own, a goofy male tabby cat, so the only pet food she had to give Billie was technically for cats. It’s not like it really mattered all that much, since the dog graciously took the food and water Beca provided for him. She later soothed and stroked his back, relaxing him to the point where both the dog and the cat ended up lazily dozing on the couch. It wasn’t until everything calmed down that Beca realized that Chloe Beale’s dog was now in her apartment. And what the actual fuck was she supposed to do?

She investigated both Chloe’s Instagram and Twitter, but figured it would be difficult to get ahold of someone of that status. And how many people at this point claimed they found her dog already and were just hoping to meet Chloe in the process? Billie readjusting on the couch interrupted her thoughts, as the dog caused a jingling commotion from his collar during the shuffle. Beca’s eyes widened at the sound, immediately getting up to examine the collar for dog tags. Low and behold, listed on an engraving was Chloe’s name and phone number.

After a quick glance over at Billie, she tentatively picked up her phone and tapped the digits onto the phone screen. Her initial call was sent to voicemail, so she left a trembling message for the actress that her dog was now in her possession. It didn’t take long for the redhead to call back, and the two decided that Chloe was coming by to get her dog within the hour. Within the hour. Oh, shit. The mildly star struck Beca had already lost track of time, and the knock on her door was indicative that her hour had already passed.

She approached the door with soft footsteps, adjusting the dark flannel she was wearing and patting her hair down in an attempt to look presentable. She took a quick peek through her peephole before letting out an abbreviated sigh, unlocking the door from the inside and opening to the sight of Chloe Beale.

She was shorter in person than on film, but still surpassed Beca by a few inches. She adorned bright red hair, accompanied by crystal eyes that beamed in excitement but also a touch of anxiety. She fumbled her hands along the length of her fuzzy sweater, not speaking immediately but almost expecting Beca to say something first. Beca was too mesmerized by the beauty that was in her doorway to speak.

She shook her head and squinted her eyes quickly before breaking the silence. “Uh, hi. Come in.” The redhead crossed the entryway, waiting for Beca to close the door before following her to the living room. “Sorry I didn’t get a chance to bathe him or anything.”

“Billie!” Chloe exclaimed, prompting the dog to bolt from the couch and greet her. Beca clamped her mouth shut from additional commentary, merely just watching the two reunite.

Only a few moments had passed before Chloe spoke again. “Thank you so much for finding him. I was beginning to lose it. I also thought someone had found him and just wanted to keep him, or something weird. Just thank god it was you.” She had put emphasis on the word “you,” a detail Beca was mentally over-analyzing as the redhead spoke. “And you didn’t have to go to the effort of giving him a bath too, nonsense!”

She continued to pet her dog as Beca stood there somewhat awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed in the conversation. The feeling of her cat rubbing on her leg prompted her to answer: “He became good friends with my cat, at least."

Chloe beamed at Beca from her crouching position. “That’s amazing. I didn’t think he liked cats.”

“His name is George Clooney.” Chloe giggled, causing Beca to also snicker at the announcement of her cat’s name. It was kinda stupid, she had to admit. But she got the idea from one of her closest friends naming their cat after Meryl Streep.

“And what about your name? I realized I never asked.” The redhead stood up to match Beca’s eyeline, cradling Billy in her arms.

“Beca.” The shorter brunette answered firmly.

“Well, nice to meet you Beca.” The two exchanged a semi-firm handshake, and they erupted into nervous giggles once they realized the formality of the greeting.

“I really appreciate this, you have no idea.” The redhead began, peering at her dog. “Can I make it up to you somehow? How about lunch, dinner?”

Beca smiled, easing into the kindness that she wouldn’t have otherwise expected. Chloe was genuine, and Beca could respect that. “I can do dinner, for sure.”

“Awesome. Then it’s a date.”

Beca blinked several times in a row, not sure if Chloe meant a date or a date date. Chloe refusing to break eye contact whilst flashing a wide smile indicated that she was serious. Man, that smile was infectious.

“Yeah, a date.” Beca finalized, breaking out into a larger smile as the two women continued to stand there, easing into each other’s presence.

#I could continue #should I continue?#super gay famous chloe and producer beca #not a bad match #bechloe #bechloe au #bechloe fanfic #fanfic #mine #fanfiction #pitch perfect

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mercerislandbooks · 4 years

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Audiobook Oasis

Over the past 6 months, I have discovered the joy and magic of audiobooks. For busy people audio books are a great way to immerse yourself in narrative and language, while moving at the speed your life goes. For most of the summer I nannied my cousins, one of which was born in May of this year. This meant I had no hands, but a lot of time just me and the baby. To stay awake I would listen to audio books while the warm bundle cuddled on my chest. Now, when I get ready for the day, brushing my teeth and making breakfast, I listen to an audio book. I listen to them while in the car. I listen to them while cooking. I listen to them pretty much any time I am alone and unable or not wanting to read a physical book.

To give you an idea of just how much I listen to audiobooks, I have listened to eleven complete books since September 1st. Six of them were young adult books and the other five adult romances and mysteries. I frequently use them as a way to catch up with popular back list titles while I read physical advanced copies to prep for what is coming out next. I’m currently halfway through two others. I don’t really want to know exactly how much time I have spent listening to them; I’m happy to count them as one more book finished.

Lori and I were chatting about moments when audiobooks have even been better alternatives to reading a physical book. We both like to craft, she knitting (obviously), me cross stitching, so audiobooks are great way to stay engaged with a story while focusing on our work. Instead of having to lift our eyes from our project to see a screen, we can just listen to the words, especially when the pattern is complicated. There are also certain books that we might skim instead of read, such as long political books or other such tomes. The acting that goes into the audio version has an engaging quality, making prose interesting when it would be otherwise less compelling on the page.

I’ve actually thought quite a bit about the acting recently. My fiancé and I have started reading to each other before we go to sleep, and I have been surprised by how challenging it can be to anticipate the tone and pace of the sentences in the midst of reading them. Sometimes I have to skim ahead to make sure I am not tripping over my words. Though it probably isn’t news to everyone, I realized that voice actors have to annotate and write vocal blocking in the manuscript before they read. I wondered just how long it takes to record an audiobook and how much work the reader has to put into it outside of the sound booth? Do they have vocal coaches and directors that help them make choices? I began to understand that an audiobook is like a small-scale play, the voice actor doesn’t just open up the book and read from it.

I found out that people, like the director or assistant of the audiobook production, has to reformat and modify the manuscript before giving it to the casted narrator. This is especially important for nonfiction books that may have footnotes, embedded comments, and other odd formatting that needs to be translated to voice. Sometimes pronunciations are researched ahead of time so that the narrator can know from the beginning how to practice the language. Usually, though, any of the pronunciation and other prep work for the characters in the book all rests on the narrator, who then also has to read the entire book out loud. BUT they don’t just read it, they perform it. Those narrators also usually have about three days to do this prep for approximately ten hours of reading. That is usually done in three or four hour and a half sessions per day. It sounds grueling, but when audiobooks are done right, they transport you straight into the world the narrator is describing.

I get the majority of my audio books from the library, which is a great free resource, but not always ideal if I accidentally check out too many at once and don’t finish one in time. (So, really, it is my own fault.) Then I have to get on the wait list again to finish it. This has happened recently with both Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan and With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. I still haven’t finished either of them and it has been over a month! That being said, KCLS has a fantastic selection with pretty much any book I could want. They use a great app called Libby where you can easily download audiobooks and ebooks to your phone!

My favorite book I’ve listened to ever is probably Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, narrated by Rebecca Lowman and Sunil Malhotra. It was one of the first five I checked out from the library. I spent a day just laying in bed listening with my eyes closed because I was so immersed into the intensity of the story and the performance of the readers. Next time you come by the store, there will be little bookmarks saying, “Audiobook Recommended” sticking out of the books my co-workers and I have listened to and loved. Libro.fm recently sent them to us, and I am excited to put them to good use!

If you are someone who loves to listen to books more than once, and would love to support your local bookstore, then you should look into getting a Libro.fm account. Libro.fm is a local indie audiobook company that supports independent bookstores while offering subscriptions, sales, and so many other fun giveaway deals. (See how to purchase them through our website here.)

Thank you so much for reading! Please come into the store and let us know what audiobooks you have been listening... I always love recommendations.

—Kelleen

#libro.fm #audiobooks #island books #kelleen cummings #kelleen #kcls

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