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bradshawsbaby · 2 years

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Government Issued

Pairing: Rooster x Wife!Reader, with a tiny smidge of Hannix if you squint.

Author’s Note: Based on this request from @fandom-addict-aesthetics! I have no idea how accurate any of this actually is (take everything you see on TikTok with a grain of salt, kids), but I thought it was a really cute idea and I had fun writing it!

Warnings: Mentions of sexy times (nothing explicit), Cyclone Simpson being a hardass, one F-bomb, and lots of fluffy goodness.

“Baby?” Bradley called out as he walked through the door of your apartment that evening, dropping his bag by the door.

“In the kitchen!” you called back, standing at the sink scrubbing one of the pots you’d used when preparing dinner. Washing the pots and pans after you’d just finished cooking was one of your least favorite things to do, but you knew from experience that it was better to get it done now so you wouldn’t have to deal with it later. At least the plates and utensils you could just stick in the dishwasher.

“There’s my favorite girl,” Bradley greeted you, wrapping an arm around your waist and pressing a kiss to your cheek before walking over to the fridge and grabbing a cold bottle of water. “Did you have a good day?” he asked, taking a sip.

“I did,” you nodded, smiling at him as you finished rinsing the pot you’d been cleaning and set it on the drying rack. “I went out to lunch with Penny and then got some shopping done. All in all, a pretty good day. How about you?” You reached for the pan still sitting in the sink, the last thing you needed to clean.

Bradley grimaced slightly, taking another sip of water and avoiding your gaze.

“What?” you asked, glancing up at him as the awkward silence stretched. “Did something happen?”

“Nothing serious,” Bradley was quick to reassure you, stepping closer to you as he set his water bottle down on the kitchen island.

“What then?” you pressed, letting the pan clang back into the sink and turning to face your husband head on, wiping your hands on a dish towel and waiting pointedly.

“It’s—it’s dumb,” Bradley began, rubbing the back of his neck. The tips of his ears were turning pink and you could tell he was a little bit embarrassed.

“Babe, what happened?” you repeated, eyebrows rising curiously. “Did you make some kind of stupid bet with Coyote or Hangman?” you wondered, crossing your arms over your chest.

“No, nothing like that,” Bradley hemmed and hawed, clearly trying to avoid telling you what had really gone on. He kept rubbing the back of his neck and his cheeks were now turning the same shade of pink as his ears.

“You’re being silly,” you told him, walking up to him and resting your hands on his shoulders. “Just tell me. You said it’s not that big a deal. So don’t make it one,” you added gently, looking directly into his eyes.

“You’re going to laugh,” Bradley said in a voice that didn’t seem all that convinced that that was true. “You remember how we went out to dinner last night?”

“Yes,” you responded slowly, not quite sure what that had to do with whatever had happened to him at work today. You and Bradley had gone to try a new Italian restaurant a few miles from base after hearing a ton of good reviews.

“And you remember what happened when we got home?” Bradley continued, dragging his feet as much as possible.

“Yes,” you nodded, laughing this time, though your own cheeks turned a light shade of pink to match your husband’s.

You’d indulged in a little bit more wine than was strictly necessary last night, which had made you feel particularly affectionate towards your handsome husband. Bradley had barely been able to keep his eyes on the road driving home, a bit distracted by the feel of your lips on his neck the entire time. By the time you finally did make it back to your apartment, you got as far as the living room before you were tearing each other’s clothes off and making love on the floor.

“Well…” Bradley murmured, seeming unsure how to go on.

“Oh my gosh, babe, what happened? This is turning into the slowest story known to man,” you laughed in exasperation, shaking your head.

“What can I say, honey? You were pretty damn frisky last night,” Bradley chuckled, shaking his head in return. “Not that I’m complaining at all. But I didn’t even realize I had this until I got to work this morning,” he explained, pulling his collar away from his neck to reveal a dark purple hickey right near his throat.

“Oh,” you murmured, blushing even more deeply. Between the two of you, Bradley was usually more likely to leave the love bites behind, but you’d been known to leave your fair share of them from time to time. Evidently you hadn’t realized just how passionately you’d been kissing your husband’s neck on the car ride home last night. “But I still don’t understand,” you said, looking up at him in confusion. “What does that have to do with what happened at work today?”

“Well…” Bradley began again, avoiding eye contact once more.

“Oh my gosh, Bradley, tell me!” you exclaimed, eyes getting wider in concern as your blush turned a darker shade of pink.

Sighing, Bradley reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded letter. “Like I said, baby, it’s dumb. Don’t get upset,” he warned, slowly starting to unfold the paper.

“‘Don’t get upset’ is the worst thing you can tell your wife when you don’t want her to get upset,” you told him with a scoff, taking the paper out of his hand and opening it quickly, your eyes scanning the contents of the letter. As your mind processed what you were reading, your eyes widened considerably and your jaw slackened in shock.

“Honey,” Bradley began cautiously, holding up his hands, surrender-fashion.

“Oh my gosh!” you cried out, cheeks absolutely burning with mortification at this point. “Oh my gosh!”

“Honey, it’s not such a big deal,” Bradley murmured soothingly, rubbing his hands up and down your arms in an attempt to calm you down.

“Not such a big deal? Bradley, we’re getting fined with…” You glanced back down at the letter for a moment. “...destruction of government property!”

“Cyclone was just in a fucking mood today,” Bradley sighed, running a hand through his hair with one hand, still holding onto you with his other.

“A notice and a fine all because of a hickey?!” you exclaimed, mouth still agape in horrified shock. “Oh my gosh, does everyone know? This is so embarrassing,” you moaned, dropping the letter onto the kitchen island and covering your face with your hands.

“Aw, c’mon, baby, it’s not so bad,” Bradley said softly, trying to pry your hands away from your face. “I’m the one they were all teasing today,” he added in an attempt to console you.

You just made an embarrassed noise in response, attempting to wiggle away from him as you continued to hide your humiliated self behind your hands.

“Honey,” Bradley whispered, finally succeeding in pulling your hands away from your hot cheeks. “Don’t be embarrassed, baby,” he said comfortingly, peppering your face with kisses.

“How did this even happen? Why did it become such a big deal?” you questioned, allowing Bradley to pull you into his arms and hold you against his chest.

“I don’t know,” Bradley sighed, tucking your head under his chin and rubbing your back slowly. “Like I said, Cyclone was in rare form today. I think he got some call from the Pentagon, but like hell if I know what it was about. He came by for last minute inspections while we were getting ready to go up for some test exercises and he spotted your handiwork,” he teased lightly, pecking your lips when you groaned in embarrassment.

“Vice Admiral Simpson knows I gave you a hickey? How am I ever supposed to look that man in the face again?” you muttered, burying your face in your husband’s chest.

Bradley chuckled, his chest rumbling beneath your cheek. “Don’t stress out about it, baby. He’ll forget it ever happened, trust me. No one ever seriously gives this fine out unless they’ve got a stick up their ass about something,” he informed you. “It’ll blow over. It’s nothing serious.”

“I’m surprised to hear you talking about your superior officers in such a way, Lieutenant Bradshaw,” you said, looking up at him with a small glint of humor in your eyes.

“Only because I trust you not to rat me out,” Bradley grinned, kissing you again.

“So you really swear it’s not as horrible as I’m imagining?” you asked, sighing deeply.

“Not at all. I pinky promise,” he laughed, holding up his pinky finger to you with a look of mock seriousness.

“Ugh,” you groaned, wrapping your pinky finger around his and squeezing.

“That’s the spirit, honey,” Bradley chuckled. “Though I might have to give you a couple hickeys to make up for mine,” he teased, making you laugh as he began kissing your neck affectionately.

“Maybe just ones where no one will see,” you teased back, winking playfully at him.

“Mrs. Bradshaw, I like the way you think,” Bradley grinned.

A couple nights later, when you and your friends were all out for a few drinks at The Hard Deck, Hangman came up to you with a smirk, shaking his head.

“Well if it isn’t the little terrorist who’s been going around destroying government property,” he joked, nudging you with a laugh.

“Oh my gosh,” you moaned, covering your face with your hands. “Hangman, I’ll kill you!”

“No need,” Phoenix cut in, smirking up at him. “I know just what he needs.”

“Oh, yeah?” Hangman asked, grinning down at her.

“Yeah,” Phoenix laughed, snatching his cell phone out of his hand and dropping it down onto the surface of the bar. “Oh, Penny! Look where Hangman left his phone!” she called out.

“Phoenix! I did not—”

“Rules are rules, Hangman,” Penny smirked, ringing the bell loudly, which prompted a loud chorus of cheers to rise up in the crowded bar.

“I’m surrounded by terrorists,” Hangman groaned, shaking his head as he pulled his credit card out of his wallet.

“Time to order the most expensive drink on the menu, baby,” Bradley grinned, his hand resting on your waist. “Hangman’s buying!”

#rooster x wife!reader #rooster x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #x reader #x female reader #top gun: maverick #top gun #miles teller

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pedros-immaculate-vibes · 2 months

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Smoke and Mirrors 1

A BG3 AU, fluff and tension with Professor Dekarios, Paramedic Halsin, and you as the injured TA

HAPPY BDAY @general-dweebous

“And now,” began the professor, “let us sort the chaff from the grain. Best of luck,” he continued, handing out exam packets as you followed and handed out answer booklets and multiple choice slips. “I have full confidence that most of you will do quite well and plenty of you will have wished you’d attended most lectures.” He froze, mid-step, and adjusted his spectacles; peering over them, the answer key on one student’s forearm became quite visible. “Matilda, may I see you in my office?” Readjusting his glasses along the bridge of his nose, he resumed climbing the stairs and dispersing packets. “The first packet will involve multiple choice, the last will require you to use those magnificent minds that I’ve helped mold since the close of summer. And,” he paused and lifted a finger into the air, “the larger the word and more difficult to pronounce, the better,” he resumed his ascension, “I may even add points on poetic flourish.”

An acne-ridden scowl darkened one student’s face. His hand shot up, “But, Professor Dekarios, this is a history course. Why does how we express it matter as long as it’s right?”

Gale continued disseminating papers, “AH! Because your voice is who you are! It is your essence splayed out with ink and paper. It is what,” a lick of his thumb as he separated the packets, “separates you from every other person in this room. And if I see some creative individuality,” he eyed the student over his glasses once more, taking in his very basic aesthetic, “I like to reward it.”

You stifled a chuckle as he carried on, describing what else would be on the midterm. Thank the gods I decided to wear these flats, was your main thought at the moment. You’d wanted to wear something a bit more—what was a good word— “eye-catching” to go with your flowing skirt, but reasonable Toms would have to do. The class was held in a large auditorium with a long flight of stairs separating three columns of chairs; while you didn’t appreciate the amount of walking necessary to make sure everyone participated honestly, you did find a hint of joy in the way the professor’s voice seemed to reflect off of the walls.

The room was an amphitheater and Professor Dekarios was its orator, keeping you enrapt in his eloquence for four semesters, now. As quick-witted as he was, however, he seemed to be oblivious to any notice of yours. While he did appreciate you bringing him a mug of black tea whenever you fetched a coffee for yourself, or the time you had made chocolate chip cookies to sate any hints of hunger during a grading session in his office, he seemed unaware of your subtle advances.

If he hadn’t been a coworker who’s company you enjoyed so much or if you didn’t finally have a position in your first-choice college’s administration, you may have more overtly tested the waters and seen where it took the two of you.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), both were the case and for now you were content with merely sharing thoughts and time with him.

“Meg, my dear,” your eyes shot up to his, a few loose strands framing his face, “I was hoping to be in my office, reviewing a few historical findings Professor Elminster sent me last night. Think you can handle keeping the hopeful masses in check?”

You looked around at the expanse of a room, hearing the groans and low chatter of the dozens of disgruntled students. They were prepared for their doom.

“You can say no,” he added, tilting his head as you looked back at him.

He’s literally giving me puppy eyes right now, how the fuck do I say no to that.

“Psh, I’ll be fine. No shenanigans’ll happen on my watch,” you feigned a salute that extracted a chuckle from the professor.

“Well, in that case, I’ll owe you. Maybe I can pay you back with a coffee while we grade these later,” he added, looking away to clear his throat.

“Sure! Gods know we’re going to need something to keep us awake.” You had leaned in toward him, conspiratorially, and looked around to the rest of the class again.

“AhEM, yes, well, right, that—that should do well, then,” he replied, loosening his tie. “Is it a bit warm in here? I supposed it’s a good time to head back to my natural climate in my office.” He faced the auditorium sprawling out below him, “Right! Well, gods’ speed, and Begin!”

***

The auditorium was filled with the sound of sighs, quiet groans, and scribbling. You paced up and down the aisles, making sure everyone filled in the bubbles in good faith. Matilda’s seat remained open as you passed it on your way up the stairs once more.

The door above clicked open. “Hi,” the professor whispered, holding the door ajar, folded napkin in hand, “Good work, I figured you could maybe use a little pick-me-up since you’ve been pacing for almost an hour, now.” He handed you the folded napkin through the space in the door. You turned and looked down toward the class, noticing that half of them watched the interaction while the other half looked toward their neighbor’s tables, and turned back to Dekarios. Unfolding the thin paper revealed a warm coffee cake muffin: your favorite.

His glasses held his tousled hair up and away from his face. A glimmer shone in his eyes and a smirk shined beneath. “I wouldn’t have my favorite coworker swooning alone in the classroom from not having a treat handy.” A smile was shared between the two of you.

“Thanks.”

“Of course, Meg. Now, I’ll let you get back to it. I was just getting to the part of the article regarding the importance of medieval cultural advances and folklore. It’s brilliant!” He pinched the air in front of him with zeal, then waved once more and closed the door.

You held the pastry close to your face and breathed in deep, savoring the delicious aroma, when—

*BERMBERMBERM*

Emergency lights flashed as the fire alarm blared from all around; suddenly, the air was filled with the sound of panic a few screams from behind you.

You spun around, almost dropping the muffin to see students scramble up, grabbing their bags and careening up the stairs. They raced past you, as you saw smoke billowing up from the foot of the stairs.

“Oh, my gods, Fire! FIRE!”

“What on earth is happen—” began the professor, reopening the door only to be pushed aside by the crowd.

You turned, handed him the muffin, then leaped down the stairs taking two at a time. Halfway down, you unlocked the fire extinguisher case with your admin key and held it under your arm. Adrenaline pumping as you continued your descent, you failed to notice how close the last stair was when you skipped past it and landed at an angle on your left foot.

*twist*

FUCK, that’s going to be a problem. But, fire’s a bigger problem right now.

You limped over to where Professor Dekarios kept his dustbin: flames consumed the refuse paperwork in the basket.

“NOT TODAY, FUCKER!”

You pulled the pin and the trigger, spraying foam and smothering the flames thoroughly. After a few more seconds, just to make sure the monster was conquered, you released the trigger, huffing while your ankle still throbbed. You placed the extinguisher down with a deep sigh and sat on the professor’s desk, trying to take weight off of your foot. A moan escaped you as you lifted your injured ankle up to your knee. Looking up, you noticed a handful of students by the doors and Gale halfway down the stairs, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. What you hadn’t noticed was how far your skirt had been hiked up your thigh.

“I think I got it, I think it’s fine now,” you panted, brushing a stray strand back behind your ear.

“Yes, I think you are—I mean, um,” he rubbed his eyes with his right hand and nodded, “Yes, yes, um, good job Meg,” he removed his hand and headed down the stairs to you.

A few of the stray students clapped and you waved weakly, “Thanks, thank you, yup. That’s why they pay me the big bucks. Pretty sure it’s safe to say ‘class dismissed’, right, Gale?”

“Yes! Yes, you’re all dismissed,” he flicked his hand behind him flippantly, signaling for the remnants of the class to disappear.

Other administration members arrived to see what the commotion was about. “Gale! Meg! What the devil happened here?” You knew Rolan cared, he just had an odd way of showing it. “It smells abysmal in here, open a window or something.” The librarian stalked toward a large window a quarter of the way down the auditorium and shoved the pane up. A pleasant October breeze swept in. “And why are you still just sitting there?”

“It appears our heroine has acquired a wound in battle, so unless you know any healing techniques,” Gale’s voice lowered from a shout to something softer when he faced you, “she’s better off here, on my—well, on the desk, that is.”

“Ofcourse you would go an injure yourself, wouldn’t you?” His words were meant to annoy, but you saw the change in his demeanor upon hearing of your state. “Well, it’s best that the fire department should be here any minute, then isn’t it? And even if we called off the hounds, given that it seems you’ve fixed that smokey little problem, they’d still want to see for themselves if the danger was quelled substantially or not. They’ll probably have someone that can patch you up, though.” Rolan paused his soliloquy to focus on a different topic with a slightly gentler tone. He approached the desk you still sat on, your foot propped up while you grimaced, “…How bad is it?”

“It’s not great,” you sneered through half-closed eyes.

At that moment, you could faintly hear sirens. Here comes the cavalry. At least there was one bit of good news: you could tell the firefighters you’d braved the flames and saved the school yourself. And considering, well, your general opinion of those in the fire services at large, you wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to impress if you could.

A few minutes later, the sirens stopped immediately outside of the window. You all watched and bantered as the crew climbed the stairway outside, lead by—

No, there’s no possible way one of them is that tall. It’s some kind of trick, viewing them at this angle through the glass, you rationalized. Then again, the rest of them all look normal. You suspended your disbelief and waited for them to make their way over, gear in tow. The tall one stopped outside of the door and spoke to Dean Aylin. Unlike nearly everyone around, the dean failed to be distracted by the fireman and continued to debrief him.

Time slowed.

The tallest man you had ever seen bowed his head and angled his shoulders down, through the doorway at the top of the stairs. A frown darkened his striking features, including his facial tattoo that stretched the length of his face on the right side.

He locked eyes with your little group at the base of the auditorium, and his softened.

“Well, I take it you’re our hero, are you not?” His voice boomed down, effortlessly.

“That’s me,” you replied, ignoring every single overwhelmed sensation in your mind and body at the thought of this muscle-bound behemoth talking to you. Just pretend this isn’t real. None of this is real, and I won’t say something stupid. I’ll be smooth as butter. “And you’re, what, the resident talking tree?”

“HA!” A wide grin cracked his face. He shook his head, “No, that would be our driver, Minsc. I’m Halsin Silverbough and I’ll be your medic for the meantime.” He slid his bunker gear jacket off and draped it over his arm as he approached you.

In what universe had you done something to deserve luck this phenomenal?

#halsin silverbough #bg3 #halsin #halsin fanfic #baldurs gate 3 #Gale #dekarios #waterdeep #dnd #fanfic #BG3 AU #paramedic halsin #Listen #im ill #and sometimes i write things #And sometimes people like the things i write

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scandisim · 1 year

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💫 BOREALIS 💫 a reshade preset

Hi! Here is the release of my preset that I have been working on for quite some time - Borealis. This preset was made using Reshade 4.9.1. It's quite a bright and saturated preset with lots of warmth. I've also included several hotkeys with different effects for screenshot purposes (because ~*~aesthetics~*~). See more on those below. Here is a variety of images taken in my game that utilizes Borealis. Also this is my first ever preset so please let me know if you run into any issues so that I can try to correct it ASAP. Enjoy!

Important things to know:

This preset was made using Reshade version 4.9.1. I cannot guarantee that it'll work or look the same using other versions. You can still access version 4.9.1 here. If you do try it with other versions and it works, great!

This tutorial by xurbansimsx on installing Reshade is great.

Borealis utilizes quint_MXAO which is what adds pretty shadows to your game. It can however be quite heavy on your computer. So I added a hotkey (SHIFT + F1) to disable it if you find it makes your game slow. Make sure edge smoothing is turned off for MXAO to work properly.

Recommended lightning and world mods:

Use these if you want the exact look pictured. These are what I have in my game. This is the CAS background that I currently use. I also use K-Hippie terrain mods.

milk thistle

squea cas lightning

no glo v2

no blu v2

Hotkeys for screenshots:

ADOF (qUINT_dof.fx) - blurry background effect - SHIFT + F2

Cartoon (Cartoon.fx) - cartoon black outline effect - SHIFT + F3

FilmGrain (FilmGrain.fx) - added film grain - SHIFT + F4

Bloom (qUINT_bloom.fx) - hazy effect - SHIFT + F5

Tonemap (Tonemap.fx) - desatured effect - SHIFT + F6

Feel free to edit it to your desire for personal use. But do not reupload as your own is all I ask. Using it as a base and adding minor tweaks and changes and then uploading it as your own is not OK.

Available on my Patreon (public release February 24th).

#my cc #sims 4 #the sims 4 #sims #the sims #reshade #gshade #reshade preset #sims 4 reshade preset #simblr #custom content #sims 4 cc #s4cc #ts4cc #presets #sims community #cc

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rea-can-yeet · 2 years

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Guess who has a new lock screen tonight 🤭

I've always wondered how Noire would use his vision in battle and what kind of weapon he'd use. So I went to do some doodling for funsies --ended up making this...

This is just my hc, so take it like a grain of salt. Seeing as he's from sumeru (which is based a bit of india) I added peacock feathers to his aesthetic.

But then it got me to thinking MORE about his abilities, hence, why I gave him a scythe. Our mans is a spear user with his dendro burst similar to Diluc's but it's a peacock and it sweeps around the area in a circle while leaving flowers around that also causes damage when in contact. Tho I haven't figured out how he'd use his hydro delusion-

Gasp

OMG. OMYGOODNESSGRACIOUS. Oho. OHOHOHO. Like how the harbingers use their second element when transforming into their boss modes, Noire should have something similar! Game boss Noire 😩🥴😩😩 Should I draw him like that or 👀👀👀

No rea! We will stick to the schedule! 😤

Here's other versions of the art. One without the weapon while the other is just to showcase he's clothes new additions (and also without his mask)

@crystalizedlegend

@veritasventis -owner of the OC (noire)

#sagau #genshin cult au #art #genshin self aware #rea draws #noire.tag #oc art #not my oc tho #digital art #fan art #fanart #genshin #digital illustration

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barbiebutgayer · 10 months

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Rating Talia al Ghul’s Outfits:

*disclaimer this is just my personal opinion based on my style/taste and everyone style’s different so take this with a grain a salt*

1. Starting out LOVE the Matcha green color on her and we already know this girly can rock a skin tight leather anything at this point. Personally, wouldn’t have added a belt but we know if miss girl can incorporate an accessory to her look she will take the opportunity. It does bring more attention to her shape because it hits right under her natural waistline that, mixed with how the neckline hits, creates a nice harmony that compliments her figure well. I’ll give the nails a bonus point as well. My only downside is that while cute it would be a headache to wear with that fabric all day. I know queen is picking the wedgies out left and right when she wears this. Also she only has a front zipper which means she has to peel off that entire suit just to use the bathroom especially when it’s hot outside. With all that being said I’ll give it 6/10. The color of the suit with the nails is to die for but while it’s aesthetically is cute it’s a little underwhelming. Also the idea of trying to peel that off at the end of a long day is a no for me.

2. Love Love Lovveeee this one!! Her in vibrant pinks slay every time it’s always a vibe like you go you dramatic lil groovy barbiecore gal 💞 Anyways getting onto the look the waistline is gorgeous it looks like either gold boning or fabric draped down along the body whatever it is it’s stunning and adds a dramatic yet dainty detail. I’m also loving the pleats on the skirt and the sleek sophisticated yet playful feel the fabric and sleeves gives her. I know this one is a specific type of taste but personally it’s a yes for me I’d give this one an 10/10 Ik Ik it’s only the 2nd one I’ve rated but I’m a big fan of this look and am always here for a good high neck moment also feeling the slit yes queen get the airflow. That is one downside of the dress is the slit fairly high so prone it accidentally flashing and some people could find the high neck stiff and restricting but overall with the shape, color, fabric, the gold on the dress paired with matching gold bracelets the look gives a very feminine elegance that while soft makes a powerful statement.

3. …..total early 2010s vibes with the chunky bracelet paired with the even chunkier necklace. It’s perfect for the era of when this comic came out but I’m sorry it’s not the vibe personally. Love the shoes and the blouse but just maybe not with that skirt paired together. Or you know what the outfit is do able I take that back the combo isn’t too bad. It’s just not the best for what she’s trying to do like I’m sorry this doesn’t scream “I’m the woman who’s going to world dominate and take your business” she’s still girl bossing and dominating yes, but in a Vegas Nightclub Receptionist way. Which isn’t a bad thing I say that as someone from there. It’s just idk something about it ain’t hitting. My baby is always pretty and her hair flows gorgeously in harmony with her blouse maybe it’s her stance the photo but idk I’d give it a 3.5/10. 🤷‍♀️

4. A simple look but she does her job bringing back the hot pink in the form of cargo pants. It’s Talia’s world and everyone else just lives in to when she walks around in pink. Her blouse is super cute and length of her sleeves give her a “let’s get down to business” energy. It’s not her most over the top and flashier moments but it’s giving effortless intelligent beauty who might or might not be some sort of doctor/professor. I’d give it a 7/10 nothing bad aesthetic wise and comfort wise you’re pretty set. A little bit on the basic side for someone like Talia but for someone who constantly wears statement pieces. A casual civilian moment is refreshing to see on someone like her. Definitely a perfect outfit to for a cute hiking date or mission with Bruce. Not high enough to be a 10 but too cute of an outfit to be a 5.

5. Yeah you know not really feeling this one either. I know different artist have done variants of this suit but no matter the art style it just doesn’t do any thing for me aesthetic wise. Like idk what it is about it because I ofc love white on her and I can appreciate the symbolism behind the suit but idk i feel like they could of gone different directions. The suit just is a little stiff looking. Which I know that is the point of the look but I’m sure she definitely not comfortable imagine getting a back itch in this outfit not the vibe. The gloves are little too medical feeling especially with the straight jacket looking bands. I know I’m tearing into this one but a positive of the look is the texture of the suit I do like that added detailing gives her a bite of a regal white knight in shining armor feel. Overall would give it only a 3/10.

6. Idk about y’all but I’m feeling the long slit midi skirt with the black garter or weapon giving a free little show. The whole ensemble all together gave camp steampunk pirate feel in the best way. What I’ve learned making this post is that our girl loves a good blouse and any outfit she pair with it. The sleeves on this one is a lot more of a puffier bishop than the ones she’d d normally wear. I also really like the little belt she has sitting at her natural waist with the gold in the center. It’s a tiny detail but the gold on the belt pick up on the gold rose on her skirt. I’d rate this one a solid 8/10 maybe that’s too high of a rating but it’s different it’s dramatic without it being too over the top. Very Talia as well. 🏴‍☠️

7. It’s iconic, it’s an OG style on the queen we all know and love just with added accessories. Always the moment whenever she wears this type of style dress and she knows it. It’s a 9.5/10 ofccc! Love the plunging neckline again personally wouldn’t of done a belt if so maybe a gold one to pair with the gold jewelry but maybe that would of been too much gold and draw too much attention. Her shoes are so cute and look comfy which is a plus. Her cape piece and how the fabric falls gives her such an ethereal but modern essence when she walks through the door.

8. -10000/10 Love an orange moment on her just not when it’s a prison uniform…. #freemygirl

9. Another iconic look from an iconic moment. She reminds me of the blue fairy from Pinocchio. The twinkle in the night serving femme fatale but also girl next door at the same time with the pink dainty shoes. A simple but timeless dress comfortable enough to tend to Bruce’s wounds while also looking good. Some people might say it give night gown vibes but in a 13 going on 30 way. I’d give it a 7/10

10. Basically her high neck pink dress but in a sun-kissed orange and more gold accents with a ruby gem draped over her waistline with a slit. My god and though SLEEVES giving Shakespearean vibes ! 😍 Since it’s a version of the other one ofc I’m going to give it a 10/10 🧡

But yeah that’s it maybe I’ll make a part 2

#dc comics #talia al ghul #batman #ra’s al ghul #talia head

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wheelcr · 2 years

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hi flora! i loveeee your new theme! it's so so pretty and u did so well on the icon ^ anyways i wanted to ask for like, more info of finn in ur actress dr?? im so smitten for finn ajsnsa and i just wanted to know more abt him

- 🏩 nonnie

ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐍 𝐖𝐎𝐋𝐅𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐃𝐑. ✧ ˚ ༘ ゛

hiii there my pretty pretty nonie! tysm i'm so so happy you like it darl <3 and ofc!! i love talking about finn obv i'm smitten for him too [ dreamy sigh ] i think i also received an ask about finn from @timotheesl0ve but accidentally deleted it and forgot about it so :/ this post might be a lil diff from my other ones ^^ includes some text msgs and scenarios from my dr

♡. okay, jesus, where do i even begin?? finn is a tall, lanky, chaotic, super loud, force of nature

when i first met him, he was kinda awkward— like fidgeting and stuff, stuttered out a "hey, i'm finn" "oh i know" "oh.. well then" was not really how i wanted to kick off our friendship

♡. once he warms up enough, he's super goofy and playful. also really sweet!! :c he told me i looked pretty and that he was a huge fan of my show, and i never blushed as hard as i did that afternoon i swear

and the thing about him, he knows damn well what he's doing. the tiny smirk that crept up on his face when he saw my cheeks redden definitely told me so

♡. whatever confidence and charm he has in real life is totally amplified at work! i wouldn't say that finn is a perfectionist, because there are definitely a shit ton of moments where he's lazy and chill, but when he does something, he puts his whole finn - ussy into it yk what i mean?? you can tell that he really enjoys what he does and works hard for it, and it pays off bc the shit he makes turns out so so so good!!

♡. one thing i like about finn is that he's honest, makes it so much easier to communicate tbh ^^ he's straight up about everything, doesn't like to beat around the bush he's super genuine and sincere and i find it so akaioqjdjwfujd he's so perfect :ccc

♡. adding to the last one, he's also sometimes too honest.. like in a spontaneous oversharing kinda way...

bambi 😼💤 [ 11 : 25 ] — flor flora florie floorwax

🥓 sunshine. [ 11 : 28 ] — what do you wajt its 11pm finn

bambi 😼💤 [ 11 : 29 ] — bird outside my window c:

bambi 😼💤 [ 11 : 29 ] — also i really need to pee

🥓 sunshine. [ 11 : 32 ] — good for oyu wolfhard

🥓 sunshine. [ 11 : 32 ] — goodnight.

♡. love love loves!! vintage aesthetics! when discussing movie night in our gc he has to suggest at least one old chick flick. has tons and tons of playlists just filled with 80s music. also loves taking polaroids and low quality videos with like the grain that makes it look super old

^^ which is why finn was super hyped about the take on me cover he did with calpurnia. wouldn't stop talking my ear off about it for weeks and i honestly didn't mind. the dreamy look in his doe eyes when he talks about something he's passionate about is to die for

♡. super touch starved. doesn't initiate anything super touchy - feely at first but trust me, he enjoys it very much. he loves having his hand held. says it makes him feel grounded and safe. also loves when people play with his hair!! isn't afraid to ask for affection but will bite me if i question it

"lili can you play with my hair?" he mumbled once, face smushed into one of my velvet cushions

me being me, i just couldn't pass the opportunity for at least a little bit of teasing over my friend's little request "awww, puppy wants pets? you need me to play with your hair hmmm?"

"..." "..haha, do you still want—" "good fucking bye >:c" i almost died from laughter watching his tall figure retreating to my kitchen to eat all my banana bread as payback

♡. moody moody boy. one moment he's bouncing off the walls and joking around and having the time of his life, then he reads one hate comment or remembers something that he didn't want to remember and his mood goes super duper sour :c

like if he's upset he won't be rude or snappy but he'll definitely be super quiet and really really dry. ( his annoyed voice is kinda h— ) if he's upset by something someone did, he's not one for confrontation at first, but he's gonna make so many jabs and sarcastic remarks

♡. super sentimental lil man. he loves to take pictures and short clips, and basically document everything going on 'just for the sake of it'. i think this mainly comes from the fact that our friend group consists of a lot of vloggers. finn likes keeping memories stored in a safe place where he can edit them and make them look all pretty just for him and his friends to look back on and laugh, and i find it so so endearing

♡. okay but like despite the whole mysterious, almost like untouchable kinda aura he emits because of his thick lashes and half - lidded eyes, he's just a boy. a boy who still makes 'your mom' jokes and finds farting funny. a boy who completely bursts my eardrums with a rickroll everytime he joins discord vc. a boy who went skating with me down the street while yelling "THEY SEE ME ROLLING—" and i love him so much. he's my best friend <3

#⠀💭 ۫⠀love letters.⠀୨୧⠀· ˚ 𓈒 #🏩 — nonnie ♡︎#꒰⠀file : actress dr⠀꒱#bambi!#might make a part 2 because i love talking about finn smsm hes so great #( and so handsome )#shifting #reality shifting #desired reality #shiftblr #finn wolfhard x reader #finn wolfhard #storytimes.

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the960writers · 1 year

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Hi! I was recommended your blog as a good place for writing advice. I was wondering if you have any thoughts on using Tumblr blaze to get the word out about a published work? I don't have a ton of followers, nor do I have any other social media. I'd planned trying a couple other 'marketing' methods but just wondering if you think there would be enough positive engagement from a blazed post to even bother?

Take my advice with a massive grain of salt because I pay tumblr to be ad-free and run an ad-blocker, so I haven't ever seen a blazed post.

I would be very careful. Tumblr is notorious for hating on anything "capitalistic", and plenty of people consider authors to be part of the "golden elite" (that's a quote from a post I can't find anymore). If you advertise, people might hate on you because they put you on the same level as Disney advertising on tumblr.

I would probably try to be funny, or make it look like an aesthetic post, and keep the Call To Buy very subtle. You don't want to look like a salesman yelling.

But that's just my gut feeling. I know that Joy Demorra (who already has thousands of followers so it doesn't quite compare) blazed her book:

And Joy consequently got her inbox flooded with people berating her for being on amazon and therefor not deserving any money because she made a deal with the devil or some such nonsense.

What else to do?

I have a few advice posts collected in my #marketing tag, and there's also some good general advice in #being an author.

In general, most indie-authors advertise on facebook (yuck!) and Amazon, and have a newsletter. You should probably focus on these points.

For Email-marketing, check out David Gaughran's blog:

Definitely join his newsletter and check out his free stuff and books.

The other mammoth blog for learning advertising, is Mark Dawson's blog and system:

Look at the free stuff and listen to some episodes of the podcast. He sells famous-among-indies courses to learn advertising on facebook and amazon, they may be worth the money but I have not taken any of them.

Back to tumblr.

Do you have an active blog? Show some stuff from your writing. Do you have a pretty masterpost with pictures and a little description about yourself and what you write and links to samples and places to buy and DID YOU PIN IT?

If you have all that, maybe then I would think about blazing a funny post. But I can't help you with what tumblr would consider funny. That's like those people making 15 seconds videos on tik-tok about their books, and that seems to work and I just don't get this at all! Oh yes, apparently tik-tok sells books? I recently had an ask about that too. Maybe look up tik-tok.

So, yeah, I can't help you with tumblr but hopefully some info in this post is helpful. I wish you luck!

#marketing for authors #tumblr blaze #barbex gives advice #marketing

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the-rodent-gentleman · 2 years

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The Prince of Wrath

OK, I need to get this off my chest or else I’ll go berserk.

Ever since Asmodeus showed up in episode 7 of Helluva Boss in all his sexy glory, my mind has been bursting with headcanons about the other Princes of Hell (aside from Lucifer), one in particular.

The big, bad head of Wrath himself: Satan.

Perhaps it has to do with how his app we see in that same episode implies he’s big and muscly, or how all the details we have of Wrath’s environment and residents give glimpses into his personality and values?

In any case, big thanks to the person behind this post about their own headcanons about the Big Red D himself. It really got me inspired to do some of my own cuz, oh Lord, do I!

Speaking of the aforementioned post, its ultimate conclusion is that Satan is a warmongering, bloodthirsty god-tyrant who demands maximum savagery from his subjects and revels in the spectacle of violence itself.

Honestly, given all of the context the show’s given us so far, this take makes absolute sense. I can totally see Vivziepop’s Satan being a cross between DC’s Mongul and Bleach’s Kenpachi, championing violence and bloodshed by upholding conflict while constantly on the hunt for worthy opponents himself. Any self-respecting imp would want to worship such a figure.

If I may, though, might I suggest an alternate interpretation?

A very lengthy alternate interpretation?

Appearance

First off, Satan will be jacked.

I think we can all agree on this.

Unless Vivzie pulls a MuscleBob Buffpants by giving us a Satan that’s actually a weakling (an epically hilarious thought), it’s safe to assume the Big Red D is built like a shit brickhouse.

And thicc. No joke. You’d be amazed at all the real-world art that depicts this guy with cake.

After all, he’s the king of Wrath itself which means he’d have to be sporting God knows how many pounds of raw muscle beneath his clothes as each step of his massive cloven hooves shakes the very land like an earthquake. Like Asmodeus, he would tower over his followers, his height a constant reminder of his power and authority.

As for his attire, given the Wild West/country-style aesthetics of his respective Ring, it’s safe to assume Satan will have a cowboy theme going on too, just like how Asmodeus has his whole slutty showman schtick to match the flashy lascivious clubs in Lust.

Gotta be on brand, ya know?

That said, being the leader of a such a war-driven group means he’d have to do more than dress like a simple cowboy. His looks would have to scream something that fully encapsulates him as not only a figure of worship and authority but also of chaos.

Now depicting him like a sheriff makes sense initially since that’s a position of power, except sheriffs back then only got jurisdiction over small areas - and the Ring of Wrath is assumedly anything but small. Plus again, chaos.

By that logic, making him a mayor also only works to an extent since this is a higher position, but the problem here is that it implies a certain level of detachment from the action. A big no-no for the ruler of war.

In short, neither job fully captures the feel of someone large and in charge of a land where power is the end all, be all, let alone someone who is the undisputed king of letting loose and wrecking massive shit.

Hence why I suggest a third option: gang leader.

Think about it. With all the wars and fighting Wrath’s denizens do, it makes sense to envision all of them as part of a widespread band of outlaws, further adding to the contempt towards imps like Moxxie or perhaps even Blitzo who go against the grain.

Depicting Satan this way would best capture the sense of worship offered to him by the imps, what with the sense of loyalty and all, while also sticking to the authority he has over Wrath. Plus, I can see him riding around the deserts on his own massive steed to survey his subjects to insure nobody’s getting ideas of overthrowing him (not that he wouldn’t welcome any bastards naïve enough to try).

Side note: it’d be sick if the ‘face’ we see in his exercise app turned out to be based on a mask he wears. Would really tie into his theme of putting up a tough front, which I’ll get to in a bit.

Of course, being the embodiment of a sin, Satan would have to be more akin to a gang leader god, one whose sheer strength could level an entire mountain range in seconds while his unmatchable marksmanship is the stuff of legends. A literal force of nature few would dare to question, never mind challenge.

A true undeniable king.

Except it might not be as clear-cut as that.

Backstory

One thing Helluva Boss has been consistent in is its inversion of tropes, or at least mild tweaking. Look at how Asmodeus interacts with Fizzaroli as Moxxie and Millie leave the stage in Episode 7, for example.

If we can expect hidden depths like this to be a trend for the other Sins, there’s no sure telling the kinds of nuance Vivzie and her crew could implement. After all, Hell (and Heaven for that matter) in this universe has more going on beneath the surface than appearances suggest.

And that makes sense. Lucifer, Satan, Asmodeus: all the Seven Sins were somebody else before they fell. The mere fact they’re rulers of Hell now doesn’t negate certain aspects that persisted after their descent.

Then who was Satan once upon a time? What name could he have bore before becoming the Prince of Wrath?

Though the answers differ wildly across sources, one grips my imagination the hardest (mostly due to me having a certain game series on the brain).

Satanael.

God’s former enforcer and executioner. An angel of justice and fairness and, most importantly, divine retribution. The one who rebelled against a false God (perhaps an angel other than Lucifer hoping to overthrow the true Supreme Being) on behalf of humanity’s freedom.

Only for humanity to disregard said freedom in favor of blissful ignorance and mindless content, leaving the one who championed them not only disillusioned but embittered. Deeply so.

So much in fact that while he never fully lost his sense of justice after falling, he had done a complete full-reverse in his mentality regarding it, going from Right Makes Might to Might Makes Right.

In other words, you can only achieve the justice you seek as long as you have the power to do so. Otherwise, you best as hell either get out of dodge or brace yourself to get trampled.

Given the culture of the Wrath Ring, said ‘power’ is commonly taken to mean ‘physical strength’, although if Moxxie and Blitzo are any indication, imps have been exploring other avenues of strength as well (though perhaps not always with justice in mind necessarily).

Again, fitting with the Wild West theme since a good number of gunslingers in history originally came from law-abiding backgrounds while others tried to go the straight and narrow after leaving behind their criminal lifestyle - to no avail of course.

On the topic of law-abiding, someone that powerful and with experience in law enforcement would be indispensable to Lucifer as the big boss himself would need some way to maintain control over all of Hell, let alone defend it. Perhaps a second-in-command?

Which would strike me as odd considering someone like Satan would wind up ruling over imps, who rank at the absolute bottom of Hell’s hierarchy alongside hellhounds. On the one hand, you could argue this works just fine for the big guy as he has a perfectly dispensable army at his disposal.

If he couldn’t care less about his imps.

But - and humor me on this - what if he did?

If so, then surely he’d do more to better imps’ social status in Hell (even if only for the sake of his own pride), except that would entail invoking a total rehash of the hierarchy, which would require him to defy not just Lucifer who stands at the very top but the other Princes as well.

And he can’t risk depriving imps of their idol if he were to die in the attempt, let alone worsening their already god-awful reputation. After all, history would simply see a rebellion led by him as a grab for power, nothing more.

Then it hits him: who needs power most?

The weak, the feeble, the downtrodden and frustrated. The ones constantly put down for no reason other than enforcement of the social quo.

Because that’s how change and justice mean something in the first place, by starting from the bottom up. By imps along with any low-level demons who may follow rising up and putting pressure on or even uprooting the higher-ups to enact proper change.

And how do they achieve this? With the proper resources and connections, with the right tools and information. Perhaps even from some secret allies, one which happens to be a certain devil.

Yeah, the big bad Satan himself backing an imp rebellion from behind the scenes.

After all, what’s better than seeing your followers achieve their own justice? (Unless they’re like, say, Striker who’s only in it for his own personal gain. In fact, it’d interesting to discover Satan would find such a motivation disgusting.)

Personality:

As for his actual character, while we’ve already covered most of his general beliefs, there’s still plenty to extrapolate about him.

Being the Prince of Wrath in conjunction with his possible backstory, it’d be natural to assume he’s masculinity incarnate, boasting an air of swaggering confidence and dominance wherever he goes.

By that same token, he would take immense pride in his physical prowess, hence why he goes great lengths to maintain his chiseled physique, not only in strength but also in stamina, flexibility, and other bodily attributes.

In short, he’s a gym rat. A very, very big gym rat.

Furthermore, as he’s head of Hell’s military forces, he also takes care in maintaining his combat capabilities, including marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat. This way he’s always ready for a scrap, no matter the scale or opponent.

As a result, while he could come off as arrogant and aloof (and for good reason), Satan is actually very vigilant and dedicated to his job, a job so important to Hell’s stability that he imposes high (albeit somewhat narrow-minded) standards on not only himself but also his imps and to an extent others in terms of battlefield performance.

To that end, he highly values self-sufficiency as much as he does loyalty and obedience as he can’t be around to baby every single person. He’s a ruler and a commander, not a babysitter. This can also make him very unforgiving to anyone he deems a failure or weakling since, again, he has no time to coddle fools who refuse to grow spines.

Just because he might care about his imps doesn’t mean he won’t show them tough love.

On the other hand, if you are someone who succeeds in meeting his standards, expect nothing short of the utmost respect. For an imp, it’d be like finally getting the approval of a super-strict and highly accomplished father...except now they would have the immense pressure of keeping their self worthy of said approval. Yikes.

If you’re someone who can actually match him in skill and power, however, that’s when things get truly interesting.

While the canon could depict him as a scoundrel who will do anything to win, it’d be interesting if it showed him having a twisted code of honor instead. Going back to my theorized backstory for him, for Satan it’s not enough to merely win. You have to win for the sake of your ideals, prove you have what it takes to see your beliefs through no matter who stands in your way.

Perhaps in a way this could be how he secretly assures to himself that his former angelic self might have been right all along, that standing up for others isn’t weak or foolish.

That said, he could still be a massive dick. For one, he’d be above asking anyone for help because why would he, the Sin directly behind Lucifer in terms of power and authority, ever need someone’s help? He’s the one people rely on, not the other way around!

Same with showing emotion - or rather any emotion that isn’t some degree of rage, hate, joy from combat, or even just casual grumpiness. In fact, if he were to have neuroses similar to what I’ve been listing, he’d likely have a complex about seeming weak or needy, perhaps even resorting to cruel quips if he so much as thinks someone suspects those of him.

At least out in public. Behind closed doors, he could turn out to be an absolute teddy bear who has all sorts of ‘feminine’ hobbies like gardening and knitting that he wouldn’t dare reveal to anyone he isn’t close to.

Plus, he could be utterly touch-deprived and desperate for even the smallest drop of affection since being the Ruler of Wrath doesn’t seem like the kind of position where you can afford to come off as mushy.

In fact, it’d be interesting if Asmodeus weren’t the only one with a secret little relationship on the side for this very reason.

Relationships:

Speaking of relationships, it’d be both hilarious and highly ironic if Satan, the embodiment of Wrath itself, were the voice of reason among the Seven Sins.

I mean Lucifer would have to keep someone so powerful close by for more than one reason, and anyone in charge of the military forces for Hell has to be able to keep a cool head. Somebody capable of both sheer strength and complex strategy is far more intimidating than a mere brute, after all.

Granted, we may not know the personalities of the other rulers yet but if Ozzie is any indication, we can expect them to be a colorful bunch, so it’d make sense for at least somebody among them to be the levelheaded one. Honestly, I could easily see such a Satan often having to reign in the antics of Asmodeus - and possibly Leviathan too if the theatre mask app is any indication (dramatic ass sea monster king when, Vivzie?).

Basically this GIF in a nutshell.

Now while I’ve already gone in depth about how Satan might be towards his imps, it’s still worth noting that he did not deign to show up during the Harvest Moon Festival in Episode 5. Perhaps he thinks himself too above such an event or maybe he has too much on his plate to waste the time - maybe both.

In any case, there could be some level of affection Satan holds for his imps but at the end of the day he is still their leader and them his followers.

That said, I feel if he did care about his people, he might in turn have some level of contempt towards Sinners since even they rank higher than imps and hellborn in general on Hell’s hierarchy.

As for how he could view Heaven and its denizens, the Archangels in particular, well that would be plunging deep into headcanon territory (well deeper) and this post is long enough as is, so I think I’ll wrap things up right here.

Thanks for reading!

#satan #helluva boss satan #hazbin hotel satan #wrath ring #prince of wrath #theory #analysis #No this wasn't me trying to flesh out my version of Satan #what do you mean?#long post

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vintageslideshow · 1 year

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today’s ten minute project: rinsing the wash-out manually

So I was going through some newly-obtained slides and noticed that the flash on someone’s 1985 Christmas party was too bright on the subject. Here’s the original scan with no tweaking:

See what I mean? Okay, first things first, how about we clean this up in the scanner using Digital ICE on mild to get the dust and lint out, plus just a touch of grain removal and a light sharpening so this will come out a little better. I then touch the Restore Colors and the Restore Fading checkboxes, but neither of them do enough significant repair in the previews so I leave them off.

Okay, good foundation to work with. Taking this version and viewing it in IrfanView, my free Swiss army knife viewer of choice, to try some adjustments in the various levels to make this less high-key. After some trial and error I settle on reducing the contrast to 55%, lowering the light intensity down to 0.65, and raising the saturation to 85. I don’t want to change any of the color balance this time because this image seems properly weighted, which is a rarity.

The result pleases me so I leave it at this and figure any further messing to bring more color to her face would also affect the white walls; we can now see that her sweater is peach.

Not sure those are really her size. But now you, my awesome readers, are saying, “But can’t the scanner software itself fix the colors somehow, even if the automatic tools don’t do the trick?” Yes, yes it can. Here, let me pull up another slide of this woman, and I’ll show you the preview screens in VueScan of how she looks with no changes to the color setting...

...and how it looks if the limits of the color scale are moved just a bit away from white, in a manner similar to what Photoshop can do in its Adjustments:Levels window (though without the center marker for within-scale tweaking)...

Okay, that brought out some color! At the same time I also reduced the brightness by roughly 20% to increase the shadows and, as a pleasant side-effect, this also added a bit of vignetting to the perimeter. Now let’s scan and see how this works!

There’s a little wiggle room here for further reduction of brightness, sure, but the point here is that we got to this aesthetic juncture without fiddling in an external editor or relying on the scanner’s preset tricks to do the work for us.

#slide #photograph #washout #repair

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sanguine-inkwell · 6 months

Text

I feel like I've neglected the blog again, so! Mod Smoke here again. Time for an update on the sanguinarian shenanigans.

I've added a few books to my reading list, and the one on my bedside table is Energy Magick of the Vampyre by Don Webb. I tend to keep my own council and use several grains of salt when it comes to witchcraft, especially when people start spelling magic with a k, but I can definitely see how this could scratch some of the itch. For better or for worse, there's something predatory and preening about the nature of the vampire, and the more educated you are about yourself and your options the easier it is to take your urges out for a little run in healthy ways.

I'm on the fence about auras, energy, and all of that, but I'm a theatre kid at heart. The power of presence and presentation, the intersection of stage magic and religious ritual, is absolutely a real tool. Mod Glass is more straightforward about it- she definitely believes, and to my eternal bafflement she manages to feed on trees and flowing water. I can definitely believe in that, and the way she's a little less primal after sitting in a park for an hour. Clearly something is being achieved there, so it's possible- I'm just tragically doomed to my own version of cynicism, and thus the awkward anxiety of trying to ask the butcher for blood.

(I still haven't.)

I've got my coconut water, my pomegranate juice, my aesthetic and my interests. It's enough for now. I don't know if I'm flourishing, but I'm nearer that than not, so I'll take what I've got.

I think in a lot of ways it's easier to separate what you "should" want from what you do want. Especially when you're a teenager, you want the validation of community- community for its own sake, to some extent, but also a mirror to tell you you're real.

I fell into that when I found the otherkin community, pagans, all of it- if I let myself keep on with that, I'd still be content with the idea that dragons are supposed to crave eating rocks or hoarding shiny things. That's not what I need, or even what I really want. I want community, and I'm not going to find it by conforming to any standards, or I quite simply wouldn't be me. I try to hold onto "build it and they will come", for better or for worse, but I do go looking in my own way.

You don't net as much weird, queer, and othered community in the Bible Belt as you might expect unfortunately. It's a work in progress.

Back on the more direct topic though, I'm having fun snatching the other mods for deep philosophical discussions over drinks. I think it named itself Mod Citrine...? It's not on here often, mostly because it's even less inclined to the kind of theatrics I get up to. No roses and candles and gothic spires for that one. We feed on different things, I think, when it comes to blood- and that's why I can't entirely write off the possibility of some strange unquantifiable energy being involved. It's incredibly, deeply intimate for me, and for a moment I could almost convince myself I do have powers beyond doing mostly even eyeliner wings. It's definitely not the same kind of power or even hedonistic high that comes from sex, but I can't define it to save my life except through poetry.

For Citrine... it prefers not to call itself a vampire except by the strictest definition. If pressed, it'll say alterhuman or otherkin, but mostly for someone else's benefit so they can slap a label on and move on. It's not a vampire with all the bells and whistles the way myself, Glass, and Key are, with the gothic yearning and nocturnal tendencies and the fifteen different types of black lipstick on top of the hunger for blood. It calls itself an object spirit, a thing that had enough sentiment attached to it to get reincarnated, with some urges left over. Objects aren't animals, aren't primal the way animals are- but the desires and dreams attached to them are human, in a way, as much as they're not, divorced from the breadth of human emotion and distilled into inhuman too-clean drives, the way a storm or a mountain has drives.

Even so, it has a relationship with blood, just like I have a relationship with blood, and that interests me. I come at it from the perspective of a vampire, the hunger of the human predator that seeks to thrive, and then beyond thriving seeks their own pleasure. Citrine comes at it from the perspective of a sword, skill and fulfilled purpose and occasionally even as an offering. Not a biological hunger, not in the same way, but a hunger of purpose. Maybe ideology or identity. It makes some sense. As a vampire, I have to feed. The community itself is proof enough that the definition of feeding is varied. A sword would want blood, and specifically blood, because that's what it's built for and meant to do.

Needless to say, next time I make my substitute I'm offering some and seeing what it thinks. Partially for science. Partially because I'm pretty sure it'll work and I want to see the look on Citrine's face. Join me in pretentious vampire hell, I drink pomegranate juice out of wine glasses and it's very very fun.

That said, dinner's almost done, so I'll leave off here. Have a good night!

#mod smoke #rambles #sanguinarian #alterhuman #actually vampiric

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cheerful-solitude · 1 year

Note

May I ask about your ocs?

Ok thank god tumblr doesn’t seem to have any character limit so I can go on for as long as possible.

Now, I don’t have much OCs as I have more of, “I wrote AUs about ToG and the characters within has strayed so far from canon they might as well be their own characters.”

There are probably more than thirty of them at this point, so I’ll go on a brief intro for 19 of them. Some have more lore than others, and some have their stories published in their interwebs, while most are stil in the WIP zone.

I know this answer is… quite late? Life got in the way, and it took some time for me to come up with a way to explain-but-also-not-explain the timelines… Enjoy ;)

New Message

To: Diana

Cc: muqin.1976

Subject: TTTs All Patch Notes (This should’ve been a meeting oh my god…)

Attached are all the images of the designs the rest of the agents and I put together. Look at them as you read along. If you have any questions, ask Father (Do not ask me which one. You know which one.)

Attachment 1

T21 V1.4 Patch Notes:

- No drastic changes have been made since the previous patch, so we continue in Version 1.

- All colors except red have aged like that grain of rice on the corner of the living room that couldn’t be swept by the broom: brittle and full of dust.

- Fella’s eyes that are too high on his face are still endearing to our design agents, so they stay.

- Fella has been given a jacket to “kill the bright red of his sweater”, and raise his Badass points by 20%

- Gris’s features have been sharpened. An agent has died of severe cuts to their psyche, informed that it was too hot.

- Gris has a coat to pair the 1920s Great Depression aesthetic he’s got going with the shirt and overalls.

T18 V1.1.2 Patch Notes:

- As these are just alternates outfits to mirror T6’s Snowdin Season, we continue on Version 1.1

- Night has slightly shorter hair and an earring. She is considered “cute”.

- Our agents can’t tell whether we have illustrated Agnis or Canon Khun. This is considered a win. We were later informed that the only difference, really, is that Agnis’ hair is longer.

T20 V1.4 Patch Notes:

- Finalized the height difference between Grace and Aguero. Changes in silhouette and basic design are minor aside from that.

- Grace’s hair is messier with split ends. Flowers are not so much delicately placed as they are tangled.

- Grace’s mismatched colored pupils are not a mistake. The tiny tears might be there permanently.

- Aguero’s tsundere points are increased to 9000.

Attachment 2

T19 V0.3 Patch Notes

- This timeline has yet to debut with a story of its own. Until then, development is underway.

- Bee has been given a “Your cousin, the skater” look. They may actually know how. There is a bee sewn on their jean jacket (jeacket?), for anyone that forgets their name.

- Congratulations to Romina for being the first Khun to pull off the Chara cheeks. Clearly, our agents have been watching too many FNAF videos, as she now looks a Puppet prototype runaway.

- Nobody expected that they would rise the rankings in drip.

T22 V.2.1 patch notes:

- Woele’s shirt has been changed to red to add more color variety to his design.

- Maoyu’s clothes has been simplified, as his design is already “pretty colored”

- The use of the “tile” feature and “warp” feature in drawing allows the creation of a knit pattern effect - especially liked in Maoyu’s vest as is looks like fish scales

- As always, references for Woele’s wings were necessary.

T14 V.3.0 Patch notes:

- As always, we strive to improve the visual appeal of our characters by keeping what works and improving what doesn’t.

- GBK’s color scheme is considered “iconic” and “swell matte” by one of our agents, so it has stayed in this third version.

- Although it’s considered “cheesy and on-the-nose”, the Roman numeral XIV will stay on the belt as well.

- The scarf from the short, “Phantom”, has finally been added to GBK’s design. Thanks to it, a new tile pattern is available for our use.

- Ghost no longer exists as of version 3.0. A tragedy for the agents that liked the booty shorts and ‘OwO’ face.

- Due to the previous note, whether the ‘GBK’ nickname will stay or not is up in the air. For consistency’s sake, the pseudonym will stay until further notice.

R17 V.1.3 - Knife - Patch Notes:

- Improved the “Kirio” look on Knife’s face.

- A research agent found that Yan’s hoodie used to be pink. Since Yan and Knife are cut from the same cloth, Knife now has this pink hoodie, with minor adjustments to fit his aesthetic.

Attachment 3

T26 V0.2 Patch Notes:

- No relevant changes have happened since the previous version.

- All members of the department have agreed to leave them alone for a little longer.

- They do not yet know these are the days they’ll miss.

E10 V1.4 Patch Notes:

- Kept the ace color palette in this version.

- Brought back C!Bam’s [NICKNAME PENDING] cape. No nipple-looking polkadots this time.

- New pattern available: Lace 01

- Gave C!Khun [NICKNAME PENDING*] a ‘mafia boss’ look. It’s the equivalent of a red flag, some agents acclaim. Surely, everyone will know not to trust him in any future games.

- Decided that not enough people had undercuts. C!Khun has one now (not visible from this image).

*An agent has suggested the nickname “Druval”, as the hairstyle is reminiscent of an old classmate by the same name. That classmate was also smart and a trickster. Pending revision.

T15 V.2 Patch Notes:

- Shaved some years off of Khun and gave them to Bam. A loss for height difference, a win for ‘Can comfortably write KB’.

- Reduced points in Bam’s “babie” category, put them in “disaster” and “charisma” instead.

- Further use of the warp tool to create patterned garments that could be sold on EBay.

- Gave Khun hearing aids and a backstory to go with it.

Attachment 4

T2-1 V1.4 Patch Notes:

- Rune gets its 726362 design - now with actual terms and key words to use as future reference. (It’s a bastard sword).

- Decided that Knight is a polo shirt guy.

- Fixed Prince’s fluff collar.

T16 V1.2 Patch Notes:

- This patch comes with more updates for Glasses than Dete. The former now has a one-piece made with canvas-like fabric, and some arm warmers.

- Added more fluff to Dete’s hair (and the timeline).

T23 V2.0.3 Patch Notes

- Admitted that trying to make a reference sheet for anything other than their faces is a waste of time, as they change outfits Swifter than Taylor changes partners (and sexuality, apparently).

- All agents can agree, though, that the King’s outfits get comfier over time.

- No one has yet dared to come up with proper nicknames for King-Khun and Not-yet-king-Bam. No pseuds are as practical as K!Khun and K!Bam, so it’s understandable.

Attachment 5

T2-2 V2.1 Patch Notes:

- THEY DON’T NEED TO CHANGE THEY ARE PERFECT

- That said, management decided Skel should be more fragile, like glass. Needs to depend on a firefish to continue living in this form. They also said they just want to see a ribcage fish bowl.

R17 - Ryan - V1.0.2 Patch Notes:

+ It’s been requested that Ryan must be at least five timelines away from Knife at all times. As a company, we always go the extra mile, so we’ve placed him six timelines away in this lineup.

+ Begun the use of prints on shirts.

+ We have saved budget thanks to Ryan not having a face.

E11 V1.1 Patch Notes:

- Although it is dubious whether the entities known as Frost and Daffodil continue to live as shades of themselves after their deaths, the original timeline and characters are still very much real. The designs in this patch, thus, reflect the versions of them that were alive.

- An agent submitted a note that summarizes a new addition to this patch better than I: “Oh my god they are T4T.”

Attachment 6

E12 V2 Patch Notes:

- Mariam’s design has reverted back to its original idea: kind of dead, sharp shapes, tiny waist.

- There is uncertainty in whether the entity known as Palomo is real or just a product of Mariam’s imagination due to guilt.

- Decided to go back to the original idea for Omo: just a really creepy doll.

T5 V4.2 Patch Notes:

- Clearly, the timeline with the most drastic revisions.

- This patch comes with Viole’s ‘emo’ design presented in January. We sent feedback to Mother at this request, summarized as thus: “Really?”.

- As a response, we only got, “It stays.” So it stays.

- No one is sure why Viole has a bedhead.

- Hang in there, Kitten.

Attachment 7

T4 V2 Patch Notes:

- Including Clover here is more a formality than anything. His design was finalized over a year ago, and his story wrapped up way before that.

- That said, V2 brings the problem that the First Meeting Event, Second Meeting Event, and all other storylines stemming from that (basically two-thirds of our stored data), has essentially been… rebooted.

- Once again, someone decided to fork up all our plans.

T17 V2 Patch Notes:

- Both Yan and Ket have had redesigns recently. This is just a late roll-out.

- For Ket, we tried a more “DIY plush” look to his design. Some agents are crying with the knowledge that they have to make at least six other versions of this blanket. Others are already looking for shortcuts.

- As for Yan, he had a long overdue design coming. The agents like the futuresque/streetwear hood. One of the agents nicked his eyebrow.

- Unlike Version 1, Poff comes earlier in the timeline. What this means for future updates is yet to be l solved as we go.

Attachment 7

#cheer soli speaks #tower of god #the 25th bam #khun aguero agnis #tower’s tale #god………this took a while

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aberghdesigns · 1 year

Text

Alma Procreate Brush Pack

Procreate Brush Pack featuring 15 different brushes! I made this pack to make some basics that I like to use in my art, as well as some experimental brushes to play around with texture. Brushes Included previewed above.

Textured Liner - Lining brush with texture to add aesthetic to illustrations. This is my favorite type of brush for lining when compared to a smoother brush. Sharp Pencil - For sketching overall design and smaller details. Blunt Pencil - Can also be used for sketching wider lines and for shading. This is the shader I use when I'm wanting light texture. Single Stipple - Single line stipple brush with no jitter, dots are linearly aligned. Similar to how whip shading would work with a tattoo machine. Grainy Shader - Variety of different sized grains and opacities, this grainy shader is perfect for adding organic texture to your illustrations. Ribbon - Two lined brush for ribbons, banners, and more. Amoeba - Unique textured brush. Brush itself features smooth edges to allow the texture to be center stage. Plushie - Textured brush great for clouds, cotton, stuffed animals, and more! Asphalt - Rough textured brush, like asphalt. Foliage - Leaf brush with color variances to easily create bushes, tree tops, and more. Color variances in brush add depth and highlights to easily add greenery to your scenes. Split - Textured brush featuring splits. Birch - Rough textured brush Isa - One of my favorites of this set, I don't think the previews do it justice. I haven't found the perfect use for Isa yet but love the texture and stark contrast. Chained - Chain textured brush. Like Amoeba, this brush has smooth edges to allow the texture to be center stage. Marble - Marble textured brush. Similar to Amoeba and Chained, the edges of the brush are smooth.

Set comes as single Procreate brush set available for download immediately after purchase. This set is only compatible with Procreate and cannot be used in any other programs.

These brushes can be used for personal use or commercial use in pieces you intend to sell. However, this set, or any pieces therein, cannot be shared, duplicated, and/or otherwise redistributed whether for profit or not.

Due to the digital nature of this product, no returns or refunds.

Happy Creating!

PRODUCT LINK: https://alexisbergh.gumroad.com/l/alma

#procreate brush set #procreate #procreate brushes #digital art #digital illustration #digital artist #digital download

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mollrat101 · 2 years

Text

Symbols: Flannel

Being able to write an essay about Deborah Vance’s flannel shirts is going to go down as one of the gayest moments of my life and I couldn’t be happier about this.

Let’s do this.

The History of Flannel in Lesbian Culture

Flannel shirts are stereotypically associated with lesbians, sure, but let’s discuss why that is.

Today flannel is still used as a visual shorthand to indicate a character is a lesbian in visual mass media for a primarily heterosexual audience.

But as with many stereotypes, there exists a grain of truth.

Slate producer June Thomas:

“The association between lesbians and flannel likely began at the advent of women’s trousers. Because jeans were once the only acceptable trousers women could wear in public, and lesbians spearheaded the trend, the flannel-and-denim look was a natural fit given how well they coordinate.”

We’ve added a potentially interesting layer which is that lesbians wearing flannel also is tangled up in the history of feminism and gender equality, issues that are close to Deborah’s heart (which we’ll talk about more later).

But flannel (as with many recognizable queer fashion pieces) isn’t just about aesthetics, but was also a way for other lesbians to be able to safely identify each other in times of limited queer rights.

“While the concept of stereotyping is grounded in othering marginalised people, clothing stereotypes are sometimes used to signal and find others who belong to the same group you do. This is especially true for lesbians. It’s one thing to find other women attractive. It’s another thing to show you do find her attractive, and knowing another woman is safe to flirt with is made a lot easier if her clothing suggests she’s not straight.

Historically, lesbian and bisexual women have had to be resourceful and secretive when finding each other. Much of what may be known as stereotypical lesbian fashion today was originally intended for lesbians to signal their sexual orientation to other lesbians.”

Flannel is only of many other fashion pieces that were used by queer women to signal their sexual orientation to other women. There were also monocles, tuxedos, and short hairstyles, in the 1920s and 30s. Snapbacks, Birkenstocks, and pride badges and buttons are examples in more contemporary times.

The Domestic and the Private

When you look at all the scenes where Deborah is wearing a flannel shirt, there are a few aspects that tie all these moments together: each scene is firmly in Deborah’s domestic space, these are treated as incredibly private moments, and they’re all related to Deborah’s hobby of fishing and they all ultimately connect back to Ava.

Let’s focus on the first two aspects: domesticity and privacy.

Deborah Vance is an incredibly public figure. In her first few moments on screen, we gather that we, the audience, are going to be invited into the private life of a very public figure and we’re going to figure out along with Deborah what is her authentic self and what is a performance she plays for the public and how she’s going to integrate these two pieces of herself.

Out in public, Deborah plays the role of the fierce diva incredibly well. Especially with her loud prints and sharp sense of style which promotes the idea of a confident, successful woman who’s not afraid to show off.

In steep contrast, her flannel shirts represent a more stripped-down and toned-down version of Deborah.

Each time we see her wearing it, Deborah has stripped off her makeup and taken off her hairpiece. She’s settling fully into her domestic life now.

I’ve talked about how Deborah’s ultra-feminine aesthetic could, in some ways, be viewed as armor. So if we follow that metaphor, Deborah wearing flannel is her taking off the armor for a little while.

Flannel as a fabric is incredibly practical, again in contrast to Deborah’s usual emphasis on style and feminine beauty standards.

As Slate producer, June Thomas, jokes:

“Flannel is practical, it’s warm, it’s cheerful, it’s comfortable—like lesbians. And yes, it is a sensible, durable fabric, and my people are known for their practicality.”

But the extra kick about this is how the flannel shirts aren’t just a contrast from her usual appearance, but also catch Deborah in a lie of how she presents herself in public.

Deborah’s very first joke and first lines of the show:

“So anyway, of course now, the guy’s on top of me going at it, you know.

[grunting]

T-shirt’s still on ‘cause his breasts are bigger than mine. And I told him--What? I was jealous. So anyway, the dummy starts asking me questions. ‘Are you close? Are you close?’ I’m like ‘Yeah. Yeah. I’m close. I’m close.’ I’m close to getting a buzzcut, a flannel shirt and finally accepting Melissa Etheridge’s dinner invite!”

The way she phrases this joke, Deborah is saying that she doesn’t own any flannel shirts. She’ll have to go out and get one. Which we, the audience, know is a goddamn lie. In fact, she owns not one but several.

And her acting like she doesn’t own any flannel shirts is in response to the stereotype that lesbians own flannel shirts, so firmly reinstating her heterosexual identity despite her previous story of terrible sex with Marty which could’ve put that in doubt.

On a much smaller scale compared to lying about burning Frank’s house down, we’re seeing Deborah lying to the public about herself. Portraying herself in a certain way to play a role. With the house fire, it’s playing into the idea of her being a “crazy woman” while the first joke is playing into the idea of her strictly being a heterosexual woman, and no there are no debates about this, thank you very much.

The larger point is that the flannel shirt represents us seeing a very private side of Deborah that few people get to see because she deliberately hides this from the public and most people, in general.

The only two people we see Deborah with while wearing the shirts are Marcus and Ava. Two of the people she’s the closest with and knows her beyond her public image.

Alongside this idea of a hidden side, we also only see Deborah wear these shirts at night.

Now, obviously, there’s a practical level on this, not going to deny that. Deborah is incredibly busy and spends most of the day working, so it makes sense that she only has time to fish at night.

But let’s still believe the writers did this for a reason. The night is associated with darkness, death, vulnerability, secrets, fear, and intuition.

Nighttime, for many of us, is also a time for reflection, quiet, introspection, rest, and restoration or a chance for our dreams or wants to come out whether through sleep or through sex.

Fishing seems to be the only time that Deborah has a chance for quiet contemplation. She’s not surrounded by others. She simply gets to be.

It is perhaps not a coincidence that Deborah wears this practical, comfortable, pared-down piece of clothing in her moments of introspection, and reflection, and in her moments of exploring her own repressed desires, emotions, and thoughts.

The night is also associated with sleep so also with the unconscious and speaking of that…

Deborah’s Pond

Deborah’s pond is a symbol of her subconscious. The gist of my theory is that Deborah's fishing is symbolic of her beginning to get in touch with her repressed feelings, emotions, and memories due to the introduction of Ava into her life.

Water is a tried and true way to symbolize the subconscious.

“Typically water symbolizes secretive emotions, particularly desires. And these feelings might even be unknown to the person experiencing them and therefore are certainly unknown to others. After all, if the water runs deep, then so do the secrets, the feelings, and the emotions.

So where does the fish come in? Well, fish (trout are no different) swim through the secretive waters. As such, fish represent the movement, energy, life, motion and constant evolution of our thoughts, desires, and emotions.”

That she wears flannel while she does this suggests we are seeing a more intimate side of Deborah in these scenes. We are seeing a side of her that she either hides or lies about in her public life, as discussed above.

We see Deborah unearthing memories and feelings she’s been repressing in the first two scenes we see her wearing the flannel shirts.

Deborah finds Ava watching her unaired late-night pilot and becomes incredibly emotional over it. Why? Part of it is the renewed grief over the career opportunity that was taken from her and the personal betrayal from Kathy and Frank, but another part of it (as I see in the very next scene) relates to Deborah herself.

The late-night pilot shows who Deborah was before her character wound.

A character wound is a painful past event that changes who your character is. In psychological terms, it’s called the ‘negative core belief’, whose definition is almost identical to that of a character wound – ‘a negative, broad, and generalized judgment an individual has made about themselves, based on some negative experiences they have had during their earlier years. Whether you define it intuitively, or scientifically, in essence, it’s a thinking pattern rooted in our past. One that will impact how your character perceives the world, and ultimately the choices they make.

Deborah’s character wound is Frank’s betrayal both personally and professionally.

This wound explains nearly everything that Deborah does, especially in the beginning.

At the heart of every character wound, as explained above, is a lie that the character has internalized from their experience. I think Deborah’s lie is related to the idea of “I’m not safe” and so she feels constantly on the defensive, won’t let people in, always assumes bad intentions, and will mold herself into whatever is necessary for self-protection, even if it means sacrificing her desires or her morals.

The Deborah in the late-night pilot is incredibly familiar, but also seems like a different person altogether. She’s more emotionally open and affectionate. She’s more willing to be vulnerable.

She’s steadfast in her feminist beliefs and her desire to make comedy a welcoming place for other women. She’s not cruel.

There are many ways to interpret what the fish represents, especially connected to this moment.

I like @jennamacaroni’s interpretation that Deborah letting go of the fish is about Deborah choosing to let go of ruminating about what happened to her. To keep refilling the pond over and over again, constantly trying to re-live the pain and letting it control how she lives her life even after 4 decades. She’s refusing to keep torturing herself with resentment over her lost opportunity. The fish in a way could represent Deborah herself. As Ava says earlier, Deborah is also harsh towards herself. Maybe at this moment, she tries to show that more vulnerable part of herself some self-compassion and let go of ruminating over what could’ve been if that hadn’t happened and instead accept her life as it is.

I have a couple of other interpretations as well.

I think my biggest read on this scene is that Deborah’s long-repressed empathy and compassion come back to her in this moment because she saw a pre-wounded version of herself.

As she is confronted with that earlier version of herself, Deborah can no longer see the fish suffering as she did before. At that moment, Deborah’s empathy and compassion can no longer be repressed and she chooses not to kill the creature just because she caught it.

One of the biggest complaints Ava has of Deborah is that she can, frankly, be a bit of a bully. Wilson accuses her of something similar. She’s called an insult comic. I would argue Deborah is actually quite a good person, but in her humor, she has sometimes used it to pick on people who are already vulnerable. She’s made fun of Anna Nicole Smith (the world’s punching bag leading up to and after her death from a drug overdose), she has a set on making fun of Malala’s face, etc.

But Deborah’s biggest punching bag is herself.

Now, I just want to be clear that I don’t think insults being a part of your comedy is a bad thing. I’m not here to argue what is or isn’t good comedy. But I think what the late-night pilot shows us is that, before everything happened, Deborah seemed set on using her comedy as a way to advocate for women’s equality, to push her progressive values, and instead make fun of the powerful who use it to abuse others. Deborah herself wanted to be that kind of comic, but she’s lost her way.

We know Deborah has the capacity to be cruel, as demonstrated earlier in the episode. So once she sees that kind, sensitive, empathetic young woman who she knows is going to be terribly hurt and forever changed, she can no longer look at the fish the same way. She can see it struggling and in pain and feels empathy for it.

Just because she caught the fish on the hook, doesn’t mean she needs to kill it. Just because she has the capacity to use her words and her comedy to put people down doesn’t mean she has to use it for that.

(Season 2 complicates this again and not in a good way. Deborah’s show ultimately doesn’t pay off this thread they pulled out in season 1. Deborah continues to put other people down, including women and lesbians. I guess see this analysis as what could’ve been if this storyline had been more followed through on.)

But another interpretation could be the fish represents more of Ava herself and the love and understanding she potentially offers Deborah. I’ve theorized before that Deborah is very lonely and longs for a romantic partner. Still, one thing that’s also clear is that Deborah hasn’t really opened herself up to that possibility because she’s terrified of being hurt. She keeps looking for the “fishes in the sea” but she keeps killing them. Not letting them stay around long enough to see her. I think there’s also an interpretation that she keeps killing them because she’s trying to repress a desire she’s frightened of (more on that later) and therefore also killing any chance with a different kind of partner. She’s so desperate for control that she subconsciously keeps killing any chances to get what she wants because the thing she wants requires her to let go of some control.

The symbolism of fish makes me think of the Page of Cups tarot card. And we know from 2.02, that the writers are willing to incorporate tarot cards in their storytelling.

“The Page of Cups upright is a messenger and brings good news about the emotional aspects of your life. Some common messages that result from this card are possible romantic proposals, new relationships, an invitation, or good finances…

The card encourages you to embrace these opportunities, despite them being something that you may not expect. If you do so, it will lead to new adventures and open many doors.”

“The fish in this drawing represents the unexpected. Unexpected news, unexpected emotions, or unexpected inspiration are all examples of what could be in the future for you.”

“Think of the Page of Cups tarot card. In this card, the page is depicted holding a single cup. Inside that cup is a fish! The page is surprised by the fish, it is unexpected. And even more surprised is the person receiving the gift of the cup (fish included). The page of cups, in isolation anyway, tells of a new and unexpected offering of love.”

Who is more of an unexpected addition to Deborah’s life than the one and only Ava Daniels?

Deborah sees Ava has gotten closer than likely anyone ever has in a long time. Ava pushes through even when Deb tries to pull up her walls again.

So the fish represents a choice for Deborah, at this point.

Is she going to decide to cut Ava out now before she can get too close or is she going to see where it goes?

To a traumatized person like Deborah, the unexpected can seem like a danger. But they can also represent opportunity. An opportunity that secretly Deb has been waiting for.

But, because it’s a story, we got to have our ups and downs. 1.03 gives off hope when it comes to this symbolism, but now let’s talk about one of the gayest scenes in the series despite that nothing explicitly gay happens.

Deborah is left reeling finding out about Ava lying about her interview. In the interview with the journalist, she talks about Frank and we the audience know Deborah is emotionally comparing the two. Deborah feels betrayed by Ava as she did with Frank. She feels abandoned by Ava.

On top of all of that, we see Ava have to make a choice between selling Deborah out to benefit her own career or choosing to stick by Deborah…and she chooses to stick by her. Not only that, but Ava doesn’t sleep with her ex, Ruby, the night before because of a lesson she learned from Deborah about being professional. Ava shows immense growth and it is explicitly because of her connection with Deborah.

The comparison to Frank is reinforced in the fact that Ava didn’t wrong Deborah as Frank wronged her. She didn’t cheat on her and she didn’t sell her out (ignore the email, that’s another can of worms).

When Ava returns home, Deborah is pissed. Knife-wielding pissed.

She’s wearing her flannel which we could argue has connotations of queerness, at this point, which is doubly interesting because Deborah and Ava have been roommates for the past 2 weeks and they’ve only known each other for like 2 months. U-haul, anyone? Plus, Josefina makes an interesting remark about her niece also trying to pretend her roommate is simply just a roommate which wasn’t necessary to put in if not to mean something.

Deborah looks like a passive-aggressive wife who just caught her wife in a lie and cheated on her.

Unlike in 1.03 which shows Deborah opening up, she is distinctly closed off in this scene. She is hiding her hurt through coldness and anger. And in the opposite of that episode, she does kill the fish. We see her gut them and chop them up aggressively.

If we continue the symbolism as we analyzed in 1.03, her doing this represents Deborah closing herself off to vulnerability. Closing her heart off to Ava. Closing herself off to the emotions, the vulnerability, and the memories her relationship with Ava has unearthed. It’s not at all surprising in the next episode that Deborah wishes to not do the new show and fires Ava. She’s going back to repressing what has been brought up for her.

Deborah asks Ava to hold the fish while she violently chops it. She refuses to give Ava gloves when asked. This could be Deborah asking Ava to feel Deborah’s raw, bloody hurt of her betrayal with no protection. She wants her to take some responsibility for it, even if she won’t be direct with her. She wants her to symbolically understand that their close relationship is over and that she helped destroy it. It’s also, of course, a warning. A warning of how fierce Deborah bites when a person breaks her heart.

Oh yeah, she also mentions not wanting to chop off any of Ava’s fingers which *long, suffering gay sigh*. Before season 2, I would say the interpretation is that Deborah’s constant jokes about Ava’s hands indicate her attraction to her. So not only is Deborah cutting off any emotional and romantic feelings she’s having for Ava, but she’s also cutting off any sexual feelings she’s brought up in her. She doesn’t literally cut Ava’s hands but she almost wants to destroy the symbol of her attraction to Ava.

(I think my interpretation is now kind of debunked by canon in season 2. But I still think this wasn’t a crazy interpretation in season 1.)

If her pond is representative of getting in touch with her deeper self, her desires, and parts of herself that were buried to protect herself, then those associations rub off on the flannel as well.

The key to Deborah accessing this deeper part of herself seems to go hand in hand with exploring herself outside of the public persona she’s curated all these decades. And what she finds out in this internal journey is likely to be very contrary to what she’s presented herself before.

Okay, so what does all of this mean?

Now, none of this queer history would matter all that much if it weren’t for the fact that the show, and Deborah herself, also make this connection between flannel and lesbian culture.

Deborah: “So anyway, of course now, the guy’s on top of me going at it, you know. [grunting] T-shirt’s still on ‘cause his breasts are bigger than mine. And I told him--What? I was jealous. So anyway, the dummy starts asking me questions. ‘Are you close? Are you close?’ I’m like ‘Yeah. Yeah. I’m close. I’m close.’ I’m close to getting a buzzcut, a flannel shirt and finally accepting Melissa Etheridge’s dinner invite!”

Tied in with the history of flannel in lesbian culture, Deborah’s first joke is using these stereotypes to ‘other’ lesbians as she makes a joke about her unsatisfying sexual experience with a man (one of many she tells *coughs*) but then mocks the very idea that Deb would ever stoop so low to become a…lesbian.

But as demonstrated by the fact that we don’t see her face during this performance, we’re not meant to take this as the truth. Deborah is literally performing for an audience and what we are about to witness for the rest of the show is a more intimate look into the private life of this famous woman. And what we try to discover about Deborah Vance as we watch is how much of her public persona is fiction and how much of it is real. We soon find out that this persona Deborah wields on stage is very carefully constructed.

As video essayist, Tears in Rain, says Deborah’s performance is both defiance and refuge for her and it is demonstrated well in her first joke. She’s being defiant by being open about her sex life (especially as an older woman) and talking honestly about how she feels the need to perform pleasure because of male fragility and ignorance and self-centeredness when it comes to their sexual relationships with women. But she’s also seeking refuge because nothing of real note comes out of any of these jokes about her lack of enjoyment in sleeping with men. She gets to vent her frustration, but no real revelation or change comes of it. She never has to come to a conclusion that might make her uncomfortable or leave her feeling vulnerable to public scrutiny. She can talk about her sexual frustration, but then also distance herself from sexual minority groups in an effort to keep up a heterosexual appearance.

Now, as Hacks is a show with a majority queer cast that makes this show gives the deliberate connection between flannel shirts and lesbians even more weight. They could’ve chosen to not include that. After all, none of the queer characters fit completely well into any particular stereotype.

Because so much of the cast is queer, it’s not necessary to differentiate who the lesbian character is with this signifier unlike in other pieces of media.

The writers want you to notice that connection and they want you to notice that Deborah does wear flannel. Especially considering Deborah is the character who shows the most stereotypical view of lesbians and, as I’ve argued before, the most prejudiced views towards them.

This all ties back into the idea that Deborah wearing flannel is showing us her in a moment where she’s not performing. A moment in which she’s showing something that she’s hiding from her audience.

So if you combine the pond’s association with repressed subconscious desires and feelings with the association of flannel as both associated with lesbians and Deborah keeping secret sides of herself that directly contradict how she portrays herself to her audience, we start to get a clear picture.

The wearing of flannel can be read as Deborah keeping her subconscious attraction to women away from public view. These are the moments when Deborah has the solitude to even get close to thinking about her desires, especially if they are desires for women.

Now, at this point, I think Deborah’s attraction to women is buried fairly deep in her subconscious. Her attraction to Ava comes out mostly as insults about her appearance or surprised (or drunk) admissions and comparing Ava to her ex-husband, Frank.

Before season 2, I would’ve told you that this would all be a great lead-up to Deborah’s exploring more of her relationship to gender and sexuality and possibly even exploring the idea of being queer.

Considering my overall problems with season 2, I can’t say this is true anymore. Especially considering the show’s treatment of lesbians in 2.04 and how the show seemed to balk at the idea that Deborah might be queer.

The messy conclusion of all of this is that I think, especially pre season 2, a queer reading of all this is perfectly logical. Reading the symbolism of flannel as potentially laying the groundwork of Deborah exploring her queer desires doesn’t actually seem that weird.

Do I think the writers will do that? Unlikely. For whatever reason, they seemed to want to move away from this idea and in fact doubled down on Deborah’s homophobia and misogyny in season 2 which was disappointing, to say the least.

I don’t think Deborah will ever come out as queer in canon, but in season 1, if it was intentional, I think the writers created a beautiful visual story of a famous woman who’s struggling with her desires and yearning for authenticity and genuine connection. It could’ve been a beautiful story of a woman later in life discovering something new about herself that she’s long repressed and overcoming her fear. It just wasn’t meant to be this show.

Bonus:

Some of you probably know there is possibly another connection related to this which doesn’t have to do with anything in the show, so much as it does the history of Jean Smart’s career.

For those of you who don’t know.

Jean’s first major role was in a stage play called Last Summer at Bluefish Cove starting in December of 1980.

Jean won awards for this role and, through this, she was discovered and cast in Designing Women. So obviously this was a massive deal for her career.

Guess what the play was about?

“[The play] is a landmark piece in Lesbian dramatic literature as the first mainstream play of its kind.

The play follows eight women over the course of one summer on the fictional Long Island seaside town of Bluefish Cove.”

Jean played Lil, “Sarcastic, witty, and knows how to clean a fish in her sleep. Dying of cancer, but keeping the diagnosis close to her chest. The only single lesbian at the start of the play.”

…Do I need to state what everybody is thinking?

Sarcastic, witty, knows how to clean a fish, single…

Sounds an awful lot like Deborah Vance. Well, besides the cancer part. I guess if you wanted to connect it you could talk about how Deborah is towards the end of her life.

Am I saying the writers did this on purpose?

Honestly, I don’t know. Could’ve been just a happy coincidence.

But! It makes for an interesting bonus to all of this.

#hacks hbo #hbo hacks #hacks #hacks thoughts #deborah vance #ava daniels #ava x deborah #deborah x ava #avorah #debava

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