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thatfreshi · 7 months

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"Unlucky Draw" (Uni AU p. 15)

There's finally some fluff guys!!!!!!!!!

tw - anxiety, discussion of weed

Since Halsin's little break-up escapade happened, you actually do get the chance to see Astarion later that night. As of recent, he's been throwing himself into his thesis project more and more, to the point where most of your time hanging is spent with him looking through books and asking 'do you think this sounds right?'

"You know you can take a break, right?"

"I could, you're right, but then I'd just be wasting time. And I'm not allotted much time to work on this."

The two of you are comfortably sprawled across his mattress, like teenagers at a sleepover. You roll over and shut his laptop.

"C'mon, you've been staring at that paper for like two hours."

"And what else should I do, my darling Tav? Maybe stare at the ceiling in silence? Or scroll mindlessly on my phone until I don't feel like moving anymore?"

"Ugh, no! I don't know, take a coffee break. You're probably not going to sleep anyways."

Your best friend almost looks peaceful like this, wrapped in a cozy sweater and sweatpants, always wearing long socks because he gets cold too easily. You find yourself lingering on the thought longer than normal, wishing he could feel that comfortable warmth all the time, wondering it might be like to share in it.

"Tav, are you listening? God, maybe we should just stare at the ceiling in silence."

"Sorry, just spacing out. What were you saying?"

"I was saying, how I should probably cut back on the caffeine."

"Really? Astarion Barista Ancunín, are you turning your back on your beloved espresso machine?"

"Look, I'm not happy about it, but I've been far too anxious as of late. My nerves are on fire constantly, jumping at every little noise I hear. It's irritating, to say the least."

"I thought being caffeinated was how you dealt with the insomnia though?"

"Oh it very much is, which will become a problem soon enough, but I just can't be this nervous constantly."

It's something that you've definitely noticed, how quiet and fidgety he's become recently.

"You considered smoking weed? I know Gale says it helps him zen out, especially when it comes to art stuff."

"Nope, makes me paranoid."

"Damn, unlucky draw I guess."

"You're telling me. I smoked one time back in high school, couldn't sleep for hours, kept thinking someone was out to get me or something."

You start to get lost in the peace of the moment again, the fact that you're able to talk about shit that doesn't matter, how the light from the bedside lamp hits his eyes just right...

"Are you alright? You seem, out of it."

"Sorry, just thinking about what Halsin said to me."

"I can't believe he just broke things off like that, without a reason."

You swallow hard.

"He, he said it's because he thinks you like me? And that he doesn't want to get in the way of that?"

There's silence for a moment, that you jump to fill.

"But that's not true right? We're just friends, I don't know where he would've gotten that idea from."

"Right, I don't know either... sounds like you dodged a bullet with him."

"Yeah, probably so."

God, has he always looked like this? Damn Halsin, damn all those things he said, damn Gale for even playing into it. You remind yourself that Astarion's right, that this doesn't need to get any more complicated than it already is, that he has enough on his plate.

"Now, am I allowed to go back to my thesis now? Or do I need to have more mandatory break time?"

You playfully sigh.

"I guess you can do productive things or whatever."

"Well, in that case would you like to come read what I have?"

"I'll look at it, but you have the cool narrator voice, you have to read it to be like a professional author."

He rolls his eyes, and you go to sit next to him, looking at the thousands of words he's typed at this point. Astarion starts to read it out loud, editing tiny things as he goes, forever a little perfectionist. After a while, the voice becomes too soothing, and you fall asleep there next to him, letting your head hit his shoulder.

"Tav?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees you knocked out, clearly exhausted. He doesn't stop reading though, worried if he does that he'll somehow ruin the sleep he's let you stumble into. So he spends the rest of the night rereading out loud and talking to himself, occasionally asking you things that you don't answer. After many hours pass, and the wee hours of the morning arrive, along with the clock turning to say five AM, he puts his laptop aside, and asks you one final question.

"Why do you insist on pulling my heartstrings the way you do?"

And it falls on your sleeping ears, never truly getting through.

#baldur's gate 3 #astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #fluff #x reader #freshiau #gale of waterdeep #halsin

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ottiliere · 6 months

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hello! ur posts on the vagus nerve and its connections to digestions have encouraged me to do a lil mini dissertation thingy kinda focused on it/around it, ur big thread on PVT and everything really piqued my interest when i read it and i just held onto it for like a year or smthing until like last week when i started the project. Ik u said recently in one of ur posts i believe that ur not going to post the big dirk PVT post and im not here to be like yo post it because i also think u said that ur kinda moving away from like hs/dirky stuff rn ?? (im forgetting if i saw that sorry) but yeah i just wanted to say thank u etc etc, like ive never done an ask before so sorry if this is phrased weirdly but ur blog is just like one of those blogs that fundamentally changed how i view certain things in life for the better lol, like whether its ur beautiful representations / depictions of mental health in like just beautifully painted art (seriously the way u make it look like idk how to word it cartoony/really 2d but then it stands out against the background + if u zoom in and see the tiny pixel details == it makes me mad) or just like the huggeee long form posts that i like to chew on and save cuz theres so many details that AFFAAT like the way you talk abt the topics u portray has made me concious of how i would want to do so in the same way ig u get me. anyway this got really long and idk if i come across coherently, but ur just a random person on the internet whos art and written thoughts that u decide to share makes me happy when i see it == makes me pace around my room and distract me from this fat essay lmao so tldr: i really appreciate what u do + i hope like that ur doing well and that u keep arting and thoughting no matter what it is that u choose to focus on

(uve made me comitted to reading jthm, playing psychonauts and giving jjba w/ dio another go lmao) 🫶🫶

Hello! I’m sorry this reply is coming so late, this ask in particular is very sweet and has stuck out to me.

I’m really happy to have introduced you to PVT, this is something I’ve heard from a few different people on here and it’s very sweet… I did my thesis on it in college and the time really flew by while working on it, things you don't think could possibly attributed to "nerve issues" being nerve issues is always an eye-opener, isn't it? being able to research things that interest you & access information in general really is a privilege in this day and age.

“The topics [I] portray” are very important to me, so it’s heartening when others take interest in spite of the obvious deterrents. A lot of what I love making art about is unpalatable to most, and while I do understand the reasons for that on principle, it can make things feel a little insular. I genuinely believe there’s a lot of value in depicting tableaus of misery.

The last year has brought a lot of very unforeseen changes, and my life is quite different from when I initially made this blog to post about him! That’s also part of why I’ve been so sparse here…though I’m working to change that quite soon. I love sharing my work, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting some truly wonderful people through this website. That said…with where I’m at now, I’m not sure I’ll be posting the Dirk essay anytime soon, I’m afraid.

I’ve undertaken a few ongoing projects, one of which in particular is an original project I plan on sharing publicly here hopefully within the next month or so. I hope it’s something you & anyone else who’s stuck around with me here will enjoy, but failing that, I’ve really enjoyed working on it thus far.

Thank you for the sweet ask, take care, and good luck with your project!

#ask #I'm not afraid to admit that my fondness for dio is entirely contingent on things I made up about him in my head over the years.#there's a draft here filled with thousands of words about him that I started writing up in response to some ask I got earlier this year #but I never finished it... :( and I also never posted the dozens and dozens of pictures I frenetically drew of him either. maybe someday #on another note: I did my yearly reread of johnny the other month. I'll do something big with him one day but this year is not the year #similarly sasha answers in the queue. I'm glad you enjoyed psychonauts it's one of the greatest games ever visually and re: gameplay. etc #lucy art

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crenna · 2 months

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once upon a time...

lili | 21 | she/her | infp

hii, welcome to my blog! i'm lili, and it's so nice to meet you 🫶

i post gentle encouraging thoughts, writing stuff, and little moments from my life. and who knows what else! i love books and writing a lot, as well as a lot of fandoms and other things like pretty aesthetics. if we have any interests in common, feel free to hang out here for as long as you’d like! i’d love to be mutuals 💕

below you can find info about me, my fandoms and interests, and my blogs!

side blogs: @onceuponaneverafter (OUABH, active), @seeyouinthestars (the aurora cycle, inactive), @legendarydante (caraval rp, active)

...there was a girl...

𝓐𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐄

to put it shortly, i'm a hopeless romantic with a love for everything creative! you will most likely find me procrastinating on something, impulsively starting a new project, or falling in love with fictional characters and daydreaming. or all of them at the same time.

i'm a university student, working part time and trying to write a BA thesis - so if i disappear from time to time, i'm probably busy and stressed, and will be back soon!

out of fictional characters, evangeline fox and cress darnel are very relatable to me. if they are to you as well, i love that for us!! this is a safe space for shared fictional crushes, too - if we love the same character, we both have good taste 🫶

...who loved deeply...

𝓕𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐒 & 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒

my fandoms :: once upon a broken heart (OUABH), caraval, the aurora cycle, acotar (the fandom scares me but i've read the books), shatter me, divine rivals, the lunar chronicles, the rosewood chronicles (RWCH), star wars (+ the mandalorian), star trek (movies + next generation s1), shadow and bone, six of crows (first book), minecraft story mode (old fandom but i sometimes reblog stuff from it!), the selection, the hunger games, divergent, she-ra, gilmore girls & more, feel free to ask if i know a fandom!

other things i love :: my friends, giggling over fictional characters and fandoms, taylor swift's music, minecraft, aesthetics, tea, pretty skies and clouds, fairy lights, fangirling, roleplaying, houseplants, writing, reading, dancing, arts and crafts (including drawing, painting, knitting, sewing, graphic design...), singing, baking, the colors purple and pink, flowers, all things soft and cozy, sparkles, pretty dresses, girls (as in i’m bi,, i think, it’s an ongoing crisis but this much i know), interior design, and honorable mention goes to the rivals to lovers and sunshine character x villain tropes 💕

my writing :: i sometimes write fanfiction for fun, and make rather slow progress on bigger projects that i'd love to turn into full novels and publish someday! my favorite genres to write are fantasy, romance, and sci-fi - sometimes combined. i also roleplay many of my fandoms, please dm if you’re interested!

...and dreamed big

𝓜𝐘 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐒

crenna - main blog :: this is where you'll most often see me hanging out! i post about books, writing, and my life, i reblog posts i like, and i've been trying my hand at graphics (such as dividers) so i might post those at some point too.

onceuponaneverafter - side blog :: this blog is dedicated to the OUABH series, and only has content related to it. a more detailed blog introduction is pinned there! i post theories, general thoughts and observations about the series, and fanfiction (working on it hehe).

seeyouinthestars - side blog :: dedicated to the aurora cycle series, currently inactive until i reread the books haha. only contains reblogs as of right now.

legendarydante - side blog :: roleplay blog for dante/legend from the caraval series.

𝓠 & 𝐀

do you rp your fandoms? // yes, i do! i'm currently not actively looking for new roleplays, but if we both love a fandom, feel free to dm me with your ideas.

can i tag you in tag games? // absolutely! don't be shy, i love them 🫶

why have you not responded to my message/tag even though you've been active? // even though i try to respond frequently, sometimes it takes me a while to get to individual notifications when i’m not in the right headspace. i might also have just forgotten. so sorry if that happens!

can we be friends? // yes!! i love chatting and meeting new people - especially if we're mutuals, feel free to interact/message me anytime, i promise i'm more scared to interact with you 🫶

— 24.2.2024. 🤍

#welcome to my blog 🫶#💕🌸🎀🌷#introduction #about me #here’s the new intro finallyyy!!

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koshekdev · 9 months

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Backend update

Had the most horrible time working with Sequelize today! As I usually do whenever I work with Sequelize! Sequelize is an SQL ORM - instead of writing raw SQL, ORM gives you an option to code it in a way that looks much more like an OOP, which is arguably simpler if you are used to programming that way. So to explain my project a little bit, it's a full stack web app - an online photo editor for dragging and dropping stickers onto canvas/picture. Here is the diagram.

I'm doing it with Next which I've never used before, I only did vanilla js, React and a lil bit of Angular before. The architecture of a next project immediately messed me up so much, it's way different from the ones I've used before and I often got lost in the folders and where to put stuff properly (this is a huge thing to me because I always want it to be organized by the industry standard and I had no reference Next projects from any previous jobs/college so it got really overwhelming really soon :/) . The next problem was setting up my MySQL database with Sequelize because I know from my past experience that Sequelize is very sensitive to where you position certain files/functions and in which order are they. I made all the models (Sequelize equivalent of tables) and when it was time to sync, it would sync only two models out of nine. I figured it was because the other ones weren't called anywhere. Btw a fun fact

So I imported them to my index.js file I made in my database folder. It was reporting an db.define() is not a function error now. That was weird because it didn't report that for the first two tables that went through. To make a really long story short - because I was used to an server/client architecture, I didn't properly run the index.js file, but just did an "npm run dev" and was counting on all of the files to run in an order I am used to, that was not the case tho. After about an hour, I figured I just needed to run index.js solo first. The only reasons those first two tables went through in the beginning is because of the test api calls I made to them in a separate file :I I cannot wait to finish this project, it is for my bachelors thesis or whatever it's called...wish me luck to finish this by 1.9. XD

Also if you have any questions about any of the technologies I used here, feel free to message me c: <3 Bye!

#codeblr #code #programming #webdevelopment #mysql #nextjs #sequelize #full stack web development #fullstackdeveloper #student #computer science #women in stem #backend #studyblr

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heckosart · 7 months

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Heya

Fellow (albeit novice) fantasy cartographer here

How'd you get into making maps for people?

Hi!

I've liked drawing and making maps for a long time, and I used to make up maps for fun as a kid. The things that inspired me originally were mostly books, I read fantasy extensively and I've always loved following the characters around by referring to the map as I read. From that I started to draw maps of places in books as well ones I made up. I drew a lot of magical islands for a while.

I also got really inspired by the natural forces of geology/plate tectonics/weather/etc and how they impact the land. I use all of that interest to try and create fantasy maps that have a sense of grounded believability to them. I'm by no means an expert, but I'm always learning and trying to improve.

Obviously for most maps I do professionally there's already a general shape and layout my clients have in mind, but even then I often include small additional islands, give borders and coastlines extra wiggle and variation, and look for ways to incorporate natural and geographic barriers that would help inform political ones.

As art of my thesis at art school, I made a map for a personal fantasy project. I also made a simpler map for a friend, and with those examples I put maps into my commission info. Since that time (2020) I've probably only done about five maps for clients, so I don't usually get as many as these last two jobs back to back might imply. It is always fun to work on though, and I'm thinking about doing some new personal pieces soon since it's been almost four years from the last time I did one for me.

My best recommendation for getting into map commissions would be to get a couple nice samples completed (at least one of a budget option and one big fancy one) and to decide on a clear plan for base pricing. Currently, I have maps broken down into two categories of price.

Simple: $90 - Includes lines, one flat color for land and one for water, mountains and rivers, and typed labels.

Complex: $180 - Includes lines, terrain color variation, symbols/terrain textures/landmark drawings/mountains/rivers, and handwritten labels.

I can also add on sea creatures and monsters and custom compass roses for an extra charge.

My pricing is based on knowing how long it takes me to do the work, how much effort it takes, and the expectation that short deadlines not be imposed. Extra complex requests and tight deadlines (for maps I'd consider anything less than three weeks to be tight) are fully welcome, but will come with an added price to account for those requirements. I would also charge far more for a commercial client, all of my prices here and in my commission info are for personal use jobs only.

You probably know this already, but I always have to say it! Make sure, whatever you're charging, you're making above minimum wage. Ideally, you should make more than minimum because custom art is luxury service. Your skills are valuable, so treat them like it!

I also can't recommend making a TOS to protect both you and your clients' safety enough. Mine are very much not perfect, but I'm always happy to offer them as something for other artists to reference or even just copy when making their own.

Personal Use | Commercial Use

On top of all of that, I'm very persistent with my self-promotion. I used to only use Twitter for art, but post-Elon I've branched back out to Tumblr and made a Bluesky because suddenly it was really scary to notice that all my eggs (clients and followers) were in that one volatile basket. I'm not famous or wildly successful, but my followings on here and Bluesky are still a tiny fraction of on Twitter and that's scary. I try to reblog/retweet/etc my promotional posts once a day to keep eyes on them (but I forget pretty often too lol) and whenever I have a little drawing or something I post it. I'm not the most prolific artist, but I try not to worry about that too much.

Hopefully this isn't too much stuff you already know and hopefully some of it was helpful!

#ask #farmergilesofham #process

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gopuckurself · 2 years

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where i’ve been + the future of dtcfdp

july 22nd 2022

hello friends. welcome back to chaos.

cw: medical issues (brain-related injury and long covid)

let’s start with 2020. everyone was burnt out by the end of 2020, but considering the amount of fic i wrote as well as the fact that I created an entire creative writing portfolio from scratch that year, i sorta crashed twice as hard as was necessary.

2021 was consumed with my first year of my masters program. i got a job! i had to quit that job because school was more important to me and i was falling behind. i started a lot of projects that i wasn’t able to keep up with. it got to the point where i couldn’t even find time to write for school assignments, let alone for fun, let alone for fanfiction.

so that brings us to 2022 (hell year: this time it’s personal). i got covid. i threw out my thesis that i’d been working on for a year the same week. a few weeks later, i passed out and hit my head

two weeks later i fell and hit my head a second time. i spent the night in the hospital. i’ve got long covid, they think that’s what’s making me pass out. i’m still trying to figure out what’s going on with the whole passing-out-thing but i’m doing better. (mostly)

i still can’t read or write the same way i could before i fell. it’s slower going. I type and say the wrong words sometimes. most of my writing is done with dictation and considering the content of my fanfic...yeah, dictating that’s a little weird lmao, especially with thin walls and roommates.

so that brings me to dtcfdp: most of it was written in 2020. i’ve been adding bits and pieces here and there for the past two years, but honestly, most of it’s done. i want to get it out there—there are two chapters left, and then an epilogue. the epilogue is the only thing that remains completely unwritten. chapter 8′s done, in fact, but it ends on such a painful cliffhanger (worse than chapter 7′s cliffhanger, trust me) that i don’t want to post chapter 8 without chapter 9. (because I know how frustrating it is to wait...and y’all have been waiting so long.)

the story will be complete enough once I finish chapter 9. the epilogue’s just fun stuff. i’m hoping you’ll see it soon, but like i said, it’s slower going than before i fell and i’m running out of summer break.

thanks for listening to this ramble. thanks for reaching out to me over the past few years, even when i wasn’t answering. it’s been a rough time.

but here’s to (pretty girls who went to our heads) better days ahead. here’s to making it through these years. here’s to more chaos.

love you.

#gopuckurself #dtcfdp

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greenlikethesea · 2 years

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Do you have any favorite authors and/or fic writers? Or if the written word is not your jam, perhaps artists, directors, photographers, oceanographers, etc.?

oh this question is beyond delightful, as i am, above all else, an enthusiast about many things! i may just keep this to literature for now, as i may make a post about my favorite artists sometime soon! ya boi has a master's degree in creative writing and literature, so this is abso-fucking-lutely my jam. there are so many authors i love that i'd have to divide it into subcategories and it might be easier to just talk about my favorites lately. my mfa thesis is a book of poetry, so i'll give you a smattering of my direct inspirations for this project -- -don't let me be lonely by claudia rankine is a remarkable work of prose poetry that is required reading for anyone looking to delve into hybrid/experimental work -there are more beautiful things than beyonce by morgan parker. morgan’s deft mastery of language is something i greatly envy, this is a book i have gifted to my favorite people a few times over -night sky with exit wounds by ocean vuong -- this book is not as heavily about his mother as his subsequent works are, but it weaves a thread throughout that influenced my work -if you can get your hands on anything of emily dickinson's that has not been revised, please do so -4:30 movie by donna massini -- i attended a reading of selections from this book and it broke me -one of my former professors, david groff, is an incredible poet and creative nonfiction writer. mindblowing stuff. -i referenced heavily from an utter tome of a book, the complete works of audre lorde, but her mid-career material once she was a professor was remarkable

as for fic authors -- my favorite is, if it wasn't abundantly clear, @sparklyslug. a few of my other favorites, in no particular order: @enfreakment, @copperbadge, @sashayed, @greatunironic, @dallae, @micamicster!

#asks #ask game

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punedrr · 2 years

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The Thesis and the Doctorate

**A/N: It’s been two weeks. I have nothing to say for myself. Thank you to my friend ChaotixCrow and my beta awolangel for helping me with plot stuff; without them you guys would have had to wait a lot longer.**

Link to the story: The Thesis and the Doctorate

Chapter 8: Friends Old and New

It’s a week after the fishing trip and you’re back in the woods again. It’s true that you were scared by the Hide-Behind and the gnomes but if you’ve learned anything this summer it’s that you’re stronger than you think you are. Really, these brief encounters have only served to make you more interested. Creepy monsters can only keep you away for so long before you start wanting to learn more.

You’re alone today, exploring along a river in the southeastern part of the valley and staying well away from the Gnome Forest. Ford did offer to go with you but you declined. He’s certainly good company, but you didn’t want to keep him away from whatever he’s working on at the Northwest Manor to go traipsing around in the woods with you. And things have felt different between you two lately. Not weird or bad, but just slightly to the left how things used to be.

Ford still calls you “my dear,” still talks your ear off about his latest projects, still walks you around town and oversees DDMD sessions at the Shack. But he no longer stands as close, no longer touches your arm or shoulder when he wants to show you something, and he rarely looks at you directly anymore. Not that you’ve noticed, or anything. It’s probably nothing, you tell yourself. Ford’s polite. He’s probably just trying to be respectful, that’s all. Respectful of what you’re not sure. Your boundaries, maybe? You sigh and push those thoughts out of your head. Stop worrying about it, this isn’t high school. Ford is still your friend and that’s what matters.

It’s only midmorning but the sun is already beating down. Were it not for the shade provided by the canopy you’re sure you’d be baking. You peeled off your sweatshirt and rolled up your pants hours ago. You’re not looking for anything in particular on this trip, you just want to get a feel for this part of the valley before going back in to analyze it. As you walk the dusty trail the river begins to look more and more inviting. Maybe when you break for lunch you’ll dip your feet in.

You check your compass. You’ve been following the creek since you began this morning and you’re pretty sure it empties into Lake Gravity Falls eventually. Like the majority of the valley, the southeastern portion is populated with well-spaced larches, hemlocks, and firs, with the occasional towering pine or deciduous grove. The air is warm and still without the hint of a breeze. The creek, which is about four feet wide and half as deep, gurgles softly as it rushes across its bed. You keep walking.

It’s noon now and you’re ready for a break. Across the stream you can see a small clearing covered in soft grass and shaded by the trees. Quickly you strip your boots and socks and wade across the creek. The cool water feels great and you pause a moment in the middle, watching curious silver fish dart by.

On the other side the grove is cool and eerily quiet. As soon as you step through the trees the bird calls and droning insects seem to fade away. The sunlight is almost completely blocked by the leaves overhead and it takes a moment for your eyes to adjust. Once they do you spot something jutting out of the grass on the opposite end of the clearing. Partially obscured by ferns and moss, it’s a stone statue about five feet tall and in the shape of a triangle.

Intrigued, you go for a closer look. It is definitely a large triangle, except that instead of a top point the statue is wearing a tall stone stovepipe hat. On the right side of the triangle there protrudes a simple four-fingered arm, hand outstretched as if trying to greet the viewer. The face of the triangle is taken up by a single carved stone eye with a catlike rhombic pupil. At the base of the triangle’s face runs a chiseled line with two vertical notches equidistant from each other, like the beginnings of a pyramid pattern. The back face of the statue is smooth.

As you stare at it, you’re overcome with a sense of chilly foreboding. You look around instinctively but you’re alone. What is this? You wonder. And what’s it doing out here? Taking out your phone, you snap a few pictures and hurry out of the clearing. Ford will definitely want to see this.

—---------------------------------------------------------------

“The readings all seem normal.”

Agents Trigger and Powers sit in a surveillance van parked on Main Street, discussing their plan.

“The readings don’t mean jack anymore. We know the truth. All that’s left to do is attack.”

Trigger slips off his headphones and turns to his partner. Powers looks haggard. There are new lines on his face and his suit is wrinkled. Trigger himself doesn’t look much better. Nearly losing your job after botching one of your department's most important operations to date and then having to bow and scrape your way back into authority will do that to a man.

“If Pines hadn’t hit us with that damned memory blast-” Trigger starts. Powers holds up a hand. He’s heard this tirade too many times before.

“But that’s exactly what he did. And now we finally have the chance to put those crazy bastards where they belong.” Trigger nods. “Switch positions and keep an eye on the library” he orders. “I want to catch that woman who’s been hanging around. She seems to know the family well and we could use someone on the inside. Those Pines twins are damn hard to catch.”

Trigger climbs behind the van’s wheel and pulls out onto the street.

“And Trigger?” He turns, and Agent Powers points at him. “Don’t fuck this mission up for me.”

“Yes, sir.”

—---------------------------------------------------------------

The gravel crunches as you pull into the Shack’s parking lot. You decided to cut your hike short after finding the statue. It was the most interesting thing you’d seen all day and you’re sure it’s going to be news to Ford. After all, he knew the area you’d be in today and surely a creepy triangle statue would be worth mentioning. You notice Stan’s car is gone. He must be in town. You hope that Ford is here, you never bothered to check. He could very well be at the Manor with McGucket.

You step out of the car and knock at the Shack’s back porch. You feel like you’re in some weird hospitality limbo: too new to just walk in but too familiar to go through the gift shop and ask to see Ford. After a few seconds Dipper answers the door, smiling when he sees that it’s you. “Hey!” He stands aside to let you in. “What’s up?”

“I found this thing today while I was hiking- some kind of weird statue?” You follow him into the living room. “Where’s Mabel?”

“Oh, she went with Stan to find new parts for the museum exhibits. She’s a lot better at haggling than I am.” He turns to you. “You said you found a statue?”

“Yeah,I was hoping to talk to Ford about it. I don’t think it’s something he’s seen before. It was in a clearing next to a stream, I took some pictures... Here,” You hold out your phone and watch as Dipper’s face drains of color. He swipes through the pictures frantically, shaking his head. Maybe he’s seen it before? He looks back up at you, eyes wide.

“I-I’ve gotta go get Grunkle Ford. He needs to see this.” Dipper shoves the phone back at you and takes off in the direction of the gift shop. What was that all about? You wonder. Dipper looked like he’d seen a ghost.

You wait in the living room, wondering what’s taking them so long. Finally, Ford strides in with Dipper on his heels. He’s traded his duster for a lab coat, the sleeves of which have been rolled up to reveal corded forearms thick with silver hair and scars. Not wanting to be caught staring, your eyes dart up to his face. His mouth is set in a grim line. He holds out a six-fingered palm.

“I need to see those pictures,” is all he says, completely skipping a regular greeting. His low voice brooks no argument and you once again hand over your phone, completely baffled.

“I told you, it’s him.” Dipper says, peering over Ford’s arm to get another look at the screen.

Ford looks up at you. “Where exactly did you say you found this statue?”

“About three miles southeast from the trailhead, where I told you I was going yesterday. I was following a stream and there was a clearing near the bank. The statue was there. I don’t have the coordinates, if that’s what you’re asking for.” You cross your arms, defensive. The weird questions taken with Ford’s brusque attitude and Dipper’s anxious behavior make you feel like you stepped into the middle of something you’re not supposed to be a part of.

Ford mutters a curse in an unknown language and hands your phone back.

“What’s going on?” You address the both of them.

“Nothing you need to be concerned about.” Ford snubs you. Dipper says nothing.

“Excuse me?” You’re starting to get a little annoyed. Ford seems to have completely switched his personality. “I can’t help but be concerned, what with the way you’re acting and seeing as I found the statue in the first place.”

“It doesn’t matter who found it first, it’s very dangerous.” He puts both hands on your shoulders and looks straight at you. You’re shocked into silence. “Promise me that you’ll never go near that statue ever again.” His voice is strained, almost pleading.

Warily, you nod. “I promise.” He quickly steps back and begins walking towards the door.

“Good. Well then, thank you for bringing it to my attention, but I’m sure you have better things to do.” He’s opening the back door and his hand is once again your shoulder.

“But-”

“Stay away from that part of the woods. I’ll be in touch.”

“Hey-”

He slams the door in your face. You stand on the back porch and listen as the deadbolt slides into place. What the actual fuck. You raise your hand to knock, you consider shouting, but in the end all you do is walk down the stairs and drive back to the cabin on autopilot. You know that trying to get him to talk to you isn't going to help anything, but at the same time it’s painfully obvious that he’s hiding something big. And then there’s the way he spoke to you. ‘None of your concern...” You almost can’t believe it. Sure, talking about cryptozoology in theory is fine, but as soon as you find something actually important, it’s none of your concern. You go to bed angry, confused, and more than a little hurt. When you finally find it, your sleep is fitful, mind running in circles about what the statue could be to make Ford flip like that.

You’ve calmed down a bit by morning. You’re not really angry at Ford anymore, he is your friend and he probably had his reasons, but you want to know what those reasons are. You roll out of bed. You were originally planning on going back into the woods today, maybe asking Ford to come with you, but that’s not happening anymore. You might as well go to the library. Get some work done and look for any references to the triangle statue. It’s true that Ford made you promise to stay away from it, but he said nothing about researching it. Obviously it’s more than it seems. Based on the feeling you got in the clearing yesterday and Ford’s reaction, you’d bet it’s something Weird. Speaking of Ford... You check your phone.

There’s nothing new from him, but you’re not surprised.

Hey, you text. I’m sorry about yesterday, I don’t have any idea what that statue is and I never meant to upset you.

You don’t think you really have anything to apologize for here, but sometimes you’ve just got to suck it up and offer the olive branch if you want to get anywhere. Conciliatory text sent, you dress and grab breakfast before heading out to the library. If he’s not going to give you any answers, you’ll just have to find them yourself.

The drive into town is quiet. You don’t see many other cars, just the weekday commuters. The street in front of the library is deserted save for a black van that’s parked across from the entrance. It seems empty and you pay it no mind. Janet greets you on the way in and you respond in kind.

“How’s Stanford?” She asks.

You pause, momentarily caught off-guard. “He’s... Good. Working up at the Manor most days. I haven’t seen him lately.” You lie.

“Well, when you do tell him that he needs to return his books.” She scolds.

“Will do,” you tell her.

You go to sit at your usual table but see that it’s occupied by two men in suits who are discussing something quietly. You turn to find another spot but they look up and notice you. Quickly they both stand.

“Excuse me?” The first man, a blond who looks slightly younger than his partner, gets to you first.

“Yes?”

“I’m Agent Trigger and this is my partner Agent Powers. We’re with the F.B.I.’s Paranormal Intelligence and Response Branch. If you have time, we’d like to ask you a few questions about Gravity Falls.”

“Um...” What could the F.B.I. want with you? You’ve never even had a parking ticket!

“Completely off the record, of course.” Off the record?

“Am I in trouble?” You ask, looking between them.

Agent Powers steps forward. “Not at all. We just want to ask you a few questions.”

“I’ve never heard of the Paranormal Intelligence and Response Branch before.”

“Would you mind taking a seat, Miss...?” He trails off, obviously wanting your name. You don’t give him one, but you do sit in one of the nearby vacant chairs. Agent Powers sits across from you and begins speaking. “The Paranormal Intelligence and Response Branch supports paranormal intelligence operations across all states and divisions by responding to extraordinary occurrences. We are the ones called in when someone sees a U.F.O.”

Despite all of the bureaucratic jargon you can’t help but be intrigued. “So the government knows that the supernatural exists?”

Agent Powers folds his hands on the table. “We prefer the term ‘paranormal,’ but yes. Though that’s not a fact we would like the general public to be aware of. Mass panic, conspiracy theories, ghost hunters, you know how it is.” You don’t know how it is, but you nod along anyway.

“We’re getting off-topic. Would you mind answering some questions for us about your experiences here in Gravity Falls?” Agent Trigger interjects.

“I’m not sure I’m the right person to ask,” you demur. “I’m writing my thesis on the ecosystem of the western Cascades, I’m only here for the summer.”

“On the contrary, you’re exactly the person we want to speak to. You see, we’ve noticed that you’re rather close to the Pines family and we’re very interested in them. In addition, your experience here as an out-of-towner gives you a unique perspective on the things that go on around here.” Agent Powers explains. That raises your hackles.

“Why are you interested in the Pines?”

Agent Trigger clears his throat and lowers his voice. “We have reason to believe that Stanley and Stanford Pines are involved in numerous criminal activities, including the creation of a so-called ‘doomsday device.’” He pauses a moment, letting you absorb that. Doomsday device? The machine that Ford and McGucket were building? You just can’t believe it. “But they’re respected in the town and we wouldn’t want to raise an alarm, so we thought we’d come to you. Can we trust your discretion?” You nod, then hold up a hand.

“Wait a second. You two are telling me that Stan and Ford are dangerous criminals? Ford’s the nicest guy I’ve ever known!” Now that’s a lie. “And sure, Stan’s a bit of a grump, but he’s got a big heart.”

“I know this is a lot to take in and it may seem unbelievable at first, but you’ve got to understand that the best criminals often hide in plain sight.” Agent Powers says, tone consoling. You’re disgusted, and it must show on your face because he quickly switches tactics. “I know you don’t want to listen to me, but Agent Trigger and I have been watching these two for a long time. Years. They’ve escaped arrest before and they’re master manipulators. You can’t trust anything they say no matter how much you may want to.” You shake your head. You don’t know what Stan and Ford might have done to draw the attention of the F.B.I., and they definitely have their secrets, but they’re not frauds or criminals. You’re sure of it.

“Please, Miss.” Agent Trigger entreats. “We need your help to protect Gravity Falls, maybe even to protect the world. The branch can protect your identity, if that’s what you’re worried about, and I can personally guarantee that at the end of all this you’ll not only have the satisfaction of having put two hardened criminals where they belong, you’ll also have any compensation that you feel you may be entitled to, financial or otherwise.”

That’s the last straw. If these two sleazeballs think they can pay you to sell out your friends, they’re sorely mistaken. You tell them this and stand, grabbing your things. “Good day, agents.”

#the thesis and the doctorate #what's an update schedule?#chapter 8 #gravity falls #gf fanfiction #self insert #my fic

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laurafereday2022 · 2 years

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The Colour Craft Revolution

Part 1: Building the revolution.

Moving directly from part 1, I knew I wanted to do something fun. My jumper, which I have since named the ‘Movement Moment’, is such a fun and lively garment, so I thought who would wear something like this? Almost immediately I thought of Sara Camposarcone.

Sara is an amazing designer and model from Canada, and she is a self described ‘sustainable maximalist’. Most of her wardrobe is either handmade or thrifted, and I just find the way she styles things incredibly inspiring. With Sara acting as my muse, I was able to go forward to start building a concept.

I knew I wanted to do something colourful and fun. That’s who I am as a person and a designer, so I wanted to take this brief as an opportunity to do something awesome. When thinking about a time and a place, thought of what I want the world to be like, and that’s when I started to come up with the ‘Colour Craft Revolution’.

In the future I picture a world where colour is taking over. Blacks and neutrals have dominated fashion for so long now, that I think things are going to shift fairly soon. We’re already starting to see this happen, with trends like ‘dopamine dressing’ popping up and taking over online spaces. At the same time, right now, we are in an incredibly interesting point in time. As we have all been trapped inside for two years, it seems a lot of unique fashion stuff is starting to occur. This could be caused by people not feeling the pressure of the public as much, and just wearing what they wanted. At the same time, craft is on the rise, finally! Knit, and crochet, and other handcrafts have been making a comeback, largely thanks to Tiktok and Instagram, but because what else were people meant to do during lockdown? There are other reasons I feel so passionately about this, like the influence of Gen Z, and the rejection of fast fashion (finally). I could literally write a whole thesis on this, but I won’t, I’ll save that for another day.

With this I decided what my method to tackling this project would be.

An emphasis on colour and craft, everything must feel loved and made with care

Plenty of techniques and slow practices, the only way we can fight fast fashion is to take it slow

Design pieces individually rather than as looks, this is maximalism, it’s not meant to be particularly coordinated

Fall in love with colour and craft again, and make others want to do the same

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dolphs-world · 3 days

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Get back

In the words of the 'Quack Pack' theme song "I feel like quackin' so I think I will". I have a lot of little thoughts I've jotted down in my notes so may as well fully fledge them. A little whiles back I picked up a DVD of 'Death to Smoochy', a Danny DeVito film with the late great Robin Williams and equally great Edward Norton. My mum has a DVD of 'Fight club' that is older than I am, it is one of the few movies I've watched as an adult over 2 times and each time it gets better. But somehow, despite owning it longer than I've existed my mother has never seen it so I rewatched it for a 6th time with my mum and I loved it even more. Now, I still have a lot of Fincher films to watch but after rewatching 'Gone Girl' I think 'Fight Club' is his best work. I need to read 'Gone Girl', my mum says it's better. I've read 'Fight Club' and I think the movie is better in every way except the stuff with Angelface, his name isn't even said in the film. 'Gone Girl' is a nice parallel to 'Fight Club', men v women, but it is also just as dated in technology. There's phones with buttons, TV is respected, CRT computers. The last of its era. 'Gone Girl' is really excelled by the actors being well known actors. None of them come across like they're trying to pivot their image but it's so weird seeing Madea as a lawyer. Affleck's and NPH's (not really EmRata but she is well known) performances benefit from their perceptions, Affleck as a shlub and NPH as a charming guy from less prestigious works. And then there's Rosamund Pike, a chameleon which works because she appears as an unknown actor, someone who never got their time in the spotlight. But the twist is really a one time amazing moment, unlike 'Fight Club'. Not to butcher Hegellian Dialectics but thesis, antithesis, synthesis; Tyler is cool, Tyler is bad, there are good aspects of Tyler (or broke, woke, bespoke). If you know 'Fight Club' well I don't need to expand upon the first two. I don't really relate entirely to many characters; Sonic, Tim Drake, Ron Stoppable; let alone at all. So it shocks me whenever I can really relate to someone, this time it was Edward Norton. Not in the ways you would expect and I'm not going to expand upon it, but the looking up to a strong male influence is one of these aspects. (sidenote: I think 'Fight Club' is one of the least homoerotic films I've seen which is surprising). The first scene with Tyler is perfect. Tyler is perfect as a tool for self reflection "How's being clever going for you?" "Why don't you just ask?". But that's all he should be, a tool for self-reflection. Having something only for men to form a brotherhood is good, hobbies are good, taking agency for your life is good, finding love is good. I think this is missed when viewing 'Fight Club' as a satire, there are good lessons for men buried in here but they can be dangerous when taken to the extreme. The only thing about the film that sucks is the ending "You met me at a very strange point in my life" and that love is the answer. They very much enable each other. Even if Tyler has changed, who's to say Marla will? And for a film so big on agency, why does Marla have none in the end? This was my attempt at a sort of disjointed flow, weaving back and forth between two works. Notice how I started with something unrelated? Here's my actual point about 'Death to Smoochy": I haven't seen it yet but I will soon. However, I have seen a scene from it where Robin Williams gets arrested. I saw this in a meme compilation. I've become a little addicted to these meme compilations, I think they are awful in a lot of ways. But how do these guys know about 'Death to Smoochy'? Who thought "I'll add the totally 'sigma' film, Death to Smoochy, a film with no insanely attractive characters I can project my power fantasy on to my meme compilation about how me and the boys are so totes mcgotes epic"? So bizarre!

#death to smoochy #fight club #david fincher #gone girl

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kleiner-ghost · 5 months

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1–30 for the ask game :)

I will pretend you meant 1 and 30, not 1 through 30 ;p (and I'll answer the one in the middle too, for fairness, and cuz I want to ^^)

1. How many words have you written this year?

Good thing I keep track ^^

Some of that is original work, and the gap in September was when I submitted my MSc thesis. 120k is a good number, I'm proud ^^ although, I will try and be more rigorous next year, and actually do the 2 nanowrimo events.

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

There are several hahah

First the Egor one (my beta went through my notes as well, so she knows what happens but everyone else will have to wait XP)

Then there's the B5 x Clone Waes one. Here are a few snippets ;)

“Hytts, go get - I'll go get the General,” Barrage ordered, correcting himself midway, “Everyone ready yourselves. Shields up, weapons charged, we don't know how many of them we'll be up against.”

“Hmm, cut from the same cloth…” Blues mumbled, just loud enough for Barage to overhear as heft the command deck.

Not even half a minute later, General Master Rayko rushed onto the deck. Lighsaber in hand, he waited with an eager grin as Wraith finished adjusting the radio recievers.

“The coordinates are correct, we shall engage in the jump in T minus 10 - 9 - 8,” a droid counted down.

~~~

This was the proof Kelei had wanted, had spent months chasing, but when Rawnè looked over to her captain, the woman seemed as uneasy as the rest of the group. The Mimbari platoon had found the enemy ship but shear luck, and there was very little doubt in anyone's mind that this was a setup. The creature's that operated it wanted it to be found, but to what end? “Look for large remains. We need to find a full body.” Kelei ordered. She had ventured the furthest away from the shuttle, her dark blue battle robes blending in with the darkening sky with each passing moment. They were loosing daylight, and and they knew they'd be unlikely to find anything if they were to return the following cycle.

Whoever was piloting these exosuits always made sure to pick up their dead.

(This is the fic I want to read and not write btw)

And last but certainly not least is my Cait SO fic ^^ I have put it on hold recently because of my thesis, and other smaller and lighter stuff taking priority, but here's a little teaser to prove that I'm still working on it ^^

What did 715 even stand for? It was some kind of ongoing injury, as the number had started of at 300, and slowly risen over the past minute. Cait had no idea. She had no idea what trouble her soulmate had gotten into, she had no idea why her soulmate had only started getting into trouble now, and worse of all she had no idea how to get out of the combat zone. "Little bird," Tommy's voice came from behind the door, soon followed by a knock, and the sound of the door opening.

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

That one of my fics is now linked on the TV tropes for one of my secondary fandoms. When I got a comment about it on AO3, I didn't think it was real (like a troll or something), but then I had a look and sure, there it was.

It's a really old fic that I didn't really plan out properly, and abandoned because i struggled with its pacing. But getting it linked on TV tropes motivated me to have another look at it. I've uploaded my word doc to drive, and I might start sporadically updating it, like I do with my DX x DBH crossover.

It's this fic btw:

#author ask #ao3 wrapped

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staringatsleep · 7 months

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I've tried to write this so many ways. How do I say this.

I want this to be special. Unique. As if people don't fall in love with people they're not supposed to fall in love with all the time. My experience is, if anything, painfully universal. What I'm feeling right now has been felt by a million different people in a million different ways before me. It will continue to be felt for as long as people live after I'm gone. Anything I say here will feel familiar, because you've read this sort of thing many times before. But I feel the need to say this myself, anyway.

I like you. I liked you from the moment you walked into our aquaculture seminar, all bright and cheerful. Everyone was so awkward and didn't know how to speak up, but you were our glue. You broke the ice, lifted everyone's spirits. You called me smart for knowing how to use a refractometer, how to culture Artemia.

I didn't see you for awhile after that. We reunited at the lab kitchen, and you yelled my name and hugged me. Who does that? We barely knew each other. But you made me feel so welcomed. Do you do this for everybody?

You draw beautifully, but not in the normal way. You draw dumb, goofy cartoons of monsters getting their cupcakes stolen by skateboarding gremlins. You draw praying mantises atop skyscrapers. You draw whatever you want, fun blocky shapes packed with primary colours. You get contracts to draw native trees, dancing on the side of churches. You inspired me to create again.

Your voice is insane. You called your parents yesterday, asked if I minded. I didn't get any work done with you talking, even in the best circumstances I can't adjust my focus easily. But I didn't care. I almost wish I could record you, play your words back whenever I'm feeling anxious. You could say anything, your words still shine with a bright earnestness when you're emphatic. Your voice makes me shiver when it creaks low. You have a power to your words. A voice that fills rooms and makes the hairs on my neck stand up.

You'd kill yourself in a zombie apocalypse. You cried when we watched Life of Pi. You hate dark media. You eat dry cereal. You surf and own a pet lizard and wear sweater vests. You don't brush your teeth every night and you don't shower every day. You leave things until the last minute. You'd do everything and anything to make somebody's birthday the best they've ever had. You feel uncomfortable if you can't help. You can't bake because the recipes are too pedantic. You call your deaf ear your "naughty ear", because it "hears things it shouldn't".

I find it very difficult not to stare at you. You say you don't have eyelids to apply shadow to, that your lips are too thin. I haven't seen anything more beautiful. You're a perfect shape. Your eyes scrunch up when you get excited, which is often. When the light hits your irises just right, they glow like Kāuri gum. When you hug me, I feel enormous.

I met your boyfriend the other week. We get along well, he's very tall and soft-spoken. He looks at you the way I wish I could, openly. I can tell he adores you. He'd follow you to the ends of the Earth if you asked and I can't blame him. You don't call him often, worry that he wants to settle down too soon.

You've made my year. It'll be hard not to overemphasise you in my thesis acknowledgements. But I know you, you're tired. Your project is ambitious and academia isn't kind to anyone. You're going to leave soon, and I don't know when I'll see you again. You might leave for a long time. When you finally return, I worry that your eyes won't know me like I know you.

You seem to think we have a genuine connection, but very much as friends. That can't be helped. I have my own tethers, too. That's why this is even harder than it should be. All that guilt.

I linger on your words, the ones you put on your bedroom wall but have since taken down. "A lot is changing, it's the same old day", you wrote when you turned 26 this year. "They know this stuff. I'm an idiot kid. They know that". Written during our course. I hope I didn't hurt you.

You're right. A lot is changing. But it's the same old day.

#spilled ink #spilled thoughts #prose #sapphic #sapphic yearning #unrequited love #spilled words #love

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