#but i can't remember the source for that so it's possible i'm getting it mixed up with something else

[sunriseverse]

17 and 18 for the fanfic ask please?

17: What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic?

there've been a number of attempts at creating a chinese typewriter, the first of which being by zhou houkun, which weighed 18kg in the prototype and 14kg in the improved version, and typed 4,000 characters. after that the kao typewriter was patented, typing 5,400 characters, followed by the Japanese wanneng and shuangge typewriters, and the chinese mingkuai typewriter. the attempts at creating an efficient chinese typewriter have largely been rendered as redundant since the invention of computerised typing systems, which bypass the need to create a method of fitting a large number of unique characters onto a barrel/cylinder, which inhibited the number of characters that could be produced. (pictured below: a shuangge typewriter, the illustration for the ming-kuai typewriter patent, and the kao IBM electric typewriter.)

18: What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

answered here.

[nebbyy]

A list of my most unpopular ASOIAF opinions and theories

Please remember this is all based on the books alone, and there also might be SPOILERS for Fire and Blood and the Game of Thrones book series.

ALSO I might open the requests for Game of Thrones fics and headcanons, and maybe for Baldur's Gate as well once I get back into it.

Okayyy so here we gooo.

1. Maegor's story doesn't add up

Don't get me wrong, he must've obviously been a horrible king and a shitty husband, but reading the chapters that talk about him in Blood and Fire, it all just felt like a list of rumours and versions of all nefarious crimes he would've committed. There are about five versions of whatever he did with each wife of his, each of them more depraved than the one before.

Again, I don't think he was an angel or anything, but my theory is that his history was written by biased sources. His reign was made illicit by Jaehaerys, so it would've been in his best interest to have him remembered as nothing more than a viscious monster.

It's a form of "damnatio memoriae" that we've already seen, in a way, with Mushroom and the Dance of Dragons. When in a conflict, and especially after a victory, each side wants to depict the side they beat as badly as possible Caesar did a similar thing in "De Bello Gallico", the book about his conquest of the modern French and Swiss territories. In this book he excuses his conquest with the supposed preparations for an attack by the Helvetians, a fact that was proven to be misinterpreted as it was a mere pacific migration. And again, he did the same thing when he accused them of cannibalising each other while being under siege, another untrue fact made up to just make them seem worse.

So in a way, Maegor's reputation could've been made worse by following historians to legitimate Jaehaerys' reign over Aerea's claim.

2. Incest has no effects on Valyrians

Okay, this is a bit weirder. My theory is that Valyrians practised incest because it had no effect on their offspring.

Looking at the Targaryen family tree, I noticed that the cases of madness increase the more Targaryens marry with other houses. Baelor the Blessed was the first mad Targaryen, and he had a grandmother of house Harte and a great grandmother who was half Arryn.

Before Baelor, Helaena is questionably considered mad as well, which would prove my theory furthermore had it not been for the amount of trauma she endured in her life so I'm honestly not gonna count her as "mad". Rhaegel Rargaryen was the second confirmed mad Targaryen, with a Martell mother; his daughter Aelora is questionably considered mad too, and her mother is an Arryn.

Aerion Brightflame was another mad Targaryen, with a half Martell father and a Dayne mother. The last two mad Targaryens were Aerys II and Viserys III, but at this point, the bloodline was mixed with others enough to make the Targaryen madness an unpredictable factor.

3. There is no good or bad in the Dance of Dragons

So I think we could theorise that Valyrians can perform incest so long as it remains within pure Valyrian blood.

Edit: some of you have pointed out how there were other signs of incest complications in the Targaryen family such as malformities and stillborn babies. I really am no biologist and I don't want to dwell into that "Valyrian race supremacy" craziness, but those cases are once again always correlated to marriages between Targaryens and other houses, for example all of Maegor's stillborn and unborn children (as 5 out of his 6 wives were not Targaryens/Valyrians) or the following cases.

Rhaenyra had a claim on the throne because of Viserys' will, but Aegon had a claim on the throne because of the laws of Westeros themselves. You can argue that Alicent wasn't the nicest stepmother, yet you can't look me in the face and tell me a woman in the middle ages married to a KING to whom she had given THREE SONS wouldn't complain when the king dismisses all of them and their claims in favor of his firstborn daughter.

Otto may have manipulated Alicent, but that was just how a Lord was supposed to act in that situation: have her marry the best candidate (the king), have her birth at least a son (she did) and make sure those children are first in line for the throne (as it should be, by the laws).

Viserys shouldn't have remarried if he already had his heir, period.

At the same time, Rhaenyra had every reason to fight for her claim and try and go against the actual laws of Westeros, but it was inevitable that many would've seen badly her attempt at claiming what was Aegon's birthright.

Lucerys was an asshole for mutilating Aemond and never showed remorse, quite the opposite. Aemond was an asshole who shouldn't have had all the power he had, plus I hardly believe his and Alys relationship was really consensual so there's that..

In the end, they all had their rights and wrongs, but that doesn't matter at all. The only point about the Dance is the fact that a pointless conflict led to the downfall of one of the strongest families in Westeros history.

4. Rhaegar didn't love Lyanna

I hate the series for making them marry. Like, seriously, have D&D ever read the books? Have they not read what happened between Maegor and the Faith when he took another wife??

Never, not even in the most twisted of universes, would the faith let Rhaegar kidnap and marry a Stark girl while he was still married to Elia. That just wouldn't be plausible.

And I also don't think he'd just fall in love at first sight with a random girl at a tournament. She was a beautiful soul and had many qualities, but she had nothing that could truly make a man throw away his whole life to pursue her.

He needed another child. The dragon has three heads. He had Rhaenys and Aegon, but Visenya was missing (I just made up the name for the third possible child considering he was naming them after the three conquerors lmao). He needed Lyanna to have that third child, and he knew how to get her to get what he wanted.

Perhaps we'll find out this isn't true. Perhaps Rhaegar really was head over heels for Lyanna, but I honestly really really doubt it.

5. There is no certainty on who the Prince that was Promised is

No matter what the show wants us to see, we still don't know who it is. It could be Daenerys, it could be Jon, it could even be Stannis and we're not gonna know it until Martin reveals it.

I honestly think Daenerys is Azor Ahai, but I'm still curious to see why we would need to revive Jon then. And considering Stannis' sword possibly being Azor Ahai's sword, is it a fake one made by Melisandre to get what she wanted from him, or does he actually possess the original sword?

Well, these are the first theories and opinions I could think of right now, I might post more in the future. Again, please don't slander me in the comments, these are just my personal opinions and I respect all others.

[dresh-rx]

(I had this in my drafts for half a year i forgor)

CRACKHEAD THEORY RANT TIME

(plus dive into Ras'plans??)

People, I'm putting my money's worth on Ras'master being the First Spinjitzu Master!

So i can't rant nicely now but look:

Grasslands vibe!!4!

And the place where Ras'master teleported the dojo

Also it's clear that it's someone/something with great power if they can just do that.

And my theory on it being a source dragon has been buried with s2pt2(cause of the dead "balance" source dragon), so if not a source dragon then what. Well, eighter a new powerful character or FSM.

Also the color theme is very much Golden for the master...

As why he can't communicate normally is an intresting question.

Cause he speaks in morse code or broken toaster with Ras.

Maybe the merge fucked with his ability to communicate or smth(more on this below)

More reasons and Ras plan dissection contain SPOILERS for s2pt2 under!

We now know the goal of Ras and the Master:

To reverse the merge

(and all of this, somehow through the Sources, maybe capturing or even killing them, as we now know)

Sounds intresting, considering it doesnt exactly makes sense rn. Like, i get it, the merge was made to be prevented, it shouldn't have happened, but the merged lands are mixed right now. I don't even know how you could separate them anymore.

So obviously, the FSM was the first to want to prevent the merge, with the help of the Sources. He also created multiple standalone realms.

We also know, Wu had something to do with the eruption of the merge. Now its probable he didn't cause it directly and on purpose, since he was looking like he wanted to prevent it. My guess, maybe he was searching for the Dragon Cores and use them similarly of how Lloyd later fixes the merge quakes. And the origin of the merge is tied to the early Spinjitzu family, or just the FSM.

"Too soon"

So he did know it will come, just way more later.

But obviously:

So he didn't tell anyone but he probably knew this might happen all along cause his daddy told him... Oh Wu when will you learn

The last thing he tells Lloyd is:

"Remember, family is key"

Is also very intresting...

Another note, circling back to the idea that the FSM can't communicate properly is the exact same situation with Wu!

He is audiably struggling to talk to the ninja and barely speaks words.

So what if the merge affected the whole early Spinjitzu family (excluding Lloyd ofc). We don't know anything of Garmadon as of now tho, but he could be in a similar position.

Wu lives with this mistake he had a part in, but i doubt it's simple. It's probably the FSM's fault to begin with, as the possibility of realms colliding came after he created multiple more.

The reason why Ras' Master can't be Wu(plus he might doesn't even know the FSM did seek help from Ras) is simple. He is definetly not powerful enough to transport the Shadow Dojo. We haven't seen his full powers, but seeing him in this weakened spirit state is pretty much enough to prove that.

Another thing. He led the ninja to this location:

Which leads to the Monasteries in each realm. (Or just the 16 monasteries, since there seems to be both one in Imperium and one in The Land of Lost Things, which were in the same realm)

Ultimately this could be to warn them about the forbidden five's plans. Which doesn't contradict anything, the Forbidden Five has no intrest in Ras' plan, nor the Source dragons. But they can definetly complicate things.

But i am not sure if Wu has anything to do with Ras' plan or master as of now, but i can't explain it why. He may have, I don't know...

Also:

You guys think the Cauldron of Realms is the place Wu led the ninja to?

It doesn't look, cauldron-y but it definetly leads to all realms... And the place was referred to as a Monastery so maybe unlikely.

...

Anyways i'd love to hear your thoughts on this theory!

And with s3 around the corner this might change

[ckret2]

The way I see it, I've got two potential promising avenues:

I can work the word "goldilocks" into a pun, like "Goldilocked Up" or something—that's a dumb title but it shows you what I mean. That would also help the title fit Gravity Falls naming conventions, they LOVE pun titles, and I'm always happy to make the fic feel a little more canon-ish.

(Shoutout 2 the asker who sent "Under Goldilock And Key," I don't think it quite feels enough like the fic i'm writing but You've Got The Spirit)

So, with a pun, that opens up any phrase that includes the word "lock" or "gold" to be riffed off of ("Fool's Goldilocks," "Goldilocked and Loaded," etc etc y'all know how to make puns.) Considering doors that can't be opened are a big thing in the fic, there's SOME kind of potential with (goldi)locks and doors

OR, i can make an allusion to the Goldilocks principle—the idea that for something to work (in biology, in economics, in psychology, lots of fields), conditions have to be "just right" in between two possible extremes. The most prominent use of the Goldilocks principle is the Goldilocks Zone, which is the narrow criteria for earthlike planets that can support life (not too hot, not too cold; not too big, not to small, etc). I think i can work something with that, BUT i'd need to find a way to thematically work it into the fic. I think it's possible. Something something portal project, something something goldilocks zone of possible universes he can target?

(Plus, @thedemonsurfer pointed out that Bill being in the shack is sort of a Goldilocks zone for his redemption arc: not secure enough that he can default to all his usual defense mechanisms but not so insecure that he's constantly lashing out. Which is brilliant, I'd been trying to find some way to slap the goldilocks principle onto his current situation but couldn't figure out what two extremes he was in between.)

If I wanna go with a Goldilocks principle/Goldilocks Zone allusion, I've got a whole lot of fic left to write, I have time to make it seem like an actual theme I did on purpose. If I can find a way to tie it into the repeated Plato's Cave+Flatland+cosmic horror allusions I'm using, I've struck gold lmfao. (Something something a safe midpoint between the darkness of ignorance and the blinding light of full madness-inducing knowledge?)

My mind's spat out the idea "Wasting Away Again in the Goldilocks Zone," I don't think I'm sold on it yet.

Song allusion's to a guy trying to act carefree and chill in a vacation town as he gradually realizes he's the source of his own problems, which is true of the story and is gonna be even more true once he has enough freedom to properly pretend he's carefree and chill; Bill is a fan of margaritas; he definitely feels like he's wasting away; it mixes quirky fun summer vacationy vibes with subjects of cosmic significance; it firmly avoids the Goldilocks fairy tale OR calling Bill "Goldilocks, which is great; and it definitely don't sound like any other fic titles out there.

But on the other hand it's longer than I'd prefer; it's gonna be harder to remember for anyone who DOESN'T know the song allusion, plus anyone who doesn't know the allusion won't have any idea what the title means; I literally forgot until I checked 15 minutes ago that the line is "wasting away again in margaritaville" instead of just "wasting away in margaritaville" and apparently there's common confusion about whether it's "wasting" or "wasted," so there's multiple avenues via which it would be really easy to get the title wrong.

But like, it's a B- title. In spite of its logistical flaws, I actually like the sound of it. I think it's moving in the right direction. Leaning on the "Goldilocks zone" concept has potential.

[yesloulou]

Do u have any tips/tutorial how to make gifs so smooth if there's movement? Mine are always choppy and weird :(

Hi anon, ty for sending this ask. I'm sooo honored!! (and plz don't call your gifs choppy or weird i have a feeling they're very lovely 😌)

✨ Gif Tutorial: making movements in ur gifs as smooth as possible✨ (updated)

↳ aka: speed management in gif making

Remember to always source your content responsibly!! Process in this tutorial is simply what works best for me. Every creator has their own preferences and imo there is no right or wrong. We should always make content in the way we enjoy 🤍 Outline: 1. Remove duplicate frames 2. Repair missing frames 3. Speed management in Photoshop 4. Smoother slomo using Video Frame Interpolation

1. Remove duplicate frames

Obviously, if there're duplicate frames in a video, our gifs will end up with lil lags here and there (since some frames get more screen time than others). Although the dup frames are likely barely observable once compiled into gifs, imo this is what makes the difference between smooth and butter smooth. the two daniel gifs above (guy with big brown eyes, if ur not from our fandom 🤍) can hopefully showcase this difference**.

**technical explanation for this that you can totally skip: the persistence of human vision is approx. 0.1s, ie everything we see stay on our retina for this amount of time. since gifs refresh faster than this (eg. 0.04s on every frame for a 25 fps gif), we usually can't pinpoint exactly which frame is a duplicate just by looking at a gif. however. by definition, a duplicate frame will slow down a gif, by making it pause longer than it should. as a result, a movement during this lil chunk of time will move less pixels than your brain would've expected. and this is where we perceive the not-so-smoothness.

ok, now that we've established that we don't like duplicate frames -- I know it's common practice to handle this by looking for an optimal output frame rate to offset the dupes. to me this feels chancy. bc it's a process where you don't have control over exactly which frames to keep or discard. Personally, I prefer making sure my videos are dupe free before everything else. (Again, this is just what works for me. Everybody has their own process and imo there is no right or wrong :)

To remove duplicate frames, the first thing I do with a clip is to play the first few seconds frame by frame to see which one of the following scenarios it falls into:

a. no duplicate frames ↳ best case scenario! congrats!! plz proceed directly to step 2 b. there is a duplicated frame once in a while ↳ This happens most often with (but not limited to) videos from social medias ↳ Reason behind this is frame rate conversion. For instance, instagram/tiktok has a default frame rate of 30 fps. However, many media sources (eg. no brakes, sharl's vlogs) produce at 25 fps. When these videos are uploaded, instagram/tiktok convert them from 25 to 30 fps by duplicating 1 frame every 5 frames, hence twitchiness in gifs when slowed down. ↳ Solution: in photoshop, go through the clip frame by frame, delete dupes manually (recommended) ↳ Alternative solution: use duplicate frames remover softwares (see next bullet point) c. almost every frame has duplicates ↳ This will almost always** be the case with screen record. ↳ What not to do: When there are many duplicates, we may be tempted to use photoshop's 'import 1 out of every n frames' function. this is not ideal bc, the dupes are rarely uniformly distributed. you could end up losing frames you don't want to lose (resulting in choppy gifs) or end up with dup frames still in the mix (resulting in laggy gifs) or, most likely: both. ↳ A better way: is to import all frames into photoshop, adjust the output frame rate to offset the dupes (here is a good tutorial on this) Pros: efficiency; yields decent results in most cases. Cons: again, in my experience this is a process where you don't have precise control over the frames. Therefore runs the same (albeit smaller) risks as the method above. It can also limit how much you can slow down a gif, and generally doesn't work well if the target frame rate (of the clip you're trying to gif) exceeds your computer's recording rate**. **More on this statement: when target rate is comfortably lower than recording rate (~ 55 fps for many), chances are most to all frames will be captured. It is therefore more tolerating towards skipping a unique frame from time to time. However, when target rate (i.e. anything 60 fps) nears or exceeds recording rate, you will be dealing with dup frames as well as missing ones. Using the method above can therefore subject you to the possibility of losing two unique frames in a row, making the gifs noticeably choppy. ↳ Solution: we always have the option to trim dupes by hand in photoshop. But in this case, it can be time consuming, even with keyboard shortcuts. as a result, here is where we can really use a: ↳ Dup remover software: google search 'dup frame remover software' will give you several options and tutorials (here a plug-in for after effects). i've heard good things about some of these but unfortunately can't give recommendations (they do cost money sooo i wrote my own)

Demonstration:

This is a frame-by-frame animation of an ad Charles did for apm. It was produced at 25 fps & uploaded to socmed where the default is 30 fps. You can see that: i. With screen recording, every frame has an unpredictable amount of duplicates. ii. Original clip from instagram has 1 dup frame every 5 frames. iii. After deduplication, the movement becomes lag free and continuous.

2. Repair missing frames

At this point, our video clip is (hopefully) free of duplicate frames, which makes our gifs lag-free (yayy!!). At the same time, we don't want choppiness in our gifs either. Choppiness in a gif is usually caused by missing key (unique) frames. To check if there is any, replay the clip, look out for the sudden jumps/fast forwards in movements. Three possible scenarios:

a. no missing frames ↳ best case scenario! congrats!! plz proceed directly to step 3 b. a lot of missing frames ↳ This is usually the case if the target frame rate (of the clip you want to gif) exceeds the screen recording frame rate. ↳ Solution, imo: (surprise!) is to leave things be. Reason is that something like this would be quite tedious to fix, but not that noticeable if made into a gif that's fast enough ↳ Alternative solution: Record at 120 fps c. occasional missing frames If a video clip misses frames, but not a lot, chances are it's only gonna happen very occasionally, i.e. 1 or 2 occurrences in total. A frame-miss in this case is usually due to either the screen recording skipping a frame by mistake, or that the original video misses frames/contains bad frames to begin with. ↳ Solution (for screen recordings): record again, find missing frame (chances are it will be captured on a second try), insert frame back into original timeline in PS ↳ Solution (if video misses frames or contains bad frames to begin with): Let's talk about ✨ VFI ✨. VFI (Video Frame Interpolation) is the process of synthesizing in-between images from a given set of images. It can increase videos' frame rates (i.e. 30 fps to 60 fps), achieve smoother slomos, and by definition, also help with missing/bad frames. There are many software products that let you use VFI by simply dragging videos into the app and clicking 'export'. Afterwards, all we need to do is to find the missing frame generated by the app & insert it back into the original timeline in PS (ahh technology). For more info on VFI, see "4. Smoother slomo". ↳ Note that VFI processed footages will likely differ slightly from the originals in terms of colors & lightings. This may be tuned out using clipping masks (allow a group of adjustment layers to only apply to one frame/layer, keyboard shortcut: Command+Opt+G)

3. Speed Management in Photoshop (✨ updated ✨)

At this point, our clip is without dupe or missing frames (or at least as close as can be). Whether you dodged the first 2 steps like a breeze or freshly emerged victorious from photoshop covered in blood to get here, good news is, things will be very straightforward for this point on. congrats!!!

🎉🎊🎉

As mentioned before, in terms of smoothness, our clip is now in ideal shape. The important thing is to keep it this way throughout the rest of the process. My workflow looks something like this:

Open file, crop, resize, sharpen, color, export gif, reopen gif in photoshop (which won't compromise quality), assign frame delay, export finalized gif

If you're used to finding a comfortable frame delay or speed/duration combo at the beginning, this process might feel unnatural. But it's so so so so important to leave the speed related settings alone until right before exporting. Here's why:

By not converting frames with modified delays into timelines with fps, we avoid having to give our finished product a frame rate (which photoshop timelines have to specify). This is crucial bc, there is no such a thing as frame rates in gifs. According to the syntax of GIF89a (the current '.gif' format, screenshot below), gifs control their speeds through (and only through) how much time to wait in between frames, aka delay time. Our process above does exactly that. It compiles frames directly into gifs, and avoids expressing frame delays (a gif concept) through frame rates (a photoshop concept), a conversion where dupe frames and missing frames come from**. In other words, using frame delays to control speed is simply more natural to a gif's syntax. **Why would this conversion cause dupe frames? ↳ On paper, frame delays should translate into frame rates seamlessly (i.e. 1 second ÷ 0.06s per frame = 16.67 fps). In reality, photoshop does not support direct translations like this. When converting frame animations into timelines, PS defaults outputs to 30 fps, regardless of frame delays. This disagreement between frame rates is where dupe frames come from. ↳ Some examples: i. Consider a frame animation where frame delay = 0.04s (25 fps), to convert it into a timeline defaulted at 30 fps, 5 out of every 25 frames will be 'duplicated' by photoshop (30-25=5) ii. Now, consider a frame delay = 0.06s (16.67 fps roughly 17 fps), to convert it into a timeline defaulted at 30 fps, 13 out of every 17 frames will be 'duplicated' by photoshop (30-17=13) ↳ (the 'duplicated' was in quotes bc photoshop achieves this thru assigning a frame roughly twice it's original screen time instead of actually adding another) ↳ (afaik, currently there's no way of changing the default 30 fps as long as u start with frame animations. If anyone does know how please let me know 😳) **Why would this conversion cause missing frames? ↳ This happens when one tries to reverse the harm done by photoshop in prev step by changing the 30 fps frame rate back to what it's supposed to be (using function 'Set Timeline Frame Rate') ↳ Let's use the last example again. As mentioned, to go from 16.67 fps to 30 fps, 13 out of every 17 frames will receive roughly twice its original screen time (0.033s * 2 ≈ 0.07s). On the other hand, 4 out of every 17 frames' screen time will remain the same (0.03s). to go from 30 fps back to 16.67 fps, photoshop resamples frames from its 30 fps timeline in 0.06s intervals. As a result, any frame with screen time less than 0.06s runs the risk of 'slipping through the cracks', namely ones whose screen time remained 0.03s ↳ (gifs require frame delays to be rounded to the nearest hundredth of a second) ** What if I open the file as video object, instead of importing as frames? ↳ Indeed, when opening as video object (i.e. command+o instead of command+i), photoshop inherits its frame rate as is. We would then have the option to manipulate it's speed by right-click ➡️ adjusting the percentage (of how much to speed up or slow down). ↳ Here, if we slow down a gif without changing its frame rate, we risk introducing duplicate frames into the result (since frame rate is now higher than needed). If we slow down a gif and lowered the frame rate, but the math didn't check out, we also risk losing unique frames (frame rate not high enough). The same (opposite) goes for speeding things up. Therefore the best and easiest approach is, again, leaving speed related settings alone until right before exporting.

(the block of GIF89a syntax responsible for graphic control:)

Ok in hindsight this probably isn't exactly like. the most straightforward thing ever but the execution part is very much so 😳 here goes:

1. Open file in PS via Command + O note the (25 fps) on bottom left

without changing speed, duration, or frame rate: 2. Trim ✂️ 3. Crop 4. Resize 5. Sharpen 6. Color

(Updated!!!) 6. Export gif, and then reopen it in Photoshop **Compare to the original method (timeline into smart object, smart object back into frames), the updated method has the following benefits: i. Avoid lowering gif quality by converting into smart objects ii. Reopening gif into frames and reassign frame delay saves time (bc less steps) and won't hurt the quality at all (bc no image processing required)

7. Assign Frame Delay (i usually go with original frame delay + 0.01s) 8. Export ✨

Tada!! Speed = managed!!

This ad actually came out last December where I was aware of like, maybe 5% of what's in this post. Here is what my original gif looks like. I'd say what we have rn is a big improvement :)

Now, imo there are situations where it simply makes more sense to start with frame animations (imported using command + i). For instance: when we need to remove duplicate frames by hand, when there is a missing frame/bad frame that needs to be repaired, etc. My workflow would then look like this:

1. Command + i 2. (do things to frames) 3. Set frame delay to 0.03s 4. Convert to video timeline 5. (the rest will look exactly like the workflow above)

This works bc when frame delay is set to 0.03s, photoshop will treat your video timeline as a "natural" 30 fps timeline and leave your frames alone. Therefore maintains its uniform speed.

4. Smoother Slomo using Video Frame Interpolation

As mentioned above, VFI (Video Frame Interpolation) is the process of synthesizing in-between images from a given set of images. It can increase videos' frame rates (i.e. 30 fps to 60 fps), hence smoother slomos. There are many software products that let you use interpolation by simply dragging videos into the app and clicking 'export'. I've had very good experiences with Topaz and After Effects.

Let's talk about After Effects first. If you have Photoshop, chances are you have AE as well. To use AE's Keyframe Interpolation:

i. Import ii. Set speed to half iii. Click square twice until you see lil arrow iv. Export

Topaz is a production grade video enhancing software. It's capable of enhancing frame rates (i.e. 30 fps to 60 fps), increasing resolutions (i.e. 540p to 4K/2160p) and more. Unlike AE who uses only the two neighboring key frames to generate an in-between frame, Topaz takes the whole sequence into account, hence better reliability. It's also more user friendly than AE imo.

Here is a before-and-after interpolation using Topaz.

That's all 🎉🎉🎉

To sum up: remove dupe frames (if any), repair missing frames (if any), use and only use frame delay to control speed, and software enhance frame rate if needed.

This post got way longer and more technical than I had planned and I honestly have no idea where all this stuff came from lol. But it was really fun and I hope you'll find it helpful. Feel free to message me if you have any questions. Have fun moving-picture making!!

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

Someone said here that in order to actually enjoy hotd it's necessary follow "no brain cells allowed " motto and it really is true. One example - how is it possible that there are still so many gold cloaks loyal to Daemon. How come the greens, Larys, Aemond, even Aegon who executed the ratcatchers didn't purge them and put there men loyal exclusively to them?? Especially after B&C. Another thing, why is the name of "lady" Mysaria so powerful in Flea Bottom? It's like valar morghulis" and a iron coin for the Braavosi and it's getting ridiculous. She is a smugler, a political mastermind and a human rights ambassador. Are we supposed to forget that this is the woman who offered virgin girls to daemon and had a spy network in the red keep? I guess that was also for a noble cause and the "Hightowers" are evil for getting rid of her spies . I can't with this character, every time she's on screen I'm internally screaming "shut up, shut the f**k up".

Hello!

As I am not 100% sure whether you read F&B or not, I'd rather keep it vague on the matter of gold cloaks and their loyalties - so as to avoid potential spoilers. I could only say that, while keeping people who were granted their posts by Daemon in charge of maintaing law and order in the capital was quite unwise indeed, at the very least it is not inconsistent with the source material (though in the book Otto took at least one precaution in this regard but it turned out to be insufficient). Maybe, the Greens were supposed to believe themselves unable to find suitable replacements for the unreliable City Watch soldiers soon enough or simply to be distracted by other issues. However, a plot hole is a plot hole, true.

As for Mysaria... Well, HotD is apparently dead set on showing us just how much (and in how many ways) women could suffer from the evil deeds of men - and so some of female characters turn into a superhero + perfect victim mix. Remember how Rhaenyra, apparently just some hours after suffering a terrible miscarriage, was able to make an impressive entrance on Syrax to gag the Green emissaries and Otto himself - in a perfect parallel with her doing a very close thing in episode 2 of season 1? Mysaria is one more example of that. She lost everything because of evil Greens (who are against the true Queen Rhaenyra) - but she also somehow retains an impressive amount of power that she now wields in the name of said Queen who showed her mercy. Plus, Rhaenys is gone now, but someone has to utter those one-liners full of wisdom and experience for Rhaenyra to hear, right?

Once again, a character does what the agenda of the show needs them to do without any regard for logic, consistency and common sense *heavy sigh*.

[twincaptains]

Obsequium: Part I: Chapter Two - Dipper's September

TITLE: Obsequium Part I: Chapter Two: Dipper’s September PAIRINGS:  Dipford (Ford x Dipper), Bipford, (Bipper x Ford), regular Billford (Bill x Ford) Pinecest (Dipper x Mabel), Stancest, (Stan x Ford), and possibly others. SUMMARY: Dipper writes to Mabel about his experiences back in Gravity Falls. He’s learning a lot! He is also suffering. I’m not sure he’s okay, actually. NOTES: I am posting to Tumblr for now, but eventually will be cross-posting to Ao3. I am in line to get an account, and should have one by the end of the month. Warnings for this chapter – as well as for the rest of the story – under the cut!

CHAPTER WARNINGS: Drug abuse, caregiver neglect, mind control OVERALL WARNINGS: Incest, sibling incest, minor, coercive control, mind control, caregiver neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, dubious consent (dubcon), body horror, suicidal ideation, food restriction, sleep deprivation, self-harm, drug abuse, being drugged, lost time, and I’m going to specifically going to warn for “Ford being cruel to Stanley”, because it made me upset when I wrote it so I want to warn for it. If I forgot anything, please let me know and I will fix it IMMEDIATELY. I will add more if anything else comes up.   Chapter One is here!!

-

Sunday, September 4th Heyyyy Mabel!

I'm currently trudging around the woods looking for the source of a mysterious voice. What could go wrong, right? In all seriousness this thing is getting annoying. We'd at least like to find the source, if not a way to get it to be quiet.

I miss you already. It's kinda the worst. Even worse, I can't say that out loud or I'll get a stupid lecture. I love Great Uncle Ford, I really do, but he relates to other people the way a zookeeper relates to their animals. I'm not sure he's ever actually really loved anyone or anything. If he did, he forgot how along the way. I get that he's probably done that to protect himself, but what happens when we finish our work and there's nobody there to clap? I'm slowly trying to reason with him, but he is stubborn. More stubborn than Grunkle Stan, if you can believe that.

I'm really sorry I talked your ear off about that girl I have a crush on. I just hoped you knew what I should do, because I certainly don't. It's true, I can't ever tell her. She can never ever know how I feel. I think I'd literally die, and she'd never speak to me again and I don't think I could handle that. I get to spend so little time around her already that I don't want to risk it. Still. I can't stop thinking about her, even now, in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, with wet socks and a dwindling supply of trail mix. So I figured ... hey. Why not write to Mabel?

I'm going to try and be more consistent with my letters this fall. I know I tend to sink into my work and time gets away from me, but I've already sat down and marked days in my planner to set time aside to write to you. I've also set eight million reminders in my PDA. Rumor has it that we might be getting an upgraded cell tower in town soon, which means I'll FINALLY be able to TIMEFACE you like a PROPER RESIDENT of the TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY!!!!!

I hope you're doing well in school; I know that math is hard but I believe in you. You just have to try your best, that's all. Your best is always good enough.

Anyway, back to the woods. Hurrah.

Love, Dip

-

Thursday, September 8th

S'up S'up S'up Maaaaaaaaaybeeeeee

So my week has already been weird. Apparently while I was gone, Great Uncle Ford made me this wild VR helmet that's helping me get my mind off that girl I like. I have to admit, it's kinda weird? It's function and purpose is actually a little dystopian, if I'm being honest, but it's really doing the trick for me right now so I'll question it years later when I'm unpacking this portion of my life to a therapist.

It's really freed up my mind in a way that I never thought was possible. Do you remember me telling you I was stuck on some of my school stuff? I got through it this afternoon no problem, like I'd known how to do it the entire time. Breakthroughs like that feel amazing, and are why I keep trying even when I'm struggling with something. I don't know how much I can credit to the VR helmet, or how much to credit myself, but somewhere in the middle I'm really starting to get a grip over here. As long as I don't trip and fall, I should be golden.

Bill's influence is still all over the place. I really hate it. I have tried, time and time again, to talk to Great Uncle Ford about my experiences with Bill and how they've messed me up, but he doesn't really seem interested. Or rather, it makes him actively uncomfortable. I don't know what he's hiding about his relationship with Bill, but it makes him want to throw up. I don't know who he thinks he's fooling, but it’s kinda obvious, right? Am I imagining things? They had a thing, right? Why wouldn't he want me to know that? We also had a thing ... sorta ... it's not like I wouldn't understand??? He just doesn't want to tell me too much. He doesn’t trust me.

Why not??????

I've worked insanely hard to prove myself and even now he still keeps me juuuust outside of the loop. It's really starting to grind my gears, I'm almost an adult and I should be treated like one. I'll just keep being a Good Little Assistant until he lets me inside of his head. Things will only improve from there.

I think I'm gonna try and sneak a nap. I'm weirdly tired lately, maybe it's the light changing.

Love, Dip

-

Monday, September 12th

Yo! Mabel!

I'm sinking my teeth into some new subjects for school and I'm having a really great time with it so far! I get to make three-dimensional models that have hidden fourth, fifth, and sixth dimensional sides -- it's absolutely wild and I cannot wait to start arranging my first array. You know how I feel about complex shapes, I'm going to have an amazing time with this.

Things with hidden dimensions are just so cool, Mabel. I think you'd really like them, because they're so beautiful -- like genuinely pretty. They remind me of how you doodle in your notebooks, especially in the margins. Can you doodle in the margins of your next reply a bit? Dumb thing to ask, I know, but I miss them. I even miss them showing up in MY notebooks. I'm sorry if I ever yelled at you for doing that.

To answer your questions about the VR Helmet: 1. It's called the OBSEC... bunchanumbers. Nothing cool. 2. I have no idea how it works, I just know what it does. 3. What it does is kinda really embarrassing, so I'm gonna try and do my best to get my point across without passing out or throwing this letter in the garbage. Basically, it lets you sorta play through little... scenarios, anything you could think of, and along with that comes a certain level of .... biochemical involvement. That is to say, your brain pumps a bunch of feel-good chemicals into your bloodstream because it thinks you're doing something fun -- even though you're really not! This is helping me become more focused and less distracted by my teenaged-boyness. Obviously, given my performance at school lately. Feels like I'm cheating the system somehow??? But I think that's the entire point.

One more thing: Have you been calling Grunkle Stan at all? He seems really, really lonely. Worse than usual. He's been leaving Great Uncle Ford messages on his answering machine this whole time, but in the last few months he's gone from calling a few times a week, to calling every day, sometimes twice. Great Uncle Ford won't even listen to the messages, he makes me delete them for him. Playing armchair psych here; I think he feels kinda bad about what a jerk he's being, but isn't ready to admit that yet. Hearing Stan's voice, and knowing that Stan refuses to just ... hate him the way Great Uncle Ford wants him to ... it's starting to get to him. I see cracks like that here and there, which is why I'm not giving up hope that they can maybe patch things up someday. I think Great Uncle Ford needs to figure out that he can trust us, and that he'll be safe here if he does.

Anyway. Miss you, love you ... all that stuff.

Love, Dip

-

Thursday, September 15th

Mabel

I wanna die right now. My unyeilding rage won't allow it.

I was really getting into my coursework, and I asked Great Uncle Ford if he had anything to keep me up a bit longer because I felt like I was close to figuring something out and didn't want to lose it if I went to bed. I see him take stuff all the time, and he had no qualms about handing me ... something.

What I expected was Adderall. Or at least, something LIKE that, you know?? I took those for years! They caused more problems than they solved, sure, but that was because I was taking them long-term. This was supposed to be a one-off thing, a normal all-nighter.

It was not like that. It was not like that at all.

Worst anxiety attack of my life. I don't have the capacity to calculate exactly how long I was awake? But it was too long, and I'm mad that I'm awake right now.

The worst part about all of this? Great Uncle Ford acted like this was somehow MY fault. Like I'm some kind of wimp for reacting badly to mystery space drugs. Like I lied to him about what I could tolerate, or something. He just stood there and huffed at me, shaking his head and asking me "Are you done?" about every 15 minutes.

I'm currently not speaking to him. At least not today. Maybe not tomorrow, either. He resents that I'm angry at him for not giving me any type of warning about what that drug was about to do to me, I assumed I was about to become awake and alert -- not achieve nirvana by being fired out of a canon at mach fuck straight into a glass wall. Very annoyed. Very annoyed that he's acting this way.

I think I'm going to have to get him back for this, somehow. I'll need to bide my time, but he'll regret the way he tutted at me like I was some kind of preschooler throwing a tantrum.

Love, Dip

-

Sunday, September 18th

-Maybee Baby- Ms. Mabel Mack,

Got a little sick and tired of the mood in the house being so chilly, so I offered an olive branch of sorts: using my audio equipment to try and capture those whispers we keep hearing. Great Uncle Ford said we should go out looking for them (I think he was just hoping to change the subject), and I countered with staying near the house and using my stuff to make sure we're hearing what we think we're hearing.

I was right, we didn't need to go out in the woods. We heard a lot last night, and I definitely got some on my recorders. Enough, in fact, that it was worth coming out for a second night. That's what I'm doing now, well, that and writing to you.

The whispers are making me uneasy, but in a way that makes me want to keep pursuing them, you know? I feel like that once I figure them out, a lot of other things will start to make sense. Not exactly THE answers I'm looking for, but the thing that's going to set me on the path that takes me to them. For the time being I'm grateful they've been getting us out of the house. I spent so much of the summer inside and underground. You saw me! Was I the crimson adonis I usually am? No. Pale as dough. And I'm only going to get paler as winter creeps in. I may be translucent by Christmas.

You said you've been e-mailing some old friends? Heard back from anyone? I sometimes run into people when I go into town, but nobody seems to want to talk to me. I think they're mad, and I guess they have a right to be, but it really reinforces how alone I am out here. I honestly thought it would take me less than a year to get Great Uncle Ford to see the light and reconcile with Grunkle Stan.

I really miss you.

Love,

   D I      P -

Tuesday, September 20th

Mabel

I'm so fucking angry right now that I want to scream. Grateful for the Screaming Closet Great Uncle Ford installed the first summer we were here, I'll tell you that much. I had to try and keep calm and be reasonable so that I didn't explode, WHICH WAS THE WORST.

UGH.

Oh. My god.

I caught him researching restraining orders. You can guess why, and for who. I don't even want to put it in writing because it's just going to make me angry all over again. I can't fucking believe him.

I don't know what it is, but he seems extra moody and distant lately -- and get this, he accuses me of the same thing. Yeah, you know what? I AM a little peevish. Miffed, even. And lately he's doing and saying things that make me not want to be around him, so I've been distant. I also have a lot on my mind that has nothing to do with anything in particular, but it's taking up time and space so I'm a little short on change for the Putting Up With His Bullshit Express.

As if that weren't enough, guess who's analyzing ALL of the audio we recorded over the weekend by himself? I had three devices running for almost 20 hours total over two days. Ghost Hunter Plumbers don't have to work under these conditions. Neither do the guys from Dudebro Ghost Show. He could very easily help but he is choosing not to, and I think that's what makes me the maddest, out of all of it.

He isn't great with computers? Not hopeless, but very rigid and unwilling to exit his comfort zone, which is a weird combination of things we haven't done in 30 years and things we won't be doing for another 200. I don't think my Fruitbook would be that hard to figure out, they're made to be intuitive, but what's intuitive for everyone else generally isn't for Great Uncle Ford. I think he gets embarrassed about that and would rather pretend it's beneath him than reveal he's bad at it.

Lots to think about. Aiee.

Love, Dip

-

Thursday, September 22nd

Mabelfish,

I'm doing a lot better, thanks. Especially since someone sent me a five pound bag of blue raspberry BubbHeddz.

Thank you, by the way.

I'm finishing up my analysis of all that audio I recorded, and I wish I could say I felt good about it. There is a message buried in the sounds we've been hearing, flipped and reversed -- so that we'd have to work to find it. The weirdest part is that I know, deep down inside, that this message isn't for me. It's for Great Uncle Ford.

"You'll trip and fall right in to me."

Is this why he's been acting weird lately? Is he at risk of a Bill relapse? I dunno. I almost don't want to tell him, but I know I should. Who knows, maybe this will shift his focus away from being mean to Grunkle Stan and back to being mean to Bill.

I'm gonna sleep on these findings and see how they feel in the morning.

Love, Dip

-

Monday, September 26th

Mabes,

I went a little longer than I usually like to without writing, but I was on a roll with my schoolwork. I haven't felt that 'in-the-zone' in a REALLY long time. Up until the end of last year, I hadn't really had much trouble with anything Great Uncle Ford threw at me. These last few subjects though, woof. I know they're going to be important later on, at least -- that's what Great Uncle Ford says, and I kinda have to trust him on that.

Shame that trusting him is harder and harder to do lately, but what can you do?

In addition to advancing my studies, we had to do some cleanup around the property. It's funny, I used to hate doing stuff like that, but I had a great time being outside and getting fresh air. I still ache in places I didn't even know it was possible to ache, but it's a GOOD ache, one that accomplished something. It certainly keeps my body from acting in ways I don't want it to.

Not that that's a problem I usually have! My body is definitely fine and I am in complete control of it at all times. But between my sleep being all weird and that pill I took earlier this month, I feel a little less than square sometimes. I'd like to say stress is also a factor, but with the OBSEC-8177 I'm not really experiencing a whole lot of stress. When I do, it's temporary, and usually Great Uncle Ford's fault.

I think you'd like the OBSEC-8177 a lot. If you're ever allowed to visit here you can give it a try. I doubt Great Uncle Ford would let me take something like this out of the house, so you'd have to come here. We should figure out a way to make that happen.

Love, Diiip

-

Thursday, September 29th

Maybe it's Mabel,

Against my better judgement, I'm sitting here decoding more audio. Great Uncle Ford grabbed my recording devices and started rolling when I stepped inside for a little bit and, unfortunately, he caught some things.

More backmasked talking, and it makes me feel kinda gross. It's nothing particularly threatening, though definitely threatening, it's just layered with a certain level of ... familiarity, I'll call it. It kinda comes off as flirty?? But that doesn't seem right, does it? Maybe I can somehow regain access to my e-mail and I can send you these clips so you can see what I mean.

It is 100% Bill, by the way. It wouldn't be the first time we've received weird little voice notes from him, but these are different than anything we've encountered in the past. Real "the call is coming from inside the house" vibes: "Don't be so sure." and "I'm closer than you think." Personally, I think we should stop engaging ... but Bill is making that hard. I have found that vocally acknowledging these noises makes them quiet down for a bit, but the longer you go without confronting them the louder they become. I think we should probably try and figure out a way to fortify the house a bit better? Hard to bring that kind of thing up, because Great Uncle Ford gets really tetchy if you imply something he's done isn't good enough.

Can it be Thanksgiving yet?

Love, Dip

[finnlongman]

So as far as the death itself, without checking to refresh my memory, I can recall this much:

He ties himself to a standing stone with his entrails (I'm pretty sure it's his entrails) and dies. Lugaid's men are ordered to shoot the body with a couple of arrows to make sure, then Lugaid triumphantly walks up to the body, possibly to gloat.

When he gets close enough, Cú Chulainn glows with "hero-light" (that's the translation that stands out in my mind the most, I always thought it was a less intense show of power than the riastrad) one last time as his sword falls from his lifeless hand to behead Lugaid. The rest of his men stay back (this may actually be when they shoot the arrows, I'm iffy on the timing of that part) and nobody else approaches Cú Chulainn's body until a corvid lands on his shoulder; I admittedly just saw your post on my dash where someone else mentioned that part - that's why I went with "corvid" - but I already remembered it as being significant. I also remember it being implied (if not said outright) that it's taken as a sign from the Morrígan (or Babd, if the author makes the distinction. You know how it is with na Mórrígna) that he's finally really truly actually dead.

So yeah. That's my recollection, mixed between everything I've read.

So, in BMMM:

Cú Chulainn ties himself to a standing stone so that he might die standing. He ties himself using his "body belt". I think this is a belt and not a euphemism for intestines, mostly because he already yeeted his innards into a lake, and I'm not sure how many of them he's got left at this point.

Cú Chulainn dies

The men of Ireland are afraid to approach him because they think he's still alive.

Erc shames them that they haven't beheaded him yet and they behead him??? This seems like a textual corruption since in the following paragraph it becomes clear that he still has his head, not sure what's going on there.

The Líath Macha comes back and guards Cú Chulainn, killing anyone who approaches him. We are told that he guards CC "as long as his soul was in him and the hero's light from his forehead remained"; presumably the light goes out when he finally actually dies, but that isn't mentioned.

A scald-crow lands on Cú Chulainn's body, making it clear he's dead. There is nothing textual to suggest the bird is anything except a regular carrion bird, but people do tend to read into it.

Lugaid beheads Cú Chulainn (again???) (This one seems to be the actual beheading since it is referenced later)

Cú Chulainn's sword falls from his hand and chops off Lugaid's hand

Cú Chulainn's arm is struck off in revenge 

A few small details differ from your account but on the whole it's broadly similar, except that there are no arrows. Arrows are pretty rare in Irish sources, to be honest.

In OCC:

Cú Chulainn asks Láeg to help him go to the standing stone so that the men of Ireland will think him alive and won't behead him. Once there, he just seems to lean against it, I don't think he actually ties himself to it in this one.

Cú Chulainn dies

(Láeg leaves with the Dub Sainglend to go and tell Emer.)

The men of Ireland are afraid to approach Cú Chulainn for three days and three nights (big timeline extension compared to BMMM and very much sets CC up as Rubbish Jesus)

During these three days and nights, Cú Chulainn's body is guarded by the Líath Macha 

Medb summons Badb ingen Cailitín and tells her to go and find out whether Cú Chulainn is alive or not.

The men of Ireland see Badb ingen Cailitín in the form of a scald-crow land on Cú Chulainn, so they know he's dead.

They attempt to take Cú Chulainn's sword and it falls and chops off ten of their right hands (? I haven't quite translated this part yet, so that's from eyeballing it) (Later on it seems like one of these hands was Lugaid's, but I'm not sure that was actually specified) ETA having now translated this passage, essentially they can't get close enough because of the sword, so Lugaid suggests they cut the tendon of his hand so that the sword will fall. They do, it does, thirty people lose a hand. (Syntactically: ten kings' sons twenty, hence I misread it as ten originally.) One of them is probably Lugaid but it doesn't actually say so.

Medb tells them to behead Cú Chulainn. They agree it's right for Lugaid to be the one to do this, which he does.

Then Cú Chulainn's head seems to glow? Presumably this is a hero's light situation after death. Again, this is beyond where I've got to in my translation, so while I know the broad outline of what's going on, a few of the finer details are a little vague.

Still no arrows!

I would say your version is closest to Brislech Mór Maige Muirthemne, the earlier text, but this is the one part of the story where they actually largely agree on events with only a few differences, such as Láeg's presence and how much they argue over Cú Chulainn's head before and after it is removed from his body.

[becauseimanicequeen]

Are you telling me purple and yellow don't make brown? How is that possible when all the sources I've examined say it turns brown? I'm asking because I genuinely thought that was how they went with it in Wandee Goodday. Color fascinates me but the theory goes above my head...

Hi, Anon.

I'm glad you asked this because I love talking about color theory.

Also, I'm putting a nit-picky, nerd alert on this post (lol) because it will get nit-picky and nerdy.

Now that you've been warned, let's dive in!

Purple and yellow don't mix into brown. Depending on the value (dark/light) and intensity of the purple and yellow, they produce black/gray when mixed.

Let me simplify the reason behind this:

Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel (also called complementary/contrasting colors, which yellow and purple are) cancel each other out when mixed together. They turn neutral (usually black/gray, potentially brown, and potentially even white).

Brown is a composite color, which means you need to mix at least two of the primaries (yellow, red, and blue) to create it.

Since we're talking about purple and yellow here, we're talking about mixing all three primaries (since we all know that red + blue = purple).

The key is in the proportions. If you mix an equal amount of all three primaries, you get somewhere on the spectrum of black/gray (usually on the darker side).

Brown, however, is basically a darker value/shade of orange, which means there needs to be a bigger part of yellow and red (which we all know produces orange) in the mix if you want to produce brown.

The opposite color to orange on the color wheel is blue, which means that too much blue in the mix will cancel out the orange and turn black/gray instead of brown.

Since purple is a secondary color, it means it has equal parts of the primary colors that create it (again, red and blue).

Purple, therefore, has too much blue in it and too little red for the red and yellow to dominate the mix and turn brown.

Obviously, we could go into a detailed (and nerdy) discussion of how purple has many different hues with a varying amount of blue and red and how we all have different perceptions of color (which is all very interesting). Unfortunately, I don't have the time to write my thesis on that (because I know it would turn into one, lol). But, I can try to simplify it a bit...

A lot of people would look at these two colors and probably say they're both purple:

Which isn't wrong. The one on the left is purple, and the one on the right is red-purple (which is the name I use since that was how I learned the color wheel and color theory) or magenta (which is a more commonly used name). So, the right one has purple in it. But it's not really purple purple.

The difference between these two colors (besides having different names) is that the one on the right (red-purple/magenta) has more red in it than the purple on the left. This also means that the one on the right has a bigger likelihood of producing brown if mixed with yellow since it has more red than blue in it.

So, technically there are red-purple/magenta hues, which have purple in them, that can produce brown when mixed with yellow. But purple and yellow won't. (I can't remember if I've ever mixed more yellow into a mix with purple to see what happens, but I imagine it would turn a lighter, perhaps muddier gray, but don't quote me on that.)

I think we can all agree that Yak and Dee have always been yellow and purple (and since Dee often leans into blue as well, I feel like his purple is verging more towards blue-purple than red-purple/magenta). So, mixing Yak's yellow and Dee's purple will produce gray, not brown.

Anyway, moving on...

There's also a thing called optical illusion when it comes to color. This basically means that a color might appear different in a changing environment.

I can paint a whole canvas full of brushstrokes of red next to brushstrokes of blue. Up close, you'll see that they're red and blue brushstrokes. From a distance, however, they may appear purple. Our perception of the colors has changed with physical distance.

Another example is the change in light. A red flower outside might appear orangeish in the yellow morning light while it might appear to verge towards purple during the blue light of day.

To illustrate optical illusion with Wandee Goodday, look at these images:

We know they're wearing the same uniforms and, therefore, the same color. Yet, they look different in these different environments (well, at least to me).

The left one appears to be a bright (and perhaps slightly dull) purple in that bright, white light. The middle one verges towards red-purple due to the warm yellowish light around Dee (the yellow is bringing out the red in the purple because it's pulling the purple towards a warmer tone). And they look purple again in the right one. Perhaps a bit deeper (or darker in value), which might be due to the lighting being more neutral and not as bright and prominent as in the left image.

What's interesting about this is that you might see something else in the color of their clothes (or no change at all) because your perception might be different than mine. And that's okay because perception is just like opinions. It's not fact, it's not wrong, they're just different.

However, the scientific side of color theory (how to mix colors, etc.) is more straightforward than the perception and symbolic side of color theory (which are also important to this topic). We might perceive colors differently (a yellow to you might verge into orange for me, a purple to you might verge into red-purple/magenta for me), but yellow and purple in their purest forms won't mix into brown because there's too much blue in purple that cancels out the orange mix of red and yellow that's required to produce brown. Instead, yellow and purple mix into black/gray.

But that doesn't mean all purple and yellow mix into the same gray hue or value.

The purple of Dee's shirt and the yellow on the poster to the right in the left image will mix into one hue of gray. That purple is light in value, which will affect the final result. The purple on the boxing gloves and the yellow on the punching bag in the image to the right will produce another hue of gray (probably a darker one that can pass off as black) because the purple is darker in value and both colors are high in intensity. But neither will produce brown because the yellows are yellow without leaning towards orange and the purples are purple without leaning towards red.

I might be nit-picky about this (it's an occupational hazard, lol). But since I'm an artist who works with colors at least 6 days a week, these terms/names mean specific things to me and they have specific qualities. Purple will always be an equal amount of red and blue (or close to an equal amount). I will always call magenta red-purple because that's how I learned color theory and that's what that color is to me (a mix of red and purple). Red-purple and yellow can potentially produce brown because there's a bigger ratio of yellow and red compared to blue. But yellow and purple can't produce brown because there's too much blue in purple, which cancels out the orange created by the red and yellow.

I don't know if this makes sense if you're not in my brain (lol) but, hopefully, it does.

Thank you for your ask (and the opportunity to nerd out about color).

[nexus-nebulae]

Long System Ask:

32, 34, 49, 52

-Other Jayson

32. Current fronter, is there anything that makes it obvious that you're the one fronting? (Voice, accent, body language, typing style, etc.)

We have a packed front right now, so many of these will have multiple answers i guess. We don't tend to be around other people often enough that literally anyone out of the body would notice any of this stuff, but we pay attention to these things because it helps us know who's fronting- we know that Violet has a tendency to write really really small and neat compared to everyone else (scribe's habit- trying to fit as many words on a page as possible and using the whole space -violet). Taryn and Jude are harder to tell apart due to being identical twins, but Jude is becoming more and more masculine by the day (in gender denial rn HARD. she literally runs away whenever people bring it up LMAO) and Taryn is the only one here who really wants to wear ballgowns. Harley has a ton of energy and burns up front really quickly like Ghost used to, she only fronts for little bursts at a time because others who have been here longer are better at conserving their front energy. She's one day old today,

34. Share something about your newest member!

^^^ it's Harley! We got through part one of her source (the strange case of harley and harleen :3 we got it at the library :3) and Instantly started forming an introject. by part 2 she was aware of the outerworld and attempting to take over front so she could cause chaos. When she met Violet and Jude in headspace violet was like "do you wanna be knife besties???" and harley was just like "KNIFE BESTIES???? im already part of a club wow :D" so now there are three knife besties. all three of the knife besties are currently attempting to hatch a plan on how to get revenge on taryn's ex Locke.

49. Current fronter, what's your favourite ice cream flavor?

lactose intoblerone 😔

we only ever get lactaid brand vanilla flavor ice cream, so none of us know what our differing tastes are. other ice-cream-related snacks we like tho are things like edible cookie dough (there was one that was brownie batter and it was so good and i can't find it anywhere anymore and i cant remember where i bought it and im so so sad -taryn). we also found these red bean mochi, similar to this ice cream mochi we used to get all the time, except instead of ice cream filling its adzuki bean paste (very tasty very sweet very earthy i like it). sometimes we also eat frozen cool whip as ice cream bc its so fluffy there's just Less Lactose that reaches our stomach its mostly air

52. If you have outerworld pets, do they tend to act differently around different headmates?

no pets :( there used to be a no-pet policy in this apartment and while there's not anymore, i'm not putting an animal into this gigantic health hazard it's just not safe for them HOWEVER the body's sister does have cats and they tend to be slightly more friendly with the catlike headmates? although. that's Most Of Us right now tbh. also her cats are just lap cats who like anyone, the only one that feels more Special when she chooses to sit on your lap is the kitten and that's mostly because she's in the stage of her teen years where she constantly feels the need to attack and climb up the christmas tree

also years before our syscovery (hell, back before our gender egg cracked) our sister brought home a stray dog (she was a weiner cocker spaniel mix i think?? her ears were so elegant but her body was so silly shaped) and according to her previous owners (who ABANDONED her in the middle of the woods btw. fuck them) she was terrified of men. and she was generally uncomfortable around us while being completely fine with our mom and sister and i didn't even know why. our sys has apparently been mostly men since even before we figured it out so like- idk if it was trans radar or plural radar but either way that dog picked up on something

[gazing-at-my-stage]

hi question feel free to ignore if this is weird or anything but howd u find out that ur fictionkin and like whats it feel like

cuz most of the time i dont feel like im a human or anything (some of that could be self esteem issues but i think pretty highly of myself so probably not) and usually i just feel more like a character than a human?? if that makes sense???

idk im js a bit confused and u seem cool so i thought i'd ask u

-- m

I am indeed very cool, thank you for asking!

Firstly, I must emphasize one thing: it is perfectly fine to be wrong. If you believe you are fictionkin, identify as such, and realize out later down the line that you were wrong, that is fine. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. We all make mistakes.

I figured out I wasn't human before I figured out I was fictionkin (specifically that I was a ghost), so that was pretty neat. I ended up indulging in kff, like making jokes with friends about how "I totally kin x character!" and taking those silly "who do you kin?" quizzes on quotev and uquiz. I don't really remember how I actually figured it out, but somewhere along the lines I began to genuinely identify as a couple of characters and even used one of their names for awhile. I think part of it came from being very close to the host of a fictive-heavy system and them also discovering their kin identities that encouraged me to look into it.

I'd like to note: my identity as nonhuman (including being fictionkin) is heavily, if not solely due to me having MaDD. Fiction and reality are equal in my mind and I spend the same amount of time in both, an invested in both just as much as the other, etc you get the idea. I recently discovered a pattern with my daydreams in the regard that I subconsciously daydream about my 'types in scenarios with my f/os and other characters I really care about even before I realize they're a 'type, which has helped a lot but obviously isn't applicable to everyone. For this reason, I am a psychological nonhuman.

Back on topic (sorry my ADHD got the best of me)! Firstly, not feeling that you are human is a pretty good start to being alterhuman! If you feel like a character, you may very well be. However, it's just like sexuality and gender identity: I can't tell you if you are or not, only you can. It sounds pretty possible for you.

Being fictionkin feels...slightly odd but not that much. I'm me, but "me" happens to be like a dozen different fictional characters. For some 'types, I just looked at them and went "ME!" and boom, there was my answer. For others, it took (and is still taking, in some cases) lots of contemplation and experimentation. Do you feel comfortable being referred to as the fictional character you are kinsidering? Do you look at source and think "that's me!" Do you feel a connection to any other source characters? If your answer to any of these was yes, your chances are good. If you said no, your chances are still pretty good because the fictionkin experience is unique to each individual.

I experience kin shifts with some of my stronger kintypes, but not everyone does. It comes in subtle ways, such as referring to Shu as oshi-san subconsciously when I'm Mika shifted, suddenly loving myself when I'm Kaname shifted or Hiyori (cameo) shifted, and more! Again, this is not a universal experience, and really, there aren't any qualifications to being fictionkin besides...well, identifying as a fictional character.

Even if you aren't fictionkin, there are other possibilities! What are these possibilities, you might ask? Well, allow me to list them below!

Fictionkin - identifying as / being a fictional character

Fictionhearted - identifying with / relating to a fictional character

You'll notice the simple difference between these two. Both involve a strong connection to a fictional character, but one is being that character while the other is heavily relating to the character andor their experiences. It's easy to get the two mixed up, but it boils down to whether you are the character, or whether you are connected to the character.

But wait, there's more!

Otherlink - voluntarily choosing to "link" (aka identify as)

Copinglink - otherlink, but the reason is specifically as a way to cope (this is still a voluntary experience)

Note: otherlink, and by extension copinglink, are voluntary identities, meaning they are chosen. If you choose your identity, it is a linktype and not a kintype. Also, otherlink and copinglink are general terms not specific to fictional characters, so they could apply to identifying as an animal, plant, concept, song, etc literally any kin identity if it is chosen.

Fictionflicker - temporarily (and often frequently) identifying as a character, but not all the time

Paratype - a kin identity directly caused by another kin identity (for example: having Draculara as a kintype, but solely due to being vampirekin)

Cameotype - not a kintype, but is still a part of one's identity in some way (most often, this comes in the form of "cameo shifts", where someone experiences a shift of an animal/character/concept/etc literally anything else that is not a kintype. For example: experiencing Draculara shifts but not identifying as Draculara in any capacity)

There is so, so much more to all of this, but I hope this can help! If you have more questions, feel free to ask me! You can also look through tags just to get a general feel of things, that has helped me a lot!

[gogobluedynamite]

A Change to My TADC AU

Remember my SuperStars AU?

I'm changing it a bit.

It still takes place in the real world, but it has a premise that is inspired by the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit. In that living amongst humans are digital life forms...so I guess a mix of the aforementioned movie and Digimon.

As for how this is possible...Just think of the Digimon franchise. Some events occurred decades ago that blurred the line between two dimensions -- the Human World and the Digital World.

From here, digital lifeforms took form and after many years of confusion and fear (not unlike what happened in the history of MHA), the humans and Avatars (as they are called) learned to co-exist.

So now, for some Intel.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Setting

While the Avatar population is small (like it takes a single fraction of the global population) and somewhat spread out around the world, most of the AUs setting takes place in a large city in the US.

I can't think of a name for the city yet (the placeholder is Automatropolis and it is cringe), but it is divided into districts.

One such district is called the Avatar District, where most of the Avatar population resides and sorta acts as a tourist destination. Humans are able to enter the District if they please, usually for the experience of Avatar culture.

Its also the home of the Amazing Digital Circus Gameplex...think Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four Types of Avatars

There are four types of Avatars in the AU.

NPC (Non-Player Character)

The generic looking, poseable mannequins you see in the canon series. They don't have distinguishable personalities, acting more like androids and just...existing. They are treated more like a servant class (think of Pearls in Steven Universe), even by their own kind.

APD (Artificial Player Drone)

What an NPC can become when exposed to enough stimuli. They are given unique appearances and personalities and autonomy similar to that of humans. They can have jobs if they are able and don't require sleep or food. They don't have any unique abilities, but can be given some with the right programming. Examples would be Gummigoo, Loolilalu, and even Bubble.

AIA (Artificial Intelligence Administrator)

Avatars with greater power over their digital abilities, harboring power beyond Avatars lower than them. Caine, now back to being an AI for this AU, is a AIA. An APD can become a AIA with the right programming.

AHO (Avatars of Human Origin)

Now, we are getting into something interesting. During the same event that brought the Avatars, cases of humans turning into Avatars have been reported. Through some research, it is revealed that everyone is carrying a 'virus' or nanites in their bodies that are causing these transformations. Such transformation is permanent and will cause the AHO to forget their names and appearance and any direct mention of their human identity is lost to them, thus sorta 'killing' the original human identity (even though most of their personality and memories remain intact). This is what most of the cast is, of course. Despite their new digital bodies, they still require food and sleep. They can't die from lack of either, but they can still experience hunger and tiredness. Note: Not every carrier will become an Avatar. It's like how any cell has the potential to become cancerous, but not everyone has cancer cells. The transformations can happen by natural means or enforced (usually by an outside source).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I do like this idea more. It's still going to be called SuperStars, as the main cast works that the Gameplex. They also still have fighting capabilities as the Abstract is still a problem.

[mashbrainrot]

how do you know the pink henley wasn't red first? I always headcanon he dyed it around the red party

OOOH hi. OK this is gonna be a bit "trust me bro" on the sources cos I'm ill and tired and cba searching for them right now but. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about this as someone who is slowly creating a BJ clothing google doc.

A key bit of context to this is that Mike gets the henley (which we refer to as The Pink Shirt) and the faded red sweatshirt that he dyed for the party mixed up more explicitly in interviews before, so I'm assuming that is what he was doing here. When we as a fandom refer to The Pink Shirt I think we mean the henley. It's mostly a riff on that first and foremost. So if you mean his faded red sweatshirt, 100% that was dyed for the party and faded to a lighter colour over time.

Re the pink henley, it is less that I KNOW it didn't start off red, it's all headcanon really, there is just no evidence it DID start out red. The pink henley jumps onto the screen fully formed one day (can't remember the exact ep off the top of my head, sorry). He does have a red/hot salmon pink henley as well, which he continues to wear intermittently with the pink. This is first seen in S7s Commander Pierce (I think at last count I was still not able to fully determine whether there is only one of these red henleys that fades in colour or if they are two similar henleys, one more pink-red and one more orange-red.)**

(Also generally red dyed clothing doesn't really TEND to fade to pink in that way, not to that shade etc, as seen with said red sweatshirt. Pink isn't really just faded red.)

TLDR: there is no evidence it DID start out red, but there is also no evidence it didn't, so knock yourself out!

**(interestingly, or perhaps only interestingly to ME, initial detective work shows that it is possible he had at least two versions of a pink henley in the wardrobe dept, and you can mostly only tell them apart by the detailing at the shoulder seam. He also has two versions of the grey cut-off sweatshirt, only this seems to have been wholly a replacement rather than one he swapped out now and again like the henleys.

[applesandbannas747]

for the ask game: 6 for dead hearts and sinew&bone, 12 (sorry had to), and 17 👀

For this ask game! Thanks so much for playing <3

6. What’s one fact about the universe of a fic that you didn’t get a chance to mention in the fic itself?

Dead Hearts:

oooo probably Warlock stuff. I really love the concept of wizards, witches, and warlocks all being Different, nongendered, things instead of gendered and/or interchangeable names (I blame Septimus Heap for that one). Anyway, warlocks in Dead Hearts have a special connection to magic because while witches' magic connects them to the earth, warlocks are so much a part of the earth that magic flows directly from it through them--it's also what makes them able to read others' magic (like Eugene did to Jesse's) because they're a conduit for magic and connection as much as the earth itself is, so their magic is sort of...everyone's magic. It's a stream always flowing through them as opposed to a witch's bottomless lake. (Wizards might harness magic artificially, though I didn't completely flesh out that thought--a wizard is probably what Nick would have been during his first life, because his magic was being pulled from an outside source, and what Eugene was trying to do--and eventually succeeded in doing was open Nick to the flow of magic warlocks experience).

I wrote up a bunch more lore and realized that it would be a shame to share it in case I ever wanted to write about it, which means my dumb brain has probably decided it does want to write the theoretical eugesse spin-off at some point. so stay tuned for that in like 3 years i guess XD

Sinew & Bone:

So! When Nick sees Jesse in Eugene's room, they immediately recognize each other as pack. Nick had previously commented to Eugene to leave whatever werewolf he's sleeping with because it's obviously he's stressed all the time now and his scent is all mixed with wolf. The reason Nick didn't know then that Eugene's wolf was Jesse is that his brain filtered the possibility out. The scent was Eugene, Family, Wolf, and Nick immediately assigned the family association to Eugene completely on accident and with no recognition that he even smelled that on Eugene because his subconscious sees Eugene as family, so he didn't register anything amiss with Eugene's scent in that regard. So all he picked up from Eugene that was out of place was a random shifter's scent.

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

oh man i fEEEL like there was a specific trope I immediately had in mind for this one but because I waited so long to answer, I literally can't remember anymore.

Perhaps song fics? I hate reading them but have ended up writing several tangential fics that DO quote song lyrics in them jfdsah Really I'm just a hypocrite. I'll come back if i ever remember my real answer??

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

oh man so many honestly. and like. I do it pretty regularly XD but two super specific and indulgent aus that genuinely no one but me and, like, one other specific person would read are:

1) characters somehow getting swapped with older/younger versions of themselves. For example, 25 year old Nick swapping places with 16 year old Nick and remembering what a dick baby Seiji was to him, while 16 year old Nick's trying to fight with a 25 year old Seiji. I like versions where it's just mind swapped and versions where it's whole body as well (those are fun for the oh no he's hot moment they come with). Fun fact, my original idea for the 'childhood' prompt in the 30 Day Fence Challenge was 17 or so Nick swapping out minds with 12 year old Nick but I couldn't make it work the way I wanted it to in the time I had to write it so it got shelved

2) the Ultimate self-indulgence of MAXIMUM cringe level but aus where a pre-get-together ship's future kid somehow gets dumped back in time and seeks out their parent/s and they're like what do you mEAN I married him?!?! and yes i do have a specific scenario for both Eugesse and Nichoji fics of this variety and if I had time to fit them in my writing schedules, y'all would have to suffer months of irrelevant content from me uwu

[dapper-nahrwhale]

if youre planning to watch riverdale because you like the comics i suggest not because they are very very different.

Thanks for the suggestion but. Well, it is a little too late. You see I have actually seen some of it before. I watched a few seasons of it a few years after it initially came out, then immediately forgot everything about it, like this was way back in 2019 or 2020, long before I even got into the archie comics and other various shows and started this whole thing of watching and reading every single archie comics and adaptation I can possibly find.

(Oh boy this is going to be a long one huh.)

And one consistent thing I've found in my journey is that archie comics, adaptations, and spinoffs, is that it's a mixed bag of quality. And theres always so much going on in them all the time. You've got some good ones, some bad ones, some in between, and the really strange ones.

And boy howdy has there been some strange ones. The 19 issue 70s spire christian archie comics. There was a 2 part collaboration with Barack Obama and Sara Palin in 2010 for some reason. A sharknado crossover in 2015. A live action Archie's tv pilot in 1964 that never really went anywhere for good reason. Many more low budget early 90s live action films. The controversial end to the life with archie 2010 series, wherein we follow parallel universes where archie marries veronica and archie marries betty, and both have the exact same ending: archie gets shot and dies.

Its wild. WILD.

And riverdale as a show fits into that sort of nonsense... surprisingly well tbh. Yes, there things I dislike about the show diverging from the comics and it taking itself way to seriously, but I cannot deny the fact that riverdale does fit with just how bonkers the rest of the archie comics and shows get, no matter how much it differs from those comics and shows.

TDLR (I go into more depth as of why under the cut) riverdale is a fascinating archie adaptation and I need to watch it soon. adaptations that are different than the source material can still hold value. There has never been an entirely accurate archie adaptation because even the comics themselves are inconsistent with each other. But the one thing every single archie comics, show, movie, adaptation has in common is that they're always always just kind of dumb and ridiculous. Can't be an archie adaptation without that. And I'm on a quest to watch and read every adaptation so I kind of am going to watch riverdale regardless.

And I'm not entirely sure of my opinion on the comics is anything more than neutral at best really.

I havent read enough of the old ones to form an opinion on them yet. I cant say I really like all the comics, some sure but. Like the real early stuff, from the 40s and 50s, can be sort of hard to read. As always, the early Archie's do not stand up to the test of time it seems. And some really weird choices made in the 70s. The sabrina the teenage witch and the josie and the pussycats spinoff comics are pretty interesting tho.

I'd say the very cream of the crop (for me so far) is the post 2015 complete rehaul of the series as a whole, in a fresh light. Definitely worth reading the road to riverdale volumes, the archie volumes, and the jughead volumes (I'm biased what can I say), even though they have absolutely nothing to do with the show riverdale itself, or even the storylines in the earlier archie comics. Their it's own thing entirely.

And truthfully, I don't actually mind how different of an adaptation something is. I think a darker, more drama focused tone is a fine thing for an adaptation. In theory. Like afterlife with archie comics started in 2013 where zombies take over the town. Because in practice with the riverdale show, oh boy. The issues I have are real. Like, ok its objectively a kind of ridiculous show that I just can't take seriously. It sure is entertaining to watch it crash and burn though. But. Thing is, I just straight up don't even remember anything that happened in it, went in one ear out the other. So it's going to be a surprise for me either way once I get around to it.

Anyways, an adaptation being inaccurate from the source material but still good (howls moving castle, who framed roger rabbit) and being badly written but still enjoyment can be found in it (the black cauldron), and being a somewhat accurate adaptation but still unbearable (the live action avatar the last airbender and percy jackson movies) are all separate things. And riverdale falls into it's own separate category all together, where it is not an accurate adaptation by any means, where the enjoyment of it is entirely dependent on the individual, where it does genuinely bring up some interesting things and compelling plot points, but at the cost of character assasination, plot inconsistencies, and alot of really really awkward dialogue. And thing is, that's just how most shows are anyways. I don't think any archie show is fully good or fully bad, they're all a mixed bag.

Where as in the past there have been adaptations of archie that dont follow the plots or characterizations of the comics as much, but still keep more of the tone of the comics, Archie's weird mysteries 1999, and there have been some that follow the comics somewhat, but change up the tone to be something else entirely, the new Archie's show 1987, and it really just depends on the writers.

I genuinely dont know if theres ever been an entirely accurate archie adaptation, even with how all the comics and shows do have some sort of consistency, whether it be character traits, the places and people in town, plotlines. But theres also the fact that they had so many people making and writing archie comics and various spinoffs all at once, that there is going to be discrepancy between even the comics themselves. Theres no real one accurate archie. Theres how it started out, and how it has changed, evolved, and morphed over time and decades, into an amalgamation of 80 some years worth of recognizable characters and places and plotlines. And riverdale is just one of many bizarre choices in the long and strange history that is archie.

And it's like the last part of my journey, you know. I don't think I can stop even if I wanted to, I'm in too deep now. I gotta know it all. Everything. The good, the bad, the questionable.

(Quick sidebar but also. Theres this live action movie called the archies coming out on Netflix soon, and it looks really interesting, set in 1960s india. I don't know till I see it if it's good, but that alone sounds like an adaptation worth watching, even if it isnt so accurate to the source material, it certainly has the tone of the 1960s shows and comics down it seems.)

Oops! Didnt mean to make this response this long, riverdale is a fascinating mixed bag of just everything to me. I have a lot of thoughts about archie adaptations as always.

Anyways thank you for the ask anon! I'll take any excuse to talk about archie adaptations.

[kasarian]

hemlo! was curious abt Akku's magic powerz! Cuz i remember reading abt his bioluminescence but u also drew himb with fire stuffs! what r his magics? :0

hewo! i saw this ask hours ago but i was attending my uni's local art exhibit (+ data shitty there jdfmnfdm), so sorry it's late </3

But this story has multiple sources of powers, which some certain species (?) have their own naturally attained powers, , others draw their power from their surroundings / from the planet itself, while some can use runes and other things (think glyphs!) as a mode of accessibility for those who do not/are not able to naturally use magic.

Akku, in the meantime, is a child of a sea dragon and an earth dragon, both who are of very powerful lineage; Him being able to influence his environment is just a taste of the rest of his powers!

A being's powers in this universe absolutely depends on how much they are able to hone their skills. This is true for all types of magic. So.. well, making a list for Akku can be a little hard to think about! And not all of things I'd list could end up canon so I'm a little hesitant but here we go

What I've got so far is:

- Complex shape shifting (this is different for every person in this universe, but for Akku, he has it down pat, since his skillset is more influenced by the control of liquids. eventually he gets there with the earth/rocks/land part of his skills)

- Is able to remember specific glyphs and spells, but runes baffle him.

- As for the fire, read above! + He learns an artificial light spell (aka Glow Spell) from Orbit as soon as he's informed that he can learn other elements (at age 10). He and Orbit's manifestation of light manifest differently; Orbit's level of mastery and love for creatures allow him to manifest this spell as a companion/familiar. Akku's manifestation of this spell is completely organically shaped (i.e. it can be anything he wants, but it mostly appears as fire-like, or he always adds it to other elements)

- Underwater breathing comes in later, after he reuinites with his parents as a child, and as soon as he decides that he can't be afraid of water forever (at age 12). He loves wading in water as a child, but his separation from his parents was traumatic enough for an 8~9 year old to try his best to avoid it as much as possible.

- Alon is able to dive deep in the ocean; Akku can only reach half that at the least, 3/4ths at best. (I have not done enough research for a number to be plausible to my collective. i feel like hadal zone may be too deep and implausible www)

- Akku is able to largely manipulate his environment (at age 18, then gets better with time); i mean that he's able to sense and move around large bodies of water and hurl boulders if needed.

... Not sure if this explains anything tbh, it's all very broad and vague, but I do think of magic like... as a mix of a lot of irl things. mostly skill & understanding the fundamentals of it. and i treat it how i treat the advancement of techniques in my own journey in art. but also this is a fantasy world where almost anything is possible if i want it to be HAHAH so a lot of changes can come and go. if you want any more specifics, please feel free to ask!