#instead of figuring out how to symbolic draw stuff

[n-pq]

A worried mom and her kit, based on the gift of silence.

[yakutarts]

Nightmare and Dream but feral, non-skeletal body!

For the love of god PLEASE click on the image for better quality + close ups and clothed version under the cut!!

Would you kiss them?

Video process:

I made these using a specific context

A while ages ago I drew and posted a drawing of Nightmare and Dream on their light ball form but with some alterations/personal headcanons.

On the post, I expressed my desire to draw the twins in a universe were Nim didn’t need to give them bodies, and just let them grow naturally. And specifically give them an animalistic appearance, instead of a humanoid one like most artist do.

You can see on the process video that it took me 1000 sketches to make something that looked good and I was happy with, the video is obviously sped up, the total time it took me to make this was 28 hours and 15 minutes.

Now explaining some things:

Why are they so big?

I read on a post made by Joku that Nim, before giving them skeleton bodies, tried to make them human ones, but the pure amount of magic and power the twins had made the human bodies explode or some shit. So she picked skeletons since the magic could flow freely through the bones without being confined by muscle and flesh. That made me think if their power had physical forms, it would be gigantic. So I gave them gigantic forms to better represent their status of strength and power, beings made from raw magic to serve as guardians of all emotions throughout the multiverse, of course I needed to make them big and intimidating!

Why the horns?

Artistic design choice, I gave them little horns and a chubby tail in their light ball form to purposefully make them more animalistic, wanted to keep it while making these. Also just giving them a smooth head with nothing much going on looked weird and boring.

Why the draconian look?

Dragons had been created and depicted as symbols of pure power above humanity and worshipped as deities throughout several cultures around the world, different depictions of dragons has been one of the only things present among almost all cultures, like a default folklore creature. While I tried to incorporate other mythical creatures in the design, the draconic body plan felt more right due to the influence of dragons on human beliefs, and their representation as magical and powerful beings beyond human comprehension. Plus I just really love drawing dragons.

Why the clothing choice? Also why is Dream half naked while Nightmare has everything covered?

While designing the clothes for Nightmare, I used as reference clothing that usually royalty would wear, Nightmare has a really big ego and sees himself as a king, so he uses fancy, expensive clothing and jewelry, adapted and designed for his anatomy. Not practical for battle, but his corruption can go through the fabric without damaging it, and most people and monsters just run when they see him, so he doesn’t worry about it getting dirty or tearing, Nightmare just expects every soul to instantly submit when they see him, so he never worries about getting into a battle and getting dirty he has that big of an ego.

Dream is the opposite, his style of clothing much more practical for running, jumping, flying, fighting and general exercise. He has 4 bags in total, 2 on each side, inside them he keeps several items, be it healing food, magical artifacts, first aid kit, gifts he receives, stuff he buys or random things he finds and wants to take home with him. Dream’s crown is now a colar couldn’t figure out how to make it work with the head shape and horns, his cape is from his official design, but changed to white, was planning to make it yellow but when I looked at it my eyes hurt because there was too much yellow everywhere. I made Dream’s clothes with the intent to match his official design, I didn’t to the same for nightmare because a turtle neck with a hoodie on a dragon would make him more huggable than intimidating. Plus I like to think that the leg warmers was a gift from Blue, and the ring on his horn a gift from Ink. Didn’t add more stuff on him because I couldn’t think of something that would look good and match Dream’s vibe, the rest of his clothes on his official design didn’t translate well here. Oh, while I was drawing this, I drew the colar and the leg warmers first, without the cape, Dream looked like a twink with a pet play kink.

Side note; neither Nightmare or Dream see the use of clothes as a necessity or as decency. For them clothes are nothing but pure decoration and to show off status for Nightmare, they can wear full body suits, partial clothing, just jewelry, or nothing at all, which is what they usually go for when at home, wearing or not wearing stuff doesn’t make that much of a difference to them at all.

Do they act as animals or do they have human intelligence?

Despite me using the word “feral” all the time to describe them, they do not actually act as animals. I’m only using “feral” to describe their body/anatomy, Nightmare and Dream are fully sentient and have human level intelligence/awareness. They are capable of speech and have opposable thumbs on their front paws, they can grab, write, hold… do anything a human can do with their hands with dexterity. But they do have to use only hand one at a time, and balance themselves with the other. To use both hands, they have to be sitting, or be supported by something, they can balance themselves on their wings if they have to.

And now contradicting what I just said, they have some animalistic behaviors. The twins can growl, purr and roar. Despite Nightmare being able to use his tentacles and Dream being able to shoot magic arrows out of his wings, they to also scratch and bite while fighting. Since they are big and heavy, they can easily crush bone under their weight and their bite force is strong enough to split someone in half. If you need a reference, just use Smaug from The Hobbit, he has more or less the balance of animal behavior and human intelligence I’m looking for.

Expanding more on this, the twins stretch just like felines, and often sleep in positions usually cats sleep in (they don’t actually need to sleep but do anyway). Dream likes to go fishing, and by fishing I mean jumping in a lake and chasing the fish underwater. He finds it more fun than sitting around and waiting for the fish to come to you instead.

I guess you count their lack of necessity to wear clothes as animal logic too?

_________________

If you have any more questions about them, I will be happy to answer!

And yes, I do plan on making more drawings of Nightmare and Dream on this form!

Dreamtale belongs to @jokublog

Feral concept/design by @yakutarts (me)

[cantgetworsethanthistbh]

the people need to know how -you- envision fem stan…. for science

(not suspicious)

so i'm answering this like. 2 months late so um.... oops JDHDHDHDBE

ANYWAY i decided to procasinate hard and do this instead so ENJOYYY

the dress: instead of their father's suit, which filbrick gave to ford directly for his future wedding, i imagine that after caryn dies, ford decided to take her (and filbrick's) clothes too and keep them in safe keeping along with other stuff from their parents, to one day figure out what to do with them. after stan takes over the shack, stan finds caryn's dress and tries to fit it on. it doesnt fit her, but hey thats what corsets and stitches are for! (i drew her corset-less here cuz itd be hot ok djdjdhdh)

the necklace: i wanted to incorporate stan's cipher wheel symbol in this drawing SOMEHOW and what better than a gold necklace? i think this is definitely belonged to their parents too and stan honestly mistaked it as a botched attempt at an eclipse (fits the Miss Terious vibes to be all about the moon and stars right?), until she realizes it matches their dad's fez😭

bracelets and earings: their caryn's. mommas girl. also ford has mommy issues so he hates seeing them

shoes: honestly made them match the cane so the colors wouldnt be so off balanced lmao

ring: fake diamond, almost gave ford a heart attack thinking his sister got married while he was gone, and he gets a heart attack when he realizes she did . in vegas. for a day😭 lame ass. its not even on the right finger

shes DEFINITELY more like caryn in this case

i think i also def see her wearing their dad's suit jacket when on work. i think she WOULD wear the fez and just a normal gold necklace, maybe even fake pearls for the real fancy shit, but i hate drawing that fez so you get my stupid improvised one jdjdjdn

ford: siscon

[rosieveltsworld]

Okay listen, what I love about BTD kid au is that Strade, rire, & sano were friends ever since childhood. I mean it's adorable if you actually think about it 😂

I do have a headcannon story that I would like to tell you all so feel free to read this!

I still don't know how the three met, it's kind of like that one trio where they don't even know how they met each other in the first place so let's just go with that. But I'd figured it would go something like this.

Story: Strade was an only child and had no friends due to his behavior. He met sano when he was around probably 6-7 who was stuck in a pond with ropes around his tail (Sano). Strade upon seeing a young boy with a snake tail, was curious and decided to help him...but the two ended up in the rope and it took 2 hours for them to get themselves free. Strade and sano became friends after that and strade didn't even bother asking about why sano had a tail.

The next part is where the two met rire which is kind of in a weird way. Strade got home from his kindergarten and decided to play with sano as the two were close, sano has an idea to summon a demon, which wasn't normal for a child to say that but hey, he's a naga demon so what do you expect? Anyway, they summoned a demon and you might be asking how and why they did it. Well one; They were pretty dumb kids and also just curious, two; Sano found rire's 'symbol' online for odd reasons and decided to try it. They successfully summoned kid rire but...they interrupted his tea time which made the demon prince angry (Btw he's a prince because his family is still alive, so he ain't the demon king yet). After a full on rampage that goes on for about a few hours, they were able to come into an agreement to become friends.

Childhood Moments: Strade, Rire, & Sano would build their own treehouse in their old neighborhood where they used to live, and they would make the treehouse pretty big. Of course the three had their own rooms and storage for their own stuff, by this time strade had an old camcorder, so he used it to create videos and/or memories of their childhood.

The three would go on adventures and weird places or even terrifying ones. Strades parents never really paid any attention to him so they didn't care if he left the house. Strade likes to draw or doodle in his free time, so he draws a lot of art of him, rire and sano. Sano and strade likes to pull pranks on rire. For example one time, they did a water bucket challenge but instead of it being normal cold water, it was holy water which burned poor kid rire skin. Of course he was not happy, but don't worry...he got his revenge.

Another childhood memory is that the three would occasionally watch horror films like slasher films. Especially paranormal activity, every time there is a demon or spirit that is possessing a person, sano and strade were pretty much scared while rire happily watches the scene. BUTTTT, when it comes to the exorcist scenes...Rire would immediately hold his friends with his tentacles while hiding behind them😂😂 (inspo from the photo above)

Another time, sano and strade did a research and they read that in old Russian ancient times, there used to be a saying that brownies could scare off evil spirits or demons. And so...they tried it on rire, the results did not disappoint them. The moment they bought a brownie cake and placed it on the table in front of rire...the poor boy disappeared. Which confused the two at first, but then they realized it actually works! Rire would stay in hell until he knows for sure, that the brownies were gone.

Treehouse: The treehouse that they built in the forest is still there standing stable till this day, and that treehouse holds a lot of childhood memory. Strade Sano & Rire would often sleep in that treehouse as their comfort zone and also since it's the place they mostly hang out in. They carved their names on the treehouse door, something like this; "LR+SK+S" Which obviously means in order; "Lucien Rire+Sano Kojima+Strade". Of course soon strade had to move out of his old town and so did sano and rire. They left their old treehouse but kept their stuff there.

Present: Whenever Y/N is free they sometimes go to the Kojima brothers house just to hangout or sleep over. One day they stumbled upon an old photo of the main trio. Rire in the center, strade on his left side and sano on his right side. The photo looked like it was taken a few years back and Y/N was able to open the frame and found a note attached to the back of the photo which had coordinates, which if your guessing correctly; Leads to their old treehouse. Akira & Y/N visited that place and found the treehouse with all of their stuff still there in the same places where they left it. And if they went all the way to the back, they would find a wooden box container which is filled with many cassette tapes and writing of dates. Strade would record those childhood videos and put them on cassette tapes so there was a lot of them. Of course, Y/N & Akira ended up watching some of the videos in the end and didn't bother telling sano, strade, or rire.

Anyway that's pretty much my version of the BTD main trio kid AU. Let me now which one should I do next down below here ⬇️⬇️⬇️

(Btw, credits to the art above belongs to @darqx)

[bidonica]

what does it mean when maegery patroned merchants and singers? Is it just giving money to them or is it getting something designed? Is it like when someone writes a book and they get it distributed all in the book stores

Well, to patron merchants you simply buy stuff from them; it probably means she had some trusted dealers she went to to buy luxury goods. I often think of the description of the Small Council chamber as an indicator that luxury goods in Westeros are mostly bought from abroad, and you need merchants for that:

The chamber was richly furnished. Myrish carpets covered the floor instead of rushes, and in one corner a hundred fabulous beasts cavorted in bright paints on a carved screen from the Summer Isles. The walls were hung with tapestries from Norvos and Qohor and Lys, and a pair of Valyrian sphinxes flanked the door, eyes of polished garnet smoldering in black marble faces.

As for sponsoring singers, it would mean they were given food and lodging in exchange for entertaining the noblefolks, and probably also money and/or material gifts. You see it with Marillion at the Eyrie:

Since coming to the Eyrie, the singer had become her favorite. He sang Lord Robert to sleep every night, and tweaked the noses of Lady Lysa's suitors with verses that made mock of their foibles. Her aunt had showered him with gold and gifts; costly clothes, a gold arm ring, a belt studded with moonstones, a fine horse. She had even given him her late husband's favorite falcon. It all served to make Marillion unfailingly courteous in Lady Lysa's presence, and unfailingly arrogant outside it.

In the pre industrial Western society asoiaf draws from, artists and often even intellectuals (though the latter could be independently wealthy, which makes sense: there's a higher chance a wealthy person gave their children an education compared to the working classes, though entering the clergy could provide some upward mobility in that respect) depended on the patronage of kings, nobles, and to an extent of institutions such as the church or the state, as in the case of republics. This also meant their work circulated in a much more limited manner than it would do today; we don't call them "mass media" for nothing. Think of how before we figured out how to record and broadcast sounds (so a VERY recent invention), the only way to listen to music would have been to either play it yourself or find someone who played it. You understand that actually "owning" a guy who could play and possibly even write music for you was one hell of a status symbol. In asoiaf you see a pretty archaic version of this, with their singers being essentially troubadours and storyteller, but in essence that's what Mozart was also doing. Hope that answers your question anon!

[graceaadrianna]

witchy vision board ideas and tips

with 2025 on the horizon, resolutions and goals are on the forefront of some of our minds.

i want to start by saying i usually celebrate the "new year" on the spring equinox or the start of aries season. if you feel like now is not the time for you to start new aspirations, that is normal! listen to your intuition. it doesn't really make sense to me for a new beginning to start in winter. however, if you feel called to make changes now like i did, a vision board is a beautiful way to help you visualize your goals and stay on track. there is never a "right time" to change your life.

most know what a vision board entails - pictures and quotes that represent your goals. i used to just make a vision board and hang it somewhere random, expecting it to do the work for me. obviously that has never worked. so this year, i made sure to make it huge and place in a spot i see every single day. you want to be actively engaging with your board every day and giving it the power to help you achieve your goals.

pictures and quotes are great, but there is so much more you can add to the energy of your board! you're essentially turning it into a spell. and if you're in the broom closet, it\ can be easily blended into the other stuff on the board.

colors: color magic is the easiest thing to incorporate onto your board. use specific colors to invoke different emotions and intentions for your goals, like pink or red for self-love, silver for intuition, and brown or green for grounding. you can also just include your favorite colors, or pick a color scheme for the entire thing.

affirmations: to make your goals a little easier to visualize, include affirmations throughout. i wrote my favorite ones around the pictures so they're there for me to read, but not the main focus point. if you want, you could also make a little corner or section for them. get creative! just pick affirmations that correlate to your goals, and say them each time you look at your board.

sigils: sigils are 1. easy to make and 2. easy to personalize. you could make multiple for the different goals you have, or what i did was pick an intention that was an umbrella for most of mine and just used that. you have so much freedom with your board, do what feels right to you! just make sure you charge it as needed.

physical elements: instead of using only pictures to represent your goals, get creative and think of other ways you could symbolize them. for example, happiness is a big goal for me this year, so i glued a dried orange peel to my board. the most simple things can help bring your intentions to life.

herbs and crystals: an obvious one, but pick out herbs and crystals that best align with your goals for the year, and glue them on. it doesn't have to be fancy, regular glue worked fine for me! i made a pie wheel of mustard seed, mugwort, and rose petals on mine.

symbols for your deities: if you work with deities, including them in your board is a beautiful way to honor them and ask for their help in your manifestations and desires. you could have images of them, or include symbols, like a key for Hekate.

astrology chart: if there is a certain area of your chart you'd like to activate or bring attention to, add it! like this year, i'll be transition into an important profection year for me. you can add a zodiac or planet's symbol, or even make a mini drawing of a specific house and what's inside of it.

before you start your board, i would meditate and journal. reflect on the past and figure out what has and hasn't worked for you. what you aren't changing, you're choosing. ask yourself:

what are my top goals for the year? how can i implement these into my routine to make them achievable?

what am i leaving behind that no longer serves me?

what limiting belief do i need to challenge?

if you're feeling lost, picking a theme out of your goals is a great way to start. for example, if some of your goals are to get connected with nature, make more money, and cook more, then i'd make the majority of the board a green, earthy theme. if your goals are to exercise more and do better in work or school, then make discipline your theme. find quotes that help keep you on track.

your board can be digital, but seeing it every day is key. i recommend a physical board if you can so you can touch and meditate with it each day. the most important thing is have fun! put on some good music, get your favorite snacks, gather your friends and family. let your intuition guide you into knowing what you need to focus on for the year.

thanks for reading! any questions, please feel free to ask! and here is a picture of my board as an example :)

[ollieyingdu]

VEIN PV — Analysis and Discussion

“ollie ur a week late” shut ur bitchass vein analysis is never late 🙏

ANYWAY.

welcome to my first analysis post of yingdu about the Vein PV released a couple days ago.

NOTE: this is a lottt of rambling that I’ve tried to categorize for easy consumption. if i repeat stuff or it feels clunky, i apologize!! im still working out how i wanna format these things lmao. thank you for your patience.

OKAYYYY LETS GET INTO IT !!!

lets start with the colors of this PV, shall we?

this PV is FULL of bright colors, nearly eye-strain level with a strong presence of red. Red is obviously Vein’s character color, representing violence and passion that he holds as a mafia boss, but what about the other colors?

in the screenshot I sent above, you can see a presence of bright blues and purples. in my opinion, i think the colors have less of an actual symbolism meaning, but moreso encourage us to draw conclusions about Vein. the bright colors paint his violence as fun, explosive and overpowering. as disturbing as the pv is, it’s clear that Vein is nowhere near disturbed by the things hes doing. the colors back this up perfectly.

also this pv is soooo pretty and i just want all of us to nod in acknowledgement of how PRETTY it is. studio lan i fear u ate

ANYWAY ANYWAY

as present in the lx pv as well, link click likes to show symbolism of their characters in the quick flashes before the pv actually starts. this is one for Vein: The Venus Flytrap.

according to google dot com and plant symbolism, venus flytraps represent persistence and deception. yep good all of this checks out, but why specifically a venus fly trap? can’t they show this with something else? i personally think it has to do with Vein as a character, and we don’t see a lot of that in the pv besides him being a major freak LMAOO. looking at what venus fly traps actually do — they secrete this nectar stuff that attracts flies, and using little hairs on the leaves, they can sense when a fly lands on a specific area and triggers the reaction of the plant closing. the flies outer layer is then digested and the plant feeds on what it really wants; the flies blood. i find this very interesting as i think it depicts how Vein meets shiguang. draws them in with something, closes around them and ends up feasting on their blood (whether literally or figuratively). maybe to trigger the trap, someone has to challenge him, like cxs will most likely do?? there’s definitely a lot to look at with that and I don’t think we have enough information to make concrete guesses 😭😭 but i wanted to bring it up!

along with the flytrap stuff, before the pv begins we see a video game visuals of Vein killing pigs, which I can assume depict random ass ppl in bridon. pigs being used in place of random ppl paint this picture of Vein as a butcher, and this is SO clever on link click’s part. there’s multiple scenes in the pv where vein is handling meat, whether that be killing, cutting or eating it. he’s a carnivore, through and through.

fitting that his symbolism is a carnivorous plant, isn’t it?

the video game aesthetic also gives the idea that Vein killing people is fun for him. he thrives on it. and it dehumanizes the people he kills, both through the pig imagery and that they matter as much as random enemies in a video game level. just a look into Vein’s psyche, very very interesting.

another detail that’s interesting to me; whenever Vein kills anyone in this pv, it’s always depicted with either face or head injuries, such as decapitation. this enforces how BRUTISH Vein really is. let me put it this way; if this pv showed Vein killing people with one methodical shot to the chest, our takeaway of his character would be vastly different. instead of that, vein deals injuries to the face and brain, to identity and control. he takes away people’s sense of self, either sweeping them under the rug or making them submissive to him.

and Vein does this gleefully. he’s shown laughing as he kills those around him, takes away their sense of self—he’s sadistic, incredibly so.

but, even scarier, he is drunk on power.

power is the biggest takeaway I get from this pv. they are telling us, to our face, that vein is the most powerful character we’ve met (before any of you say lx, his analysis with cover that, and i stand by my claim 👍 justtt wait and see).

okay, this considered, how is vein shown to be in power? how do we know he’s the most powerful? I think the answer to all of this lies in comparing him to past link click villains.

a big thing abt this pv is putting Vein on a different level than the villains we’ve seen before in how he exercises his power. qian jin (s2 villain if u don’t remember his name lmao), for example, typically exercises his power through manipulation. albeit, compared to lx he’s definitely worse, but his status and physical prowess allow him to have a good control of situations, such the scene at Chen bin’s house where he plants the money to frame him. Vein, on the other hand, has not only WAY more power, but a much more messy and brutal way of exercising it. in the pv we can see a lot of vein hurting people and it is messy. there’s blood everywhere, on him and on the ground, and he’s laughing maniacally surrounding by braindead henchmen. this is a BIG point on how powerful Vein is in the mafia. he doesn’t care for precision like qj does. Vein kills people, finds joy in doing so, and knows that nobody can stop him. his just has that much power. and comparing him to qj again: qj’s lackey guy had a mind of his own and ended up exercising his own agency at the end of s2. Vein’s lackeys are braindead and submissive, meaning that he surrounds himself with people who do not have the means to challenge him. my guess if that if anyone does, he gets rid of them quick, high off the adrenaline and the fact that nobody stands a chance against him.

this is backed by the loud, cocky rock music and eyestrain level visuals. it’s a nearly overwhelming amount of stimuli to display vein’s nearly overwhelming amount of power.

and in the screenshot I sent above, he’s walking outside the central bank with hooks behind him, flashy hair and all, without a care. the amount of power Vein has to do that is astronomical.

OKAY! big points from this analysis:

Vein is represented by a Venus Flytrap, one of a few carnivorous plants

Vein typically deals injuries to the face or head, which represents the way Vein takes away the identity of those around him.

Using pigs as depictions of random people, it makes Vein look like a butcher, as well as his scenes with meat everywhere

Vein finds a lot of joy in killing people, and is incredibly messy in how he handles it

Vein is powerful beyond comprehension through his Chinatown mafia

one thing i have left out is speculation around vein’s power (or if he even has one in the first place). because my theory for it is connected to another theory surrounding Overthink (the s1 ed), ill go in depth about it there! I’ll try and get that post out before yingdu airs, but be warned it is HEAVY speciation lmao

well guys, that seems to be it!!! i adore this PV, the song is a BANGERRR and we all cheer as we await yingdu!!

next up, lx pv analysis 🙏 drop a follow if ur interested in seeing it (trust me there is SO much to say about it) and check out the tag #ollieyingdu for anything yingdu related i have posted before or will post in the future.

thank you so much for stopping by! please feel free to comment/reblog ur thoughts, i welcome any and all discussion as long as everyone remains respectful.

that’s all for now! see you later 🫶

[quibbs126]

Maybe I’m just being lazy but screw it, I don’t have much else to add to this page, or that I will add, so page now

As stated prior, this AU now has the name of Transformers X, and this page is pretty much just me trying to make various designs for characters

I say try because while I got Jazz and a design for Bumblebee, I kind of gave up by the Starscream design, or I just didn’t know how to finish it

I guess let’s just go through what’s here

So first we have Bumblebee. I gave him a visor, but I don’t know if I want to keep it, because honestly I’m giving too many characters visors at this rate

I do like how round he is though, and I like his horns

I also decided I need to give characters other gem shapes, which I did here with Bee. I gave him the two on his chest to mimic headlights, and one on his head because why not

I have no clue what his role in the AU is. I know he’s an Autobot, and he probably has some connection with Optimus, but I don’t know what specifically he does? Originally I was planning on him being Optimus’ support bot, but I ended up finding Jazz a better pick, so I don’t know what to do with him now

Speaking of which, on to Jazz. I already explained stuff about him prior, how he’s semi based on his TFA design. The red circle gem is supposed to be where his Autobot symbol is, but honestly I might change the shape. I don’t know how much I like the circle on him. The circle shoulders can stay though

By Jazz I realized I should probably be more elaborate with the arms, but I still need more time to figure out how specifically to go about that

And as for his role, as stated he is Optimus and usually Megatron’s support bot. By which I mean, guy in the HQ that’s giving the bot out field and opponent data, as well as helping with strategies

I said he has a casual thing going with both Optimus and Megatron, but honestly, I might take it out. I thought it was funny, but I’m not sure how much I like it genuinely. Not that I don’t think the ship could work, it’s just that maybe I’ll shelve it here. I do kind of like it though still, at least on Optimus’ end. The polyamory’s so there’s no cheating, because I’ve decided megop is official here

And then we get to the unfinished designs

So with Starscream, I didn’t really know how to translate his helmet design into Mega Man-esque format. So I went looking for characters to maybe get some pointers on how to do so, and I ended up finding Gate, who basically became my main inspiration for this Starscream

I just thought the helm design really fit Starscream, and I mean I can use the flashback Gate for scientist Starscream too

But then during my sketching I was like “does that really look like Starscream?” Like he looks like a Mega Man character, but to me I’m not sure he’s recognizable as Starscream

I also didn’t know what to do for his body, since the gem was supposed to be in place of his cockpit, nor was I sure on his arms or how his wings work

So I decided he’s to be shelved for now, maybe I can make a better design later

Then I decided to do a small head design for Skyfire. As is he isn’t really going to be in the AU, since he’s currently in stasis, but might as well

He’s fine, I just have to figure out his body

Then we have a semi-sketch of Soundwave, who’s mainly based on Vile because I feel like the shapes work for him

I was trying to add something to his head to make him look more Soundwave, but they didn’t turn out right. Maybe my issue here is leaning too much into the Vile helm style

All I know is he is very square

And I think that’s mainly it on this round of AU stuff. It really isn’t that much, I’ll be honest, but this is from like, the past few days where I’ve been doing a lot of work, and I haven’t had much creative juice. Hopefully by Thursday or Friday I have more substance

Honestly I just want to keep drawing Megatron and Optimus, but I know I should expand the cast. But maybe I should just do what I want instead, since all of this is self indulgent anyways. I do need to modify Megs’ design now since I’ve decided he has circle shoulders now

[foodandfolklore]

Easy Ways to Kitchen Witch

If you're new to the craft, or if your path is recently at a cross roads where you're feeling more drawn to kitchen witchcraft, you might be looking for some easy ways to start. So often when you picture Kitchen Witchcraft, you think of elaborate meals of baked goods beautifully decorated. And sure, that can be part of it; but if you try to make Instagram worthy food for every meal, you'll burn out real quick. So how can you Be a Kitchen Witch without braking bank or burning out?

Stirring your intentions

This is going to be brought up any time talking about Witchcraft and Food, so I figured I'd get it out of the way first. The idea being if you want to add energy or personal intention to food, so that when it's consumed the magic activates. A lot of witches swear by: Stir Clock Wise to Add, Stir Counter Clockwise to banish (Get rid of bad stuff in food). I've mentioned this before, I personally don't feel like this makes a difference. Instead, what makes a difference is stirring towards you to add Energy and intentions. Stir away from you to Banish or remove. Which direction is Towards/Away? Whatever way feels right to you.

The neat thing about stirring is you can do it with any food or drink. You don't need to be actively cooking to do some stirring. You can use a straw, a fork, a spatula; whatever. And if you have something that can't be stirred, like a slice of pizza, try turning the plate.

Candle to Raise Power

Any time you're cooking in the kitchen, or doing anything in the kitchen, consider lighting a candle. I have a round candle holder with a lid that I wash and reuse. Just plop a tea light or votive candle in there. Candles are great at heightening the energy in a room, and as someone who's struggled with depression and motivation, I've found this little ritual/routine helps gets me going.

A few tips, first you wanna make sure the candle is in a place where you can see it but not in a place where it may get in the way. I keep mine on the back of my prep counter. Next, avoid strong scented candles. Scented candles can be great for a lot of occasions, but the smell of the candle can muddle or mute the smell of the food. Finally, as with any time you use candles, please practice good fire safety.

Spell Ingredient Correlations can Carry Over to Food

Have you done extensive research on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme? Well I got good news! All of that research was not for nothing! Herbs and Spices used in Witchcraft and Spells are commonly used in food. If you use cinnamon in a lot of your spell work for prosperity and success, try throwing some in your food with similar intentions and see how it goes.

Granted, this is not going to apply to every spell ingredient as many plants used in witchcraft are toxic. Or at the very lest can be problematic when consumed in large amounts or if pregnant. So please use some caution and common sense. A little research can take you a long way.

Simmer Pots

These are great ways to elevate your home's energy. Also a good way to use up some dried ingredients that's been laying around. A simmer pot is not anything special. You can take any small pot you got, fill it about halfway with water, add dried or fresh herbs, and leave it on the lowest heat setting on your stove, uncovered. Everything will simmer and release amazing aromas and energy. The properties of the ingredients in your pot can release into the air of your home. This can be good to do in colder months when cleaning. Just warms up everything.

Saucy Symbols and Sigils

If your oils and sauces are in easy pour bottles, consider getting a little creative when you use it. Gunna put some Ketchup or Siracha on that? Why not draw a pentacle. Oiling a pan? Maybe cook your food in a symbol of infinity or life. Or create your own symbols and meanings. Add them to your food to help elevate their magic. You may feel limited by the pour spout, but remember it comes down to intention. But if it makes you feel better, you can always transfer your sauces to bottles with more precise pour.

Make a Magic Potion

If you are not a huge fan of Cooking or Baking, remember there's still options for Kitchen Witchcraft. Magic Drinks. You can infuse your magic into syrups, juices, teas, cocktails, mocktails, smoothies, and more. There are options for people who can't consume alcohol, caffeine, dairy, sugar, any dietary restriction. I think I a lot of people write this option off because they think it focuses too much on alcohol or they don't like tea/coffee. But there's a lot of options when it comes of conjuring drinks.

Cook with Sun and Moon Water

If you're not familiar with Moon water, it's fairly easy to make. You fill a glass jar and leave it out in moonlight to charge with moon energy. Same idea for Sun Water. I find Sun Water is better for general Cooking and Moon Water is better for Teas as the energy from moon water is more mellow.

Adding some Solar Energy with Sun water to soups or to cook your rice and pasta in can help infuse your food with some Solar energy. It ups the overall energy and power of the magic in the food, as well as adds success and thus increases the chance of things working. There's also many other benefits, but listing them all might be worth their own post.

Kitchen Witchcraft is more than Cooking

I think the most important thing to remember is that Kitchen Witchcraft is not just food. Kitchens are often the heart of a home, and many things will go on and get done in a kitchen. Family meetings or get togethers may happen in the kitchen, people may do their reading or web surfing there. Or maybe it's where they do their homework or paperwork. They may do their hobbies at the table or counter. There's more than just food going on in the Kitchen.

So, feel free to expand out. Do some crafts with kitchen supplies or for your kitchen. Protective charms and garlands made out of cinnamon sticks and other items. Or just try other kinds of Magic. Maybe you like the idea of knot magic and want to try knitting a protective scarf. Or you like plants and want to get into garden magic. You don't need to stay in some box; try some stuff out!

[thereareeyesinsidethetrees]

@unearthlyfromage ae thought you might be interested in the paragraphs about dark cacao

so far, each of the ancient's awakened forms are titled after notable traits of the actual cookie, and not their souljam. these traits also parallel their beast counterparts

pure vanilla holds the light of truth, but his awakened form is titled after his immense kindness, compassion, and care. shadow milk, on the other hand, is outright sadistic. he does not care about anyone around him (except maybe pure vanilla, because his distress is fun to him). pure vanilla's title is straightforward: compassionate

golden cheese holds the light of abundance, but her awakened form is named after her determination to protect her kingdom. burning spice sees no value in kingdoms because, to him, they just rise and fall and turn to dust in the end. that's why he gets bored, why he starts destroying, and why he doesn't care a bit about anyone around him. they will all be destroyed in the end, so what's their worth? why delay the inevitable? golden cheese, on the other hand, almost seems to care more about her kingdom than actual abundance. she doesn't really grow it much over time (though she's more than happy to let others in) and she doesn't leave her digital kingdom at all, long enough for several generations to go by without her waking up. when she found her kingdom destroyed, she created an entire virtual kingdom where they can all be happy and wealthy and be whatever they want. she literally rebuilds from dust. she resurrects crumbled remains of residents. ae cannot think of any other character that has done that, except maybe the dark cacao warriors returning from flour. that is why she gets the title of 'immortal'. preserving her treasures is more important to her than gaining new ones, to the point that she does things ae'm not sure any other cookie could do just to ensure her kingdom lasts

dark cacao holds the light of resolution, but ultimately it is his speech to the dragons that results in his victory. hence, dragon lord. ae think there's a symbolic meaning to this too: he is a very conflicted character, especially when it comes to dark choco. he is extremely protective of his sword; no one has ever been able to wrench it from his hands, and he will cut you down if you dare try. he kept his sword in a hidden location, in a room dedicated to honoring fallen warriors

^ what are we trying to say here? dark cacao has two eternally dueling dragons sealed inside an object he keeps close to his chest, that he hides from others, that he refuses to let anyone else get close to. bottled up and internalized conflict and suffering that comes out when interacting with mystic flour. he makes a speech to the dragons (finally faces these unresolved feelings) and they return to aid him, no longer trapped within the sword. they are still conflicted- but they consider it a draw. neither wins, they just have to coexist. he returns with his dragons riding on his shoulders, now more accepting of his inner conflict and turning it into something to make him stronger. not hiding anymore

the flour could also play into this- his kingdom comes down with an ailment that uh. let's just say makes them spout some stuff we heavily relate to as a chronically depressed being. when he arrives at beast-yeast, his closest companions begin to think this way too, and disappear. his beast has pushed all of his loved ones (because let's be real, they are loved ones) away from him, out of his grasp, not coming back no matter how much he begs. they only return after he defeats mystic flour. the ailment is gone, his citizens make note of the dragons, and he laughs for the first time. he has reached enlightenment. he is no longer pushing everyone away. instead, he stands as a figure to look up to for his citizens: he battled the beast and tamed his dragons. it's something for them to look up to, to find their inner determination. after all, why not tame your dragons, too?

do you like how this post started small and ended with three separate paragraphs about one guy. gods help us if we're even a little interested in the remaining two beasts' stories (we are, we want silent salt so bad. please let one of the beasts be enby, please, we are begging. please. ideally we would enjoy both of them being enby, but we will be okay with one, plEASE. she/him eternal sugar and they/them silent salt c'mon)

[13thdoodle]

[ ECTOBERHAUNT 2023 BANNER ]

I'm doing the banner for this year's @ectoberhaunt event~ The theme is Science vs Magic

I had so much fun making this~ Sam get the fantasy AU fit while Tucker gets Cyber/futuristic style

Sketch Progress

I like the idea of Sam being a druid bc nature connection tm

And Tucker would vibe very well with fancy future stuffs. i was gonna draw him with a bigger puffer but I couldn't figured it out. I like the one we got here too so yay

Okay so I was a bit pressed on time while working on this so I couldn't do as much research and references as I should.

On Sam's part, the somewhat floating book was inspired on how genshin impact's catalysts have their books/weapon just floats and it looks fancy n magical n Sam deserve that honestly

Her glowing tattoo are highkey inspired of this beautiful Sam with tattoos art by @the-stove-is-on-fire Mine is nowhere close to that but that's my main inspiration for this

I was gonna give Tucker his usual orange sweater but I noticed a lot of neon or cyberpunk outfit relies on dark backdrop to pop.

And since the background color is gonna be bright yellow, I gotta put the dark color somewhere else. And his sweater would be the perfect spot to balance out all the brightness with a bit of darkness

And it matches with Sam too so it works out great uwu

The magic circles on their back were mostly there to balance out the composition bc it looks too empty as is, gotta spice it up a lil bit uwu But a direct halo would look.. too out there? I mean I can but like.. Sam is magic/fantasy based, why not lean on that n go for magic circles :D

Tucker's random bits on the background took the most out of me bc like.. its hard qwq I literally try to look up aesthetic bg to figure out how to work with his?? Eventually I just settle on less is more and added shadow under the bits to make em pops out against the orange

source

And for the color choices, I wanted the two of them to have purple, yellow, and green on them. The green color on to symbolize Danny bc I'm an Everlasting Trio shipper lmao

I wanted Sam to have some yellow and green on her magic, which kinda.. got covered with the whites honestly. But the greens stays with the vines so we'll go with that Tucker was harder to figure out, so I settle with him with blue and greens instead of purple qwq

In the end, only the green end up staying lmao It ends up unifying both sides so hell yea it all works out lol

[aryxchse]

I just read your Percy Jackson x daughter of Persephone fic and I really would like to read one for daughter of Hekate.

I mean you still have me questioning my Cabin but for the sake of all those years that I was daughter of Hekate, I would love to read Percy Jackson x daughter of Hekate from you.

casted a spell on me / percy jackson x daughter of hecate! reader.

a / n : my wife y'all 👆🏻

warnings : cursing

- percy wanted to gift hazel a special crystal for her birthday

- but he never really understood the girl, nor the crystal things

- so which cabin everyone visits when stuff like this happens?

- the hecate cabin.

- you were the only one left in cabin when percy barged in

- while you were cleansing (?) your room

- "hello?"

- "i am so sorry- should i leave? am i intrupting something?"

- you shrugged him off with a laugh, saying that it's not important enough for him to leave

- and he happily stayed

- "you.. know hazel right?"

- "duh, she's my ride or die."

- and everything began like this

- there was 2 weeks until hazel's birthday and percy decided to use that time wisely

- and he was kinda glad that he started working early

- because, he get to spend time with you

- man he's already whipped, look at you doing magical stuff and casting a spell on the boy

- the last part was percy's own delusion but yeah, you could turn him into a pig and he would be thankful

- "you could gift her tarot cards as a bonus, she's interested in those."

- "...show me."

- this boy knows NOTHING

- and when you read his cards he was gasping like a little girl

- hes so amazed by you omg

- you could make up something for the uno cards and he would scream 'this girl fucking rocks!!'

- did i said hes whipped? do i have to??

- anyways back on hazel's birthday gift mission

- since you ran out from hazel's favorite crystals, somehow, you both got the chance to shop outside in the mortal world!!!!

- it was a perfect first date in percy's head

- he's asking you personal questions like which crystal is best for your aura or smth

- sneaky bastard

- you guys shopped together until night and lost your dessert for the week

- but who cares? it was the best date

- people saw percy leave with a different crystal each time after visiting your cabin

- you got this boy wear crystals for lucky charm

- he joked that he only needed you for luck but anyways-

- the mission was complete eventually

- but percy didn't left your side even after hazel's birthday

- you guys are ment to be together now okay?? it says that on your birth chart

- your zodiacs are matching too

- shut up you made him a manifest queen

- he lets you draw symbols on his arms for some reasons you came up with

- hes scared you're really making him obsessed with you, because of the amount of times you're in his head, is embarresing

- and he needed to make you his

- like immediatly

- or else he'll go crazy from his love

- maybe you did cast a spell-

- "i think i learned how to read your cards."

- when he said that in one of his regular visits, you couldn't help but get curious

- did he actually learned that fast?

- so you gave him your cards and picked a few, he started looking at them like he knew something

- it said that something will happen good this week

- but instead, percy said

- "you're in love with a raven haired boy aren't you?"

- you tried so hard not to laugh

- and it was true, so you let him play his game

- "oh my gods! how did you know?"

- he literally smirked

- "i'm a natural pretty."

- he started to look more, and told you to pick two more cards

- you could already see what it meant, but you were curious what he will say

- "hmm, this guy has gorgeous sea green eyes, man you have taste!"

- a snort left your lips but you quickly gathered yourself

- "can you see any initials??"

- "oh totally! the lovers card is upside down so it means p and j."

- you were turning red from holding your laugh at this point, and he started to get a feeling that you figured what he was doing

- no shit sherlock

- "how weird, doesn't that ring any bells to you too? or is it just me?"

- "maybe it's that hot dude called percy jackson?"

- "OHHHH yes!! i knew i remembered that initials from somewhere!!"

- you both burst into laughters

- "my dear student, i see you payed attention to my classes!"

- he laughed at your tease until he finally managed to answer

- "being in love with you helped."

- smooth, jackson. smooth.

[linkandorf]

Would you like to see your original characters or other characters you like in the style of my three main character fanart projects? Well now you can pay me to make it happen!!

More info about each of the three Character Project Commissions below:

I've wanted to try doing commissions again for a while now, but I've been struggling to figure out how to do it, leaving it fully open-ended is a bit difficult and intimidating, but I figured maybe people would like to see their characters in some of these more established ongoing art styles that I use in the Mario Character Project, the Kirby Character Project, and the Spirits Project. This also makes it easier to figure out pricing and stuff, so I wanna give it a shot!

Let's go through each of the three styles so you know what to expect and the prices for each one:

First, the Mario Character Project! This project is designed to be a bit quick and simple, because of the insanely large quantity of characters the series has. While the style is a bit loose and simple, I still put a lot of effort into making the characters look nice, and they're all fully colored. I'll put more polish into commissions than I would drawing a random Mario enemy, I imagine. A Mario Character Project commission would include:

A full-body drawing of a character or multiple characters. Simple black lineart and flat colors. Characters will be drawn accurately and relatively detailed.

An image of the character or characters on the usual bluish-gray background, with the drop-shadow and stuff.

A separate transparent copy of the portrait will also be provided.

Base price for a Mario Character Project commission is $20 USD. Additional characters can be added in a single commission, with a discounted price of $10 USD per additional character. For example, three characters would be worth $40 instead of $60. I may have the price go up or down depending on character complexity.

Please do not request any characters that appear in any Mario games. I will already be drawing these characters at some point in the future, and am not interested in skipping ahead to characters that appear later. This includes guest characters. If you're unsure if I'll be drawing a character for this project, please ask!

Next, there's the Spirits Project! There are two separate types of Spirits Projects commissions I'm accepting. The first type is a normal commission in the Spirits art style, any character you'd like me to draw that isn't already a Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. A normal Spirits Project commission would include:

A full-body drawing of a character. Characters are given a distinct stylized design, usually much more simplified, especially human characters. Characters are drawn with clean black lineart and flat colors.

A separate transparent copy of the portrait will also be provided.

A "Series" symbol. In Smash Bros., this is a unique symbol based on the franchise/series the character comes from, such as the Mushroom symbol for the Mario series, or the Triforce symbol for the Zelda series. If your requested character comes from an established franchise, I will design a series symbol to the best of my ability, but will gladly take ideas if you have any suggestions. If it's an original character and you don't really have anything specific already, I can try designing something that fits the character, or just use a basic placeholder if you don't really care.

Additional informational text. This isn't factored in the pricing, it's just text, but my usual Spirits drawings include the characters name, series of origin, their Spirit number, and their Class ranking. Class rankings are represented by 1-4 stars, with 1 being the weakest class, and 4 being the strongest. I'll ask what ranking you'd like them to have, but this is all just bonus stuff for fun! Don't worry about it too much.

Base price for Spirits commission is $25 USD, including the series symbol. I may have the price go up or down depending on character complexity.

In addition to the normal Spirits Project commissions, I will also be allowing requests to skip ahead to specific Spirits! Normally, I've been drawing the Spirits in a completely random order. However, if you'd like to see me draw a specific Spirit right now, I will be doing paid skip commissions, and I'll immediately prioritize your requested Spirit. To clarify, this is specifically any of the 1,528 Spirits that are in the game, and that I haven't already drawn. To elaborate on pricing:

The normal rate for a standard Spirit is $7 USD. This price may go up or down based on character complexity. It's obviously easier to draw Waddle Dee than it is a Bayonetta enemy or whatever.

Fighter Spirits are $15 USD. This includes any playable fighter on the roster. These Spirits usually require two separate drawings, and I've also been doing alternate costumes/colors as well, so they're higher effort.

This will not effect the way I've already been doing the Spirits project, I will continue doing them in random order as usual. But if anybody really wants to see me skip to a specific Spirit, than the option is there. You can also think of it as a discount for me drawing a character you like in this style, if they happen to already be in the game. Like if you really want to see me draw Leon Kennedy in this style, then you're in luck, he already has a Spirit.

Finally, there's the Kirby Character project! This project is easily the most complex of the three, there's a lot that goes into it. Not only is the main character portrait more detailed than the others, but I also do additional sketches, as well as logo designs, so it all adds up. A Kirby Character commission would include:

A full-body shaded character drawing. Each drawing includes clean black lineart and fully shaded colors. More detailed characters might struggle to adapt to the style, such as human characters, but I will try my best. If you want me to try to adapt the design to a more Kirby-esque style, I can do that too!

A separate transparent copy of the portrait will also be provided.

Bonus sketches of the character. I like to fill in the blank space of the canvas with a variety of simple doodles of the character in a variety of poses and actions. If you have any specific ideas, I can doodle them, or I may ask for pointers on a characters personality or abilities for inspiration. Otherwise, I can just improvise.

A logo of the character's name. Each character I draw for this project gets their own "logo", a custom drawn version of the characters name, unique to each character. I will do my best to design a fitting logo for any character you commission.

There are also additional logos for the characters' "Debut" and "Abilities". These will be separately paid bonuses, as they're pretty high effort on top of everything else. The "Debut" section is for the characters place of origin. Usually this is a specific video game title, but it'll depend on the character. If you request an original character that doesn't belong to a specific "series" or something like that, I can make a logo of your username or something else. The "Abilities" is typically for any Copy Abilities that the character may provide for Kirby. If there's an existing Copy Ability you think would fit your character, I can add the logo to this section free of charge, since I'm already designing these logos for the project. However, if you want me to make a custom logo for a nonexistent Ability, that'll be extra. For example, if your character uses an Axe, and you want me to make an "Axe" ability logo, despite that not existing in the Kirby series (yet), it'll be an additional price. Both of these bonus logos cost $5 USD each on top of the base price.

Transparent copies of any logo I create for the commission will also be provided

Base price for a Kirby Character Project commission is $50 USD, including the portrait, sketches, and name logo. Prices may go up or down depending on character complexity.

Please do not request any existing Kirby characters, as I will already be drawing them for the Kirby project, and am not interested in skipping ahead to any characters that appear later in the series. This includes characters from non-game media, like the Anime or Novels, as I plan on drawing those eventually as well.

If you're interested in commissioning me, please click here to fill out my commission form!

Alternatively, reach out to my email, linkandorfcomms@gmail.com. If you have any additional questions about commissions, feel free to message me here.

While I am currently focusing on commissions based around my three main projects, I am still open to other commission ideas if you'd be willing to share them with me! The focus on projects helps simplify the art styles I offer, as well as the pricing, but I am willing to draw in other styles if you are interested. I'll have to figure out pricing based on what you want, but don't be afraid to ask for something different! (With that being said, I may still turn down the request if it's outside of my comfort zone. Thank you in advance for understanding.)

I will only be accepting payment through PayPal. Information on my PayPal will be provided after discussing the commission in private.

I will be retaining my right to deny any commission that I don't feel comfortable doing. I don't have interest in doing any extreme NSFW content, whether it be nudity, sex, violence, or anything else inappropriate or offensive. Other mildly suggestive or violent designs can be discussed.

Also, for the record, the existence of these commissions will have no bearing on the way I've already been working on these projects. I'm very passionate about all three of them, I really love working on them, and have no intention of stopping them anytime soon. I also don't anticipate getting that many commissions to be honest, so it won't have a huge impact on my already slow drawing pace lol. But, if you'd like me to draw your characters, or any other characters you like, then feel free to choose any of these three art styles, and commission me!

If nobody is really interested or I end up not enjoying doing commissions again, oh well! But I'd like to give it a shot! Thank you!

[study-diaries]

hi i really really like your blog and i love how your studying is not just random motivational drives and adrenaline rushes but consistent throughout the whole time.

i recently joined a ug program. until now, i'm just used to writing down whatever notes the teachers dictated and if not, i'd always underline the important stuff for textbooks and study that way. but now, i'm apparently required to write running notes. could you please give me some tips on that? thank you

Hello !! :)

First of all, I'm really glad you like my blog. You have no idea how much this means to me. Like, seriously, I think whatever you say is going to carry me throughout the next week. I'm happy to hear that my content is helping at least someone. So thank you. I really appreciate it <33

Let's get into the tips now!

How To Take Running Notes

Honestly, I have loads of tips for this because I've been taking running notes my whole life. And I sometimes, I don't even do detailed notes after class because these notes suffice. These have always worked for me, and I hope they work for you too <3

Go Through The Topic Before Class

Skimming through chapter before the class starts is something that has always worked for me. It gives you some clarity and you'd feel a bit more confident in the lecture.

Listen. Write Key Words.

The key for writing running notes is to listen. And note down the important key words alone. Suppose, let's say I'm talking about goodwill here.

The teacher says "Goodwill in business is an intangible asset that's recorded when one company is purchased by another. It's the portion of the purchase price that's higher than the sum of the net fair value of all of the assets purchased in the acquisition and the liabilities assumed in the process."

The key words would be the most relevant to the topic. In this case,

Intangible asset

Company buys another

Extra paid above net assets and liabilities.

You Do Not Have To Write Down Everything Your Teacher Says !!!

Keep It Simple. No Grammar Or Punctuation.

You note down the key words during class and then you expand on the topic later after the class is over. So, don't focus on making perfect notes with impeccable grammar and punctuation.

Simplicity is the best when it comes to this type of note taking.

Use Only Words. Not Sentences.

Drawings Or Visuals

Draw small visuals if you think you can keep up with the teacher easier like that. Sometimes, I don't even write what the keywords are. I just draw out the example that the teacher says and then when I look back at the notes, I immediately understand it.

Visuals stick better than words ever will.

Use Symbols, Abbreviations And Arrows

Use these helps to increase your speed of note taking. Instead of writing "Because", write "bc". Use small symbols like &, @ or %. Then use arrows to connect these ideas. This will help a lot. You'll find yourself keeping up with the teacher.

Relate It To Other Things. [Memory Trick]

This is my personal favorite. You don't just write the keywords. You relate them to something personal. For example, when the topic of company clauses came up in class, the first thing that came to my mind was my family's business. So, I wrote the name of their company and just the name of these clauses because I already had seen them live.

You can relate it to anything. From books to tv shows to movies. And personal experiences too.

Go Through The Notes After Class

The important thing about taking notes is to review them later. Expanding your class notes after class is a must. Running notes won't help you in the long run much.

__________________

Additional Posts That Might Be Helpful:

Questions To Figure Out Your Progress [Academically]

How To Study Using The "Story Method"

How To Study Anything At 10x Speed

__________________

Ebooks And Templates:

How To Self Study [Ultimate Productivity Guide] + Exercises.

Time Management Planner Template [Free]

___________________

Support Me On Ko-fi: study-diaries

__________________

I hope this helps! :)

[andmaybegayer]

What are some of the coolest computer chips ever, in your opinion?

Hmm. There are a lot of chips, and a lot of different things you could call a Computer Chip. Here's a few that come to mind as "interesting" or "important", or, if I can figure out what that means, "cool".

If your favourite chip is not on here honestly it probably deserves to be and I either forgot or I classified it more under "general IC's" instead of "computer chips" (e.g. 555, LM, 4000, 7000 series chips, those last three each capable of filling a book on their own). The 6502 is not here because I do not know much about the 6502, I was neither an Apple nor a BBC Micro type of kid. I am also not 70 years old so as much as I love the DEC Alphas, I have never so much as breathed on one.

Disclaimer for writing this mostly out of my head and/or ass at one in the morning, do not use any of this as a source in an argument without checking.

Intel 3101

So I mean, obvious shout, the Intel 3101, a 64-bit chip from 1969, and Intel's first ever product. You may look at that, and go, "wow, 64-bit computing in 1969? That's really early" and I will laugh heartily and say no, that's not 64-bit computing, that is 64 bits of SRAM memory.

This one is cool because it's cute. Look at that. This thing was completely hand-designed by engineers drawing the shapes of transistor gates on sheets of overhead transparency and exposing pieces of crudely spun silicon to light in a """"cleanroom"""" that would cause most modern fab equipment to swoon like a delicate Victorian lady. Semiconductor manufacturing was maturing at this point but a fab still had more in common with a darkroom for film development than with the mega expensive building sized machines we use today.

As that link above notes, these things were really rough and tumble, and designs were being updated on the scale of weeks as Intel learned, well, how to make chips at an industrial scale. They weren't the first company to do this, in the 60's you could run a chip fab out of a sufficiently well sealed garage, but they were busy building the background that would lead to the next sixty years.

Lisp Chips

This is a family of utterly bullshit prototype processors that failed to be born in the whirlwind days of AI research in the 70's and 80's.

Lisps, a very old but exceedingly clever family of functional programming languages, were the language of choice for AI research at the time. Lisp compilers and interpreters had all sorts of tricks for compiling Lisp down to instructions, and also the hardware was frequently being built by the AI researchers themselves with explicit aims to run Lisp better.

The illogical conclusion of this was attempts to implement Lisp right in silicon, no translation layer.

Yeah, that is Sussman himself on this paper.

These never left labs, there have since been dozens of abortive attempts to make Lisp Chips happen because the idea is so extremely attractive to a certain kind of programmer, the most recent big one being a pile of weird designd aimed to run OpenGenera. I bet you there are no less than four members of r/lisp who have bought an Icestick FPGA in the past year with the explicit goal of writing their own Lisp Chip. It will fail, because this is a terrible idea, but damn if it isn't cool.

There were many more chips that bridged this gap, stuff designed by or for Symbolics (like the Ivory series of chips or the 3600) to go into their Lisp machines that exploited the up and coming fields of microcode optimization to improve Lisp performance, but sadly there are no known working true Lisp Chips in the wild.

Zilog Z80

Perhaps the most important chip that ever just kinda hung out. The Z80 was almost, almost the basis of The Future. The Z80 is bizzare. It is a software compatible clone of the Intel 8080, which is to say that it has the same instructions implemented in a completely different way.

This is, a strange choice, but it was the right one somehow because through the 80's and 90's practically every single piece of technology made in Japan contained at least one, maybe two Z80's even if there was no readily apparent reason why it should have one (or two). I will defer to Cathode Ray Dude here: What follows is a joke, but only barely

The Z80 is the basis of the MSX, the IBM PC of Japan, which was produced through a system of hardware and software licensing to third party manufacturers by Microsoft of Japan which was exactly as confusing as it sounds. The result is that the Z80, originally intended for embedded applications, ended up forming the basis of an entire alternate branch of the PC family tree.

It is important to note that the Z80 is boring. It is a normal-ass chip but it just so happens that it ended up being the focal point of like a dozen different industries all looking for a cheap, easy to program chip they could shove into Appliances.

Effectively everything that happened to the Intel 8080 happened to the Z80 and then some. Black market clones, reverse engineered Soviet compatibles, licensed second party manufacturers, hundreds of semi-compatible bastard half-sisters made by anyone with a fab, used in everything from toys to industrial machinery, still persisting to this day as an embedded processor that is probably powering something near you quietly and without much fuss. If you have one of those old TI-86 calculators, that's a Z80. Oh also a horrible hybrid Z80/8080 from Sharp powered the original Game Boy.

I was going to try and find a picture of a Z80 by just searching for it and look at this mess! There's so many of these things.

I mean the C/PM computers. The ZX Spectrum, I almost forgot that one! I can keep making this list go! So many bits of the Tech Explosion of the 80's and 90's are powered by the Z80. I was not joking when I said that you sometimes found more than one Z80 in a single computer because you might use one Z80 to run the computer and another Z80 to run a specialty peripheral like a video toaster or music synthesizer. Everyone imaginable has had their hand on the Z80 ball at some point in time or another. Z80 based devices probably launched several dozen hardware companies that persist to this day and I have no idea which ones because there were so goddamn many.

The Z80 eventually got super efficient due to process shrinks so it turns up in weird laptops and handhelds! Zilog and the Z80 persist to this day like some kind of crocodile beast, you can go to RS components and buy a brand new piece of Z80 silicon clocked at 20MHz. There's probably a couple in a car somewhere near you.

Pentium (P6 microarchitecture)

Yeah I am going to bring up the Hackers chip. The Pentium P6 series is currently remembered for being the chip that Acidburn geeks out over in Hackers (1995) instead of making out with her boyfriend, but it is actually noteworthy IMO for being one of the first mainstream chips to start pulling serious tricks on the system running it.

The P6 microarchitecture comes out swinging with like four or five tricks to get around the numerous problems with x86 and deploys them all at once. It has superscalar pipelining, it has a RISC microcode, it has branch prediction, it has a bunch of zany mathematical optimizations, none of these are new per se but this is the first time you're really seeing them all at once on a chip that was going into PC's.

Without these improvements it's possible Intel would have been beaten out by one of its competitors, maybe Power or SPARC or whatever you call the thing that runs on the Motorola 68k. Hell even MIPS could have beaten the ageing cancerous mistake that was x86. But by discovering the power of lying to the computer, Intel managed to speed up x86 by implementing it in a sensible instruction set in the background, allowing them to do all the same clever pipelining and optimization that was happening with RISC without having to give up their stranglehold on the desktop market. Without the P5 we live in a very, very different world from a computer hardware perspective.

From this falls many of the bizzare microcode execution bugs that plague modern computers, because when you're doing your optimization on the fly in chip with a second, smaller unix hidden inside your processor eventually you're not going to be cryptographically secure.

RISC is very clearly better for, most things. You can find papers stating this as far back as the 70's, when they start doing pipelining for the first time and are like "you know pipelining is a lot easier if you have a few small instructions instead of ten thousand massive ones.

x86 only persists to this day because Intel cemented their lead and they happened to use x86. True RISC cuts out the middleman of hyperoptimizing microcode on the chip, but if you can't do that because you've girlbossed too close to the sun as Intel had in the late 80's you have to do something.

The Future

This gets us to like the year 2000. I have more chips I find interesting or cool, although from here it's mostly microcontrollers in part because from here it gets pretty monotonous because Intel basically wins for a while. I might pick that up later. Also if this post gets any longer it'll be annoying to scroll past. Here is a sample from a post I have in my drafts since May:

I have some notes on the weirdo PowerPC stuff that shows up here it's mostly interesting because of where it goes, not what it is. A lot of it ends up in games consoles. Some of it goes into mainframes. There is some of it in space. Really got around, PowerPC did.

[spicybylerpolls]

people sleeping on the fact that mike and will hadn't seen each other in their time apart, which is when their sexualities were coming into bloom. so any sexual attraction and burgeoning sexuality is not about objectivism or lewdness, but rather fantasy, sensation memory, imagination...

the duffers made this absence a choice in the story, and its a clever device. think how different stranger things would be if will and el hadn't left, and mike's attraction to men was coming into bloom with will and el still around in hawkins!

so seeing as it's fantasy, its not like byler's attraction could even be dirty - it was just about them thinking of being close to each other, their dreams etc were probs so vague and emotional instead. and then when they saw each other again, it reiterates the awkwardness of said fantasy, because their memories probably distorted how each other looked somewhat and so encountering the real thing is jarring.

i also think that will is just as aware of sexuality as mike, but also a little closer to accepting his identity (alan turing poster). his discomfort is a huge part of the story, his IH, his dad, his shame, but just because will doesn't have posters of guys on his wall doesn't mean he isn't thinking physically of sex: he checks out mike at the airport, when theyre walking out of the airport, at the breakfast table, etc.

at this point, again, a lot of it is curiosity: i haven't seen you for half a year, oh, this is what you look like now... AND oh, i'm attracted to you and now I can see what your body looks like, i hadn't paid much attention to that before ...

and ofc we have mike doing the same (in the bedroom scene) and then there's all the phallic imagery which is a wink and a nod, but also i think has double meaning for other things in the story, like the split/rod through the brain changing the personality thing from s2

and lastly, let's not forget that will is an artist. we don't know if he has been doing life drawing classes (not sure how the US system works with this stuff in schools) but he HAS been drawing figures for much of his life. when he did that painting of the party, a lot of attention to detail was paid. not to say it's a sexual painting, but if you look at mike's stance compared to the other party members, the way he's standing, you have to acknowledge that will had no problem painting mike's anatomy, his legs, crotch, his body. the stance calls for it, but will could also have picked another stance. he could have had the shield lower (it's barely covering mike actually - is it symbolic of something else?!?!), mike's left leg could have been forwards... anything. as an artist, when i was younger specifically, i would have been blushing as I was painting a friend i was in love with, if i had to paint their body in this way.

we know will expresses himself through his art and stories, and painting someone is a very intimate act. i think will expresses not only his love but his sexuality this way.

++ am i saying that when theyre a bit older, mike is going to pull a rose dewitt bukater and ask to be drawn? jury's still out. but for now, that painting, for will, was probably an extended part of the fantasy of mike in his absence.

Delicious points, nonny!

"Then when they saw each other again, it reiterates the awkwardness of said fantasy, because their memories probably distorted how each other looked somewhat and so encountering the real thing is jarring."

YES! 🫡 Of course, that's a huge part of the deliriousness, awkward fever dream of the airport reunion and the fruity ass roller rink. And I'd never thought of this aspect of it, but I LOVE the idea that Will's painting and the level of anatomical detail given to Mike inherent to it is a huge way of Will expressing and exploring his sexuality.

No wonder El picked up on Will liking someone. He was glowing with desire and passion. He was overflowing with love for Mike Wheeler. Art is the one place Will can be gay as hell, the one place where Will's fantasies have a natural (and plausible deniable, if needed) outlet.

And I can't imagine that as a teen boy, his mind didn't wander to other places lmao, especially while drawing Mike in this way and thinking about what might be underneath Mike's armor 😋.

And if just the idea of Mike being the heart and being the leader and being the hero is enough to get Will giggling and twirling his bowl cut and kicking his feet? RIP Will in Season 5. Especially with the muscles Mike has started to show in these recent Finn pics? ❗❓