akaluan

[akaluan]

reblog to absolutely bap prev to death with your paws

[akaluan]

[akaluan]

Why didn't anyone tell me that Andy Weir wrote a new chapter for The Martian???

From Andy Weir's Facebook page (11 Feb. 2024):

It was ten years ago today that The Martian hit shelves. I owe everything that happened since then to you, my readers. I can't thank you enough. So, for the hell of it, I wrote some additional content for The Martian.

For your reading pleasure: The Martian: Lost Sols.

https://galactanet.com/lostsols.pdf

[akaluan]

Shout out to characters who want to be used. Shout out to characters who are so desperate to be worth something that they'll endure anything. Shout out to characters who build their entire self worth around being useful, being a tool. Shout out to characters who don't care how they are treated, as long as someone pays them any attention at all

[akaluan]

i love tigers in snow :3

day 217

[akaluan]

[akaluan]

Hey guys something fucking bad happened

KOSA/the kids online safety act has been reintroduced into legislature after it passed Senate last year and then got snubbed. It is not unlike the bill that just passed in the UK a few weeks ago. If you don't want what happened in the UK to happen here, now would be a good time to vocally oppose it.

Here is a petition that can be signed by Americans. Attached to the petition is an easy tool that allows you to call and leave messages for your representatives. I have already done so. You can also email your representatives by searching for their name, most have message submission boards as well. This thing died once, it can die again.

Please sign/share the petition and contact your representatives.

[akaluan]

Glowy dark mode site skin

🎼 You would not believe your eyes, if 10 million fireflies ended up in the header of your AO3. 🎶

It's been a while since I tried glow effects, but I saw the fireflies and I couldn't resist.

CSS code under the cut.

#header {   background-image: url("https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2022/10/19/16/56/fireflies-7533056_1280.jpg");   background-repeat: no-repeat;   background-size: cover;   background-position: center center;   background-color: #152623; }

#header .heading {   height: 15em; }

#header .primary {   background: #0d1d1f;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

#header .logo, #header .heading sup {   visibility: hidden; }

#header .heading a {   color: #152623;   text-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

.event .userstuff {   background: #425e50;   border: 1px solid #f9f6ce; }

#outer.wrapper {   background: #0d1d1f;   color: #f9f6ce; }

#main a {   color: #8c9b76; }

#greeting a.dropdown-toggle, #header .actions a {   color: #f9f6ce !important;   text-shadow: 0px 0px 3px #152623; }

#greeting .menu, #header .dropdown .menu, #header .dropdown:hover a {   background: #0d1d1f;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

span.submit.actions input.button {   display: none; }

#greeting img.icon {   display: none; }

#header #search .text, .search [role="tooltip"] {   background: #0d1d1f;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce;   color: #f9f6ce !important;   border: 1px solid #0d1d1f; }

form.search input[type=text], form.search input[type=submit], .autocomplete div.dropdown ul {   background: #0d1d1f !important;   border: none;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce;   color: #f9f6ce;   display: block; }

#header #search .text {   width: 7em; }

.notice, .comment_notice, .kudos_notice, ul.notes, .caution, .error, .comment_error, .kudos_error, .alert.flash {   background: #f9f6ce;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce !important;   color: #0d1d1f;   border: none; }

.notice a, .comment_notice a, .kudos_notice a, ul.notes a, .caution a, .error a, .comment_error a, .kudos_error a, .alert.flash a {   color: #506957;   font-weight: bold; }

.splash .module h3 {   color: #f9f6ce;   border-bottom: 2px solid #f9f6ce; }

.splash .favorite li:nth-of-type(2n+1) a {   background: #f9f6ce;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce;   color: #0d1d1f;   font-weight: bold;   font-variant: small-caps; }

.splash .favorite li:nth-of-type(2n+2) a {   color: #f9f6ce;   font-weight: bold;   font-variant: small-caps;   font-size: 110%; }

.splash .favorite li:nth-of-type(2n+1) a:hover, .splash .favorite li:nth-of-type(2n+2) a:hover {   color: #f9f6ce;   font-weight: bold;   font-variant: small-caps;   background: #425e50; }

#footer {   background: #425e50;   color: #f9f6ce;   border-top: 3px solid #f9f6ce;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

#footer a, #footer .heading {   color: #f9f6ce; }

.actions a, .actions a:focus, .actions input:focus, .action:focus, .actions li input, .actions li input[type="submit"], input[type="submit"], .actions li label, ul.navigation.actions li a, .action:link, .actions a:link {   background: #425e50;   border: 1px solid #f9f6ce;   color: #f9f6ce;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce;   border-radius: 5px; }

.current, #dashboard .current {   background: #f9f6ce !important;   color: #0d1d1f !important;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce !important;   border-radius: 5px; }

#dashboard.own {   border-top: 5px solid #f9f6ce;   border-bottom: 5px solid #f9f6ce;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

#dashboard a:hover {   background: #0d1d1f;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

#dashboard a {   color: #f9f6ce; }

dl.meta {   border: 1px solid #f9f6ce;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

.listbox .index {   background: #0d1d1f; }

.listbox, fieldset fieldset.listbox {   background: #f9f6ce;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

form dl, fieldset, fieldset fieldset, fieldset fieldset fieldset, fieldset fieldset dl dl, dd.hideme, form blockquote.userstuff, input, select, select:focus, textarea, span.symbol.question, .own {   background: #0d1d1f !important;   color: #f9f6ce !important;   border: 1px solid #f9f6ce;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

.autocomplete li.added, .post .meta dd ul li.added, label, label.required {   color: #f9f6ce; }

span.delete {   background: #f9f6ce;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

span.delete a {   color: #0d1d1f !important;   font-weight: bold; }

.ui-sortable li, .dynamic form, div.dynamic {   background: #0d1d1f;   border: 1px solid #f9f6ce; }

.dropdown {   background: #0d1d1f; }

form.verbose legend, .verbose form legend {   background: #f9f6ce;   color: #0d1d1f;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

li.blurb {   border: 1px solid #f9f6ce;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

.draft {   background: #0d1d1f;   color: #f9f6ce;   border: 2px dashed #f9f6ce;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

.draft .wrapper {   background: #0d1d1f;   border: 1px solid #f9f6ce; }

#header h2 {   background: #f9f6ce !important;   color: #0d1d1f;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

#stat_chart svg rect:first-of-type {   opacity: 60%; }

#stat_chart g[clip-path^=url] > g:nth-of-type(2) rect, #stat_chart svg g:nth-of-type(2) > g rect:last-of-type, #stat_chart g[clip-path^=url] > g:nth-of-type(2) rect:first-of-type {   filter: hue-rotate(140deg);   opacity: 80% !important; }

.statistics .index li:nth-of-type(2n) {   background: #0d1d1f;   border: 1px solid #f9f6ce; }

.reading h4.viewed, dl.index dd, table, th, dt.child {   background: #0d1d1f; }

#modal, span.replied {   background: #0d1d1f;   color: #f9f6ce;   border: 2px solid #f9f6ce;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

h4.heading.byline {   background: #f9f6ce;   color: #0d1d1f; }

li.comment {   border: 1px solid #f9f6ce; }

.comment div.icon {   border-bottom: 5px solid #f9f6ce;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

.thread .even {   background: #425e50; }

.unread {   background: #0d1d1f;   border: 5px dashed #f9f6ce !important; }

span.unread {   background: #f9f6ce;   color: #0d1d1f; }

span.indicator::before {   box-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

.warnings .tag, .work .warning a.tag, dd.warning.tags a {   border: 1px solid #f9f6ce;   border-radius: 5px;   background: #f9f6ce;   padding-left: 2px;   padding-right: 2px;   box-shadow: 0px 0px 10px #f9f6ce; }

.relationships .tag, .work .relationships a.tag, dd.relationship.tags a {   background: none;   color: #f9f6ce !important;   font-weight: bold;   text-shadow: 0px 0px 15px #f9f6ce; }

.filters .expander {   background: url("https://64.media.tumblr.com/3c89981f933f9f57157d6dcec6fd85a7/94c6737c6db9ad60-e5/s1280x1920/f7557e617a5439c506721bd326580a0cb4c1f8d8.png") left center no-repeat;   color: #f9f6ce !important;   font-weight: bold; }

.filters .expanded .expander {   background: url("https://64.media.tumblr.com/dab095a2fd9387bc1e0c57747ba6b13f/94c6737c6db9ad60-ad/s1280x1920/c1a4e14e0565cdcac5d3e20bebac3ab440f2d607.png") left center no-repeat; }

[akaluan]

I remember years ago when I was still in therapy I told my therapist that I felt bad asking my friends for help because a lot of them were also going through some bad stuff and she told me

“You know, sometimes people in crisis will enjoy helping. It can be a distraction from their own problems.”

And then the next week I reached out to a friend who was in the middle of going through something about what I was going through and my therapist was right. That friend jumped at the opportunity to help.

And I’ve realized since then that my own problems rarely have anything to do with my ability to help others with theirs unless I am literally having an attack of some kind at that moment. In fact, it is actually refreshing to work on other peoples problems with them sometimes. Listening to problems you’re not soaking in constantly and helping your friend is often something you just want to do because you care about them. And you don’t stop caring about people because you’re having a hard time right now.

So I guess sometimes inviting someone into your sinking ship does work actually.

[akaluan]

cr 大同云冈蛋雕-凯哥

[akaluan]

EYYY NEWEST COLLECTION OF @robinsceramics' work! I really really love all of these, but ngl the Tiger and the Dragon are just Doing It for me so much

Seeing the dragon up close is so incredible, there's so much detail going on here? The colors are great and the line work flows so well, they really do feel like a river dragon! And the tiger is *glorious*, it's so weighty and yet the design makes it look so light. And all the details on the face are So Good!

Robin I have no idea how u have such a steady hand for all these tiny lines but I am consistently in Awe of it. AND ADDING TOE BEANS TO THE TIGER? GLORIOUS. I know the underside of models like these can often be overlooked bc they're meant to be standing and basically no one will see it, but I always love it when I flip one of these over and see little details like this

And not to be overlooked just bc they're smaller, but red songdog and fox are absolutely perfect. I love the stylized wings on songdog So Much, and the swirls on the red fox are great <3 and, of course, I love the other three little guys I got too, but I can't share them yet bc they're a surprise gift to a friend that I'll be seeing next week!

And for the finale, here's red fox and songdog in their new homes! Tiger and dragon are not YET homed properly bc I need to clean my desk upstairs off. I've decided that they will live below my monitors in my office, so I can see them right in front of me every day!

[akaluan]

i think the best genre of image is "creatures trapped in starbucks cups with receipts reading [cup of water (no water, no ice, creature)]"

[akaluan]

Hello I have carving questions 👀 Do you, like, just eat a peach and then carve the pitt or are there preparatory steps in between? Are you carving the super wrinkly knobbly pitt that I think of as a peach pitt or is there like a smoother pitt inside of it somehow? What kind of knife/ tools do you use?

I love carving questions I am sorry for taking so long to answer this (it has been a week in which several important things broke, including but not limited to my schedule, my tools, and my AC)

Anyway! Carving!! Peach pits!!! Let's go!!!!! This is going to be a long post, you have been warned 😈

I do in fact carve the same peach pits you are thinking of! There is a seed/kernel inside of the pit, which is plantable and also somewhat poisonous. That part is not particularly carveable.

Here's a very rough diagram from one of the very very few Western resources I've found on peach pit carving, contrasted with a picture of an actual carving- you can see the hollow where the kernel goes.

Generally one breaks the kernel up with a knife tip, long pin, sewing needle, awl, whatever works, and very carefully scrapes it out.

I am sadly not lucky enough to be eating the local peaches whenever I want, because they are a bit spensy, but I do hoard the pits from those when I get the chance! They're a little bigger and with different internal proportions than the ones carved in my posts so far. These wrinkly little friends are Nermaguard peach pits, which you can buy as plantable seeds, which is in fact how I got them. I would love to waylay a peach canning plant and make off with a truckload of pits from there, but until then this is the cheapest way I know of to get materials.

The Nermaguard pits are very good for carving as far as pits and seeds go imho, with thick walls and a generally predictable placement of the kernel inside.

(I believe there's other pit carvers who specialize in other pits, and also at least one (1) whole entire Eastern tradition, but I have very little information on that other than the occasional Pinterest picture or news article. Foreign language translations do also make it a bit difficult to tell exactly what type of pit is being carved! I will absolutely make a post gushing about the very small amount I know if someone wants me to. Just know that I am not by any means an expert.)

As for tools, I admit to using power tools, because I am disabled and do not have the stamina or hand strength to do much carving by hand. Before this week I would have told you my main tool was an old Dremel model 770, but that has since given up the ghost and needs refurbishing, so I have a new tool now: a very sexy DEPSTECH Model DC08.

I have to hold it one-handed (which is very much not recommended for many very valid safety reasons! but needs must when the devil drives) so: I have my peach pit in one hand, tool in the other. It's a bit big, so I generally brace the end on my shoulder and then brace my hand on my work table (actually my dining room table). This works very well for me because I have experience managing tiny carving objects and power tools, mostly, but there are definitely times when things I am carving yeet themselves into the void and I have to go hunt them down!

For rotary tool bits I actually use a variety, depending on the scale of the details and the smoothness of the finish I'm aiming for. Roughing out takes a carbide bit, which is often all I need if I'm doing something simple like a basket. Going down the scale in detail I have diamond bits (which come in a better variety of shapes), which I can use for very rough detail on an animal figure or for smoothing out. And for most of the detail for animal figures, I have drill bits!

"Why on earth would you use tiny drill bits," you might ask? They break if you breathe on them too hard, and they're definitely not MEANT for this sort of thing; they're meant for drilling <1mm holes in miniature figures and/or circuit boards.

The answer is mostly that I don't want to use dental tools, and this was the alternative. Also, they come in bulk packs: 10 to a case, and multiple cases at once. Very handy when one of them breaks again halfway through carving a set of details! One case goes from 1 or 1.1mm down to… eh, i think .2mm? I eyeball these things, and they are not well labeled.

After the details are carved comes polishing. I will tell you for free that many very smart people use polishing attachments for their rotary tools.

I am not one of them.

I have a big ziploc bag of little sanding discs that go up to maybe 3000 grit, and also some much bigger sanding discs of 10,000 grit sandpaper. See that gray background in the earlier images? That's them. It makes things very shiny. I love my 10,000 grit sandpaper :)

Thank you for activating my trap card of Peach Pit Infodumping, I hope your upcoming week is fantastic and full of tiny delights 🫡

[akaluan]

patience is such a compelling dynamic in relationships sorryyy it’s the peak of romance to me

[akaluan]

do you have any suggestions for how to embroider fur? Also a good basic guide to stitches, I embroidered something from a kit once last year and that is the whole of my experience, and I think I've forgotten a few stitches in the meantime 😅

I don't use the exact technique she does but Michelle Staub is one of the leading educators right now on embroidering fur. The stitch is long and short stitch like I love to do, but she comes from a fine art painting background, so she focuses on color choice and selection as well as stitching skill building. I've lent my copy of her book to a friend who has been embroidering for under a year and the friend completed a pet portrait that looks pretty damn nice! For stitches I refer to the Royal School of Needlework a lot. I'm able to refer anyone to their stitch guides because they're available mirrored so my left handed buddies can also use them.