264.3K results

"Why were you covered in blood, crane?" That was the first question that finally registered in Lofty's head. He'd been staring off into space and only now realized where he was. It seemed to be a police parking lot; a fence placed around him and his crane arm tied down. Two humans, one with a graying beard and the other with a handlebar mustache, stood on the other side of the fence, glaring at him. "Wh..wha..what?.." he squeaked out, shivers running through his frame. "Don't play coy with us. We arrived at a gas station after receiving a call about a crane soaked in blood," snapped one of the humans, "and when we got there, we found you." The other human, the mustached one, spoke up, "Now we want to know why you were saturated with so much blood, you were leaving a bloody trail, literally!" Lofty blinked in shock before looking over himself. He saw no signs of blood, wet or dry; they must've washed him at some point. "Well....I..." he began, racking his frazzled brain for memories. It was then he remembered the bunker: all the bodies, all the blood, bits of people strewn everywhere. That awful scene flashed before his eyes over and over. Suddenly, water splashed in his face, forcing coughs from him. He managed to see a firetruck aiming her hose at him, clearly the one who splashed him. The bearded human groaned, "Okay, you zoned out AGAIN, crane. Why. Were. You. Covered. In. Blood." He emphasized each word with accusatory finger jabs at Lofty, making the crane shrink down. "Bunker!" Came the reply from the traumatized crane. The humans and vehicle stared at him with confusion. "I...I..woke up in a bunker....I left this...garage area...and found..." Lofty began to weep. "...so many bodies...torn apart...bloo..bl...b..blood everywhere..." He sobbed hard, leaving the rest of his explanation up to the imagination. The humans stroked their respective facial hair in contemplation while the firetruck lost her intense stare. Lofty couldn't stop the flashes of the scene he had to go through from shooting across his brain. He could almost feel the dripping of the red liquid onto him, the pooling of it on his head; he felt sick to the core. Without warning, he vomited, oil spewing from his mouth. The three beings around him recoiled and backed away, a mix of shock and disgust plastered on their faces. The poor crane was heaving deeply, black ooze dribbling from his lips. The firetruck quickly motioned that she was going to go get help, leaving the humans alone. As the men discussed the information they had just learned, Lofty stirred and opened his eyes: his pupils were dilated into large black disks, nearly engulfing the whites of his eyes. The men perked up when they heard the crane begin to giggle. The giggle turned into chuckles, which then turned into laughter. A smile began to stretch across Lofty's face, contorting it badly. The bearded man had just seen the straps around the crane arm beginning to fail when he noticed his partner had left, vaguely telling him a warrant for this bunker would be put out. The man was alone with this maniacal crane, who continued to laugh hard when the straps failed. The man reached for his radio when he felt a piercing pain and a foreign object slam into his gut. In his shock, he looked down to see a large blue hook embedded in his stomach, a dark substance leaking out onto it and staining his clothes. The man slowly looked up at Lofty; the crane had tilted his head with his manic grin, as if he was examining this cruel act. Lofty watched as the man passed out before carefully extracting his precious hook from the human's abdomen. His blackened eyes watched the glorious blood trickle down to the floor, each drop letting off a different sound than the last. He freed himself from his cage, a simple lifting up of the fencing, and drove out of the parking lot, disappearing just as the firetruck returned, a look of terror crossing her normally composed face.

「Heartless Woman　part 2」 24: Rino woke up in a bed. It was a room she had never seen before. A middle-aged woman was sitting in front of her. "You're Satoko's mother, right?" "Nice to meet you, I'm Rino." "We live in the same apartment complex and became friends." As they talked, a strange feeling began to grow inside her. This wasn't her voice. When she looked at her hand, she saw it was connected to some wires for an electrocardiogram. A hospital? She stared at her bandaged hand and felt uneasy. These weren't her nails. Upon closer inspection, the familiar mole she had was missing. What is going on? As Rino started to panic, Ema smiled warmly. "Good morning!" 25: When the doctors learned that she had regained consciousness, they came into the room. They conducted a medical interview and measured her blood pressure. After instructing her to rest for a while, they left the room. Rino wanted to know what had happened to her body. However, she suppressed her anxious feelings and pretended to be Satoko. Ema must not find out. She decided to think about it after leaving this place. Rino tried to lift herself from the bed. But her body was heavier than she expected. Just a little movement left her out of breath. Rino looked up at Ema's face. "It's okay! I'm here with you!" Ema responded with a forced smile. Ema was clearly anxious. She wouldn’t leave Rino’s side. She must have been through a terrifying experience. Rino gently held Ema's hand, trying to reassure her. Ema seemed a bit surprised by the warmth of her touch. "Mom, I'm okay." "Let's both get some rest." Ema nodded and lay down on the nearby cot. Soon after, Rino also fell asleep. 26: When she woke up, Rino was beginning to get used to Satoko's body. Maybe Satoko was in my body. Why hasn't she come to see me? Could it be that I'm already... That anxiety crossed her mind. Looking at the hospital's wall clock, she saw it was already evening. "I need to get to my own room..." Rino quietly resolved herself and slowly sat up. That night, Rino slipped out of the hospital room in a wheelchair. Her destination was her own hospital room. The hospital, shrouded in the darkness of night, was silent. As Rino wheeled herself through the halls, she checked the names on the doors. She maneuvered past the nurse's station. When she finally reached the ICU, there was no one there either. In the distance, she heard the sound of footsteps running down the hallway. The commotion created an ominous atmosphere. Rino held her breath and looked around. At that moment, a voice suddenly came from behind her. "Satoko, what are you doing here?" She turned around to see a nurse standing there. Rino quickly tried to think of an excuse. But before she could, the nurse continued. "The person you're looking for is currently undergoing treatment." "Don't worry." Rino understood in an instant. 27: The nurse helped Rino lie down on the bed. For the first time in a long while, Rino fell into a deep sleep. In her dream, Rino met Satoko. Satoko was sitting on a swing in the park at midnight. As Rino walked around to her, she saw that Satoko was sound asleep. There was no sign of her waking up. So, this is where you were. Rino was filled with relief. I’ll let her sleep until she wakes up. With that thought, Rino woke up. 28: What could I do until Satoko wakes up? The thought of bullying crossed my mind. There might still be people like Kanako, the tough type. Even so, I decided to create a place for Satoko to return to. If Satoko changes, the people around her should change too. Satoko just needs to become stronger. There's only one thing I can do. Boxing! For that, I need to get discharged from the hospital. Then it hit me. I had left Hiroshi's bike at the hospital. 29: Rino asked Ema for a favor and borrowed her smartphone. After searching, she found a video. Rino told Ema that she was in the video and that the person who posted it was worried. Ema had a hard time understanding. Rino repeatedly pleaded to make contact. Finally, Ema sent a direct message to Hiroshi's social media account. 30: Ema sent a direct message: "I’m contacting you on behalf of my daughter Satoko." "Satoko has woken up safely and is doing well." "Thank you for helping with the bicycle." "Just wanted to give you an update." Hiroshi hesitated. "The bicycle situation is something only Rino and I knew about." "Is Rino alive?" "I checked so thoroughly; there’s no mistake." "Did Rino tell Satoko?" "As far as I know, she wouldn’t have had the time." "So then?" Hiroshi had posted many paranormal videos, but he had never actually encountered anything supernatural. His heart raced at the thought of this first encounter. 31: The hospital he arrived at was unbearable. Unable to find a taxi, he had walked there. He arrived two hours after Rino had left. He had naively assumed that Rino would be okay. At the scene, the area was cordoned off, preventing him from getting close. He had no choice but to ask the onlookers from a distance. Amidst the conflicting information, the reporters began to arrive one after another. When he heard what the reporter was saying, he couldn't believe his ears. Rino had died. Could it really be that sudden? He searched online to verify the truth. A video posted by one of the onlookers had been uploaded. It showed Rino fighting on the rooftop, and then falling together with Satoko. Rino had leapt to protect Satoko as they fell. The view was obstructed, so what happened after the fall was unclear. Hiroshi let out a bitter laugh. Why go to such lengths? He had been attracted not just to Satoko’s beauty but also to her character. Her innocence as well. It was just like Rino to meet her end this way. The helplessness overwhelmed him, and he couldn't stop crying. He found the bicycle inside the restricted area. It was right in front of the hospital entrance. Rino must have ridden it there herself. The thought made his sobbing uncontrollable. 31: Hiroshi replied to Ema. "Thank you for the message. I've received the bicycle. I'd like to visit, but could you let me know what time would be convenient? Also, if there's anything Satoko needs, please let me know." Hiroshi waited for a reply. Ten minutes later, he received a message from Ema. "Thank you. You can visit between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM on weekdays. We've received special permission, so I'll guide you to her room. Please let me know your planned visit time. Also, she's requested a jump rope." Hiroshi couldn't help but laugh. It was such a Rino-like request. He ordered a jump rope from a sports brand, arranging for it to arrive the next day. He decided to visit at 1:00 PM the day after tomorrow and sent a DM to confirm. In response, he received a message: "(≧∇≦)b." Hiroshi smiled, thinking, "That’s so like Rino.” 32: Hiroshi met Ema in front of the nurse's station. He immediately recognized her because she looked so much like Satoko. After greeting each other, Ema asked about their relationship. Hiroshi explained that he was a video content creator, that he had been filming the apartment complex at night, and that he had found Satoko on the swing late at night. He mentioned that she had agreed to be in one of his videos. He didn’t mention anything about Rino. Ema nodded, but her expression was skeptical. Hiroshi understood why. When they entered the room, Satoko was there. She was doing sit-ups on the bed. "Welcome, Hiroshi!" Ema's face darkened. The atmosphere must have changed significantly. Ema offered him a chair but remained standing herself. "You've been through a lot, haven’t you... Satoko?" "Kanako lost it, and it was a real mess." Hiroshi could feel Ema's gaze on him. He began to sweat nervously. "Thanks for the bike. It really helped!" Now there was another thing he would have to explain to Ema. "You brought the item I asked for?" Hiroshi nodded and handed her a package. It was neatly wrapped. "Thank you! I owe you one!" With that, Satoko carefully unwrapped the package. When she saw the jump rope, her face lit up with a beaming smile. "This is a really good one! Thanks, Hiroshi!" Every time Rino spoke, Ema's gaze seemed to pierce through Hiroshi. He knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid a barrage of questions later. "Are you going to start boxing?" Hiroshi asked. Hugging the jump rope, Satoko answered, "You bet! I'm going to box! I'll show everyone!" Hearing that, Ema left the room. "Huh? What’s wrong?" Satoko asked, puzzled. "Who knows?" Hiroshi replied, though he had an idea of how Ema was feeling inside. Hiroshi thought to himself, "Rino is scary!” 33: They decided to discuss the details after she was discharged. Hiroshi quickly left the room to find Ema. He found her hunched over behind a pillar. Hiroshi thought he would just say goodbye and leave. "Thank you," he said. As he spoke, Ema wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. She approached him, took his hand, and bowed deeply. "My daughter has been through so much." "She collapsed at school, was hospitalized, and then attacked." "Do you know someone named Rino?" Hiroshi lied. "That person risked her life to save my daughter." "Since then, Satoko has become like a different, much brighter person." "I'm grateful, both to you and to Rino." "I know there are many challenges ahead." "Please, take care of Satoko, my daughter." She bowed again. "Understood! Leave it to me!" Hiroshi responded. Feeling Ema's emotions, his chest tightened with warmth. 34: Rino's discharge was confirmed. Until then, Rino trained as much as she could in her hospital bed. Under Rino's control, Satoko's body recovered faster than expected, allowing her to practice basic footwork in the limited space of the hospital room. Each time the nurse made her rounds, Rino quickly returned to behaving like a patient, but her eyes always shone as if planning her next move. While Ema handled the discharge paperwork, Rino stood by the window, taking deep breaths and preparing herself to step back into the outside world. The moment she left the hospital, Rino made a decision in her heart. She would support Satoko only until she woke up. The next day, Rino began her training. Early morning jogs, jump rope, and strength training—all the routines she followed as if she were still an active boxer. That weekend, Rino finally mustered the courage to return to the gym she had once fled from. As she approached the gym, her legs grew heavy. She couldn't find the words to say to the coach. Would he accept her back after she had left without a word? Should she tell him that she had died? Or should she fully assume the identity of Satoko? Rino hesitated for a long time, standing in the shadow of a utility pole near the gym. Suddenly, someone spoke from behind her. "Hey! Here to check out the gym?" Rino turned around. There stood a short, balding, chubby man with thick-rimmed glasses. "Ah! Rino! You—" His raspy voice delivered his usual catchphrase. "Sorry! Coach! Forgive me!" On reflex, she performed her usual karate chop gesture. "So it really is Rino!" Oh no! She’s been found out. "No, I’m not! I’m Satoko!" She was getting herself deeper into trouble. "What the hell is that, some stage name?" "You're Rino! I can tell!" "Did you fake your death? Is this some kind of stunt?" "Why are you here at my gym?!" "Depending on your answer, I won’t go easy on you!" His short temper hadn’t changed a bit. He was already getting worked up by himself. "I told you, I’m not Rino!" "You four-eyed, balding, chubby idiot!" Rino raised her voice. "You said it! You little—I'm gonna kill you!" His husky voice trailed off, making it hard to catch the last part. "I’ve already died once; how do you plan on killing me again, you idiot!" Before she knew it, her former colleagues had gathered around them in a circle. They whispered among themselves, "It's Rino. She’s alive." Rino knew she had to overcome the pressure. She was a professional boxer who had survived many battles. She would find a way to handle this situation! With that resolve, she straightened up, winked, and replied confidently. "I'm not Rino! I’m Satoko!" But everyone kept whispering, "No, that’s definitely Rino." No one believed she was Satoko. Rino's plan crumbled right before her eyes. At this point, she decided to spill everything. "Alright, fine! I am Rino! I came back from hell because I was lonely!" It wasn’t a lie. Everyone started to respond, "Welcome back!" But the coach said, "I’m not forgiving you!" Rino's heart sank. "I’m sorry, Coach! I shouldn’t have disappeared like that! I’m really sorry." The coach shouted at Rino. "You made a fool out of me!" Rino mimicked her signature karate chop. "I’m sorry for hurting you, Coach! Please forgive me!" The coach broke down in tears. His crying face looked like a newborn creature, as unsettling as ever. No matter how many times she saw it, it was always disturbing. "We searched for you, all over the place." "We even handed out flyers." "We were so worried that you might be dead." "When we heard on the news that you had died, the person who took it the hardest was the coach." "No matter who you saved, the fact remains that you died." "But there must be a reason why you came back from hell." "Tell us the truth." Trainer Satoru spoke up in place of the coach. Rino nodded and told them everything. Her story was sad and heartbreaking, and everyone felt a deep sympathy for her. "Coach, is it okay if Rino re-joins the gym?" Satoru asked the coach. Through his tears and a mix of sobs and his husky voice, the coach replied, "Yes. Of course." "Coach says yes! That’s great news, Rino!" Rino was always impressed by Satoru’s ability to handle the coach, who was like a creature. 35: That night, Rino visited Hiroshi's room. "Hiroshi, I need to talk to you." Rino recounted everything that had happened at the gym. Hiroshi was speechless. What is Rino planning to do? "Are you planning to go public about the switch?" Hiroshi asked cautiously. "That would totally freak everyone out." Rino had a look on her face like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're starting high school next week. What are you planning to do?" Annoyed, Hiroshi changed the subject. "About that! No plan." Rino said, eating Hiroshi's cup of ice cream. "The school is going to be in a panic." Hiroshi said seriously. "People will think you came back as Satoko to get revenge." Rino burst out laughing. "That sounds great! Let's shoot a teaser video beforehand!" "I'll bring justice with my fists!" Rino mimicked a famous character. Hiroshi thought that one day she might get caught by the authorities and become a subject for human experimentation. "Maybe you should keep a low profile?" Hiroshi tried to calm her down, but Rino cut him off. "I should have consulted you about the gym. I'm sorry." Rino said, winking as she made her signature karate chop gesture. Hiroshi was impressed to see Rino genuinely acknowledging her mistake. Her expression was overflowing with charm. Hiroshi thought she had a natural gift for winning people over. "Let's stop pretending to be Satoko!" Hiroshi suddenly had an idea. "You should just act as yourself, Rino!" "Without revealing that it's actually you." "And let's go ahead with the teaser video!" Hiroshi was someone who liked to take his time arriving at a conclusion. For someone like Rino, who acts on the spur of the moment, the process didn’t matter. "For what purpose?" Rino pressed for the conclusion. "For revenge, of course. The bullies enjoy seeing Satoko suffer. But if you, Rino, just act like yourself, it’ll be fine. You have the power to captivate people. Even the bullies will be captivated and change their ways. I think that's the best revenge." Hiroshi explained. The word "captivate" resonated with Rino as she nodded. After a long silence, Rino asked again. "Explain it to me one more time!" Rino was entranced by the idea of captivating others. Hiroshi realized that she just wanted to hear the part about captivation again. This time, he went into more detail, emphasizing the idea of captivation in his explanation. Rino gazed up at the ceiling, listening with a blissful expression. Hiroshi, struggling to keep a straight face, explained it over and over again.

AI art isn't just about writing a clever prompt and hoping for the best. Over time, I've developed a process that helps me consistently create images I’m happy with. Here's a look at how I do it — not the only way, but a way that's worked well for me. Setup If don't already have a way that you create AI art, then consider reading my beginner help guide for anyone who is looking to get started creating AI images: Beginner Help Otherwise, keep in mind that I'm using Automatic1111, and I'm running Stable Diffusion on my own computer so that I can generate as many images as I want. Details I use Automatic1111 as the UI for Stable Diffusion, running on my local computer. Current hardware: 4070TI graphics card (my old 1070TI also worked fine for me -- just a bit slower). Typical models I use (changes from time to time): AutismMix and PonyRealism Typical LoRAs I mix in: Incase Style (low weighting), and whatever else will fit the desired image. Reminder: always be careful about your