#the process is outlined on patreon

[art]

Creator Spotlight: @velinxi​

Hello! I’m Xiao Tong Kong, better known as “Velinxi.” I’m the creator of the webcomic Countdown to Countdown and have been doing freelance artwork since I was a teenager. I love telling stories with my illustrations! Tumblr was where I first got my start as an artist, specifically a small fandom artist as a hobby… and now I’m somehow here! When I’m not trying my best to stay awake in front of my tablets, I’m usually cooking, gaming, or sleeping. Sometimes all three, in my dreams.

Check out our interview with Velinxi below!

Did you originally have a background in art? If not, how did you start?

Yeah! I’ve basically been on track to become an artist since I was a child. I went to a middle school with an emphasis on arts and a high school specializing in it. I went to SVA briefly for computer arts but dropped out to pursue freelance and webcomics after my first year.

Over the years as an artist, what or who were your biggest inspirations behind your creativity?

My biggest inspirations growing up were Yuumei and Shilin Huang, two titans on DeviantArt back in the day. They still inspire me today, but the list of inspirations has grown exponentially over the years, including artists, movies, entire art movements, etc.

What was your thought process behind the creation of your webcomic, Countdown to Countdown?

Well, Countdown to Countdown started as a passion project back when I was 15, in high school, and pretty depressed. I just wanted to draw whatever story I thought was cool, inspired by my favorite media at the time. There was a very loose beginning and outline, but I was truly just writing as I drew the story. That’s why I had to stop the comic in 2018 and restart from scratch the year after. Now, the story has a set story and a clear outline. It still has similar roots, characters, and themes of neglect, abuse, and escape—but I think the story is a lot easier to follow now. It’s got an artstyle I can actually keep up with in the long run. The origin of why CTC exists also remains the same: I simply wanted to make a story I wanted to read for myself. Which happens to be about two dumb boys with superpowers navigating a hostile world that wants them dead or caged—together.

Have you ever had an art block? If so, how did you overcome it?

Oh, all the time. It’s part of the process. Personally, though—I just have to draw through it. Every month on my Patreon, I have my patrons vote on a theme I have to draw by the end of the month, and I try my best to make it as interesting as possible. I draw quite a few—tens even, of doodles or compositions for each of these themes to try to make something that tells a story while still being aesthetically pleasing and clear. I think pushing myself like this helps with art block, really. I also do remember to take breaks and simply consume other media I like! It gets the inspiration juices flowing.

Advice you would give to an aspiring creator?

If you do one—your first webcomic should be a short, fun, messy thing. It’s not often you can get it right the first time, but you’ll certainly learn a lot through sheer experience. This goes for a lot of things in art, to be honest.

What is a medium that you have always been intrigued by but would never use yourself?

3D Animation. I briefly learned it at SVA, and I think that’s enough of that tech for me. I accept that there are some things that are truly beautiful if done right, and I am too simple and lazy for it.

What is your goal for the rest of this year?

Get Countdown to Countdown book 2 finished! And live HAHA

Who on Tumblr inspires you and why?

@yuumei-art on Tumblr, still! They’ve been a huge inspiration for digital artists and storytellers online for years. I have no doubt that many digital artists of my generation have been influenced by them, and they’re still here, making beautiful art and stories. It’s a thing to behold.

Thanks for stopping by, Velinxi! If you haven’t seen her Meet the Artist piece, be sure to check it out here. You can also follow her for more amazing art over at her Tumblr, @velinxi!

#creator spotlight #artists on tumblr #velinxi #xiao tong kong #countdown to countdown

[nanowrimo]

5 Tips for Building a Sustainable Writing Practice

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. First Draft Pro, a 2023 Camp NaNoWriMo sponsor, is a great writing app—whether you’re writing solo or with a co-author. Here are a few tips for building a sustainable writing practice, brought to you by author Ariana Brown and First Draft Pro.

We’ve all heard the advice to “write every day,” as if it were that easy! Translation: suck it up, no one cares if you’re tired. But what if there was another way to get writing done, without being unkind to yourself? 

Hi, I’m Ariana Brown, and I teach writers how to create a writing practice that is sustainable, flexible, and fulfilling. Most of my students are chronically ill, disabled, neurodivergent, or simply exhausted from the daily stresses of life. I know writing isn’t your only responsibility—capitalism makes sure of that! But I strongly believe that writing should be an enjoyable activity you look forward to.

Below I’ve compiled my top tips for exhausted writers who want to be kinder to themselves—and still get the work done.

1. Add pleasure to your writing routine.

Sensory pleasures are neither frivolous nor are they only for children. They’re a crucial part of being alive! They give us something to look forward to when times are tough and we need motivation. Candles, soft blankets, cold beverages, mood lighting, dance breaks, yummy treats—whatever you choose, make sure it’s something you love. Paint your nails a fun color so you have something beautiful to look at while you’re typing away. Make a playlist of your favorite songs and after you finish a chapter, blast one song so loudly you have to get up and dance. Then, get back to writing. Remember, even for the most focused among us, pleasure is a better motivator than shame.

2. Be clear about your intentions.

What brought you to writing in the first place? For some, it was the ability to escape into our imaginations. For others, it was the chance to finally express what we’d been holding inside. Identify your reason for writing, then ask yourself: Am I still enjoying this? Do I still feel connected to my reason for writing? If not, explore how you can strengthen your connection to your inner child’s reason for writing. 

3. Work with your brain, not against it.

If we know that everyone’s brain works differently, why do we force strict discipline and linear processes on ourselves? My advice: find or create a writing process that works for you. Maybe you love outlines; maybe you prefer to see where the words take you. Either way, make space for wandering, play, and discovery as you write. Take brain breaks. Doodle, map, dance, and draw when you get distracted. Body double with other writers, try new exercises and prompts to make the writing sing, and take plenty of breaks to stretch your body and talk to friends. We come to writing with our whole selves. Listen to your body, don’t shut it off.

4. Find a writing community.

You don’t have to wait for a community to come to you! I offer co-writing sessions on Zoom four times a month for my Patreon supporters, but do what works for you. Attend local open mics as an audience member and cheer on your peers. Invite your best friends to your living room once a month for a two hour writing/crafting session. Or check your local library and bookstores for free workshops and author events. You don’t have to do this work alone.

5. Develop a gratitude practice.

Finishing your draft is a huge accomplishment, but it’s not the only milestone to be celebrated. Consider creating opportunities to thank yourself throughout your writing practice. You’re doing an amazing and difficult thing. The fact that you keep showing up is worthy of celebration. Whether you decide to journal, rest, pray, meditate, or reward yourself, a little gratitude goes a long way.

Ariana Brown is a queer writer from San Antonio, TX, based in Houston. She is the author of We Are Owed (Grieveland, 2021) and Sana Sana (Game Over Books, 2020), and a national collegiate poetry slam champion. Ariana holds an MFA in Poetry, MS in Library and Information Science, and a BA in African Diaspora Studies and Mexican American Studies. She has been writing, teaching, and performing for over a decade. Follow her online @ArianaThePoet and www.arianabrown.com. 

#nanowrimo #writing advice #executive dysfunction #neurodivergent writers #disabled writers #by nano sponsor #first draft pro #ariana brown

[chrysanthemumgames]

January 2024 Progress Update

Hey everyone!

As most of you know, I am deep in the editing process right now, but I wanted to let you know roughly what's going on.

In December, I more or less outlined the sequel (so I knew exactly what needed foreshadowing in the current game), and then re-outlined the current game so I could implement the new mechanics I have in mind and also address some of the feedback I've received.

In January, well... I got started doing all that. I've rewritten the prologue, chapters 1-2, and most of chapter 3 at this point, and if you're interested in checking out the changes so far, those are available at the Blossom Tier of my Patreon (and above).

My plans for the near future are more or less just to keep going in this manner; making adjustments and excising things as needed, and writing new scenes where I've decided they go, all hopefully in service of making Asphodel a better game. I had initially hoped this would be done by March 1, but it definitely won't be! Instead, I'm hoping for something more like April 1, but we'll see how I do.

Anyway, I'll try to be a little more regular with updates here for those of you following the game's development. Hopefully, all the work will be worth it in the end, and I'll be able to get something published that I'm proud to share with you. :)

#jess rambles #progress update

[vyxated]

[CC Toolkit] Useful Tools for Blender and Photoshop

I recently tried making a Blender add-on with all the shortcuts I find useful so I thought, why not share them! As well as a couple other things that'll come in handy when you make CCs 😄

📂 DOWNLOAD // Patreon / Google Drive / Google Doc

Blender add-on

This add-on gathers all shortcuts into one custom UI panel found in the 3D View's sidebar, with the addition of transfer weight/vertex/uv_1 tools that's often used for making CCs.

// To install:

Blender Preferences > Add-on > Install... > select vyxated_cc_toolkit.zip. Made for Blender v3.3 and up.

// Features

General: object shading & various camera view options. FOV slider is included here for quick access.

Mesh Tools: select and merge options.

Edit Split Tools: options to mark edges as sharp and create an edge split modifier (with only the Sharp Edges enabled).

UV Tools: options to mark edges as seam and UV unwrap the mesh.

Vertex Paint Tools: preset colors for vertex painting & a button to apply it to the whole mesh.

Weight Paint Tools: various shortcuts to clean up weight paint and a Delete Unused Vertex Groups shortcut to remove empty vertex groups generated from transferring the weight paint and using the Clean shortcut. Object must be connected to an armature for this to work.

Quick Transfer Tools: buttons that were easily accessible in Blender v2.79 panels are now made into a shortcut for newer Blender versions. Includes options to transfer vertex color, weight paint, and uv_1 from active to selected objects. Note that the reference object must have the needed data for the shortcut to work.

Modifiers: added a few modifier shortcuts useful for making objects.

Data Transfer: modifier approach to the Quick Transfer Tools. Only available for weight & uv_1 transfer. It will automatically create a modifier with the necessary settings for a weight & uv_1 transfer. Note: must have a source object named 'REF", otherwise the operator fails.

Decimate: a quick decimate modifier with LOD presets. Only add the modifier once as you can reset the value with 0. Converts the modifier value to 0.75, 0.4, and 0.25.

Asset Browser for Blender

This is rather barebones right now, but you can suggest things if anything comes in mind. To install, add the CC Toolkit folder as asset library in Preferences > File Paths. Included in the library so far:

Hat models for hat chops.

Weight check animation for infant - adult.

To insert animation asset into your file:

Drag and drop any of the thumbnails found in CC Toolkit - Animations (with the link as import method). This will import a collection with the new rig and animation stored in it. Remove existing rigs so they don't take up space.

Once dropped, it will be placed on an offset which you can revert by pressing undo.

In the Outliners panel, hide any meshes that aren't needed.

On your mesh's armature modifier, select the new rig so you can test the animation on your mesh :)

Play the animation and see how your mesh moves around. There's about 1700~ of frames in total, so make sure to zoom out on the timeline to see the full anim.

Photoshop actions

// Features

Canvas from Clipboard: this will create a new canvas based on your most recent copied image and paste it in. This is useful if you want to do a quick edit of a snipped image.

Save as png/jpg

Save as DDS DXT5: export preset used for normal maps.

Save as DDS DXT1: export preset used for specular alpha mask.

Convert into normals: converts grayscale map to a regular RGB normal map. I use this to help me arrange normal maps for my CAS backgrounds and can be used to edit the normal map without having to worry about the individual RGB channels.

Revert normal map conversion: reverts the previous process and convert back to the grayscale map that's readable by S4S. If you create everything from scratch, this can be used to convert your normal map as well.

#vyx.resources #ts4 resources #photoshop #blender #blender add-ons

[solar-wing]

⚣ Predator & Prey 🔥

Check out Part One🦍 if you haven't already!

⚣🔥 A/N → For anyone who has read the previous version of this on my original account, no you're not crazy. In the process of me editing and revising, I took out and/or added some parts. Which. speaking of, the NSFW is over 2000 words longer than the original. I need to be stopped. WARNINGS: INTERSEX Male Reader. Canon-Typical Violence. Dub-Con slightly leaning into Non-Con. Emotional triggers. More Ass-smacking. Manhandling. SFW Version Posted here. NSFW version posted to Patreon (IT'S FREE TO READ)!

⚣🔥 Summary → After an eventful afternoon of being manhandled and groped by your sexually crazed teammate, your teammates finally managed to subdue the Kryptonian and get you out of his grasp, thanks to Batman's insurance policy. As you all leave him to recover and rest after learning the serum's true purpose, you find yourself trapped inside a powered-down with only you and Conner left inside. How are you going to get out of this one?

⚣🔥 Words → 7.5k

REBLOGS and replies are very appreciated, please 💛

⚣ ENJOY 🔥

Half an hour.

It took half an hour for your team to free you from Conner’s grasp. And these people had the nerve to call themselves heroes.

They chased him throughout the entire Cave while sealing off the exit in the vehicle hangar since he tried to escape the headquarters with you.

All you could do was watch from your position slung over the Kryptonian’s shoulder as they tried different tricks and ambushes to subdue him. At some point, you used your powers to melt the makeshift cuffs on your wrists, freeing your bound hands which Conner was not happy about at all if the way he spanked your ass said something about it.

Whenever you tried to free yourself from his hold, he’d spank, pinch, or claw at your butt as a punishment. He’d sometimes shake you around a bit to try and disorient you. It worked in his favor since you spent so much time hanging upside down while being jerked around from his constant running and leaping, that it’d leave you dizzy at times. Your legs had even fallen asleep at some point while your neck was sore from constantly having to hold your head and upper body up.

Thankfully, with your now free hands, you could hold yourself up easier by placing your hands on Conner’s back. Which was totally not extremely hot and attractive from how sweaty and shiny his skin looked from the parts you could see through his torn shirt.

So not hot.

Yeah, I’ll take $1000 for WORLD’S BIGGEST LIAR!

Anyway, that was just Conner’s way of dealing with you. He was much more brutal with your friends. 

Your comrades may as well have been world-class villains the way he was fighting them. But, that was only if they tried to help you or got too close for his liking. If they attacked him, he’d just maneuver and dodge out of the way. 

Red Tornado was right with his earlier warning to the group. Conner didn’t seem to care about himself, he only cared about keeping you out of their reach. In his primal state of mind, you belonged to him, and so he was defending his territory.

At one point, Wally got close to freeing you. While Zatanna and M’Gann kept the Kryptonian distracted from the front, the speedster sneakily sped up behind you two to grab your hands, thinking he could just pull you off from Conner’s shoulder before he could react. 

Unfortunately, you both once again underestimated his abilities. His reflexes were fast enough that the second he felt your body start to slip from his hold, he turned around and had Wally by the throat against one of the walls. Even though he didn’t try to choke him, it was enough to shock you all.

Conner only let him go when you pressed glowing hands against his back to burn him which earned you a hefty smack on the ass. You’d be very surprised if you looked in the mirror and didn’t see an outline of Conner’s handprint on your behind which also had to have been red like a tomato from his rough treatment of it. Just from how hot and stinging your skin felt under the suit, you knew it would be sore and you’d have trouble sitting for the next few hours.

You’d pretty much lost all hope until Batman pulled out his ‘contingency plan’, a ring made of green kryptonite he had stashed in his utility belt. 

When Conner was distracted, the Dark Knight swooped in and got one good hit across the face with the ring, which was enough to disorient him and loosen the grip he had over your legs. You immediately took advantage of the moment to free yourself, reaching your arm backward to press your glowing hand against his arm holding your thighs. He screamed in pain, which you felt bad for, but when his arm dropped as he shook your hand off, you finally could roll off his shoulder onto the ground, happy to feel a solid surface again.

The Kryponite obviously did a number since Conner didn’t recover as fast. But, it wasn’t enough to knock him completely back. The moment he realized you were no longer in his hold, he screamed out in rage before trying to grab you again. 

Batman swooped in and got another hit before he could reach you though, this time on his abdomen knocking him down. Then, Robin came by with another larger piece of kryptonite, just in case. Where Batman had all this kryptonite stored, you didn’t know. Frankly, you didn’t think you wanted to know.

You hated hearing his screams of pain, but you’d rather he be knocked out and sedated than trying to pin you against another wall.

Well, maybe you wouldn’t mind that. Just without the aggressive and dominant behavior.

Alright, you wouldn’t mind that either!

You just didn’t like it happening in front of your friends. It was all you could do to even glance at M’Gann when she and your teammates came to help you onto your feet as the numbing feeling slowly retreated from your legs.

Even your waist was sore since you spent so much time hanging from Conner’s shoulders. You were just thanking whatever deity out there that you didn’t pee yourself while all this was happening because the pressure against your bladder seriously made it quite the job.

Speaking of, you really should go take care of that.

“He’ll be fine.” You heard Batman say as you returned from the showers. When you made it to the bathroom in time, you decided to take a shower as well, stripping your suit and throwing it into the wash for…reasons.

Don’t ask.

You found your team in the medical wing of the Cave, standing around while listening to Batman’s diagnosis.

“It indeed was a serum designed to amplify Conner’s basic primal instincts. The same instincts we all have but have somewhat regressed over time due to evolution. His Kryptonian genes increase these instincts naturally on their own, but the serum manages to subdue the human part of his DNA and mind, turning his brain into a more primitive state. Had it been fully administered, we would’ve been dealing with an enraged and homicidal animal. But, since Y/N prevented that, we got–” 

“An enraged animal with a bad case of blue balls.” Wally cut in while snacking as usual.

“Yes, that,” The Dark Knight said, turning back to look at the computer. Red Tornado was by another computer, analyzing the samples of the serum they’d gotten from the syringe you recovered.

“It seems the serum is not permanent. After a diagnostic scan of vitals, the dosage has already started to dissipate as his immune system works to remove it. With his Kryptonian DNA, it should be fully neutralized by the end of the day.” Red Tornado stated.

You could feel the tension in the room relax as your friends were happy to hear your comrade was going to be okay. Moreso, he wasn’t going to wake up and try to kill them all again, even if he didn’t really try in the first place.

“We need to move to the Watchtower. With this new development, the League needs to be aware of these new tactics our enemies are using,” Batman stated, closing his screen before walking off towards the central room, Red Tornado following closely behind.

You and your friends could hear the Zeta tube powering up, as the system announced your superior's departure. The room fell quiet for a moment.

It didn’t last long before Wally spoke up. Typical.

“Well, today’s been fun,” He said with a mocking tone.

You all laughed at the sentiment. Even with the chaos today, you could admit that the day’s events did make for a funny story in the future, despite how embarrassing it was.

“How are you feeling, Y/N?” You heard Zatanna ask.

“Oh, other than basically getting molested in front of my team and carried around like a sack of potatoes, I’m feeling quite good. A little warm, if not,” You joked.

Your friends chuckled at your lightheartedness, respecting the obvious fact that you didn’t want to talk about the situation. Especially Wally, who was aware of your feelings towards your team’s resident Kryptonian.

Your eyes floated over to the green martian, who despite putting on a smile, you could tell was also affected by this…ordeal.

“Sorry, M’Gann.” You said, not knowing what else to say.

Everyone shifted a bit uncomfortably as well, knowing that the subject of Conner & M’Gann was still a little touchy. Why did they break up? None of you knew besides them, and you guessed they wanted to keep it that way. It was just surprising since they seemed like the perfect couple, but as you were keenly aware, some things weren’t always as great as they appeared.

“It’s okay, Y/N. It’s not your fault. Conner and I broke up, so there’s no reason for me to be upset.” She said, giving you a reassuring smile. You were happy to see she wasn’t holding anything against you, your friendship still intact.

“I’m just glad you stopped Ivo before he could give Conner that entire dosage. If this was him on just half of that serum, I don’t even want to begin to imagine what could’ve happened if he succeeded.” Kal said.

You all shuddered at the thought.

“Well, I’m still offended over the fact he basically said we all stink.” Artemis expressed.

“I don’t know about that. He may have been right about you. I mean, have you ever stopped to smell your armpits in your suit.” Wally teased, holding his nose and waving his other hand in front of it.

“Oh, I know you’re not talking! Have you ever smelled yourself after one of your runs? It’s like a sweatshop found inside a dumpster.” Artemis mocked in return.

They were about to continue their bickering, but at the behest of Kal, your friends moved out of the medical wing and headed toward the kitchen and lounge room to make some dinner, giving Conner time to rest. Wally asked you to stay behind though for a second, promising the others you’d catch up in a minute.

“You doing okay?” Wally asked, pausing in his gorging of pretzel sticks.

You needed a moment to think. Were you okay? 

Despite basically being molested (even if you liked it), something was nagging at the center of your chest. Was it the fact that you hated how you may have hurt M’Gann by her being a witness to her ex trying to do you against the cave walls? Or was it the fact that you actually didn’t feel all that bad because a part of you liked the fact that the Kryptonian was more focused on you for a change? It was no secret you could’ve done more to escape his grasp. But, did you hold back because, in reality, you wanted it to be real?

Well, that was obvious. 

You didn’t want to escape his grasp. You wanted it to go further. The idea of Conner taking you against your will, having his way with you in that aggressive and animalistic way? Not only was it A) extremely hot, and B) one of your biggest wet dreams since you met Superboy the day you first joined the team, but it was the fact that you were actually living out that fantasy. 

The boy you were crazy for was showing you attention. He was focused on you and your wants. But in the end, it was only because of the result of some crazy hormone-inducing drug. It wasn’t genuine. It wasn’t real. A cruel but typical twist by fate.

Well, as typical as you can for someone of your lifestyle.

This was worse than those times when you'd find out a guy was straight after you felt like they were flirting with you. Only this time, the flirting was in the form of ass-groping and manhandling which again, you did not object to at all.

Oh shoot, Wally was still waiting for an answer.

“I’ll be fine.” You said, not knowing how to express how you felt to the speedster without breaking down.

“I know it’s gotta suck man. Having your crush all on you like that only for it to be because some evil Doctor wanted to use him to kill us all.” Your friend replied, placing a hand on your shoulder for comfort.

You couldn’t help but laugh at his idea of comfort. The boy may be extremely smart, but as the famous statement proves time and time again, common sense wasn’t always so common. And the idea that you probably didn’t want to hear that what happened between you and Conner was fake, and would probably…not even probably, never happen again was in short, like pouring salt on an already bad wound.

But, it was Wally. The notion was appreciated anyway.

“I’ll be alright man. Yeah, it was nice to feel like for a moment, I had something I wanted in my grasp, but I always knew in the back of my mind it wasn’t real.” You expressed, the words feeling like a hard swallow in your throat.

“Sorry dude. But, to be fair, it was more like you were in his grasp,” Wally remarked.

“You just can’t be serious for more than three seconds can you?”

“Hey, don’t be mad at me. I saw the look on your face when Conner had you against the wall.” 

Wally placed himself against the wall behind him, mimicking the position Conner had you in earlier, “Oh no, stop Superboy, please don’t take me against your will, even though I want you to, you big strong brute. Oh no…”

You pinched your nose while holding back your laughs as Wally continued his performance. If this is actually what you looked and sounded like, you’d be casting yourself off to the nearest deserted island to hide away in isolation for the rest of eternity.

You had to give him props for his acting though.

“Huh, didn’t take you as one with a touch for the dramatics.” You joked.

“What can I say, I’m a gifted man.”

“Oh you’re something alright,” You two continued joking back and forth with each other as you started to exit the medical wing. You took one last glance at Conner who was still out cold, then a thought struck you.

“Does Batman always keep kryptonite on him?” You asked, pausing in your walking.

“Yep. Apparently, he’s got stockpiles of it in the Batcave. Calls them his “insurance policies” in case Superman was ever to fall under the control of the enemy like what happened with Vandal Savage and his cronies. Dick says he’s got insurance plans for all the members of the league for ‘just in case’ purposes.” Wally answered, still stuffing his mouth with pretzel sticks and using one of his hands to create air quotes.

“Even us?”

“I don’t know but who knows? You know Batman. I’d be surprised if he didn’t have something up in that tool kit of his or somewhere around here.”

You nodded your head, not knowing how to reply to that. I guess it was good to have protective measures in case something like that were to even happen. It just disturbed you how Batman knew enough about everyone in the League to know their biggest weakness. 

To your knowledge, you didn’t have any direct ones. The only thing you knew regarding your powers was that as long as your body temperature stayed at a certain degree, your powers really couldn’t be nullified. And they were more connected to your emotions anyway so there wasn’t anything you could think of that Batman could have against you, but even then…

We were talking about the ‘World’s Greatest Detective’. As Wally said, you’d be surprised if he didn’t have something up his sleeve.

As you and your friend exited out of the medical wing and headed for the lounge room with the others, neither of you had caught the moment when Conner’s fist clenched at his side.

The day was over and you were walking back toward the central room, about to Zeta tube yourself back to your city and head home for the night. Wally, Robin, and Artemis had already left while Kal, M’Gann, and Zatanna decided to go walking around Happy Harbor. 

Red Tornado hadn’t come back from the Watchtower yet so it was just you. Well, you and Conner, but he was still passed out in the medical wing where you and Wally left him.

Batman and Red Tornado said the serum would have been out of his system by the end of the day. You figured that and all the fighting must have exhausted him so he was just catching up on some Zzzs. Lord knows you were ready to do the same after the day you had.

The Cave was quiet, which was unsettling considering there was always something going on which resulted in noise, leaving an eerie feeling in your chest but you decided to ignore it. Reaching the central hub and entering the coordinates into the mainframe you heard the chamber begin to activate before the power suddenly blinked out and the Zeta tube shut down.

“What the heck?” You muttered to yourself.

The red emergency lights came on as the system announced a power failure as the backup power generators kicked on. You pulled your communicator out to call your friends, but all you were getting was static.

“Ugh, crappy service. How do you have the most high-tech gadgets, and still can’t get a good signal even in a cave?”

These people needed some serious priority checks.

You placed your backpack down at the center console before conjuring a fireball in your hand to give you some more light. You headed down the hallway, hearing the sounds of your footsteps echo in the halls.

That creepy eerie feeling had returned, and you could feel yourself slightly on edge. When you made it to the generator room which also happened to be the vehicle hangar, you looked around trying to spot which one was the panel you needed to open.

Suddenly, the sound of movement caught your ears, and you jumped around heart racing preparing to launch your fireball at whatever the source was. You stopped yourself in time though when you saw it was just Sphere and Wolf, sitting at the entrance of the cave.

You brought your hands to your heart, feeling the intense pumping underneath your chest as you tried to calm your breathing, “Dammit guys, don’t scare me like that.”

They stared at you, not really moving or doing anything. Well, Sphere kind of always just stares since she doesn’t have a face. But, Wolf looked weird. Instead of laying down and relaxing like he normally does, he just sat there on his hind legs, as if he was standing guard or something.

“Alright, you two are officially acting weird. But, I’ll just chuck it up to the power outage. Don’t worry, they make me nervous too. I’ll figure it out.” You said to them, neither really responding. Not that you’d understand anyway. That was more up Conner’s alley.

You let the flame encircle your hand again, as you looked at the walls to see the cable paths and where they led. As you traced their lines up and around the walls, you finally saw where they all converged, seeing multiple different panels lining the wall.

“Bingo.” You smiled.

Walking over to the different panels, you looked at the different labels to see which was which. When you found the one labeled ‘POWER’, you put in the code to unlock the panel, opening it up. You checked the fuses to see which one had been blown, but they all appeared fine. 

Your sinking feeling started to return as you couldn’t figure out what the problem was until you saw it clear as day, and the hairs on the back of your neck stood up as a result.  The switch for the power generator was in the ‘Off’ position.

A fuse wasn’t blown nor was this the outage. Someone deliberately shut the power off.

“Ah, fuck!”

You felt your heart jump in your chest when a hand suddenly grabbed you from behind while another came up to cover your mouth, your screams muffled under their palm. Whoever your attacker was attempted to pull you back as you fought against them, wrapping their arm around your neck while you were doing everything you could to throw them off of you. 

Your hands flew to their arm around your neck to pull as you felt them tightening it, restricting your airflow. A familiar chuckle sounded in your ear, but you were too focused on getting yourself free to think about it. They had caught you by surprise, but you’d be damned if you were going to let them think they had you so easily.

Hands glowing bright orange, you took them and aimed for what you hoped was the person’s face. Your attempt was successful as you felt one of your hands make contact, your attacker screaming in pain while releasing you to probably rub their face. 

Wasting no time, you leaned forward before launching yourself around and performing a roundhouse kick straight to their face, not giving them any time to recover.

They fell back on their butt, hands still covering their face. You didn’t pay attention to their clothes or anything about them as your arms began to grow that orange hue again, preparing to roast them like a Thanksgiving turkey.

“Alright buddy, I don’t know who you are, but you choose the wrong place to trespass and the wrong person to attack,” You said, getting ready to release a volcano level of heat upon them before you finally saw their face when they brought their hands away.

“Conner!” You shouted, pausing in your movement.

The half-Kryptonian looked at you for a brief moment before you saw a smirk on his face as he launched himself at you with his usual shout, taking advantage of your hesitation.

You grunted as he tackled you back onto the ground. His hand immediately went for your neck again as you saw an arrogant but lustful gaze on his face.

‘Guess the serum didn’t wear off completely after all,’ You thought to yourself as you wrapped your hands around his wrist, trying to pull the hand off of you. You felt his other hand tracing down your body, but considering this time you were in shorts and a tank top, you were more receptive to the touch as he was now getting to feel your bare skin without the barrier of your super suit.

The feeling was nice, but you weren’t going to let yourself go down that road. You would not allow yourself to be played with like that. Not again…

“Sorry for this Conner,” You said quickly, a confused expression crossing his face before he watched your eyes also glow bright orange, two beams of concentrated fire shooting out of them and directly into his eyes. He screamed in pain, releasing your neck as you brought back your foot and kicked him off you.

While he recovered, you got back up and ran to the power generator. You switched the power back on, watching as the lights came back. Your moment of reprieve was short-lived though as the Superboy had recovered and was coming right for you. 

You reacted quickly enough though, grabbing the hand that was reaching out for you before swinging your body under him with his arm, twisting it behind his back. He yelled out in pain while you blasted him forward to the ground.

His frustrated breaths filled the silent room as he got himself back up. He slowly turned himself back to face you, a calculating expression on his face. 

Conner? Calculating his next move? Instead of just rushing you?

Yeah, it was time for you to go.

When the Kryptonian realized you were about to move, he tried to rush you again but you had blasted yourself off the ground. Moving to head back through the hallway to the central hub where you saw Sphere and Wolf just looking at you. Again, Sphere had no expression, but you could tell by Wolf’s stance that he was prepared to pounce if you even thought about going that way. That’s when you understood.

“So you two are playing guard dog and guard…sphere, huh? Figures.” You muttered. 

Wolf huffed at you, not appreciating that comment.

The sound of a crash behind you caught your attention as you turned and saw Conner had launched himself onto the wall, hanging off it like a monkey hung off a tree. 

‘For the guy who hates monkeys, he sure enjoys acting like them.’ You thought to yourself.

You realized your predicament when you looked at both your only exits. Try to go out one way, and you’ll have a wolf and an alien sphere that can turn into an entire bike on you. Try the other way, and Conner gets his hands on you.

And even if you managed to make it past Sphere and Wolf without getting maimed, what stopped the Kryptonian from just shutting off the power again before you reached the Zeta tube?

The predator and his cornered prey.

The flames waving off your body were the only sound in the room, as you stared at Conner head-on. 

He looked back at you with a challenging gaze before taking his free hand and pointing at you, and then turning those same fingers to himself. His way of basically saying you belonged to him. How romantic…

“Sorry, Tiger. But, I prefer a few dates and gifts before I commit myself to someone. My ex taught me that.”

The Kryptonian growled angrily at your words, not appreciating the sentiment of you insulating yourself with another person. And though you kept a bit of distance between you, you could tell Conner was waiting for the perfect opportunity to nab you.

With everyone gone, he didn’t have to worry about anyone besides yourself trying to stop him. And apparently, he didn’t think you were going to be that much of a challenge. Or did he? Considering he tried to ambush you by shutting off the power, which speaking of?

All of this seemed a little bit too planned out and smart for someone with a primitive brain. Not to sound like you were calling the Kryptonian stupid, because you weren’t, but if what Batman said was true and Conner was really thinking like a primate from the caveman days, then how did he figure this all out? 

Waiting until everyone left before shutting off the power to prevent you from leaving? Cornering you in a room where one exit would be out of commission without power and using Wolf and Sphere to guard the only other escape route? And, even if you were to make it past those two and hide somewhere, he could just use his night vision and super-hearing to find you.

It was all too convenient, too thought out to have come from a subdued and horny-crazed mind.

Had the effects of the serum only slightly worn off, keeping Conner in this primal state of mind but giving him just enough cognitive thinking to actually plan out his moves? Could it even be possible that this was actually the Kryptonian himself acting on his own urges, and not being persuaded by some sex juice pumping through his veins?

You looked toward the Superboy hanging off the wall, seeing the way his dilated pupils stared at you, full of lust and want. All of his attention was on you as he gazed at your body up and down. 

Then, you remembered something else Red Tornado had mentioned before he and Batman left for the Watchtower.

“As we concluded earlier, Conner, instead of focusing on his natural instinct to hunt and kill, chose to focus on his hormonal urge of capturing a potential mate. And, Y/N apparently had been his choice. Certain wild species are known for choosing their partners based on mating rituals where the dominant has to prove themselves capable to the desired partner by hunting and subduing them. Smells are also a major factor in these rituals, where these animals are known to go after the scent that is most familiar and desirable to them. Though, why that scent happened to be Y/N’s would be a question only Conner could answer.

So basically, the Kryptonian was the hunter, and you were the hunted.

And he set all this up as a test for himself to prove to you that he deserved the right to fuck your brains out.

The predator and his cornered prey. How cliché.

This was a game to the Kryptonian. And what would happen if he’d won?

Conner would get to fuck you, the serum would wear off and everything would go back to normal? And who’s to say the Kryptonian might even remember the encounter? 

There’s been plenty of times when you and the Team came out from under a drug or some spell and didn’t remember the events that led you all there. You’d keep all the memories of this exchange while Conner wouldn’t recall a thing, thus, for him, nothing would be weird or awkward. Only you would have to deal with the emotional aftermath of these entire events. Yeah, your friends would be there to help, but it wasn’t them having their hearts and emotions played with, it was you. They wouldn’t understand.

Nah, fuck that.

No matter how hot all of this may be, you were not about to be some one and dump for anyone, even if it was your crush.

Conner stared at you, waiting for you to make the first move. You saw the glow of your body reflected in his eyes, but it was also like you were seeing the fire inside of him that burned for you.

It was pleasant, to say the least.

But, this was once again a cat-and-mouse scenario like earlier. Only this time, you knew the longer the chase went on, the more excited the cat got at finally catching the mouse.

Due to the circumstances surrounding the situation, you could easily see Conner was willing to play the long game. Shutting down the Cave, using Wolf and Sphere as accomplices to this whole thing, cornering you in the vehicle hangar, he was willing to let this play out as long as possible. As long as it ended with him getting to mount you like some dog.

No offense to Wolf.

And, waiting till everyone was out of the Cave? Not having to worry about anyone interfering since there was virtually no way to get back inside the HQ without blowing a hole in the mountain, which also would alert the Kryptonian, thus giving him enough time to make a swift exit with you if need be.

‘Nope. It ain’t going down like this.’

Conner tilted his head when he saw you slowly backing up. He could tell you were up to something. 

Before he had time to react, you shot off all the energy you could summon to create a giant firewall. You knew it wouldn’t hold him since he was invulnerable. But, you were counting on the distraction it would give you.

You flew back as if you were going to fight your way through Sphere and Wolf who were ready for you. When you heard Conner’s scream behind you as he launched himself through your wall straight for you before dodging out of the way, letting him crash straight into Wolf and Sphere while you made a break for the hatch door. 

Not wasting any time, you immediately went for the control panel to the garage hatch door and entered the command to open it. You didn’t have much time though as you’d hoped when Conner realized your deception. And he was not happy about it if the frustrated yell he let out was anything to go by. 

Slowly backing up as the door opened more, you let off a torrent of fire waves at the Kryptonian as he tried to make his way toward you. His shirt got more and more singed as he pushed through your power attacks. You didn’t let up though, needing the door to open just a few more inches for you to get through.

Why was it on any other day, things like this door seemed to move faster, but when you needed them to move quickly, they went slow as hell?

‘Come on… come on…’

As soon as the door was open enough for you to fly through, you shot one strong fire beam at the Kryptonian to push him back as you flew backward, moving as fast as you could.

When you made it through the hatch, you let your power go as you flew out of the Cave, making your escape. You felt relief run through your body as you looked at the night sky and the moon shining over the ocean, but that feeling was short-lived.

You’d gotten about 50 feet away though before you felt a strong force tackle you down before lifting you back up, stopping you from hitting the ground. Turning your head, you looked to see Conner staring at you with a smug look as he held your squirming body in his arms, you both floating high above the ground.

“Conner?! Ho- … How are you flying?”

As far as you knew, because he was only half-Kryptonian, he only got half of Superman’s abilities. The only way he could unlock all his powers was using one of those patch things that subdued the human side of his DNA and – oh.

FUCK!

He tucked you under his arm without a second thought, having you face toward his back before flying back through the garage hatch door. You did everything you could to get out of his hold, but there wasn’t much you could do to the Kryptonian since he was invulnerable, especially now that he was at full strength.

When he got you both back inside, he entered the command to close the hatch door before smashing the panel entirely, rendering the door useless. But, he wasn’t done there. 

Using his own heat vision, he created a seal around the edges of the door, locking and securing you both inside even more just in case your teammates got back and tried to force it open. He even zapped your butt with it as well, chuckling at the yelp you let out.

Once he finished that, he let you down before backing you against the wall, an egotistical smirk on his lips as he rubbed his hands down your body. He didn’t waste any time before shoving his face right into your neck again, licking and biting wherever he could as he forced your body to grind against his.

‘Not this again.’

It took a little work, but, to your luck, since Conner was overconfident thinking he’d won, his guard was down.

With a little maneuvering, you let the Superboy feel the blunt force of your knee against his super jewels. Pun intended.

Kryptonian or not, that’s a type of weakness no guy can overcome.

With him crouched over in pain, you shoved him off before attempting to fly back toward the main tunnel. If you couldn’t get out of Mount Justice on your own, the best you could do was find somewhere to hide until the others got back.

But, Conner still wasn’t letting you get away from him that easily. He grabbed you by your ankle before pulling back and throwing you to the ground, managing to disorient you like earlier when the MONQI robots had dropped you. He placed himself on top of you to pin you down but you didn’t come this far to give up now. 

You shot your heat vision at the brown-haired boy’s eyes again, missing by a few inches but snagging him in the face. Visibly angered by this and done with your defiant behavior, he wrapped his arms under you to lift you from the ground and slam you back down, prolonging your daze. You continued to fight back though, especially when you noticed something metallic and shiny he grabbed off his belt.

How you didn’t notice it there before, who knows.

And quite frankly, you didn’t really care. 

All you were concerned about was not letting him get it on you. You quickly blasted him some more with your heat vision doing everything you could to shove him off you. Almost managing to succeed too until Conner got the upper hand when he ripped his tattered shirt off his body and covered your face with it. Your heat vision burned right through it, but your temporary blindness provided the Kryptonian with the opportunity he needed to slam whatever that metal thing was around your wrist.

The moment it snapped shut, you felt a shudder run through your body as a chilling sensation took over. Next thing you knew, the flames around your body and the glow in your eyes had completely dissipated.

‘What the…’

You tried to summon a fireball, heat blast, or even a tiny little flame with nothing happening, your powers seemingly gone. Conner, who was now completely straddling your body, held another smug look on his face as his accomplishment. That’s when you looked at the wrist clamp the Kryptonian put on you, seeing the blue dot glowing at the center of it. Whatever was blocking your powers was being caused by this device, which meant this could only be one thing.

“Huh, so Batman did have an insurance policy for me. Great…” You muttered, hearing a satisfied chuckle from Connor. Your eyes went wide when you realized something.

“You were awake earlier! You were awake the whole time. You heard me and Wally talking!” You accused, but the half-Kryptonian didn’t reply. Only continued to stare at you, not hiding how his eyes crawled up and down your body which was covered in a fair amount of sweat from your earlier brawls.

You tried to see if you could knock him off while he was gloating, hoping the combat Batman and Black Canary taught you didn’t fail you at this moment, but the brown-haired boy was once again ten steps ahead of you as he grabbed both your arms, slamming your upper body back down to the ground.

A frustrated cry left your lips as you stared up at the boy who was still gloating as he reached into his pockets while pinning your hands above you. Looking down, you saw him pull out a pair of metal handcuffs, and not any regular kind either. These were League-style restraints that were almost impossible to break through or escape.

“Don’t you even think about it,” You warned as he smirked at you before moving off your body to flip you around on your stomach. 

A pleased growl left his lips as he watched your thrashing body move on the ground, trying to escape his hold. He placed himself above your squirming legs holding them together while conveniently positioning his crotch right above your ass where you could feel him rubbing his hardness against you.

It was all you could do to not moan out loud while trying to calm the horniness down in your own body as you felt the Kryptonian ground himself against you. Of course, this little distraction tactic of his was purposeful as he brought your arms behind your back, placing your wrist into the handcuffs to bind your hands together.

With you fully secured and nowhere to run, Conner took a moment to admire his prize, unconsciously puffing his chest out at his successful capture. You could feel his excitement as well as he continued to grind his front into your rear end, leaning over your body to nip at the back of your neck.

You did your best to hold in your noises of pleasure in plain, not wanting to give any more smug satisfaction to the Kryptonian. Of course, he didn’t appreciate this sentiment one bit, moving off you to flip your body on its back before moving himself in between your legs. His hands found their way back to your hair and around your waist as he yanked your head back, exposing your neck to him while lifting your lower body slightly off the ground to rub both your crotches together.

The moan that escaped your lips was almost inevitable from the friction you felt between your legs as he ground your pelvises together while having a field day on your neck. 

With you fully bound and virtually defenseless, nothing was stopping him from having full access to your body. You tried your hardest to ignore the pleasurable feelings running through different areas of your body, but it didn’t do much as you felt yourself getting wet in your pants again.

It didn’t help that your clothes were fairly thin which he definitely appreciated if the way his hand around your waist was caressed your body said anything. A bonus for him but a negative for you was the Kryptonian’s shirtless state allowing you to feel the heat from his skin against yours even through the loose garments of clothing on your body.

You could smell the dark brown-haired boy’s musk, which was amplified slightly due to his mild sweaty state from your earlier scuffle. While you were never one who liked the smell of funk, you couldn’t help that the scent for whatever reason went straight down to your pants, making you even wetter than before which the Kryptonian could also feel from his skin rubbing against the dampening spot on your shorts.

Suddenly, he quickly leaned up with his hands still holding onto your head forcing you up with him. He’d made sure to grab his shirt off the ground before pinning you against the wall. You groaned from the rough treatment as you felt his hands grabbing at your tank top before you heard a loud ripping sound, looking down to see Conner had split your tank top apart.

“Hey! This was one of my favorites, you freaking brute.” You complained.

He tore a large piece of your shirt off before sticking it in your face, letting out a small grunt as he waited for you to do something. You stared at him confused for a few seconds until you realized what was happening. He was ordering you to open your mouth so he could gag you.

“Oh, you’re out of your geno-morphing mind if you think that’s happening.” You retorted with a defiant tone, the Kryptonian narrowing his eyes at you.

Before you knew what was happening, he grabbed your jaw with the torn piece of your shirt in his hand, forcing you to tilt your head up before his other hand laid a heavy smack on your ass causing you to yelp.

The moment your mouth flew open, he stuffed the shirt into your mouth, muffling the sound of your scream. You thrashed around more in his hold, trying to spit the piece of clothing out but he pressed his body against yours rendering you still.

While holding the first piece of cloth in your mouth to keep you from spitting it out, he grabbed his torn shirt, craftily using his hand to twist it into a tight long piece like people do with wet towels before proceeding to snap them at you like their whips.

He placed his twisted shirt directly on the cloth between your open lips, before wrapping both ends around to the back of your head, tying them together in a tight knot, securing your makeshift gag in place.

The Kryptonian let out his own bodily sounds of approval and arousal at the sight of your helpless and available body. 

With your arms restricted and mouth gagged, it was easy for him to sling you back over his shoulder, with you whining from finding yourself back in the same position you were in earlier. He stepped over the mess you two (well, really you) made, not even bothering to clean it up.

You were still moaning and whining softly into the garment stuff in your mouth, as you tried to calm the growing arousal in your abdomen. Conner smiled proudly at that, feeling pride at the thought that he was the source of your aroused and excited state. before heading back over to the switch panels, shutting the power down in the Cave again.

Now, it was time for him to claim you fully, without any more distractions or interruptions.

‘Mine,’ He softly growled, squeezing your ass with his hand as he walked up the ramp, your head and body slightly bouncing up and down with every step the Kryptonian took. He walked past his two-door guardians who turned to follow after having bared witness to your entire pornographic display with their half-human companion.

Conner won, and you’d failed. He managed to catch you in his trap, despite all your efforts of resisting him.

The predator had finally caught its prey.

☀️ | Conner Kent/Superboy | ☀️

☀️ | Masterlists | ☀️

Patreon link for the full version!

🦍 | Part Three | 🦍

#solar-wing ☀️ #☀️🪽.fanfic #☀️🪽.dcposts #☀️🪽.explicit #☀️🪽.txt #gay #dc #dcu #dcau #dc universe #dc comics #dc imagine #dc x reader #dc x male reader #young justice #young justice imagine #x reader #x male reader #conner kent #conner kent imagine #conner kent x reader #conner kent x male reader #conner kent x m!reader #superboy #superboy imagine #superboy x reader #superboy x male reader #superboy x m!reader

[diaperedlexi]

You've been wearing diapers 24/7 for over a year. Is there anything different at the end of this process than at the beginning? How often are you going #2 in your diaper at this point?

The only real differences I can think of is

💛 I now let go anytime I feel the urge unless I'm holding to record a video for Patreon. Which is definitely harder than it used to be to hold a full bladder.

💛 Wetting in any angle is soooo much easier now than before.

💛 I now don't worry about if someone notices that I'm wearing a diaper. I'm not going around trying to reveal my diapers to people but if I accidentally show my waistband or my diaper is sagging or there's a slight outline from it being soaked I don't worry about it. I dress accordingly and do my best to make sure my outfit accommodates those situations so nobody is unwillingly exposed to it. Majority of the time nobody will ever notice I'm wearing, my husband has gotten extremely impressed at how well I can find my diapers under my clothes.

💛 I now see diapers as just a permanent and normal everyday part of my life and routine, I can't really imagine life without them now. Sure I could stop and go back to wearing panties but it just doesn't feel right. When I started going 24/7 again I honestly thought I'd have another burn out and that hasn't happened. I think finally having the right environment for it really helped with that.

💛 I have no desire to use the potty for wetting and don't even bat an eye about it.

🤎 I occasionally go #2 in my diapers now but mainly just for videos. Other than that I have to be in the right head space for it. Like earlier this morning I was really in the mood for it but usually I don't wanna deal with the clean up. If I'm in the right mood for it though I really enjoy it

[wordsnstuff]

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but I haven’t seen anything similar anywhere. So I really love world building and characters, and I can spend hours figuring out their intricate details and visualizing them in my head. I would love to start turning them into stories, but that’s where I simply blank and have difficulty coming up with even a basic plot line. How would you recommend coming up with basic plots when you already have worlds and characters thought out?

Making a plot for your world and characters...

I often consider the outline of a story to surround the three pillars of events, environment, and characters. When you are struggling to develop any one of these elements, I find it helpful to examine how the other two are interacting. If you begin (in this instance) with a fairly developed environment and set of characters moving within it, you can analyze the interactions between the two and discern where there might be opportunities for conflict. Approaching plot development this way will primarily put your story in the character-driven category. 

A more detailed example might look something like this: 

You have an ensemble cast of characters who live in a dystopian society where death has been eradicated during their lifetime. They are all old enough to remember a world before immortality, and society has witnessed cultural conflict in response to this advancement in technology. This could be approached from many angles, such as dissent or advocacy from religious groups, cultural groups with practices related to death, social classes who have lesser access to the technology, political groups who manipulate the issue to their benefit, etc. Each character in your ensemble will have their own personal views and be affected individually by this factor of the environment you’ve put them in, so find the conflict in each of them. Perhaps one of the characters is inheriting a leadership position in a cultural group that advocates against the use of the technology to prolong life as it goes against their beliefs. Maybe another character is of a social class that has limited access to the technology and is going to great lengths to cure a sick family member. 

That is the thought process of development that will make it easier to create a central conflict and plot for your story. 

Identify unique factors of the environment 

Consider your characters’ established place within the environment

Anticipate conflicts between the two

Exploit those conflicts to create tension

Outline the development of all conflicts to find the through line plot of the story

I hope this helps, and as always you can feel free to reach out if you have further questions.

x Kate

–

Masterlist

If you enjoy my blog and wish for it to continue being updated frequently and for me to continue putting my energy toward answering your questions, please consider Buying Me A Coffee, or pledging your support on Patreon, where I offer early access and exclusive benefits for only $5/month.

#writing #writeblr #authorblr #writing tips #resources for writing #character development #plot development #world building #drafting #outlining #qna

[chenria]

It's finally done!! Though the heat is mostly to blame that I took so long and couldn't really work on it... but I finally finished the commission for @gaviiadastra. And what a fun commission it has been.

And that's the kind of commission you can save up for on my Patreon ;)

I learned a lot during the process and really enjoyed working on it. And I hope I did (sailor!AU) Gordon and Gavii's idea justice. 

Outlines and background were done in Procreate. Rest of the coloring was done in SAI. 

#thunderbirds #thunderbirds are go #gordon tracy #gaviiadastra

[fiddles-ifs]

Update: 10-31-23

Happy Halloween everyone!!! I'm slowly starting to get back into the swing of things, and pretty soon I'll be able to get some of the Patreon shorts posted for Patrons. I still recommend dropping down to the 3 USD tier until I can rearrange the Patreon to my satisfaction. I'm in the process of flip-flopping between Greenwarden shorts and a new book idea I'm chewing on. Coding for Greeenwarden mobile is actually going well. I finally figured out media queries and streamlining the coding process, so it should be (🤞) relatively easy to fix GW's jank mobile version.

I'm also working on a general story outline for Erinys to start writing. Coding is done, including media queries for mobile, and TKP's first chapter is coming along slowly. The main snag is trying to fit character creation organically into the story without it seeming hamfisted. I've actually gone back and read through the proof-of-concept version on dashingDon to remember how I managed the first time, and try to improve on that.

Beyond that, I'm gnawing through Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini to kickstart me writing again. I have opinions on it that don't matter here, but it -- much like everything the past couple months -- is slow going (and doesn't really catch my attention tbqh, but I've got problems and I. Can't put it down until I finish. Help).

To finish: Greenwarden ROs Halloween costumes GO

Bautista: Lame as hell party store cop costume Nazeri: The bottom half of a horse costume, because someone once called them a "horse's ass." Devin: Sexy Jason Voorhees Trace: Giant blunt

#not quite a greenupdate but. um. greenwarden is mentioned?? #further cementing the idea that bautista is a failson

[sanctus-ingenium]

answering your asks vol 3

Full context for the Inprnt issue can be found here on this post , tl;dr my shop is closed until I receive my payments from inprnt in a timely manner and essentially won't reopen unless they clean up their act. Regarding the money they owe me outlined in that post, I still have not received it and on Friday I sent a support ticket in to inprnt demanding they send it soon. Haven't heard back since. I think where Inprnt is concerned, it's worth mentioning that they no longer send promotional emails (which used to be a regular occurrence) and there seems to be a complete lack of communication and the only thing about the site that regularly updates is the sale banner (ending soon!!! 🙄)

So honestly I'm of the opinion that the print on demand bubble has burst and that this method of selling art was a very short-lived feature of an internet that doesn't exist anymore. Think about it - I make money on a sale after having spent nothing on promotion, on materials, on postage fees, etc. It's so easy to game the system using bots or stolen art to essentially print free money that I'm shocked it even lasted as long as it did. Maybe I'm wrong but I won't tie myself to another print on demand service that's just going to pull the same old shit redbubble and inprnt have done this year, or one that requires me to constantly promo it like some kind of influencer on instagram or tiktok or whatever.

Will prints come back? I hope so. I am looking into local printing shops and considering the feasibility of handling the process myself but you must understand that if I do that, the price will rise. I won't have the ability to run constant discounts or eat a loss if I order 20 prints and only 7 sell. It is what it is.

And the actual worldbuilding asks below the cut lol:

(referring to this post)

Only if you want to! I've had a few people send me cool sketches and stuff via dms and it's always nice to see but you really shouldn't feel pressured to. After all it's not like I post my rough practice here lol (that goes on patreon ;)

-

I'm going to be SO real with you right now - I did not consider that at all. However I do know that tinting flames with various chemical compounds was a huge part of alchemy, part of the whole flashy show of it to impress the layperson. So sure, I bet they do throw in copper sulfate or various other chemicals to produce the coloured flames - these make a huge impression on witnesses who might not even have imagined such a thing possible, and also help identify a holy beast at a distance on a battlefield choked with smoke and dive-bombing serpents.

Fun fact, the flames come from the furnace wells, right. Each well is connected to specific systems, where it can most efficiently deliver fuel to the heart and onwards. So it is possible to 'read' the pattern of flame bursts from the furnace slits - they are not constant, but there'll be one every few seconds based on when the furnace tenders excite each well. You can tell at a distance, for example, that Leun is readying an acid spray, or rerouting power to the rear legs for a leap, or even what direction he's turning. It all runs at a slight delay, which is why the crew inside has to be SO closely coordinated.

-

@absolutely-flabbergasted Knights are allowed to reproduce but not marry, because it's sort of accepted theory that blood relatives of a knight will be 'accepted' by the knight's beast when the time comes. This is not true but it means that sometimes the knight's apprentices are their own children. The other parent is mostly another member of the church and usually not identified or considered important (unless they're a smith...). There are usually a decent number of known knight bastards running about.

Smiths are not allowed to have families or marry, because their first devotion should be to their art or their beast if they are assigned to one. If one tries, the kids are taken away, anonymised with new names, and put into the pool of potential novices in some other stable. Now, in reality some stables or churches are just not that strict and have a slightly different culture, so there's often an Open Secret about some master smith's illegitimate family or a priest's secret mistress. This is tolerated by the authorities to a certain degree but if it becomes too rampant there'll usually be a change of management and some sort of crackdown.

Families who give up their second born cannot stay in contact, but if the child becomes successful in some way (say, if the child becomes a knight) the families are sent tokens symbolising this which can be placed in the family/village shrine. This can be a huge point of pride, with some people faking the tokens just so that they can show off about their successful kids that are totally knight apprentices.

The reason they don't get to stay in touch with their children is due to the secretive nature of the church and its arts. The church has been at war with the neighbouring nations for a long time and only its mastery of engine work has kept it afloat, and nobody wants these secrets to fall into enemy hands. Particularly if your kid goes on to become a scribe, which is if anything an even more closely guarded profession than that of a knight (those engine diagrams don't draw themselves). The laity are usually quite devout and understanding of this. If they aren't, they might attempt to find their child, often without success.

If you want your church kid back: it depends. If you can prove to the church authorities that you need your child's labour to stay afloat or to carry on the family line, they might take that into consideration. Of course, the only children that return are the likes of sweepers, cleaners, altar boys, pages, etc. Nobody who might have witnessed any Secrets. The church is best understood as being in the middle of a cold war for the past few centuries (and sometimes just regular war) so it's far more closely guarded.

-

@kicks-tiktaalik-back-into-water

It's not likely. Even if the ventilation system worked perfectly, he is still from an older generation of holy beasts and no longer represents the pinnacle of the technology. Leun might have a less sophisticated ventilation system but everything else about him is head and shoulders more advanced - including the crew number he can take on. Leun only requires a single enginesmith in the heart, for example. This is because there's more automation of his systems, and he can actually manage to walk home from battle without anybody inside at all, just based on the knight's input (because the throne chamber is open to the air the knights are technically not inside the beasts). It's not preferable (it can damage the systems) but it is a huge bonus.

Think about how in the early days of commercial aviation, there could be as many as eight people working on the flight deck. In the 60s, a 3-person crew was standard; captain, first officer, and flight engineer. Today there are only two pilots needed. This is down to increased automation, and it means that it is cheaper to fly the plane - the airline has to hire fewer pilots, 'flight engineer' is a nonexistent role these days, and that means you need to train fewer people, have fewer people on call, feed fewer people etc etc. It is cheaper for the church to run Leun than it is to run Krokodilos and even though the church is wealthy, the money and resources are not infinite. Especially now, in times of plague. Leun, for all everybody sings his praises, is basically a reskinned Pantera with better systems - again, cutting costs, because now we can get all of Pantera's old enginesmiths to work on him instead of having to train up new ones on a brand new and wholly unique platform. It's as much a matter of logistics as it is innovation and technology.

#info asks #setting: mez #fun asks this time round .. thank you everyone <3

[illusioncanthurtme--art]

These have been sitting in my inbox for a while, and I want to apologize, because I am a world champion at procrastination. I actually have quite a few asks that I’ve never responded to, and I feel like such an asshole. If you sent an ask and I never responded, PLEASE don’t think I’m ignoring you or I don’t care; I just have this thing where I get distracted very easily and it turns into procrastination. I really cherish all the love jam packed into those tiny little asks.

But these are the most recent ones, and they’re kind of in the same vein. I really should make a narrated process video of some sort one day. I do have something like that on patreon right now, but it’s over a year old, and my process has changed since then. But for now, I’ll try to answer these as best I can!

First of all, thank you!! This ain’t a question but I’ll go on a spiel anyway. I use a dark pencil for outlining, and I try to emphasize deeper/darker areas with both pressure (pressing down harder on the pencil), and overall size of the line/mark/whatever. These spots are typically the upper eyelid, nostrils, corners of mouth, inner ear, bottom/roots of pieces of hair, spots where clothing wrinkles originate, that sort of thing. Oftentimes I’ll emphasize the “underside” of objects or shapes too.

As for time for a drawing, it varies a lot. The lengthiest thing I work on is commissions. The initial light sketch for a comm can actually take a while, depending on the drawing. 2 full characters together requires a lot of planning for the poses and stuff. So I might spend an hour, 2 hours if I’m really struggling, just making the sketch for a 2 full body character drawing. Then I’ll take maybe 5 or 7 hours to do the rest? That’s a guess, I don’t really keep track. Usually I’ll do the sketch one day, and the next day I’ll spend all or most of the work day just finishing the drawing. I consider one of those “a days work”. Hopefully that made sense! 

The images of my drawings are clean because I scan them! After I scan them, I do a levels adjustment in photoshop. (I struggle taking pics with my phone, even though it has a nice camera 🥲I don’t think I could ever get close to the way they look now without a scanner) 

As for how I make them look clean on paper, I think it’s a combination of two things: the pencil I do the initial sketch with is substantially lighter than the one I outline with. So when I’m outlining/rendering out the drawing, the sketch lines sort of fall back and aren't as noticeable. Secondly, I use a click eraser to erase the sketch lines as I go. And I take my time and use a lot of patience and prioritize neatness/details. This is especially the case with comms. With those I give 110%. For my own personal doodles, I don’t focus on making them as neat, and instead scribble around with my pencil to get the values I want, without fretting over each individual shape to make sure it makes sense. 

I hope this answers your questions okay! I really should make some sort of video but I don’t have a lot of time right now. Thank you for your asks and kind words!!

#ask #answered #anon #art process #drawing process

[taralen]

Title: E-Mail Guy's first day lol

HEY EVERY !! ITS HIM! N0 BUDDIES FAVORITE [[E-MAIL GUY!!!]] 

Well, well, here is my first ever DELTARUNE fanart! I've loved this game since it first came out, and while on disability, I played Chapter 2 and loved it even more than Chapter 1. This guy captured my [[HeartShapeObject]] the moment he popped out of the trash. He's officially my favorite character ever made (yes, I am dead serious about this.) I REALLY like this character, so expect to see more of him from my gallery even if you don't want to!

Why did I draw him this way? Answers Below!

Spamton's back story is mysterious, and the game doesn't give us much to work with regarding his past. This drawing is based on my interpretation of him before he became the lovable trash puppet. There are a lot of fan interpretations of Spamton as an Addison, but I rarely see anyone draw him with black hair. I like his contrast with the black hair against the white skin (is he Snow White??!), but I understand why fans choose to depict him with white hair while he was still the "e-mail guy." I included a variant with the white hair for anyone who prefers that version. The white hair makes sense, but I like the idea of him having black hair as an "error" or anomaly. The gray outline is based on the sprite of both him and the Addisons. I'm a little bummed out to see most fan art does not include their cute little glow. No other NPCs have this look, so I believe it was intentional. 

My theories regarding the Addisons and Spamton are based on my experiences working in Sales and Customer Service (and yes, at some point, I was the e-mail guy lmfao.) Spamton confirmed in a Q&A that he was shorter than the others before his downfall. It's hard to tell in this picture, but he is still short, just closer to canon height, which is slightly shorter than Kris. I imagine the Addisons as being like male ballet dancers because of their attire and pointed feet. I'll probably write a speculative fanfic on this because I find how these characters work fascinating from the perspective of someone who studied advertising and sales. I also did ballet for nine years, so funny that. HAHA!

In this image, Spamton has not yet been relegated to the e-mail job just yet as they test him to see how well he performs on the floor. From my experience, if you suck at doing something upfront but your employer still likes you, they'll move you into another position. So, this is before they do that. LOL  Likewise, if you are not very good at ballet, you get sent to the back or to a spot where the audience can't see you very well. 

Anyway, I hope to do more pics of this character and his co-workers soon because I really like them, haha!

Unmarked Full resolution + processes on my Patreon if you're into that. Link: https://www.patreon.com/taralen

#anime #manga #male #spamton g spamton #spamton #deltarune #deltarune chapter 2 #tumblr sexyman #fan art #addisons #headcanon #does this count as a pinup? #blue addison #my art

[redgoldsparks]

I've never won National Novel Writing Month, but I am participating for my 7th time (not consecutively) this year. In the past I've always enjoyed receiving the Pep Talks from published authors, which are essentially like letters of encouragement to all of the writers trying to pour out the first draft of a novel in a month. A few of the ones I read, especially in my first year of doing NaNo, really stuck with me so I was very delighted to be asked to contribute one this year. You can read my Pep Talk here on the NaNo site but I will also post the full text below the cut. And to anyone doing NaNo this year-- good luck and keep writing!

instagram / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my book / redbubble

I wanted to be a writer long before I knew I had anything to say. 

I had a childhood immersed in stories. My parents took me to the local library every week, where I checked out stacks of fantasy novels. I would pick up any book with a dragon, elf, sword, castle, wizard, or spaceship on the cover and my heroes were the authors and illustrators of these magical worlds. 

At some point I started to wonder about these writers. Who were they? What were their lives like? I began to pay more attention to author’s notes and was astonished to discover that many authors I loved mentioned each other in their acknowledgements. In The Ladies of Grace Adieu, Susanna Clarke thanked Neil Gaimen, Terri Windling, Ellen Datlow, and Charles Vess. In Stardust, Gaimen thanked Clarke in return, and also Diana Wynne Jones. Ursula K Le Guin and Robin Hobb wrote blurbs for Patrick Rothfuss’ Name of the Wind. In Finder, Emma Bull thanked Terri Windling, Steven Brust, and her husband, Will Shetterly. Tamora Pierce, George RR Martin, Peter S Beagle and Kelly Link all blurbed books by Ellen Kushner, who thanked more people than I have space to name. 

Holy shit, I realized. All of these authors know each other! They’re friends! This was followed by a second thought: If I want to meet them, and especially if I want to be friends with them, maybe I should publish a fantasy novel myself. 

That realization gave me a new goal, but no specific pointers on how to pursue it. I started out as many young authors do: I began writing long fantasy narratives with orphaned protagonists, extremely derivative of the fantasy I’d read as a teen. During multiple successive NaNoWriMos I chipped away at a YA novel about a boy and a dragon. I started drawing a webcomic about a thief who tried to rob a monastery only to be foiled by a witch with the same plan. These stories had characters, settings, and some plot but what they didn’t have was themes. They didn’t ask any questions about what it means to be human, and they didn’t touch on any of the big concerns I was wrestling with in my personal life: gender, sexuality, and identity. 

It took the rather painful experience of a literary agent telling me my fantasy work was unpublishable before I set my early stories aside, stepped back, and changed the direction of my writing towards exploring the big, vulnerable themes I had been shying away from. 

What I discovered is that instead of making writing harder, facing these themes head-on made writing easier. In my earlier work I had frequently hit writing blocks, places in my outlining process where I felt like I was wading through mud. When I didn’t know what I was trying to say on a meta level with my story it was often hard to decide what should happen next at the plot level. I would send my characters from location to location, but I’d be unsure of what they should do there, because I was unclear on how their actions added up to a larger picture. That feeling of being stuck and uncertain over what should come next fell away when I started focusing more clearly on expressing my bigger themes. Suddenly the path forward felt smooth. All it took to follow it was bravery and persistence. 

I also achieved my initial goal in wanting to be a writer. I have now met and befriended many other authors, not the same set that I idolized as a teen, but different writers who are exploring many of the same themes and questions in their work as I do in mine. I have friends, colleagues, co-authors, and writing partners to thank in my acknowledgements– often more than I have space to name. 

During this month, I know many of you are focused solely on pouring out the words. That is very important, but I recommend you take some time to think about the larger themes of your story as well. What message, hope, fear, question, or truth are you trying to communicate to the world through your writing? I promise that clearly articulating your themes will help you tell your story and find the friends and writers who will become your community. 

Good luck, and know that I am writing alongside you, and rooting for you! 

Maia Kobabe, Fall 2023

#maia kobabe #nanowrimo #nano 2023 #national novel writing month #writing

[afreakingdork]

Plot Bunny - My Doll (slave!rottmnt!Donnie x Reader)

We open to a world where yokai (both mutant and yokai are referred to as such because as long as you have non-human blood you're lumped into the same category) are commoditized as playthings. It’s stylish for the riche to buy them as companions for their children. It shows they can take care of another being (one that needs more maintenance than a pet) and because they’ve been trained and cost a pretty penny. They're the whole package as they entertain, protect, and utterly obey. They're raised to do this without question. Reader is given Donnie at a young age (5ish) and he's of a similar one. You are confused over the ‘toy’ concept and don't understand how he isn't a person regardless of how he looks. Donnie is cold, resolute, beaten down, and doesn't act in the slightest without being told. Reader vows pretty quickly to never ask everything of him. You grow up together and Reader resents the system and loves their doll, but you're torn. While you may be too young to understand the word ‘consent’ you understand the concept and that Donnie can’t give it...

Sound like fun? Read the entire plot bunny by joining the 1$ a month tier, afreakingreader, over on my patreon!

FAQ:

What is this?

Did you know that when I'm not writing, I'm writing? By definition a plot bunny is "a story idea that refuses to go away until it is written." Basically even though Weak Spot takes up 99% of my thought processes, the other 1% of my mind is still overflowing with creative. I've got to write these bad boys down and bring them to a sort of fruition. What you will find if you subscribe is a fully realized idea in outline form. It only isn't a true 'completed' fic because it doesn't have any of the nuance I would put into writing. That being said it is 'done' in my mind because I have no plan to turn it into a fully realized work.

Why is this behind a paywall?

Now fan fiction can exist using elements of copyrighted material because it is free. I don't claim to own or have any affiliation with The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or their properties. I do claim that the unique concept of my creations and my time which is wholly my own. When you support me on Patreon, you are not paying for the work itself (all my work is free), you are instead paying for my time and to get behind the scenes content and insight into my writing. Here, since these are not 'completed' works and instead 'outlines,' they fit into the behind the scenes box.

What are the tags on this?

My Doll is rated Teen, afab reader, has a happy ending, is a romance of sorts, childhood friends AU if you could call it that, and a journey of liberation.

#plot bunny #rottmnt #rottmnt donnie x reader #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt x reader #donatello hamato #donnie x reader #rise donnie #rise donnie x reader #rottmnt donatello #rottmnt donnie #me #fanfiction #my fanfiction

[dreammeiser]

do u have a animated pilot?

Not yet, we're still in the pre-production stage, but I am working on scripts, the whole story outline and its arcs, and have had some roles casted already by some very talented friends (new ones too!) that wanted to help with the project :oD I'll announce when I have started production, recording, and animation though! I am thinking of showing my process through a Ko-Fi or Patreon-- I don't know which is better yet.

#thank you for the ask! #dawm project #dream along with me

[borzoilover69]

what brushes do you usually use on krita? im mainly looking at your lineless pieces and theyre really neat, just havent been able to find those brushes myself T_T;

Hi anon! I use a modified rectangle eraser brush set to normal! But you can also just use the rectangle eraser brush on its own and just go up to the bar on the top of the program and switch it from eraser to normal! I mainly modified it so it gives a little texture like squares if i press hard on it, like how you can see in the picture on her sleeve.

Generally i would say if youre doing lineless art- DONT USE A CIRCLE BRUSH. DO NOT USE A BRUSH WITH A CIRCLE TIP. If you use a circle brush your shapes will tend to be less defined when you block them out which is crucial in lineless art. Most lineless artists tend to opt for a square brush or a rectangle brush because it helps give shape to your outlines.

Ill attach two videos of my process to help you understand how i do my art. Usually these are uploaded on my patreon for couple of dollars a momth so consider supporting me there! :) hope this helps anon. Happy art travels!

#borzoi talks #asks #art tutorial #hey check out this tag on my blog