#revamped and trimmed down
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super sneaky self promo
#ooc.#it's half done but#jazz hands#revamped and trimmed down#anyone awake this late/early gets a first glance
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The World in Deeper Inspection UPDATE
Read: (Chapter 1: Pages 57 to 68) (COMPLETED)
About the comic
Grimsley confronts the man who set him on this goose chase.
And with that… that’s the end of the 10th Anniversary revamp!! Can’t believe it took me almost a year to get this short project done, but blame my school and day job for that! *drives the nail into the TWIDI IS NOT DEAD sign deeper into the wall*
It was enlightening to reinterpret my first ever completed comic (more complete than the strips and unfinished or one-off shorts I had done prior) – basically the one that started me down the road to a career as a published author. I was happy to see how much my style had improved – not just in the layout, flow and pacing – but in how my characters have become more expressive and energetic, and how comfortable I am with the cartooning. Here is the proof that drawing comics helps you get better at comics!! It only took 10 / 11 years!
Plus, after a long while of drawing with a more reserved, professional approach (see: Seance Tea Party, Alexander Comic), I enjoyed the abandon and whimsy of TWIDI. The lettering is inconsistent all over but that only adds to the handmade whimsical charm of TWIDI, so lol.
Anyway – I have the 10th Anniversary ebook edition up on my Ko-fi and itch.io! This edition carries both the original and revamped versions of Chapter 1. No new cover or illustration for it this time; I think they are perfect as they are.
I have been meaning to make a continuation of the end of TCM that bridges the start of Chapter 1. It’s a long time coming: a story that had somewhat existed since the early days of TWIDI in 2010. Hopefully I will find that stability in my life to return.
Open the cut below to see my notes.
There’s also nothing exciting here, EXCEPT I severely cut down on the number of panels (and the verbiage).
As with the previous spread I cut down and distilled a lot of the verbiage. I shifted the dialogue slightly so that the reveal that Mr. Brown is a Lord comes from Grimsley (in 2013, Mr Brown never admitted he was an aristrocrat until this page) – it made more sense since Grimsley had gotten the info independently from the newspaper article and Andrew, and Mr Brown not mentioning it himself fits with his whole lying thing.
For this spread and the next couple of them I am zooming out the panels to include more scenery. The 2013 layouts felt very claustrophobic, with the over-reliance on bust shots of the characters to carry the tension of the conversation.
Some more dialogue trimming and background scenery.
I decided to change the setting for the chase sequence to be within the cemetery – just ’cause it makes more sense than if it was done all around Brookham. The panelling for it is a bit more dynamic too – look, Grimsley is parkouring!!
I have no idea why 10 (actually, 11) years ago I had so much trouble conveying and pacing this sequence of Mr Brown being set on fire. That’s the hindsight of experience, I guess??? Anyway I added a few more panels for actual build-up, and the blocking is way better now – there’s more energy (especially Skeleton’s expressions) and clarity (omg we can finally see where and what’s happening to the lamp).
The last panel is a new addition to better connect with the next spread.
Also… I am excited to see how much further I can draw Mr. Brown’s demise.
Man, the difference some changes in pacing can make.
I added some panels with witnesses to the fire, just to emphasise why Grimsley and Skeleton have got to run. It’s crazy enough if a Brookie has got to witness immolation in the middle of the Night, but two paranatural spookies???
Also human fat has such a colour hdsjkfhsdkf the things that come out of an immolated body are so eerie….
The 2013 spread is almost perfect. 18 Year Old Me got it.
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A reader in TW with character and Power abilities from Chinsaw Man? I think she will fit well into this universeXD
Chainsaw Man Reader | Yandere Twisted Wonderland
You most certainly are an odd one, even without the little chainsaw tug hanging from your chest. When you gain the favor of your harem newfound friends and they raise alarm to the minimalistic crappy style of life. Nonetheless, you're still smiling and happily eating the rations you’ve been ‘gifted’. And while the smallest things mean the most to you nobody expected your face to turn into this chainsaw demon when Crowley asked you to clear out some trees
“What? You asked me to clear it out didn’t you?”
Trey Clover
“O-oh my–huh?”
Dude is bewildered beyond belief
But ultimately he doesn’t mind your power
Because you’re still dependent on him
You’re always sticking close to him
“Oh, Angel of all things delicious! Do you have anything for me to eat!”
“Not right now..but I’m going to make something now if you want?”
“Yeeessss!”
He loves how happy you are to eat his food
Subsequently loving him since he feeds you for free
He’s acutely aware of your disparity with emotions
But he doesn’t care
Especially when you’re so willing to do anything for it
“So all I have to do is just not talk to them and I’ll get sweets forever?”
“Yeah…you also can’t tell them why okay?”
Azul Ashengrotto
“Wait wait so if you want me to enlist your services you just want…”
“A place to stay!”
“Yes and…”
“Meals and that I get to touch some nipples!”
“...yeah…just anybody’s will do?”
“Yup!”
Please let it be his
He sees how easily you’re willing to stray despite your massive power
“I can’t let them go…they may be able to do that but they don’t understand this world. They don’t understand anything so it's only right that I keep—take them in.”
In a way, he does think of you like a dog, only in your brain though
You wonderfully don’t have much morale other than comfortability
“That’s perfect! So we have a deal then.”
Dire Crowley
“AAAAA I’m sorry for not giving you a bigger budget! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
He’s probably the most shaken
Suddenly he’s worried his generosity isn’t enough
Despite suddenly giving more and encouraging students to house you while he revamps Ramshackle
But once he calms down and he sees you genuinely hold no resentment
Specifically, after he offered you some takeout
With a sweat drop, he suddenly starts showing up around you more often
Praising you and letting you take breaks
And eventually, a proposal is made to send you to someone who will experiment on you for your condition
Granted Crowley has…cleaned up quite a few messes himself
But once he does he realizes this will never stop
But who are they to take his baby bird from him…even if you turn into a chainsaw creature on occasion
Nonetheless, he’s decided you cannot be seen, touched, or otherwise
Where safer than in his own little nest
It’ll take some time to get it ready, but he’ll be generous with his creation so that you can be comfy when he makes the move
“No worries (Y/n) I’ve already begun preparing the nest for you to stay in!”
“Ewww I wouldn’t want to live in a nest. That’d be cramped and scratchy.”
“No no *ahem* it’s a house or room rather…”
“Oh! Will there be food?”
“...uh…yes, yes there will be is.”
“Yay!”
Ace Trappola
“Oi oi could you do the hedges for the Heartslabyul hedges? Sure’d save me loads of time.”
“Eh?! I don’t want Riddle to yell at me…”
“I'll let you touch my balls.”
“YES SIR! Those hedges will be cut! “
“Just trim them, make shapes if you wanna. I don’t care.”
Leans into your carnal desires the most
Dangling food and sex to get what he wants from you
He loves it though
In private he blushes like crazy
totally taking advantage of your eagerness
He gets off on just about everything you do
But part of the fun is pretending he’s just this cool unbothered love interest
“Hehehe look at you sucking like that~like a dog.”
Now while you may be the one with chainsaws
He’s the one who actually sets you on them
Or decides to do something about the ones who want to do the same
“They might have said they’ll do anything but I’m letting you know now they will not be. Especially since you’re not going to be able to ask.”
#yandere dire crowley#yandere crowley#yandere ace x reader#yandere ace trappola#yandere trey clover x reader#yandere trey clover#yandere azul ashengrotto#yandere azul x reader#yandere azul twst#yandere ace trappola x reader#yandere x reader#yandere x you#yandere twisted wonderland#yandere twst x reader#yandere twst#Twisted Wonderland X Chainsaw Man#lovelyyandereaddictionpoint#yanderexrea#yandere#yanderes
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A Trip To Naples - Bruno Bucciarati x Reader
Here is a commission piece I did where the reader goes on a trip to Italy and falls in love with a lovely stranger :)
Naples: the birthplace of pizza, home of the famous Amalfi Coast and, of course, the destination of your impulsive getaway. With the stress of work pushing down on your shoulders, you needed some sort of break; those winning tickets couldn’t have come at a better time. Three weeks living in the bustling Campanian city in an all-expenses paid hotel was a perfect way to spend your annual vacation time.
One of the highlights of Naples was its colourful markets: picturesque stalls and shops lining the cobblestoned streets selling various trinkets, clothing and flowers. You found yourself in the Market of Antignano, deep in the centre of Vomero. The jovial sellers beckoned you over to look at the various slippers, cosmetics and linen sitting on the displays, eager to squeeze some money out of you before lunch. An elderly woman with thick black hair selling keyrings waved at you, shaking one of them in her hand. It was a cute little thing, a brown plastic bear holding a red heart between its paws, all connected to the metal ring. You figured that you might as well replace your old worn-out one with a new souvenir.
“Questo è perfetto per voi zucca!” She smiled, placing the ring in your hand. To your knowledge, she said it was perfect for you.
“Il mio Italiano…non è buono” You laughed awkwardly. The only fault in this seemingly perfect holiday was that you only had very little knowledge of the language. You could say enough to scrape by, but in this case, you found it easier to say you don’t know the language well.
“Ah! You speak English, zucca?” The woman asked, not phased by your inability to speak her Italian.
You sighed loudly, thankful that you could converse in a language you understood. “Yes, I do. Sorry, this is my first time in Italy.”
“Oh? How lovely!” She beamed, giving you a toothy grin. She looked down at her watch, 1 pm, almost time to close up for today. "Have you got somewhere to go for lunch?"
"Nowhere, in particular. I'll just walk around and see what looks nice." You had researched local places to eat earlier. Most of them were within the same vicinity so you planned to go to whatever seemed less busy to avoid long queues.
"Zucca, you must go to Libeccio!" She shook your hand, almost like her life depended on you going there. "It's marvellous, oh you'll love it!" She squealed. "Plus," She said with a smirk, "it's owned by such a sweet young man, Bucciarati. He's so graceful and kind, you’ll love him!”
You remember searching up Libeccio - it was a beautiful restaurant, though you were worried it was a little out of your price range. It screamed expensive from the pictures you saw online. Well, you were on holiday, you might as well allow a little bit of luxury. You paid for the keyring, placing it in the side pocket of your bag before waving the kind woman off as she packed up her stall for the day.
Libeccio was about a ten-minute walk away, allowing you to explore parts of the region a bit more. You took note of some stylish boutiques along the way, thinking about how your wardrobe could do with a revamp. As well as some grocery stores for if you ever needed a snack.
Libeccio, unsurprisingly, was an Italianate-style building. Bay windows with pink and shamrock-like decorative window trims along both stories of the tawny-coloured building. The inside had half-cream half-dark oak walls, and a soft crimson carpet covering the entire dining area. It was a little intimidating to see so many well-dressed people sitting together. Eating meals you probably couldn’t pronounce and drinking wines you had never heard of. You felt like you stuck out like a sore thumb. You swallowed the lump in your throat and made your way to the waiting table where one of the floor workers stood, writing some notes in a large black book. He greeted you with a wide smile as his hazel eyes and tanned skin shone under the bright lights that reflected off his silver name badge that read ‘Alejandro’. He held up a finger, presumably asking you if you were the only diner, to which you nodded. Before you could get a word in, he placed you on a two-seater table near one of the windows with a menu and a glass of water to get you started.
You opened the sleek black booklet, revealing extensive lists of appetisers, starters, mains and desserts, all in clean, fancy, Italian writing. The best thing you could do was whip out Google and try to search for all these meals. You tried to note what sounded best, whittling down the list as best as you could, but you barely scratched the surface of the menu when the waiter returned, asking if you would like to order. With an embarrassed blush, you tried to explain how you were struggling to read the menu. But it seemed like he couldn’t understand you, especially over the noisy restaurant.
You didn’t notice that this interaction had caught the attention of a group of men who sat a couple of tables down from yours. “Scusi.” A sultry voice said. You looked up to see a tall man with darker skin standing next to the waiter. The mas w `A`1as dressed in a cropped sweater and sleek black jeans, offering a perfect view of his toned abdomen. His hair was thick and curly, framing his roundish face and drawing attention to his dark eyes. The man whispered something to the waiter, making him run off, before pulling a chair next to you.
“Buongiorno signora. Are you having trouble with your menu? I see you switching between it and your phone.” Before you could begin to question who this man was and how he knew you would speak English, he took the menu from your hands and began flicking through the pages before tapping one of the options. “This is gravlax bella, it's just cured salmon, comes in thin slices.” He turned over the page. “Ah and capricciosa! You’ve got mushroom, artichokes, baked ham, olives, my absolute favourite!” He said with gusto as he scooched a little closer to you. Truth be told, you didn’t feel too comfortable in this situation, a strange man in a strange country acting so familiar with you made you uneasy. And the way he so easily managed to get rid of the waiter rubbed you the wrong way, who knows what his intentions were? You simply tucked your lips in and nodded at his rambling about the menu, thankful that you at least had some options to order.
You avoided eye contact with the strange man until suddenly his voice stopped. You looked over to see another man standing behind him, one with lighter skin and short black hair. “Mista,” He sighed, his voice a smooth baritone, “la stai mettendo a disagio.” He whispered with a smile, squeezing the man’s shoulder. Instantly he looked back at you, bowing his head.
“I’m so sorry signora, I’ll get out of your way!” He dropped the menu back on the table and walked back to his original seat. He was met with the disapproving headshakes of the third man on the table. The new man moved the chair back to its original place opposite you before holding out a hand.
“Bruno Bucciarati, I’m the owner.” He shot you a dazzling smile. Thankful that he was at least affiliated with the restaurant and not another stranger, you calmly shook his hand. You had to admit, the woman from the market was right, he was handsome. His frame was tall and lean and he had a certain youthful essence in his speech and gestures. His hair was cut to his shoulders, neatly styled to form bangs that reached his thin black eyebrows. His eyes were the most noticeable feature on his face, soft blue ones surrounded by long lashes. If you had to guess, he was probably in his mid 20s. Part of you wondered how a young man like him could own such a lavish restaurant. “You’ll have to forgive my friend, he was only trying to help and he got a bit carried away.” Bruno turned around to face the man you now know to be Mista, presumably staring him down, before facing you again and rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward laugh.
“It’s fine, thank you for clarifying.” You smiled back. “I’m really glad we can speak in English, my Italian isn’t good at all.”
He cocked his head to the side, thin eyebrows furrowed. “You weren’t able to request a menu in English?”
Your jaw dropped slightly, realising this could have been resolved if you simply asked for a different menu. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know I could!” You pressed your hands against your cheeks in shame.
Bruno laughed gently, his shoulder relaxing, grateful that this wasn’t a staff complaint in the works. “It’s okay, I’m glad you know for next time, I will go get you one.” He came back shortly with an identical menu, this time with everything in English. “We get a lot of tourists here, so we print a couple menus in different languages, mainly English and French.”
“Thank you so much sir, it helps a lot.” You waved him goodbye as you flicked through the new one, picking up all of the meals you had missed out on earlier. You decided to give Mista’s suggestion a go, after all, he was just trying to be nice. A different waiter met you this time, a woman with her hair tied back in a long, blonde ponytail and an exuberant expression across on her face, ready to take your order: the capricciosa pizza, and a slice of chocolate cake with gelato for dessert.
By now the restaurant had more customers, different groups of people huddled around the tables, filling the room with the smell of their meals and another layer of noise above the soft music in the background. Couples, families and friends chuckled and chatted together, enjoying the lively mood that the Naples summer put into them as they shared glasses of wine and scrumptious desserts. It didn’t take long for your waitress to return with a piping hot thin crust pizza on a large round plate with a rich cheesy and meaty aroma exuding from it as she placed it in front of your nose. She refilled your glass of water, adding a few blocks of ice to cool you down as the weather had begun to increase, before leaving you to enjoy your meal.
You took a bite from one of the slices, enjoying how the base crunched in your mouth and sighed, it was incredible. The meat was perfectly seasoned and paired wonderfully with the assortment of vegetables. This particular version had an additional drizzle of olive oil, but to your delight, it didn’t make the dish greasy at all. You had never had a pizza as wonderful as this, you saw why that nice old lady recommended Libeccio to you, as well as why Naples is known as the pizza hotspot. It’s like the meal had some sort of hold on you, its smell wrapped around your body, making you focus on the rich ham and savoury sauce. You ordered one of the smaller sizes, making sure you had enough space for dessert, which was just as delightful. The cool vanilla gelato was a perfect pair for the thick, warm chocolate cake. You always tried to limit your sugar intake, not wanting to sacrifice your health for a few treats, but it didn’t take long for your sweet tooth to activate and completely devour the rich cake.
“Did you enjoy your meal?” Mr Bucciarati returned once your plates had been cleared, sitting on the chair opposite you. “I hope everything was to your taste?” He placed his elbow on the table, resting his head on his hand.
While wiping your lips with a napkin, you nodded enthusiastically. “I did! I guess your friend was right about the capricciosa, it’s really amazing!” You definitely planned to return to Libeccio soon, especially since it wasn’t as expensive as you thought it would be.
His cerulean eyes lit up as a toothy grin formed. Libeccio had been his favourite restaurant since he was young. When he bought the establishment from the previous owner, he spared no expense to continue to do its name justice, not wanting to cut any corners regarding the quality of service or food as some would do. “Well I’m glad you liked it, it’s one of my favourites too.” He leaned in a little towards you, clearing his throat. “Can I ask, is this your first time in Italy?”
You paused a little before replying. “Yes. I never travel much, it’s far too expensive these days. I actually won these tickets in a lottery.”
He gave an understanding nod before switching to another beaming smile. “Ahh well that’s lucky, Naples is one of the best cities here. Call me biased since I grew up here, but I thoroughly prefer it to cities up north.” He folded his arms against his chest with a jokingly smug expression on his face. To Bruno, no amount of glitz and glam in Florence or Milan could match the warm pleasure that Naples made in his heart.
“Well, I’m glad I’m in the right place.” You smiled, turning to face him a little more.
“May I ask where you’re from?”
With slight hesitation, you revealed your home country to the kind stranger, watching his eyes light up at your words.
He leaned forward, resting both elbows on the table. “Oh? I hear how beautiful it is there, especially in the Spring. I have an old friend who moved to,” He snapped his fingers as he tried to recall the name. “It’s escaped me now, but you know the small town in the south, the one with all the mountains and forests? I had a friend who moved there when we were younger. We would send each other postcards when we were little.” Bruno didn’t have many friends his age, especially as he grew up in a quieter area with an older population. This meant he cherished the few he had greatly. When his friend Mikhail moved away due to his father getting a job abroad, they vowed to always send each other letters and postcards. Sadly, this was cut short when he was twelve. You were familiar with the town he was referring to having visited there several times. It was a gorgeous area, filled with a lively artistic and historical culture, as well as being one of the largest cities from your home.
“Were you given any sort of activity list? Things to do here?” Bruno asked, fiddling with his fingers.
You shook your head. “Nothing, in particular, I don’t really know where to start.” You simply planned to rely on whatever the Internet suggested.
“If you would like anyone to go with you or show you some nice places, I’d be more than happy to show you around.”
“Oh no that’s completely fine! I don’t want to intrude on your schedule.” You grit your teeth, not wanting to inconvenience the lovely owner.
He scoffed with a light-hearted tone, shaking his head. “No, it's fine! You won’t be interrupting anything, I promise.” He paused, briefly before pulling a pen out of his shirt pocket and writing something on a napkin. “Here, this is my number. If you would like to go anywhere or need an idea, I would be more than willing to help.” He neatly folded it and handed it to you. “You don’t have to agree, this is just a suggestion! I know that being in a new country can be hard and sometimes daunting.” He quickly explained, holding his hands up as if to prove that this was just an innocent suggestion. The last thing he wanted was to make you feel as overwhelmed by a stranger as you did when Mista approached you.
You took the napkin from him, placing it in your purse. “Thank you Mr Bucciarati.” There was something about him that made it easy to talk to him: maybe it was his calm body language or his soft facial expressions, but it felt nice talking to him. In your gut, he seemed like a good guy. Besides, it would be nice to have a native speaker around to guide you.
“You can just call me Bruno by the way.” Usually, he was fine with being referred to as Bucciarati, but something in him felt like being less formal with you. “What can I call you?”
“y/n.”
He smiled and tilted his head to the side, causing his hair to fall slightly as he slowly repeated your name. “That’s such a beautiful name.”
**************************************************
It had been two days since you visited Libeccio, and still, the kind man’s napkin sat in your bag, stuffed underneath your purse. Bruno did seem nice, and at least he was the well-known owner of Libeccio, so he wasn’t a completely random stranger. It would be nice to have a personal tour guide, especially someone native to the area, it would also make your trip a lot less lonely. You pulled out the napkin and used the hotel phone to call him. After two rings, he picked up.
“Salve, Bucciarati parla.” He said, his voice was deep and groggy like he had just woken up and you could hear the sizzling of a frying pan in the background.
“Mr Bucciarati - Bruno?” You cleared your throat. “It’s y/n, I hope I didn’t call at a bad time.” You heard ceramic plates clanging against each other as well as the opening and closing of wooden drawers.
Bruno yawned before replying, rubbing his neck, soothing it after an uncomfortable night’s rest. “From Libeccio right?” His voice sounded a little chippier as he placed some bread in the toaster. He couldn’t deny that he was hoping you would call, at least this was something pleasant to start off his otherwise boring day.
“Mhm…I’m sorry I responded so late I-”
“It’s fine, it was a bold move on my part.” He cut you off with a light chuckle as he spread some butter on a crisp slice of toast. He was never usually so forward, especially with new people, the last thing he wanted was to make you feel pressured or preyed on. “Does this mean that you’ve decided to take up my offer?”
“Yes.” You nodded, perching on the end of your double bed.
He was thankful that you couldn’t see the wide grin that spread across his face. “How do you feel about pasta making?” The kettle whistled in the background, steam bursting out of the spout before settling. “There’s a place in the Spanish Quarter, they do pasta-making sessions for pretty much anyone, they’re supposedly quite fun.” Bruno poured himself his usual morning drink, a cup of coffee with a little milk and a dash of honey. He had visited his area several times before, though never to attend a class.
The opportunity to be taught how to make a true Italian pizza did sound intriguing, and a public session would be a safe option to go with a stranger. You concluded that this would be a decent idea. “That sounds great! How much does it cost?” You eyed your purse, knowing that you put yourself on a reasonably tight budget.
“Don’t worry about that, I’ll cover you.” He said nonchalantly, taking a sip of his warm coffee.
“No no, I can’t just let you pay for me!”
Bruno let out another soft chuckle as took his usual seat on the sofa. “Don’t worry, the owner owes me anyways. So how does this afternoon sound?” He asked before taking a bite out of the soft buttered bread.
You turned to face the clock on the nightstand. “I can do two o’clock if that’s okay.”
“Meet me at Libeccio then.”
Bruno sat on a long wooden bench just outside the restaurant, arms resting on the back with his head tilted backwards. He wore a blue button-up shirt, opting to leave the top few buttons, exposing the top of his toned chest. Today was a lot warmer than the rest of the week, hence the cool lemonade sitting next to him with already melted ice cubes.
“Sorry I’m late!” You waved shyly, placing a hand on the bench. “I took a wrong turn and ended up at a marketplace.” An awkward laugh left your lips as Bruno sat up to face you, holding a hand above his eyes to avoid the glare of the Sun.
“No problem, the next bus will be here in a few minutes.” He smiled, looking down at his watch. You took a seat next to him, crossing your legs as you waited for the next bus to arrive. Libeccio was even busier than the last time you were there, the chatter from inside the restaurant poured out into the busy streets. This particular street seemed to be the centre of food service in the area, with cafes, bakeries and restaurants lining the road. Across from you was a small coffee shop with outdoor seating, while a dessert parlour with a white and lilac interior sat beside it. Through the window, you could see a group of kids and adults sitting in a booth enjoying an array of ice-creams and milkshakes, the perfect treat for such a hot day.
“That place does incredible cheesecakes,” Bruno’s voice caught your attention. “Probably the best you can get in Naples.” He pointed to the dessert place you were staring at.
“Do you go there often?” You asked, turning to face the man as he sipped his drink.
“Sometimes, when I have the chance. You should try it one day!” He gave you an enthusiastic grin. Libeccio only had limited dessert options, mainly a couple variations of cake with a simple scoop of vanilla gelato, but that wasn’t enough to soothe his sweet tooth. His usual order was a chocolate milkshake with a slice of either cheesecake or a brownie. The positions of Libeccio and Più Golosi (Sweet Tooth) complimented each other well, a savoury and sweet place just across the street from each other, a perfect, tempting pair for customers.
Before you could respond, the small yellow bus pulled up to the stop, stuffed to the brim with a flood of travellers. The double doors swung open, releasing a swarm of people as they rushed to jump off the stuffy vehicle. As Libeccio was in the city centre, the majority of the travellers were ending their journeys here, leaving the bus nice and spacious for the two of you. Bruno led you to a seat in the middle of the bus, slightly behind a group of teenagers chatting away about whatever trip they were on. The bus drove slowly along the street, giving you a chance to gaze at the array of bright and beautiful buildings lining the road. Naples really was a gorgeous city, decorated in bright buildings of various styles: gothic, classical, italiante, modern. Its proximity to the water not only guaranteed you a few nice days at the beautiful beach, but it also meant that you would get some of the best seafood around. As schools were closed for the holidays, you weren’t surprised to see so many kids and teens walking around. Some were in swimwear, most likely from the aforementioned beach, while others were in various summer wear, laughing with friends over smoothies as they moved from shop to shop.
It didn’t take long to reach the place, a large stone building with several cars parked in front. Near one of the entrances was a tall man with cropped black hair, treating himself to a smoke break. “Cardinale.” Bruno waved at the man, causing him to look up from his lighter. On closer inspection, the man, Cardinale, had a large tattoo on his forearm reading “Frederica.”
“Bucciarati.” Cardinale nodded with a smile, walking towards the two of you. “Oh, you brought a friend?” He faced you, looking you up and down before reaching out a hand towards you. “Cardinale, as you have heard.”
You took his hand, noting his strong grip on your hand. “Y/n, a pleasure to meet you.”
“Lovely to meet you too,” He let go of your hand, looking down at his watch. “If you’re here for a class, the next one is in about five minutes, Angelica is leading. Just put on an apron and wait in the hall with the rest of the group.” He pointed you in the direction of the large entrance next to him. “Don’t worry about a fee.” He took a puff of his cigarette as he waved the two of you off.
Contrary to its rustic exterior, the inside of the culinary school was extremely modern and polished. In the long hallway stood a group of about ten people, presumably the other people joining the class, chatting amongst themselves. Along the wall was a line of aprons, well, what would have been a line of aprons if they hadn’t been taken by the rest of the group, you and Bruno helped yourselves to the last two.
The wooden door at the end of the hall swung open, revealing a young woman with thick curly hair, beckoning everyone in. “Welcome welcome! Come inside!” She held the door open for everyone, greeting each member as they entered the pristine kitchen. She was quite tall, with dark skin and hazel eyes, all complimenting the friendly smile spread across her face, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. “Two people to a bench, please wash your hands before you touch anything.”
By default, you and Bruno stayed as a pair, choosing one of the benches near the large arched windows. The woman introduced herself as Angelica, explaining that she was a final-year culinary student and would be leading this session. She took you through all the steps, from making the dough, to forming the various shapes and preparing the sauce. Bruno seemed to be a master already, calmly forming little portions of perfect gnocchi, enough to get some praise from Angelica as she walked around the benches. At first, you were dreading this, worried that you would be the only one to mess up the shapes. The first few pieces of garganelli came out rather flat or irregularly folded, but after the fourth one, you started to get the hang of it. You decided to mix it up with some gemelli, they were much easier than the radiatori which Bruno made.
“You’re so good at this.” You laughed awkwardly, eyeing the array of styles Bruno had made.
He scoffed in return. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, trust me when I say that I was worse than you when I first started.” He tutted loudly, realising he had squashed the riccioli in his hands. “As you can see, I still make mistakes.”
“I don’t think I’ll even attempt the ruote or the spighe.” Angelica had a camera set up at her station, it projected a birds-eye view of her work onto the screen slightly to the left of her. On her board were roughly thirty different types of pasta she made on the spot, ready to be cooked. They were all perfectly shaped with no sign of imperfections.
“Well, maybe when you return from your holiday you can continue practising. Being able to make pasta from home can save a lot of money sometimes.”
“Do you make all of yours from scratch then?” You asked, using the pasta machine to flatten out a new section of dough.
“I try to if I have the time.”
You shook your head. “Owning a restaurant must take a lot of your time, I can’t imagine how much work goes into it.” You began sectioning out the dough for a batch of casarecce.
“Well yes…sort of.” Owning a restaurant was time-consuming, Bruno wouldn’t deny it. But it wasn’t the only thing that limited his time and availability. His position with Passione didn’t concern you, after all, you were a tourist and a stranger. Before the conversation could continue any further, Angelica called everyone’s attention to the front where she took everyone through the sauce.
It was a simple cream sauce with bacon, parmesan and swiss cheese, a perfect match for the pasta. While the food simmered in the separate posts, the opportunity arose for the group members to mingle with each other, only for a few minutes. You ended up conversing with the couple behind you, a pair of 19-year-old university students on a date. The four of you talked about the summer, they shared their plans to travel around Naples before returning to Rome for their studies. While you and Bruno explained that you were also on holiday here and he was showing you around.
Once everything was cooked and plated to Angelica’s standards, everyone made their way to the dining area just down the hall from the kitchen. You both sat by a round wooden table situated by a window, helping yourselves to the freshly squeezed juice offered. You squeezed your eyes shut, bracing for the worst as you took a bite of your dish. To your surprise it was delightful! The thick creamy sauce paired wonderfully with the light pasta, and the bacon gave an extra savoury crunch to the dish.
“See, I knew you weren’t as bad as you thought.” Bruno asked, topping up his glass of juice.
“I surprised myself honestly.” You laughed, collecting another forkful of food. “How is yours?” You noticed that he had already eaten half of his plate.
“As you can see, I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was lovely if I do say so myself.” He smirked proudly, his expression making you giggle. “Though I think I’ll add more vegetables to it if I remake it.” He ate another forkful.
The two of you conversed a little more as you cleaned up your plates and washed them up. Bruno was a real gentleman, even with the smallest things like holding the door open for you, he was a good listener and showed genuine interest in your stories about back home. There was something about him that made you very comfortable, he genuinely seemed like a friend to you, despite how little time you had known him for.
“Thank you so much for inviting me,” You said as you walked towards the bus stop. “I’m very grateful that you did this.” You rubbed the back of your neck shyly.
Bruno gave you a smile as he dug his hands into his pocket, “It’s no problem.” The bus back to Libeccio arrived and you both got on board. It was just as empty as it was when you got on it earlier, allowing the two of you to speak openly. “Y/n? While I enjoy your company and would love to show you more interesting places, I just hope you don’t pressured to meet with me. I know that being in a new country can be daunting and I don’t want you to feel unsafe around me.” Bruno said, squeezing the fabric of his trousers.
“Well, I’m thankful that you appreciate boundaries. I’d like to think I can trust you, I would like to see more places, its better than travelling all alone. You replied, resting your back against the window so you faced him.
The corners of his lips upturned lightly. “I would like that too.” He cocked his head to the side. “Just give me a call whenever you feel like meeting again.”
**************************************************
Today marked two weeks of your trip, and of those fourteen days, ten of them had been spent with Mr Bruno Bucciarati. After the success of the pasta-making class, you met up the next day to try out that dessert place you were looking at, Più Golosi. He treated you to an ice cream sundae with a fluffy waffle, while he had a tall glass of hot chocolate with a slice of carrot cake. The day after that, he took you through the underground world of the Napoli Sotteranea, through the ancient labyrinth of aqueducts, passages and cisterns, weaving through the narrow passages by candlelight. Later you visited some of the other marketplaces, trying out some of the local street food like cuoppo and graffa. Graffa was a kind of fried fluffy, potato-based doughnut covered with sugar. Cuoppo came in land and sea variations, with the land version consisting of potato crocché stuffed with cheese and ham, pasta zeppole, zucchini flowers, ricotta and scagliuozz, arancini rice and more. With the sea version contains squid and shrimp rings, seaweed fritters and fried fravaglietti. You both shared a love for music and art and expressed these through trips to the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte and the busy busking-rich streets where guitarists and pianists were often found entertaining crowds dotting the area.
You and Bruno had grown closer over time, sharing more intimate sides of you over cups of coffee and walks through the shopping centres. You ended up meeting some of his friends, Giorno, Fugo and Mista. The latter you had already met through the awkward encounter in Libeccio, but you were thankful that now you had a more pleasant encounter with him. Mista was quite the comedian, loud and unhinged, while Giorno and Fugo were more mellow and casual like Bruno. You hit it off with them immediately, you bounced off each other quite well. You learnt about his childhood, how his parents were separated and he bought Libeccio just a couple of years ago; while letting him in on details of your life back in your home country. Bruno never pried into your personal affairs, always tiptoeing around anything that could seem intrusive (he didn’t even know which hotel you were staying at), respecting the boundaries set as new companions while remaining amicable. That little connection you felt to him when you first met had increased over time, and something inside you wanted to see him more and more. Maybe it was just a silly little crush, after all, having a handsome Italian gentleman showing you around the city would make anyone blush. And besides, you were on holiday, maybe the new scenery had changed you in a way. Regardless, you were not going to act on anything, you’d had enough bad luck with past relationships, no need to cripple yourself with a fantasy-like ordeal with a strange man in another country, and it’s not like you knew if Bruno felt the same.
Today you were at the beach again, for the third time this trip, basking in the Sun and soaking up a nice tan.
“Fancy a drink?” You pulled off your sunglasses, looking up at Bruno as he stood beside you, holding out a chilled can of Coca-Cola. You thanked him for the beverage and cracked it open, enjoying the refreshing drink. “I have to leave soon, a friend is coming to pick me up in a few minutes.” He said with an apologetic tone as he packed up his belongings. “We can drop you off at Libeccio if you would like us to?” He folded his towel, placing it in his small travel bag.
You had grown a little tired of today’s beach trip anyways, with it being a Saturday, more families were free to visit the beach making it more crowded and louder than normal. “If you could that would be great.” You began packing up your own items, making sure to not leave anything behind like your water bottle or sunscreen. The two of you walked over to the parking lot after changing, where a black Honda sat with the driver resting his head on the open window.
“Who’s that.” The man looked up, pointing to you.
“She’s a friend, y/n, I need you to drop her off at Libeccio.” Bruno opened the back door for you to get in, before making his way to the front passenger seat.
“I’m not your personal driver Bucciarati.” The man scowled, starting the car and pulling out of the parking space. Bruno scoffed and leaned on the window.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve done a lot more favours for you Abbacchio,” He turned around you face you, “don’t mind him, he’s just bitter for no reason.” He gave you a reassuring smile before facing forward once more.
The journey was short, just a few minutes of driving with very little traffic. Bruno and Abbacchio talked for most of the journey, presumably about something important as they only spoke in Italian, despite them speaking in English earlier. The man Bruno was with looked about your age with pale skin, long greyish hair tied back and a few bruises on the back of his hands. You assumed this was just a friend, or maybe someone he worked with at Libeccio. They dropped you off outside of the restaurant and Bruno waved you goodbye as the car drove off.
“So are we not going to address her?” Abbacchio asked, a sly smile creeping onto his face. “I didn’t know you liked picking up foreign girls, I guess this is the person you show around.”
Bruno rolled his eyes at the teasing, refusing to let it get to him.
“Oh? Trying to act like the bigger man now?” Leone turned into the next street. “I thought you’d given up on dating after Ambra? Or Esta? Or even Genevieve?” He looked at Bruno through the corner of his eye. He picked up on the way Bruno’s jaw clenched slightly after hearing his exes' names brought into the conversation. Despite what many people would assume, Bruno Bucciarati never had any luck with girlfriends. Yes he was sweet, outgoing, polite, a great cook, loving, he checked most if not all boxes on the typical ‘perfect boyfriend’ list; but his involvement with Passione was enough to render his pros useless. Ambra and Genevieve were both frightened by this connection, cutting the relationship short and eventually just ending communication with him as a whole, while Esta ended up using him for his money, despite knowing that Bruno was in love with her. These three relationships were enough to crush his spirit and deter him from dating as a whole, not wanting to have his heart shattered by anyone else. His coping mechanisms were focussing more on Passione and buying a restaurant close to his heart, Libeccio.
“She is just a friend, that’s all.” Bruno shrugged, eyes focused on the traffic lights up ahead.
“Ha! That’s rich!” Leone snorted, stopping for the red light, he paused, considering his words before saying them. “Does she know you’re in Passione?” Abbacchio had known Bruno through two of his relationships, and as one of his closest friends, he could also tell that Bruno was already interested in you and he didn’t want him to make another mistake.
“No, she doesn’t.”
Leone sighed, his skepticism growing. “Why not?”
“Because she doesn’t need to know.” Bruno snapped, winding down the window slightly for air. In his gut, he was sure that Leone knew his feelings for you, he was good at reading people. But still, Bruno was stubborn and would rather avoid such an intrusive conversation.
They had reached their destination, an old motel on the outskirts of the city. “It’s very clear that you like her Bucciarati, she’s the one you’ve been touring the city with right?” Leone sighed, knowing that he would be treading on an uncomfortable, but necessary conversation. “How do you know she’s not using you? Taking advantage of a rich guy to improve her time here, how much have you spent on her?”
“Not much.” This was technically true, anytime Bruno paid for anything, you paid him back or simply split the fee.
Abbacchio grunted, stepping out of the car and making his way to the motel room with Bruno right behind him. “Jeez, you never learn do you?” He scoffed, trying to find the right key for the room. “Don’t give me any of that ‘I don’t like her’ crap, you know you do that’s why you spent all your time with her.” He managed to unlock the door. “Just don’t let her break your heart again, I can’t say I’m expecting anything good from this.”
**************************************************
“Do you know the Amalfi Coast?” Bruno asked, poking you lightly.
You tapped your chin. “I’ve seen a few pictures, it looks beautiful.” You turned back to your plate of lasagne, cutting another piece of the dish and piling some salad on top.
Bruno cleared his throat, poking his carbonara as he tried to figure out how to word his next comment. His words were stuck in his throat leading him to continue tiptoeing around the topic as he had before. “There’s a very nice hotel that I go to sometimes, its so close to the water.” He looked up at you, trying to gauge your interest. You simply nodded and sipped your water, humming in response. “I think it's the kind of place to go with someone.” His voice upturned slightly, almost like he was asking a question. You still didn’t react much as you sipped your lemonade. Bruno huffed and placed his fork down, leaning towards you. “Y/n, I’m asking if you would like to join me.” He blurted out, making your eyes widen.
“Oh.” That was all you said as your hands paused in the middle of loading another forkful. There was an awkward pause and the air grew thicker. A bead of sweat trailed down the back of Bruno’s neck as the regret pooled at the bottom of his stomach. How could he think you would even agree to this? You had only known each other for just over two weeks, him suddenly inviting you to a hotel in another area just made him look like a creep. Now you knew he had some sort of interest in you and there was no backtracking.
‘I just want to curl up in a ball and-’
“I would love to go with you Bruno.” You said, cutting off his thoughts. You folded your lips in, fiddling with your thumbs as you stared at your plate bashfully. With such close proximity, Bruno could see the slight redness of your cheeks. So it looked like you both shared similar feelings towards each other, Bruno wondered how long the two of you had been in this state without knowing.
“I’ll drive us there tomorrow then.” He smiled, refilling his mocktail.
It felt like forever for Saturday morning to arrive, you spent hours fretting over what to wear. You hadn’t been on a date in a while (was this a date?), even longer since you went on a trip with someone you were interested in, and that most certainly didn’t end well. But you felt like Bruno was different. Despite his classy sense of style or his popularity among the locals, he never came across as judgemental or arrogant and that made it easier to get ready for the trip.
At 10 am, Bruno arrived at your hotel. This was the first time you ever told him where you were staying and you would rather he picked you up than you took a suitcase with you to meet at Libeccio. This was also the first time you ever saw his car. It looked expensive, a shiny black convertible that people kept looking at as they walked in and out of the hotel’s front doors. He wore a plain white t-shirt and had a pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses on his head. He shot you a confident smile as he waved at you, getting out to help you put your suitcase in the back.
The journey was a little longer than expected, around three and a half hours with the traffic that clogged the highway. Bruno had a designated travel playlist, burned onto a CD which he played for any long journey. It was a mix of American and Italian songs, mainly different variations of jazz or romantic songs, he made sure to sing along to most of them, even when he fumbled the lyrics. Bruno had a very smooth singing voice, his baritone voice made every word sound like honey as he sang, you could listen to it for hours.
You and Bruno conversed for a while, passing the time as you sat in traffic once more between Trecase and Torre Annunziata. Bruno told you how Mista and Giorno had asked about you, hoping to see you again before you leave, carefully excluding how they teased him for planning this trip to Amalfi, well aware of your shared interest in each other. Abbacchio was still skeptical, this spontaneous trip to Amalfi, which was completely covered by Bruno, didn’t help his gut feeling about you using him. But seeing how the two of you acted around the rest of the group made him a little more optimistic about the situation. He just hoped you wouldn’t run back home and block his number instantly.
“We’re here!” Bruno pulled up in front of a grand hotel, ‘’. It was a large classical building with pillars along the front, all coated in bright white. The inside was a soft gold colour with a gorgeous chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Being here was breathtaking, you always thought your hotel in Naples was fabulous, but this was extraordinary, does Bruno really make so much money to afford this just through restaurant owning?
After Bruno checked you in, he handed you the key to your room. You and Bruno were staying in separate large rooms next to each other on the sixth floor which gave you the perfect view of the water. After a couple hours of settling in, you took a tour around the coast. Amalfi was an interesting place, it was made up of thirteen towns, all clinging to the cliffs, reaching all the way down to the beautiful shore. Tourists traipsed up and down the area, some hiking on the Path of the Gods, while others explored the Blue Grotto caves in Capri. Bruno told you that when he was younger, he assisted his father with his duties as a fisherman: from gathering bait, to fishing, to following him on deliveries to the local fishmongers. He arranged a boat for recreational fishing just off the coast of Postiano, but for the sake of preserving the natural ecosystem, participants were asked to just catch and release.
The small boat rocked slowly on the water as Bruno guided you through fishing, holding your hands in the right position to be able to reel the fish in properly. It took a couple of tries, but you managed to catch a few small sardines.
That evening, Bruno had arranged dinner at a small restaurant near the hotel.
**************************************************
La Galleria was a cosy little place specialising in seafood from the local fishing ports. Your table was on the roof with a breathtaking view of the water below as the cooler evening breeze hit the back of your neck. You wore a simple red dress, while Bruno wore a red turtleneck with a black blazer. You both had bowls of chicken caesar salad, drizzled in a rich sauce, followed by a miso-glazed black cod on white rice for Bruno, and shrimp scampi with pasta for you. As the soft jazz from below wafted up to the roof, you and Bruno reminisced on your time together these past couple weeks, from strangers in Libeccio to sharing a meal in Amalfi. Your knee brushed against Bruno’s innocently as you talked, the close proximity making your heart race. Bruno was so handsome, and even though you told yourself that you wouldn’t let a crush grow to anything more, you couldn't help but feel the urge to have his muscular arms wrapped around you or run your fingers through his soft black hair made your stomach twist. You could listen to his voice for hours on end, enjoying his cute hand gestures and his rich accent. He was so kind to you too, planning so many trips, including paying for this one. He was way too generous to you and the last thing you wanted was to come across as a golddigger of some sort, Bruno was a genuinely nice guy, so patient and attentive.
Bruno’s heart was racing too, worried he would trip on his words or forget how to say something in English as he had before when talking to you. You always looked so beautiful to him, no matter what, you always took his breath away. He couldn’t imagine the last time he had felt so at ease around someone, much less a stranger he met a couple of weeks ago.
“Thank you so much Bruno, for tonight, for everything.” You said, your fingers lightly brushing against his on the table. He wanted to hold your hand badly, to kiss it again like he had before and tell you how much you meant to him.
“You’re welcome bella, I’ve really enjoyed these past-” He was cut off by the ringing of his phone, “please excuse me.” He got up immediately, excusing himself downstairs in a rush. You didn’t see the caller ID, but usually, Bruno was fine with answering calls around you, but his behaviour made you worry. The call was short and Bruno returned within a few minutes, facing his meal as if nothing happened. Ordinarily this would be normal, but it seemed like something was on his mind, like his mood was suddenly soured. You noticed how the space between you had grown slightly bigger than before, you were no longer lightly brushing against his knuckles, and nor were your knees connected.
“Bruno, is everything okay?” You mustered up the courage to ask, worried that you would be prying too much into private affairs. You hoped he would just tell you everything was fine, that it wasn’t anything serious, but you knew it must have been.
“Y/n…” He sighed, biting on his bottom lip, “there’s something I need to tell you. I haven’t been completely honest about myself.” He avoided making eye contact with you, which was more than enough to elevate your worry. Your stomach dropped, a million possibilities racing through your head. Maybe he didn’t really like you, maybe he was using you for attention, reeling you in with a charming persona? Maybe he had a partner and was using you to cheat?
Bruno turned to face you, clutching your hand in his as he looked earnestly into your eyes. “I’m still Bruno, bella, I’m still the same person who owns Libeccio, and likes fishing. And I do like you, so much, but I can’t keep hiding this from you and I understand if this means you don’t want to be around me anymore.” His breathing was rapid as he squeezed your hand tightly. His mind was prepared for the worst scenario, he was ready for you to scream or run away from him, locking yourself in your room and finding your way back to Naples without him. He was ready for you to get angry or upset at him for not telling you sooner. Part of him regretted bringing it up already, feeling like he had thwarted his best attempt at love, but it wouldn’t be fair to keep you in the dark if he genuinely cared.
“Y/n, do you know what Passione is?”
You exhaled deeply, yes, you had heard of Passione, a hub for organised crime in the south of Italy. Was Bruno really part of them? When you think of mafiosi you imagine much older men, using laundered money for drugs, weapons, and exploiting women, at least that is the stereotype, was Bruno really one of them? Sweet, kind, generous, optimistic Bruno who you adored being around? The same Bruno who always helped anyone he saw? Who showed the utmost respect for all the older citizens and acted with integrity? You 100% believed that not everyone involved in crime is inherently bad, many people fall into it at low points of their lives, you knew that Bruno was a good man, regardless of his affiliation with the group.
When you didn’t respond, Bruno let go of you. “I knew this was a mistake, I should have just listened to Abbacchio and stopp-”
“Bruno,” You placed a hand on his, making him lose his train of thought, “I’m not upset that you’re in Passione.” You whispered, interlocking your fingers with his. “I don’t think less of you for it, I know that people can be put in situations that make them choose that path,” your eyes darted to the side, “but I believe you’re a good person Bruno, I really do. I’m not exactly in the safest position as a woman in a foreign country, but I feel so safe with you Bruno, regardless of Passione.” You meant everything you said, keeping your eyes locked on him to show your sincerity. “I-”
Before you could speak, Bruno’s lips were on yours.
His hand remained holding yours, though squeezing slightly tighter now, while his free hand held the side of your face. His lips were soft against yours as his thumb pressed against your cheekbone. Slowly he pulled away, rubbing his nose against yours slightly. “I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t apologise, really.” You squeezed his hand gently.
Bruno’s hand found itself fitting perfectly in the curve of your waist. “I want to be with you y/n, not just for this trip.” His voice was shaky, he tried his best to not push too hard. “It’s okay for you to say no, it is.”
“I want to be with you too Bruno, I really do.” Without thinking, your hand moved up to hold the side of his neck, feeling the heat radiating off him before moving down to his shoulder. “Can I ask, Bruno…why are you with them?”
He took a deep breath, already regretting what he was about to say. Bruno never liked talking about this incident, he never told anyone this story, not even his old girlfriends. “My father was in an accident when he was 12. He was in the hospital and one night some people tried to…to kill him.” The sympathetic look in your eyes made it easier for him to talk. “He wasn’t in a gang or anything, he was just an ordinary person. I was in the room when they snuck in, two men, I-” His words got trapped in his throat. “I killed them.” He could tell from the small changes in your breathing, your posture, the glint in your eyes, that despite keeping an open mind about Passione, you couldn’t fully wrap your head around him being tied to murder. “If I didn’t they would have killed my father and come after me, there was nothing else I could do.” He begged, pleading for you to at least hear him out, scared that you would leave him after such a confession. “I had to go underground, I can’t do anything with something like that on my record.” The silence that followed was deafening, the sound of his heartbeat rang through his ears as his chest heaved slowly.
“It’s okay Bruno…it really is.” You whispered, “You’re the first person to know this and not run away or use me.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you, I’ve had my fair share of bad relationships. You’re the first person I’ve been able to actually feel happy with, Bruno, the first person to actually make me feel like you care.”
“Of course, I care about you bella, you mean the most to me. I hate that people have treated you that way, you deserve everything I could possibly give you and more…everything.”
The rest of dinner carried on smoothly, with Bruno’s seat much closer to yours and his hand resting on your knee. His eyes were more focused on you than the delicious food in front of him. His heart felt like it was going to leap out of his chest as your leg brushed up against him and your perfume wafted into his nose. Bruno really did think you were beautiful, the way your dark hair fell to your shoulders, contrasting your crimson dress. How your cheeks turned rosy when you laughed, or your tendency to fiddle with the hem of your clothing when you were tired. There had always been something in him that knew he had feelings towards you, but kissing you, even though it was brief, solidified his feelings.
Neither of you pushed any further about the kiss, nor did you talk about your beat-around-the-bush confessions. Instead, once dinner was over, you made your way back to the hotel silently.
“I guess I will see you in the morning then?” Bruno asked, letting out a soft laugh as you stood in front of your respective doors.
“Yeah, I guess I will.” You smiled as you waved each other goodbye. It wasn’t until you had both returned to your rooms that you were able to release the tension in your body. The kiss still lingered on your lips as you pulled your night shirt over your head and you could feel your face get warmer. You couldn’t deny that the idea of him kissing you was something buried in the back of your mind, especially when he would hold you in close embraces and his natural scent would waft into your nose. There was a part of you that wanted to continue, that wanted to go to his room and lie with him on this warm evening in Amalfi. To feel what it would be like for him to hold you in his arms as more than just a friend. You shook your head, feeling like a young teenager having their first kiss.
With a heavy sigh, you turned your attention to the TV opposite your bed and flicked through the channels, landing on what looked like a random soap opera. By your bed was a small menu with all the items available for room service and decided on a jug of lemonade to cool you down. When there was a knock just two minutes later, you were a little surprised by the speed of service. You were even more surprised by seeing Bruno standing by your door.
Bruno had been standing outside your door for the past five minutes, contemplating knocking on your door. Would he be intruding? Jumping to conclusions over a simple kiss?
Ah, but it wasn’t a simple kiss was it, you had confessed your feelings to each other.
But you only had three more days in Naples, maybe this was your way of getting some sort of closure, getting your feelings out on the table before you disappear and never cross paths again. Even on the off chance that anything came from this, it doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be weird for him to approach you like this.
While Bruno reasoned this in his head, his body had other plans. It wasn’t until you swung the door open that he realised he had already knocked.
“Hi,” He swallowed, awkwardly placing his hands behind his back. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
You shook your head as you opened the door wider, welcoming him into your room. “No no, I just haven’t been able to sleep.”
“Me neither.” He perched on the edge of the desk, watching the television next to it. “What are you watching?”
“I have no idea, I couldn’t figure out how to put it in English.” The silence from both of you overpowered the noise from the TV. Usually you would bounce off each other better, but the events at dinner seemed to leave you both somewhat shy. Deep down, you both wanted more, but neither of you had the confidence to make the first move.
Bruno walked over to you, sitting next to you on your bed, knee brushing against yours.
“Y/n…” He started, taking your hand in his, “I meant everything I said earlier, about how I feel about you.” His slender fingers traced the lines of your palm slowly. “In a perfect world, I’d want you to be with you, properly. But I know that you have to go back home soon, I understand if this has to end here.”
“It doesn’t have to.” The words spilt out of your mouth before you could even process them properly. “I mean…I can always come back, maybe sometimes you can visit me.” A long-distance relationship wasn’t something you ever really thought you would find yourself pursuing, but you couldn’t miss this opportunity with Bruno.
“I like that idea.” Bruno smiled, interlocking his fingers with yours before ducked down for another kiss, this one was shorter and sweeter, the type that gives you a warm feeling in yout gut. It was like a bridge had formed between the two of you and any worries about intimacy had been crossed out. “Out of curiosity, when are you next free?” His enthusiasm made you giggle.
You tapped your chin, recalling what you discussed with your boss before you left for Italy. “I have to use up my holidays within the next three months, maybe I can come back before they’re over.” You grinned widely, enjoying the way he his face softened at your words.
“Can’t you stay a little longer? Use up your holidays now?” He pulled you onto his lap, kissing all over your face. His demeanour had suddenly changed, knowing that he might only have to wait a couple of months to see the woman he cared so much about. You giggled as you held his broad shoulders, squeezing them lightly as you tried to pull him away from your face. He ducked down to nibble where your neck connected to your head, trying to coax you into staying.
You wrapped your arms around his neck, “I can’t afford it Bruno, and besides, I signed papers with my boss saying I would be back to work next week.” You felt him sigh against your neck.
“How much more time do you have left to use on holidays?”
“10 days I think.”
“I’ll book you a flight.”
“Bruno!” You pulled away, pinching his soft cheek “Do you not trust me?”
“Of course I do bella, but I just think it’s easier to book now that the prices are cheaper.” He wrapped his arms tighter around your form. It didn’t take long for his lips to fall back on yours, moving between them and your neck, only to be broken by a knock on your door.
“So sorry for the wait signorina, the machine wasn’t working.” The waiter apologised profusely as he placed your lemonade on the table.
“It’s no problem, thank you.” You smiled, closing the door behind him. You both shared a few glasses of the cool drink, talking more about the possibility of you coming back to Naples. Despite his earlier energetic behaviour, Bruno was quite understanding of the situation. He knew that compromises would have to be made and that things may not always work out, but regardless, he chose to be optimistic about the situation.
Once the jug’s contents had been thoroughly depleted, you found yourselves tucked under your bedsheets. You didn’t realise how tired you were until you fell asleep so quickly against his soft t-shirt, to the sound of his heartbeat. Cool air blew through the window, making you press up against him in your sleep as his hands moved down to hold your waist. Bruno’s heart was pounding like it wanted to leap right out of his ribcage. Being here, holding you, this was all he wanted. For the first time in so long, he felt like he was happy again, like you were the one for him. He gave up on this feeling ages ago, not wanting to risk another heartbreak, but now he couldn’t resist it.
He was in love.
**************************************************
Sunday was quite simple. Breakfast at a lovely little cafe, a bike ride through Sorrento and lunch back at the hotel. This was certainly not the first time you and Bruno had gone out together, but this time was different. The way he held your hand, your waist, hugged you, everything felt different now, a good type of different.
This “good different” continued to Monday and Tuesday, with Bruno being even more of a gentleman to you. He made sure to cherish every moment with you like he was making up for lost time.
The sun peeked through the window, highlighting your body as you hummed in your sleep. Bruno had been awake for a while now, the lump in his throat and the twists in his stomach making it harder to enjoy the warm summer morning.
Today was your last day, the last time he would be able to see you for who knows how long. He always knew you would leave, Naples wasn’t your home after all, and there is a chance it may never be. But now that the dreaded day had come, it just made his chest ache to the point where it made his head spin.
He wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you closer until your back was pressed against him, allowing him to nuzzle into your neck. You groaned quietly, fidgeting in your sleep before settling once more. Bruno used this as an opportunity to place a kiss on your neck, enjoying the sweet natural scent emanating from your body. He slid his other arm under your body, hugging you properly as your legs tangled together under his sheets.
“Bruno…” You grinned, feeling the pressure of his body against you as he had you in a tight embrace. “I need my sleep you know?” You patted the side of his face lightly, enjoying the warmth emanating from his soft cheek.
His heart hurt even more hearing your voice, knowing this would be the last time he would hear it in person. “y/n…” He whispered, holding your hand gently in his, bringing it down to the soft mattress and interlocking your fingers with his. “When is your flight?” He mumbled into your neck, eyes locked on his thumb stroking your skin.
You inhaled sharply, realising why his tone had been so mellow this morning. “6 pm, there’s been a car arranged.” You bit your bottom lip, feeling Bruno lean away from you with a deep sigh. His arms left your body cold air hit your back.
“I’ll come with you, I’ll see you off at security.” Bruno said, laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. You turned around to face him, watching the sun highlight the lower half of his face and chest, coating them in a pale yellow glaze. His lips were downturned slightly, forming an involuntary frown as his eyebrows furrowed. His expression made your heart sink to your stomach, you knew you would miss him so much.
You scooched closer, resting a head on his flattened shoulder as your fingers traced his chest gently. “I’ll come back Bruno,” You dragged your fingers down to his navel. “I promise.” You looked up at him, catching how his eyes shifted from you as soon as you made eye contact, realising that you caught him staring. His cheekbones were softly dusted with pink as he cleared his throat.
“I know you will, and I’ll find time to visit you.” He cupped the side of your face, “but you can’t blame me for being a little upset that you’re leaving.”
“I know, I am too.” You gave a half-smile, holding his wrist. Seeing you frown made his heart sink even more, it wasn’t his intention to dampen the mood so early in the morning.
“Y/n, why don’t we go to Libeccio? For your last meal here?” Bruno asked. Ending the trip with the place you met seemed perfect. It also gave Bruno the opportunity to make sure you received the best service possible.
“I’d love to.”
You both laid in bed for a while, enjoying each other’s warmth until noon when you finally got up for lunch. You wore a simple sundress with a red flower pattern along it, something that Bruno absolutely adored on you. Hand in hand, you left his home for the restaurant, deciding to have one last walk through the streets you grew to love. Libeccio was slightly quieter than usual, what with it being lunchtime on a Wednesday, this at least made it easier to talk to each other.
“Oh? If it isn’t the two lovebirds!” A familiar voice called, you looked up to see Mista leaning on the back of Bruno’s chair, much to his dismay, poking his nose into his menu. Bruno had made the mistake of being open to the group about his feelings for you, this ultimately left him vulnerable to childish teasing which would surely get worse when you weren’t around. “Y/n, Bucciarati says you’re leaving today?”
“Mhm, I need to leave for the airport in a few hours.”
“Ah, this one will certainly miss you,” He nudged Bruno with his elbow, “he goes on and on about you all the time anyways.” He scoffed.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Bruno asked, not bothering to look up from the menu.
“I actually came to collect an order,” He lifted up the black bag in his hand, that explained the sudden smell of shrimp. “But I might as well give Y/n a goodbye hug.” Mista walked towards you, pulling you out of your seat and hugging you tightly. Bruno knew what Mista was doing by pressing his palms on your lower back and hugging you for much longer than what was needed. But it was in his nature to tease people like that, after all, you and Mista grew to be quite good friends, and you both knew he was playing around. “Make sure to come back soon!” Mista waved as he left the restaurant.
Bruno turned back to you to see a smirk across your lips. “What?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.
“Your face when Mista hugged me, I didn’t think it would get to you.” You laughed, flicking through the calzones section of the menu.
“Can you blame me for being a little jealous?” Bruno sighed, closing his menu and placing it on the table. He waved at one of the waiters, a tall, slender young man with long wavy hair, eager to take your orders.
Over lunch, you discussed plans for when you went back home: how to fit your schedules around each other, the possibility of sending each other gifts, and Bruno travelling to visit you. The thoughts alone brought butterflies to your stomach, the idea of Bruno being in your home, visiting your favourite places, your family and friends even. You already had a list of things to do with him buried at the back of your mind.
Once the plates were cleared and the bill was paid, you found yourselves in a small park, wandering along the footpaths that weaved along the luscious green grass, between the thick oak trees.
“Y/n…we need to get to the airport soon.” Bruno whispered, pulling your waist towards him as he sandwiched you between him and an old tree.
“Mhm.” You rest your head on his shoulder in a warm embrace, his rich cologne flooding your nose with a scent you would soon miss.
“Y/n…mi bella.” The pet name made your heart well up. “I know we haven’t been together for a long time but…the feelings I have for you, it’s like I-”
“I know what you mean Bruno.” You cut him off quietly, tugging his soft cotton shirt. You felt the same way Bruno did, the tingles you got when he held your hand, the way your body perfectly moulded into his, how your stomach twisted and turned anytime he looked you in the eye. Somehow, somewhere, along the line, you realised that you had fallen in love with the kind mafioso that swept you off your feet.
“So you love me too bella?” Bruno asked, a teasing tone to his words as his lips met your forehead.
You rolled your eyes playfully, enjoying how his soft lips felt against your skin. “Well if I have to put it in words, then yes.”
Bruno’s heart pounded in his chest, he could feel the shakiness in his breathing from the relief of knowing that you felt the same way he did. It was almost laughable how quickly the chains around his heart loosened when you appeared. How his vows to never give in to another person were discarded as he got closer and closer to you. You were perfect to him, everything he wanted and more, and he knew he couldn’t just let you leave without letting you know how much power you had over him and his weak heart.
“Bella, I love you so much, more than I’ve ever loved anyone. Please remember that, always, even if I’m not there with you.”
“I love you too Bruno, truly I do. I haven’t felt this way with anyone in so long I-” Bruno’s lips pressed gently against yours, stealing your breath away.
“I’m sorry to cut you off but you just look so cute, why do you have to leave today bella, stay here with me a little longer.” He groaned, placing a soft kiss on your forehead, knowing how much he would miss this.
“Believe me, I want that more than anything, but I have to go back, Bruno.” The thought of not being able to hold him like this, to not stroke his soft black hair or look into his warm eyes, ate away at you.
“We should probably head to the airport soon then.”
Within the hour, you were at the airport, waiting in the busy queue to check in your luggage, while Bruno held you from behind, chin resting on your head. You ended up with one extra bag, filled with gifts for your friends and family: trinkets, snacks, clothing, as well as things that Bruno bought you.
“When you land, let me know okay?” Bruno hugged you one last time, his hands memorising the curve of your body, ingraining everything from your scent to the softness of your skin in his memory. His lips moved to kiss your forehead gently, “Y/n…I won’t pretend like I’m not going to miss you every day. I want us to work out bella, I’ll take time to visit you whenever I can okay?” The slight sniffles and breaks in his voice made your heart sink. Bruno loved you so much, more than he could contain, and you felt the same way about him as you inhaled his rich cologne.
“Bruno, I’ll miss you just as much, if not, more.” You whispered, wrapping your arms around his neck. “I’ll call you as soon as I get back mi amore.” Hearing you use that name on him made his stomach twist and turn. Being called that, by you, in your voice that soothed his soul made his heart beat even faster. At that point, he just had to steal another kiss from you, a passionate one that stuck on your lips even after you pulled away.
Reluctantly, he pulled away, letting you cross the barrier to find your gate, and with tears welling in both of your eyes, you waved each other goodbye, thankful for this spontaneous trip that brought the two of you together.
#bruno bucciarati x reader#bruno buccellati x reader#bruno bucciarati#bruno buccellati#fluff#romance#holiday#reader insert#jojo x reader#jjba x reader#leone abbacchio#abbacchio
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May you explain the thought process behind all of Scorpion Faunus RWBY AU designs if you please?
Absolutely, buckle in. I'm a bit of a chatterbox, so I hope you don't mind long responses.
Let's start with Miss Scorpion Faunus herself. Now, Ruby has two versions of her design, one with her hood and one without, so I'm gonna pop them both beside each other just to contrast them.
Starting with Ruby's Vale/Beacon outfit, originally I hadn't changed it all that much from her original look, but then looking at it beside her other designs it looked a bit dull, so I revamped her to have a white top under the corset-vest and what my friend dubbed 'Miku Sleeves'. I'm honestly a lot happier with how it turned out.
Breaking it down, my main focus was to try and bring in some extra red into Ruby's look. I've always felt that without her cloak, her first look was really plain, with all the red on her dress being dark and her tights being black meaning she didn't have much of her colour. I made her tights redder and changed her corset design to be more similar to her later look, with a long stripe of central red, and some brighter accents all around.
Her white sleeves and the collar decoration are tied off with darker red, and I mostly kept them because they looked both cute and kinda fairytale-ish, but the main thing I wanted to do with this design was bring in the star theme that I want Ruby to have. The scorpio constellation decorated the sides of her corset, the two buttons on her white vest are star shapes, and her cloak has a small clasp that has another star on it. I axed the crosses she had in her show look, no hate to Qrow but I just never liked them on Ruby, and overall I think she looks cute.
I really like her Mistral look here. First major change is that her top is now a light grey instead of white. This will start a trend. Second major change is obvious, while in Vale Ruby is devoted to hiding her tail under her skirt, in Mistral she starts to wear it out a little more. Thirdly, I liked the idea from her show concept of battle damage, with the ragged cloak and the nicks on her red tights.
The main idea with Ruby's Mistral outfit here is that it carries elements of the people who were lost or impacted in the Fall of Beacon. The black neckpiece is taken from a cute piece of concept art and also references Penny, similar to the slits on her skirt. The trim at the top of her boots slightly references Nora's shoe style, and the puffier sleeves with a black cuff is a clear reference to Yang's own Beacon outfit. She also has changed her emblem to sit on her cloak, which is how Summer wears it in Antares as well.
Her hair's a bit messier, a little longer, and finally we can properly see that she has Tyrian's nose, which is one of my fav dumb details because it helps me slightly avoid same face syndrome (my enemy). There's a few extra belts, because belts on kickass goth boots Do Not Count as unnecessary, they're part of the style, and her gloves are way thicker and a bit more practical. I was able to bring in a darker red into this outfit, which ends up helping break up the black and red in a nice way without being too out of her colour scheme.
And yes: she has two star clasps on her neckpiece and the scorpio constellation on her skirt. Little star girl, falling fast.
The Atlas outfit is where we start getting the signs of story progression beyond just Ruby's outfit. Her tail is thicker due to a moult she undergoes in Mistral, her face is scarred from SpoilerSpoilerSpoiler, and her hair is beginning to turn silver-white due to overusing her silver eyes. It also has a little braid in it (can't be a scorpion faunus without braids), and has gotten to its most fluffi and messy it'll be here.
The big goals with this outfit were two-fold: make it look warm, and reference Tyrian (though in-universe it's subconscious on Ruby's part). The skirt has been officially switched out for a set of overalls, the belts on her waist are an exact replica of Tyrian's in Ruby's palette (she starts wrapping her tail around her waist as a fake belt, similar to him), and I snagged the undershirt and cuffs from her Mistral outfit and made it a darker grey again from her Mistral outfit. Her cloak has also become even more tattered, I wasn't a fan of her getting a new cloak in Atlas.
The other main things in this outfit that are different is the addition of the metal caps on her boots, which helps keep the silver travelling through Ruby's outfit as she becomes more in-tune with her SEW heritage. The scorpio constellation is again on her cuffs, she has some dark red gloves to stay warm, and while she has three stars on her overalls, between the belts, the star pattern is mainly on her shawl.
Speaking of the shawl, it's fur lined to bring in a little bit of white, and once again, a reference to Tyrian's overcoat. It is also where her emblem is now located, on the back, as at this point Ruby's having some struggles with the concept of 'identity', poor thing.
I'm a little biased but I still think her Vacuo look is my personal favourite out of these four. The hood is gone entirely, replaced by what I happen to think is an Adorable Poncho, and there is also the matter of the eyepatch. Due to SpoilerSpoilerSpoiler. But it has her emblem on it, very very faintly.
The rest of the Vacuo outfit is almost a reference to her Vale outfit more than anything else. We've nixed the darker red for a simpler colour palette, and her hair is messily cut short again, and a lot more silver. She still has a slight reference to Tyrian in the collar style of her undershirt, which is the darkest grey that she gets. She has cute lil lace edges on the sleeves tho.
The tights have also officially switched from red to grey, and while we haven't returned to the skirt, instead going for shorts-overalls, she does have a little overskirt patterned with scars that keeps her tail warm during the cold desert nights. The elbow cover adds a little funky assymmetry, very important in a rwby design, and the keen-eyed will notice the big departure in this from the other designs, the lack of bullets on her belt. It'll all make sense in context.
Finally, we've moved the scorpio constellation to her boots, nixed the goth belt on said boots, and kept the metal toecap from her Atlas outfit. Honestly there's not as much to say about this outfit, it's a bit simpler than the others, and there's less red in order to balance out Poncho Era, but I just think it's real cute, she's real precious.
Onto Weiss!!
Weiss was, no joke, a goddamn headache and a half. I find it really hard to understand her exact 'style' of fashion. But here she is and I'm happy with her anyway. The first main things that one might notice is that she has a much larger scar then the thin one from the show. That would be because A. Scars are Cool, and B. her scar is from blunt force trauma over her orbital socket, and the cut is from the skin splitting right over the bone. Which is supposedly what happened in the show but whatever. Bigger Cooler Scar.
The other main things are thricefold: she has the beauty mark from her original concept, she has freckles all over if you look close, a really pointy nose to look down on people with, and she has the Snow White 'lips red as blood'. If anyone would wear lipstick into battle its Weiss.
Her Vale outfit honestly isn't that different from her show look because it was overall solid if very bright. Mostly I just added extra details to make her look richer, such as all the little metal diamonds on her dress and sleeves, and decorating her boots and dress, and adjusted the colouring a bit so it wasn't all Bright White (see also: the black heels on her boots and the black sash, just to break up the colours). I did change up some of her accessories, like making her apple necklace have a red jewel, adding a cute choker, black diamond earrings, and red nail polish.
The other main thing was her hair. I decided to borrow the idea from the amazing AZRE au that Weiss started with her ponytail being straight instead of assymetrical, to show how she's still under Jacques's control, and I'll be entirely honest I kinda stole her headpiece from Amity's grown-up look in Owl House because it looked real cute and princessy. Her emblem is also located on the back of her bolero, and you don't see it in any of these designs, but its canon now that the underside of her boots, like the sole part, is red.
I based her Mistral Look mostly off her Snowpea look, except instead of making it a whole dress I decided to make it a jacket she wore over a dress. The dress is probably more like her Mistral outfit, you can see a bit of it peeking out, and I just adore the idea of Weiss wearing sweetheart bodices when she is flat as a board (I say this lovingly, and with respect). It's not visible here, but her dress is actually trimmed with sapphires that match her earrings, and the same with the gloves that you also can't see much of here but are very cute opera gloves. I try to keep Layers in mind when it comes to outfit design, usually.
The other big thing from Snowpea is that I gave her the thigh high boots, just to really look a bit different from the other outfits she has. She has a red scarf because I liked the idea in the show but not the execution, and I moved the idea of the white trim pattern of the scarf onto the black sash, just to help with breaking up the designs. Her jacket is designed to look vaguely business and vaguely military, since her Mistral arc has her very torn between her identities as Jacques's Heiress and being a Huntress like Winter.
I didn't mention it prior, but one thing I wanted to do for all the designs for the girls was to have some repeating elements throughout to tie all the designs together. Ruby has her stars, the belt, and the general boot design, Weiss has her jewellery, the triple diamond pattern seen on her skirt here, and transparent fabric, which is something that becomes more prominent across her designs as she grows into her own.
Also, we finally have the assymetrical ponytail, and the cute hairpiece from the show. She also has a slight change in her hairstyle from the show with the lil sidebangs, because if her hair was down I wanted it to reference the 'hime cut' a bit. And her emblems are on her shoulders here, just to add a lil extra spice to the jacket.
I truly do love Pixie Cut Weiss, I think it's still super feminine and cute and also she should have been the one to cut her hair, not Blake. I'll die on this hill. Anyway, Atlas look. I wanted to go full Magic Knight here, adding in pieces of armour (the shoulderpiece has her emblem), the transparent overskirt, the whole shebang.
Some of the major changes here is that Weiss's tights are darker, as in thicker material, and she has a similar thicker undershirt below her dress and jacket. Again, same with Ruby, I wanted to make a look that actually appeared warm, and I didn't want to go the route of the show where they made her look cluttered and also freezing and also just Not Good. I decided to keep the red gem accents, but instead of having them on a hairpiece they're meant to be on her bodice (again, thinking in layers), and her boots.
The other thing I really wanted with this was to have her both reference Winter, with the white jacket tucked into the black gloves, and be the most 'militaristic' of her outfits, what with the actual belt, and the epaulette. In Atlas, Weiss is almost a go-between with her team and the Atlas Military, after all her training with FANCI, the Ace Ops, and Winter, and has a lot of trust in them.
The scar on her neck is gonna make sense in the story. If anyone can figure out how it references Snow White, I'll give you an internet cookie.
We have reached Vacuo, and Weiss's Military Look is gone and her Rich Princess Look is toned down in favoour of what my friend dubbed 'punk ballerina'. Which is very fitting because this is the part of the story where Weiss takes the final step in a long journey towards anti-capitalism. In order to take out some of the princessy vibes, Weiss no longer has high boots, she instead has ankle boots that vaguely look like laceless converse, she has short fingerless gloves instead of something more operatic, and we've gotten rid of the jackets for a see-through top over a shoulderless look.
I think her dress here is pretty cute. I decided to do a sort of corset style that reminds me of the old-school disney princesses, and she still ahs a few metal diamonds scattered around, it's her thing. The observant may notice that all Weiss's buttons are diamond-shaped throughout her outfits, which was harder to detail then I first thought!
The skirt is meant to be more of a sundress style rather then something full of petticoats, and the red mesh under the dress was my way of trying to keep the pattern of 'red focused around Weiss's neck'. It also helps a bit with the more punkish look, which is aided by the pixie cut, which has grown out slightly. The white stockings are also just there as something of a sun/sand protection, and also because I wanted to really bring the colour back hard for Vacuo.
To Blake!
Observant people might notice that Blake has melanin here. I would be disqualified from Certain Redesign Contests for such a deviation from canon. What a shame.
But anyway, most of the Beacon looks really were solid outfits, as seen by how they're the ones that get press in everything rwby does outside of rwby 90% of the time. I honestly didn't have to change much. Mainly just doing a few small tweaks here and there. I changed her shorts to lose the excess zippers and added one of those like useless button straps that don't actually do anything but look cute, and here we see that I made all of Blake's buttons look like lil moons. Just for flair.
I gave her a purple belt and changed the tone of the purple in general, since I prefer Blake with bluer purples/indigos to Yang's more lilac purple when it shows up. She has the purple soles, but not heels, one thing I wanted to do with all these designs was make sure that the shoes could all look similar but different, give them all something specific to them.
The other big thing I did was I took her glove away and replaced it with two shorter gloves, one of which has her emblem rather than it being on her leggings, and the other of which has fishnets on it, because Blake Shops At Hot Topic and Listens to Evanescence you cannot tell me otherwise. The little white straps on her top were just, again, a bit of visual flair, and a way to keep some white travelling through her design without making her upper arms empty with nothing to look at.
Also you can't see it at this angle but she has a crescent moon nose piercing throughout all of her looks, even in Beacon, and she has black nail polish. I like to think she, Weiss, and Yang all did manicure sessions together in Beacon.
Her Mistral look is already a departure from canon, though I kept the thigh high boots and the idea for the cutouts on her top, even if I made her crop top white. You can't see it here that well because Blake is also wearing a sleeveless croptop jacket over a sleeveless croptop. It's fashion.
I gave her the glove from her show Beacon design here instead, for the assymmetry, and she has a bandanna tied around her right bicep with a moon pattern to kind of mirror the metal band on the glove. The big thing I wanted was to put her in a low ponytail, because that meant I could keep her bow motif while still showing off her ears. When she wants to cover them she has a beanie, because beanies are cute.
The zip for her zipper is, again, a crsecent moon, and she has a moon phases pattern along the tops of her boots. I gave her kneepads because Mistral Blake is ready to scrap and it matched with the metal band on the glove, and popped her emblem on her hoodie in a similar way to her vol2 outfit. Also similar to her vol2 outfit, I added those adidas tracksuit lines but in purple on her trousers. I liked this one a lot. It had the stuff I liked from the show Mistral one but without completely drowning her in not her colours.
This one gave me trouble, I went through so many sketches before I decided on this, but I think I'm happy with it overall. As a lil sneaky on this I made her jacket clasps the Bi Double Moon, which can also be seen on the metal tops of her boots. I had a sort of idea for stripes for her pattern here, just to look cohesive and also distinctive. She has the white to black gradient on her trousers, which are meant to be thicker and warmer. I wanted to always make sure she had white on her upper legs, just for the follow-through.
The bow for her ponytail is also white here in Atlas, and it's not on this look but she has a new beanie with white trim and one of those fluffy pom-pom thingies. The belt has her moon phases design that I introduced in the Mistral design, and her jacket was just me playing around until I had something I liked that kept her colour and had just the slightest hint of a suit jacket or waistcoat or something, in the shape and the white cuffs, mostly.
Her emblem is on a neckerchief that she can pull up over her nose to stay warm, and she's gotten two silver piercings in her right ear as a homage to her mom's gold piercings. Also, the notch in her left ear? She gets it from a fight, but she also comes out winning, and if anyone can guess why 'A V-shaped Notch' and where I got the reference from, another internet cookie and also my apologies, possibly.
I love Blake's Vacuo design, I shouldn't be biased but I am and I love it. I wanted her to have pirate boots, where I moved her bows to because she's dropped the ponytail, but my biggest wish for this look was 'that goth bitch at a rock concert who's about to scrap'. Everyone is punk in Vacuo, apparently.
She's wearing torn fishnets in the desert because she's hardcore like that, I gave her assymetrical gloves, one of which has like, a studded band purely for the 'about to dropkick someone in the moshpit' look, and a single-shoulder croptop that has her moon phases pattern. The more I look at her top the more I realise I may have been thinking of Amethyst from Steven Universe but Amethyst's designs all rocked so that's not a bad thing.
She still has the double bi moon on her pirate boots, right at the end of the bits that flop over (I don't know terminology), and finally she has her emblem on her legs, on her high-waisted shorts that are based off a pair I had as a teenager but in black.
And the jacket. Yes. Okay, I know: holographic fabric in the desert? Well the desert can be cold at night so she'll be warm then and also: she can blind her enemies with it. I just really like the shape and style of it, and I think it really distincts from her other looks. It was also really fun to draw, and I'm allowed to keep one darling alive as a present to myself.
Onto the fourth and final teammate, Yang!
Well first of all, her new Vale look is pretty much just 60% of vol2 outfit with a few minor tweaks. i turned the black miniskirt under the cream miniskirt into a pair of short-shorts because she deserves it, I took her emblem off the sparkly purple sash so she could keep it on her stockings.
The top is a mix of her original outfit in her new colour scheme of black, white, cream, and yellow, but I changed up her sleeves to be white for the poofy-fairytale-goldilocks appearance. I also turned all her buttons into rectangular clasps, and made the croptop under her jacket purple, to really bring the colour through the outfit. She and Blake are really close in Beacon, so having more purple in Yang's outfit, the bows on her boots, and the matching black scarfs was a fun way to show that for her.
One may also not that Yang's now got a bit of an updo going on. I wanted to incorporate just a few more Chinese influences into her design, though I will admit it is heavily stylised, and not very obvious in her Vale look. I also gave her a tan, just to really help bring out the colour palette a bit. And she has lilac nail polish because goddamnit she's allowed to be girly AND tough I hate the erasure of Yang's femininity just because this fndm can't wrap their lil heads around a wlw relationship that's not butch/femme when Yang isn't even butch in the show.
Anger aside. Part of what I wanted with this look was to make it seem, well, a little impractical. More fashion and form over function. Her boots have four belts each that need to be individually done up, her sash reaches her knees, that sort of thing. She can still fight in it, obviously, but she's in the fight for the thrill of things, because she's cool and knows it, and isn't really choosing to think deeper.
Her Mistral Look is meant to be very, very different from her Beacon look. She's axed the miniskirt and belt boots completely, she's wiped almost all traces of purple from her design, and she's got no bows. Yang in Mistral is almost running from everything in Vale, and especially anything that reminds her of Blake. She's trying to be a lot more practical here, her boots zip on, her qipao-influenced dress is short, cut high over the thighs, and out of the way of any kicks she might do, the sash wraps around the top of her boot and that's all, her hair's up in a ponytail.
The short jacket is pretty much the half of her vol2 look that didn't make it into her Vale look, and her yellow crop top under the qipao has her emblem, deliberately obscured and covered up a bit for symbolism. She has a black liner for her prosthetic here, and takes it on and off when she wants to. She didn't just put it on and never remove it, like in the show, here it's a bit more of an adjustment for her. Not as much to say about this outfit, it's simple but effective.
Yang's in a much better headspace from about Atlas onwards. She's more willing to combine fashion and function, she's finally started incorporating cute patterns into her style, and she has the cute hair bun covers that are purple and sparkly and adorable! She really starts coming into her own in Atlas, and I wanted to show that by having her settle into her motifs of fire and bears, as shown by the fire design on her jacket and the bear patterns. She has a trio of ursa skulls on a patch on her super fluffy jacket, and a set of bear pawprints on the edge of her qipao.
The boots have belts, though they're mostly decorative and the boots are actually zip on, and her emblem is still a bit hidden on her thigh. She's incorporating a lot more gold metal onto her shoes, following through from her Mistral look, and has a little golden band she can use to tie off the sleeve of her jacket when she's not wearing her prosthetic. Under the jacket, I like to think the sleeves are short before it cuts off just above the end of her right arm, and transitions into a full black glove on her left arm. She's switched the liner out for a bright yellow one, and she's just happier here. Someone has to be the sunshine in this team.
Similar to Blake, and Ruby, and possibly Weiss once I can look at her designs again, Yang's Vacuo outfit is my favourite of the four. She's got her hair up in cute buns for the bear ear ref, she's got cute ribbons that aren't bows because she and Blake have sorted stuff after Beacon but they're not codependent, and she's still got the purple sparkly fabric as her socks.
The main thing for Vacuo was to try and bring back some of the biker babe aesthetic, which I mostly did with the denim shorts that have that specific white fray thingy. She's got gold caps on the knuckles of her glove too, just for some extra fun. The emblem on her boots matches the metal inset of a fire pattern, and I brought back the bear idea with a paw on her sleeve. Maybe she has the ursa skulls patch on the other arm, I'm not sure yet, I'll need to decide if I want symmetry or not.
I simplified her arm from her show look, by trimming the amount of yellow into a few clear plates to cover the main workings. I never was sure how she managed to spray it perfectly enough on the finger grooves to not get paint everywhere.
Her necklace has turned into a clasp at her throat now, jsut to prevent it swinging around in combat, and the qipao is now at its longest, but still cut high over the sides so it's not impeding her movement. The pattern at the bottom is a fire pattern I found that also looked vaguely watery, which I think made it perfect, since she's kind of mixing the two into her mindset at this point, she's doing the kung fu panda thing, she's seeking inner peace. And she's looking great while she does it, she has a better colour scheme here.
And that's all of them!! All I have to say. I think. Thank you so much for this question, Nonnie, it was fun. I hope the quality of the images is at least half-decent, my tumblr fucks them all so I'll never be sure
#rwby#ruby rose#weiss schnee#blake belladonna#yang xiao long#rwby rewrite#rwby redesign#rwby au#scorruby au#rwde#but only a little bit just when yelling about how shit some of the show designs are#hope you enjoy anon I gave you an essay and a half
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The revamped Rozies of Marathon Inmortalitas. Compared to their previous iteration, I've trimmed them down considerably to just three pairs of android-cyborg partners, notable S'pht, and Yrro.
As mentioned before, Yuriy Romanov (renamed from Viktor) takes up the mantle of Security Officer from Vince. He's a laid-back guy who isn't fazed by Durandal's arrogance or snark.
The S'pht got various tweaks, mostly to get their armour to make more sense.
Logan ended up staying in Inm.; as before, they're another cyborg in need of a job and a place to stay.
Sabino comes from a draft I wrote for an alternate Tempus Irae story; I didn't want him going to waste, so I dropped him into the main timeline. Here, he's a knight errant hailing from the planet Myth takes place on in Inm.
For various reasons (most important of which is to be near his S'pht), Yrro will join the Rozies after meeting them. He remains as blunt and prone to harsh language as ever.
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Monthly Update - March 2024
The end of Act 1 is approaching! Chapter 9 is written and almost revised. This week, I'll dedicate time to give it one final look before coding it. I've also been editing the previous chapters and incorporating all the changes I had planned. Some are minor details, but there are a couple of significant changes that I prefer to keep as a surprise, although I can say that I've completely revamped a couple of scenes.
To start with, my attempts to make chapter 2 less info-heavy aren't going as I thought. I wanted to trim down some of the explanations there, but I can't. The characters need to know everything there. Still, I'm tweaking a couple of parts to make it easier to understand and less confusing, or at least I hope so, lol!
I'm also making some tweaks in chapter 1, like Leire/Luca’s scene at the end when the MC asks them to accompany them home, and a few details here and there in each route. I'm adding more details and changing a couple of scenes with Ada/Omar throughout the act that I didn't consider initially but that are important for the character.
Lastly, similar to Ada/Omar, I'm changing the mood in Rayco/Gara’s scene in chapter 2. They were very out of character before. Although they do try to keep their distance after the revelation, their cold and serious attitude isn't like them and didn't feel right. The same goes for their scene in chapter 5.
In summary, lots of changes this month, lol! I just need to edit chapters 7 and 8, add chapter 9, and do one final detail I want to share with you when I publish the complete act, and then it's all set! If I continue to be this productive, hopefully everything will be ready before the end of the month!
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Have a fantastic month and see you at the end of April ;)
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If "Dawn of DC" isn't doing very well, why would an Ultimate DC do any better? The fans are used to alternate universe versions, DC doesn't really have any "Peter and MJ married" silver bullet like Marvel and while Scott Snyder is popular, I don't think he is on the same level as Hickman (it's not that hard to be a top-seller if you are always writing Batman/Joker storylines). I see it going the same way as Earth One.
Because it would be an easy jumping on point. Plenty of people dismissed Hickman’s Ultimate Marvel reboot as a bad idea. They were wrong, it’s attracted genuine attention and excitement. It’s fun to get in at the start on a new universe with premiere talent, especially when the main universe is lethargic and boring. Besides if it’s what Scott Snyder wants to do, and he’s putting together a roster of talent to do it, there’s no reason not to let him take a stab. Unlike the New 52 this isn’t replacing the main universe, and it would benefit some of the ideas they’re trying on Earth 0 right now.
You want to see the Titans as the main hero team? Well let’s have the inevitable JL book launch on another Earth, because the sales are too soft for the League to stay gone much longer. Upset about all the continuity contradictions caused by the Crises’? Instead of yet another doomed attempt to straighten things out, let’s just reboot everyone on another Earth to create a clean starting point. Tired of all the new legacy heroes and shared mantle holders? New Earth means we don’t have more “family members” than we can actually support books for. We can trim everything back down to the core again.
Earth One didn’t fail because the idea of an “Ultimate DC” is inherently doomed to fail. It failed because they didn’t get the books out on a consistent schedule, every creator did their own thing which defeated the purpose of putting them all on the same Earth, and the New 52 rendered the whole endeavor moot because it radically revamped the main DC heroes anyway. Let Snyder try, worst case scenario is it fails, but since it’s a different universe it’s failure wouldn’t impact the mainline. If it succeeds it gives DC a badly needed boost in sales and attention.
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Kinko Revamp Process
Wanted to try something slightly different with this post, call it a little behind the scenes process.
As you all know, I am Ramenking…
I make pixels, and I have done for a good long while, and today to lead up to my next Blurry Boy post, I want to show you a little bit of what my process has been for these revamps. Let's start with Kinko, as he is the first to have been revealed.
So when it comes to Kinkotsuman, out of the whole group I did. He is a character I mainly like for the uniqueness of his look, and the specific body type on him. As a character he is abit of a… Iffy guy for me. Just I'm not the biggest fan of trash Dad’s, like Kinko just falls right into that category full stop guys. Poor Bone Cold. 😔
All that said when approaching him it was quite an interesting task, as he is actually one of only 8 characters from the Kinnikuman franchise I've been spriting since I started in this little pixel square field. I did start other characters but they always were forever WIP stuff. All of those works though are long gone, probably on an old laptop somewhere in a storage room. That said, I at least have Kinko here looking nice and rough.
This period of spriting for myself wasn't the best one looking back on it. Majority of my work was more akin to sloppy edits and recolours trying to fit into a style I had little to no skill at all in. That being said it was still fun to actually make pixels for the first time, so it drove me to further dabble.
That nicely leads us to 2011 Kinko next to 2011 Kinnikuman…
Kinkotsuman and others get a face lift, or just get made for the first time in some cases. What's a bit neat about the Kinkotsuman Pixel of 2011, this sprite was initially a revamp made by an old forum buddy of mine (with heavy tweaks after made by myself). I had a mighty struggle with his head, my brain just couldn't get it and his could, the hair as well I kept having a problem with and Poof all of these issues were non existent, to him. What I really liked about this Kinko compared to the 2009 attempt was the body type actually got closer to what I envisioned. (Still a bit too tall though, and wide to a degree though)
See I've never been a massive fan of slightly buff Kinko as a norm. Not saying it couldn't make for an interesting growth of the character body wise throughout the series. Just in my head, he is Skull and Bones guy, and that type of person shouldn't have to much meat on his bones. All that said I do enjoy me a good character evolution over time chart. Might do one for all the Kinniku Characters like I did this quick mock up of Kinnikuman one day.
Onto now… When I approached Kinko this time, I wanted to try and strike a balance between the newer look Yude does for him, his first appearance look, and the anime look.
So I had examples of all three works as I went to it. I took the 2011 sprite and stripped off the colors and from there I readjusted placements of black lines inside the framework, and trimmed the framework down where I saw fit aswell. Then I laid back in some of the flat Colors across it all when I was happy with my framework. Then came the first run of shades. I take a look, see how I feel, then I will make adjustments where I see fit in different ways, just to get across the “Feel of the Character” that I want to achieve with this sprite.
Aside - |{When I say “Feel of the Character”, I am meaning I want whatever I do, however complex or simplistic it is with my pixels. I want someone to look at that, and the drawn character and be like “Oh yeah, I see it. That's them.” Like I'm not after getting every detail 100% perfect, really if you are working in pixels as small as I am. You flat out can't be. But what I want to do, is get that feel of them across as best as I can. Sometimes that means sacrificing certain elements (You will see that in some sprites to come), other times it means really emphasizing sometimes a single aspect of the sprite. It's a fun little challenge every time, sprite by sprite I have to play with. By no means though am I a master at this pixel thing, nor do I want to disparage others who have a different approach. This is just how I prefer to do it.}|
Next once I got the sprite down, I threw up my faceset. Used my WIP Kinnikuman as a base to make edits to find Kinko in the pixels. I chipped away, and remolded bit by bit until. Poof. I got my faceset I was happy with. (Which I was so happy with, it made me not too happy with the sprite so I actually later went back and made yet a last adjustment after the initial posting. Whoops!)
With all that done, I quickly did up a little I'll call it a “Pixel Showcase”. Gathered some old GameBoy text assets for the lettering, and just free handed some shapes and lines to put Kinko and his Face on display for you all. As the last “Showcase” background I realized was a bit busy for the eyes, and you kind of can't appreciate the sprites on display in it. I still very much like it though, so maybe I'll do something with it later on.
And that is all peeples. My behind the scenes Esque thing, to somewhat build interest for the next Blur Boy coming. (Which will come hopefully soon, if work doesn't beat me down too much before) Hope you all enjoyed this, if it's liked enough I might try doing more in the future as it's nice to almost get my process down for all to understand the approach from sprite to sprite, and for my own benefit as well as most of these ideas and practices aren't written but just in my head.
Until the next Blurry Boy post, I gotta rest my fingers now. Seeyah…
Ramen Out!
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hi friends!! it's been a long time since i've actively written on here and i've been itching to get my muse back into the swing of indie writing again. that being said, i've revamped my blog and refreshed my list of muses which you can find here (it's been trimmed down to the ones i have the most muse & inspo to write for). i'll likely post a starter call today and will reach out/check in with those of you i have existing threads with to see if you'd like to continue them 🤍
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Silly WIP game
A WIP GAME, tagged in by @almarnatiaam.
RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.
All the files in my WIPs? ALL of them? Even trimming it down there's no way I'm going to tag all those people so sorry folks, the train stops here.
Notably I bumped into 2 issues right away. One is that I sort my fics by fandom, the other is that what counts as a "WIP" for me ranges from a file I opened to tweak yesterday to a Word2003 doc I last worked on 10 years ago but still intend to finish or revamp some day.
Caveats: the following list only includes fics I think are worthy of finishing OR revamping (and I will not specify which unless asked); does not include WIPs that I have partially uploaded anywhere (Eg. unfinished fics already on Ao3); and the fandom of each fic will not be specified, for extra intrigue (unless the title makes it clear)
So, in no particular order:
Babysitter
Stifled Revival
Toy Soldier
Sharp Halo
Banshee and Brute
Dark Hunter Story
FEIT
Rematch
Zeroed
Knights of Gwyn
nevermore
WindWakerMyWay
#sable's fic#ask game#writing asks#wips#i will probably rb this one to keep the game 'open' bc this is interesting#sorry for no tags but i don't want to bug ~12 other people
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Good evening
Here is a message to say that I am alive and well, just living the student life again getting my masters this time around.
I have a few drawings in progress and 2 comics I want to do and maybe will be revamping my blog since all the cool kids are doing it.
I know I was pissed like six months ago and was gonna trim down my archive but I went on a vacation after that happened, had a good time and decided I didn't care anymore 🏃 anyway, it's still midterms but I hope to see you guys soon.
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Speaking on Nice Things:
A Tuff Mallow update 8/1/22
Have you taken the time to look back over the past three years? I hope when and if you do, you congratulate yourself for making it through. It has been a very difficult time for so many. I'm glad you're here and I hope you're well 💗.
I had to look back over the past three years and realize I'm doing way more than I thought I was. I've accomplished more than I realized I have and now that I'm revving up to share things with everyone, I'm actually proud and humbled as to where life and game development has taken me.
First of all,
Let's discuss The Closet Door! MANnnnn THIS GAME! I have so many emotions about it. It started as a little side project, and already it has grown into a full sized game with two mini holiday DLCs planned (I already finished one of them and plan to release it publicly this fall! 👀) I spent a lot of time fixing and trimming and adding script, CGs, sprites and redesigning the UI. I'm finally at a place where I'm like OK. TIME TO CLEAN THIS BABY UP AND RELEASE IT IN THE WILD. So I'm plugging any holes in my script and already adding assets to the code- we're in the final countdown now and I'm full of so many emotions about it- I can't even express them all. Just know a lot of love has gone into Faun and the gang. I truly love all of it for everything I could give it.
Coming Soon page is up so you know it's on now!
The demo page is gone, but the official full release page is up and ready for the countdown!
The next thing that may surprise you is that I am halfway through production of a related game as well. This game is called Lake of Reflection, and it is shaping up to be a visual novel/ interactive fiction hybrid that stars two unseeming protagonists finding their way through helping and healing on the heels of tragedy and trauma. I'm in the process of hosting a casting call, as there will be partially voiced lines in this story, which takes a slightly different direction from my usual storytelling design. This small game will most likely be released sometime late 2022 and only range about 20-30k words. I'll be sure to update everyone on the progress.
Lake of Reflection title screen
Also!! Sunset Memory Sunrise Promise is still on the rise in my dev tasks! It's already turning into less of a lone project and more of a collaboration involving so many talented individuals I am fortunate to meet let alone work with! I'm really excited to be moving towards the development of this game. I have wanted to work on this game so long and it has taken a lot of learning about myself as a developer and storyteller to get to this point. As The Closet Door finally comes to a full release, I will be actively working on production for SMSP with gusto and introducing you guys to all the amazing talent that will be responsible for ultimately bringing it to life. Keep your stations tuned in! There's so much to see coming up!
...Not what I meant by so much to see Demetri...
We have come so far
And it keeps getting better! There will be some pretty cool media creations releasing with insight to the games and their backstories, so I will definitely ping you on those as soon as they drop!
I'm also sitting down to revamp the Patreon and give it the professional love it has deserved all along. I can't wait to show you guys what Patreon and Kofi will look like starting this month 💕🔥💯
And uh... There's a comic I have been designing? And plan to release on Tuff Mallow website- (which is a thing!) as soon as the website is up and ready to share with the public- still working on responsiveness and fluid design that says "Marshmallow, but A Tough one". When I do, I can give you more info about these guys and the shenanigans they get into!
Your Wish or Mine~ (details soon!)
Thanks for sticking around and I promise to keep doing my best to create and release the works you guys have been inspiring me to make over the years. Things are about to move fast and I hope I can keep up! Either way, I'm better for the ware having you guys along for the ride with me!!
Stay awesome and I've got more posts coming up!
~AlwaysJmB
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Actual Decent Builders of Simblr (ie. not me), how do I fix the following?
I want to add an exterior trim all the way around the rooftop, not just what you see here (this is from my witchy cottage, which was a revamp of an existing Maxis High School Years build). Except when I try, I keep getting the "must be applied to a room above ground floor level" error message.
Any tips for a way around it? Is there a magic keyboard command (I'm on PC) or do I need to build a second floor just to knock it down once I have the trim in place?
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Lewis Hamilton admits Mercedes' long-awaited upgrade package is not magic cure
Lewis Hamilton admits Mercedes' long-awaited upgrade package is 'definitely not the step forward we were hoping for' and insists bid to close the gap on rampant Red Bull will be a 'long process'
Lewis Hamilton previously said he was 'counting down the days' to the upgrades
However, he has diluted his enthusiasm and says the changes are not a magic fix
Hamilton finished sixth in Monaco qualifying and fourth during Sunday's race
By Jonathan McEvoy for the Daily Mail
Published: 12:38 EDT, 1 June 2023 | Updated: 15:54 EDT, 1 June 2023
Lewis Hamilton has admitted Mercedes' long-awaited upgrade package is not a magic cure for his struggling car.
The 37-year-old was speaking ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, the second outing for the revamped machine. It carried him to sixth in qualifying in Monaco a week ago and fourth in the rain-affected race. George Russell qualified eight and finished fifth.
Hamilton had previously said he was 'counting down the days' to the upgrade's arrival, but has now diluted his enthusiasm, conceding: 'It is definitely not the step forward we were hoping for.
'We wanted a one-second improvement in race trim (over Red Bull), and we have not covered that.
'I felt a little bit more confident in the car at the last race, and more ability to commit to the corners, so I am hoping at this track it will be the same but better.
Lewis Hamilton has insisted Mercedes' long-awaited upgrade package is not a magic fix
Hamilton finished fourth at the Monaco Grand Prix, comfortably adrift of Max Verstappen
'We have taken account of where we have gone wrong. Now we are slowly chipping away and navigating our way back to the front, but it is just a long process unfortunately.'
Hamilton's honest assessment came as Red Bull's dominant world champion Max Verstappen claimed it was possible the team could win every race of the season.
They have won the first six and, remarkably, 16 of the last 17.
'Well, I would say at the moment I think we can, but that's very unlikely to happen,' said the Dutchman.
'There are always things that go wrong, a retirement or whatever. But purely on pace at the moment, yes, it's possible.
'About the dominance, we've always seen this in Formula One over the years, there's nothing new. The longer you leave the regulations the same, the closer people will get.'
Red Bull's Verstappen claimed it is possible the domineering team wins every race of the year
Share or comment on this article:
Lewis Hamilton admits Mercedes' long-awaited upgrade package is not magic cure
via Formula One | Mail Online https://www.dailymail.co.uk?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
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helllooo i keep seeing your pfp and thinking that you are shen bluechair comic and thats kinda funny to meeee
also i really love seen unseen unsung! no pressure to say anything about it i just wanted to say i like it :3
thank you!!! it's actually really wonderful to hear that people do still enjoy that fic, even though it's been on hiatus for a long while now. part of me still wants to come back and finish it (and i actually revamped the outline for it back in 2021 and trimmed it down to 19 chapters), but i'm not entirely sure when that would be, so i may also just post the rest of the outline so that at least plot-wise, the fic is complete.
but! i actually do have a small chunk of chapter eleven that i've had written for ... god, ages now. it's too short to post as an isolated chapter (and it also leaves off right in the middle of a conversation), but i've dropped it below the readmore if you're interested! thank you so much for the lovely message 💕
April 25, 2018
When Tim was ten years old, he was obsessed with optical illusions. One of his classmates in primary school had shown him a book with pictures that looked like they were moving, with lines that looked bent but were straight, with images that resolved out of noise if you unfocused your eyes long enough. And Tim loved all of them. He was a bit too young to understand the scientific reasoning for why his brain interpreted the images on the page the way that it did, but the idea that something so similar to magic existed just at his fingertips entranced him for months. He would sit and stare at pages of images until a headache built behind his eyes, and he would show Danny dozens of Rorschach inkblots to see what he saw in them.
Thinking back on it, Tim thinks it was probably the idea of the existence of unreality within reality that had really struck him. The idea that what you see might be just an interpretation of the truth and that everything perceived by the eye is interpreted by the brain in such a way that it makes sense, whether or not that way is the truth. If our perception can be so easily altered by a few lines or a mismatched color, then how can we truly be sure that what we’re seeing is real at any given time? How can we know that we are perceiving the world as it is? Perhaps there’s an entire reality that we can’t see, or that we choose not to see, because it doesn’t make sense and so our brains choose to substitute in something else that does make sense.
Or maybe he’d just liked the pretty pictures.
Either way, that’s how Tim feels right now, sitting next to Danny and Sasha on his couch with reality and unreality, dead and alive flickering through his mind and turning his faint lingering headache into a fully-formed, dull ache. The thing is, though, optical illusions go away. You figure out the trick, you read the explanation written next to it on the page, and that’s it. No more illusion.
There’s no simple explanation for this, Tim thinks bitterly. No trick. Nothing that will take the illusion away, because there is no illusion—there’s Danny and Sasha and they’re dead, and that’s it.
That’s it.
“Huh,” Danny says, breaking the silence with a suddenness that sends Tim’s heart jumping into his throat. “Guess I was right when I said that the whole ‘you’re a ghost’ thing made sense. Didn’t realize there were two of us, though.” A small grin spreads across his face. “D’you think we should start a club or something? ‘Support Group for the Not-So-Recently Deceased.’”
It’s only because Tim’s tired, and because of the headache pounding away behind his eyes, that he says sharply, “This isn’t a fucking joke, Danny.”
The smile slips from Danny’s lips like a cheap mask, and he looks away. “I know. But what do you want from me, Tim? A nervous breakdown? You know I’ve never been one for dwelling on negative emotions.”
“Just—” Tim cuts off, takes a few moments to breathe, and continues, in a more controlled tone, “Just, for once, Danny, just a bit of seriousness. This isn’t something that goes away if you ignore it.”
Quietly, Danny says, “Okay.” Then, after a moment, he adds, “So, what do I do then? Should I move back in?”
Tim lets out a small, strangled laugh. “Move back in from where, Danny? Where do you live right now? Hell, where do you work? What do you eat? What do you do when I’m not around?”
Danny opens his mouth—probably to fire off an automatic protest—but he hesitates. There’s a long pause, and Tim can see the distance in Danny’s eyes, the way he’s searching and searching for answers that aren’t there, the way that his mouth slowly closes and his face slackens as he hits wall after wall after wall in a life that’s only half-formed. He looks at Tim, and for the briefest of moments, Tim can see in his eyes the Danny from his dreams and can feel the faintest taste of sickeningly sweet fear on the back of his tongue.
“Don’t,” Tim says quickly, too quickly; it snaps Danny out of whatever he’d been seeing, and when he blinks, his eyes are just eyes and the thread is still intact and the sugar-sweet fear is gone. Tim tightens his grip on the thread all the same and ignores the way it burns. “Don’t think about it. I… I can catch you, but if you think about it, then you’ll know, and believe me, you don’t want to.”
Danny’s voice comes out slightly cracked when he says, “Know what? Tim, I already know how I died. You told me how I died.” His mouth twitches, for a moment, into something darker, something close to terror. “From your dreams,” he says, barely more than a whisper.
“It’s not the same,” Tim says firmly, memories of Sasha slicing through him once more with sharp, serrated blades. “Believe me, it’s… it’s not.” “Okay,” Sasha says, cutting into the conversation and leaning forward on the couch with her elbows on her knees. “So what do we do now? We’re both dead, but at least for now, it doesn’t look like we’re going anywhere.”
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