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wonnieaura · 1 year ago

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10 ways to look good on a budget 💸

before we begin. I just wanna thank y’all for 650 followers 🤍🤍 love y’all so much

Shop at thrift stores and yard sales: Thrift stores offer a wide range of clothes, accessories and even furniture at reduced prices. While you may not always find brand-new items, there is typically a good selection of high-quality items at great prices. Many thrift stores also offer regular discounts or sale days, so it pays to check back frequently for new items and deals. Yard sales are another great place to find bargain items. While they're typically seasonal and require more effort in digging through piles of items, yard sales often offer the most affordable prices.

Wear what you have: The majority of our wardrobes are full of items we rarely wear or have only worn once or twice. Instead of buying new, look through your closet and see what you already have that you may not have worn in a while. Consider creating new outfits with the items you already have, mixing and matching to create a new style. This not only saves money, it reduces waste and helps you make the most of what you already have.

Buy timeless staples: Building a wardrobe of high-quality, versatile items can help you look good on a budget. Look for classic, simple pieces like a white t-shirt, a well-cut pair of jeans, or a classic black dress. Investing in quality items that will last will save you money in the long run, as you'll be wearing them for years to come.

Take care of your clothes: How you treat your clothes can determine how long they last. Always follow the care instructions on the label, and don't be afraid to hand-wash items if necessary. You can help reduce any damage by investing in a good de-piller, and avoiding the dryer whenever possible.

Accessorize: Accessories can elevate any outfit, transforming what was once a simple look into a stylish one. Look for pieces you can mix and match, like a neutral handbag or a set of simple gold studs. Accessories are a great way to add interest to an outfit without breaking the bank.

Shop sales and clearance racks: The end of season sales can be a great way to find bargain items. Look for items that are on sale or marked down, especially at the end of a season when stores are trying to make room for new merchandise. Look in the bargain bins as well. You never know what gem you may find hiding in plain sight.

Join loyalty programs or use coupons: Loyalty programs are a great way to get discounts and earn rewards for your purchases. Look for loyalty programs in your favorite stores, and take advantage of any special offers. Many stores also offer mobile apps with digital coupons, which can save you money on specific items.

Shop for beauty products in drugstores: Drugstores often carry popular beauty brands at more affordable prices compared to department stores or high-end makeup counters. Look for affordable skincare and hair products that cater to your specific needs, and don't be afraid to ask for recommendations from the staff.

Be confident: The most important thing is to always have confidence in yourself. Standing tall, taking care of your appearance, and being proud of who you are can enhance your beauty and make you look your best, even if you're wearing budget-friendly clothes. Take pride in who you are, and don't let others' expectations bring you down.

Have fun with fashion: Fashion should be fun, not stress-inducing. Mix and match your clothes to create your own unique style, and don't be afraid to experiment with new outfits. Experimenting with different styles can help you find what works best for you, and make fashion more enjoyable as well.

Remember, looking good on a budget can be challenging, but it's all about being creative and making the most of what you already have. With these tips and a positive attitude, you'll be sure to look your best without breaking the bank.

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mostlysignssomeportents · 4 years ago

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Taxes are for the little people

If you wanna do crimes, make them incredibly complicated and technical. Like the hustlers that came into the bookstore I worked at and spun these long-ass stories about why they needed money for a Greyhound ticket home.

Those guys shoulda studied the private equity sector.

Private equity's playbook is to borrow giant sums by putting up other peoples' companies as collateral (yes, really). Then they use that money to buy the company they mortgaged, and pay themselves a huge dividend.

Then they sell off the company's assets and pay themselves even more money. That leaves the company in a state of precarity - assets they once owned, like their buildings, they now rent. If the rent goes up, they have to find the money to cover it.

All of this forms a pretense for mass layoffs, defaulting on pension obligations, lowering product quality, stiffing suppliers and borrowing more money. If the company doesn't go bust, the PE looters can flip it to *another* PE company, that does it again.

Whenever you see something really terrible happening to a business that once offered useful products and services and paid decent wages, it's a safe bet that PE is behind it. Toys R Us, Sears, your local hospital - and that memestock favorite, AMC.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/04/12/mammon-worshippers/#silver-lake-partners

Private equity goons make their money in two ways: the first is by pocketing 20% of these special dividends and other extractive policies that hollow out business.

This is money at PE managers get paid for spending their investors' money. It's a wage, in other words.

But thanks to the "carried interest" loophole (a hangover from 16th-century sea captains that has nothing to do with "interest" on loans), they get to treat these wages as "capital gains" and pay far less tax on them.

The fact that we give preferential tax treatment to capital gains (money derived from gambling), while taxing wages (money derived from doing useful work) at higher rates really tells you everything you need to know about our economic priorities.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/29/writers-must-be-paid/#carried-interest

The carried interest loophole lets PE crooks treat their salaries as capital gains, are taxed at a much lower rate than the wages of the workers whose lives they're destroying.

On top of the 20% profit-share that PE bosses get every year, they also pocket a 2% "management fee" for all the "value" they add to the companies they've taken over.

This is *definitely* a wage. The 20% profit-share at least has an element of risk, but that 2% is guaranteed.

But PE bosses have spent more than a decade booking that 2% wage as a capital gain, using a tax-fraud tactic called "fee waivers." The details of how a fee waiver don't matter because it's all bullshit, like the tale of the needful Greyhound ticket.

All that matters is that a legal fiction allows people earning *eight- or nine-figure salaries* to treat *all* of those wages as capital gains and pay lower rates of tax on them than the janitors who clean their toilets or the workers whose jobs they will annihilate.

Now, the IRS knows all about this. Whistleblowers came forward in 2011 to warn them about it. The Treasury even struck a committee to come up with new rules to fix it.

But Obama failed to make those rules stick, and then Trump put a former tax-cheat enabler in charge of redrafting them. The cheater-friendly rules became law on Jan 5, and handed PE bosses hundreds of millions in savings every year.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/12/business/private-equity-taxes.html

The New York Times report on "fee waivers" goes through the rulemaking history, the technical details of the scam, and the gutting of the IRS, which can no longer afford to audit rich people and now makes its quotas by preferentially auditing low earners who can't afford lawyers.

But former securities lawyer Jerri-Lynn Scofield's breakdown of the Times piece on Naked Capitalism really connects the dots:

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2021/06/private-inequity-nyt-examines-how-the-private-equity-industry-avoids-taxes.html

As Scofield and Yves Smith point out, if Biden wanted to do one thing for tax justice, he could abolish preferential treatment for capital gains. If we want a society of makers and doers instead of owners and gamblers, we shouldn't penalize wages and reward rents.

There's an especial urgency to this right now. As the PE bosses themselves admit, they went on a buying spree during the pandemic (they call it "saving American businesses"). Larger and larger swathes of the productive economy are going into the PE meat-grinder.

Worse still, the PE industry has revived its most destructive tactic, the "club deal," whereby PE firms collaborate to take out whole economic sectors in one go:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/14/billionaire-class-solidarity/#club-deals

We're at an historic crossroads for tax justice. On the one hand, you have the blockbuster Propublica report on leaked IRS files that revealed that the net tax rate paid by America's billionaires is close to zero.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/08/leona-helmsley-was-a-pioneer/#eat-the-rich

This has left the Bootlicker-Industrial Complex in the bizarre position of arguing that anyone who suggests someone who amasses billions of dollars should pay more than $0 in tax is a radical socialist (so far, the go-to tactic is to make performative noises about privacy).

At the same time, the G7 has agreed to an historical tax deal that will see businesses taxed at least 15% on the revenue they make in each country, irrespective of the accounting fictions they use to claim that the profits are being earned in the middle of the Irish Sea.

That deal is historical, but the fact that it's being hailed as curbing corporate power reveals just how distorted our discourse about corporate taxes has become.

As Thomas Piketty writes, self-employed people pay 20-50% tax in countries that will tax the world's wealthiest companies a mere 15%: "For SMEs as well as for the working and middle classes, it is impossible to create a subsidiary to relocate its profits to a tax haven."

Piketty, like Gabriel Zucman, says that EU nations should charge multinationals a minimum of 25%, and like Zucman, he reminds us that the G7 deal does nothing to help the poorest countries in the Global South.

https://www.lemonde.fr/blog/piketty/2021/06/15/the-g7-legalizes-the-right-to-defraud/

These countries and the EU have something in common: they aren't "monetarily sovereign" (that is, they don't issue their own currencies *and* borrow in the currencies they issue).

Sovereign currency issuers (US, UK, Japan, Canada, Australia, etc) don't need to tax in order to pay for programs - first they spend new money into the economy and then they tax it back out again.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/10/compton-cowboys/#the-deficit-myth

These countries can run out of stuff to buy in their currency, but they can't run out of the currency itself. Monetarily sovereign countries don't tax to fund their operations.

Rather, they tax to fight inflation (if you spend money into the economy every year but don't take some of it out again through taxation, more and more money will chase the same goods and services and prices will go up).

And just as importantly, monetary sovereigns tax to reduce the spending power - and hence the political power - of the wealthy. The fact that PE bosses had billions of tax-free dollars at their disposal let them spend millions to distort tax policy to legalize fee waivers.

Taxing the money - and hence the power - of wage earners at higher rates than gamblers creates politics that value gambling above work, because gamblers get to spend the winnings they retain on political influence, including campaigns to rig the casino in their favor.

This discredits the whole system, shatters social cohesion and makes it hard to even imagine that we can build a better world - or avert the climate-wracked dystopia on the horizon.

But for Eurozone countries (whose monetary supply is controlled by technocrats at the ECB) and countries of the Global South (whom the IMF has forced into massive debts owed in US dollars, which they can only get by selling their national products), tax is even more urgent.

The US could fund its infrastructure needs just by creating money at the central bank.

EU and post-colonial lands can only fund programs with taxes, so for them, billionaires don't just distort their priorities and corrupt their system - they also starve their societies.

But that doesn't mean that monetary sovereigns can tolerate billionaires and their policy distortions. The UK is monetarily sovereign, in the G7, and its finance minister is briefing to have the City of London's banks exempted from the new tax deal.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-08/u-k-pushes-for-city-of-london-exemption-from-global-tax-deal

Now, the City of London is one of the world's great financial crime-scenes, and its banks are responsible for an appreciable portion of the planet-destabilizing frauds of the past 100 years.

During the Great Financial Crisis AIG used its London subsidiary to commit crimes its US branch couldn't get away with. The City of London was the epicenter of the LIBOR fraud, the Greensill collapse - it's the Zelig of finance crime, the heart of every fraud.

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak claims banks are already paying high global tax and can't afford to be part of the G7 tax deal. If that was true, it wouldn't change the fact that these banks are too big to jail and anything that shrinks them is a net benefit.

But it's not true.

As the tax justice campaigner Richard Murphy points out, the risk to banks like Barclays adds up to 0.8% of global turnover: "The big deal is that the 15% global minimum tax rate is much too low. Suinak has yet again spectacularly missed the point."

https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2021/06/09/how-big-is-the-tax-hit-on-banks-from-the-g7-tax-deal-that-sunak-fears-really-going-to-be/

Image: Joshua Doubek (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IRS_Sign.JPG

CC BY-SA: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

#pluralistic

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hazelenergy · 5 years ago

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How I Digitally Paint like a Scenic Artist/Designer

Aka: how I did this and put my degree to good use.

LONG POST WARNING

Step 1: Research.

First off, get to your image search. If you are going to be using Google, you may want to type “-pinterest” in the search to eliminate the countless boards.

I had to figure out clothing that is vaguely late 1800s. I found a multitude of reference images that were fancier clothes- but I wanted to find images of clothing for kindred across all social classes. Photographs from the era and paintings are your friend. They will more accurately showcase what was worn.

After Fashion research comes location research. The 1890s in America is known for the rapid industrialization. Factories were getting bigger and work days were getting longer. But, I wanted the moonlight to be cascading into the place, illuminating the scene. This means I needed to find a structure that had skylights or let sunlight in. And the best images I found? Slaughterhouses. Fitting, huh?

The same rule for fashion still stands- if you can find photographs or paintings from the era- they’re better. There are tons of places still standing today from the 1800s. But today, they look WAY different. Ya know, Abandoned! So just be sure to take this into consideration if you search “abandoned slaughterhouses” or go trespassing like I did.

Lastly, pose research. Finding the poses for a fight scene can be tedious. So, I enlisted some help from a few fight choreographers and stunt men. You can record their fights and play them back at quarter or half speed. You can also get a mirror and flop on the floor a bunch. I did both. This lets you see the action/motion lines you are going to replicate in the drawing. Heres how we initially did fina’s pose:

And sometimes you have to go back and get a clean shot. I ended up using this pose for the axe.

Step 2: Set up and Background!

When you open a new file, set it to the dimensions and resolution you want. I was working at 600. Usually, I’m working at 300-350. You can always reduce resolution. Its hard to prevent fuzzy lines if you increase it later.

I cannot stress the following enough:

You work background to foreground. Big Shapes and areas to little shapes. Work your way forward. What this means is you need to fill in as much space as possible first. Then build your details. I prefer working as follows: Big Solid tones, Soft shadows, Dark Shadows, Highlights, then final blend. Once you finish this, put an overlay on top. This knocks everything back and helps create the illusion of depth. See this at work with the video below or here

Step 3: Figure Drawings + Composition

Utilize that research and images you collected to pose your characters. I create subfolders for each set of figures. Organization is important here. This will help keep you on the right layer and prevent the eternal digital artist struggle of “Fuck that was on the wrong layer!”

Even after you move on to lineart and shading, Keep the sketch layer as a reference. You may need to see what youre original notes/ figures looked like as you do the lineart and shade. Don’t be afraid to move them around and alter the composition rn. You want to be able to make changes. Make notes! Detail light sources!

I’m about to through out some art jargon:

You want to think about asymmetric balance. The easiest way to achieve this in an eye-pleasing manner is to use the Fibonacci spiral. Yeah. This boi:

Place your figures and actions in a similar sequence to the spiral and the viewer’s eye tends to naturally follow it. This is sometimes called the Golden Ratio in the art world.

Doesn’t need to be perfectly on the spiral. You can break it- but its an excellent tool to plan how things move in the piece.

Step 4: Lineart

Once you got things sketched- its time to do the lineart. I’m using clip studio paint’s standard brushes. Nothing fancy. I often switch between the G-pen and the For Effect Liner. Mapping and Turnip are for thicker lines.

Usually I set these pens to a specific thickness depending on where I’m drawing.

My background figures are lined at 0.05 thickness, the midground is .1 to .2, Fina is .3 and the foreground is .4. I set my stabilization high to help keep my lines smooth. Stabilization 100 means there’s a significant delay between where the pen is and the cursor. I like the stabilization to be at 20 for freehanding and at 50 ish for outlining. Dont become completely reliant on the stabilization though. Good and smooth lineart is drawn from the arm not the wrist. Your range of motion is severely limited if you only move your wrist. Practice moving from your elbow and you’ll be surprised how much smoother your lines get.

Once I finish lining the figures, I usually go around it with an outline. This does three things:

1. Solidifies the figure and cleans lineart for paint bucket tool. More on that in the next step.

2. Its a stylistic choice. Helps give it that comic book feel with a heavy outline.

3. Pushes figures forward or back in the composition. Thicker outline helps denote that a figure is farther forward than another. My background figures have no outline to push them away

Step 5: Digitally coloring

For each figure you are going to select outside the lineart.

Create a new layer under the lineart

Invert the selection. Paint bucket. You should now have a solid shape of the figure under the lineart. Do not deselect.

Create a new layer above the one color. Title it solid colors. Paint in thick, solid tones. I like to use the mapping pen and turnip pen to color in my solid tones: skin, clothing, hair, etc.

After that, deselect. Create a multiply layer if you can. If your program does not have a multiplier function, Pick a tone you want to use for shadows and lower the opacity (usually 30-40% I like to use lavenders or blue tones). It will not be as vibrant, but you can edit it in post. Select off of the solid colors layer. I like to start with skin tones. Use the airbrush tool to create soft shadows. You don’t want to create harsh lines on this layer.

Then repeat this process with harsh lines.

Then knock it all back with an overlay. If you dont have the ability to create an overlay, you can again drop a solid color and lower the opacity, but you’ll have to mess with the color balance/ brightness/contrast to let all the hard work come through.

You’re going to repeat this for every single figure. Here’s a few color theory tips though.

Your overlay colors should be darker (not more vibrant) in the foreground and lighter (avoid using pure white) in the background. This helps with the depth of the piece. Things closer tend to be darker (not always true, depends on lighting)

You can choose to use color theory to aid your shadows. Instead of choosing black or grey for shadows, choose a complimentary color. I used a lot of green for this piece, I used red for really dark shadows. Its not that black drains color- its just loses some depth if not used carefully.

Keep your colors consistent. Helps unify the piece. You can strategically break the consistency to draw focus. For example, Fina is the only figure with a true blue overlay. This helps her stand out from the other figures who have reds and greens.

Step 6: Touch Ups and Final Renderings

Now comes the most tedious part. If you’re like me, your computer fans have been whirring for the last few hours trying to render this monster of a file. If you havent already, SAVE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD

These are the last four layers I have for the entire piece. Here, I am trying to create effective and believable lighting. This kind of work I have only been able to achieve in clip studio or photoshop. You can do it with normal layers, but choose your colors CAREFULLY. Stay away from pure white. Carefully utilize your knowledge of light and shadow to create soft highlights. Harsh lines tend to be a stylistic choice for me. The final layer, subtract, dulls out harsh red tones. I used this as a final overlay to help put everyone and everything in the scene. Without it, things are a little too green and skin tones are a little too blushed for vampires.

The challenge here is I want to tone down the red, but not lose the vibrancy of the blood. So, shift it to a blue. This also helped reinforce the “nighttime” effect. Its only a slight change.

Final thoughts:

Whenever you finish something, its important to reflect.

1. I am so FUCKING PROUD OF MYSELF. This is easily one of the most complicated pieces I’ve done in a while- and I’ve made 16′ tall faux stained glass. Brag. Let yourself feel awesome cuz you just made something awesome.

2. I timed myself on the piece. I could have easily spent another 7 hours on it. But its important to know when to stop messing with it. Partially for budget reasons but also when you get down to the details you can make yourself go insane. Theres also a ton of detail work I lost cuz of overlays or its just too small to notice. Fina’s face? hard to see cuz its not close enough.

3. I needed to take frequent breaks for this piece. That was good. Resting and stretching was very important. That is one of the reasons why I was able to work so fast.

4. I started doing more digital art in April 2020. I have to say, practice makes perfect. I practice drawing and digital painting for at least 3 hours a day.

That discipline has allowed me to improve so rapidly. So- I don’t wanna hear shit about I can’t possibly get this good! Or I couldn’t even draw a stick figure! BULLSHIT. You can. Get yourself some free software like Krita or Autodesk sketchbook and start playing!

And thats what I got! Thanks for coming with me on this long post!

#digital art #my art #okay to reblog #how to #long post

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jacscorner · 4 years ago

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Pokemon All-Stars: A Fan Region/Game/Alternate Universe Idea

I like watching and rewatching Original Pokemon Game/Region videos. Like Mr. Buddy's "What if X was a Pokemon Region" and stuff like that. I wanna make-or, I guess, write-my own. Since Regions are kind of a character all their own and I'm a Wannabe Character Artist, I wanted to try and make one my own.

I've got no skills in coding, pixel arts, or anything, so this will forever be just some kind of dumb fanfic that sometimes incorporates Game Mechanics to justify things if it were able, for some Godforsaken reason, 'stolen' for a game. Cause, in 2021, no idea feels too big or too dumb. And, uh, trust me, this'll be a dumb fanfic of an idea. So be aware for the subpar writing talents of some wannabe writer who doesn't know shit.

Small disclaimer though:

>This region is being made with the intention that every extra feature will be available in it. Z-Moves, Regional Variants, Gygantamax, Mega Evolutions, and maybe some things I've forgotten. This probably won't matter cause it's just a dumb fanfic plot bible with mechanics peppered in. Competitive balancing be damn! Pokemon Fans can create their own balance! That's what the Battle Simulator is for! In fact, if this was a real game, then it'd have a Battle Simulator like Showdown built into it.

>This is an open source Fanfic Bible. You can take this idea and run with it if you want. You can omit all my bad ideas even!

>I won't be making my own Fakemon. I don't like a lot of Fakemon that exists out there and, trust me when I say this: I am no better than them. In fact, I'm fucking worse.

>If this WERE a game, it probably WOULD still have to cut some Pokemon. I doubt that kinda, and I won't get into why I think dexit was dumb personally, cause it doesn't really matter. But, like, my fan game/fanfic will have a lot of shit going on in it. So, like, realistically, there would probably need to be a cut, if not for data, than just cause there's a lot of work to do as is. But, like, again, under the context of a fic, this wouldn't be an issue.

>With THAT said, I'd want this game to have a Gen 2 Sprite aesthetic. My fangame, don't care if ya'll don't like that.

>I'm probably gonna copy a LOT of stuff from other Fangames I've played. My shit memory probably won't allow me to remember what I'm biting from what, so be free to call me out whenever. Cause if I stole the mechanic, I probably liked it the game. And if not, well, I'd like the recommendation.

Fuck, this was long already. The rest is under the cut, so, like, if you're already turned off, you can stop reading. I understand. I'm kind of a windbag.

Okay, so how many of you guys have seen this picture on the internet? It's a picture of a ton of Pokemon regions all...basically stitched together, since not only could this never be canon, but this goes beyond the size of even most open world games today. But this was the inspiration for this project. The map probably wouldn't, and probably couldn't, look like this, but it perfectly sums up what I'd want out of this game. Thus, it'll be our placeholder.

Our hometown of Capricorn Town is home to Professor Chestnut, and you, her faithful assistant, are about to set off on a Pokemon adventure of your own! The Professor is encouraging you to see the region of Sidus for yourself and is even willing to give you a Starting Pokemon!

Starting Pokemon

Now, if I'm not making new Pokemon, which Starter will it be? Well, the game will have the data for all the starters and will randomly select a Grass, Fire, and Water Type for you to choose from. Those will be your starters, with the option of also choosing Pikachu, Eevee, and Riolu, the two mascot mons...and Riolu, who is kind of a mascot mon, but a lesser one.

Let's say for this example, your options are Torchic, Piplup, Rowlet, Pikachu, Eevee, and Riolu. And, uh, get used to the words 'random' and 'generator', those are our keywords.

Anyway, once you get your pick, there'll be some kind of tutorial mission the Professor will send you on. This will introduce you to two very important things;

1. One of your Rival.

2. An Evil Team Grunt.

Rivals?!

Now to start getting into why this game might still be pretty big still be big despite the sprites on modern consoles.

Each of your Rivals would be one kid from each region of the 8 Mainline Games from Kanto to Kalos. How this'll be decided is that each pair of kids will be plugging into a generator and will pick between either the boy or girl version.

Ex. Brendan and May both cannot be in the game. Instead, they'll be plugged into this generator. Let's say the generator fell onto May. She'll be one of your Rival. Repeat this process 7 more times until you have 8 Rivals sprinkled throughout the world, each one given a defined personality and better AI to make them harder trainers to fight.

May will have one of the Hoenn Starters, sans Torchic. Regardless of whether or not Protagonist-San picked Torchic, May will either have a Treecko or Mudkip, again, chosen at random per kid. Whichever Starter you picked, your first rival will have a starter that beats yours. So, let's say moving forward, May has a Mudkip and you a Torchic. The other kids will have random starters of the various regions they originally hail from.

Anyway, your rivals will wander the overworld. If they see you, they'll battle you on sight. If they lose, they'll be gone after the next time you turn the game off. They won't battle you again until they respawn, but you can hang out with them. In fact, you can even recruit them to be in your party for a few days and they'll follow you around and just generally be your friend. It'll make every battle a double battle, but they'll battle you again before their timer runs out, so be prepared!

BANG! BANG! ENTER! Team Wild!

The two of you will have to face off against Team Wild! They have a Cowboy theme to them, using a mix of Ground and Steel-Types, with a few Pokemon being added in for good measure like the Ponyta Lines, Cacnea Line, and Remoraid. Cause...it's a gun.

They're an outlaw gang, they're rough and tough (or, at least, a mild threat) and will always throw down when they spot ya. Something I'm just sniping from JelloApocalypse is that they'll appear sporadically and act as Timed Events across the map.

You and your new Rival beat them and send you packing. I'd imagine May and the other Rivals would mostly be friendly, but I'm sure there's one or two that'll just be jerks to you. Regardless of personality, they'll be pretty tough and programmed to skill with you. Your strongest mon you have on hand when you fight them will be the level their entire team.

With your tutorial done, the world is opened up! Your mom gives you your running shoes, some Pokeballs, and your...I don't know, PokeCelular or something, just the regional gadget that does a bunch of stuff. From holding your map to holding your VS Seeker.

The PokeCelular will also give you notifications on where Team Wild are! You can choose to ignore the events, but if you do, then they'll start to appear in the overworld know and will get progressively stronger.

A Balancing Act

This game will be an open world, 8-Bit Sprite Game for you to explore after you leave Capricorn!

So how do we balance that?

Well, we got our Rival out of the way already, so let's move on. Gym Leaders will have a pretty linear progression. However, regardless of which Gym you tackle first, they'll all be at the same level.

It doesn't matter if you decide to go across the map and battle the Bug Gym, he'll stay at Level 10, just like the Normal Gym. Whe you get the second badge, they'll all jump to Level 15. NPC Trainers will follow the same progression; the higher your badge number, the stronger the number of Pokemon they'll be.

Wild Pokemon will also get stronger. The more badges you get, it'll attract stronger wild Pokemon because they'll see you're stronger and will come out more.

The overworld will also have various dungeons in them that'll be Level Locked. Say, you go through a forest and you're just trying to reach the end of a maze. The Trainers and Pokemon will function the same as I've mentioned before. But, you can decide to go deeper into the dungeon. These Pokemon will be level locked, usually something of a high level, because this is a more dangerous part of the dungeon. But, there'll be some goodies down there, like rarer Pokemon and some kind of really rare and good item like a TM or something.

How will you traverse? Well, first of all, HMs? They're semi-back. BUT, instead of having to deal with teaching Cut to a Pokemon, you just need the move Cut and a Pokemon that can use the move and you'll be able to use Cut. A few other Pokemon that are reasonable candidates, but don't get cut, will be allowed to do this too. Like, Gallade can use Cut. It can't learn the move, but just holding the HM will get the job done.

Controversial opinion, but I think I've always liked the idea of HMs. On paper, they give you a reason to explore the world and go back to areas you couldn't before for goodies and make for a good way to get off dungeons until you get the needed item. Even something like Cut can be used to open up new areas for exploration for your squad of mons.

BUT, well, HMs suck. As moves, they suck save for, like, 2...MAYBE and they're only for, like, a handful of areas. You either hand them out as evenly as possible, forcing mons to take moves you don't wanna use, or you just get an HM Slave or two to use 'em all. But like they, they serve their function and all you need is the Pokemon in question and NOT teach them the move. If you need a Move Deleter just so people aren't stuck having to use Rock Smash for three towns, then there's a problem with your RPG. Imagine playing Final Fantasy and you had to give your Fighter the Bronze Axe to get through a forest and still had to fight with it, even though you got a +12 Silver Sword! It's no wonder people hated these things! But I don't think getting rid of them and introducing Rental Pokemon was a good solution either and adds a different, albeit less intrusive problem.

Gym Leaders

So, how do Gym Leaders work?

Much like your rivals, they'll be randomly generated. Let's say, hypothetically, there's a pool of 60 Gym Leaders and Elite Four members. The game will randomly generate 16 to be Gym Leaders. The generator will have some kind of complicated math (at least, too complicated for me) so that you don't have more than 2 gyms of the same type. (Example: Misty and Nessa might be Active Gyms, Siebold can't be selected for a Gym cause the Water Slots are taken).

As a trade off, some Gyms might have special conditions before you can challenge them. Like, if you got stuck with Koga as a Gym Leader, than he'll only let you in if you complete a nearby dungeon and help his daughter out cause he doesn't trust her to make it back on her own. Or, like, Claire's a Gym Leader, but she won't battle you unless you've collected 7 Gym Badges prior at least.

The Gym Leaders, as mentioned before, will get progressively stronger with each badge obtained. After the 8th badge, you can go and climb Victory Road, face the E4 and confront the Champion! You can keep hunting Gym Leaders, but just remember that the E4 will always be 10 Levels above the strongest gym you beat. And they'll just get stronger with every one you beat until all 16 are slain.

Another handful, let's say 8, Gym Leaders/E4 Members will be wondering around as NPC Trainers. The justification is that this big super region is in some Alternate Universe Pokemon Game that has all the Pokemon and other important trainers in it, hence why we can have a game where Roxanne and Lenora are hanging out at a coffee shop. They're not Rivals, more like stronger NPCs you can rematch and wonder the map. They're not here to be the very best like no one ever was.

I mean, I'd like, like, 10-20 instead of 8 extras, but let's not get TOO greedy...yet...

Elite Four

And now, it's time to flip the script. Cause if E4 members can be Gym Leaders, then who are the Elite Four?

Easy. The Rivals.

All the Rival characters will be put in a random generator as well. The four that are chosen. You can have an Elite Four made up of Wally, Marnie, Hau, and Barry and you gotta deal with it.

This is excluding Brendan and May, Blue, and Calem and Serena. Anyone else is fair game.

Champion

So, the Champion. Who would it be in this? There was a funny idea I had, but this is a Pokemon Game. So there would be two versions. We'll call them Pokemon Dawn & Dusk. The difference between these games is the game Champion!

Benga would be the Champion of Pokemon Dusk, the grandson of Alder! His final Team will include Volcarona, Garchomp, and Dragonite, Pokemon he used in Black and White. I'd also include Scrafty, Rampardos, and Golurk, Pokemon used against you in White Treehollow and Black Tower areas.

Meanwhile, the Champion of Pokemon Dusk will be Zinnia, the Lorekeeper! Her team would include the Goodra, Tyrantrum, Altaria, Noivern, and Salamence she used in her original team, with her plucky Whismur sidekick becoming an Exploud and her ace.

You would've met them in the beginning of the game and would've showed off a bit by helping you with Team Wild before. They'll pop in and out throughout the game, at first amused by your tenacity, but not wanting a rookie like you to get hurt. But if you keep bonking Team Wild, they'll be impressed with how strong you are.

The show up to chat again when you beat 8 Gym Leaders, and will pop in if you White Out to give you some advice. White Out three times and they'll feel bad for you and give you an egg. Benga will give you a Larvesta Egg and Zinnia a Bagon Egg.

EXTRAS

So I don't got a lot of ideas for the Post Game, but there is one idea I thought would be cool if, if after you defeat the champion, they give you a call. They'll tell you that there are strong trainers wondering the Overworld and to be careful.

Because dotting the overworld will be Champions passed and proper! Cynthia, Blue, Lance; all of them are rocking Lv 100 Teams and are out for blood. They won't challenge you, but if you talk to them, there will be no backing out of the battle! You come with your A-Game!

sI'm not exactly in love with the idea of Team Wild. Maybe the Evil Team should go full fanservice and just be Team Rainbow Rocket. Or maybe go half-and-half; having past Evil Team members and leaders walk around in cowboy gear and acting as Team Wild executives.

I'd also would love Tournaments. Like, maybe that could be a weekly event in some town, they'll how tournaments and the characters that aren't designated as Gym Leaders and such will attend. Maybe there's a cash prize, maybe you'll win Pokemon Eggs of rare, guaranteed shines, or maybe you'll get some kind of important quest items.

Yeah, I want quests! All sorts of side quests! And can't forget what I'd do with Legendairs;

If you know Bengal's team, you'll know he's got the Lati Twins. I don't like that personally and would prefer Legendaries to be Super Bosses. Like, you gotta do a lot to find them. And when you do, their stats are boosted and they become an Uber Boss! You catch them in a cutscene after you beat them!

There's also just a ton of characters I didn't get around to or really have a place for. Emma, Looker, N, and the Stat Trainers all come to mind. Overall, I'd want them to pepper the world as well, but don't have anything to say except this: Pokemon has made a lot of memorable characters. Both good and bad. And this is probably my dream Pokemon Game; one where you can hang out with your favorites

#Pokemon #Pokemon Dawn and Dusk #Fan Game #Fanfic Bible #Plot Bunny #JAC Notes

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the-shadow-of-atlantis · 5 years ago

Text

Day Off

Summary: what does Annabella do when the team is off on a mission? Takes place during the Bane mission in S1 of YJ

Tagging: @melyaliz @thespacebuns @coffee-randomness @gobydana

A/N Jen belongs to @melyaliz and she actually wrote a story that I sorta based this off on but I'm on mobile and it's gonna take me a while to find it and link it

Read Earlier Parts Here

"The team is awesome." Annabella said as she hung upside down on the edge of her cousin's bed, her legs held straight up and slowly kicking the air.

"That's nice." Jen mumbled as she scribbled a note, her eyes never leaving the book she was studying.

Annabella straightened up and looked at her cousin, a small frown pulling at her lips. “I talked to some bears.”

“Nice.” Came Jens automatic reply.

Annabella huffed and stood up on the bed and hovered over her cousin before plopping down heavily.

“Hey!” Jen protested when the bounce made her notes scatter away. Cleo, Jen's new cat who was sleeping on the corner turned and glared at Annabella. Rude.

“You're not paying attention.” Annabella said perching her chin on Jens shoulder.

“Yes I am.” Jen mumbled as she tried her best to pull her notes back to her.

“What did I say?”

“Something about bears?” Jens said.

“You're boring, why are you even doing school work? It's a weekend.” Annabella whined burying her face in her cousin's shoulder.

“Because some of us are trying to stay in college.” Jen said.

“Well it's not my fault you get so distracted when Dick is around.”

Jen turned around quickly making Annabella fall off of her and nearly off the bed earning another rude from Cleo who hopped off the bed and made her way to her food dish.

“I do not get distracted by him.”

“Mmhhmm.” Annabella said, fixing herself. "Even Cleo knows that's a lie."

Leave me out of this. Came the cats response.

"He just annoys me." Jen defended herself rather weakly.

"Pardon the interruption but Miss Annabella you have a visitor." Alfred spoke from the doorway.

"Visitor?" Annabella asked getting off the bed and walking out of her cousins room.

At the bottom of the stairs stood a familiar brunette making Annabella gasp with excitement.

"Selina!" She shouted with joy hopping down the stairs and flinging herself onto Selina.

"Well, I'm happy to see you too kitten." Selina chuckled having caught Annabella with only slight difficulty.

"What are you doing here?" Annabella asked sliding off of her.

"I was hoping if you'd be able to spend the day with me. I think Isis misses you." Selina said.

"I'll go change." Annabella hopped excitedly.

"I thought we were spending the day together?" Jen asked when Annabella reached the top of the stairs.

"Oh well… I thought you were catching up on homework." Annabella said on her way to her room.

"It's not gonna take me that long to finish." Jen slightly mumbled.

"Well you can come if you want. Selina usually just wants to catch up and let's me play with all the cats." Annabella offered as she walked into her closet.

Jen knew that even though Annabella was being nice she also secretly wanted to spend time with Selina alone.

"It's okay it'll give me a chance to really catch up on my homework. I don't wanna bore you."

"You're not boring." Annabella said hopping on Jen's back as she came out. "You're just very serious sometimes. See you later."

Annabella kissed Jen's forehead and hopped away happily.

"So where have you been off to lately. Ever since I ran into you and your cousin the other night I've been trying to get in contact with you but Alfred says you're never home." Selina asked as she separated food for them onto plates.

"I've been in a schooling program." Annabella shrugged as she pet the grey cat Isis who purred contentedly.

Selina raised an eyebrow as she handed Annabella her plate. "Are you lying to me kitten?"

Annabella blushed as she picked at her food. "Well I'm technically not allowed to tell you but given that you know dad's secret… I've been hanging out with some of the hero's sidekicks."

"Oh?" Selina prompted.

"Yeah… they sorta made this little group and whenever they're not busy there's a place they hang out at and I'm allowed to be with them." Annabella explained.

"What about your schooling?"

"Homeschool." Annabella said plainly making Selina frown though she knew it was a touchy subject.

"So tell me about this group." Selina said, trying to get Annabella excited again.

Even though Annabella was having fun hanging out with Selina again she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She hadn't noticed how space out she had gotten until the cat she was petting squirmed out of her grasp.

“Okay kitten whats wrong?” Selina asked, turning to face her properly and lowering the tv volume.

“Nothings wrong really.” Annabella paused trying to think of what to say. “I kinda feel bad for ditching my cousin.”

“Ah little miss curiosity.” Annabella smiled at that. “I’m surprised she's not part of that little team you spoke of.”

“No I don't really think that’s her thing… at least not yet. Jen is special, she'll get to what she needs to at her own time.”

Selina smiled and stroked the young girls cheek. “Would you like to go back?”

Selina could help but spot the flash of worry that crossed Annabella’s face and her heart sank a little because she knew she was the very cause of that worry. After all Selina had a bad reputation of leaving a lot, she didn't want to do that again, not this time.

“Whenever you can, you're more than welcomed to come here kitten.” Selina promised bringing Annabella in for a hug.

Alfred didn't appear to be all that surprised when Annabella came back early and told her that Jen was in the media room. That was a bit strange Jen usually like to spend time in the library when her room just wasn't enough.

When Annabella entered the room her jaw dropped. The furniture had been rearranged carefully to create the most intricate fort Annabella had ever seen. Jen's head poked out from the other side.

"Oh you're back early… um… tada."

"You made this?" Annabella asked studying the fort as she came in.

"Yup. I did some reading on tent building and figured I'd give it a go." Jen said looking pleased with her creation.

"Leave to you to learn how to make a fort from reading instead of just winging it." Annabella snickered as she climbed inside which was padded with what seemed all the pillows from the manor.

Even Cleo had her own little spot on her she was laying down glaring at Annabella as if to dare her try something. Her nose raised the air trying to ignore the smell of the other cats Annabella was covered in.

Traitor. Cleo hissed her mind which Annabella just rolled her eyes at.

"So why the fort?" Annabella asked after when they waited for their second movie to start.

"I figured it be a nice change." Jen said simply.

"Mmmhhhmmm." Annabella mumbled.

"Well… it's true." Jen sighed. "Okay I just hadn't realized how focused I've been getting with my studies. Even you have figured out a way to balance your schooling and hanging out with the team. What?"

Annabella had slowly begun to smile and Jen was starting to wonder what happened.

"Nothing it's just, you remind me of everyone on the team. I think sometimes you guys just focus so much on the mission… you often forget you're also still kids in a sense."

Jen stared at her cousin in shock, sometimes she forgot just how observant Annabella could really be. Just then Annabella’s phone dinged making both of them jump.

“What is it?” Jen asked.

“The team is back from their mission.” Annabella said typing away.

“Oh.” Was all that came from Jen wondering if her cousin would go meet up with them.

Instead Annabella tucked her phone away as she finished and cuddled closer into Jen.

“Aren’t you going to go see them?” Jen asked though she wrapped her arm around her cousin.

“Nah I’d rather spend time with you.” Annabella said getting a fist full of popcorn. “You think Dick will ignore the no boys allowed sign?”

“Doubtful.” Jen said a smile creeping up on her lips. “How about we lay a trap for him.”

“Ohhh yes.” Annabella said excitedly as she got up her cousin following her. Their giggles filling the room as they got to work.

#catwoman x oc #basis imagine #batsis oc #oc x oc #yj imagine #dc imagine

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xuune · 6 years ago

Note

oh wow i haven’t been on tumblr in so long bc mobile is shit but how tf did i forget abt ur art ??? fukcin blows me away wow. any tips on anatomy for a rly bad artist? ik practice, but i get so frustrated when it doesn’t look like what i see in my head :(

yeah lol mobile on tumblr sucks major ass now. i cant even publish drafts on there. and im in the same boat wiht you on anatomy lmao. it might look like i know what im doing, but sometimes not really. maybe im just good at deceiving ppl on the way i draw when its kinda inaccurate

anyway, i also struggle with never really composing the shit i want, and even i tell myself to go practice anatomy but im never really granted a lot of time in my life, so i gotta make use of whatever i can find whenever i draw.

this post is actually long, so if you just want anatomy resources, you can check these out:

stuff that i made tutorials/tips on: torso/hands/pose

these are all very condensed tutorials/tips, so a lot of this is just collection of stuff that i’ve learned/noticed from others. this might be helpful, but idk man

here’s a list of other resources for anatomy/any other refs

this one was mentioned in the list, but its easily looked over: posemaniacs, it has different modes you can try out (timed/casual study), and its good for practicing foundations in anatomy. i paid more attention to this one when i saw a twitter post of it

bodies in motion is a site you can also use. it has a catalog of images to see people acting something out, and you get to see all the frames of it occurring. even though you’re just looking at images, its still a reference to learn how arms, legs, or torsos move B^) its a good way to pay attention to the smaller details like the various muscles in bodies

and honestly, check out what other ppl say too. there’s a lot of artists out there who might’ve already wrote some shit that i mentioned or have new info that i never thought about. just type in “anatomy/art tips” into any kind of search bar and you’re sure to find something useful at some point. but main takeaway i really want you to have is to seriously study from life. dont do it based on memory or anything. there’s no other general advice that i can really give besides 1) practice 2) study from life 3) dont stress out and take your time. if you want me to give a specific tip/tutorial on a body part, i can try, but the amount of depth i can give is really based on my own knowledge of it

now for the 2nd part of this post:

COMPOSING SHIT OR MAKING STUFF LOOK LIKE WHAT YOU EXPECTED IT TO LOOK LIKE:

“i get so frustrated when it doesn’t look like what i see in my head :(“

i suck at it, whoever is reading this prob sucks at it (and they secretly know it too) we all gotta start somewhere. you’re kinda asking for composing stuff while also anatomy tips, but its kinda broad, so lemme mention something about composition:

use perspective grids or at least practice using them first. the best way to understand how things are supposed to look is also based around the way you’re trying to see it in, like a certain angle of some sort. here, lemme give an example where i drafted a sketch a lot:

ok cool, got a pose i want, got the general idea, niiiiiiiiiceee. but i didnt think it was good enough, but i still managed to plan out a pose anyway with that grid on the bottom. it helped me gain a focus on how these characters were supposed to lay down on the ground, but it still wasnt good enough yet. character on top was facing their right instead of the person in front of them, which wasnt what i wanted.

then i sketched it again. this time the “camera” of the scene was more based around the front of the characters rather than the side, and now the character is looking at the person below them. but wait, it wasnt good enough yet. i didnt like how relaxed their position looked.

i changed the position of the character to make it seem more convincing that they were pressing hard into the ground and possibly sneering at the person below them. they held dominance over the person simply based on the way theyre positioned in the scene. the way people move suggests a lot about what is happening in the scene and what might be apparent about their character. i was able to make a pose i wanted with the help of a perspective grid, and it really does help at times. use perspective grids to help you out with making anatomy. also, dont forget that what you learn from simply observing how bodies work can help you out with giving clues to how the bodies should look at a certain angle

but am i a master at using perspective grids? no, lol. i always have to make several perspective grids while i draw as a way to convince myself that i really am drawing my shit right.

some of the resources i listed lean into something related to perspective, so there’s that. there’s definitely tutorials out there to understand how to use perspective grids, so i suggest you search those up too. there’s a program called carapace thats specific for creating perspective grids, but im not sure where the original download site is, but if you want to know what it looks like or where to download it, google is your friend. if you use digital media and your drawing software offers a perspective grid function, then i highly suggest you learn how to use it.

i wouldnt say that there’s a specific thing you need to learn first (i.e. learning perspective before anatomy), but if you want to just simply learn how to draw anatomy, then go ahead and find whatever you can. if you wanna create some cool ass poses with some interesting perspective shots, then take what you learn from anatomy and apply it to how you practice your perspective shots or vice versa. there’s a lot of variety in what you can do and how you can do it simultaneously with something else to learn something out of it B^)

#answered asks #art tips #some art shit

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ray-the-fanatic · 6 years ago

Text

His Home

Gravesbeaks family, Hurt/comfort fluff prompt. One shot

Ao3 link

(last one short for bit now that im working on multiple chapter stories.)

Just a some moment dealing with this awakard family figuering things out.

Everything was dark from under marks hands as he used them to keep Boyd’s eyes covered. While Mark ushered him quickly, Boyd could really only feel the carpet under his feet as they awkwardly waddled across it. There were at least, from what Boyd could think up five better ways to go about this. Another part of him, however, thought this was more fun. It was pretty normal for him to feel pulled by two different lines of thought process like that. Maybe cause Mark programmed more kid like thoughts? Or whoever made the original software did.

“Alright Little buddy ready, to have your circuits blown? Not really though.” Mark said as he moved his hands away from Boyd’s eyes.

Boyd took a moment to adjust to the light, as his eyes set on said surprise. A bedroom just for him, well almost it was more a mix of a playground as well. Boyd walked in further looking over everything before him. The room was full of colorful tubes that were scattered all over the place. That you could climb through with exit and entrance points found in different places of the room. A few of the exits being slides that drop at different heights. Rock climbing walls and foam pits to fall into under them. A built-in playhouse building that functioned as a bed on the bottom. Covered in Boyd quickly counted, ten, colorful pillows. The top of it was set up as a small reading area. From where he stood Boyd could make out shelves with a few books on them. There were cut-outs on the floor for trampolines. Likely just like at Waddle each for different impacts of bouncing. There was also a small desk almost resembling the deck of a skateboard. The desk having a computer set up on it. Boyd ran over to it to check it out, able to tell it wasn’t from any store in town. The room was amazing he thought full of excitement just wanting to explore every inch of it now.

“So?” Mark said as he walked over to Boyd “Like it?”

“Very much Dad, it’s” He paused to think a moment “Lit?”

Mark smiled brightly and took a picture of Boyd standing in the room quickly as he started writing an update to go with it.

“Best room ever.” He said out loud as he typed then watched the screen for a few seconds before excitedly chirping out “ooo look at all those likes, it's blowing up.” Mark held his hands up in the shape of a gun and playfully gestured like he was shooting real ones in the air “pew, pew, pew.”

Boyd did the same and moved in sync with Mark “pew, pew, pew.”

The action caught Mark’s attention right away as he couldn’t help but smile. He placed his hand on top of Boyd's head gently ruffling his head feathers. Boyd happily moved into Mark's palm as he hummed happily enjoying the affirmation from his creator, Dad he meant. One thing Boyd knew well at this point was he often got rewarded for mimicking his Dad or going along with his antics. Maybe it was deceitful, another side of Boyd thought it was like he exploited that fact. He decided not to dwell on that thought thankful to hear Mark speak up.

“Glad that didn’t get lost during your little meltdown at that brats party.”

Mark pulled his hand away slowly as he could hear footsteps behind him. His smile growing brighter when turning to see the man he called Falcon. Though when Boyd looked his inner files they told him he was farther. Who seemed shocked by the room as he looked around curiously. Boyd’s own smile growing when seeing him, he was very fascinated with Falcon since he didn’t see him often. His height alone was enough to pull his attention since he towered over the small android, no boy. He was quiet and calm most of the time and spoke in a stern English tone. His eyes always having that pricing gaze of a predatory bird. To Boyd he was the definition of fierce nothing shook him, well one thing seemed to faze him and make him break that facade.

“Hello Father!” Boyd sprouted out suddenly as he made his way over to him having to stare up at the raptor.

“Y yes uh hello to you as well” Falcon seemed to tense up slightly by that sudden greeting from the boy.

For whatever reason he seemed to be easily thrown off by Boyd, he would freeze up and lost his usual air whenever Boyd got near him. Like he was now so Boyd took a few steps back which was for the best most likely. Boyd tried to keep his smile though to act as if he didn’t notice.

"Hey kiddo why don't you play around in here for now and get settled in." Mark said as he began to push Falcon out of the room able to feel the tension growing in the air. “Were just going to head downstairs for a bit boring stuff, unlike your super cool room.” He added on as he pulled the door to Boyd’s room closed behind them.

Boyd knew it wasn't right but at the same time, he couldn't help it. Quickly running over to the heavy door able to faintly hear their voices from the other side. But, he couldn't really make out what they were saying too well. Luckily being an android came with advantages. Taking a moment to raise up his frequency until he could clearly hear Mark's voice from the other side.

“Does it bother you when he calls you that? I just thought it would be nice so I programmed it in.”

Boyd hadn’t been living with them for long, it had only been a few days since that party. Everyone was still adjusting to this change but Falcon seemed to need the most time for the adjustment. He always reacted the same way whenever Boyd called out to him. Mark made sure to reassure him or would intervene whenever it happened.

“Falcon.” Mark said his voice in a tone Boyd never realized it could reach. It was followed by a sigh from the larger bird.

“I’m not sure. I guess I didn’t think much about it at first when you decided to turn your new project into a means of increasing likes for your social media, so you could go to the child’s birthday party.” He paused “Which I still don’t fully understand why you went to that. When it was just one of your random whims I figured you get bored of the idea. But he’s not an idea he’s here?” Falcon phased like a question.

“Well the little guy kind of grew on me and guess I got attached, I wasn’t really expecting this turn out myself. At first, the project was to make my own robot to be better than Gizmoduck so I could rub it in his face.” Mark said then trailed off for a moment “The focus shifted a bit there and I don’t know the idea grew on me?”

Boyd was listening to every word, it wasn’t like before he knew he wasn’t. Real. He was a robot, android, created by Mark. Kind of. Everything that made Boyd well Boyd was programmed, coded in. He looked down at his hands as he thought to himself. He felt something heavy inside sink into his deepest pits. It wasn’t an actual object but it made him. Feel? Feel bad. In his memory Dad and Farther, no. Mark and Falcon were his parents well they were meant to be. That wasn't real either though. That was the truth. No matter how much he didn’t like having that knowledge it conflicted with his files and it hurt when he looked into it too much. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of his malfunction. His mind was a blank and he had no control over what he was doing. No matter how hard he tried to take it back, he just couldn’t. It was still him doing that but he felt like he had been watching it. Boyd tightly closed his eyes, it was- he didn’t want to think about it. He took a moment to process and pushed those memories away, placing them as far back as he could in his memory as possible. So he wouldn’t have to be reminded of it again.

Boyd moved away from the door and made his way to the bed, he let his face hit the soft mattress. Mark and Falcon seemed to have walked away since he couldn’t hear them in the hallway anymore. That was likely why Fath- Falcon, reacted as he did. The things Boyd could do set him apart too much. Making it apparent that he wasn’t a real kid, and maybe that was why he just couldn’t seem to connect with him ? It was easy with Mark. If he mimicked Mark, he would smile like he could burst from the pride alone. Being basically a walking breathing piece of tech probably didn’t hurt either. Mark liked the power technology offered so Boyd was just the perfect kid for him.

“That’s it!” Boyd sprung up suddenly “I act like dad and that makes him happy so if I act like father too then that should work.!” He said to himself.

...

No less than a few hours had passed when Boyd saw his dad poke his head into the room. Boyd met his eyes and smiled like his usual self, taking note of the slight drop in Mark's shoulders as he seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

“Wanna come out of here for a bit?” Mark asked him “and maybe spend some time with us?” The added emphasis on ‘us’ was not lost to Boyd.

“Yes, I would enjoy that.”

Mark had to pause a moment, he was used to hearing an Engilsh accent now but not from Boyd who he was positive didn’t have that before. He looked down at the young android as he walked by him, arms kept at his sides walking with his back completely straight. A stance he was all too familiar with, didn’t take Mark long to figure out what he was doing. But, he just smiled and shrugged wanting to see where this goes.

Boyd made his way to the living room where Falcon, back to his usual self, it seemed. Was sitting in his scarlet recliner buried beak deep into his current book. Boyd caught sight of it and quickly ran to the bookcase grabbing the first book he could. He went to run back when he caught his dad staring at him so he instead went back to his proper stance and walked to the couch. Only to scrambled quickly on to it as he climbed- up on the couch he got situated and cracked the book open to start reading. Mark looked over to Falcon who was unaware of everything.

“So, kiddo anything you wanna do?” Mark asked as he walked up behind Falcon’s seat, resting an arm on the back of it purposely elbowing his boyfriend when he did so well speaking.

Falcon looked up at Mark a bit annoyed only to get caught by the smile on his face. Mark then pointed over to the couch. Falcon’s eyes following as he looked over to Boyd mimicking Falcon’s usual reading position.

“Reading is fine by me.” Boyd said again using the Engilsh accent once more.

Mark covered his beak as he playfully nudged Falcon, who was more confused instead of delighted by the situation. Falcon closed his book and tentatively placed it on his lap able to see Boyd copy his actions from the corner of his eye. A quick look over to Mark, seeing the smug smile he had made it clear he wasn’t going to help. Falcon just sighed, part of him almost laughed though. It reminded him of all the times Mark had put on his god awful attempt at the accent himself. He looked back to Boyd who seemed to be staring in anticipation at him. Falcon’s tension built up a bit.

“Um, Boyd are you sure that book is a good pick for you?” Was all Falcon could think to ask since he couldn’t make eye contact with him and instead looked to the cover of the book to see the title. “I don’t think 'The Grapes of Wrath' is right at your age.”

“Oh it’s fine, my reading level is above average!” Boyd responded with forgetting the accent as he excitedly spoke. Only to quickly shift back into his act when he realized it. “I do enjoy reading a lot. Reading is an essential skill to have after all.”

Falcon smiled a bit not having spent much time with Boyd so it was the first time he saw him perk with such enthusiasm. Displaying such a kid like enjoyment for the task and the act was starting to grow on him, maybe that was why Mark enjoyed it so much.

"Well being able to read it is one thing, that book may be out your understanding."

“Dad made sure my artificial intelligence can grow naturally so the more I do something I just advance along with it. I like to read so I can grasp the more complex topics on somethings” Boyd looked down annoyed suddenly. That was the second, no third time already he broke character. He sighed and turned his head to the side looking away from Mark and Falcon as he pressed himself up into the couch cushions.

This wasn’t working, by now Mark would be bursting with joy and giving him a pat on the head. Falcon was more a challenge with this game. Though it made sense he was so close off, Boyd had seen him at times drop it when he looked at Mark. With a softer smile and sometimes a playful tone when speaking to him. Cause he cared about Mark. They had a love for the other, Boyd pushed himself deeper into the couch. It felt nice at the moment, it gave him some comfort because suddenly he just felt so alone. Boyd wanted to just escape into the comfort the couch had to offer because it didn’t make him question his place. In truth all Boyd wanted was to just feel he belonged here.

“Hey Kiddo you okay over there?” Mark asked, snapping Boyd out of his thoughts.

Boyd opened his eyes but didn’t move from his hiding place, he seemed to have wedge himself between two of the cushions squeezing tightly in the small gap they offered him.

No, I’m not okay

He thought to himself something wasn’t right with him, he couldn't shake the, feelings? Thoughts that kept fogging up his mind. That same sensation from before like something was sinking inside him. Almost like he was being weighed down by it. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to force those thoughts from coming back again. He didn’t want to think about those thoughts he could maybe delete them? Make it like he never had them in the first place? That could work, then they wouldn’t be in the way he could just act like everything was normal. Like he was normal, just like before.

Again his thoughts were interrupted, feeling the familiar sensation of a hand resting on his arm. At first he thought it was Mark but the size wasn’t right and the touch was more hesitant. Boyd lowered his head a bit to look. Surprised to see brown feathers instead of Marks grey ones. Continuing his gaze up to see Falcon standing over him, his expression something Boyd never thought he could make. Did he look worried? No that can’t be right.

“Are you okay?” Falcon said, his usual stern tone gone replaced by something more soft and genuine. Concern maybe? That alone made him crave in.

“No” He vocalized this time only to retreat back into his safe haven between the couch cushions.

Falcon looked over to Mark who made his way over and sat on the other side of Boyd, laying up against the couch as he lightly poked at Boyd’s head. His own special approach to the situation.

“What’s going on kid?”

“I’m not!”

“Not what?” Mark asked “Gonna say? Talk? Not here? The last one won’t work cause we can see you clearly.”

“Mark” Falcon said flatly to show that wasn’t helping, then turned his attention back to Boyd “You can tell us son” that tone aimed at him again. It didn’t bring comfort this time though it was more a reminder of what was bothering him so much right now.

“I’m not your son!” He let out and drew his knees to his chest curling up into the couch like a small ball, he didn’t want to see their faces after saying it. “I’m not even real, no matter how much I want to be I can’t be.” Everything he had been thinking for the past days coming all out.

“What that's crazy, I built you to be my kid so obviously that's what you are.”

Boyd looked up at Mark his eyes fierce and burning red as the head inside them started to raise “I’m fake!” He yelled out in frustration making Mark grow silent at the reaction.

“I know it, you know it farther knows it.” he tucked his face into his shoulder as his voice grew more quiet. His thoughts messy and all over the place but he couldn’t keep them from spilling out anymore. “I hate it. I want to act like I don’t know the truth but I do. I’m not your son I wish I could be but i’m not real. It’s all pretend.”

“What? But you are real Boyd.” Falcon was the one to speak up

“No I'm not that's why you get all weird with me. If I was real you could bond with me. Dad can but that's cause he made me and he likes when I copy him. That’s all I am”

Falcon awkwardly pulled his hand away then fidgeted with his cufflinks. He happened to catch Mark’s gaze who just slightly gestured to Boyd. A small sigh escaped his beak and he nodded to show he understood. Falcon placed his hand back on to Boyd’s shoulder. He was so small especially when curled up like this.

“Boyd?” He said and like always his voice got the small boy’s attention as he looked over his shoulder to him. “You are real to me and that scares me.”

It grew silent between the three of them as those words settled in the air. The reason Mark was aware of, the answer Boyd didn't have. The truth Falcon wasn't good about stating seeming to bring a clam over them all.

“I scare you?”

Falcon nodded but smiled not helping clear Boyd’s confusion in the least when he did. It wasn’t often when Falcon displayed his awkward side but as he used his free hand to move around in the air. Almost as if it was physically trying to grab at the right words when he spoke.

“I never thought I’d have a kid or family, your Dad’s whims are not in my control well really anyones. You just were an unexpected surprise. I probably should be used to all that now. “ He said tossing a look Mark’s way before he continued on “I’m just not sure what I'm doing.”

Boyd blinked absently as he took in those words. He slightly seemed to follow with what was said. Boyd could understand that though he too was unsure about the whole situation at times. Maybe he was also scared?

“And for what it’s worth, you are able to think freely. I found a good AI to base yours off for that. I think it’s cute when you copy me even if you do it on purpose.” Mark added in himself “Yeah you weren’t planned to be as you are now but that doesn't mean anything really. Most of my plans don’t go as I think they will, doesn't mean I dislike the outcomes.”

Boyd smiled slightly, it didn't really fix anything but it was nice. He moved out from the couch and looked at Falcon as he swept in and clung to his side,in a slightly awkward but loving hug. Falcon froze a moment but Boyd didn’t let go, his father was the one who needed the gesture. Slowly he felt Falcon arm wrap around him hugging him back. It took Mark a full half a second to intrude as he moved over. Throwing an arm over Falcon as he took a selfie.

“Family moments” He said out loud as he posted the picture. Boyd slightly laughing as Falcon groaned in annoyance.

#gravesbeaks #falcon graves #mark beaks #gravesbeaks family #I really like writing boyd #and mark too hes fun #my writing #fanfic

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ybelovva · 5 years ago

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the basics;

NAME: Yelena Belova

ALIAS(ES): Black Widow, Pale Little Spider, Rooskaya, too many to count...

AGE: Twenty-four

BIRTHDAY & ZODIAC: August 31st, Virgo

MBTI: ISTJ Inspector

PREFERRED PRONOUNS: She/Her

FACECLAIM: Florence Pugh

tw:mentions of deviant behavior (not yelena)

a deeper look;

FAMILY: Unnamed mother, Olga (Aunt)

AFFILIATION: Russia, Black Widow Ops Program, Red Room

THREE FAVORITE THINGS: Her country, Her job, Vodka

THREE HATED THINGS: Failure, Being Lesser than Natasha, New Gotham

EDUCATION: Some high school, Graduate of the Red Room espionage unit

SKILLS: Master Martial Artist, Gymnast, Espionage, Adept with all kinds of weapons, Highly Intelligent (to a degree), Trained operative

WEAPONS: ElectroShock Bracelets (Widow’s Bite) and Various Guns

ABILITIES: N/A

the questionnaire;

question: WHAT IS SOMETHING YOUR CHARACTER LIKES ABOUT NEW GOTHAM? SOMETHING THEY DISLIKE? DO THEY MISS THE WAY THINGS WERE - OR DO THE LIKE HOW THE WORLD IS NOW?

There isn’t much Yelena likes about New Gotham, but she does like that crowded streets mean she can blend in and disappear, whenever she wants. Allows her to watch her back, while following another’s. Yelena dislikes everything else. New York city, the creatures, the smell ---- but she especially detests the crime rate in New Gotham city. Moscow wasn’t nearly as dirty as this. At least they had principles and real punishment, where she came from. Here? Criminals run rampant, cocky, it disgust her, especially now that some of them have wings and fangs. It surprised her, all these new types of people and creatures, but it isn’t the first time she’s fought something non-human. She’s just not used to it being normal, but she’s getting used to it. Yelena misses the way things were, before the collision. She wants to go back to her universe, and fufill her duties as the Black Widow. At least there, she was the only one.

question: WHERE WAS YOUR CHARACTER WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED? ARE THEY SUSPICIOUS OF EVERYONE OR ARE THEY TRYING TO REMAIN UNDER THE RADAR? HAVE THEY REUNITED WITH THEIR FRIENDS OR ARE THEY LOST?

Yelena was in the middle of a mission. Well, more like a post lesson. When everything changed, she was on her way to her next mission when she was taken out of her universe and dropped into this one. Yelena is both suspicious of everyone and under the radar. She doesn’t know who or what brought her here, and why? New Gotham is constantly changing, and with it bring more people, and more questions. Under the radar, because she doesn’t want to bring any unnecessary attention to herself. Give them just enough to ease them in conversation, that’s it. They wouldn’t want to know who the real Yelena Belova was. Yelena doesn’t have friends. Period. She’s lost and on her own, but she has a plan. She plans to scout out the area and people, as many as she can, gather information and figure out how to get outta here: that is her mission. Her skin crawls, the longer she stays in this place, but meanwhile, she’s going to use her skill set to save herself.

question: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: ANYTHING YOU WANT US TO KNOW? ANY HEADCANONS? Hi! I’m Sessho! And Yelena needs a lil bit of an explanation to the group. Since we don’t know how Yelena will be played in the upcoming Black Widow movie, I’m basing her more on her comic counterpart who’s a little more evil than ya think (I have already discussed this with one of the admins). So, following, is a bio I made for her ages ago based on her in the comics. I hope it makes sense and you all enjoy!

Yelena’s life before the Widow Program, was all but forgotten by the time she was fifteen. When Yelena was fifteen years old, she was recruited by the Red Room to be the next potential Black Widow. The same academy that the Soviet’s trained the first Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff. Once it’d become clear that their beloved Widow had defected, the Soviets knew they had a lot of work to do with Belova. And so that is where her story, begins.

She was originally spotted for her exceptional physical condition, high marks on her IQ tests, and her talent in gymnastics. The KGB meant for her to succeed her predecessor. Despite the program’s success, their perfect spy failed them. So, for years Yelena was trained under a strict regimen by the trainers of the program. During her training, Yelena scored incredibly high on her tests. But instead of being proud about it, she stated Romanoff had scored better, under the same tests. She hated to be lesser than a traitor who deserted her country.

The Red Room was her home, the pale little spider trained under for a decade. They fed her, clothed her. They played their vicious mind games on her, brainwashed her. Taught her how to fight, how to bleed. How to kill, and how to blend as a spy. She’d all but forgotten her life, before. One particular trainer she came to view, as a father figure. Pyotr Vasilievich Starkovsky, a Lieutenant Colonel who taught Yelena hand-to-hand combat, weapon use, and knife work for over a decade. A trained hand in hand combatant, he was her main instructor. She’d become close to him, and Starkovsky too considered her like his daughter. Though Starkovsky became obsessed. Yelena never thought anything of it. She was starting to feel inferior and inadequate to her predecessor, but as much as wanted to defeat her, Yelena undoubtedly idolized her. Even if she wouldn’t admit it to herself.

While Starkovsky’s deviant behavior found a substitute in a brothel with a woman named Petra, a look-alike of Yelena. What happened next, Yelena doesn’t exactly know. Starkovsky was dead, killed by Petra. Belova was shattered by the news, and confused by the loss of her father figure. She’d been told Starkovsky had been stealing secrets from the Black Widow program, and Yelena decided to investigate, on her own. In the end, Yelena killed Petra, and proceeded to accept the role as the new Black Widow. Belova would go on to never know that the entire ordeal, and the brothel’s owner, and the other woman in the room, Nikki, was an exercise. And part of her graduation test.

Her time as the Black Widow was short, but not without making it’s bite on the various people who mattered. For years, she’d completed intelligence missions for the KGB under the moniker Black Widow. Though her efforts, and partially the name, were overshadowed by the scarlet Widow. The real Black Widow. Yelena worked in the dark. The only people who learned that there was a second Widow, were her targets, and others who kept tabs on her. But the world knew of the Black Widow as a superhero. Natasha Romanoff, the Avenger. Yelena watched the movements of Natasha and the rest of the Avengers, through the years. And she waited. Shadowed by her predecessor once more. Seeing her face on the screen, fueled her obsession and drive to beat her, and be the only Widow that still represented mother Russia.

Yelena and Natasha had crossed paths, at least once, before Yelena successfully killed her. Natasha had always been far more experienced than the younger Widow, superior, but Yelena turned Natasha’s “mind games” on her. Wishing to teach Yelena a lesson, Natasha and Nick Fury, created Operation: Validate. The operation had Belova captured and surgically altered to be Natasha Romanoff and vice verse. To be her duplicate, and Natasha became Yelena Belova. Belova mentally held it together and played along, believing this had to be a mission that’d gone wrong. In the end, Natasha explained to Yelena that she’d orchestrated the whole thing in order to tell her the truth. Yelena was just a pawn for the people who trained. An instrument in war, not some heroine for her country. And that espionage was not a game, but Yelena didn’t want to hear it, and she shot Natasha and killed her. Yelena escaped with her life before Fury and his operatives could get there, and their mission was deemed a failure.

After much convincing, Yelena used the doctors provided by the Red Room to reverse the effects of the surgery. Yelena looked like herself again, and now, in this new world, she was the one and only Black Widow. She achieved her greatest desire, to beat her predecessor, but Yelena felt no differently. Her passion disappeared after that, but she continued onto her next mission....

plots: So basically, plot-wise, Yelena’s universe is mostly comic based since the Black Widow movie hasn’t come out yet, and I’ve taken some liberties here and there with her bio. In her universe, she killed Nat, but after she feels lost, until she ends up in New Gotham. She’ll slowly become an Anti-Hero, here, in New Gotham, through interactions and plots and whatnot. That’s where I can blend in some of the MCU for her, because I’m also really excited about what they’ll do for Yelena in the MCU !!!

Connections! Honestly, I’ll take them all, no bias here, especially since I’d like to see her become somewhat of a hero. I wanna put Yelena through the ringer tho too, so come at me, bruh.

The only other thing I was gonna put here was, my laptop can’t make text smaller (it’s already small) so all my text will look regular-sized for tumblr posts. Sorry!

#synergy:charintro #tw:deviant behavior #/mentions of #/not by yelena

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artxcomputer · 6 years ago

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Childs Play Redesign Talk (SPOLIERS FOR WHOLE MOVIE)

So I'm just gonna say this now and state that I 100+% loved this movie. The redesign grew on me. Mark Hamil didnt disappoint. And I think people should really give this movie a shot. It definitely is NOT going to be like the old ones. If you want Charles Lee Ray chucky, then I'm sorry but, he's gone. This movie, I think, does a great job with reimagining Chucky as not a doll possed by a human soul, but a rough A.I., bad programming error robot doll.

Ok so. I wanna talk about the redesign because that is were everyone keeps saying they hate. I didn't hate it but it was a bit concerning as I am a long time fan of the Charles Chucky. But after the movie and sitting on it for a day, I realized the new design is perfect. The new chucky is 100% robot. He has rough A.I. and was purposely programmed to malfunction by that Vietnamese worker in the beginning to spite his boss. The new Chucky was designed to be creepy-ly innocent yet malicious looking. He is perfect for what he is now. I think people forget that he isnt possessed in this one. Idk if it was clear in the trailers because I avoided them purposely to better enjoy the movie.

Once again. New 2019 Chucky is an A.I. gone wrong (programmed without his safe behavior on) not a human serial killer in a doll's body. Of course he isnt going to be moving like a human. In the O.G. Child's Play, whenever Charles was pretending to he Buddy, he moved and spoke like one. His mouth and limbs had limited function because he was a toy who only moved his head, mouth and eyes. When he was Charles hs moved like a human. He bled like one. He spoke and looked like one. And we know it's because of the spell of him being in Buddy for too long that the doll moved like a human. It made total sense. He also had a mind of a grown man. I want to say that because (I'll state this later) the new one is orginally programmed to act like a child. To learn and grow with your kids, family and appliances. That's why Buddi/Chucky acted like a kid who didn't know anything was wrong with his actions. O.G. Chucky knew what he was doing. He was a grown man who was a serial killer and had a potty mouth (what more could you ask for?). All he wanted was to kill and get a body to host his soul.

I'm gonna restate what I said earlier in this paragraph but yes, Buddi is a robot toy that was created to aid in all sorts of things. He is a A.I. robot. He isnt a doll posses by a serial killer. He's a robot doll programmed to think like a kid and help around the house. In the beginning we all were shocked when we actually felt bad for Chucky because all he wanted was to play with Andy. He misunderstood commands and took them literally. He killed the cat because Andy was "sick and tired" of it. He thought that if he got rid of the cat, Andy would feel better and play with him. I know I keep repeating this but Buddi Chucky is a whole different take on Buddy Chucky. I wanna make that clear because so many people are expecting Buddi to be like Buddy. I personally like this change. I'm not saying I hate the old one. I love the old one so much but Buddi is refreshing because he's innocently sadistic and malicious. Up until the end of the movie he seems to be a kid who just wants to play with his best friend. That one scene where Andy puts Chucky in the closet after he killed the mom's boyfriend tugged on my heart strings. I actually felt bad because Chucky didnt see anything wrong with that. He just wanted Andy to stop crying and feel better. That's why I stand by this new one as one that be open minded about since we've all grown up with the Chucky who didn't take no for an answer and killed for fun. This new one takes a whole new spin on it and reverses the rolls. Like if Andy from the O.G. went insane and took over the killings for Chucky. Best friend till the end. This Child-like innocents of the new one is weird at first but, I loved it.

This new Chucky is something to get used to. I get it. I didn't have high hopes because I was scared that Buddi was going to be subpar or a cheap knockoff. But this movie was pretty good in it's new imagining of the original. I loved it. I think this movie will disappoint people who wanted a return of Charles Lee Ray and not a whole reimagine. But for what we got instead I think It was good. A new take is always refreshing and I loved it. Child's Play 2019 is a movie that needs to be viewed with an open mind. It's not perfect but I'm mostly talking about the differences of the 2 versions of Chucky. Because that's what people seem to really care about. Each are ok (O.G. one is better) but Buddi is something I would support and watch sequels of, as they did tease a return.

I didn't mention Mark Hamil but I just wanted to say his voice really sold the character for me. The whole movie of him talking innocent and high pitched was perfect. And then the ending and the credits where it was deeper and sinister made me just so happy. I loved it.

#childs play #child's play #child's play movie #childsplay #Buddi #review #movie review #Child's play review #this is all my opinon so if you disagree then that's fine

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inkskinned · 7 years ago

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literally just a dumb unorganized list of school tips

source: im a grad student. i’ve had a lot of school. also i’m adhd & mentally ill and require +8 organization. this is mostly directed @ college students, but maybe high school students can use it too, fuck, idk, it’s been forever since i was stuck in that hell hole

just say “professor” either ur using the correct title for a person (will make them feel good) or you’re giving them a bigger title on the assumption they deserve it (which will make them feel good) and also prevents having to ever i mean ever use their names

talk at least 1 time a week in each class, aim for 1 time a day. even lecture classes. i fucking hate talking in front of more than 5 people, so what i would do is prepare a question about the hw/etc (even if i didn’t need it answered) to ask the professor after class so they saw me and got used to me and saw i was invested in their class. about 89% of teachers - if they see you try, they will pass you. i mean it’s literally that easy. i know people who went from like a c- but because they legit tried, their grade got bumped up to a b-.

if u have to bring a laptop, pre-download the required material/screenshot it, and then turn off your wifi. it’s too easy to not listen.

physical writing will always give you more information recall over typing.

nobody cares about stupid shit anymore trust me they don’t remember that you were accidentally locked in a towel out of your room bc they have their own dumb shit that happened.... in college all the “cringe culture” turns into “god i wish that were me” culture ... wear ur onesie to a party trust me you make +800 friends and 799 of them will be girls telling you you’re adorable and they’d die for you

about locking urself out.... if ur like me and can breeze past post-it notes placed in obvious areas, don’t be a dumb bitch and rely on post-it-notes. while most schools offer 1 free lockout, dont rely on it - it once took 2 hours before someone could get to me. i was in a towel, which meant no phone. so like. anyway, what i do now is i put something on the handle of the door i have to open/unlock. i can’t just open the door w/out the thing falling down and making a loud “you dumb bitch unlock the door before u shower” sound.

this works for all important don’t-forget it things. other obstacles i’ve used to remind myself to do something include: putting a chair with my wholeass posterboard in front of the door, an entire printer with a single piece of paper that just read “for the love of god check to be sure you have that essay”, and a recycling bin i kept forgetting to empty. guess what bitch finally emptied the bin once it was between me and a swift exit!

no offense and like the whole “it’s the best years of your life!” thing is great but in reality everything goes better scholastically when you treat it as “i came here to win, not to make friends.” i still did make friends, went to parties every weekend, was popular enough i’d be invited to several on one night - but i came there to win. when i put my scholastic life and my mental health first, i went from a 2.0 to a 3.98. yes you can, bitch.

you’re spending the money. don’t squander it. trust me when i say i know plenty of people who breeze through, bc you often can. but like. don’t. challenge yourself bc like. talk about an investment.

if you hate your major, change it. don’t make your life something you can’t stand. on that note, do NOT agree 100% to a track until you have at least some experience in the field. i cannot tell u how many ppl i know who got their whole masters/phd program done, walked into their new profession, and were like, Oh Fuck, I Can’t Live Like This.

college literally offers so many free things and if you’re not taking advantage of them whenever possible i get it but like. try to take advantage of them. this is everything from your gym (which probably has free classes dude) to clubs to like. sober events. these sober events are so ... fuckin good dude i’ve made mason jars with little plants in em... bee aviaries... candles.... go to the free stuff

oh ps on free stuff i wanna say about 4 of 5 days there’s free food on campus just look for things like job fairs, presentations, or discussion groups. also while you’re there at the job fair like. u know, go to the job fair in earnest

i took off 2 years to work and also to just. recover from my bullshit. and it took me 6 years and 3 schools to get my bachelor’s. it wasn’t easy but bitch i lived. there’s no such thing as “too long” to graduate if that’s truly what you want to do.

if on the meal plan, eat as clean as you can the first week. then introduce each part of the cafeteria’s possibly-food-poisoning-creating foods one at a time. give @ least 2 days between each experiment so you know for sure if you get sick what caused it. i literally never eat meat at school but you can still get sick off of unwashed lettuce/salad dressing that hasn’t been refrigerated properly/weirdass things you won’t even think of. this prevents like. dying in a public bathroom.

white loaf bread can be gross & boring. discount bakery section for your slightly chewy artisianal bread needs. if overstale, either toast it or dunk it into water and microwave it (unless u got an oven. use the oven if u can)

steal as many apples from the dining hall/events/etc as physically possible just do it they keep FOREVER and @ some point you’ll be like. fUCK i need a nutrition. ps if you’re keeping them in ur backpack (i wouldn’t keep more than 2) make sure to wrap w/a few paper towels so if you drop your bag you don’t get apple mush

write it all down bitch. “i’ll remember it” no you won’t. unless you are capable of remembering every idea on this list and in order, you won’t remember it. in general, if you write something 3 times, you will recall it correctly at least 80% of the time. i also read it out loud to myself, bc, you know, auditory recall

DO NOT just put your assignment at the top of your notes, unless you’re 100% sure that will work for you. in most cases, it’s much better to have a planner/agenda/place you expect to look for assignments. +7 points if you lie to yourself about deadlines and move them all up.

like not to sound too much like a DARE ad but like. if you don’t like it/don’t want it, don’t fuckin do it. the idea that “there’s nothing to do if you don’t party” is such bullshit. like i promise if you’re like “i am a grouch and want to stay in and binge netflix” about 45 ppl will show up in pjs like “bitch fullscreen it, im a grouch too.” there’s also like. the chance to just.... not overindulge. on wednesdays i have “wine wednesdays” where we sit around and drink a glass of wine while we do our hw. it’s chill and friendly instead of like. drink until u vomit. don’t feel like you either gotta slam the breaks or the gas pedal, is what i mean.

PLEASE know the signs of alcohol poisoning/overdose. most schools have a “Safety Always Matters Most” policy, which means that you can call for help w/out getting into trouble. if you think someone is in danger, act. this also goes for making sure ppl get home safe even if they’re just incapacitated, not poisoned. step in, dudes.

also just. notice when ur starting to rely on stuff too much. i’m super easily addicted to things, so i keep a healthy distance from liquor. i don’t let myself “drink to feel better” bc that’s a scary, scary thing to link to feeling better. if you or somebody u know starts drinking all the time/gets anxious if they don’t drink/drinks in the daytime .... get help. schools have counselling services for a reason.

you’re gonna get a cold/flu of some sort in the first 2 months just brace for it. in the meantime, drink vitamin c, try not to touch too many handles, and when people say “there’s something going around” believe them.

watch kaplan nike just do it

if you can teach it, you know the material. a super good way of knowing if you studied the right way is to try and teach the material to a stuffed animal/imaginary class.

“i don’t know how to study” bitch me too the fuck. this is usually bc we’ve been taught that studying is just sitting down and staring @ ur notes. it’s not. it’s different for everyone, and you need to understand it’s 99% preventative care. if you don’t go to the class or do the homework, studying is going to fucking suck, bc you’re learning the material all at once for the first time. the place you should consider “studying” is “i’m confident in 70-90% of the material, but need to review.” do not let yourself fall behind .... just go to office hours and ask questions if ur not getting something. studying should feel like you’re remembering what you already knew but kinda forgot, not like you’ve been blindsided.

the whole “writing it down in ur own words” while u have been told this 700 times it really helps bc it means u gotta translate it through your own understanding. if you can’t, and it’s not bc the material seems too obvious to you to state in another way - ask yourself if you don’t understand the material. chances are u are missing a bit of info.

i know it’s like A Thing that Some People do but i never had the mental health points for it but i know some people just take 15 minutes after every class to review their notes. since i’m 100% early to every class ever, obnoxiously so, i try to do it before class. having the last class’s notes up in my head super helps. like. put down the phone i know you’re socially anxious me too but review those notes. chances are if u start flipping through pages other ppl will too. this is also fun bc as soon as you start this whole thing, at least one person will be like “is there a test?” no bitch there’s no test but im gonna be ready when there is!

literally so much of success is fucking posturing i could link about 800 peer-edited studies that show that when a student is expected to do well (and knows they are), they do well. like i literally didn’t change my appearance at all, never bothered to look nice (once winter hits i wear 67 layers all the time), but when i showed up after my 2 years off from school, i presented myself with the whole “i came here to win” vibe and people... really respected me? i mean in hs i remember ppl saying shit like “yeah, well, you aren’t gonna have the homework”. by the time i was in college i had an honest-to-god conversation which included someone being like “so tell me what you’re overachieving at right now” like they just expected it from me. wild.

i live by “bite off more than you can chew, and then CHEW IT” but it’s probably unhealthy. the truth is that i have a lot of energy all the time (lmao adhd!!!) and i used to get told i was “trying too hard” and for a long time (still???) i didn’t (i don’t?) know what that was, you know, bc i had a D average, clearly i wasn’t trying. it turns out i was just. putting all my energy into stuff that wasn’t making me happy like toxic friendships etc. when i decided “nope, all this energy is for me and my schoolwork”..... uhhhhh suddenly i was a golden child and everyone praised my try-hardness ... it’s a fuckt up system tbh

take at least 1 class just for fun. i try to do that every semester. it helps break up all the requirements. if you’re like an engineer and got no time or credits left to spend, try to audit your fun course.

make ur advisor love you i don’t care what it takes make them cupcakes show up to thank them i dONT CARE just do it

the library isn’t always the best place. if i start getting anxious bc i pavlovian train myself that library=work, i find a new place to go to do hw. try to go outside if you can!!! not like where i live bc like it’s snow all the time but try. a little green really really really helps depression.

if you’ve been in the same “Studying” place for 1 hour and haven’t done anything the chances are Something Isn’t Right. first, look @ ur body. are you not focusing bc of some pressing physical need? sometimes just taking a shower and coming back helps. are you uncomfy? are you too comfy and going to sleep? if body okay, look @ the material. do you not understand it? do you just need to switch to a new topic for a little bit? can you find a youtube video that will help you better understand it? make notes on what you don’t get so you can ask in the next class. if it’s not the material, it’s not ur bod, check the Actual Space. sometimes just getting up, going for a short walk to a new place, and trying it there actually? really works? if none of this is working.... try ur brain next. hardest to reset bc like, what, turn it on and off again? i use things like caffeine, a short workout, a nap, or a podcast all to just... give me a little boost.

don’t be afraid to leave. i mean this about class, friend groups, and the college ur at. just get up on outta there if ur not feelin it. i cannot recommend “drop the class” enough. even if it’s a required course see if u can switch the times if u hate the professor day 3 it’s not gonna get better just get the fuCK out

don’t nap in the same position u go to sleep in, nap upside down w/ur head away from ur pillow. don’t ask me why but it works to 1. fall asleep faster 2. make sure u sleep okay at night and 3. wake up less annoyed

on that note don’t ever do anything in ur bed in a sleeping position unless it’s genuinely sleeping in it. body will get confused. just sit up, lazybones.

when/if the library has those therapy dogs during finals week.... just go pet them make the time for it

ask before hugging people, but don’t expect a “yes”

get a backpack that fits and doesn’t hurt ur back u fuckin hippie idc how cool it is to wear ur backpack super low just don’t do it it’s not worth it

the tutoring center is a fucking goldmine.... free essay edits my dudes

bring a fan dorms are always hotter than u expect

switch dorms if u can if u realize ur in the wrong room/wrong roomate like just don’t bother with nonsense

when in doubt, follow preschool rules. tell ppl when they did something cool, just ask when u need help, and be confident even in your mistakes, because at least u tried

#anyway

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selfhelpfactory · 5 years ago

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The Ultimate Secret Of Getting Rich | Think And Grow Rich Summary

Napoleon Hill Think And Grow Rich Summary

You wanna know how to get rich? not just rich how to get success at what you want? I have an answer, Think And Grow Rich. Today in this think & grow rich summary I will try to give you all the answers you wanna know.

I will cover the think and grow rich outline.

Some of my favorites think and grow rich quotes.

Key points and think and grow rich takeaways.

In the end a roadmap to how to get rich from nothing.

Origin :

Napoleon Hill the author of Think And Grow Rich, once got a chance to interview “Andrew Carnegie ” the richest person of that time.

According to Andrew, every person is going to fail in their life in the process of doing everything they can to achieve success. But the law of success is universal, means equal and same for every individual.

Andrew said to Mr.Hill, I want you to write a book, a philosophy with the help of some of the world’s most successful peoples wisdom and knowledge. Which will talk about this universal law of success and help every individual to achieve success

So people instead of wasting their time, money, energy in finding this law can learn from us, from this book how to be successful.

After this Mr.Hill did almost 20 years of research on 500 most rich and successful people, took their interview, tried to find the common links and things between them which resulted in this amazing Think And Grow Rich Book.

In today’s Think And Grow Rich summary, I’ll share with you some of the key points

Think And Grow Rich Outline:

Mindset :

Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

Napoleon Hill

You had the idea of doing something, to be successful and you all pumped up and you start working on it with full excitement, focus, and dedication.

But as soon as things start getting harder and tough, all that focus, excitement, dedication start fading it just disappears and you give up. Don’t worry it’s not just you, the majority of people give up and I’ll tell you why.

You work on something with the mindset of not failing. You are scared of failure. When you’ll change your mindset from failure conscious to success conscious, you’ll notice the change, and you’ll stop giving up.

Having a positive mindset is very important. Obstacles, hard times, ups and downs are always gonna be in your path of success. All you have to do is be stubborn, keep going one day you’ll make it.

To make money learn how to think rich, read self help books. Replace your poor and middle-class mindset with rich thinking.

Your mind is a supercomputer and you have to program it with positive thoughts and never give up attitude.

Burning Desire :

In order to fulfill your dreams the very first step is having a very strong desire, desire to achieve it. It should not be just a wish.

EX. : whenever you see a supercar or a top-notch house, your first thought is, ” I wish I had it, I wish It was ” instead of saying ” I am gonna have it, I am gonna work for it until its mine “.

Stronger the desire you’ll have, more the chances are you gonna achieve your goal. And don’t just desire, put your hard work, time, energy, blood, sweat everything in order to make your dream come true.

Faith :

Faith means believing in something or yourself with all your heart and mind. is like a state of mind. Just like mind, faith can be controlled or programmed with the help of autosuggestion.

Autosuggestion is nothing but affirmations and visualization. To achieve faith or belief you need to speak with yourself, with your mind on a daily basis. You have to sow positive seeds in your mind.

How you do that? With the help of affirmations and visualization. To know about this more read The Miracle Morning book Summary. Some of the affirmation statements I use are as follows.

I am a confident person.

I am capable of doing whatever I can think of.

I am going to be a wealthy and happy man in the upcoming 5 years.

I am going to keep learning and tech people whatever I have learned till the day I die.

I will make my mom proud.

You can make your own statements like above according to whatever you wanna achieve.

Specialized knowledge :

You might have heard that ” Knowledge is power “. It’s true but don’t just keep feeding your brain with useless facts, figures, numbers, and information.

There are two types of knowledge 1) General and 2) specialized

From childhood, you’re just filling up your brain with useless General knowledge which neither you ever gonna use in your life nor it gonna benefit you.

The old school education system has a major contribution to this. If you think having all knowledge makes you smart and others stupid then you are wrong.

Henry Ford once asked about his lack of general knowledge, on that he questioned,”why would I bother myself to learn all this useless stuff when I have hired people who can answer me everything I wanna know. I am not a very educated man but, no one can beat me in my niche of knowledge.”

That is why don’t try to be all-rounder, don’t try to be master in every field instead yourself in one field. Having specialized knowledge will make you an Expert. This will help you in real life mad will make you more amount of money. A specialized Doctor charges more than any clinic doctor who knows everything.

Imagination :

Imagination is where all ideas come from. You can make and achieve anything if you can imagine.

Now if this sounds unrealistic to you then do remember, we humans have achieved so much in the last few decades with the help of imagination, which was considered to be impossible.

There are two types of imagination 1) synthetic and 2) Creative

Synthetic imagination means nothing but taking someone else’s idea or imagination and modifying or upgrading it. It also means combining two different existing ideas and implementing then in a different way to achieve something new.

Creative imagination means coming up with something which is unique, which is never done, an original idea. These ideas might not make sense for ordinary people but if you really believe and work hard it can change the world.

Organized Planning :

Desire and hoping is not enough. You need a definite, precisely organized step by step plan which you can execute to achieve your goal.

Every adversity, every failure, every heartbreak, carries with it a seed of equal or greater benefit.

Napoleon Hill

This simply means no matter how well organized your plan is, you are going to taste the failure. This doesn’t mean you give up. You learn from it, stood up, improve your plan, and get back to work.

Decision :

Make firm and quick decisions and make sure you stick to them. Never procrastinate. If you are too concerned about what others will think about your decisions then my friend sadly you never gonna achieve what you want.

Cause with this mindset you’ll be not making decisions for you but for others. What others think is none of your business. You have a dream, goal and to achieve it sometimes you might even have to take tough decisions. But trust me, your dreams worth it.

Persistence :

Persistence plays a vital role in one’s success. One of the major reasons why people fail is a lac of persistence.

Nothing in this world can take a place of good old persistence. Talent won’t, nothings more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius won’t, unrecognized geniuses are practically a cliche. Education moved by world is full of educated fools. Persistence and determination alone all are powerful.

The Founder ( movie)

So how to develop a sheer persistence?

By having a clear, definite goal.

Developing a strong burning desire.

with a well organized definite plan.

By specializing in one field.

Good habits.

Power Of Mastermind :

You are the average of those 5 people with whom you spend most of the time. That’s why being surrounded by like-minded and positive people is very important.

You are a social creature and believe it or not, you get influenced by the people around you. So choose these people carefully.

The author calls them Mastermind Alliance with whom you share and improve your ideas and thoughts. These people believe in you and encourage you, this gives you an extra boost to keep going.

The Subconscious Mind :

You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct, and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be.

Napoleon Hill

Your subconscious mind is the most powerful tool you have for free. But the thing is how you use it, how you program it. It will give you the output based on your input. Your subconscious mind works 24 7 even when you are sleeping. The problem is it can’t differentiate between good and bad.

That’s why programming your subconscious positively, your goal-oriented is very important. In programming your subconscious mind, autosuggestion plays a very important role. Autosuggestion combined with emotions results in better control over subconscious

By using 7 positive emotions ( desire, love, sex, faith, romance, enthusiasm and hope ) you can create positive mindset.

How to Get Rich :

Fix The Amount Of Money You Want:

Decide the exact amount of money you wanna earn. Just thinking that I wanna be wealthy, I wanna earn a lot of money is not enough. Being exact clears your mind and focuses on your goal.

Without the clear amount you wanna earn you are like a high tech ship without a captain and fixed destiny. You know what will happen to ship like that, either it will be swollen by the ocean or keep strangling in motion.

Soo have you decided how much money you wanna earn?

Determine Exactly What You Intend To Give In Return:

To earn the amount of money you want, what are the things you willing to sacrifice? Specify this exactly. It can be anything like your time, energy, extra hard work, or it can be adding values in others life providing services like that.

It’s like the newton’s third law, to achieve the desired amount of results/ money you have to pay an equal amount of efforts/price.

Specify The Deadline:

Establish a definite date when you intend to possess all the money you desire. Adding a specific date or deadline puts your mind on alert tells it that, you have limited time to ear this much money and need to keep working.

Create A Definite Plan :

Now make a plan for how you gonna achieve your goal. In order to earn the money, you desire what steps you have to take? Ad how you gonna do it? Find answers to all these questions.

Don’t think that, this plan is not perfect, I’ll make a perfect plan and then start working on it. Don’t waste time, there’s no such thing as a perfect plan. So better you just take an action and start working.

Write Down Everything :

Write all the exact and precise answers to all the above questions. For doing this use a separate diary, cause it will give you a direct start which will help you to move ahead to achieve your goal.

Read It Daily :

Everything you’ll write in your diary, take look at it at least twice a day and read at it loudly and repeat it again and again.

By doing this you’ll be programming your subconscious mind to earn the amount you want. Once your subconscious mind is programmed things will get easy for you. All this is very important to think and grow rich.

Conclusion:

Change your mindset from failure conscious to success conscious.

Having a strong burning desire is important.

Develop and control your faith with autosuggestions.

Acquire specialized knowledge of one field, be master of it.

You can make and achieve anything if you can imagine. Don’t limit your imagination.

Hoping something is not enough. You have to work on it and for that, you require a well-organized plan.

Make a firm and quick decisions. Don’t procrastinate.

Nothing in this world can take place of good old persistence.

You are the average of those 5 people with whom you spend most of the time

Autosuggestion combined with emotions results in better control over subconscious

Review:

Personally, I loved Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It tells you exactly what you should be doing in order to achieve your dreams. And all the success mantras in this book derived after doing 20 years of research and interviewing 500 most rich and successful people of that time.

Every Mantra/concept is very well explained with the help of amazing inspirational examples. And at the end of each chapter, there are few action steps are given so you start moving towards your goal , ad you start reading book.

It unleashes the secret to become rich. It tells you how to think rich and grow rich. With the help of book you develop rich thinking. Over all I loved this book and I 100% recommend it to everyone who wanna achieve success.

This is just a summary of Think And Grow Rich it can’t replace the original book. Make you sure definitely read this amazing book.

The post The Ultimate Secret Of Getting Rich | Think And Grow Rich Summary appeared first on Selfhelp Factory.

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withinthescripts · 8 years ago

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Season 2, Cassette 5: Van Gogh Museum (1977)

Hey there, lovers of wires and all things within. Jeffrey Cranor here with a really exciting thing to tell you. We have brand new Within the Wires shirts designed by the inimitable Rob Wilson in our Topatoco Store. And, I’m really excited for this too: an art print by Claudia Atieno, created by real life artist Jessica Hayworth. Even if you don’t wanna buy it, go to withinthewires.com and click on “shirts and posters” to see the breathtaking painting “Child with Damselfly by Claudia Atieno. Oh god, it’s so beautiful! Again, go to withinthewires.com and click on “shirts and posters.”

http://www.nightvalepresents.com/withinthewires#store

And now, an audio guide of the Van Gogh Museum, 1977.

[tape recorder turns on]

Welcome to the Van Gogh museum. I am Zoe Bakker, director of curation. Over the past two years, we have been exploring the early lives of some of the 20th century most influential artists. Our current exhibition shows the childhood paintings, sketches, and diaries of Claudia Atieno. As part of this ongoing series, we have often have the artist featured comment on their juvenile work, but in the case of Atieno, that is not possible. Atieno has not been seen now for some years, and while we may never know what happened to her, at this distance of time it seems unlikely that she is still living. The Van Gogh Museum, along with the wider artistic community, deeply mourns the loss of such an impactful and important voice. As we can’t get comment from the artist herself, we have approached her contemporary and close personal friend, Roimata Mangakāhia, to provide insights to the childhood work of Claudia Atieno. The exhibit is in the ground floor of the exhibition wing. Follow the numbered signs and press play whenever you see an audio guide placard, and pause after each tone you hear. We hope you enjoy your visit to the Van Gogh Museum.

[bell chimes]

It is always interesting to contemplate the art of a child who was destined to become truly vital. Surely there are key developmental differences between the great artist and the ordinary. Whether it be they’re drawing stick figures with arms coming out of their torsos or having the imagination to give their stick figures a pet elephant instead of a dog. However, it’s debatable how much we can really learn from this. We must always be aware that no amount of developmentally advanced childhood scribbles can truly take the place of the years of hard work and dedication it takes to develop true skill, and a genuine artistic voice. Brilliance is not innate, nor is it taught. Brilliance is rote, it is tedium, it is practice. You must enjoy what you do or at least tolerate it in order to become great.

Here we will examine Claudia Atieno’s childhood, and we may be impressed at her early skill. But it’s important to remember that many children show aptitudes that they do not develop further. Atieno’s childhood work may indeed be remarkable, but it’s likely remarkable for reasons other than artistic merit.

First, it’s remarkable that these sketchbooks and paintings survived at all. Born towards the end of the decades long Great Reckoning, Claudia grew up as the world around her was being completely reshaped. As more than a quarter of the world’s population was decimated through war, famine, and cataclysmic natural forces. She was of the last generation to be raised by her parents along with her siblings, and although a process was devised to separate this generation’s ideologies and prejudices from those of their parents, they were not made to forget them, as would be true of children later, such as me and likely you too.

Through these early works it’s possible to divine something of what it was like for these transitional generations, to have your existence change so dramatically. And to know that those who came after you would never experience a life like the one you had. Humanity’s survival is predicated on its self-governance, and the new society has protected us from even greater reckonings.

While we can learn and observe certain things about Claudia the child and Claudia the teenager and make guesses from them on Claudia as an adult, whether there is anything to learn about Claudia the artist is up for debate. And surely there’s little to gather about where she is today. Honestly, I fear the worst. Claudia’s mother kept much of her childhood work, everything from finger paintings done as an infant to the charcoal portraits of pre-adolescence, so we have a comprehensive view of how her art progressed up to age 12. Perhaps more comprehensive than we really need it to be. Work from Claudia’s adolescence, after she was moved to the New Society Programming Center, however, is more scarce. I would like to be able to tell you exactly why this is, but in truth I do not know. It’s possible Claudia simply drew and painted less after she left her family. It’s possible the Center was less committed to keeping the work of its wards, indeed with 30 or so children to care for it’s understandable if more childhood relics slipped through the cracks. It’s possible also that Claudia herself started discarding some of her own work. She was old enough by this point to be more discerning about what was worth keeping. But there’s little point in speculating other works we cannot see, while we have plenty to talk about before our eyes.

[bell chimes]

One. “Childhood Home”, 1935.

Look closely at the standard box structure of the home. Brown walls, windows, and a yellow front door. There is a chimney stuck on top and clouds above. If you have seen Atieno’s “House with Yellow Door” painted in her adulthood, you may recognize this picture. I might even consider this drawing an early study of the later masterwork. Represented here as a style of childhood drawing that is no longer commonly seen, but was once incredibly popular. The drawings, crudely done obviously by children of roughly five or six, would feature a simple house standing alone on a flat green line. There would be a door, couple of windows, a chimney often putting forth smoke, although invariably the scene depicted would be a nice day with the sun beaming from the sky, as shown by a single line of blue. Beside the house would stand several figures. Two taller and at least one, [chuckles] the artist, smaller. Children were drawing their families and would include however many siblings they happened to have. And any family pets. Nowadays, these once common drawings have been replaced. The houses by the larger more functional clinic buildings where children are raised and the families by teams of caretakers. Atieno herself painted and sketched several of these old-fashioned pictures as a child. There is much you can gleam from them yourself, of course, as they are displayed.

[softly] Look here. She drew the sky as blue and the ground as green. But the sky is not a simple line far above our heads, but rather an all-encompassing atmosphere. Notice where her simple crude pictures develops a horizon. Look at the family dog, standing in the lower right of this drawing. Notice she’s drawn two horizontal black lines for the dog’s eyes. Do dogs sleep while standing?

It’s tempting to look at these early drawings and paintings and see depth and skill that isn’t there. After all, we know what Claudia would go on to accomplish. But in truth, there’s not much to distinguish them from the work of any other child with a modicum of artistic talent. These are borderline finger paintings, there’s no fire or inspiration, or even an unusual amount of imagination. She drew her house, it’s historically interesting, that’s all. The same drawings have been made time and again by children across the globe. Knowing Claudia, she probably looked at what other kids are drawing and just drew that. But we must not judge too harshly. After all, she was only a child.

[bell chimes]

Two, “Childhood Home, Left”.

By the time Claudia was removed to the Programming Center, of course she was 13, so her style is more sophisticated, although she had yet to develop real skill. Still, the house in the painting is recognizable as the actual house that she had left behind.

[softly] Notice her use of watercolors, finding out how to layer paint to create wood-like texture on the ashen siding. The house is yellow as you can see, the woodwork is clear, the space around it is built with the swing set and bicycles we know the family had.

Pay attention. The absence of the family dog, where did it go? Where did you go? Are you no longer some place you once were? Can you notice a thing that is not there?

This painting would have been made about seven years after the previous, so it’s possible the dog died. But it’s also a significant reminder of the memories programmed out of children. It’s difficult to say whether the dog died or – just the memory of it.

The family themselves stands collected just outside the house. Claudia herself is absent, however. Perhaps this implies that it’s a picture of the house she (pictured) her home after she’d left it. It’s an inaccurate picture, of course, as her brothers and sisters were also removed, taken to other centers, and her father and mother were left there alone. So perhaps this is how she thought of her family, anachronistically reunited in her absence, together still in their happy life, with her alone removed from it.

[bell chimes] [tape recorder turns off] [ads] [tape recorder turns on] [bell chimes]

Three. “New Environment”.

This is a collection of 12 tiny drawings depicting areas of the Programming Center where Claudia spent her adolescence. There’s a theme of personal distance in much of the work Claudia created while she was at the center. She followed up her melancholic look back at the home that was once was hers with a closest thing to a home that she would have for some years.

Some of the pictures are outside the courtyards and gardens. Some in the dedicated recreation spaces. Some in the dining rooms, and a couple in the dormatories.

Each drawing shows a collection of children with caretakers hovering around them. Sometimes the children are playing a group game together. In one they seem to be chasing after a ball of some kind, in one they are skipping ropes. Sometimes they are working quietly. Sometimes they are eating. Et cetera.

Look at the 12 picture grid, starting on the top row, going from left to right. Think of these as a chronological order of a day. First, see the relaxation exercises in the garden. See the children, eyes closed and breathing, their hands on their knees. Look at the next two drawings of the dining hall as children eating breakfast, and then later, receive instructions over the loudspeakers. Look at the children’s rapt attention to the sound, look at their eyes. Are they attentive or distant?

[softly] Are you attentive? How do you know? How far away are you? Do you mean that figuratively?

In the next few pictures we see in order, classroom education and isolation room and physical education. The last one on the top row, look at the children running. It looks like two of them are holding hands. This is possibly just the angle of the drawing, but I believe Claudia was suggesting young romance, particularly in an environment that forbade it.

Along the bottom row, you will see a picture of lunch. Nothing exciting there. Then a picture of musical lessons. The children gathered around a piano, their eyes covered with towels as an instructor plays a tune.

The next two images are of tactile retraining. Notice the wires running up each child’s arm. You probably remember these from your own programming center. Even in Atieno’s time, tactile retraining was unpleasant, but probably the most valuable skills we learned.

And the last three images are simply children speaking to one another, during class breaks, in the garden.

[softly] Look at the way the children in the last picture are huddled close to one another. Notice the similarities in features between these two and the two running in the earlier drawing. Are they leaning into whispers and secrets, about themselves, about someone else? Are their knees touching? As an adolescent, did you ever let your knees touch another’s?

Each of these pictures include Atieno, but she’s never included in activity, she’s always off to the side. You can see her. [chuckles] Look for the long braids, the small figure and sharp shoulders. That girl could not easily be mistaken for anyone other than Claudia. She was – is- a distinct-looking woman, beautiful and robust. She drew herself well. Many people at this age either fantasize a greater or lesser version of themselves. Claudia always knew what she looked like.

Atieno’s absence from these images might suggest she never engaged much with the rest of the children, or perhaps this is an attempt to communicate how she felt, to show the world the loneliness no one seemed to see.

[soft, nearly whispering] And what of the two girls running together, holding hands? Speaking in covert breathlessness in the garden. One of the girls has similar hair to Claudia, but is larger in build. Who were these girls, friends? Perhaps girls Claudia wanted to be friends with? A jealousy? Or just more likely just a fascination in their gestures, the attractiveness of their form as they gossiped or jogged.

There is one of these pictures that is even more notable than the two girls. It’s on the second row, second from the right. Look at the garden with the main building behind and to the left. Children are running around, there’s a collection of hoops among them and they appear to be changing them but - in no particular direction. Claudia stands in the midst of the group, slightly to the right of the center. She’s in the middle of the action but somehow removed from it. Rather than watching the game, she stares out of the painting at the viewer. Her face is expressionless and her arms hang by her sides.

Do you see her? Does she see you?

You see the young artist grasp the concept of the viewer, the patron. She looks skeptical, distrustful. This picture isn’t about children playing hoops, it’s about your response to it.

Is she trying to intimidate us? Do you feel challenged to enjoy or critique this work? Do you feel your concept grasped by the artist? Do you have a response? It is this drawing that perhaps gives the first, and possibly the only, glimpse we get to the adolescent Claudia. And she would go on to be an important artist.

[bell chimes]

Four, “Self-Portrait, Sketchbook”.

This exhibition includes a sketchbook kept by Claudia during her final years at the center, before she went on to travel and study all over the world, all drawings done between the ages of 16 and 18. The sketches are varied and mostly unfinished. (--) [0:20:31] details done for practice, ideas marked out to be expanded elsewhere. There are disembodied eyes, armless hands, there are figures shot through with lines marking out proportions, there are themeless indistinct doodles. It is entirely a collection of self-portraits in different stages of completion, of scope, of examination.

Claudia did not do many self-portraits as an adult and a working artist, she did not care for them, and did not care to explain why. But it’s clear that as a teenager, her feelings were different. There are three self-portraits in this sketchbook that are worth considering. The first is on page 10, a simple plain pencil sketch. It’s accomplished and a good likeness. There is energy to her face although there is not a strong expression.

She told me once that she used to find moths and flies in the garden around the programming center. She would take those insects and pin them down and study them. She would look at them closely, studying their complex eyes, hairy twitching legs. She wouldn’t kill the damselflies, but she would tear their wings from them and set them back down, watching them crawl away. She would hold the wings like a microscopic stained glass window up to the sun and then blow them out to the wind, as if they were seed pods that could land upon a spot of fertile earth and grow again.

I asked her why children did such mean things, but she did not think it mean at all. “I still do it from time to time, Roimata,” she told me, and she had a disaffected half-grin as she said it. it was determined but completely without meaning. The face in this sketch, this was the face she made.

The second self-portrait is on page 13, done in pastels and much more fantastical. She has rendered her brown skin in reds and blues and gives her green irises a sheen of yellow. Her dark hair seems almost alive with color. It is a style she had (cripped) [0:22:47] from a children’s book called, [chuckles] that she had had since leaving her home. It is a strong imitation.

The third self-portrait is a pen and ink drawing on the back cover of the sketchbook, with black ink sinking into the pale green of the book’s cardboard cover. The portrait shows the left half of Claudia’s face, whole and impassive. But the right half has shattered away.

Notice how her right eye looks right at you, while the cheek below it is gone. See the jagged edge that cuts down from her right temple to her chin. Did you just touch your own cheek as you looked at this? Why?

Have you ever imitated an idea? Did you feel bad about it?

This portrait is strikingly similar to the self-portrait by (Amei Layeni), which currently hangs in LA County Museum in Los Angeles, North America. Layeni was of a larger build with a rounder face and no glasses. But her hair was similar to Atieno’s. Layeni’s portrait was unveiled when Claudia was in her early 20’s. The two were almost the same age. Once Claudia commented to me on how much she loved Layeni’s self-portrait, and how much she wanted to see Amei again. How she missed Amei.

I said, “I didn’t know you two knew each other.” I asked when was the last time she saw her, but Claudia replied: “I can’t say.” And I wasn’t sure if she meant she didn’t know, or wasn’t allowed to. She did not tell me of the sketch at the time, she did not mention which center she had grown up in, she did not tell me who else had been there.

[tape recorder turns off]

Within the Wires is written by Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson and performed by Rima Te Wiata, with original music by Mary Epworth. Find more of Mary’s music at maryepworth.com.

The voice of Zoe Bakker was Lia Albers.

Within the Wires is a production of Night Vale Presents. Another of our podcasts I think you’d love is “I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats”. Welcome to Night Vale’s Joseph Fink talks with the Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle about music, art, politics and the responsibilities of being a creator. I know very little about the Mountain Goats or music in general, but this podcast is smart and funny and they made a reference to both Bertol Brecht and (--) [0:25:55] in the newest episode, and I actually did a happy little skip, in public. Go listen now to “I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats” at nightvalepresents.com.

OK, our time is done. It’s you time now. Time to stop by the museum gift shop, grab yourself a souvenir book of paintings about [Houston Astros – José Altuve], pick up a poster featuring [Houston Astros – José Altuve], and buy a commemorative vase made out of [iced tea].

#within the wires #night vale presents #season 2 #season 2 cassette 5 #van gogh museum 1977

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greatcheesecakepersona · 8 years ago

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Download: LoadingRandomizer

This version is outdated! Use the new LoadingRandomizer instead.

Are you bored of the same loading screen and music all the time? While you can certainly swap those out, it always takes some time and you would have to do it manually before every startup.

But no more!

Let LoadingRandomizer do this work. Within a few milliseconds, the application will...

- search for all Splash soundfiles from all your eps/sps - backup the original Splash file from the latest ep/sp (into the app folder) - swap a random file from the list with the current Splash file

- look for all loading screens in the applications /screens folder - copy a random file from the folder to the /UI folder of the main game

- start the correct The Sims 2.exe (with the usual startup time)

I’ve measured it: Zero delay by using LoadingRandomizer!

Installation & first steps:

Extract the zip archive and put the folder anywhere you want. In the /bin folder you’ll see many ddls but most important the program exe. Now create a shortcut to the exe with any name you like (ex. The Sims 2) and better set an icon for this (you can use a Sims 2 exe as an icon!). This is your new shortcut to launch The Sims 2 (and the LoadingRandomizer at the same time)! You can put it anywhere you want, for example the start menu, just like your old shortcut (to the Sims 2.exe).

When you launch the application for the first time (by clicking on the shortcut or executing the normal exe file), you’ll get the information that the path information is missing. Since the application must start & close as fast as possible, it first looks for the paths that are needed for the ‘random swapping’ process. Since the file has to be generated the first time, accept the information and you’ll see the interface.

You have to set three paths: The path to the Sims 2 root folder, the path to the base game UI folder and the path to your executable of the latest ep/sp.

Click on ‘save and exit’ and now the application will create two or three new files: A file with the UI & executable path in it and a file that contains all paths to the different Splash soundtracks. If you used the window mode option, the application will also create a file with the resolution.

From now on, the application behaves differently since the path file exist. Whenever you launch the application, it closes so quick that you can’t even see it. What happens during that short time is the swapping process described above. Then it will launch The Sims 2.

Adding (new) loading screens:

Put the package files into the /custom_loading_screens folder of the application directory. If the folder is empty (default), the loading screen will of course not change and only the music is being swapped. Choose any name you want, but keep in mind to only put loading screens (= logo replacements) in there!

Adding custom Splash music

Put the package files into the /custom_splash_music folder. Choose whatever name you want. If the folder is empty, only the installed Splash files will be swapped, if there are files in the folder, both will be used. If you don’t want to hear the preinstalled splash music, delete the installed_splashes.txt file. If you don’t like the Splash of a certain ep/sp, delete the correct line in the file.

Download:

LoadingRandomizer

Source Code (not needed!)

Having problems?

Is the application good at doing nothing? Then you might wanna set both the exe and the shortcut to have administrative rights. The application shows an unusual error message? Maybe you are using an unsupported OS like Windows XP or Vista. I’m sorry for this, but there’s nothing I can do about it (limitation from the IDE). Feel free to contact me if you are facing any errors!

More advanced options and information underneath.

Changing settings afterwards

If you made a mistake with your paths, you can set the application back to default mode by deleting the paths.txt file. Then once you execute the application, you can select the paths again. Alternatively you can edit the path file (and so the installed_splash file) which however might result to more work.

Preventing errors

- set the paths correctly - put only loading screens in the /custom_loading_screens folder - put only splash files in the /custom_splash_music folder - make sure you don’t have an additional loading screen in your UI folder, keep it empty before using LoadingRandomizer! - alter the text files correctly if needed - don’t rename any folder - copy the splash_original.package file to another folder just to be save

Known errors

Some stuff packs don’t have their own Splash file (the folder does not contain a Splash file), but as soon there is a new Splash file inserted (by the application), it will create a unnecessary backup file. This is not a huge deal, you just have one file you might not need. I think it’s a minor detail so I won’t add more code.

#Sims 2 #Sims 2 CC #Download #LoadingRandomizer

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