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mel-addams · 26 days
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...that your audience won't hate.
This is a method I started using when NFTs were on the rise - thieves would have to put actual work into getting rid of the mark - and one that I am now grateful for with the arrival of AI. Why? Because anyone who tries to train an AI on my work will end up with random, disruptive color blobs.
I can't say for sure it'll stop theft entirely, but it WILL make your images annoying for databases to incorporate, and add an extra layer of inconvenience for thieves. So as far as I'm concerned, that's a win/win.
I'll be showing the steps in CSP, but it should all be pretty easy to replicate in Photoshop.
Now: let's use the above image as our new signature file. I set mine to be 2500 x 1000 pixels when I'm just starting out.
Note that your text should not have a lot of anti-aliasing, so using a paint brush to start isn't going to work well with this method. Just use the standard G-Pen if you're doing this by hand, or, just use the text tool and whichever font you prefer.
Once that's done, take your magic wand tool, and select all the black. Here are the magic wand settings I'm using to make the selections:
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All selected?
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Good.
Now, find a brush with a scattering/tone scraping effect. I use one like this.
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You can theoretically use any colors you want for this next part, but I'd recommend pastels as they tend to blend better.
Either way, let's add some color to the text.
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Once that's finished,
You're going to want to go to Layer Property, and Border Effect
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You'll be given an option of choosing color and thickness. Choose black, and go for at least a 5 in thickness. Adjust per your own preferences.
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Now create a layer beneath your sig layer, and merge the sig down onto the blank layer.
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This effectively 'locks in' the border effect, which is exactly what we want.
Hooray, you've finished your watermark!
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Now let's place that bad boy into your finished piece.
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You'll get the best mileage out of a mark if you can place it over a spot that isn't black of white, since you'll get better blending options that way. My preference is for Overlay.
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From here, I'll adjust the opacity to around 20-25, depending on the image.
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If you don't have a spot to use overlay, however, there's a couple other options. For white, there's Linear Burn, which imho doesn't look as good, but it still works in a pinch.
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And for lots of black, you have Linear Light
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Either way, you're in business!
EDIT since this has escaped my usual circles, and folks aren't as familiar with my personal usage:
An example of one of my own finished pieces, with watermark, so you can see what I mean about 'relatively unobtrusive'-- I try to at least use them as framing devices, or let them work with the image somehow (or, at the very least, not actively against it).
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I know it's a bummer for some people to "ruin" their work with watermarks, which is part of the reason I developed this mark in particular. Its disruption is about as minimal as I can make it while still letting it serve its intended purpose.
There's other methods, too, of course! But this is the one I use, and the one I can speak on. Hope it helps some of you!
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mel-addams · 29 days
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(source)
Unsplash -  photography, illustration, & art
Pixabay - same as unsplash
Pexels - stock photos and videos
Getty Images - photography & illustration
Veceezy - vectors and clipart
Gumroad - photoshop brushes (and more)
StockSnap.io - stock photos
Canva - needs login but has lots of templates
Library of Congress - historical posters and photos
NASA - you guessed it
Creative Commons - all kinds of stuff, homie
Even Adobe has some free images
There are so many ways to make moodboards, bookcovers, and icons without plagiarizing! As artists, authors, and other creatives, we need to be especially careful not to use someone else’s work and pass it off as our own. 
Please add on if you know any more resources for free images <3
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mel-addams · 29 days
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I sent a long message to Support to share my thoughts on the Open AI and Midjourney deal.
You can contact Support via the link below; select the 'Feedback' option from the dropdown:
https://www.tumblr.com/support
While it may be too late to change things, I think it's worth letting companies know how you feel and the impact decisions will have on you.
It's best to remain polite in any messages — and please bear in mind that this decision has not been made by regular tumblr staff.
One of the reasons why tumblr has struggled financially so much over the years is because there was a strong stance against selling user data. At the moment, I can't find the posts from a few years ago that talked about this, but I recall that staff were instrumental in preventing things precisely like this deal going through, because they understand what tumblr is about — and because they understand the tumblr user base. As far as I am aware, staff were made aware of this decision very late in the day (link to jv's post with the 404 Media article).
(Also, the article names one staff member consistently — please note that he's been critical of AI for months. This isn't on him, either.)
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mel-addams · 29 days
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Remember to opt out of the ai update in your blog settings so tumblr cant steal your art
((Not a joke, its above mass post editor))
Aw, thanks for looking out and giving a heads up, anon. I have seen some posts about it (and will reblog some of them in a moment), but I appreciate you making sure I knew.
For the record, the relevant setting is under Blog Settings -> Visibility -> Prevent third-party sharing. It has to be done individually for every blog/sideblog, and (currently) doesn't seem to be available on mobile, from what I've seen.
There are a number of questions on the actual efficacy of the setting (it's possible that data may have already been sent? why is it fucking opt-out instead of opt-in, yet again, when there were huge uproars and really damned solid points made on why that's shitty when places like deviantart did it, like "what about folks who have left/died"?)...but better to do it than not, just in case it actually does something.
I have been...struggling very hard not to fall to the nihilism in *gestures vaguely* all of this, for a long while now. But boy howdy, does it keep getting harder.
It may also be worth it for folks to try editing old posts to update their images with a Glazed and/or Nightshaded version, in the hopes that those are what get trained on. (Glaze is intended to protect from style imitation, and Nightshade poisons training data so incorrect outputs are given relative to their word prompts. If you use both, the dev team recommends Nightshade first, Glaze second.)
Also, I was gonna wait until I got an email response to a few questions I had about the site (mostly like "hey can we ramble in tags or are they purely archival haha"), and then maybe poke around myself to see how I felt about it, before bringing it up. But if you're looking for a new combo art portfolio/social media site, there's one called Cara. Their small team has worked with the Glaze team to incorporate a webglaze version into their site (and will eventually include Nightshade, when a web version of that is also made available). It seems like it could be a good option for folks who are interested in using Glaze, but don't have a computer able to run it themselves.
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mel-addams · 1 month
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KARASU SAYS
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[Image ID: an illustration of Karasu from Yu Yu Hakusho, glaring while two of his bat-winged-eye bombs fly near his shoulders. In place of his typical mask, he is wearing an N95-rated one. Along the top and bottom of the image, in allcaps, is the text: "wear a fucking mask; yes this is a threat."]
HI I'M TIRED
You don't know if a place you're going is gonna have someone high-risk there (because some disabilities are invisible), and folks can be contagious without showing symptoms, and long covid can absolutely fuck you up, SO PROTECT YOURSELF AND THOSE AROUND YOU ANY TIME YOU GO OUT WITH A WELL-FITTED MASK, PLEASE
Also please heckle the CDC/local politicians/etc. if you can, to get them to implement better protections because layering multiple methods is more effective than trying to rely on just one. (Yanno like scientifically appropriate isolation length instead of ONE FUCKING DAY, paid time off so folks don't have to weigh safety against finances, better filtration indoors, etc.)
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mel-addams · 2 months
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I was just gonna do this as a quick sketchy doodle...but then it escalated. Twice.
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[Image ID: A digital illustration of the start of a polyamorous nighttime tryst between the Hunger Pangs trio and the victorian-esque Gotham City Sirens, within Vlad's greenhouse. Pamela is leaning lasciviously over Vlad, who is restrained by crawling vines and gasping at her attentions. In the background behind Pamela, Harley is enthusiastically cheering from some bushes, and Selina is grinning with her hand on Harley's hip. Behind Vlad, also in the background bushes, Nathan and Ursula are cuddling and smiling at the scene unfolding before them. In the bottom corner, a bloom from Vlad's carnivorous plant Rosa appears to be giving the camera a thumbs up with one of her spiraling vines. The image is styled to look somewhat like a comic book cover. Along the top is the title "Gotham Bi Gaslamp" in a bi flag colored gradient, with a quartz lantern hanging from the "G" in "Gaslamp." Above the title is the text "A Batman / Hunger Pangs Crack Crossover." Below the title are credits stating "concept by Joy Demorra" and "faux cover by Mel Addams."]
I was delighted to find that I didn't really have to design any of the Sirens' outfits to fit the relative timeline! Selina already has a fancy grey outfit in the Gotham By Gaslight movie (link). Pamela also has a nice outfit in the same movie (link), which I adjusted (by adding leaves and embroidered roses) using a same-world comic source that includes a neat Harley outfit (link). And for those unfamiliar, "gaslamp fantasy" is the term for more magic-leaning steampunk-style fiction, which is what Phangs is!
I know Pamela Isley only plays around with men to kill them, but I think she’d make an exception for Vlad. I think she’d look at all the rare magical plants he’s saved or brought back from extinction over the years and and go “well now I have to peg him.”
She really doesn’t, as both Harley and Selina remind her. But she’s gonna.
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mel-addams · 3 months
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Shadows Boxing
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[Image ID: a clean sketch of Mihas Blaga and Doctor Klein sitting around a campfire, their shadows cast large and looming behind them. Mihas is grinning with his fists raised, making it so both he and his shadow appear to be boxing. Klein, with a couple deep black Filth tendrils peeking out from the back of his collar, is holding a stack of Filth-stained notes in one hand, and adjusting his glasses with the other. However, his shadow instead has its hands reaching down as if to grab Klein, with a greater number of Filth tendrils extending from its head, shoulders, and chest. Despite being part of a shadow, those Filth tendrils are also a deeper black, and have a bizarrely solid, textured quality to them.]
So a bit ago in the SWL discord, we were discussing the museum upgrade item, Dr. Klein's Notes. (A number of us agreed: we would very much like to be able to read them.) From our collective silliness, Vomher (or "Vh'mhyrr," as their display name appears in that discord group) suggested the notes were Klein's shadow, trapped and put to paper. Then Mojo replied to that with:
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[Image ID: a discord screenshot. The original message is from the user "Vh'mhyrr, the Empty Socket Stare" saying "He caught his shadow and put it to paper." The reply is from "Mojo | Local server pumpkin" saying "I wonder if he would sit with the Blagas at the campfire and share stories of fighting their own shadows"]
And I found that to be a DELIGHTFUL mental image. (For context: Mihas is a fighter, and mentions boxing with shadows. Klein is a scientist who has definitely not lost any intellect to the eldritch substance he's studying and microdosing, insisting he can still turn his head quick enough to spot his shadow before it sneaks up on him. Mihas fights monsters so he should probably actually be attacking Klein because the good doctor is definitely Filth infected, but it's fine, this is for funsies.)
SO, as is my wont when folks say fun things, I doodled it! And boy howdy do I love the watercolor physics in Rebelle, it is SUCH a boon for dressing up (relatively) simple doodles. I used it for the fire, shadows, and filling in the fellas. Used wet layers for the latter two, so the pigment would just flow together and I wouldn't have to think too hard about shading (using the lineart/selections to keep the pigment contained). Then an oil brush for the Filth, so the impasto 3d effect would give an uncanny texture, on top of it being (hex code) "absolute zero" maximum entropy black. I've taken to using the default oil palette's "bone black" for lineart and such, which is a brown-tinted near-black. So when I use pure-zero digital-black, it stands out even if things are otherwise (mostly) monochrome! It's fabulous.
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mel-addams · 4 months
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HEY there's new folks here since I last rambled about Rebelle, and they've got a HUGE sale going on for the preorder of the next version, SO
TL;DR: amazing traditional-paint-emulating drawing program on huge preorder discount, $30 for Pro version GO GET YOU YOURS
I've been using the digital art program Rebelle for a bit over a year, and it is SO GOOD at emulating the feel of working with traditional paints, pencils, and pastels! It's got thick (or thin) impasto texture for oils/acrylics, water physics (!!) for watercolors, and can actually use the texture of your canvas to affect both wet and dry media brushes. It feels SO MUCH better than hooking a texture into a brush and working on a canvas that just...doesn't match it, or applying a texture afterward. BUT ALSO they're gonna be updating it soon, and adding not just standard digital niceties, but also METALLIC. PAINTS. Plus more texture stuff you can control, and even better texture reactivity, but METALLIC! PAINTS!! USING THE BUILT-IN LIGHTING AND TEXTURE SHENANIGANS, INSTEAD OF HAVING TO MESS AROUND WITH WRANGLING/OUTSOURCING EFFECTS YOURSELF
And the pre-order price from now until November 30th is ONLY $30 for the Pro version (which I absolutely recommend!), when the price is usually $150 (!!). The Pro preorder price will increase to $50 from December 1st to the 13th, then full price when it releases on December 14th. And they don't do subscription! Just free updates (typically good and/or requested features, as well as bugfixes), in between full upgrades like this that have been HUGELY discounted on release.
You can check out further info on Version 7's upgrade features, as well as the link to buy it, via the link at the top of the post. BUT if you wanna test out basic watercolor simulation, and/or test the trial version of Rebelle 6 (I think) to see if you like how it feels? You can check out this link: https://www.escapemotions.com/products/rebelle/try/
(Also they often do this sort of thing with the free bonus papers for spreading the word, as mentioned at the beginning of the Version 7 info link. I think it's happened...at least each time they've done a version upgrade, maybe once or twice in between? And it's been a different set of papers each time. But I already did my shared-post earlier. This post is genuinely just 'cause I think stuff like the feel of brushes reacting to visible texture and water physics (which you can pause!) are SO NICE, and the preorder price is bonkers-cheap. I still need side stuff like Affinity for like...fonts, but Rebelle is my current favorite for actual drawing and painting.)
PERSONAL EXAMPLE TIME
Playing around with watercolor drips, because you can control the "tilt" of the canvas (via either a tablet's features if it can, or a disk in the UI if not): Bakuratober Ghost prompt
Using canvas texture to get a RAD cracked-paint look on a dark canvas (I used the Straw canvas from the "Mulberry Coconut & Straw" purchasable paper set): Bakuratober Vampire prompt
Taking advantage of thick acrylic texture (plus watercolor which flowed into the brush streaks for emphasis), to simulate both muscle and sand texture (body horror warning): Bakuratober bonus prompt (Nightmare)
Combining a mildly textured pencil with a subtly textured canvas to emulate how I use physical colored pencils (plus layer effects for glowy ghosties): Bakuratober Dancer prompt
Combining wet canvas and watercolors to let the pigment feather out to create a "blurry" foreground effect (plus setting lineart as a masking fluid layer to keep colors contained): Disco (Elysium) Harmony
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mel-addams · 5 months
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Something I try to keep in mind when making art that looks vintage is keeping a limited color pallette. Digital art gives you a very wide, Crisp scope of colors, whereas traditional art-- especially older traditional art-- had a very limited and sometimes dulled use of color.
This is a modern riso ink swatch, but still you find a similar and limited selection of colors to mix with. (Mixing digitally as to emulate the layering of ink riso would be coloring on Multiply, and layering on top of eachother 👉)
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If you find some old prints, take a closer look and see if you can tell what colors they used and which ones they layered... a lot of the time you'll find yellow as a base!
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Misprints can really reveal what colors were used and where, I love misprints...
Something else I keep in the back of my mind is: how the human eye perceives color on paper vs. a screen. Ink and paint soaks into paper, it bleeds, stains, fades over time, smears, ect... the history of a piece can show in physical wear. What kind of history do you want to emulate? Misprinted? Stained? Kept as clean as possible, but unable to escape the bluing damages of the sun? It's one of my favorite things about making vintage art. Making it imperfect!
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You can see the bleed, the wobble of the lines on the rug, the fading, the dirt... beautiful!!
Thinking in terms of traditional-method art while drawing digital can help open avenues to achieving that genuine, vintage look!
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mel-addams · 5 months
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And with that, I've got my artblog theme updated as well! (Earlier, I got my main sorted with a glorious space theme!) I was so excited to find a theme that allows for a "fill up remaining space" post width! I'm prone to making wide/landscape/desktop-wallpaper-sized art, so those get scrunched up so tiny with most post width options. Now they should actually be decently visible on PCs!
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Theme [05]: Asphyxia by glenthemes
A full sidebar theme featuring Kaneki Ken from Tokyo Ghoul. Light and dark versions are available separately, though they share the same options. 𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 // 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏.
🤍 ─── 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍: preview / code 🖤 ─── 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍: preview / code
👑 ─── theme features ‣
sidebar width  —  375px to 550px, adjustable anchor position [ ! ]
corner music player  —  1 song [+ instructions]
custom description box
up to 8 custom links
post width  —  420px / 460px / 500px / 540px / fill up remaining space
black-and-white images option(s)
supports NPF posts (I think)
optional click-toggle tags
multiple fonts and spacing options, etc
👑 ─── credits / terms of use / ask a question / tip jar ☕
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mel-addams · 6 months
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Waiting Silently for Hours
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[Image ID: The silhouette of a young Marik can be seen through the door of a room labeled "Solitary Confinement," while the surrounding white walls are broken and splattered with blood. On the right side, Marik's hair is normal, his hand hanging at his side. From a small blood splatter on the wall, the word "HELLO" is written, though the "O" is smudged out so it appears to simply read "HELL." Below the splatter slumps the corpse of a facility member, blood covering its head and torso. A futuristic rifle lies at its side, spent bullet shells littering the floor. Between the feet of the corpse sits a creepy doll, facing toward it as if in conversation.
On the left side, the silhouette of Yami Marik's fluffy hair and glowing Eye of Anubis can be seen, his hand raised and splayed against the door. Nearly the entire wall on this side is covered in a massive spray of blood. From a puddle on the floor, the word "HELL" is again written in blood.
/End Image ID]
~
Bakura: Where's Your Heart That Beats for Me?
Yugi: Single Out the Shadows
Marik: Waiting Silently for Hours
The Nursery in Secret World Legends is a horrible nightmare facility, with plenty of places to put poor Yu-Gi-Oh! kids, via "possessed child" crossover shenanigans. So after I did the screenshot edit with Bakura, I figured I'd go ahead with doing Yugi and Marik, as well. After all, they each fit the "Inhabited Child" experiment.
This door is actually situated in a bright section of the hall just before Yugi's screenshot section. Turn right, and you'd see Yami's shadow trailing across the floor toward you. Turn left to head back the way you came, and you'd find the carefully-curated living space for the children, eventually reaching the eerie doll room Bakura is in.
For those unfamiliar, Sleepless Lullaby is the quoted song—and is the only thing that plays in the Nursery, on loop, as a way to (try to) condition and pacify the kids. (As you can see, it did not end well for the folks running the facility.)
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mel-addams · 6 months
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Single Out the Shadows
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[Image ID: A tiny Yugi stands, backlit and barely visible, at the end of a long, dark hallway. Most of the lights and parts of the walls are broken, with loose wires hanging in loops from the ceiling. Nearest the camera, on the left side of the hall is a room labeled "Inhabited Child," and through its glass door a small, hunched-over girl in tattered clothes can be seen. The room across from it is labeled "Paranormal Fungus," in which a large, bizarre pod is visible.
Strewn across the floor of the hall is broken glass and debris, as well as a few facility members' corpses. One has a creepy doll sitting on its torso, and another is pinned up on the far wall by rebar. Stretching along the length of the floor, starting at Yugi's feet and ending in the light cast by the closest rooms, is the ominous shadow of Yami Yugi. His Eye of Anubis, used for judgement and Penalty Games, is glowing bright yellow within the shadow's head.
/End Image ID]
~
Bakura: Where's Your Heart That Beats for Me?
Yugi: Single Out the Shadows
Marik: Waiting Silently for Hours
The Nursery in Secret World Legends is a horrible nightmare facility, with plenty of places to put poor Yu-Gi-Oh! kids, via "possessed child" crossover shenanigans. So after I did the screenshot edit with Bakura, I figured I'd go ahead with doing Yugi and Marik, as well. After all, they each fit the "Inhabited Child" experiment.
There is actually a tiny child that stands in that doorway in-game, I just drew Yugi over her. She also doesn't have the dramatic magic shadow…just hovers ominously, and skitters off when you step into the hallway proper. If you were to turn and look over your shoulder here, you could see the last remaining bright section of this hallway, and the isolated room Marik is in.
For those unfamiliar, Sleepless Lullaby is the quoted song—and is the only thing that plays in the Nursery, on loop, as a way to (try to) condition and pacify the kids. (As you can see, it did not end well for the folks running the facility.)
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mel-addams · 6 months
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Where's Your Heart That Beats for Me?
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[Image ID: A young Bakura stands in the center of a room next to a corpse, the two of them surrounded by eerie dolls and other toys. A collapsed lamp illuminates the scene like a spotlight, casting sharp shadows across the room. Bakura stares out at the viewer, his left eye large and dull, while the right half of his face is deeply shadowed with a bright red, sinister eye. His loose, oversized shirt is splattered with blood, and he clutches a doll by the hair in his right hand. The corpse at his feet has a cleaver sticking out of its head, and is missing its right arm. Dozens of dolls are arranged in a widening circle, all facing in toward Bakura.
Incongruous with the bizarre scene, the walls of the room are painted with a cheery blue sky, grassy hills, and floating pink-yellow butterflies. Scribbled with chalk across the landscape in child-like writing are erratic, repeating phrases from the Sleepless Lullaby song. The phrases include: the word "empty" layered several times over itself like an echo; the line "whisper through the twisted corners" repeated down the wall; "eyes that glitter" surrounded by simple, glaring eyes; and "hello I walk into empty" trailing between.
/End Image ID]
~
Bakura: Where's Your Heart That Beats for Me?
Yugi: Single Out the Shadows
Marik: Waiting Silently for Hours
I was playing through the Nursery in SWL, and the ghost-possession experimentation made me think YGO thoughts (as I rambled about on my main blog here). And if Yugi and Ryou were part of it, you know Bakura would be responsible for the doll room...so I grabbed a screenshot, and did an edit. Figured I'd try to go for a Change of Heart sort of impression, given the harsh shading from the lamp easily enabled it, and it'd underline the experiment in duality. Also tried to get his doll to look a little like Necroface, using dark shading instead of a cracked hole. (The way he's holding it is also a nod to the scarecrows in the game, some of which use these creepy dolls as magic foci.)
For those unfamiliar, Sleepless Lullaby is the quoted song—and is the only thing that plays in the Nursery, on loop, as a way to (try to) condition and pacify the kids. (As you can see, it did not end well for the folks running the facility.)
~
Bonus versions: glowy magic eyes for extra eeriness, and what it looks like without the screenshot (because it...actually kinda works in a grey void):
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mel-addams · 9 months
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A general cane guide for writers and artists (from a cane user, writer, and artist!)
Disclaimer: Though I have been using a cane for 6 years, I am not a doctor, nor am I by any means an expert. This guide is true to my experience, but there are as many ways to use a cane as there are cane users!
This guide will not include: White canes for blindness, crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs as I have no personal experience with these.
This is meant to be a general guide to get you started and avoid some common mishaps/misconceptions, but you absolutely should continue to do your own research outside of this guide!
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The biggest recurring problem I've seen is using the cane on the wrong side. The cane goes on the opposite side of the pain! If your character has even-sided pain or needs it for balance/weakness, then use the cane in the non-dominant hand to keep the dominant hand free. Some cane users also switch sides to give their arm a rest!
A cane takes about 20% of your weight off the opposite leg. It should fit within your natural gait and become something of an extension of your body. If you need more weight off than 20%, then crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair is needed.
Putting more pressure on the cane, using it on the wrong side, or having it at the wrong height will make it less effective, and can cause long term damage to your body from improper pressure and posture. (Hugh Laurie genuinely hurt his body from years of using a cane wrong on House!)
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(an animated GIF of a cane matching the natural walking gait. It turns red when pressure is placed on it.)
When going up and down stairs, there is an ideal standard: You want to use the handrail and the cane at the same time, or prioritize the handrail if it's only on one side. When going up stairs you lead with your good leg and follow with the cane and hurt leg together. When going down stairs you lead with the cane, then the good leg, and THEN the leg that needs help.
Realistically though, many people don't move out of the way for cane users to access the railing, many stairs don't have railings, and many are wet, rusty, or generally not ideal to grip.
In these cases, if you have a friend nearby, holding on to them is a good idea. Or, take it one step at a time carefully if you're alone.
Now we come to a very common mistake I see... Using fashion canes for medical use!
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(These are 4 broad shapes, but there is INCREDIBLE variation in cane handles. Research heavily what will be best for your character's specific needs!)
The handle is the contact point for all the weight you're putting on your cane, and that pressure is being put onto your hand, wrist, and shoulder. So the shape is very important for long term use!
Knob handles (and very decorative handles) are not used for medical use for this reason. It adds extra stress to the body and can damage your hand to put constant pressure onto these painful shapes.
The weight of a cane is also incredibly important, as a heavier cane will cause wear on your body much faster. When you're using it all day, it gets heavy fast! If your character struggles with weakness, then they won't want a heavy cane if they can help it!
This is also part of why sword canes aren't usually very viable for medical use (along with them usually being knob handles) is that swords are extra weight!
However, a small knife or perhaps a retractable blade hidden within the base might be viable even for weak characters.
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Bases have a lot of variability as well, and the modern standard is generally adjustable bases. Adjustable canes are very handy if your character regularly changes shoe height, for instance (gotta keep the height at your hip!)
Canes help on most terrain with their standard base and structure. But for some terrain, you might want a different base, or to forego the cane entirely! This article covers it pretty well.
Many cane users decorate their canes! Stickers are incredibly common, and painting canes is relatively common as well! You'll also see people replacing the standard wrist strap with a personalized one, or even adding a small charm to the ring the strap connects to. (nothing too large, or it gets annoying as the cane is swinging around everywhere)
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(my canes, for reference)
If your character uses a cane full time, then they might also have multiple canes that look different aesthetically to match their outfits!
When it comes to practical things outside of the cane, you reasonably only have one hand available while it's being used. Many people will hook their cane onto their arm or let it dangle on the strap (if they have one) while using their cane arm, but it's often significantly less convenient than 2 hands. But, if you need 2 hands, then it's either setting the cane down or letting it hang!
For this reason, optimizing one handed use is ideal! Keeping bags/items on the side of your free hand helps keep your items accessible.
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When sitting, the cane either leans against a wall or table, goes under the chair, or hooks onto the back of the chair. (It often falls when hanging off of a chair, in my experience)
When getting up, the user will either use their cane to help them balance/support as they stand, or get up and then grab their cane. This depends on what it's being used for (balance vs pain when walking, for instance!)
That's everything I can think of for now. Thank you for reading my long-but-absolutely-not-comprehensive list of things to keep in mind when writing or drawing a cane user!
Happy disability pride month! Go forth and make more characters use canes!!!
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mel-addams · 10 months
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Aevum's SOLe Braincell
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[Image ID: a greyscale illustrated two-panel comic, fanart for the game Redfall. In the first panel, Devinder is holding a tape recorder, making a skeptical expression as he listens to the recording, which is saying (with names redacted with static for spoilers): "I am E K and I think P A was SO SMART about covering his tracks by forgetting everything and instead keeping recordings and evidence of his misdeeds and medical malpractice so now I am also recording all my thoughts on"
In the second panel, Dev can be seen standing in a ravine, surrounded by multiple other highlighted tape recorders, all lying near corpses of cultists and Bellwether mercenaries. Dev is staring up toward the eclipse, talking to the Black Sun: D: "But I just had to stop the folks K hired to burn—" BS: "I know." D: "And you told A NOT to reco—" BS: "I KNOW." D: "But then why did you also start to—" BS: "SHUT UP"
End Image ID]
Dev, muttering as he walks away: "This is why I work digital; one press of a button and all the embarrassing bits disappear."
I was gonna try to wait until I finish the game before I doodled anything (and I'm still only halfway through), but this tape was too funny. What the hell "tracks" did you think were "covered," sir??
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mel-addams · 10 months
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And so, with the Chickering underboss skull placed, I am now Gomez Addams. Perfect.
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[Image ID: a screenshot from the game Redfall, of Devinder in his Ultimate Bespoke Bloke outfit, holding the Grave Mistake assault rifle. The exceedingly fancy outfit consists of black pants and tie, a black vest with gold damask embroidery, leather boots with a matching print on the toes, and a vertically-striped red-and-maroon shirt with more matching gold embroidery on the collar and cuffs. His accessories include a black leather belt, dark brown leather riding gloves, and a dark brown leather shoulder harness with underarm pouches, which visibly contains his cell phone. Not visible in this screenshot are a notepad and pencil in the other harness pouch, a watch on his left wrist, and a pocketwatch chain on his vest. The rifle is almost entirely covered with several bones, including multiple long bones, a row of vertebrae, and a partial skull. On the left, a description of the outfit reads: "Dev doesn't always dress to impress, but when he does he goes all out with a custom tailored suit and gloves. No jacket required."]
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mel-addams · 11 months
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[Video ID: a recording from the game Redfall, of the character Devinder playing a number of short, skillful melodies on a grand piano. As he wraps up the last one, the Hollow Man speaks from a distant TV or radio, saying "What are you doing? Childish." As if out of spite, Devinder shuffles sideways, crouches down, and plays another set of tunes on a tiny toy piano that happened to be on the floor near the larger piano.]
You wanna see "childish," Hollow Man? Fine.
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