#000000;">Basic

[robin-buckely]

hello! I love your edits and I wanted to know, for the "Steve Robin and Nancy" Gif you posted.. How would I go about doing something like that? More specificly, the bottom two where it says "Height Difference" and where it labels them as "Princess, Jock and Loser"

Thank you! Sorry this took a while to answer. I finally had time to sit down and write this. Link to original post.

Quick notes: I'm using Photoshop 2021 on Mac and working in video timeline. Must have basic gifmaking skills and know how to use layer masks. This is primarily a gif layout and text tutorial.

Fonts used in first gif:

Pea Wolfe Tracks — link here

King & Queen — link here

Fonts used in second gif:

Kiera — link here

Post — link here

Ellianarelle's Path — link here

Heina's hurry — link here

I used a light leaks/film texture, ripped paper textures, folded paper textures, and transparent pngs (arrows + post-it notes + smiley face).

We'll start with this gif.

Make your gif! The gif here is 540x600px. I color and sharpen it to my liking. Go to image > canvas size > change height from 600 to 770px. I left the anchor in the middle, though it doesn't really matter.

I drag and drop my folded paper texture and change the layer order so it's under my gif. Then I change the blending mode on my gif to Screen so the texture shows through the gif, but I keep the texture at 100% Opacity and Fill.

Now I move my gif around and add my ripped paper textures. I wanted to give it a sort of poster-like feel to it, so I made more room on the bottom for my main text and ended up with something like this. Blending mode is set to Lighten for the ripped paper textures.

I then use layer masks to hide what I don't want shown and add my light leaks/film texture. Blending mode on light leaks/film texture set to Pin Light, Opacity: 50%, Fill: 70%.

I use Levels and Brightness/Contrast adjustment layers to darken the gif up a bit more, then I add a patterned paper texture. Blending mode for patterned paper texture set to Lighten, Opacity: 100%, Fill: 75%. Result:

Now on to the text!

I'm going to be honest here, a lot of this was clicking around until I settled on something I liked. There's three layers to create this text effect. The font used here is King & Queen.

For the first text layer, the font color is set to black (#000000), font size: 87 pt, leading: 80 pt, tracking: 25.

Layer styles used here are stroke and drop shadow.

Text Layer 1

Stroke settings:

Size: 1px

Position: Outside

Blend Mode: Hard Light

Opacity: 40%

Overprint: unchecked

Fill Type: Color

Color: #5911ed

Drop Shadow settings:

Blend Mode: Difference

Color: #2d5ba8

Opacity: 85%

Angle: 70°

Use Global Light: checked

Distance: 7px

Spread: 0%

Size: 6px

Contour: Cone - Inverted

Anti-aliased: unchecked

Noise: 0%

Layer Knocks Out Drop Shadow: checked

Blending mode for text layer set to Overlay, Opacity: 100%, Fill: 85%.

Warp text settings:

Style: Wave

Horizontal: checked

Bend: +60%

Horizontal Distortion: +10%

Vertical Distortion: 0%

With all those settings applied, the first text layer looks like this:

Duplicate the layer, clear all layer styles, and change the color for the second text layer to white (#ffffff). All other text settings (including warp settings) should stay the same. The only layer style then applied to this text layer is stroke.

Text Layer 2

Stroke settings:

Size: 1px

Position: Outside

Blend Mode: Difference

Opacity: 100%

Overprint: unchecked

Fill Type: Color

Color: #d48f16

Blending mode for the second text layer is set to Difference, Opacity: 90%, Fill: 100%. Nudge the second text layer a bit so the first text layer is a little more visible or move to your liking.

With both those layers active, it looks like this:

Duplicate the second text layer, clear layer styles, and change the color of this third text layer to a dark grey (#1a1919). Again, all other text (and warp) settings should stay the same.

Layer styles applied to this layer are stroke and gradient overlay.

Text Layer 3

Stroke settings:

Size: 1px

Position: Outside

Blend Mode: Difference

Opacity: 100%

Overprint: unchecked

Fill Type: Color

Color: #d48f16

Gradient Overlay settings:

Blend Mode: Difference

Dither: unchecked

Opacity: 100%

Gradient: #cd3f00 > #ffdb5d

Reverse: unchecked

Style: Reflected

Align with Layer: checked

Angle: 90°

Scale: 100%

Blending mode for the third text layer set to Exclusion, Opacity: 100%, Fill: 100%. I also moved the third text layer around, down and to the right a few pixels to give it that 3-D Word Art effect.

With all three text layers active:

Next are the arrows.

Take your transparent pngs and place them to your liking. Blending mode for these is set to Difference, Opacity: 100%, Fill: 100%.

Command + click on an arrow thumbnail to select all the pixels in that layer. This is why the image must be transparent!

With that selection made and on a new blank layer, right click the selection and click on stroke. Settings for that are width: 2px, color: white, location: center. Move that a couple of pixels over.

Do this for all arrows for a total of 6 layers for arrows. I group them together to keep my workspace clean, then I duplicate my arrows group with no further changes made to the second group to get what you see in the final gif.

Next is the smaller text. It's three separate text layers for each word, so I can move each of them around to my liking.

Font used is Pea Wolfe Tracks, font color: white (#ffffff), font size: 24 pt, leading: 6 pt, tracking: 25. Bold and italic options checked. I set the blending mode to Difference, Opacity: 100%, Fill: 100%.

And that's it! That concludes the tutorial for this gif!

Now on to this gif.

We'll start with the background gif. There are three separate gifs. You could make them one gif, but I wanted the option to order them differently if I needed to.

All gifs in the background are the size of the canvas: 540x770px. Color and sharpen to your liking, but keep them all black and white. To get the blurry effect go to filter > blur > guassian blur. Set radius to 7.0 pixels. Add this to all three gifs.

Then I add two folded paper textures. Blending mode for one set to Lighten, Opacity: 60%, Fill: 100%. The other set to Screen, Opacity: 70%, Fill: 90%.

I found this tutorial a while back for a halftone effect. They include links to the halftone pattern used here as well as textures and gradient maps not used here.

I'm only using the halftone pattern here.

Pattern fill settings:

Angle: 66°

Scale: 8%

Link with Layer: checked

I also added a gradient overlay layer style to the halftone pattern which gives the gifs the color you see above.

Gradient Overlay settings:

Blend Mode: Overlay

Dither: unchecked

Opacity: 100%

Gradient: #0059ac > #a33600 > #e6b801

Reverse: unchecked

Style: Linear

Align with Layer: checked

Angle: -100°

Scale: 100%

Now on to the square shapes with rounded corners. In the interest of keeping this tutorial short(er), I found this tutorial on youtube that explains how to make squares with rounded corners.

I set my stroke size to 6px, stroke color to white (#ffffff), and fill to no color. I don't use the stroke layer style to make the borders of the shape like in the video! I'm only linking the video to show how to curve corners with square shapes.

Note: Be sure you know how big or small you want these to be and how they're going to fit on your canvas in order to make all the shapes and edit them. It can be tedious to change the settings.

Duplicate and resize to your liking.

In this instance, I wanted to make three squares total, so I had to duplicate twice and resize until I had something I liked.

Settings for the shapes used here are:

Innermost shape: W: 200px, H: 280px, corners: 50px

Middle shape: W: 220px, H: 300px, corners: 60px

Outer shape: W: 240px, H: 320px, corners: 70px

Once I have the size I want for all three shapes, I group them together to make a set and duplicate that group twice, then adjust each set on the canvas for my layout.

What the sets look like all together:

Colors used: orange #e47100, blue #0062d1, yellow #ecac00

To add color to the shapes, either change the color of the shape itself or use layer styles. I used layer styles.

Note: I didn't add the colors until the end after I knew what gifs went where and what color scheme I wanted, but I don't want to add more images than I need to here.

To keep this short, I found this tutorial on youtube that explains how to wrap text around a shape. However, I wanted the text to align on the outside where the white line is and not the green line (left image):

So I created another shape just inside the innermost square and used that as a path for my text (right image). Adjust the text to your liking until you have your text where you want it. Refer to the video tutorial if you need help moving the text along the path!

You don't need the shape path once you have your text where you want it, so use the layer visibility tool to hide it. You can hide your other shapes too so you can work with your text.

Do not delete your shape path!

I duplicate it once I start working with my "jock" text since all the sets are the same size. The "loser" text has to be worked a little differently, but we'll get to that later.

For the princess, jock, and loser text, there are two text layers to create the overall effect. For both layers, font used is Kiera, font color set to white (#ffffff), font size: 60 pt, blending mode set to Normal.

I added a gradient overlay layer style to the first text layer which I'll call the base layer. Opacity for this layer is 100%, Fill: 100%.

Base Layer

Gradient Overlay settings:

Blend Mode: Normal

Dither: unchecked

Opacity: 100%

Gradient: #f0b002 > #e7f0fd

Reverse: checked

Style: Diamond

Align with Layer: checked

Angle: 90°

Scale: 100%

The second text layer is your stroke and drop shadow layer. For this layer, opacity is set to 100%, Fill: 0%.

Stroke and Drop Shadow Layer

Stroke settings:

Size: 2px

Position: Outside

Blend Mode: Linear Light

Opacity: 100%

Overprint: unchecked

Fill Type: Color

Color: #0064cb

Drop Shadow settings:

Blend Mode: Difference

Color: #fb7c00

Opacity: 100%

Angle: 30°

Use Global Light: checked

Distance: 5px

Spread: 0%

Size: 0px

Contour: Linear

Anti-aliased: unchecked

Noise: 0%

Layer Knocks Out Drop Shadow: checked

End result looks like this:

When I make my shapes visible again (minus the one I used as a path), I get this:

The shapes are clearly in the way of the text, whether they're above my shapes layer or under it. I use layer masks to hide what I want, so the text is legible. It looks cleaner this way and I wanted the text to be a part of the shape itself. I do that for each rounded square.

Now on to my smaller gifs. I like to crop, resize, sharpen, and color separately because my laptop and Photoshop would kill me if I tried to do it all on one canvas. I use the size of the middle shape for my gifs (220x300px), so I can have a little wiggle room when adjusting. I then use a layer mask to hide the parts of the gif that are outside of the shape.

A quick way to do this is to command + click on the thumbnail of the innermost square. With that selection made, I got to my gif layer and add a layer mask. Sometimes you need to invert it. Use command + i with the layer mask selected (not the gif) to invert the layer mask.

I repeat this process with my Steve and Robin gifs. I have to go back and forth with all the layer masks to hide parts of the gif/shapes I don't want for each set. It's kind of a long process, but not all that difficult. I label and group my layers together as I work to keep things clean and it helps me keep track of what I edited and what needs to be edited when it comes to things like this.

The picture below shows where I hid the bottom right corner of Nancy as well as the shapes that make up her set using layer masks. I also did this with the Steve and Robin sets, hiding the bottom left corner of Steve.

Similar text settings used for jock. The gradient overlay layer style for this base layer is different than that of princess because of the positioning of the text. Again, same as princess, two text layers are used here. Blending mode, opacity, and fill for both are the same as the princess text layers as mentioned before.

Base Layer

Gradient Overlay settings:

Blend Mode: Normal

Dither: unchecked

Opacity: 100%

Gradient: #007aec > move bottom middle dot to 80% > #e7f0fd

Reverse: checked

Style: Diamond

Align with Layer: checked

Angle: -140°

Scale: 100%

Stroke and Drop Shadow Layer

Stroke settings:

Size: 2px

Position: Outside

Blend Mode: Linear Light

Opacity: 100%

Overprint: unchecked

Fill Type: Color

Color: #a05700

Drop Shadow settings:

Blend Mode: Difference

Color: #ffba00

Opacity: 100%

Angle: 30°

Use Global Light: checked

Distance: 5px

Spread: 0%

Size: 0px

Contour: Linear

Anti-aliased: unchecked

Noise: 0%

Layer Knocks Out Drop Shadow: checked

Image 1: We start with Robin.

Image 2: To make the loser text, I had to create a new path.

Image 3: I make it so the text is on the inside of the path instead of the outside. (Hint: Refer to video tutorial if you don't know how to do that.) I then adjusted the tracking between the letters in the word "loser" so they didn't look so squished together.

Image 4: Then I use layer masks to hide the parts of the shape I don't want shown.

You can then hide the path or delete it. You only need it if you want to adjust the placement of the text. I keep it (hidden) just in case.

Text settings for loser are just like those for princess. Blending mode, opacity, and fill are also the same.

Base Layer

Gradient Overlay settings:

Blend Mode: Normal

Dither: unchecked

Opacity: 100%

Gradient: #eb6400 > #e7f0fd

Reverse: checked

Style: Diamond

Align with Layer: checked

Angle: 90°

Scale: 100%

Stroke and Drop Shadow Layer

Stroke settings:

Size: 2px

Position: Outside

Blend Mode: Linear Light

Opacity: 100%

Overprint: unchecked

Fill Type: Color

Color: #e1a900

Drop Shadow settings:

Blend Mode: Difference

Color: #0068de

Opacity: 100%

Angle: 30°

Use Global Light: checked

Distance: 5px

Spread: 0%

Size: 0px

Contour: Linear

Anti-aliased: unchecked

Noise: 0%

Layer Knocks Out Drop Shadow: checked

Next are the post-it notes! This is probably the easiest part of making this gif. You just have to repeat this process for however many post-it notes you're making.

Image 1: To start, place your transparent post-it note where you want it. You can also rotate it if you'd like.

Image 2: Then create a text layer and write what you want. Font used here is Post. I wanted this text underlined to give emphasis, so I click on the underline option. I also adjusted the leading because I wanted more space between the word and the line. Rotate the text so it looks like it's written on the post-it note. Note: It looks better if you choose a font that looks handwritten.

Image 3: I wanted another line to give emphasis to the "Dingus!!" text and make it seem more handwritten. I use the line tool to create another line.

Image 4: Then I adjust that line to my liking.

Fonts used for notes: Post, Ellianarelle's Path, and Heina's hurry

Repeat this process for all post-it notes!

That finishes the tutorial! (And I hit the 30 image limit lol.) I hope this helps. If you have any further questions, feel free to send an ask or IM and I'll try to answer to the best of my ability.

Happy photoshopping!

[kirby-souljourney-au]

GALA’S NEW REF SHEET IS DONE!!!!

GALA TIME GALA TIME GALA TIME!!!!!! I’m so happy with how this came out!!!

New art style now :D No more coloured lines (unless it’s a rendered piece), plus thinner lineart because I like how it looks :) YAY

Anyway, all info under the cut!

Full name: Galacta Iriam

Aliases: Galacta Knight, Aeon Hero, ‘Gala’

Species: Heart-Matter / Soul-Matter Astral

Planet of Origination: Halcandra

Age: 85,634

Height: 7’3”

Gender: Biologically intersex; identifies as Bigender

Pronouns: He/Him/His, She/Her/Hers

Sexuality: Pansexual, Polyamorous, Acespike

S/O: Hara Arachi (wife), Ione Argon (fiancé)

Family: Verist Iriam (mother), Cero Triach (father), Cherubim Iriam (elder sister), Valkyrie Triach (twin sister), unnamed daughter

The ancient Aeon Hero, Warrior of Heart of the Halcandran-era Galaxy Heroes. Previously a mentor to Auberon Ivi, as well as his closest friend.

Married to Hara Arachi — had one child with her, who was unfortunately never named.

Engaged to Ione Argon, more commonly known as Meta Knight — plans on having at least one child with him.

Works as a Knight under Dreamland’s self-proclaimed King, Dedede Ori.

A ruthless Warrior in battle, but a total sweetheart outside of it. He is a very kind person, getting along with others very well, finding it easy to befriend just about anyone. Despite her generally positive and kind demeanour, though, she does have her moments, and is very much capable of killing someone in the blink of an eye, if she deems it necessary.

Was born and raised on Halcandra in ancient times, and lived in the Kingdom’s capital up until his imprisonment. After the sealing spell wore off, which was about three weeks after Nightmare’s defeat (following the timeline of the anime), she travelled quite a bit, looking across the Galaxy for an interesting place to stay. He eventually landed on Popstar, going through a couple other countries before reaching Dreamland, where she has lived ever since.

Her weapon of choice is a lance and shield, forged specially for her by a close friend, and occasionally her Heart Spears, but only when absolutely necessary. He is also capable of summoning Sparkling Stars and other basic Soul-based weaponry, but he rarely ever does; he finds Heart Magic easier to wield.

Hex codes

Fur — #AA4AA7 (base) | #FCDFED (fade, facial marking & antennae) | #E093B7 (neck fluff & scars)

Horns — #FFBA8E

Eyes — #C20000 (iris) | #FFF2F2 (sclera)

Blood — #FFB299

Wings — #C5A5FB (covert feathers 1, front & back) | #D9C2FF (covert feathers 2, front & flight feathers, front) | #FFFFFF (front covert 2 & flight feathers fade, iridescent) | #B28EF0 (covert feathers 2, back) | #9470D1 (flight feathers, back)

Claws — #FFFFFF

Halo — #FFCF9E (halo ring) | #FFFFFF (stars)

Casual Clothes — #CBDDE8 (shirt) | #000000 (fishnet undershirt) | #C1C1C1 (sweatpants)

Wedding Ring — #C1C1C1 (base) | #F8B7AA (braided accent) | #130337 (crystal)

Armour — #D1BFC9 (base) | #F7AC8A (gold accents) | #FF7DC2 (pink accents) | #4A2119 (leather forearm guards & hand guard straps)

Gloves & Loincloth — #FFE8F4 (base) | #F7AC8A (gold accents) | #FF7DC2 (pink accents)

Protective Bodysuit — #26191F

[666herescared]

Imaginary Shadow Dad)Ch.5: Grief Stricken

—☆—

  Notes: He’s out of time. (I’m so fucking sorry)

—☆—

  He was running out of time. His healing was slowing. He was on the verge of not healing at all. He was spreading himself too thin. He had started letting the twins train Xiao-Xiao so he could rest, and it was getting harder to join their games. Xiaotian was really worried for him. The cub had started wearing the extra limbs whenever he was over once he'd learned how. His tail would wrap around the adult’s as he hugged him on the couch or in a nest, and his ears would droop with fear when his dad zoned out.

  Shadow Dad had been struggling to breathe every time he made a hard impact and the twins had been having to snap him out of it when he dozed off. He was trying to rest more, but whenever he rested, he would zone out and scare his kids. He knew it. He was running out of time.

  As he was watching his kids play, he knew his wounds were hurting again. His right eye felt hollow and the band on his tail was squishing it again. The twins and Xiao-Xiao all noticed, but they were trying to keep positive. Xiaotian was doing amazing with his training. His blocking with his hands was perfect, he had mastered summoning basic shapes and physicalising them, and his acrobatic skills were fantastic, with or without the staff. 

  Shadow Dad’s perfect little boy. He was so damn proud. “Are you okay, dad?” Savage asked, floating next to the adult in the shadow realm.

  The original opened his eyes with a deep breath. “Yeah.. No need to worry, Savage.” He had to stop to breathe. It was hard to comfort any of them when they were smart enough to know what sickness looked like.

  “Don’t lie to us! We can tell you’re sick! How do we fix it? You need to heal!” The other teen exclaimed, exasperated.

  “Rumble, you can’t fix it!” The adult started, stopping for breath. “My physical form hasn’t been healing nearly as fast and I’m using too much energy! I-... I’m gonna need to find… someone else… to take care of him.”

  “No-!”

  “YES, Savage! If I keep tak-..” He started coughing very suddenly and had to calm his breath before continuing. “If... I keep taking care of him… I’ll wind up.. Well… you both know..”

  The twins both gave each other a solemn look and had to admit it to themselves. If he didn’t take a break, he might never fully heal. “Then let’s go looking for somewhere safe.”

  “We can’t leave Apricot Boy in that environment.” The twins agreed, knowing it was better to do that much, rather than leave their baby brother in such an awful household.

  And thus, they began their search for a safer home. Every time they were called by the youngest, they spent time together simply relaxing, but the moment they left, it was back to the search. Oh well. It was gonna be fine. At least Xiao-Xiao was okay.

——000000——

  Shadow Dad stopped to peek into one of the homes he saw and watched a conversation between a pig and a scholar. 

  Pigsy placed a bowl of noodles in front of his husband, a deep sigh coming from his lips. “What is it, Pigsy?” Tang asked, wanting to know what was making his partner upset. 

  “Just thinkin’..” The chef dismissed, glancing back to the photos on his wall. “I want someone to pass this onto. I can’t let my grandma’s legacy die out with me.” He explained, staring at the wall of photos.

  Tang sighed sympathetically. “And I would love someone to tell stories too, but we don’t have the funds. Not to mention the logistical difficulties we would face. Gay same-species couples already struggle to get approved, and demons are rarely allowed to adopt anyone.” The human lamented, wishing the world was kinder.

  The shadow on their wall stared in, starting to consider them for his Xiao-Xiao. “I think it’d be worth it..” The pig grouched, still staring at the wall. Shadow Dad could tell these two were reincarnations of Zhu Bajie and Tang Sanzang, respectively, but he could tell these lives were very different. 

  The scholar adjusted his glasses and looked at the wall himself. “Well, either way, we don’t have the funds, so we can’t do that for a while.”

  Funds. Shadow Dad could help with funds! They seemed like they’d be a safe place for his son to go, so if he could get them funds, he’d be able to leave his son with them. Hold tight, Xiaotian! Dada’s gonna find somewhere-

  (*SMASH!* “Mommy! Plea- AGH!”)

  Somewhere… safe. The shadow rubbed his ears, wondering what that was. Was that a vision? He hadn’t had one of those since when he… had that bad break up. He slipped deeper into the shadows and dipped all the way down to his storage space. Being a public figure had its perks.

  He even had temples of his own. Plenty of people were willing to give something up valuable if it meant getting in on a secret. Though there were two temples made by people he knew personally. One was even made with the express purpose of helping him regain strength. Anyways, expensive offerings! 

  It was… somewhere in the northwest pile. Well, the thing he was thinking of. He called the twins from their search. “Rumble. Savage. Help me find that set of ancient vases, please.” He explained once they were by his sides.

  They made questioning chitters, but shrugged and started digging through the northwest pile. Shadow Dad joined the search moments later and dug through the stack, looking for the set of vases an emperor had given him in exchange for revealing the other side’s battle plans. It was valuable back then and it’s surely valuable now. 

  Digging through the pile, the trio found almost twenty pie tins and thirty necklaces. That idiotic king kept giving him those. Well, the tins had pies in them when they were left on the altar, but still, he kept leaving those to the shadow. 

  Shadow Dad wasn’t sure why, but he felt like he had to hand the set over now or something would happen to his Little Sky. He wasn’t sure why-

  (*THUD!* “Did ya’ hear me, twerp?! How about you run along and let whoever’s been giving you those things have ya!?”)

  Oh.. Right. That’s why. He started speeding up with his digging, thinking about what he’d heard. Weird.. Was that Xiao-Xiao’s… He doesn’t deserve Shadow Dad’s title. Was that Xiao-Xiao’s sperm donor? He needed to hurry up. “RUMBLE! SAVAGE! HURRY! WE GOTTA DO THIS FAST!”

  The twins saluted from where they were and dove back into the pile, Savage immediately popping back up with the set in it's hands. "I found it!” A shadow whip wrapped around the set and pulled it to the adult’s hands. Shadow Dad portaled to the couple's building again and placed it on their doorstep, feeling the pull of Xiaotian’s lantern a moment later.

  He knew it would be hard to explain, but- He saw his son; his perfect little boy, covered in bruises and cuts and barely awake when he arrived. One tiny smile grew on his face, before he passed out. FUCK.

  Shadow Dad ran to his son’s side and wracked his brain on what to do. How was he gonna-! You have healing, moron! But- He doesn't have enough energy for that! If he uses that..

  No. Stop! Don't be selfish! it's better that he's okay and doesn't know what happened instead of him being dead. He readied himself and let his ears start their glow. He held his hands an inch above his cub’s form and started to repair him as best he could.

  His own form couldn’t remain solid even after only healing half of his son’s wounds and he had to pull apart the mini lantern to gain its power. Once he realized that, he picked his son up and brought him to the building he'd picked. His magic healed the boy as he held him close, wanting to hug him as long as he could.

  Once his cub was fully healed, he summoned the twins to say their goodbyes. As they cried over their baby brother’s form, he thought about his visions and made his decision. 

  The boy’s sperm and egg donors were in for a world of hurt.

—Shadow Staff Era, End—

  Xiaotian's eyes opened softly, confusion showing quickly. Where was he? He looked around for a moment, before seeing a sign. 'Pigsy’s Noodles' was written on the front. The little boy stood up, staring at the restaurant, before checking his pocket.. He checked the other. He patted every part of his outfit and couldn't find it. Where was his lantern?!

  He started hyperventilating and ran around the corner, hiding from the pig demon who stepped out shortly after he'd moved. Where was his dad?! He needed him and he wasn’t there! What happened? He held his forehead and was relieved when he felt the headband was still there. At least he had that.

  "What is it, Pigsy?" another voice came from inside, causing more fear in the kid’s eyes.

  "Thought I heard something..," the pig- Pigsy, muttered, before looking around. He walked over to where the boy sat. Come on, Xiao-Xiao! Calm down! He's gonna find you- "What the- What are you doing out here alone?"

  The demon kneeled down next to him, reaching out towards him but not touching. "Leave me alone." The child mumbled, still holding his headband.

  Pigsy sighed and lowered his hand, before saying quietly, "Well, if you're hungry, come in and we'll warm you up, alright?" and walking back into his shop. Xiaotian uncurled and looked toward the warm light. He was hungry… and cold.. and wet.

  He kept holding the headband as he walked back around the corner, stepping into the golden glow and feeling the homey atmosphere the moment he entered. "Holy- 300,000?! Who just left this here?" A human said, sitting on a stool with a bowl of noodles in front of him and a set of pottery to his side. He was texting someone. Probably an appraiser.

  Pigsy poured a bowl of noodles and placed it next to the human, gesturing Xiao-Xiao over. "Someone stupid, probably. Either way, there goes the money issue!" The demon exclaimed, smiling at his husband while Xiaotian walked in.

  He got on the stool and smiled slightly. “Hi..” He waved as the pig placed a pair of chopsticks in front of him.

  The human seemed confused, but he waved back, just to be polite. “Hello there.. Where are your parents?” Xiao-Xiao turned his face toward the ground with a frown and the man panicked. “Oh!- I- I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were an orphan! Uhm- uh- ah- Food? Wh-What’s your favorite food?”

  The little boy laughed at the awkward man, a lot calmer, but still holding his headband tightly. “Um… I dunno.. Congee, probably! Shadow Dad always makes that!” He exclaimed, noticing the other’s face shift to confusion again.

  “Wait. I- aren’t you… an orphan?” The adult asked.

  “No. Shadow Dad is gonna come back! I know it! It… He must have just… forgot. He’ll be back any minute!” Xiaotian tried to stay confident in his parental figure, but… Right here, Xiao-Xiao.. It… was hard. He scratched his leg lightly when he felt something touch him through the skin. 

  Pigsy looked between the child and his husband as the boy started eating. The adults had that odd mind link and realized in sync that the cub had been abandoned. “Yeah.. Well.. What’s your name? We can… take care of you till he comes back.” The demon offered as his husband smiled and nodded along. 

  “I-I’m Qi Xiaotian. And… you?” The Little Sky introduced himself, trying to force a smile. 

  “I’m Pigsy.” The demon stated, smiling at the kid to comfort him. 

  “And I’m Tang. Nice to meet you, Xiaotian.” The human said, taking another bite of his noodles. 

  Silence fell as the humans sat there eating and the pig wiped down his tables and counters. Right before he turned off the TV however, he saw what they were reporting on and paused. "News has spread about local parents, Qi Yang and Guo Jiao. Apparently, they have disappeared from their home, despite the fact that no one has been seen going in or out the whole day. This has caused the police to suspect that a demon has committed this atrocity, but so far there is no hard proof. Now, onto the weather.."

  The boy looked shell shocked by this development, but said nothing until the TV was off, at which point he let out an airy laugh. “Shadow Dad can be my actual dad now! I just need to wait for him to come back… and that shouldn’t take too long! He should be back tomorrow!” he claimed, though it was clear he wasn’t sure. Xiao-Xiao.. The loss of his lantern meant a loss of control, and now that he thought about it, everything was too bright. Could they turn the lights off?

  He blocked his eyes from the light and got back to his noodles, not noticing Pigsy taking the scholar a few feet away for a private conversation. “Okay. So the kid was abandoned, right?” The demon confirmed, waiting for his husband to nod before he continued. “And from what he was saying, it sounds like his parents went missing, and he’s talking about some mysterious Shadow Dad,” Tang nodded, wondering where the pig was going with this. “And he expects this, “Shadow Dad” to come back, but he doesn’t even sound sure.”

  The human had enough of this and butted in. “Pigsy, where are you going with this?” he asked, hoping his husband would get to the point.

  “Xiaotian is an orphan… who walked into our lives… the same day a package of valuable vases appeared on our doorstep while we were talking about adopting. Do you know what that means?” The pig began, getting his partner’s trademark, ‘Get on with it.’ look. “C’mon, Tang! You’re the one who’s into this spiritual mumbo jumbo!”

  “Are you saying a god literally dropped a child on our doorstep?” 

  Pigsy face-palmed and stared at his husband, before explaining to the flustered scholar, “No. I’m saying that this “Shadow Dad” guy dropped his son on our doorstep. My guess as to why is as good as yours, but still, the kid is an orphan and we have money now, so… y’know..” 

  Tang sighed and stepped towards his bookshelf, picking the first book of JTTW off of it and returning to his husband’s side. He gave a sympathetic smile to his partner and tried to let him down easily. “I know you’re excited, but where would we even keep a kid? Not to mention, adoption interviews are an integral part of picking a kid to adopt- Yes, Xiaotian?” The boy tugged on his sleeve and interrupted him.

  He was staring at the book in the scholar’s arms with stars in his eyes. “Is that the book Monkey King’s from?” He asked, still staring at the book, then he glanced up at Tang’s face and flinched away at the pointed look he was given, though he couldn’t tell the emotions behind it.

  And so he was baffled when he was lifted into the human’s arms as he started talking and walking towards the door. “Come along, my dear Pigsy. We cannot allow this boy to fall into a home where his mental dexterity will not be nurtured!” 

  “What is happening?” The child asked, before hearing the pig snort out a laugh.

  “Tang- Tang, sweetie. It’s eleven P.M. No ones open!” Tang stopped when he brought it up, and then walked back over to the stairwell. One set went up to an office space and the other went down to the couple’s own home. Yes, they lived in the basement. Do you have a problem with it? No? Good.

  “Right! Sleep, breakfast, then foster.” The adult said, walking down the stairway to his home. The first room you saw was the living room, which was fairly simple. A deep red sofa, redwood coffee table, and matching TV stand and carpet! (Though the carpet had a golden edge)

  There were also a few bookshelves behind the set up. It was clear to see that Tang designed this room. To the right of the door was the bathroom, and on the other side of the TV was the door to the bedroom. Where’s the kitchen and dining room? The fucking restaurant, of course! 

  The scholar placed the boy on the couch, turned on “Monkey King: The Animated Series” and then went into the bedroom to get a blanket for their guest. He helped Xiaotian get comfy, and then went to bed with his husband. “Heh. And you were thinking we wouldn’t wanna keep this kid.” The pig joked, getting changed into his sleep wear. 

  “It may be a logistical nightmare, but if there’s a kid who’s willing to hear my stories, it will be worth it.” Tang stated,taking off his glasses and changing into his nightgown. 

  As the two got into bed, Pigsy added, “And if he’s willing to learn my recipes, it will be worth it.” The partners agreed that night. They were ready for this kid, because the boy they found was willing to learn. 

  Shadow Dad watched from the darkness, proud of the boy he’d raised, and happy with his choice of host family.

—Purple Bo Staff Era, Start!—

—☆—

I am so fucking sorry, y’all. It’s called Imaginary Shadow Dad for a reason. (I’m not saying the shadow fam was imaginary, but… Well, you'll understand when you read the next few chapters.) 

Welcome to The Five Chapters of Grief, everybody! Next time, Ch.6: Denial. 

Have fun, and happy scrolling!

(Also, surprise! There are eras!)

Prev- Chapter 4 and Next- Chapter 6

[canarysage]

Curves For Dummies <3

— as written by a dummy.

hello and welcome back to photopea for dummies! today, we’re talking about curves, an adjustment layer found in photopea. please be warned that i don’t understand curves even remotely, so i have no idea what i’m doing

curves is, put simply, extremely deranged, and i have no idea how to use it other than the most basic things, which is what i will be demonstrating. if you really want an in-depth explanation of curves, i recommend looking it up on your own time, because that is not what i will be doing here, for my own sanity.

white balance is actually fairly simple to do! referred to by professionals (see: photographers and gifmakers) as “white balance,” i like to call this particular setting “un-fucking an image,” for fairly obvious reasons.

put simply, white balance turns selected colors into their extremes—#ffffff white and #000000 black. doing this helps to add contrast to an image, and also helps in removing obnoxious tints or weird looking colors.

to un-fuck one’s image, make a curves layer (layers > adjustment layers > curves) and scroll down slightly until you see these three squares

(i’m on my phone, pardon my weird cropping) these squares are color samplers, companion to the eyedropper tool. the black square turns whatever color you select and anything darker than it to #000000 black. if you click on gray or white, you fuck your image even more. if you click on black, you do nothing. the white square turns whatever color you select and anything brighter than it to #ffffff white.

what colors you pick exactly are up to you, and also depend on your image. in this one, i could’ve used white for the white lights in the window or the lights in an’s eyes—instead, i picked some of the harsher lighting on her face, because this wasn’t already #ffffff white like the other things i mentioned. similarly, i picked a darker shadow from her hair instead of a pixel from her outline, because it wasn’t already #000000 black.

the difference between white balance and a plain old contrast layer is that white balance actively changes your colors as it works—if you pick a more saturated dark color with your black white balance tool, your image gets tinted with the opposite of that color. for example, picking a dark purple turns your image green. this is very useful for when images are tinted or have exceptionally weird contrast.

low contrast is also fairly easy to apply. if you’re completely unfamiliar with curves, you create and manipulate dots by clicking or tapping on the graph provided. these dots determine your curve, and therefore the outcome on your image.

these are my settings for this image:

as you can see, the two dots at the bottom and top have been lifted or lowered and moved inwards. this lightens the blacks of my image and darkens the whites. the other dots are applied similarly: dragging the line downward if they’re near the top and dragging it upward if they’re near the bottom. the center dots are for extra stabilization.

high contrast is the same concept as low contrast, except inverted. instead of dragging your top and bottom dots downward or upward, you leave them as they are, but drag them inward.

the other dots are also adjusted downwards or upwards towards their respective directions, instead of further away. this creates a higher contrast, lightening your lights and darkening your darks. like laundry!

and now we arrive at what the fuck. i don’t really recommend using curves this way (unless you want your image to look like a unicorn barfed on it, in which case, have at it) but i wanted to show how fucking stupid curves is. because it is. it’s fucking stupid

rule of thumb with curves: the more dots you add, the more control you have. is this good? well, this has the most dots of the examples i’ve shown so far, so… you tell me.

as you can see, curves can also affect the colors and saturation of your image, especially on the rgb setting (curves also has red, green, and blue settings, but this post is long enough already, so i’ll cover those another time.) you can see this in the less extreme examples, too—my midtones are greener

if you don’t want to change your colors but don’t know shit about avoiding that in the graph itself, fear not! i don’t understand either. so, we use one of our trusty blending modes: luminosity (found at the very bottom of the blending mode list.) as covered in my extremely long post on blending modes, luminosity ignores the color values of your layer and only applies the brightness/luminosity values.

this is quite a bit better! still extremely weird (everything is now grayed out instead of green) but it’s much less murder on my eyes!

in conclusion: curves is batshit fucking insane, and when in doubt, use luminosity. also stick to levels it’s way easier.

sincerely apologizing, eos

[princes-creations-askblog]

Haiiii i finished my sona’s ref sheet :333

Tis Bugthing!!

All his info and the hex codes for his colour palette are under the cut

Full name: Bugthing (you don’t get to know my last name)

Aliases: Bug, Buggie

Species: Concept Dragon (Fire, Type 3) x Angel (Type 4) Hybrid

Planet of origination: Concept Universe / ‘The Void’

Age: You don’t need to know that. Also, it depends on the universe I send him to. Usually my age though, which means HE IS A MINOR.

Height: 8’9”

Gender: Biologically female; identifies as xenogender

Pronouns: He/Him/His, Xey/Xem/Xeirs, It/Its/Itself, They/Them/Theirs — Blood/Bleed/Bloodself, Gore/Gory/Goreself (FRIENDS ONLY)

Sexuality: Solian/multispec veldian, fictosexual, fictoromantic

S/O: None (unless you count EP!Holly, even though their relationship isn’t technically canon)

Family: Unnamed parents, unnamed brother (who only doesn’t have a name because I literally can’t think of a way to coolify his basic ass white boy name), a variety of cousins

Close friend of Yk, or Nebulis (as xey refer to Her outside of the Concept Universe). Started working for Her as an assistant creator when it was 15, and has been working for Her ever since.

Artist and fanfiction author, as well as a recently-ascended Creator Entity.

They’re generally kind to those they care about, but have a tendency to act out on occasion due to violent tendencies stemming from untreated anger issues.

Has had a lifelong sibling rivalry with his brother, and it’s only progressed into something worse over the years. (Genuinely, I have fantasised about killing him more than once.)

A very creative person, constantly burdened by Thoughts And Inspiration at the worst possible times.

Wishes to eventually become the author of the one fic that veterans of the fandom always tell new fans they have to read.

Hex codes

Main outfit

- 3A2222 — Socks

- 910000 — Outfit accents

- C40000 — Belt accents

- BEBEBE — Belt buckle

- 0F0F0F — Belt

Alternative outfit

- 1C1C1C — Shirt 1

- 1D1D1D — Socks 1

- 0C0C0C — Shorts 1

- 2F2F2F — Shorts 2

- BEBEBE — Belt buckle

- E9E9E9 — Belt

- FFFFFF — Shirt anarchy symbol

- 96D9FF — Socks 2

- F896FF — Socks 3

- FF5AEC — Shirt 2

- 81FF5A — Shirt 3

Both

- F2F2F2 — Hair / Feathers

- FAFAFA — Skin

- FFFFFF — Claws / Teeth / Piercing jewels / Glasses lenses

- F9DEBF — Star / Light magic

- F3B16D — Halo / Light magic

- F8D7CF — Scars

- FFB7A6 — Blood / Blush

- D80000 — Tail tip

- 0E0E0E — Horns / Burns / Burnt feathers / Main outfit base

- 000000 — Nose / Septum piercing / Glasses frame

- 0400B4 — Iris

- F7FBFF — Eye whites

Das all :)

If you use my art to train AI, I’m sending you to the geometry dash custom level dimension

[cafefakevz]

Ich würde gerne ein Thema ansprechen, das eher weniger Beachtung findet bzw. wissen manche gar nicht, dass das ein Ding ist: Zugänglichkeit (Accessibility). Dabei geht es einmal ums optische wie z.B. Lesbarkeit aber auch um Funktionalität. Vielleicht klingt mein Text an mancher Stelle ein bisschen kritisch aber ich meine es absolut nicht böse! Ich möchte niemandem was vorschreiben, nur darauf aufmerksam machen.

Kontrast-Empfindlichkeit. Tiefschwarz (#000000) und Reinweiß (#ffffff) als Blogfarben verwendet, können bei kontrastsensitiven Personen extremen Eyestrain verursachen bis hin zu Kopfschmerzen und migräneartigen Anfällen. Eine minimale Änderung der Farbcodes (#090909, #f5f5f5 beispielsweise) kann den Augen große Erleichterung verschaffen und diese Farben sind optisch kaum von Schwarz und Weiß zu unterscheiden. Neonfarben. Aesthetics are fun, verstehe ich! Trotzdem sind stark gesättigte, leuchtende Farben für viele Personen sehr schwer zu lesen/kaum zu erkennen. Bitte bedenkt auch, dass es in den Weiten des Internets mindestens eine Person (me) gibt, die ein helles Theme benutzt. Neonfarben sind komplett nicht zu erkennen für mich in Light mode. Auch hier hilft wenig viel: Eine minimale Entsättigung der Farbe macht einen großen Unterschied. Dark/Lightmode-Zugänglichkeit. Wo ich direkt beim nächsten Punkt bin. Mir ist bewusst, dass die meisten einen dunklen Modus verwenden und deswegen davon nicht betroffen sind, trotzdem weiß ich es super zu schätzen wenn jemand seine Grafiken (vor allem transparente Border) so gestaltet, dass sie im Light Modus zu erkennen sind. Leider kann ich Blognamen/Muse Namen/Quotes und dergleichen nicht erkennen wenn die Schrift weiß ist. Was hier hilft ist ein Stroke oder Drop Shadow in einer Kontrastfarbe. Es ist wieder eine minimale Anpassung, die eine enorme Änderung bewirkt. Eine Alternative wären Farben, die vor hellem/dunklem Hintergrund gleich gut zur Geltung kommen. Fancy Fonts. Formatting ist ein hartnäckiges (Streit-)thema und darauf will ich gar nicht zu sehr eingehen, tatsächlich bin ich der Meinung, dass jeder das machen sollte was er schön findet. ABER wenn ich eure Rules und Basic Info Pages nicht lesen kann ist das sehr schade und kontraproduktiv. Viele haben heutzutage Carrds statt Tumblr Pages aber hier gilt dasselbe: Bitte macht euren Text zugänglich, in angemessener Größe in einem leserlichen Font und ausreichend Kontrast zwischen Schrift und Hintergrund. Please and thank you. Tags. Bitte benutzt Tags, damit man auf eurem Blog stöbern kann oder ggf. Posts filtern kann, die man nicht sehen möchte. Wer dazu ein Nav auf dem Pinned Post hat oder einen Tag Dump, noch besser. I'll love you forever. Manche sehr fancy gestalteten Tags oder sehr lange Tags funktionieren im Anschluss nicht wenn man danach auf dem Blog sucht. Ein kurzer Check schafft Abhilfe. Tags sind hier immer noch wahnsinnig underrated. Eigentlich wild wenn man bedenkt, dass sie essentiell für die Benutzung von Tumblr sind. Misc. Nichts worauf ich lange herumreiten will, denn ich bin wie gesagt nicht hier, um Streit anzufangen. Super, super tiny Icons, extrem komplizierte und verschachtelte Container Themes, schwer zu navigierende Carrds usw. wirken auf mich abschreckend. Manchmal muss man sich nur selber zwischendurch die Frage stellen: Wenn ich meine eigenen Sachen ohne Vorkenntnisse durchlesen/durchstöbern muss, macht es mir Spaß oder ist es ein Krampf? Was kann ich daran vielleicht anpassen, sodass es allgemein für eine breitere Masse Leute zugänglich ist?

[goriiblissxx]

I've finally made a decent enough fake pep clone creacher

Basic Info:

Name: Otto

Gender: Male

He/They/It

Speaks normally, but can also speak backwards

He's known to be pretty gentle compared to most clones. He's quite observant and curious, also very kind hearted and just kinda goofy

Only gets aggressive when provoked, otherwise he tries being gentle when around other clones

Otto's DNA is based off of a mimic octopus. Despite having DNA from a purely aquatic creature, they can breathe both in water and on land. He's also capable of spitting black, poisonous ink from his mouth.

He's a really good shapeshifter as well, capable of changing forms to disguise as other clones/people and mimic their looks and behaviors almost perfectly, even from just the smallest details. He's even capable of mimicking the voice of the person he's disguising as. He can also camouflage to blend in with the area he's in to hide and sneak around others.

Regardless of whatever form he'll possess, he will naturally have his tentacles protruding from his back no matter what. However, he can meld and shape his tentacles into different things to accommodate the appearance he has taken [a tail, extra limbs, accessories, etc.].

Color Palette:

Details:

#FFFFFF - Tanktop + Hat

#DCDADF - Skin

#7958B5 - Arm Marks

#484266 - "Undershirt"

#393944 - Pants Stripe

#000000 - Pants + Hair

[Last Updated: 10.12.24]

[crechi-theringmaster]

[post text: YOUR WEBSITE'S TITLE HERE

Going to put all this in its own post too by popular request: here's how you make your own website with no understanding of HTML code at all, no software, no backend, absolutely nothing but a text file and image files!

First get website server space of your own, like at NEOCITIES. The free version has enough room to host a whole fan page, your art, a simple comic series, whatever!

The link I've provided goes to a silly comic that will tell you how to save the page as an html file and make it into a page for your own site. The bare minimum of all you need to do with it is JUST THIS: /end ID]

[image ID: a creature explaining what to change after you save the html to make it your own website: “Guess what? The circled bits are all you ever need to change to make it your OWN PAGE” The sections circled in red are:

the text of the page's tab, between "head" and "title" tags. it says “YOUR WEBSITE'S TITLE HERE”; the full line is: <head><title>YOUR WEBSITE'S TITLE HERE</title><head>

a header for the page, between "h1" and "p" tags. it says “BIG, CENTERED TEXT”; the full line is: <h1><p style="font-size:40px">BIG, CENTERED TEXT</p><h1>

a link to the image files of the comic, between an "h1" tag and inside an "img." tag. it says “thisisntyourcomic.png”; the full line is: <h1><img src="thisisntyourcomic.png"></h1>

the three navigation links, each inside an "a" tag. the first link applies to the word “Previous”, the second applies to the word “Home”, and the third to the word “Next”; the first line is: <a href="001.html"><b>Previous</b></a>   . the second line is: <a href="YOURWEBSITE.WHATEVER"><b>Home</b></a>&nps;&nps; . the third line is: <a href="001.html"><b>Next</b></a>

/end ID]

[post text: Change the titles, text, and image url's to whatever you want them to be, upload your image files and the html file together to your free website (or the same subfolder in that website), and now you have a webpage with those pictures on it. That's it!!!!!

.....But if you want to change some more super basic things about it, here's additional tips from the same terrible little guy: /end PT]

[image ID: the creature from before, explaining how to change the background colors: “AAH! It's extra stuff! Here's where you can change colors!” a few spots for hexcodes and code segments are circled and labelled. The lines of code are:

color: "#000000;" labelled “Font”

background: "#FFFFFF;" labelled “Background 1”

a { color: "#0000EE;" } labelled “Links”

a:visited { "color: #551A8B;" } labelled “Visited Links”

#main { "background: #FFFFFF;" width: 900…} labelled “Background 2”

The creature continues: “There's two different ones for "background" because the sample file has this nice middle column for your content!”

/end ID]

[image ID: a demonstration of the different background colors. Background 1 applies to the background of the webpage, and Background 2 applies to the background of the content column. The creature instructs: “Look up color hex codes and try any vile combos you want!” /end ID]

[image ID: the creature explaining how to change the navigation at the bottom: “Links can be images instead of text! Just put an image code where the link text was.” The code segment from the first image for navigation links except with the "Previous", "Home", and "Next" texts replaced with <img src="backbutton.png">, <img src="homebutton.png"> and <img src="nextbutton.png"> /end ID]

[image ID: a screenshot of the html code inside the computer's files, with the creature explaining: “If an html file is just called "Index," it automatically acts as your main page! It will be what people see when they go to yourwebsitename.com or whatever!” /end ID]

[image ID: a singular line of code: <meta HTTP-EQUIV="REFRESH" content="0; url=yourwebsite.com"> The creature says: “If you make a page with only this one line of code, anyone who goes to the page will be taken to whatever URL you put there!” /end ID]

[image ID: the creature further explains: "You can use that to make a custom link that always goes to your newest update! Whenever you update, just change this link again! Your index.html can be this, too!" There's an arrow pointing towards the "url=yourwebsite.com" in the code segment from the previous image. /end ID]

[post text: That last code by itself is:

<meta HTTP-EQUIV="REFRESH" content="0; url=001.html">

Change "001.html" to wherever you want that link to take people. THIS IS THE REASON WHY when you go to bogleech.com/pokemon/ you are taken instantly to the newest Pokemon review, because the /pokemon/ directory of my website has an "index.html" page with this single line of code. Every pokemon review has its own permanent link, but I change that single line in the index file so it points to the newest page whenever I need it to!

While I catered these instructions to updating a webcomic, you can use the same template to make blog type posts, articles or just image galleries. Anything you want! You can delete the navigational links entirely, you can make your site's index.html into a simple list of text links OR fun little image links to your different content, whatever! Your website can be nothing but a big ugly deep fried JPEG of goku with a recipe for potato salad on it, no other content ever, who cares! We did that kind of nonsense all the time in the 1990's and thought it was the pinnacle of comedy!! Maybe it still can be?!?! Or maybe you just want a place to put some artwork and thoughts of yours that doesn't come with the same baggage as big social media?

Make a webpage this way and it will look the same in any browser, any operating system for years and years to come, because it's the same kind of basic raw code most of the internet depends upon!

/end PT]

小い.> very useful guide~ thank you for making it!♡

게터.> neocities time〜 have fun everyone :]

ゆの.> web liberation W

additional useful things people added in the notes:

alternatives for making a link to the newest update, because the method privided by the guide above will break the back button

website for learning more html and css

how to make the text properly formatted and visible on mobile

Going to put all this in its own post too by popular request: here's how you make your own website with no understanding of HTML code at all, no software, no backend, absolutely nothing but a text file and image files! First get website server space of your own, like at NEOCITIES. The free version has enough room to host a whole fan page, your art, a simple comic series, whatever! The link I've provided goes to a silly comic that will tell you how to save the page as an html file and make it into a page for your own site. The bare minimum of all you need to do with it is JUST THIS:

Change the titles, text, and image url's to whatever you want them to be, upload your image files and the html file together to your free website (or the same subfolder in that website), and now you have a webpage with those pictures on it. That's it!!!!! .....But if you want to change some more super basic things about it, here's additional tips from the same terrible little guy:

That last code by itself is: <meta HTTP-EQUIV="REFRESH" content="0; url=001.html"> Change "001.html" to wherever you want that link to take people. THIS IS THE REASON WHY when you go to bogleech.com/pokemon/ you are taken instantly to the newest Pokemon review, because the /pokemon/ directory of my website has an "index.html" page with this single line of code. Every pokemon review has its own permanent link, but I change that single line in the index file so it points to the newest page whenever I need it to! While I catered these instructions to updating a webcomic, you can use the same template to make blog type posts, articles or just image galleries. Anything you want! You can delete the navigational links entirely, you can make your site's index.html into a simple list of text links OR fun little image links to your different content, whatever! Your website can be nothing but a big ugly deep fried JPEG of goku with a recipe for potato salad on it, no other content ever, who cares! We did that kind of nonsense all the time in the 1990's and thought it was the pinnacle of comedy!! Maybe it still can be?!?! Or maybe you just want a place to put some artwork and thoughts of yours that doesn't come with the same baggage as big social media? Make a webpage this way and it will look the same in any browser, any operating system for years and years to come, because it's the same kind of basic raw code most of the internet depends upon!

[digitalmarketingservice08]

How to Build a Dark Mode Feature for Your Website?

Dark mode has become a popular choice among users who prefer a less bright interface. Adding a dark mode option to your website not only caters to user preference but can also reduce eye strain and improve battery life on devices. 

Many users today look for websites that offer both light and dark display options. A dark mode setting gives visitors the choice to switch to a softer color scheme, which can lead to a better browsing experience. With an increase in user requests for this option, adding a dark mode feature can set your website apart. This guide will show you how to plan, design, and implement dark mode using basic coding techniques.

Benefits of Dark Mode

Dark mode can enhance user experience in several ways:

Improved Readability: For some users, a dark background with light text can be easier on the eyes, especially in low-light settings.

Energy Efficiency: On devices with OLED or AMOLED screens, dark mode can help save battery power by reducing the amount of light produced.

User Preference: Offering dark mode gives visitors a choice, which can lead to increased satisfaction and longer time spent on your website.

By catering to these benefits, you can provide a more comfortable experience for your audience.

Planning Your Dark Mode Design

Before diving into the code, take some time to plan your dark mode design. Consider the following aspects:

Color Palette: Choose a set of colors that work well in a dark theme. Typically, a dark background paired with light text and accents is used.

Contrast: Ensure that there is enough contrast between the text and the background to maintain readability.

Consistency: Your dark mode design should mirror your existing design in terms of layout and branding. This helps maintain a uniform user experience.

Sketching out your design ideas or creating a simple mockup can help you visualize how the dark mode will look across different pages of your website.

Implementing Dark Mode

There are several methods to add a dark mode feature to your website. One common approach is to use CSS variables and JavaScript to toggle between light and dark themes.

Using CSS Variables

Start by defining a set of CSS variables for your color scheme in your stylesheet. For example:

css

CopyEdit

:root { --background-color: #ffffff; --text-color: #000000; --link-color: #1a0dab; } [data-theme="dark"] { --background-color: #121212; --text-color: #f1f1f1; --link-color: #8ab4f8; } 

In your main CSS rules, use these variables:

css

CopyEdit

body { background-color: var(--background-color); color: var(--text-color); } a { color: var(--link-color); } 

Toggling Themes with JavaScript

Next, add a simple script that allows users to switch between themes. For example:

html

CopyEdit

<button id="theme-toggle">Switch Theme</button> <script> const toggleButton = document.getElementById('theme-toggle'); toggleButton.addEventListener('click', function() { const currentTheme = document.documentElement.getAttribute('data-theme'); const newTheme = currentTheme === 'dark' ? 'light' : 'dark'; document.documentElement.setAttribute('data-theme', newTheme); localStorage.setItem('theme', newTheme); }); // Set the theme on page load based on saved preference const savedTheme = localStorage.getItem('theme') || 'light'; document.documentElement.setAttribute('data-theme', savedTheme); </script> 

This script toggles the data-theme attribute on the HTML element, which in turn switches the CSS variables. Saving the theme in local storage ensures that the user's preference is remembered on future visits.

Testing and Refinement

After implementing dark mode, it is important to test your website on various devices and browsers. Check for readability, proper color contrast, and overall user experience. Ask a few users for their feedback on the dark mode option. Their input will help you make any necessary adjustments before the final launch.

Integrating Dark Mode with Your Website Design

If you need additional help or want to enhance your website’s overall look, consider partnering with an expert team. For instance, working with a best web design company in Bhubaneswar can provide you with creative ideas and technical expertise to ensure your dark mode feature integrates seamlessly with your site’s design. Their professionals can assist with both the design and the development, ensuring that your website remains modern and user-friendly.

Final Thoughts

Adding a dark mode feature to your website is a smart move that caters to user preferences and improves overall experience. By planning your color scheme, implementing a toggle system using CSS and JavaScript, and testing thoroughly, you can offer a comfortable and stylish viewing option to your audience.

Remember, providing choices to your users can lead to increased satisfaction and engagement. If you ever need further assistance with web design and user experience improvements, consider reaching out to a best web design company in Bhubaneswar for professional support.

By taking these steps, you can successfully build a dark mode feature that not only meets user demands but also enhances your website's appeal. This investment in user experience can lead to higher retention and better overall performance for your online presence.

[soperomitch]

what do u normally wear??? :000000

hehe im curious!!!! :333

I wore this to school today. I normally wear black jeans with the same 2 hoodies. One blue and this one. Sometimes blue jeans if I'm feeling good. I'm a styleless blob I might need to develop more of a style. There's also this one flannel I wear like once a week. Basically, I dress like an average teenage boy. Basic.

[afatu-archive]

Archive blog basic aesthetic

@afatu-archive basic

Background #000000

Accent + font #ffffff

Profile Pic

[arcadeau]

Basic character info

Corey:

He/him male, both the owner and manager, Works dayshift and nightshift.

He is very tired of everyone's shenanigans, partly for obvious reasons and partly because he doesn't get any sleep in general.

Associated with a rotary phone and the color blue (#67dbff)

Julia:

She/her female, general, works both dayshift and nightshift (swaps every week).

Julia is very happy to be here! She loves her job and often does the best that she can, although she is not the smartest.

Associated with the uniform hat, and the color pink (#ff56c4)

Dylan:

He/him male, mechanic, works nightshift.

Dylan doesn't talk alot, speaking in mostly short sentences, and spends more time with the animatronics then his coworkers.

Associated with the uniform hat, and the color purple (#bb56ff)

:

He/it male, general, works nightshift.

He doesn't have a name, and he is quite chaotic and annoying but he does mean well. Has a weird power where anything he touches turns pitch black for about an hour.

Associated with the uniform hat and the color black (#000000)

Atti:

He/they male, general, works dayshift.

Atti is a cowboy, or at least he is trying. He is scared of just about everything because of growing up on a very sheltered farm in Texas

Associated with a cowboy hat and the color yellow (#f5c149)

Liliana:

She/her mtf, cook, works dayshift.

Liliana is like an older sister figure, she is willing to bend the rules a little if it helps someone out. Shes always in the kitchen.

Associated with hair clips and the color green (#7ee664)

Cole:

He/him male, co-manager, works dayshift.

Cole has a toaster head and a wire tail with a block at the end, the toaster portion does not work unless plugged in. He's the silly !

Associated with toasters and the color dark grey (#2d2d2d)

Quinn:

They/them enby, prize counter, works dayshift.

Nobody is sure if Quinn is an AI, or just autistic because of their mannerisms. They are always seen behind the prize counter.

Associated with their capelet, and the color red (#cc253e)

[muyuouyang]

Basic light attempts

I exported the file to .fbx format so that I could do the most basic experimentation with light in Windows, I would try various angles and colors of light and then pick the one that best suited the style of the image

Lighting Options

46 degree angle

HSV

Light 1: #FF28C9 Light 2: #6EEA2 Light 3: #D32E2E

The main light source is on the front side, so you can see the details of the object more clearly

287 degree angle

HSV

Light 1: #2DFF34 Light 2: #E8E8E8 Light 3: #000000

The theme color is too green, and the overall light source is the left side of the light, highlighting the outline and tension of the image

146 degree angle

HSV

Light 1: #35227A Light 2: #FFFFBC Light 3: #FF4400

The image is too warm, which can leave the scene in a twilight state

[666herescared]

Imaginary Shadow Dad)Ch.3: Shadow of a Child

—☆—

Hey, y'all! Here's chapter three! I've been doing a lot of work on this AU(Especially yesterday) but I can finally upload the third chapter! In today's chapter: Macaque starts mentoring Mk on stance and other general martial arts things.

—☆—

  "Shadow Dad! Shadow Dad!" the Little Sky called. 

  The shadow creature snorted and turned away from the stove. "Yes, Xiao-Xiao?" he asked in turn. He had been teaching the kid after that first day for about a year now. The cub even knew how to do shadow puppets already and no longer had to meditate to steal the light.

  "Look! Look!" the excitable child exclaimed and held out his lantern. He scrunched up his face in the most adorable way and started focusing. The lantern slowly lifted out of his hands and raised up fairly high before the Little Sky got tired and dropped it into his own hands with a loud puff.

  The child was quickly lifted by the shadow, far above his head, and praised for his talent. "Oh my Gods, little guy! I haven't even taught you levitation yet! You're amazing! You're a natural!" he yelled the child's praises so loud he was certain the celestial realm could hear. He held his son close in his arms as he got back to the congee, softly patting the boy's thigh until he started hearing a soft puffing sound. "What'cha doin', little one?"

  "M' hair.." the now much more tired child muttered before blowing his hair up again.

  The darkness brushed his hair out of his face softly before giving his forehead a soft kiss. "It’s alright Xiaotian.." he murmured against his son's head and returned his focus to their food.

  The rice sizzling in the dish was the only sound heard at that moment, aside from the breathing of the family in the room, and the beating of their hearts. Yeah, Shadow Dad finally admitted it. Xiaotian was calling him dad so often he mentioned, "Keep calling me dad and I might start thinking you're my son." in a joking manner, but the kid was like, "I'm not?" so… yep. They're family now.

  Shadow Dad started hearing snoring fairly quickly, and glanced down at the boy in his arms. Sure enough, Xiao-Xiao was asleep. He slept so easily in the monkey’s hold. It was endearing. The shadow summoned a clone to keep stirring the congee and walked off to the main room, so he could rest with his son for the remaining forty-five minutes. 

  The darkness ran a hand through the well groomed hair on his kid’s head. Even if you couldn't see his mouth, you could tell he was smiling. Then it slipped into a look of thought. He was planning on teaching the kid some basic forms for his birthday, but it would be hard to learn martial arts with his hair in his face.

  Then he remembered something. Gods, did he even still have that? He decided to go check his physical body's pocket, but first; he replaced his shadow form with a clone, to keep his son from waking up.

  He floated through the dark clouds and swam towards his form. He reached into his body’s pocket and quickly found what he was looking for. A red and purple bandana with his and… an old friend’s names embroidered into their respective fabric. He smiled as he saw the beautiful headband. The kid was gonna love it. He knew it. He quickly swapped with the clone his son was laying on and returned to stroking through his hair with a goofy, proud smile.

  His talented boy. His amazing child. He knew that no matter what he gave him, he would never regret it. Now, though. He had to wait for his eighth birthday. 

——000000——

  The call came right on time. Shadow Dad had just finished planning the first few lessons for his son when it arrived. He followed the stream to find Xiaotian wasn’t at his house. Odd, but he trusted the lantern’s location. 

  He saw the adorable little boy bouncing in place with a bandage on his cheek. "Shadow Dad! I'm ready for my birthday!" he exclaimed. 

  The darkness chuckled and picked his son up into his arms. "I'm glad you're excited, Xiao-Xiao! I've got something special for you." He stated and slipped through the shadows to his dojo. The room had been cleaned more thoroughly and there was a pile of blankets and pillows in the center. "First off, I'm teaching you to nest." The shadow explained and placed his son on the floor. 

  The kid was confused. "But I'm not a monkey." He said and scratched his head. 

  The older laughed. "You have hands, right?" Xiaotian nodded. "and you like my nests, right?" The Little Sky agreed. "Then why not teach you to make your own?" 

  Xiao-Xiao's mouth twitched into a grin. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's do it!" He ran to the pile and face planted into it.

  Shadow Dad snorted and pulled his son's head out. "Alright, you little chimp. Let's start." he said, before pulling out a plum blanket. "First, we lay the second biggest on the floor." He said, offering a corner to his kid. 

  They placed it flat on the ground. "Okay! Next!" The smaller exclaimed.

  "We place pillows in a circle on top." Shadow Dad said and picked one up. His son nodded and picked another one up, before getting hit in the face. 

  He looked at his dad with betrayal in his eyes. "You'll pay!" He yelled and hit his dad with his pillow. The shadow ran off to the other side and threw his pillow before the smaller threw his. Laughter quickly filled the place as father and son had a pillow fight. 

  It only stopped when Xiao-Xiao tripped his dad with a blanket and pinned him with a hug. "Oh no! Tiny arms! My only weakness." he joked as he wrapped his arms around his son. 

  The Little Sky cackled in mock villainy as he tightened his arms. "You will never escape!" He dropped his voice.

  Shadow Dad laughed as he rolled into sitting up. "Alright, goober. Back to the nest." He said, placing his son down and picking up a pillow to begin the ring. 

  They finished the ring and moved to the next step. They tucked in the excess then threw the biggest blanket on top to tuck in. "Now what?" The kid said, staring at the nest. 

  Blankets, pillows, and plushies suddenly landed there as the boy was lifted. "Monkey bomb!" Shadow Dad yelled as he jumped and curled around his son. They disrupted the nest when they landed, but neither noticed as they laughed. "That’s the last step." The shadow said proudly once they'd calmed down. 

  The child grinned ear to ear and rubbed his face into his dad's chest. He got comfy against the elder's fur as his father started grooming him. "I love you, dad.." he murmured.

  The darkness had to distort a few chirps, but the kid had gotten used to the shadow garbles by then. "Thirty minutes. Then I start on the cake." The monkey notified. His cub nodded softly as he fell into the comfortable touch. After forty-five minutes, they separated and went to the kitchen. 

  Xiao-Xiao wanted to help, and Shadow Dad decided to let him, so he walked him through the process of making batter. He didn’t let the younger touch the oven, but he did give him the beaters to lick clean. 

  Once the cake was in the oven, they sat down on the couch in the other room, with the child vibrating in his seat. He was so excited to see what his dad had planned. "That excited, huh?" The cub nodded. "Well, if you're sure… I could give you your gift now." His father offered. 

  He got a massive grin on his face. "Really?! Gimme!" Xiaotian said and reached out before remembering. "Please?" he rushed out with an exaggerated innocent grin. 

  His dad laughed at the excitement and walked in front of his son. “Okay, okay. Close your eyes.” He requested. The child nodded and screwed his eyes shut tight. “No peeking~”  Shadow Dad said, getting down on his knees and pulling out the fabric. He cleaned it prior, of course. He softly wrapped the headband around his son’s head and tied it, red side out. “Okay, you can open them!” 

  The cub immediately snapped his eyes open and touched the fabric. He shook his head softly and yet no hair landed in front of his face. He grinned widely and quickly sprinted past his father, who took a second after the oddly strong wind and fast speed. He glanced in the child’s direction and saw him standing in front of the mirror. He looked so giddy as he bounced in place. “Look, Shadow Dad! Look!” He called and spun in circles. In accordance with the spell, no hair fell in front of his face.

  Why did he have that? He had a similar problem when he knew that old friend, so they cast that spell on the headband to fix it. “I know, bud! It’s great, right?” The older chuckled. His son’s excitement was contagious. He loved his cub more than anyone would ever know. "Wanna go 'monkey around', kiddo?"

  Xiaotian knew what that meant, so he nodded rapidly. "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" He yelled, and jumped onto his dad's side, looping his arms around the other’s neck as his dad wrapped one arm around him. The cub was hanging just like baby monkeys did- Though that was something the shadow had gotten used to. 

  The kid did a lot of monkey-ish things; he hung from everything he could get his hands on, he climbed to get to anything in the higher cabinets, and he even preferred sitting on shelves or counters instead of seats! Shadow Dad was startled by these things at first, but he slowly got used to it. He carried the boy to the training area of his dojo and placed him by the pull up bars. The kid almost always used those as monkey bars, hence the "monkey around", statement.

  The brown eyed boy started jumping to catch the bars but he wasn’t bending his knees nearly enough to reach. The monkey usually lifted his son in these moments, but because he was gonna start training him, he decided to teach him to do it on his own. "Alright, squirt. Bend your knees a little more, then push off harder and grab the bars." He was a little shocked the kid didn't know that, but he'd never pushed it.

  Xiao-Xiao tilted his head in confusion, but nodded and followed the instructions; A grin spread on his face as he pulled himself higher up and looked back at his dad. "Dad! Dad, look! I did it myself!" He yelled in excitement. The six eared creature was never quite as happy about the shadows muffling his hearing as he was then.

  A smile still showed in his eyes, despite the mild discomfort in his ears as he replied, "I see! I'm proud, kid! Oop-" then his son swung up on top of the bar.

  "Mwahahaha! I am the greatest parkour-ist!" The child joked and started hopping between bars. His dad stared with a smile though tension was still clear as he held his hands out beneath the bars(Just in case!)

  A dinging from the other room sounded and he looked towards the exit for a second, which was just long enough for his cub to tip and- OH SHIT, HE'S GONNA- oh.. He caught himself with his legs. Thank fucking god. The boy giggled at his dad's face and did grabby hands at him. "Gods, kid. Almost gave me a heart attack.." The older muttered and pulled him down softly. "Let’s go grab the cake."

  Xiao-Xiao giggled as his dad flipped him right-side up. "Okay, dad!" he said with laughter still in his voice. The shadow put the boy on his back and carried him to the kitchen. You might be wondering about an abandoned dojo having a kitchen, but in actuality, it was a break room before it was abandoned. The "main room" was a waiting room before it was abandoned- Pretty much every room used to be something else. 

  He kept the power and water on by slinking to the companies and scaring them into turning it back on. No one would believe them about a living shadow forcing them to keep the appliances on. He felt a little bad when people got fired, but he had to keep his son comfortable. He took the cake out and placed it on the cooling rack, before garbling more sounds and tickling his son with the vibrations. "I love you, Xiao-Xiao." the monkey mumbled to his son, before he heard some odd sounds from him. 

  The brown haired boy seemed to be trying to mimic the shadow’s garbles, but he  wound up gargling weirdly. His dad cooed at it somewhat mockingly, but it was playful. "I know.." The child mumbled, seemingly recognizing the mockery but not the playfulness. "I did it wrong."

  Shadow Dad freaked out a little and grabbed the boy off his back to calm him. "No- don't worry! It doesn't come naturally to you. We can work on that! I-if you want, I mean.." The shadow was still getting used to comforting someone, so excuse his struggling. 

  His son's eyes lit up again as he talked. "Okay." He said with a nervous smile. 

  It wasn't bright enough to comfort the parental monkey, but he was glad his son was at least a little better. "Wanna frost the cake now?" He said, attempting a diversion. His cub nodded and jumped onto the stepping stool in front of them, washing his hands again, before picking up the red piping bag. His dad smiled at him as he picked up the purple one and started frosting the cake. Once they were done, the cake had sporadic lines of each color on it and Xiaotian was a little messy. Shadow Dad would be too, but he just went intangible and slipped to the other side of the room. Why? It wasn’t a frosting accident or anything. No, they just decided to shoot frosting at each other for about three minutes. 

  The cub waited for his dad to cut the cake and then yelled, “I WANT THE ONE WITH MOST FROSTING!” at the top of his lungs. The shadow covered his ears at the loud noise and placed the most frosted one on a plate.

  Just as Xiao-Xiao went to reach for it though, the monkey batted his hand away. “Not before you shower, Little Sky.” The youngling pouted and gave the older his best puppy dog eyes. “No. Showers are two doors down on your right. You should probably use the toilet while you’re there.” 

  Xiaotian gave a dumbfounded expression. “Why’s there more than one?” He asked with his pout still firmly in place.

  “You haven’t noticed yet?” The shadow started. “This place used to be a dojo. A good one at that. I always watched the younglings train here from the shadows. But, then, someone decided to sue the owners because her son got hurt while training. Really manipulative b-ecause she convinced the other parents that they should also be upset. Managed to get the place shut down.” He was happy that he caught himself there. His son did not need to know the word bitch.

  He looked back at his son and saw the most aghast face. “What!? She must’ve been such a meanie!” The kid yelled with full seriousness and puffed out his cheeks, before seemingly realizing something and asking, “Wait, does that mean you can train me?! Please, Shadow Dad! I wanna be cool and strong like the Monkey King!”

  The monkey was a little upset by the implied praise of Wukong, but he let it slide. He knew the child looked up to that bastard, no matter how much he wanted to convince him otherwise. That would only hurt his cub. He had to hold off until he was older. “Hmm.. Maybe. But only if you shower before having your cake.” He claimed, only trying to convince his son to care about his hygiene. “I can wash one of the old uniforms in the back for ya.” 

  The offer of fresh clothes seemed to stop the boy’s actually considering it face and light his eyes back to their full shine. He nodded rapidly and dashed off down the hall, startling the older with his speed, but causing a laugh moments later. The shadow monkey walked to the old laundry room and grabbed a uniform, before carrying it to the wash tub to clean. Yes, they had washing machines, but it was only one uniform. A black and red outfit with golden thread for the stitching. 

  He started to scrub away at the uniform. If he was being honest, he didn’t care what level the belt was for, he just chose one he thought would look nice on his youngling. He heard the water shut off in the shower room and then muffled his hearing when he heard the toilet seat open. He held the clothes with a few shadows once they were clean and portaled the hairdryer to him so he could dry them off.

  They were all nice and dry by the time his son yelled into the portal. “Shadow Dad! I need clothes!” 

  You need a whole new wardrobe, kid. The monkey thought, bitterly, before replying, “Yup! I’ll be up in a minute!” He yelled, putting the hair dryer back and handing the uniform through the portal. His son grabbed it from him, allowing him to pull his hand back through, shut the portal, and unmuffled his hearing. That little boy brought so much light into the shadow’s life and he honestly wanted to thank him for it; He wanted to thank him for every time he played with him during recess, every time he ate what he’d made with a grin, and every time those eyes lit up with excitement after training with his lantern.

  He made it to the door of the shower room and stood there waiting for his Little Sky to get out. He cherished every one of those memories, no matter how insignificant they may seem. “Shadow Dad!” Xiaotian called as he dashed out of the room with a grin. He looked so happy, and so much better. The boy had been wearing those torn up rags for so long, and even with the grooming his hair looked unkempt.

  Now though, as he stood there with shining eyes and massive smile in a freshly cleaned uniform and headband that flowed in windless air, he looked… safe. A large amount of pleased garbles sounded from the older as he watched his son bounce with excitement. “Looking great, Xiao-Xiao!” The creature praised, happy with his son’s outfit change. 

  Those eyes had so much life in them as he dashed past, calling for his dad to, “Come on! I wanna start training!” with so much light it was a shock to the shadow he wasn’t forced into the darkness by it. 

  The older chuckled as he followed behind, having so much joy his smile forced him to squint. Then he heard a thud up ahead and ran over, worry replacing his joy. “Xiao-Xiao?! Are you okay?!” He made his way to his son’s side quickly, seeing him sit up and hold his head. 

  “Ow. Yeah! Just tripped over my own feet again!” The youngling reassured, causing his father to exhale in relief. This actually did happen a lot, but only when the boy wasn’t climbing, which was hilarious to the shadow. The boy often seemed more like a monkey than a human. 

  He trips over his own feet more often than I used to trip over my tail! The older chuckled at the memory. He helped his son to his feet and led him to the training room, pulling his lantern out once they were there, then grabbing the younger’s through a portal. “Alrighty, Little Sky. We’ll start with a few basic stances.” The monkey stated as he tossed the cub his lantern. The younger nodded with a determined expression, allowing his dad to begin the lesson. 

  The shadow instructed his son on every stance, though the kid started getting antsy. When were they gonna start the real training? Xiaotian wanted to learn the other things! Like, the fighting stuff! He wanted to be cool and strong, like the Monkey King! "Shadow Dad; when are we gonna do the fighting stuff?" He whined, getting really bored. "I wanna do the cool stuff!"

  His dad laughed and said, "I was waiting for you to ask that. I'm not fighting an eight year old properly, so instead, I'll train you with blocking." before walking over to a storage rack on the wall and grabbing the arm guard off of it.

  His son followed him and looked at the staffs with awe. "Can you teach me with one of those?" He said with a grin as he pointed.

  "Sorry, kiddo. Hand to hand first. But after, sure." The shadow hadded his son the padded armbands and walked over to the training area. He stood with his back to his son until the arm guards were on, watching over his shoulder to know the moment his cub was done. 

  Xiaotian couldn’t get a word in before a punch was thrown and he had to lift his arms to block. "AH!" He screamed before his father sent another punch for him to block. The older was being soft and relatively slow with his hits so his youngling could get used to it. Slowly the kid started calming down, blocking each hit perfectly as his face shifted to a grin. The two practiced for about twenty minutes before stopping to take a break and drink some water. 

  The monkey decided it was a good time to explain his "five rules of battle" to his son, so as they finished their water bottles, he started the verbal lesson. "Now, kid.. I have five rules you're gonna have to know. They aren't rules everyone knows, but they might save your life someday, okay?" Xiaotian seemed nervous about that statement, but he still nodded, hoping it wouldn't be that scary. "Rule one: If your opponent is monologuing, don't let them talk. Take that moment and strike." Shadow Dad began, using his lantern to make examples. His cub cuddled up next to him and watched intently, not wanting to miss any of it.

  "Rule two: Strike fast, and often. The faster you move, the less chance they have to get a read on you." The older stated, petting his son's hair to keep him calm. 

  "Rule three: Never explain yourself. Pretty much inverted rule one. Anyone smart would take that moment to strike you down." The kid held on tighter, seeing the visual of someone hitting the other person, and knocking the other to the ground. His dad held him as well and shushed him. "Shhh… don't worry. If you're lucky, you won't run into anyone who would ever dream of hurting you. But if you want to learn to fight, you need to know how to last. No matter what, I'll make sure you're safe. As long as I'm here, you'll be okay."

  "Rule four: Strike hard. If your first strike is your last strike, they can't get a strike on you, which means you can walk away with barely a scratch." The monkey said with a smile as he held his son close in his lap.

  "Like how Monkey King always wins without getting hit?" The youngling smiled nervously. 

  "Well, he didn’t always finish without getting hit," Shadow Dad mumbled. He would’ve been more upset if it weren't for the fact his son was clearly trying to cope. "but if you like that comparison, I guess I can't stop ya."

  "Rule five: Get in, get out in as little time as possible. I know that being stubborn can be tempting, but if you see things shift so they aren't going your way, you need to get away as quickly as possible." The final rule had the cub looking determined as he nodded. 

  "I wanna help people… but I'll keep that in mind." The youngling leaned against the other.

  "Good. You're really a good kid, Little Sky. Wanna go actually eat the cake now?" Shadow Dad asked, he and his son shared the, 'I forgot' look, and then got up to go get food. The shadow made sure to take the arm guards off his cub first though. Those would’ve gotten uncomfortable fast. 

  After the cake, the monkey groomed his son until he fell asleep and brought him back to his home. He tucked him in and kissed him on the forehead with a muttered, "Goodnight" . He hated the thought, but he had a feeling his son was gonna need those skills. He took a shaky inhale and slipped away. No matter what was gonna try to hurt Xiao-Xiao, the shadow would never let them do it. 

  And if they managed to get past him, he would make sure they knew exactly what it means to die.

—☆—

BTW, I drew Xiao-Xiao in his training uniform.

Here's the sketch:

And here's full color:

Hope you all enjoyed! Please tell me if you liked it, if you didn't; It would really help me out and as always,

Have fun, and happy scrolling!

Prev- Chapter 2 and Next- Chapter 4

[calware-png]

your colors are alwasy SO GOOD.... do u have any advice for how u pick them

thank you! for advice, i have a few tips:

the first is to always keep in mind what color palette you are using. as you become more experienced this will likely become something you do subconsciously, but when i was starting out with drawing i would usually deliberately choose a color palette and reference that while coloring in my drawing.

i'll go into some basic color theory (ha ha) but feel free to skip this if you're already familiar with it.

there are many different types of palettes to choose from, but the most common ones are:

monochromatic

analogous

complementary

split complementary

triadic

square

tetradic

for example, the drawing i just posted follows a split complementary palette (which is favorite scheme btw)

i can explain this more in-depth if anyone want me to but for the sake of brevity i'll leave it at that. the only other thing that i think is important to note if you're following a color palette is that it's important to balance out the values of the colors that you are using (how light and dark they are) as well as use it as a guide but you don't have to strictly adhere to your pallete 100% if the time within your piece. for example, the my drawing uses MAINLY blue, green, and red-orange, but there is also some orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green etc. in there as well

my second tip is to experiment! i hear the phrase "learn the rules before you break them" a lot when people are giving advice to beginner artists, which i don't always agree with because i think experimenting and finding out what you like and what you think works is very valuable (especially when you are drawing for fun and not professionally!) have fun with it, do the opposite of what people tell you to do just to see how it looks, etc. i remember getting the advice to always shade warm tones with a warmer tone and cool tones with a cooler tone (this is only a rule of thumb btw) and one day i started doing the opposite and found that it can look cool in certain circumstances

my third tip is to use references! i joke a lot about colorpicking from the most random images but i think that looking at other images and asking yourself "how is the artist/photographer using the colors to make it look this way? how do i recreate that?" and using that as a way to study their use of colors can be really helpful. i you find a drawing that has cool colors, try using those colors in your own drawings and see how they look!

the fourth tip is to play around with contrast. some drawings will look better with LOTS of contrast (where the darkest points are black and the brightest points are white), while others will look better with low contrast. stylistically, i prefer using low contrast. going back to the drawing above, there is no true #000000 or #ffffff used anywhere (except the white outline). i find that in certain situations this can help colors stand out. but like i said, it's more of a personal preference

the fifth tip is more for digital art, but it's to play around with blending layers, adjustment layers, and gradient maps if you don't like your colors but have no idea how to fix it. some programs don't have this feature but using blending layers/adjustment layers/gradient maps is sort of like using a filter to change the hue/value/saturation of your art in different ways

hope that helps! if there's anything i need to explain further please lmk!

[simvaultt]

Creating a Mask or Spec Map in Blender 2.92 - SIMS 3

What you need: Blender Basic Knowledge of Selecting and Separating in Blender Basic Knowledge of TSRW Texture Maps

Mask colors - This is what I use: Pattern A - Red (#ff0000) Pattern B - Yellow (#ffff00) Pattern C - Magenta (#ff00ff) Pattern D - Blue (#0000ff) this ultimately, can be any color OTHER than the colors being used above.

I recently learned a super fast and easy way to create both a Mask and a Spec Map needed for Sims 3 Custom Content.

Firstly, make sure you download or have Blender downloaded. I used 2.92 but anything newer should also work. Older versions, should work almost similar as well.

Open the mesh you need to create a Mask and Spec Map for. Once open, select the parts that you want to be different coloring options and separate them. Same goes for the different reflective options you are wanting (shine or no shine).

Add a Material by selecting the Material tab and clicking new.

Either go into the Shading workspace Tab at the top, or open another viewport and change it to the Shade Editor.

Once you have your Shade Editor open, you should automatically have a Principled BSDF Node. Add in one of the colors from above into the Base Color. Make sure to use red (#ff0000) for Pattern A, yellow (#ffff00) for Pattern B, magenta (#ff00ff) for Pattern C, and then either the blue (#0000ff) I used above, or another color you're currently not using.

At this point, your mesh should have already been properly UV Mapped. Click on your mesh, click TAB to go to Edit Mode. In your UV Editor, create a new image for your UV Map. Label it either "MeshName_Mask" or something so you know which bake is what, same goes for the Spec. Add in your sizes, 1024x1024. Click OK.

Go back into your Shade Editor, and hover in the Shade Editor viewport and click SHIFT A to add a node. Select Texture > Image Texture.

To the left of your new Image Texture node is a photo icon. Click it and find your previously created UV Image you created for your UV Map. You do not need to connect this node to your Principled BSDF node.

Go to your Properties Tab on the right side of Blender and click on the Camera Icon (Render Properties Tab). Click the drop down of the Render Engine field, select Cycles.

Find the Bake Tab and open it with the arrow if it is collapsed already. Under Bake Type, select the drop down menu and choose Diffuse. Under Influence, unmark the circle beside Direct and Indirect. Only Color should be selected. I recommend changing your image margin size from 16px to between 1px to 3px depending upon how close your UV Islands are touching.

Then select Bake if you're generating your Mask Map. If you are generating your Spec Map, before you select Bake you will uncheck Clear Image. *NOTICE: If you make any parts of your Spec Map transparent that overlap your UV Islands it will be reflective.

Follow the same exact steps for the Spec Map, only difference is the Base Color you input. Which should be between Black (#000000) to White/Light Grey (#FFFFFF / #DDDDDD). Darker the color (closer to black, less reflective). Lighter the color (closer to white, more reflective).

I hope this helps anyone trying to make Sims 3 content if starting out. I know this game is still played by quite a few Sims lovers.

If you have any issues/questions, please ask! Always here to help. And if you need this tutorial written out for an older version, I can gladly look into it.