#I’m pleased that I was able to use a tutorial and get it looking this nice on a first ever attempt

[nerdierholler]

I have a multitude of things I should have been doing lately: checking my dash here, finishing a quilt I promised my dad months ago, working on a cover letter for a full time job that’s due Thursday. Have I done any of those things? Nope. Instead I listened to the recent fansplaining episode on fanbinding and decided I wanted to poke that. Specifically I wanted to do all of the fiddly typesetting bits and spend time really getting into minute details on something because I don’t ever really get to do that and I like it.

I decided on Pride and Prejudice because 3 copies isn’t enough lol Anywho! After taking a big block of html text from project gutenberg, I think I’ve almost wrangled it into a typeset resembling a real book. It’s very satisfying.

[luveline]

more hotch with teacher!reader? maybe she’s trying to take a bunch of things into her classroom one morning and hotch jumps in to help (and flirt with) them :)) i adore you’re writing thank you for sharing sm with us lately!!!

you’re so welcome ily ty for requesting! <3 fem, 1k

Today, you and your class are going to make dioramas with a heavy focus on paper crafting. For the last few days, you’ve helped them make plans on what they want to create, and then you scoured the internet for origami and craft tutorials to suit. The only one you couldn’t find was for poor Jamie’s tractors. You’ll figure it out, you’re sure. 

You’ve been saving cardboard boxes, toilet roll inserts, and egg cartons for months. There’s a total mountain of things to bring in, so you’re here early. You figure if you carry huge armfuls, you can get everything inside in three trips. 

“Oh,” you say, as a cardboard box tumbles to the ground, and somehow doesn’t give you a clearer view, “whoops. I’ll pick that up. Jeez.” 

You step over it and almost slip. 

“Careful,” someone says. 

You jump and send an egg carton skittering across the floor. “Oh, gosh! You scared me!” You twist your head, the cardboard that had been resting on your face falling down into your collar. “Oh, Mr. Hotchner.” 

Of course it’s Mr. Hotchner. Aaron, predictably. 

“Aaron,” he says, leaning down to grab the things you’ve dropped, before he opens his arm toward you. You lean away from your tower, embarrassed but relieved when he takes the bulk of your tall tower from you. 

“Thank you, Aaron. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here so early. Is everything okay?” 

“Let me help you with this.” 

Avoiding the question. You and Aaron carry your cardboard inside to the classroom, where you unlock your door (and you never would’ve been able to do without his rescue). He follows you to the arts and crafts table toward the back of the room, and you deposit your stock. 

“Thank you,” you say when he places his armful down. 

“It’s no problem. Can I help with the rest?” 

“Would you, please?” you ask. “It seemed a lot less before today.” 

You bring the rest back in. He’s the picture of a perfect gentleman and carries more than you each time, which isn’t to say you can’t have carried the same as he did, but it’s nice for once to be the one looked after. As a teacher, you get used to giving. 

He doesn’t make you ask him twice. “I’m here early because I wanted to talk with you if you’re free, before I head into the office.” 

“His Aunt is bringing him today?” you ask about Jack. 

“I didn’t manage to get home in time last night to see him, but I’ll be here at pick up time.” 

You nod, hyper aware that you’d swayed the conversation again. “Sorry, what were you saying?” 

“It’s about Jack. Well, it’s mostly about me. I’d like to ask you for a favour, if you’re willing.” 

“Oh, sure. Of course.” 

“You haven’t heard it yet.” 

You flush under the weight of his knowing smile. “No, I mean, I’m sure it’ll be fine. So…” 

“It’s hard sometimes to get Jack to tell me what you’re doing in school. I had no idea he’d be making dioramas today. And I don’t need your lesson plans, I’d never expect that of you, but I was hoping you could summarise the week for me on Fridays? Or whenever you can. I don’t need updates on how Jack is progressing, it could be a couple of words on the topics you’ve chosen, just so I know what he’s doing while I’m away.” 

You’ve never been asked to do it. Parents of kids in the second grade aren’t usually clocked in on what their kids are learning. School is still half fun at this age, your most important job is to make sure they can all read with acceptable fluency. And it’s hard because their parents don’t help, but it’s fine. You love teaching them something so important, and you’re ecstatic to meet someone who’s actually interested. 

You beam. “Yeah, of course I can. I can do that, I don’t mind. Nobody ever wants to know what we’re doing, which is such a shame! I mean, they’re so excited and of course their parents care, but if they have just a little bit of support it makes a huge difference. I can totally send you my lesson plans, Aaron. I’d like to.” You laugh to yourself smugly. “I never get to show them off. They’re extensive. And they take ages.” 

“You want to show them off?” he asks softly. 

His voice is velveteen. 

“Is that awful?” you ask.

“No, it makes sense. You really don’t have to if it’s too much trouble, but I… feel guilty, when I call him and ask how school was, and he can’t remember what happened.” 

“Don’t feel bad about that. The kids can’t remember what I told them ten minutes ago.” 

He isn’t like you, in that he’s very still. He doesn’t move or fidget, which makes his looking at you all the more obvious. “Thank you,” he says. 

“You’re welcome.” 

“Can I pay you back?” 

You catch one of your bracelets and twist it around your wrist. 

Aaron told you without hesitation that he profiles criminals. He can read their expressions, habits, and idiosyncrasies as thoughts and feelings. He can trace movement to the source. You’re positive he wouldn’t keep asking you such leading questions, or insist you call him by his first name every time you see him, if he didn’t already know that you find him attractive. 

“How would you do that?” you ask. 

“Is there anything else you… need help with?” 

A million things, but you’re no idiot. You can read subtlety too. 

“Well, I have a bunch of textbooks on the top shelf in the stockroom you could help me with.” You smile shyly. “It gets hot in there, though.” 

He begins taking off his suit jacket. “That,” he says, his gaze on you with all the tenderness and amusement of someone who’s known you longer, “won’t be a problem.” 

[bad268]

Hi! Hope your day is going well. Would I possibly be able to request Harry Lewis x reader where the reader is either a chef or baker and loves cooking/baking for him? Maybe the reader is a YouTuber as well? Not too sure about that, but you can pick.🥰 Have a great rest of your day❤️

200 Y/o Cheesecake (Harry Lewis X Baker! Reader)

Fandom: RPF/Youtubers

Requested: Clearly (based on How To Cook That’s video)

Warnings: none

POV: Second Person (You/your)

W.C. 1383

Summary: Harry joins your YouTube tutorial.

As always, my requests are OPEN

MASTERLIST // HITLIST

~~(^Pinterest)

You always loved baking. It was a childhood love that started with your parents and only grew from there. You used to do it for fun and for family gatherings, but when you were a teenager, you decided to start a small business. It allowed you to make a little bit of cash on the side and made you happy. Then, you started making videos and posting them to a YouTube channel.

When you announced that your boyfriend was Harry Lewis, most people thought you had met through YouTube since you both started around the same time and were from the same area. Little did they know that you two were literally neighbors. You were childhood best friends turned secondary school sweethearts. He was also your honorary test dummy. 

Anytime you saw a new recipe, Harry was there. Anytime you wanted to tweak something a little, Harry would try it. It didn’t matter if the batch was disgusting. Harry would still eat it. Even if you accidentally switched out the sugar for salt in your infamous chocolate chunk cookies, Harry ate it with a smile.

Recently, on a shopping trip, you came across an old bookstore and found an old cookbook. You looked through it briefly and ended up buying it because some of the recipes sounded amazing and weird.

"Hello, everybody, and welcome back to my channel. today, we are making a 200-year-old cheesecake,” You emphasized, gesturing to all of the ingredients around your kitchen. “I found this recipe book recently and thought it would be fun to try all of these out or let me know if you like this recipe and if I should make this a series.”

"Also, I’m here,” Harry interrupted from slightly behind the camera. 

“Yes, and Harry’s here, so I’m making him do things for me,” You smirked as you pulled him into the frame. “That being said, let’s get started! This is called ‘the fine cheesecake.’ Harry, how about you read out the first step?”

“Put a pint of cream into a saucepan over a fire, and when it is warm, add to it five quarts of milk, immediately taken from the…” Harry narrowed his eyes at the book before slowing down. “Where the fuck are we getting a cow?”

”See, that’s illegal to sell unpasteurized milk here in London, so we just have to use regular milk,” You laughed, already having read through the recipe and gone through the steps of buying the ingredients. “Want to mix this up and put it on the stove for me?”

“But that’s not a fire, now is it?” Harry said, pointing at the recipe, “You need to read this.”

”We don’t have a fire,” You rolled your eyes, “Unfortunately, we have modern technology, and we don’t exactly have the means to heat this over an actual fire. Moving on, add to it some rennet. Do you know what we’re making yet, Harry?”

”Thought it was cheesecake,” He grumbled, adding the rennet into the mixture, “It’s the only reason I agreed to help out.”

”That’s not the right attitude,” You complained, bumping your shoulder against his while you stirred the milk mixture. “Here, since you’re being such a downer, you can go make these macaroons by yourself.”

”No!” He whined, grabbing onto your arm, “You know I suck at making those! They’re so hard!”

”That’s what she said. Anyways, moving on,” You joked, not letting Harry make a comment further, “can you start whipping this with your arms for me, please?” You asked as you pushed the bowl of egg whites towards Harry.

”Don’t you have a mixer for this?” He spoke up but still took the whisk and began mixing. “I think that would be easier.”

”I do, but this recipe was made like 97 years before the electric mixer was invented,” You explained, moving on to the other step. “While he whips that to a froth, I’m going to grind these almonds and sugar together.”

”It’s not the only thing I’ll be whipping to a froth tonight,” Harry muttered directly into his microphone.

”I hope you know this is a family-friendly show, Mr.,” you side-eyed him. “Anyways, by the time these are all cooked, our milk should be solidified, and we should have cheese!”

”That’s what we were making?” Harry gasped in shock as he watched you mix the egg whites and the almond-sugar powder.

”What did you think it was?” You asked, genuinely curious.

“Fuckin cheesecake!” Harry shouted, walking off camera. 

“No, you need cheese to make cheesecake, dummy,” You laughed, pouring the now curdled milk through a cheesecloth. “Now, in an hour or so, we get to break down the cheese and macaroons into fine bits. I’ll leave this one to you.”

”Oh, yay, thanks,” Harry said sarcastically. By the time you moved to the next few steps, you were ready to make puff pastry. Only it didn’t sound like making puff pastry. “What the fuck is this?”

”It’s a very concise way of describing puff pastry,” You chuckled lightly. “Thank god I already know how to make puff pastry, or this video would not be posted.”

”Can I put it in the dish?” Harry asked, watching you pull out the completed puff pastry and rolled it out to the correct length.

”Yeah, just make sure there are no air bubbles or holes,” You explained as you helped him take the thin dough to lay it in the dish. “When you trim it, cut it so there’s a little over the edge so it can puff up. The sides and the bottoms obviously won't be able to puff up.”

“Oh please, I’m not an amateur,” He scoffed, immediately accidentally cutting a line through the side of the dough. “Shit.”

”And this is why I’m the baker,” You lectured, bumping him out of the way with your hip. “Now, we’re going to add the filling and put this in the oven. It’s a pretty basic cheesecake, so you could add chocolate or something to match your preference. I decided to drag Harry to a berry patch to pick our own berries as they would 200 years ago, so we could have the full 200-year-old cheesecake experience.”

”I may or may not have eaten a lot of those,” Harry admitted.

”I can’t have anything with this guy,” You joked, throwing your head back. “Anyway, wash up whatever fruit you have left and pile it on top of the cooled cheesecake! Harry will do the honors of trying this.”

”It’s really dry,” He said right after he took a bite.

”It is on the dryer side, so make sure you have some whipped cream or something to balance it out, but it’s definitely not your average New York Cheesecake. It tastes more like a ricotta cheesecake to me. I like it, but it definitely needs whipped cream or something,” You explained before setting your fork down and addressing your audience. “Make it a great week, everybody, and I’ll see you again next week.”

Your normal outro began playing, but just when everyone thought the video would end, there was an end scene of your outtakes with Harry. 

“My arm is killing me,” Harry groaned as he stopped whisking the egg whites for a second, looking over at you rolling and folding the puff pastry.

”Your arm hurts?” You replied in a condescending tone. “ I would kill to have one arm hurt! I’m hurting my entire upper body for this!”

“We can swap if that’ll make you feel better?” Harry offered, leaning the whisk against the side of the bowl to move behind you and wrap his arms around your waist. “We can also take a break.”

”No, the egg whites can’t be left for too long, and if I chill the pastry for too long, it will be even harder to roll out,” You sighed, leaning back into his hold and looking up at him. “Thanks, though. Let’s just push through it.”

”Okay,” Harry exhaled before dropping a kiss to your forehead and going back to the bowl. Just as he restarted whisking, he offered, “If you want to take a break, I can do both of these for a few.”

“As much as I would love a break, I need to stick this out with you.”

~~~~~

© BAD268 2025. DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT PERMISSION.

[kloofspeaks]

The Creation of a Physical Copy of Coming Home (But Not to You) - The complete summary

Since, I promised I would update this as soon as I started working on it and boy, has it been several hours of me trying to learn how to use Microsoft word, hundreds of songs in my Jayvik playlist and perhaps, a small minor emotional breakdown. I have gotten Coming Home (But Not to You) formatted for bookbinding.

I hope @lesbianherald knows that they have not only written about 678 pages of a glorious and beautiful story but when in book format, that comes out to be 340 pages which is bigger than Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare (which.. you out wrote him twice). I swear, I promised to update you and that’s literally all I have besides a minor practice signature before I venture out to find a book suitable to hold the piece and paper that looks a tad more vintage.

The first draft pages in word looked like this, this was also MY final concept before I went out of my way to make a little page design in procreate. (Featured later)

The Artist featured also gave me permission to use this for this personal project. Please, check them out with this link here: X (their art is gorgeous)

[Written January 3rd, 2025]

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Okay, we’ve settled on some covers. Might be wondering why I didn’t want to make one from scratch? I didn’t want to weather it, personally. It’s a lot more work and the threading and binding itself is going to take most of my time. I’m working on A4 (Actually, it ended up being smaller than A4 at about 11 by 8.25 but when folded it’s 5.5 by 8.25) paper format, having to adjust my measurements as we go because they were drastically different in the word document. I edited some of the features of the pages and actually sketched out a design for my Cricut to use for the cover and chapter page emblems for just a little personal flare!

I actually went to the thrift store and broke apart books that werent in use to provide me a proper book board because the ones I had were too thick! Reuse and recycle, baby! (All for the power of Jayvik)

A little thing about this project is that I actually bought weathered paper for this! Yeah, that.. it didn’t end up coming LMAO. I did buy some book corners for some metal flare. The hexcore design I drew out, myself, in procreate and also cut out in Cricut (thank you, TikTok tutorials).

A little fact as well; I haven’t bookbinded in 3 years! My books when I started were actually GOD awful— which is also part of why I chose a base book frame because that was my biggest weakness when it came to this. The binding itself was actually the easiest part to me when I started! I kid you not, I did very much come out of retirement because of Jayvik. I wanted a physical book I could mark and leave notes on, so why not make it myself? I’m extremely thankful, I got permission to do this and plan on doing this with another one of my favorite Jayvik fanfictions once it is completed, so perhaps… maybe. I don’t know, after I had gotten all the signatures out I had realized that the book covers used WERE TOO SMALL! This is the book before pressing for over 48 hours and in a middle of a snowstorm!

[Written on January 6th, 2025]

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And the book is binded! I had used wax thread which is already thicker and way more durable and actually made for bookbinding. It has already had about two layers of glue on the binding but I tend to do about four just for extra strength and protection. It should be going in the book in about a day or two, which will lead to the final update of this!

It took me about three well-spread out days, six hours of actual sewing and teaching myself how to use a curved needle without violently stabbing my skin but I was able to get the box-stitch in.. I tried to even out the layers as I had binded too fast in one part and two signatures ended up being uneven, whoops. I fixed that with a tap of a literal hammer (No pun intended) but this was truly an experience. The parts with the open black page on front is when the stitching was glued and the book pages were placed on. This also meant I had the actual book for it to sit in ready. Which was crazy to think about.

Would you believe me if I told you I measured this all by eye and had to cut the pages four different ways to make this book actually become a book. The next paragraphs will be glamor shots. Thank you for sticking with me— encouraging me on this because of my LACK of experience in this entire field and prayers for my poor fingers.

[Written on January 13th, 2025]

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And we’re here, it’s finished and settled. Here are the glamor shots. I do plan on doing more bookbinding in the future as I DID enjoy the process but folding and making signatures will forever be my enemy. Here’s the glamor shots and underneath the cut is all my reactions and build up to finishing this monster of a book.

A couple things, I never want to do this again. If I ever do a fanfiction THIS big again. I’m spilting it into two books, perhaps even three depending on how big it is. The symbol on the front is the Piltover symbol, I tried to find Jayce’s Talis house symbol and THERES NOTHING, I literally tried drawing and everything. My Cricut didn’t want to cut it and trust me, I tried for over three hours with the symbol.

What only matters is that I think it’s cute. I think the simplicity and mix of tears added to the final design a lot more than I thought it would.

If I ever do this again. (Knowing me, I will.) I plan on revisiting this, probably make another version when I have more bookbinding knowledge under my belt LMAO, but enjoy this lengthy post. I’m now going to go to bed.

Also huge shout out to my Zelda art book for being my primary book press for this entire thing. I really need a book press.

[Finished, January 14th at 12:08 AM, 2025]

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

[lalasimmer]

How to convert Sims 4 3D CAS Rooms to Sims 3

Disclaimer: If you’re not familiar with Blender/TSRW/UVs then this tutorial may not be for you. If you don’t have Sims 4 Studio which needs the Sims 4 base game (or don’t know how to extract the meshes without it) this tutorial may not be for you. Honestly it’s pretty straight forward, but there’s a lot of trial and error and going in game and out of game checking placement, etc. I use Blender 4.1 for this, but you should still be able to do the same things in the older versions. I'm trying to make this as easy as possible. I’m here to answer any questions though 💕 Tutorial below

Things you’ll need:

Blender (whatever version you prefer)

Sims 4 Studio

TSRW ( I use version 2.0.86)

My Christmas CAS Room here

My TSRW work file here

Tutorial:

Find a Sims 4 CAS room that you like and open it up in Sims4Studio. This is the one I'll be using for the tutorial.

In the Texture tab, export the textures. The only textures that matter are the first 3 diffuse. Go to the Meshes tab and export the mesh, it will save as a .blend file. After that you can close out of Sims4Studio.

Open my Christmas CAS Room in TSRW. You'll get this message. Hit ignore and don't send. We only need this file as a reference to resize the SIms 4 CAS room. Export the mesh as an obj, name it whatever you like. You can close TSRW for now.

Open Blender and open the .blend file you exported from Sims4Studio. Make sure to delete studio_mesh_0 as it's just the shadow map and we don't need that. This is what mine looks like after fixing the textures.

Then import the wavefront obj you just exported from TSRW. Again we're just using this as a size reference.

This is what it looks like after I added the obj. I scaled, moved, and rotated the room to match up as close as I could with my reference mesh. When you have it lined up to your liking you can delete the reference mesh. I usually import the sims 3 body to see where my sim would be in CAS as well so feel free to do that too.

Now we have to separate the objects that use transparency in the scene to their own group. The transparent objects will always be located on studio_mesh_1. I usually do this in UV mode. Make sure UV Sync Selection is on. Where the red arrow is, that's the UV Selection button. It's blue so that means its on.

Tip: If you're using the same Blender version I am (I'm not sure if the older versions below Blender 3.0 do this) you can disconnect the alpha in shader editor and then you can easily see what uses transparency because it has a black background like the plants. Don't worry about the one outside the window as that's on the backdrop image and doesn't show in CAS.

Important: Also, make sure you delete the back of the mirror frame or it will show through the mirror in game. I usually select it in the UV editor as well and delete it.

After selecting all the objects that use transparency, I go to the 3D viewport window and press P, then selection. Now they're on their own layer as you can see. That's a very important step so please don't miss it.

Sims 4 CAS Rooms don't have a closed room like ts3 and if you don't add walls/ceiling with planes you'll be able to see that it in CAS. You can do this in any way you're comfortable with. If you don't understand how to do it feel free to ask me. For this tutorial I will not be doing this perfectly lol I've done enough rooms and I'm just trying to teach here 😩

Okay now last is renaming groups to import into TSRW. Make sure it's in this exact order and uses the exact group numbers.

Group 0 - Mirror

Group 1 - Windows/Curtains

Group 2 - View outside the window

Group 3 - Walls

Group 4 - Objects with transparency

Depending on the CAS Room you convert, yours may not have a mirror you know. You can delete groups in TSRW, experiment, feel free to ask me questions as well.

After renaming the groups, select only the groups you renamed and export as an obj. Make sure that object groups is checked so that they can stay in groups.

Open TSRW and open the testroom_cas.wrk file.

After opening the file you'll see this exact room in this tutorial lol because I had to test some things first 😅

Import the CAS room you converted from ts4. You'll get these two messages. Click yes on the first and no on the second.

Disclaimer: Make sure you reduce polygon sizes or it won't import and give you an error

Import your textures (yours may be different than mine depends on the converter) but most have been the same that I've seen. Group 0 is the mirror it doesn't require a texture. Group 1 and Group 4 usually have the same texture.

Disclaimer: TSRW an be finnicky with textures sizes, I havent gotten any issues since using the 4GB patch, but just in case. Texture sizes from ts4 can run pretty big 4096x2048 even 8196x4096. I would resize to no bigger than 2048x1024 in my opinion, but whatever works for you.

After export to sims3pack or export as package file. Make sure you compress your files and you should be good to test your CAS room in game.

This is the finished product. Should look something like this or better lol considering this was quick 😅

If you would like to make your own from the original ts3 cas room, I would suggest watching this Youtube video (it's for TS4 but it still applies and is helpful) and the link to the original ts3 cas room is here. Since we can convert ts4 to ours you could probably just build your own and go from there as well.

Thanks to @mookymilksims for testing things for me and converting her own. If you would like to try this tutorial out and experiment with room placements using @boringbones Ultra wide CAS mod which changes the field of view in cas so that you can see the whole cas room, it is here. I didn't use it for mine, but that's only because I found out about it after from Mooky lol and I'm tired of converting them 😅 but feel free to ask me any questions if you need help 😊

[mysteryshoptls]

Lilia Vanrouge Shared Lines

Tutorial: Now then, off we go. I'm sure time is precious to you.

Level Up 1: Is this what they call a growth spurt? Kheehee.

Level Up 2 / Buddy Level Up: Nice, I've leveled up!

Level Up 3: School life sure his worthwhile.

Level Max: It may be because I am brimming with more energy than ever before, but these recent days have been a blast. It is all thanks to you.

Vignette Level Up: Looking back, these days I've recently spent alongside you have been thoroughly delightful... Hm? Oh no, I'm not saying goodbye. You're stuck with me!

Spell Level Up: Well, this is nowhere near my full potential. I'll show you the true extent of my power some day.

Friendship Level Up: This place is filled with things that pique my curiosity. Of course, that includes you. Kufufu.

Friendship Level Max: I cannot believe I’ve gotten to this age, and I’m still making new friends that I can confide in. Kufufu, it’s a blessing to be able to live this long. Keep up the good work!

Uncapped: Oh, my, are you should you should be granting me even more power? Kheehee, I see. Then, I should not disappoint.

Groovification: Kheehee, I feel pumped up. I can't let myself fall behind all these youngsters.

Lesson Select 1: Yup, I'm totally ready! So, what should start preparing for?

Lesson Select 2: If you're too overeager, you'll burn out quickly. It's fine to take it easy.

Lesson Select 3: Studying alongside other students, hm? Sounds interesting, I'll actually put in some effort today.

Lesson Start: Time to learn to our fullest extent.

Lesson Finish: Mhm, a great class. This is truly what school life is all about!

Battle Start: Kufufu, I’ll play with you.

Battle Won: Don’t underestimate me, you fool.

Trouble 1: Kufufu, I got a bit heated, very unlike my age.

Trouble 2: You’re so small-minded, getting angry over something like that～

GIFT CALENDAR 2023: “How will you be spending the day?” We have band practice today. However… When it gets cold like this, my fingers get numb and hard to move. Hm? Naah, I already have the songs memorized. It’s really only about staying in rhythm with the other members!

Birthday Login Message 1: A birthday? Mine? Aah～ Now that you mention it, when I enrolled in this school, I might have said that. At some point before I forgot when my own birthday was. I didn’t think it would be celebrated. I’m happy, thank you.

Birthday Login Message 2: There will be a birthday party held for me today. Why don’t you join us? Of course, I won’t force you to, but… If you don’t come, I may become so lonely that I’ll start crying. [fake sobs] Oohh! Alright, so you’ll come! Kufufu, lets enjoy ourselves today to our hearts content.

Birthday Login Message 3: Well, well… No matter how old I get, it’s still lovely to have my birthday celebrated. …Eh? You want to put my age’s worth of candles on the cake? Kufufu, you don’t want to do that. It would be a shame if the cake was to be completely covered in holes.

Birthday Login Message 4: You came all the way out here to wish me a happy birthday? You have my thanks, [Yuu]. What would I like for a present? It’s fine, you don’t have to worry yourself about it. But if I really had to pick something, I suppose… I’d like to hear about your hometown. It would be fun to hear stories from a place that I know nothing about. There’s no way I’ll be letting you sleep tonight～!

Birthday Login Message 5: Thanks for coming to celebrate. I’m more than pleased to have you remember my birthday. The Pop Music Club is planning on having a birthday performance tonight. You’ll be joining us too, right? I hear that Kalim is preparing an extra-large cake as a surprise. Cater was worried that it wouldn’t be a surprise if he told me, but… Kheeheehee, I’m still happy about it. We’ll sing and party, surrounded by all those close to me… It’s this kind of birthday that makes me the luckiest guy in the world.

Requested by Anonymous.

[pink-vacancy]

Hi ^^

It’s me, the creator of some gifs you like and the creator of many gifs you could’ve probably lived without. A few people have asked me for a giffing tutorial recently so I have made one documenting my normal process! I’m going to gif this Aespa stage in this tutorial because I am still pretty bad at coloring stages. So come struggle along with me 🫶!

Step 1. Getting Sources & Vapoursynth

The worst enemy of the tumblr gifmaker is tumblr itself. You will spend your time making the clearest gif imagineable only for the blue site to reduce it to pixels. But alas, we must gif on. The best way to get good results is have a good source and to precompress your gif with vapoursynth.

As far as downloading from Youtube the best app to use is 4k Video Downloader. 4kVD let's you get download your file as a .mkv which is how youtube stores their 4k quality vids. Only limitation is on the free tier you get only 10 downloads. There are other more technically dubious methods to get 4kvids but I've literally never hit this limit.

10 out of 10 gifmakers agree if you want those good good crystal clear gifs you gotta stick with 4k or 1080p sources. Although if you are a complete sicko like me you can gif 720p and still get pretty good (not great) results.

So now you got your source video but you won't actually be able to open that bad boy up in PS yet. This is where the Vapoursynth step comes in. Vapoursynth will blast that footage into a nice denoised, sharpened and resized little baddie of a video clip for us.

To download VS and get a more in depth explanation of the exact steps on how to use it please reference this post. The basic steps of Vapooursynth are:

Drop your source video on the "vapourscript (drop a video file on me).bat" icon and type in the timestamps

Crop your gif to your liking (I do a lot of 540 x405 or 540x335 for horizontal gifs. 268x480 for vertical.)

Apply the sharpness and denoise (these are the options I use):

copy the code from the white box and paste it into the script like below

I set my denoiser to 1.5 and my sharpening to .5. (I stole this from @hyeongseo lol)

Go to Script > Encode Video. Make sure on this screen to name your file and set the header option to 'Y4M'. (Sometimes this is the step where it crashes and all your dreams are ruined because it can't convert it unfortunately. But 99% of videos are good lol)

You will find your Photoshop ready clip in gifs/output

Step 2. Photoshop

You are now good to open up your clip in Photoshop.

if we export our gif at this moment it will look like this:

Which isn't too bad. They just are pretty washed out and a lot of times at this step you'll see a lot of grain.

Sharpening (again lol) and Noise:

This might sound weird cause we just denoised lmao but stick with me.

We are going to convert our clip to a smart object. If you want to slow down or speed up your clip make sure to do so before converting.

(Often times if i have 60fps clip I put it at half speed, but if the action of the gif is really jerky or flashy at 30fps a lot of times I'll set it to 85% speed)

Convert your video to a smart object by right clicking it in the layers panel and selecting the "Convert to Smart Object" option

Create a copy of layer 1 and arrange it so it is aligned perfectly on top of the first video in the timeline. You have to drag it outside of the video group to do this. It should look like this once you are done:

On the bottom clip (layer 1), select filters -> sharpen -> smart sharpen. Apply the filter with these settings:

Then on the same clip (layer 1) apply the same smart sharpen filter with these settings

Setting up the Sharpness like this makes sure the finer details with stand out with crisp lines in the final product. (Look at how the mesh on her arms is in finer detail now)

Your video might look a little crispy at this point and that is ok cause we are going to soften that.

Now on our top video layer (layer 1 copy) select filters -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur. Use this setting:

Finally apply filters-> Noise -> Add Noise to layer 1 copy with these settings

"Vacancy what the hell? It looks like shit now."

Yeah... But now we'll put layer 1 copy at 25% opacity and it will look less like the shit that it does look like right now I prommy. Here is the current output:

The idea behind all this blurring and adding noise is that it will help create smoother transitions between the colors of the gif and reduce large blotchy bands of pixels that can sometimes show up

PLEASE!!! Save your current step as a PSD file. You can skip having to apply all those filters and just drag the filter groups on to the layers after the smart object conversion step.

Step 3. Coloring

Now to the fun part! There is a lot of trial and error in this step since we only have 256 colors to play with.

Typically my goals for this step are:

Raise the black point (Make Giselle's outfit in this gif black so more color can be used on her hair, skin and the background.)

Reduce the overall contrast of the gif. (Darken the lightest lights if possible)

Saturate the colors enough so they stand out but not so much that everything looks gross.

Depending on how we do these steps we may need to subtract frames from the gif. (Which I hope not cause there is exactly 69 frames in the current version lol)

Here is an example of what my coloring difference can look like:

In this case the colored gif is actually smaller because I elminated a lot of the dark greys in the background.

Vacancy's Dumbass Original Recipe thing

This is probably the only thing different that I do from most creators

My first adjustment layer is usually a gradient map. The green and red one to be more specific.

I then change the blend mode to luminosity and set the opacity somewhere between 12 and 20% (Usually 15%).

This step brings all our shades closer together so we have more freedom with coloring later. Also when idols are very white wash this seems to bring out the shadows and skin tone better in later steps as well. If you overdo it though the person in the gif can wind up looking very orange or yellow so less is sometimes more here.

There's also probably a better way to achieve this but you know... oh well

My Other adjusment layers usually consist of:

Levels: With the gradient map applied you can darken the blackpoint of your gif pretty significantly.

Selective Color: This is the most useful adjustment layer. Make sure to expirement with adding to the black slider on the blacks and neutrals color options. Often times kpop vids are over exposed and darkening this can bring out a lot of unseen color.

Hue/Saturation: I use this layer to darken the blues of the background with the lightness slider as well. You can adjust individual colors with this layer and with selective color and that is a very powerful tool for coloring.

Start:

Finish:

Because I darkened the gif so much I was able to add around 6 frames!

Though I’m not 100% satisfied with this gif, this would be my process from the start. You can put those adjustment layers all in a group and save it to the psd as well to skip all the steps to apply them. I used all the same adjustment layers for the header gif of this post as well which saved me a lot of time ^^!

Since every video is different you usually have to play around with the sliders a lot between clips.

Step 4. It Flops…

Jk jk but it does happen a lot tho on this site so don’t get discouraged ☺️

Parting Notes

If you want a really nicely colored fancam to practice on I would see if MIRAI on YouTube has a fancam of your fave idol. Their videos are really nicely color balanced from the start where stages like this tend to be very bright.

I’ll probably make a follow up post with more coloring tips and my thought processes while making gifs but this is the very basics to making hq gifs hope you learned a lot.

You can always hit my dms or inbox with questions if you have them ^^!

[youmeandthestarsss]

Solar return observations pt 1. (Based on my personal experiences)

Hii guys, I know it’s been a super long while but I’m going to try to start posting more content for you guys 😊💕

This year I had Venus in the 6th house square Saturn and at the beginning of this year I was having heated disputes with some coworkers. I came very close to almost quitting my job because I felt like I was being overworked and underpaid, underappreciated by my managers and coworkers, and like my competency was being taken for granted because how much extra effort I put in to my job.

This year I had Mars in Capricorn trine Saturn in the 9th house and it’s been giving me the energy to get things done ✅. The times when I had to do something made me feel even more capable of being able to accomplish it and with efficiency. I felt motivated to get my homework done on time and do it early as well. I really like having this placement bc my natal 12h placements make me sort of lazy and a homebody

My moon is in Libra in the 5th house this year and I’ve been loving watching makeup and hair tutorials and just honestly keeping myself entertained with aesthetics. I started watching tv shows again too!

I think cancer ruling my 2nd house and moon in my 5th house might have something to do with my sweet tooth this year.

So I’ve had moon in the 4th house for two years straight now, & I can tell you right now I’m never been more of a homebody. I hate leaving my house and especially my bed. I’m always thinking about being in my bed whenever I go somewhere. I can also vouch that this placement is the root of my extreme laziness and desperate need to take lots of naps despite the fact that I have Mars in Capricorn this year.

In my SR ASC for this year I’m a Gemini rising and all I can say for it is that I’ve been focused on school a lot and getting ready to graduate, focused on perfecting my driving and also getting my license, communicating and getting along with my peers a lot more, talking a lot more, and doing a whole bunch of thinking. If you’re about to have this rising sign in your sr just know that you’ll be spending most of your time and energy in your head and will feel like you can’t ever stop thinking. This placement has also caused me to reflect on how it is I think and why I think the things I do. Lots of contemplation with this placement.

Neptune in the 10th house and I feel like there’s been some confusion on what it is I want to do for a career and how I’m going to go about it.

Saturn in the 9th house and UGH. Some of my teachers this year have been a real pain in the ass. I’ve had lots of disputes with them over grades and it at first was not working out for me all too well. I also felt like I was bombarded with a lot of homework a lot too this year.

Taurus in the 12h house & I’ve had a few dreams about material things and food

Moon in the the 5th house and mercury in the 7th house & lol let’s just say I’m always daydreaming about being in a relationship

2nd house ruler in libra spending money on things to make me feel good and look more aesthetically pleasing.

Venus in the 12th house 🤝 finding pleasure in solitude

The year I had an 11th house stellium caused me to be very addicted to doomscrolling so if you have that just make sure you take social media breaks every so often.

11th house ruler in the 12th house caused me to delete social media. Till this day I only really use YouTube, Pinterest, and tumblr ofc

I swear the year I had Saturn in the 12th house made me have the worst escapism tendencies. I hated this year and I also struggled with having multiple existential crisis all throughout that year. Let’s just say I became very apathetic towards everything and felt extremely unmotivated to get anything done or pursue my goals

[admirationandromantics]

Stolen Gazes

Okay, so kind of collected a few requests in one (they're all displayed below!), and made this piece. I don't really think you need a summary, especially if you read the requests. Anyways, again, sorry but I write less now than before. I don't feel as motivated, so I either need time or will only be taking requests I get inspiration from. Aka, daily updates might not be happening in the earliest future.

A the same time, I'm writing on the game based story with Chris (check out the one with Josh if you're interested, it's on my masterlist), and just started writing chapter 3 since it'll be way longer than the Josh story. Enjoy this story though, loads of smut and Chris.

Word count: 2,3k (Unedited)

Chris's eye color is- *so* fucking intimidating to me.. im a very heavy eye contact person and i feel like him looking down at me with his eyes would send me into a puddle on the floor. And when he picks up on it he totally uses it to his advantage !? making you look at him when you two fuck because he knows you get so nervous because of it?/&;9 Him flirting with you by simply staring at you while you speak, simple head nods and "mhm's" until youre slowly speaking and getting nervous and quiet while he's got a growing smirk on his face OH MY GOD -anon I want to stare into Chris's eyes while we jerk eachother off omg? making him breathe hard and stutter while his eyes flutter and his fingers tremble while he fingers you because you're stroking him *just* right -anon

“Okay, so you basically press X to jump and O to crouch, try it” I explain, giving him the controller. Chris takes it, hands brushing against each other as he does. I try to hide my blush, struggling from the room already being too hot. Or maybe that’s just me?

“Still don’t understand why we couldn’t just take the tutorial course” he sighs, trying the buttons and getting used to the movements. 

“Because we’re two very capable adults who can figure this out by ourselves” 

“You’re weird” he comments, letting go of the controller and looking at me. He’s waiting for a reaction, and luckily for him, I give in. 

“I’m not weird, it’s just more fun to figure things out on our own” 

He gives a small smile, gazing deep into my eyes, making my stomach turn. He should not be looking at me like that, lord knows what I imagine. 

“And anyways, those courses often have so much unnecessary info, and the first courses are about getting to know the controller and movements…” I drift off, unable to conjure more words. His stare doesn’t shift, and I can’t help but stare back. Deep blue eyes burrowing into me. I wonder what he’s looking for. 

“Well, keep going” 

“I-um” 

His smirk grows, noticing my sudden shyness. I take a breath, blinking away the moment and turning away. This was intense, not in a normal way, but in the way he’s looking at me, analyzing me. I turn back to the screen, grabbing the controller from his lap. 

“Chris, pay attention” 

“I am” 

I continue to fumble with the buttons, figuring out several more things about the game. I managed to easily get through the first course. Now was the second, and I give him the controller, meeting his gaze once again. 

“Your turn” I state, shaking the device in the air in front of him. He takes it, smiling once again. There’s something behind that smile, something sly or dark. I don’t know, but it feels different than usual. He leans to my side, shoving the controller in front of me. 

“Explain what you found out again” 

“You never struggle to figure these things out, and you said you paid attention, just try” I brush him off, looking strictly at the screen. I know if I turn, I’ll not be able to adjust back. It’s like he’s trapping me. 

“Please” he asks, voice low and hopeful. If he just asked me that in a different context I’d be in a puddle on the floor right now. I have to cave, I just have to. Especially before my mind wanders and I’m sitting like a mess beside him. 

“Fine, okay” I take the controller from him again, going over each button as I speak. 

“So, basic movements are these, as well as these. If you want to attack you click here, and the meter will gradually charge until you can use a super attack.” He hums in reply, being a good listener. I therefore continue my explanation. 

“This is for using the shield, this is for the camera angle and this is magic. But, as I figured out, you can’t use it before-” I make the mistake of looking up at him, but he’s not looking at my explaining fingers. Instead, he’s watching me, my face, my eyes. I stop, again unable to speak as his gaze captures me. I try to snap out, looking away and trying to speak again. My voice fails me, and I see his lips lifting up in that sinister smirk, as if he’s finally figured out something. 

“C-Chris, is something on your mind or can you pay attention?” 

He bites his lip, mouth slightly opens as he takes deeper breaths. His chest rises and falls in a larger manner, and I can’t help but look at him. 

“I’m paying attention to you” 

“No, you’re n-”

My comment is stopped by his lips against mine, caressing them softly. I sigh into him, his hand making its way to the back of my head, tangling his fingers in my hair and pulling me closer. I open my mouth, devouring him further, pressing my body against him. The room is getting hotter by the second, filling with the sound of our collected sighs as we explore each other. 

I move over him, straddling him on the bed. His hands move to my thighs, pressing me down further until I feel him poking against me. He suddenly pinches me, making a loud moan erupt. I don’t mean to, the sensation in itself being painful. He smiles against my lips, rubbing the spot with his palm to ease the pain. I already know I’m going to be blue and red tomorrow. If there’s one thing this man loves to do, it’s not playing fair. 

My head buries itself in his neck, tugging and licking his skin, leaving soft kisses all over. He whimpers in reply, head thrown back and hands exploring the hem of my clothing. I grind down on him, earning loud groans from his mouth. I pull his head up and kiss him, feeling the vibration of his sounds as they go down my throat. 

He takes a firm hold of my shirt, dragging it over my head and letting my hair fall messily down again. I’m about to pull it away when he does it for me. Big hands pulling every strand away from my face as we both laugh a little. As I get a better view of him, he stops, eyes again mesmerising and looking deep into mine. He could drown me in the ocean in his eyes and I would just be pleased that they were his colours. 

“Chris, stop looking at me like that” I whisper, my hands making their way under his shirt, caressing his stomach. 

“Why?” he asks, a playful smirk on his lips. Oh, I hate how cocky he is. 

“Because I don’t know what it means” 

“I think you do” 

He pulls his shirt off, letting me get a view of his naked upper body. I take him in, my fingers tracing the curvature of his muscles, leading up to his neck again. 

“That request goes both ways, Missy” he smirks, hands tracing the hem of my bra as he licks his tongue. 

“Shut up” 

“It’s usually I who tell you that” I smile at his response, capturing his lips on mine again. He fiddles with the buttons on my pants, eventually getting them up. His hand immediately dives under my panties, and I gasp at the sudden sensation. 

“I knew I got you to feel like this” he smirks, attacking my neck. I moan into him, body instinctively starting to grind against his fingers. I’m dripping all over him, craving some type of stimulation and attention before it gets too much. His fingers trace over my folds in a teasing manner, and I whine into his touch. 

“Chris, I swear to God” 

“No need for that” 

Two of his fingers go knuckle deep in me, and I moan loudly, unable to control my sounds. He pushes my body away from him, looking up into my eyes. My cheek flush even hotter than before, and I start moving my body on his fingers. 

“I want to watch how I make you feel” 

“Chris” I pant, nails digging into his shoulders, begging him to get me off. He smiles, a faint rose blush appearing. His lids hang low over his eyes, mouth slightly agape and breathing heavily. They’re lustful, hungry, starving. 

He continues his assault, thumb moving up to caress my clit. He rubs soft circles, not putting too much pressure. I move my hips in the same rhythm, needy and craving. My core starts building up, and the edge is nearing. I’ve completely lost control of my vocals, only able to hold a little back as I near my finish. I want him so incredibly bad. I look down, flushed and embarrassed as I keep jerking off on his fingers. His hand goes to my chin, lifting my face to meet his. 

“I told you, I want to see you” 

“I’m gonna” 

“Good, you’re doing so well for me” 

I let go, the tension in my body releases as I come all over his hands. I pant heavily, trying to steady my breathing and the burning desire in my chest. My high doesn’t last long, as he drags my pants and panties completely off, followed by his own. I take in the vision. He’s big, and thick. God, how I want him. 

I put myself on his lap again, grabbing hold of the base of his dick, slowly pumping up and down. He groans loudly, head falling back in pleasure and hands gripping my thighs so tight it almost hurts. 

“At this pace-” he starts, but a moan interrupts him. My other hand goes to grab his face, lifting it up to make him look at me. Now it’s my turn to look at him, to see him. 

“I want to witness how I make you feel” 

“Yes ma’am” he obliges, heavily breathing and face flushed as his chest gets warmer. I spread his legs, continuing pumping as I go down and take my place in between them. I look up to find him staring at me pleadingly, eyes practically begging me to take him. 

I let go, and he whines from the lack of my touch. The action alone gets me all worked up again, and I can’t help the smirk on my lips. I unclasp my bra, letting the fabric fall to the floor. He stares in awe, finally admiring something other than my face. I lean over, using my hands and letting my breasts surround his dick, squeezing them together and moving. I hold eye contact as he whimpers, occasionally trying to mumble something out. 

“Jesus C-Christ, y-you’re so f-fucking hot, please k-keep doing t-that” 

I laugh a little at his state, completely in daze as he watches me move around him. I lean further down, my lips against his tip, taking in the precum before running my tongue all over him. 

“Shit” 

I smile before going down. I fully take him as long as I can, feeling him hit the back of my throat, making me gag. I push upwards, then go down again, finding a good rhythm and sticking to it. One hand goes to his base, giving attention to the parts I can’t reach, while the other goes to his balls, massaging and caressing. His moans are loud and needy, melodies filling up the room. I look up to find his eyes fluttering, glossy and craving. He’s close, so close. 

Suddenly, he pulls me off him, lifting me up and throwing me on the bed. I yelp, the surprise taking a little to digest. 

“Chris, wha-”

“I’m gonna be inside you tonight, and I’m gonna make you feel so good. You got that?” He states, voice still stuttering a bit, but also a serious tone. 

“Yes” 

He lines himself up, glazing himself in my juices before pushing into me. I moan, and he struggles to contain himself, wanting to go all in at once. His face leans down, capturing my lips in his and swallowing my moans. My arms go around his back, nails scratching his skin. The kisses are sloppy and hot, mouths moving in sync perfectly. I’ve wanted him for so long, and just a little sign was all it took for him to get me here. 

“Are you okay?” he asks, pulling away and looking at me worriedly. 

“I’m fantastic” 

He pushes all of himself in, widening my walls and connecting our bodies. 

“Fucking hell, you fit me so well” he comments, starting to move slightly. His hands fondle with my breasts, body moving up and down on the bed from how hard he’s railing me. I grip the sheets, needing to contain some of my pleasurable outbursts as he digs deeper with each thrust, almost hurting from the depth. He groans, eyes looking over my body, making sure I’m okay. I pull him into a kiss, securing and assuring him. 

“Been wanting to do this since forever” 

“You have no idea how long I’ve imagined this” I answer, and he smirks. His lips go down to my neck, nibbling and kissing. 

“Really? Tell me all about it” 

I think back to just an hour ago, when I came. How his big veiny fingers clicked and rubbed the controller, how I wished it was me. Every time he eats, drinks, even talks. I imagine his mouth on me, kissing, sucking, teasing. 

“About you fucking me mindless…” 

“Oh, trust me, I’m gonna” 

“How your hands move, how rough you can be…” 

He groans in reply, going faster as I continue, his edge nearing. His thumb goes down to my clit, rubbing and stimulating. I can’t muster up any more words as he continues his attack, taking me everywhere. 

“Shit, I’m gonna” he cries, giving a few more thrusts. I whimper, the stimulation overbearing, making me come all over him again, my walls clenching around his dick. He pulls out, spilling himself all over my stomach. 

He lays down beside me, both of us sweaty and panting like we just ran a marathon. I look over to find him caressing my arm, fingers going up and down softly on my skin. I smile, a small laugh leaving my lips. He looks up, meeting my gaze yet again. 

“What?”

“I never thought this would happen” I admit, shaking my head in disbelief. He laughs with me, standing up and stretching. 

“Honestly, I didn’t either” 

He goes to the bathroom, coming back with a wet towel and a glass of water. I take both of them, cleaning myself up and drinking while he kisses my shoulder. An idea pops into my head. 

“You know, we could just get cleaned up in the shower right now” 

“Lead the way”

[soft--dogs]

Any site or tutorial you recommend for starting making plushies? Please and thanks

Sure, I can try and give some advice! Fair warning I barely know what I’m doing xD If you’re just starting out and haven’t sewn anything before, then you’ll want to find a simple pattern to start out with, that has a step-by-step guide of what to do. Etsy is an okay place to start, there are a lot of artists who sell patterns with guides on there. I recommend 10x2 studio, she did the deer doll pattern that I did a few weeks ago! That particular pattern might be challenging if it’s your very first one, but she has simpler patterns too. I found the guide very easy to follow, as a beginner myself. You might be able to find free patterns out there too, but in my search I was having trouble finding free patterns with step-by-step guides. As for basic sewing techniques, honestly I’ve just been learning from Youtube for the most part. There’s a ton of tutorials for how to do everything, so I’ve just been looking up how to do certain stitches/knots/techniques as they come up in my projects. There’s a lot to learn so it can feel really overwhelming at first, but starting simple and learning things one at a time, eventually it’ll all start to make sense. Last advice I want to give, make sure you’re using good materials! Even for just learning, for example if you’re using crappy thread that’s constantly breaking you’re going to get really frustrated. Not because you can’t sew, but because your materials suck. It’s frustrating bc sewing supplies (fabric especially) are pretty expensive, but try to avoid any amazon value-pack-type traps. They seem alluring bc of the price, but it’s mostly trash and you’re just going to want the better stuff eventually anyway. I can go further into materials and where to buy them, but I may have rambled on and strayed away from your original question xD Hope this was at least a little helpful!

[everlasting-rainfall]

Could you do something involving Kid and Killer for that one piece crossing au please 👀

Separate or poly, whichever you want to do ~

I think that I have just the thing for them and I’m pretty sure that I might be able to handle the two of them being poly, my apologies though in advance if I don’t do them right

But let’s get into it before I potentially start rambling about something! And I hope that this is good! I tried my best!

!-MINORS DO NOT INTERACT AT ALL-!

!-POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNINGS-!

Violence, Murder, Sentient Video Games, Kid being Kid, Stalking, Writing Similar to Old Creepypasta, Obsessiveness, Noncon, Loss of Hope

!-POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNINGS-!

!-MINORS DO NOT INTERACT AT ALL-!

So honestly I can imagine that you’re the next person to wind up with the One Piece Crossing game and let’s say that like how you got your hands on it was that it appeared in a used games store for dirt cheap and you were hoping to get your hands on at least something like Animal Crossing

You returned home and you got comfy before booting up the game, you did the typical stuff of customizing your character and setting the time and all that but eventually it came time to pick your villagers

You hit the random button so many times as you had picked pirates over marines, you hoped to find something that fit your aesthetic but none of them really stood out to you

Shanks and Benn, Luffy and Zoro, Roger and Rayleigh, Omatsuri and Muchigoro, Bear King and Honey Queen, Doflamingo and Crocodile

None of them seemed to fit your type until you pressed random one last time and wound up with not Kid and Killer but two other characters instead, the two of them seemed like they would be pretty alright and match your aesthetic

Like let’s say that your aesthetic is like soft and cute, these two fit it pretty well however when you go to press confirm that these are the villagers you want

Random gets hit one more time by accident and suddenly you don’t know who you’re heading out with until you arrive at the island and dread fills you when you see who you got. Two punk looking guys who look like they don’t at all match your aesthetic

It’s disappointing but it is too late to go back and change it so you’ll just have to make do with these two as you go through the tutorial and figure out how to do things

As you go through the tutorial, you talk to what’s going to be your fellow islanders and find out that although Kid is rather grumpy and makes fun of you for having trouble with certain parts of the game. Killer is at least chill as he does make comments like “You really can’t get it?” before sighing and slightly assisting to get it out of the way

Eventually when your individual homes are set up and the tutorial has ended, you’re free to start having as much fun as you’d like here on this island

You make progress through the game and start trying to customize the island to fit your aesthetic, you start around your home with a very soft almost Sanrio esque aesthetic that just feels pleasant to look at but as you start stretching it out

That’s when trouble arises as you place down an item just a bit too close to what Kid must deem as his territory causing him to rather aggressively and rudely kick it over telling you to not put that kind of shit near his and Killer’s part of the island

These are just characters in a video game so you decide to wait until Kid isn’t around to place it down again only to be stopped this time by Killer who picks it up and gives it right back to your character with a “Don’t…”

It’s getting irritating as all that you want to do is decorate your island so you reload the game when it’s late at night and when the game indicates that the two men are asleep, you decorate and put the game down for the night when you’re done

The next time that you pick up the game… Guess what’s waiting for you in your mailbox? It’s a letter from Kid and Killer with a gift attached! You open it up only to find that it’s an item labeled as “Ruined Object” and the letter simply states “Don’t try that shit again!”

It took a long time to get this item in the game so you decided to talk to them only to find a new option for conversation in the dialogue box when you spoke to Kid called “I have a suggestion” and when you picked it. He told you to be quick

You were then presented with two options one that suggested you halve the island with them and the other being to insult him but considering how he and Killer ruined your object, you could not see that going well for you so you picked the first one

“Finally you’re talking sense… What do you have in mind?”

This brought up the in game map showing the island, Kid gave his suggestion first of very little of the island for you but you gave yours and drew a line down the middle of the game map. He didn’t sound happy but he told you to keep your shit on your side now

You continued the game after that and it seemed like everything was going well, you decorated your side of the island exactly how you wanted and they decorated their side too to fit their own style

When you would wander your island, you would occasionally see them on your side usually just wandering or needing to talk to you about something like “I found *insert object* and it looked like something you might want” or “Have you seen Kid anywhere? I can’t find him…”

These conversations would typically be short and the items that they gave you usually were your aesthetic but customized to be more in their style causing you to usually store it in your home inventory space or just get rid of it altogether

Eventually though you opened the game map one day to see that Kid and Killer had moved in with each other as there was one less house on the map, you went to see what was up thinking maybe one of their houses burnt down but when your character knocked and went in

You almost immediately turned around and left with a face bright red in real life the two of them were currently engaged in some very passionate activities with each other in their home, it was safe enough to say that you had your answer as to what was going on to make them move in together

They entered a relationship with one another and the game made it so that they moved in with each other as a result of it

You really weren’t expecting that sort of graphic scene to be in a game like this but then again, it wasn’t exactly straight up animal crossing so you just tried to forget it until you got a letter telling you to take a picture next time as it’ll last longer…

The game continued on after that with you hopping on for at least an hour everyday to do stuff, a few more villagers even moved in as well. Heat, Wire, and a few other people as well who all choose to live on Kid and Killer’s side of the island

It didn’t bother you though considering they much more fit in with their aesthetic anyways

There were a few days where you didn’t play as you were busy and whenever you returned, the two of them almost seemed slightly curious like “Where were you yesterday?” and “Don’t sleep so much… I’m not gonna wake you up if you do…”

But it was one day however when you and a friend of yours decided to try something as they had a copy of animal crossing and wanted to see if they could visit your island

So you did and your friend’s character was soon running around your island with you, the two of you were having quite a bit of fun as you both played around in every way that you both could think of but that fun started to come to an end when one of your villagers wandered onto your side of the island

It was just Killer at first who came up to you and asked who that guy was when you choose the dialogue option of him being your friend, Killer’s model visibly looked your friend up and down before turning back towards you and telling you to straight up ditch them before ending the conversation

After that, you continued to hang out with your friend but oddly enough you kept running into your villagers. It wasn’t just Kid and Killer who you kept running into either as you even encountered a few of the other villagers

All of whom told you that Kid and Killer were looking for you like “Killer wants to talk to you about something” or “Kid has something for you” but you always just ignored them thinking you could see them later

Eventually though, Kid came out of nowhere and entered a conversation with you while you were in the middle of something. You tried to speed through his dialogue by mashing the button but by the end of the conversation, he looked visibly pissed

Once that was done, you couldn’t get rid of him as he followed you and your friend everywhere like were you and your friend just trying to fish together to catch something? There’s Kid standing right in between the two of you

Honestly he almost seemed to be trying to get your attention too as he would make jokes about the small fish that your friend would pull up but if you pulled up a small one then he would give a gruff “Nice job”

This only ended when your friend finally left and you both agreed to meet up on his island next time due to the actions of your villagers

And when you did, you had a ton of fun but when you had your character return to your island. Almost immediately they were practically swarmed by Kid and Killer who demanded to know where you had been

Then after you selected the dialogue option to tell them, they looked visibly angry like “Didn’t we tell you to ditch that guy? They’re not good for you…” among other things

Eventually you got tired of it and decided to shut the game off while they were speaking as it wasn’t like you were going to lose any progress and besides you needed a break from that shit…

Especially when you hopped on the next day only to find your house that you had worked so hard on looking absolutely trashed

So you took a break for a good long while and played on your other consoles whenever you got the urge to play something, you even spent time with your friend in real life and the two of you got closer. You didn’t start dating but it could be assumed that you were

When your friend told you that they had something to give you on the game, you booted up your console at the same time that they did only for something that made you scream bloody murder to happen

Almost as if you had suddenly stepped into a horror movie, a large metal hand shot out of the screen and grabbed you in its grasp, your friend tried to pull you out of its grasp as you were pulled in but wound up getting sucked in too

Once you both had crash landed, you saw that you were being held by Kid as he wrapped one arm around you that kept you pressed tightly into him no matter how much you struggled

Your friend was lying on the floor looking dazed and confused, they barely even got a chance to register anything before they were suddenly cut down by Killer and as their blood was splattered across the floor, you found yourself as the center of their attention

“What do you think you were doing cutting us off like that when we were trying to talk to you?”

“We told you to ditch that guy and you brought them over… You mind as well have fucked them right in front of us with how close you two were!”

You of course tried to fight against the two of them with tears in your eyes as they both dragged you home, your island had been completely changed as well by them and the others. It was practically unrecognizable

Your home was no better as it had changed for the worse, the entire thing was completely in their style compared to yours as they dragged you upstairs. They threw you onto what used to be your bed and suddenly you were seeing notifications pop up in front of you

All things saying that while you’ve been asleep, Kid and Killer took over the island as its new leaders and completely got rid of the fact that you halved the island with them. They renamed the island as well and not only that but apparently entered a relationship with you as well

With eyes wide, you read all of them and didn’t quite know what to think but you didn’t have much time to think as you were slammed back onto the bed quite roughly to the point where you were sure you would have a nasty bruise

”If you want to cheat in front of us with someone like that then we’ll just have to remind you of who exactly you belong to…”

And it was after that when your outfit was completely ripped away from your body as they held you down and used your body like it was a sex doll as they made you move into so many positions and made you do so many things

By the very end of it… You were so relieved that it was over as you were covered in sweat, tears, bruises, bites, and a lot of cum…

“Better not try anything like that ever again…”

There was no escape from this game and you were stuck here forever with the two of them, they forced you to dress in a style exactly the same as them and treated you like a toy

They would tell you that they loved you dearly so there was no reason to act like you were trapped in some kind of horrible situation, you just needed to be reminded of who you belonged to is all and they were sure that you would be good now

Over time, they did start to become more kind with you even if just a little bit as Kid did start actually allowing you to leave the house without one of them. It wasn’t like you could go anywhere but they did tell you that these things could be revoked if you acted up

Eventually once you were good enough, Killer even allowed you to have something from your aesthetic and despite the slight bit of comfort that you felt when you held it

You knew that it could be easily taken away from you at a moments notice especially if they ever saw you trying to find a way out of the video game and back to the real world

Really truly… You just needed to accept that you would be here forever… There was no way out with them…

They had taken over your island, they had forcefully started a relationship with you, and they had shown what they were willing to do if you ever misbehaved too much

Plus what would you tell the police about what happened if you ever made it back? Your friend had been pulled into a video game with you and murdered by the characters? Like they would ever believe you

So… You were going to stay here forever and simply hope that maybe one day just one day, you would potentially free

Although you knew you never would be

[delilahespinosa]

 My very first video on YouTube was all about why I wanted to start a channel in the first place, and I’m going to go over them in this blog post.  (In case you prefer to watch a video version of this blog post, it's posted up above.)

Now, I tried to look this up for other YouTubers to see why they got started too. Did they do it because they were dared to, or because they had a strong desire to do it? Did they know what they wanted to do, or did they have no clue what they wanted to do? And were they any good? Was it bad? I have no idea, because the thing is, no matter how hard I tried to find it, I didn't find a single video that told me why everybody else got started. All I ever found was, "Why YOU should start a YouTube channel in [insert  year here]." If you do manage to find one though, leave a comment below so I can find that video and watch it myself. Either way, I made a video going over the 7 reasons why I started my channel and even showed an outfit of the day speed paint I painted about a year and a half ago before filming my first video. Alright, let's DO this! 

1. Share art and life tips and experiences

Now I first see this channel as mainly an art channel but I want to sprinkle in some life tips as well. So it'll mostly be about tutorials, especially for digital art, as well as showing you how I draw or some unboxing videos, etc. I also want to include things like diy gifs you can make for anyone, self-care tips, or even some simple financial tips (because artists deal with finances, just like everyone else).

2. Hardly any channels with Latinx artists exists

Now this is self-explanatory, but I've only come across a handful of art-related Latinx channels. I tried searching for a while and really there was enough to count maybe on both hands but that's about it. And if there are more, they didn't mention that they were Latinx anywhere in their profiles or in their videos. If you know of any, please leave a comment below so I can find those channels. This is important to me because I'm Latinx myself. I'm Afro-Latina, specifically Dominican, and I have not found an art channel with a Dominican artist on YouTube. So, if there aren't any, I'm glad to be the first one. 

3. Showcase my personality to future employers

Who hates interviews? Anybody? I'm raising both of my hands, because I'm just not very good at them. I’ve gotten better, but I could use some work. Interviews are especially difficult for someone like me who is an introvert. The main reason for interviews is to showcase your personality anyway, right? So, they can see what you're like and make sure that you’ll work well with their employees. I figured any job that I applied to could see this channel and get a sense of what I'm like before they meet me, because let's face it, it's hard to get to that interview step nowadays. You're pretty much just filling out applications all the time and then getting ghosted in return. At least with my channel existing, I can be more than just a resume or a portfolio; It can help me stand out from all the other applicants. 

4. To get more exposure for my art

This kind of relates to the last reason I said, in terms of showcasing myself and everything, but I want to put my art out there as much as I can. Social media has made it a lot easier for me to share my art, especially since back in the day you only really had DeviantArt to do that (anyone remember those days?). YouTube will help me to stand out for the sake of my art. With Instagram for example, any video that you post is usually no more than a minute long (or at least that was the case when I made my first YouTube video) unless you do IG TV (which doesn’t even exist anymore). I want to be able to show a little more of the process of how I make my art and not just the finished product. With YouTube, I can show you a longer format video. 

5. To understand more aspects of the entertainment industry

The fifth reason why I started this channel is to understand more aspects of the entertainment industry. Now I didn't mention this before, but my goal is to break into the animation industry as a character designer. * My animation skill is mostly in the design aspect and not so much in any other one. Making YouTube videos gives me a chance to learn about the other aspects, such as filming or editing, lighting, etc. Gaining more knowledge and skills in other parts of it can make me a stronger designer too. 

6. Monetization / Side Hustle

The sixth reason for starting this channel is for monetization / as a side hustle. Okay, now I'd be lying if I said that this wasn't a factor. The way things are now, especially since the pandemic, there's really no such thing as job security anymore. You could lose your job for any reason nowadays. Having something like a YouTube channel could be another income revenue stream i.e. another way for me to make some money, so I'm not screwed over if I were to lose my main source of income. I do want to put out this disclaimer though: I'm not really looking to become an influencer.  I know it's weird; most people who are on YouTube have an ultimate goal to be an influencer, but that's not really where I'm trying to go. I'm not interested in things like "getting rich quick" or "short cuts" or "free stuff." Although, if you or someone you know wants to give me free stuff, I'm not turning it down, but still. That's not what I'm trying to do with this channel. I really just want to have other ways of making money, especially if they're passive.

7. To see if I’d even like running a YouTube channel

And the seventh reason why I started this channel is to see if I'd even like running a YouTube channel. There's really no way of knowing if I would like it or not without actually trying it, so this video is me trying. I might love it or hate it; I may be indifferent; who knows? Time will tell. But it's something I've been wanting to try for years, and I've been putting it off. Let’s see how it goes. 

- - - - - - - - - - 

Have you ever tried running a channel or are you still running one right now? How did it go? Leave a comment below and tell me all about it---The good, the bad, and the ugly. You made it to the end of the list, yay! Those are all the reasons why I started. If you watched the video and enjoyed it, please give it a like and subscribe to my channel. It’s free, I promise!

~😊 Thankya very mucho! 😊~

* Spoiler alert: My career goal shifted a year after posting this Youtube video, for multiple reasons. If you’d like to know why I decided to no longer pursue a career as a character designer, check out my next blog post to find out.

[herbie-cat]

a short tutorial on writing majima-speak

So ya wanna learn how to write Majima-speak, eh? Well, I gotta say, you’ve come to the right place. Or maybe the only place? Dunno how many tutorials’re out there fer this shit. Anyway, sit yer ass down and I’ll give ya the scoop on how to write yer favorite fun guy from Kansai.

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a fluent Japanese speaker. These are all the opinions/observations of an American whose only exposure to the Japanese culture and language has been through anime and video games. I have done my best to research all of these observations before just shoving them into this document, but I probably will make mistakes. Any actual Japanese speakers, please correct me. This isn’t supposed to be an educational guide on the nuances of Kansai-ben. This is only a general tutorial on how to portray the Kansai dialect in English writing.

What is Kansai-ben?

Kansai-ben (or Kansai dialect) is a Japanese dialect primarily spoken in the Kansai region of Japan. Pretty straightforward. Our good friend Majima Goro speaks a version of Kansai-ben that I lovingly refer to as Majima-speak. This is because he doesn’t speak true Kansai dialect—it’s a wobbly mix of Kansai and Tokyo (“standard”) that incorporates elements of both. Ugaki Hidenari, Majima’s voice actor, is from Tokyo himself, and doesn’t speak Kansai-ben natively. However, Majima has a lot of quirky Kansai-isms in his speech that make him stand out from other characters.

Therefore, the focus on writing Majima’s dialogue doesn’t have to be accuracy. We aren’t shooting for a 1:1 translation of Kansai to English, because: 1) that doesn’t exist, and 2) he doesn’t speak perfect Kansai anyway. The point is, we’ve got flexibility.

What makes Majima-speak different from regular Japanese?

There are a lot of cultural and historical nuances that I won’t get into, but in modern Japan, the Kansai dialect is perceived as more comedic or casual than standard Japanese. This is reflected in Sega’s localization of Majima’s voice lines: his are rougher, more crass, and generally funnier than other characters’ lines. If you end up taking nothing else from this guide, at least think rough, crass, and funny when writing Majima. It’s a good place to start.

So how do I write Majima-speak?

There are three tips that I keep in mind while I’m writing dialogue for Majima:

Make sure his lines show more emotion than other characters’ lines.

Use shortcuts wherever possible.

Don’t be afraid to get silly with it.

Let’s elaborate on these tips, shall we?

Make sure Majima’s lines show more emotion than other characters’ lines.

I’d like to use Kiryu as an example here, because he’s by far one of the stiffest-speaking characters in the series. For lack of a better term, Kiryu’s lines are prosaic—they sound more like they were written in a book than spoken by a person. Here’s an excerpt from Kiryu and Majima’s first scene together in Yakuza 2, edited for brevity. Pretend you don’t know what this scene looks like and focus on just the text.

Kiryu: It’s Kiryu. Anybody home? I know you’re here…Show yourself. Majima: It’s been too long…Kiryu-chan! You got any idea how lonely I’ve been since ya got outta the game last year? Oh, but I knew my Kiryu-chan would come home sooner or later! Kiryu: It’s been awhile, Majima-no-niisan. Majima: So, what brings ya here? Kiryu: The Tojo Clan…needs you. Majima: For fuck’s sake…What’s this BS now?! You’re a shitty comedian, Kiryu-chan. Kiryu: I’m serious. The Tojo Clan has never needed you more than now. Please.  Majima: No fuckin’ way. Kiryu: Please. Majima: You’re killin’ me, Kiryu-chan! I can’t stand seein’ ya like this! Kiryu: Please, Majima-no-niisan…the Tojo Clan is as good as dead without the Majima Family. Please!

Notice how Majima’s lines are much longer than Kiryu’s and noticeably sound like an actual person said them because they’re more casual. Kiryu basically repeats “please” three times, but each time Majima’s response is different. You’re able to tell that Majima’s incredulous, then annoyed, then upset at Kiryu’s request by the way he adds extra dialogue every time he says “no.” By contrast, you’re not really able to tell how desperate Kiryu is until he starts begging. The main disadvantage with writing is that you’re not able to convey images as clearly through text, so it requires more work to make a character’s emotions show through their dialogue. Majima’s lines are all about emotion, whether it’s real or exaggerated, so make sure the reader is able to tell how he’s feeling without seeing his face.

Use shortcuts whenever possible.

While conveying a character’s emotions through their speech often requires writing longer lines, this does not mean you should waste space or over-explain. The way you can balance this need for emotion with the need for casual dialogue is by using slang and condensing phrases.

English-speakers do this all the time in common conversation. We use contractions (I am = I’m), smash together words (What are you doing? = What’cha doin’?”), and add slang/idioms (“The hour grows late; I shall soon retire” = “It’s getting late, I’m gonna hit the hay”). The key to writing Majima-speak is to use every shortcut possible and then some.

If it’s hard to come up with dialogue on the spot, try thinking about how a guy like Kiryu would say a particular line. Let’s use the example of: “You always were the one guy I couldn’t read.” Then, think about what shortcuts you could potentially make to this sentence. It’s not much, but this sentence could be cut down to: “Y’always were the one guy I couldn’t read.” Doesn’t that already sound more like Majima said it?

Then, add some more emotion to this sentence: “Y’always were the one fucker I could never getta read on.” It sounds affectionate or aggressive, depending on how you spin it. And there you go! We just Majima-modified (Majimodified?) a Kiryu line. With the power of slang and shortcuts, you too can turn regular dialogue into Majima classics.

Don’t be afraid to get silly with it.

Majima’s a silly guy, so of course he’s gonna have his silly moments. The RGG localization team knows this and takes creative liberties to give Majima’s dialogue more life. My favorite example of silliness in translating Majima’s lines to English is this specific line from Yakuza 2:

Majima says: “Doya, Kiryu-chan? Kakko ee yaro?” Which literally translates to something like: “How’s that, Kiryu-chan? I look cool, right?” This line is dripping with Kansai-ben.

But the localization team chose to translate it as “Whaddya think, Kiryu-chan? Ain’t I red-hot?” Which I love. It conveys so much more about Majima’s character in the same amount of words and even adds some more context from the scene itself. They make a pun on “red-hot,” and while “cool” would’ve worked too, this would have made less sense. The point is, don’t be afraid to get wild with it. If it sounds cooler, is probably is. 

Finally, here’s a few miscellaneous quirks of Majima-speak and pointers that can help you get that much closer to imitating Majima’s style of speech.

Majima rarely uses “you” pronouns, instead preferring to use nicknames and titles like Kiryu-chan, nee-chan, oyaji, etc. This can be substituted for girlie, kiddo, buddy, idiot, etc. 

Don’t replace all the “you”s and “your"s in a sentence with “ya”s and “yer”s. It gets difficult to read if you abuse them.

Majima loves to swear. But again, don’t use them too liberally or you’ll sound like a 12-year-old who just learned what “fuck” means.

Goromi’s speech is a bit more cutesy than Goro’s, but she flips between masculine and feminine pronouns. For the purposes of writing Goromi that’s not terribly important, but keep in mind that she’ll frequently switch between masculine and feminine speaking patterns.

Don’t try to imitate Southern American English (if you aren't familiar with that dialect). I also wouldn't try it in general, but if it helps, it helps.

Edited to add: it's ultimately up to you to decide when/if Majima drops his accent. Personally I reserve it for when he's so emotionally vulnerable he can't keep it up, or when he's being so serious about something he just won't use it.

As a bonus, here is a brief glossary of Kansai-isms that I’ve noticed Majima using, with some examples of their use in context and some suggested translations. Most of these examples are pulled from Yakuza Kiwami 1 and 2, since that’s when he has the most speaking lines and has fully settled into his Mad Dog persona.

Ahō (idiot) = dumbass, bonehead

“Nishida, ya dumbass!”

Beppin (pretty) = stunner, knockout

“Well ain’t ya a rare dish?”

Honma (really) = damn, for real

“For real?! Who are you and what have you done with Kiryu-chan?”

-han (-san)

“Well, now it’s your turn, Legendary Info Dealer-han.”

Akan (not good/must) = gotta be, better not

“That’s why he’s gotta be strong.”

Uchi* (I) = ol’ Goromi, li’l ol’ me

“Just don’t fall too hard for me, okay?”

Ee (good/cool) = badass

“Ain’t I red-hot?”

Ikude (let’s go) = let’s do this shit

“Let’s do this, Kiryu-chan!”

Suman (sorry) = my bad

“This is my bad, Kiryu-chan.”

Anta (you, polite) = ya

“Y’know, up close…you’re pretty damn hot.”

Haw (not really a Kansai-ism but he does like it a lot)

“Haw?”

Nanyatte (what) = what the fuck

“Say what?”

Chau (wrong) = bullshit

“That ain’t what I’m saying.”

Dondon (also not Kansai-ben but he likes this one too. Basically “loud noise”) = clobber, beat the shit outta ya, crack some skulls

“It’s way better if ya fight it out.”

*Uchi is a stereotypical feminine pronoun used in Kansai-ben. Only Goromi uses this one. She also tends to waffle between watashi/ore pronouns.

[andromeda-sapphire]

💀🌳 Ancestor Tree Samhain DIY Tutorial 🌳💀

I made this ancestor tree for Samhain years ago and realized I don’t think I ever posted a tutorial on how I made it. If you’d like to try making your own, I’d love to see how they come out!!

(I've typed out the steps below this infographic, I realize they are small and hard to read in the image...)

Materials:

Crafting wire (I used 20g copper jewelry wire)

Wire jewelry pliers (long nose, needle nose, and/or looping pliers work well)

Old newspapers or paper bags

Clear glue or Mod Podge

Paint brushes (for the glue/Mod Podge and also for paint)

Acrylic paint in colors of your choice

Printer & printer paper

Photos of your ancestors (digital copies so you can print them to size, NOT originals!!)

Fabric fall leaves (you can usually find these at craft stores in the autumn seasonal decor, but cardstock or paper cutouts work too!)

Step 1: Make the frame

Cut your wire into lengths between 3 and 10”, you will need several depending on how many branches you want. Then cut some newspaper or a paper bag into strips. Apply some glue or Mod Podge to one end of a paper strip, and twist it around the longest wire, wrapping all your wires in paper. Try to make the middle of the wire thicker than the ends. Begin wrapping the paper-covered wires together to form branches and a trunk. Make sure to leave room at the bottom to make roots for it to stand on. Add extra paper-covered wire to fatten up the trunk if necessary.

Step 2: Paint the tree

Once the glue is dry, you can paint your tree using colors of your choice. I used a bark brown and then some gold to add some interest. Paint in layers if you’re using different colors, wait for one layer to dry, and then paint another layer, depending on how you want your tree bark to look.

Step 3: Add ancestors

Print out photos of your ancestors (please do not cut up originals!!) in little square/rectangle shapes and cut them out. Using clear glue or Mod Podge, attach the photos to fabric leaves (I found mine at a discount art store, but I’m sure you can get them at any craft store or online!). Let them dry flat.

Step 4: Attach the leaves

Using more of the craft wire you used for the tree’s frame, poke a little hole in the top of the fabric leaves, but not too close to the edge, you don't want the leaves falling off later. Make a small loop at the end of about a 2” strip of wire using your pliers, and slide the leaf into the loop so it can wiggle a bit in the breeze. Wrap the remaining length of wire around a branch, dangling the leaf about a half inch or less from the branch. Don’t crowd too many in one place, or you won’t be able to see everyone’s faces. Repeat this step with each ancestor you plan to add to your tree.

Feel free to save this image and share! Happy crafting!

[misakarose]

Hi, this gifset for Mikasa is beautiful ❤️

https://www.tumblr.com/misakarose/768241752826118144?source=share

would you please how did you make the colouring with b&w in the first gif and the blending in the third gif?

hi!!! omg thank you so much!! I worked really hard on that set and am really proud of how it came out so receiving this message boosted serious serotonin levels ❤️

oh gosh, I’m really not great at explaining things 😩 but I’ll do my best!!

okay for the first one, to start with, I made the same gif two separate times, one of them cropped in a lot closer cuz I wanted the gif that would be on the bottom to have a sort of zoom effect. I made two groups of frames/layers, one for each gif, to keep them both separate, and positioned one on top of the other. so it looked like just two of the same thing stacked together.

then, since they’re in two separate groups, I could add a black & white layer to the bottom gif without affecting the top gif. (I think I just used the default b&w settings cuz I’d be adding a coloring on top of it) I also added a gaussian blur filter (go to filter > blur > gaussian blur) to the bottom gif so it would be out of focus while the top would remain crisp and clear. to get that border effect between the two gifs, I added a “stroke” effect to the top gif (right click on the group you want to work with and select “blending options” and then go to the “stroke” tab). I set the effect’s blend mode to soft light so that it wouldn’t be a solid line but instead have some translucency. you can mess with all these effects/filters to your heart’s content, but I’ll show you where I ended up with mine.

I slapped a coloring on top of all of it, added a sharpening filter to the top gif, and voilà!!

it’s actually pretty simple stuff, but I was happy I was able to pull it off after just clicking on a bunch of stuff and experimenting lmao but that’s what photoshop is all about!!

blending can be both simple and difficult lmao but there are tons of blending tutorials out there you can find that will be much more eloquent than anything I can try to type up. basically, you position the gif you want on top of the image you want, add a layer mask to the gif, and then you can start using the eraser tool (on the lowest hardness setting to get that soft blend) to smooth it down to how you want it. choose whichever blending mode for the group that you think looks the best for what kind of look you're going for. in that specific one, I used "linear light". add all effects/colorings afterwards. if you’d really like me to deep dive into blending, I can try, but I promise you’ll be better off elsewhere lmao.

thanks again for the ask!! ❤️❤️ I really appreciate you taking the time to send this message~ ^.^

[mysteryshoptls]

Azul Ashengrotto Shared Lines

Tutorial: You mustn't lurk in such a place, it's rude. Shall I show you the way?

Level Up 1 / Buddy Level Up: Well, well... How splendid.

Level Up 2: What do you think of my remarkable progress?

Level Up 3: I'm just getting started. Heh heh heh.

Level Max: Ah, yes, I can feel power surging through my whole body... I do hope we can continue this beneficial business arrangement.

Vignette Level Up: Someone with a soft touch like you would only be taken advantage of in a school such as this, don't you think? If you ever find yourself drawing the short straw, you should consult me. I promise you won't regret it.

Spell Level Up: I would like to be able to effectively use the magic I've cultivated. I hate wasting talent, after all.

Friendship Level Up: Thanks to your efforts, I was able to spend quite the worthwhile time here. …If it pleases you, do not hesitate to invite me back.

Friendship Level Max: I dislike being in debt to anyone. Next time, I shall play host to you. I’ve already scheduled it. I cannot wait to see your surprised look.

Uncapped: More... I want more power. Did you think this would be enough to satisfy someone like me?

Groovification: I feel wonderful today. If there is something you desire, this may be the best time to ask.

Lesson Select 1: Do you find your classes tiresome? It may help to think of it as a game in which you earn points from the professor.

Lesson Select 2: I am perfectly prepared to take any class. Choose what you wish.

Lesson Select 3: Do I have any tips for today's quiz? ...I could tell you, for a price.

Lesson Start: Let's do our best.

Lesson Finish: Have you grasped my competence a little better?

Battle Start: What an unfortunate soul.

Battle Won: Well, well, that was a great success, wasn’t it?

Trouble 1: Of course, it was simply justifiable self-defense. You see that, don’t you?

Trouble 2: That was a waste of my time, I’m still in need of improvement.

GIFT CALENDAR 2023: “How will you be spending the day?” As always, I will be awaiting everyone’s visit to the Mostro Lounge. On a cold day such as this, we usually receive orders for dishes that are more common in the winter season. I’m sure today will be a rather busy day.

Birthday Login Message 1: I’m honored that you remembered my birthday. However, it is unfortunate but I do not accept one-sided gifts… If you absolutely must, then please order today’s special dish from the Mostro Lounge. …I will join you as well.

Birthday Login Message 2: Thank you for your heartfelt birthday greetings. How kind of you to go out of your way to come to our humble dormitory. As my thanks, why don’t I invite you to my party? I’m afraid it’s reservation only, so please, I will need you to sign this document. ……You absolutely have no sense of mistrust, do you? Next time, I shall have to prepare a proper contract.

Birthday Login Message 3: Is there anything I would like for my birthday…? Of course, there is. As many things as would fill an endless ocean. However, there is no need for you to gift me anything. Whatever it is that I may want, I will acquire by my own hand! Nothing is as costly as a free gift, after all. Well, I shall at least accept your kind thoughts. Thank you.

Birthday Login Message 4: Oh, have you come to request something of me? It would be my pleasure! Please, tell me what it is you’d like. No matter how difficult the task, once it is entrusted to me… Eh? You’d like to prepare a birthday card for me? …Heh, I think you’ll find that person a difficult one to please. But very well, may I ask what message you’d like on the card?

Birthday Login Message 5: [Yuu]-san. Have you, by chance, come to celebrate my birthday? Good timing, I had just hit a roadblock with what I was doing, so I welcome the change of pace. You’re curious what this is? Well, it’s a new board game. The other day, I only just barely lost to Idia-san, you see. I absolutely must figure out a winning play before our next bout…! Oh, are you intrigued by this board game as well? Perfect, how does a friendly match sound, as I work through possible strategies?

Requested by Anonymous.