#. does my life get easier when its a larger canvas.

[lamina-tsrif]

squinting artists how big are your canvases quick question

[ashintheairlikesnow]

Cries

CW: Dehumanization, nonhuman whumpee, blood, restraints, captivity, muzzling

Introduction | Siren Song              

---

Transcribed October 4th, 20XX by Bahram Anvari, R.A. to Dr. Rachel Lachlan

First Draft – NOTE TO SELF – REMOVE ITALICS BEFORE FILING

Recording Transcription: Day 1 of Mer Residence

1.34.52 AM

October 3, 20XX

The first sound on the recording is a terrified keening. 

It’s inhumanly high-pitched, closer to whistle than wail, but still unmistakably, desperately frightened.

The camera jostles, unfocused, as whatever hands hold it fumble to bring the creature into view. There’s a blurred thrashing of pale and dark, little more than shadow and light, smears of charcoal gray from the individuals dragging the thing along the floor as it fights them.

Their swearing is muffled, hissed whispers of frustration and irritation. The words aren’t easy to understand, although the tone of those speaking easily gives away the anger behind them. There’s a thunk as the blurry thing drops, half-wriggling and half-sliding across the damp floor. The camera picks up a scrambled mad movement to regain control, forward motion closer to the camera and then off to the side.

Over the whistling, keening crying, a deep male voice, edged with effort and strain, yells, “Is Miah-... shit, you little fucking rabid dolphin-... is Miah recording?”

“Yeah, camera’s on!” Another, much younger male voice yells back. “She’s having some trouble with focus, looks like, but it’s getting the sound at least. Do you need help, Mr. Kirsse?”

“Just get-... shit, shit shit he’s slick-... get the lift ready to put him in the tank!”

“Yes, sir.” There’s a pause. “Are you good, Doctor?”

A woman’s voice answers now. Strong and confident, only a little strained with effort. “I’m fine, thanks, Bahram. I think Anders is having the worst time of the two of us. Thanks to the muzzle this creature is harmless to me. Have the-... the lift ready, please.”

“Will do, Dr. Lachlan.” 

A man moves past the camera, a hint of waterproof canvas overalls thrown over a sweater in the chilly room, brown skin and black hair. The camera follows and lingers on him briefly before returning to the entryway.

When the recording finally comes into focus, a muzzled male mer restrained with thick, abrasive sisal rope is suddenly visible, carried by Dr. Rachel Lachlan holding him under the armpits and Anders Kirsse trying and largely failing to keep a tight hold on his tail.

Muzzle is of Dr. Lachlan’s own design and while it protects humans from a mer’s sharp teeth, it will not prevent him from vocalizing.

NOTE: Include Dr. Lachlan’s design in filing, Fig. 1. Photograph living mer in muzzle to file as Fig. 2. Check before official filing to see if Dr. Lachlan’s patent application is pending approval by then.

Dr. Lachlan will want higher-quality vocalizations while wearing the muzzle recorded.

The rope that ties the mer’s hands behind his back is the cheap type often bought at home improvement stores and never intended for any kind of skin, deep red blood that is just shy of violet dripping to the floor beneath him along with remaining saltwater, a perfect trail that echoes the party’s slow, halting progress across the floor.

“This’d be easier if we-... had staff for this.” Anders Kirsse, an older man whose voice still has traces of a northern accent. “Or put it in a fucking wheelbarrow.”

“What we’re doing is highly illegal and more than a little outside the bounds of my profession’s insistence on humane capture procedures,” Dr. Lachlan replies. She is a tall woman with brown hair in a long ponytail, still wearing the hip-waders and boots she had on the boat (note to self- ship or boat? Miah will be pissed if I don’t get that right) and a heavy wool sweater currently damp from the mer’s struggles and spotted with its blood.

“Humane, huh?”

“Indeed. Generally speaking, due to their complex matrilineal social structures – a bit like orca, if you will-“

“Sure. Fuck, this thing is slippery!”

“-they don’t do well when separated in youth from the pod.”

Mer blood appears thicker than human, and Mr. Kirsse and Dr. Lachlan struggle not to slip in the trail of droplets whenever they have to stop and readjust their grips. When the creature falls briefly to the floor, thrashing like any fish desperate for the water, the floor is momentarily smeared with the deep burgundy beneath him. The two look down at him while he stares upward at them, panicked high whistles only a little muffled by the straps of the muzzle.

Anders Kirsse kicks the mer at what would be knee-height on a man, and it shrieks, trying to roll away from him. “I mean, is that going to mess with your work?”

“No. I do not require it for longer than six months.” Dr. Lachlan breathes hard. Her hands have the mer’s blood staining her palms. “Adolescent specimens will likely last at least a year.”

“Plenty of time for us both, then.”

“Precisely.”

The room comes into view as Miah Kirsse briefly stops focusing on the mer’s continued struggles and changes the angle. The walls are beige and taupe except for a vast circular tank with a small platform built high above it and some desks, couches, and a mini-fridge shoved out along the walls. Inside the tank there is a large manmade rock with a small cave inside that climbs just up above the water to give the mer a place to sit underneath sun lamps to warm itself, although not high enough to enable it to climb out of the tank. Various ferns and other plant life are dotted along the tank’s floor along with false coral in a wide variety of colors, giving it the appearance of ocean bottom for the purposes of giving the mer a comfortably familiar new home.

The camera lingers on briefly on the tank, but then quickly returns to Dr. Lachlan and Anders Kirsse. The creature’s vibrancy and life, not to mention his saturated blood, seem to take the full focus of the individual holding the camera.  

(Note to self - him or it? I’ve gone back and forth a little. Continue transcription after speaking to Dr. L)

Answer: Mer is male, but Dr. L would prefer to utilize ‘it’ to ensure we are not anthropomorphizing the animal.

The mer is attempting to free its arms, lying on its stomach on the floor. Its white hair, stiff with dried salt from the sea, shakes from side to side with the motions of his its body. Some of the hair is slightly brownish-red stained with its own blood.

It  tries frantically to hit out with its tail, scales shimmering under a flat fluorescent light that shines from overhead. This mer comes from a northern band and its tail is utilitarian for that purpose and contains only a small flutter at the end. Coloration is pale, the same near-white as its hair, fading into a deep black shimmer of scales that pales again when scale shifts to rubbery thick skin just at its navel.

 At first, it finds no surface but the floor.

Then it succeeds and smacks heavily into Anders Kirsse, a broad-shouldered man in his forties. The tail hits Anders across the face, sending him stumbling to hands and knees and knocking his glasses to the ground where they skim along the cool concrete floor. Dr. Lachlan’s eyebrows raise in surprise.

A soft half-whispered rhythmic sound begins, clearly coming from the person holding the camera.

The man knocked to the floor stands back up, eyes narrowed either in an attempt to see or simply in fury, and snaps, “Stop laughing, Miah,” his hands moving quickly to echo his spoken words in American Sign Language, hereafter referred to as ASL in all future transcriptions.

Miah Kirsse, who is holding the camera, does not stop laughing. 

Mr. Kirsse tells Miah, “I saw that sign, young lady,” and gets back to his feet, taking the mer’s tail in hand again, leaving his glasses on the floor with a visible crack across the lens. The mer seems startled that it made contact with Anders and has gone still, looking in what seems to be Kirsse’s direction. There is a sound like a series of small clicks before its gaze seems to shift over to Miah and therefore directly into the camera.

Miah quickly zooms, and the focus blurs before sharpening again to show the mer’s wide eyes, a deep green very much similar to the color of a species of seaweed that grows in the mer mating territories near the Nalowale Islands. (Note to self - what is the name of that seaweed?) Mer eyes have no visible sclera or pupil. Due to the black muzzle covering up the bottom half of its face, its expression is not wholly visible, but eyebrows the same near-white as its hair are furrowed in confusion or upset. Hair falls over its face.

It looks very human like this.

It clicks again. This transcriber believes the clicking may be a way to ask a question.

Bahram Anvari, Dr. Lachlan’s research assistant, is seen walking across through the video to a large sling held by thick ropes to a kind of forklift, also something Dr. Lachlan has personally engineered for use with the mer. It has been retrofitted from a similar type of machinery utilized for much larger cetaceans at Dr Lachlan’s prior place of employment, which closed down after a series of incidents that ended with widespread public disapproval.

After knocking Mr. Kirsse’s glasses off, the mer seems more subdued, and ceases fighting as it is moved across the room, but it does continue to click. Between the placement of its brow and the sounds, this transcriber believes it is trying to ask what happened to the glasses that it perhaps believes were simply part of Kirsse’s eyes.

The mer is placed into the canvas sling and Mr. Anvari steps over to the control panel, moving a lever. The lift kicks into gear with a low mechanical whirr, and the mer lets out a new kind of sound, a startled chirp and click combination, as it jerks into motion and is lifted up into the air above the height of the tank. Chirps quickly ramp up into fearful cries as Mr. Anvari moves the sling to swing out over the water in the tank.

The camera is set down on a nearby desk and Miah Kirsse moves onscreen. She is nineteen years old and bears a strong resemblance to her father. She signs, “Is the water right for him? What about his face and arms?”

“The animal will be fine,” Dr. Lachlan speaks out loud. Miah frowns until her father repeats Dr. Lachlan in ASL. She continues to frown, but more in annoyance now.

Miah replies, “I could tell what she said. Are you going to untie him first?”

“That would pose too great a risk.” Dr. Lachlan watches the mer renew its struggles, but the sides of the sling go up too high for it to do anything more than wear itself out even further. “When the animal is ready to eat, it will allow us to free its arms and remove the muzzle. Bahram, lower the mer into the tank.”

As Dr. Lachlan is not looking in Miah’s direction and does not use ASL, Anders Kirsse translates the answer into ASL for her and her words back to Dr. Lachlan. Her expression darkens further.

Anvari nods and presses a small button on the control panel. The lift reverses its earlier rise and the mer shrieks in fear as it perceives a sudden drop down towards the water. There is a small splash as it submerges, thrashes more, and finally frees itself from the sling. Bahram raises the sling back out of the water and back to the floor by the tank.

The assembled party is silent as they witness the mer’s first experience with its new home.

Nasal slits designed to breathe air close – the muzzle is placed just under them, leaving them visible – this is a personal decision on Dr. Lachlan’s part for ease of research. With the nasal slits closed, there is only the vaguest suggestion of their existence. Gills in the neck open to take oxygen in from the water around it.

There is a small pump system that will ensure new oxygenated saltwater is constantly cycled through the tank, and the mer’s ear fins which echo the colors of its tail, twitch as it searches for the source of the sound. 

Its tail undulates in a consistent, slow motion to keep itself placed where it is in the water.

It pulls at the bindings holding its arms and turns back to the four humans who watch it. Green eyes appear to look over each person in turn. Then it calls, an undulating sound under the water, similar to whalesong but softer and higher-pitched, turning to show them its restrained arms, burgundy weeping into the water around them. Its fingers end in claws and are heavily webbed for ease of motion in water. There is some scaling around elbows and shoulders present in male mer that is not present in female mer.

The mer clicks, looks at them over its shoulder, clicks again.

Miah Kirsse: “He wants us to untie him.” She points at the mer. It appears to brighten a little at the sign that she has noticed it and uses its tailfin to move slowly back until its arms are close to the side of the tank.

Dr. Lachlan doesn’t respond at first, approaching the tank and looking at the mer. “I don’t think it can tell where the water ends and the walls begin. Interesting.”

“Don’t those things use echolocation or something?” Mr. Kirsse asks.

“They can, but I don’t think it’s tried yet. We know that adult animals utilize it more heavily than young. Fascinating.” Dr. Lachlan is quiet, for a moment. “I’ve never seen one so young introduced into human habitats before.”

“You mean captivity,” Miah signs, hands moving in harsh motions to lay plain her mood. Dr. Lachlan looks at Anders, who translates. “You mean cages.”

“Yes,” Dr. Lachlan replies. “I do. Let’s track how long it takes for the animal to cooperate in order to eat,” She says, brusquely. “Right now removing anything at all would lead to it clawing or biting us.”

Miah snorts. “He just wants to be untied-”

Dr. Lachlan holds up her hand and Miah’s fall still. “I understand that, Miah. I want it to be very well aware that its best interests lie in giving us total cooperation. Especially as we will be doing daily blood draws and it will no doubt be as reticent about needles at every other mer that we’ve tested. Now I need to make sure no one noticed us while we were on the water. Bahram, you’re on mer duty until I come back. Do not approach the platform, do not attempt to unbind it. Absolutely do not remove that muzzle. If you do any of those things – or allow anyone else to - before I give express approval, you will be dismissed from the project.”

Bahram nods. “No problem, Doctor. I understand.”

“I want to help,” Miah signs quickly. “I want to help B watch him.”

“Later,” Mr. Kirsse replies, both vocally and in ASL. Anvari is watching the mer, and as transcriber I should note that it is at this time that Anvari believes the mer watches the exchange between Miah and Anders Kirsse and appears to be focusing on their hands. It clicks, softly, barely audible. “You have to help me with the website first.”

Miah looks briefly into the camera. “I regret learning coding now.”

“This is not a TV show, don’t talk to the camera!”

“Try and stop me.”

“Miah, for the love of-”

“Let’s take this outside,” Dr. Lachlan says, and everyone but Anvari exits the facility holding room. 

The mer spins back around and tilts its head. Pale white hair floats around it as it cries to get their attention, then looks at Anvari, who meets its gaze briefly before he appears to realize the camera is still recording. 

Anvari moves to the camera to turn it off, but the mer seems to think he is also leaving and grows visibly agitated in the recording, throwing itself against the side of the tank. It thumps into the thick walls and makes a sound of confusion and hurt. 

“I’m not gonna get any sleep tonight, am I?” Anvari says, carrying the camera over to a set of switches along one wall. He turns the lights off and ends the recording. There are cameras in the tank, which has low lights set at regular intervals along the bottom to ensure the mer is still visible at all times. There seconds between the overhead lights turning off and the tank lights turning on is just long enough to show that mer eyes glow faintly in the dark.

The last moment is very much the same as the first.

It is the sound of a frightened mer crying.

End transcription.

---

Bahram, you have a gift for storytelling, but that isn’t what we’re looking for here. I still have to figure out how to gain industry acknowledgement of this project and your constant humanizing of the mer is not helping. Being startled by a change in environment is not mortal terror. Redo this and remove all these plays on emotion. Also, remove the exchanges with Miah, she is not officially part of this project.  - Dr. L

B, you forgot to add what I said to Dad when he told me to stop laughing. Make sure you put that part in the transcription next time. If this gets published I want the whole peer review whatever to know I called him a dick. Also that poor thing is totally frightened and also also Dr. Lachlan is a dick too. Leave my stuff in or I’ll never talk to you again. - Miah

Note to self - Stop leaving transcription drafts where Miah can find them.

Maybe I can get Miah to watch it for a few hours if I buy her coffee or something. I can't keep listening to it. Sometimes I swear it sounds like a kid. At least if Miah was here, she wouldn’t actually have to hear it. It’s hiding in the cave thing now, which I guess is good. Familiarizing itself with shelter.

I hate that he’s scared of us already

I just wish it would stop making that sound.

----

@astrobly @burtlederp @finder-of-rings @slaintetowhump @moose-teeth @misspelledwitch @whumpfigure @whumptywhumpdump

[runrundoyourstuff]

Seasons

(A Steven Universe Fic, 2632 words)

Written with love for a holiday exchange with the wonderful @mimik-u !

Prompt: Steven teaches one of the Diamonds about something beautifully mundane (a la Peridot learning about rain.)

--

It’s almost comical how the Dondai pales in size when compared to the Arm Ship—and the magnitude of the difference only grows as Steven descends the ridge. There are some items, both of human and Gem origin, that seemed larger when he was smaller—when he was younger—when everything mysterious in the world, every new thing he learned about himself, filled him with wonder. The Diamond ships, however, are not among these items. They’re as large now as they always seemed to him, if not quite as foreboding. As are the Diamonds themselves, and he is reminded of this, as Yellow disembarks from her spacecraft.

She doesn’t see him right away. Or if she does notice the car, she doesn’t have the frame of reference to recognize it as his, and even after he parks it beside the ship and gets out, it’s several moments before she turns around and acknowledges him standing there.

“Steven!”

“Hey, Yellow.”

“When I called, I hadn’t realized…” She sputters. “Your...your family returned my message to inform me that you were leaving on a conquest—”

“A conquest?”

“Yes, they said that you were going to travel—”

“Yeah, but not on a conquest!”

“Of course, of course, a scouting mission, then—”

“No! Nothing like that! Just a trip! I just...needed to hit the road for a while. Figure out what’s next.”

“I...right, of course. Your—I mean, the Pearl said that you would be taking a hiatus from your Diamond duties…”

At this, Steven chuckles. “Pearl wants me to.” But then he becomes serious. “I shouldn’t laugh. She’s trying to make sure that I take care of myself. She—all of them really, want to make sure I know that I don’t have to be involved in any Gem stuff if I don’t want to. That it’s my choice. And ya know, it’s true that I don’t want it to be my whole life, not like it was when I was a kid. And because there’s no hierarchy anymore, I do want to give other Gems a chance to manage things on Earth if they want to—to show them it doesn’t always have to be a Diamond, and I’m not a Diamond anyway—but I do want to be involved, ya know? Or at least know what’s going on! I put so much work into everything, and not all of it was bad. I was really proud of a lot of what we did, and the Gems are my family…” A pause. “Anyway, that’s all to say that I routed some of the messages from the Base to my phone.”

“I see. I…” She pauses. “I didn’t intend...You did not need to come. I merely called because I didn’t want to catch you off guard. Give your...our...Given my history, I thought if I showed up on your planet unannounced—”

“It’s not my planet.”

“No, of course not. I meant the planet on which you reside. I’ve already...I did not intend to make you feel that…that you needed to come fix—”

Steven raises a hand. “I know. I just happened to be in the area, so I thought I’d stop by. Say hi.”

“Ah. Alright.” The silence resounds. Yellow’s eyes flit away.

“So,” Steven says after a moment—looking for something, anything, to cut through the quiet. “Why Zona?”

“Is that what this place is called?” Yellow glances around. “I needed an area of the Earth where I would cause the least disruptions, where I could dig a sufficiently large hole such that I could access the Cluster. I initially planned on going to one of the Kindergartens, as we’d already irrevocably destroyed all hope of organic life thriving there—I thought I could minimize the destruction. But each already has a fairly extensive subterranean framework that makes it impossible for me to dig deep enough.” She sighs. “I realize this place isn’t perfect. My digging will certainly disrupt some of the plant life. But it appeared at least that there were few humans in the vicinity…”

“Mm.” Steven leads against the hood of his car. “I’m surprised you brought your ship out here and didn’t just Warp. We’re not that far from the Beta Kindergarten, and there’s a Warp there...”

“Those Warps weren’t built for us. We’re much too large.”

“I guess that’s true, but you could always shapeshift.”

“Hmm. I suppose. But there was also the equipment to bring.”

“Equipment?”

“Yes, I...There are...billions of shards in the Cluster. I figured...if I am going to dismantle it and reconstruct each of the Gems whose shards it conatiend, it would likely be easier for me to do it on Earth, rather than bringing all the Shards back to Homeworld. I don’t want to risk losing any of them or damaging any of them even further in transit…And while I may need to ultimately to transport some of them back to Homeworld to locate all the pieces, and though it may be disconcerting for the other Gems to reform on Earth...I…” She leaves the syllable hanging in the air, turns her head away. Steven can just barely make out her tense jaw as though she is gritting her teeth. Sparks radiate from her skin.

“Yellow? Are you...okay?”

“I’m fine!” But then she bows her head, inhales and releases, murmurs: “I apologize, Steven. I am not angry with you. I simply…It has been difficult enough for me to face each of the Gems I have reconstructed on Homeworld. Once they recover from the shock and the terror, they have each looked at me with such disdain. And those Fusion experiments, while they were certainly terrible, pale in comparison to the Cluster. I can only imagine what each of the Gem’s contained within it will feel. And I will deserve it. I hurt so many Gems in the service of the Empire.”

Steven opens his mouth to respond, but before he can, Yellow continues, speaking ever rapidly, ever louder, as though desperate to expel the words. “Do not try to assuage my guilty conscience! That...is not your responsibility. I shouldn’t have just put you in a position to think that it was.”

Another tentative backpedaling, Steven thinks. A walking on eggshells moment, like he’s witnessed with the Gems and Dad over the past several months. And difficult though it is for him to sometimes believe, it’s not as though Yellow is wrong, at least not if he trusts his therapist. But there is a distant look in her eye, a panicked tension in her cheeks, which, when coupled with the fact that this is the first time he’s seen her since his breakdown, makes Steven wonder if she is remembering that day on the beach.

His own memories of it are fuzzy-to-nonexistant; he remembers the pain, and the panic, and the anger he’d held despite knowing that he shouldn't. Then, he has a vague impression of multiple embraces, of Connie kissing his forehead, of crying hot, cathartic tears...And then he’d woken up in the Cluster’s hand, with the eyes of most of the people he loved and almost everyone he’d ever fought all on him.

Despite his own lack of recollection, however, Connie assures him that she’d given everyone—the Diamonds included—something of a blunt talking to that day, a rallying speech, but she won’t elaborate on the specifics of what exactly she’d said. Might that—whatever its contents— be behind Yellow’s hasty assurances now?

“Okay,” Steven responds finally. “I won’t try to make you feel less guilty. But can I show you something?”

Yellow furrows her eyebrows. “Very well.”

“It’s just on the top of the canyon.”

They deliberate for a few moments on the details. Yellow offers to carry him, but even if she’s not White, Steven declines being held in a Diamond’s hand, and while she could shapeshift to fit in the passenger seat of the Dondai, she ultimately elects to simply follow behind the car as Steven slowly drives it up the cliff.

They reach the plateau just as the sun begins to dip in the horizon, casting a golden glow over the grass, over the Autumn leaves, just starting to paint themselves with the vibrant shades that return year after year.

Steven opens the door and steps out. “You never spent much time on Earth, did you?”

Yellow considers. “No.”

“Do you know what I think my mom fell in love with about this planet?”

“Organic life, of course. Humans.” She gestures to Steven. “Obviously.”

“Well, yeah, but not just them. Us. I think it was this stuff too.”

Yellow squints. “These weeds?! These...dying outgrowths?!”

“With things that change. Things that grow. There’s so much of it here.”

“Hm.”

Steven paces over to the grass, then sinks down onto it so that it brushes against his bare calves. It’s mostly soft on his skin but there are dryer patches too, scratchier places on the ground as some of the longer areas start to dry out for the season. The sun dips lower in the sky, and it leaks hues of pink and orange onto the daytime canvas of darkening blue. Yellow looms behind him.

“Feel this.” He pats the ground next to him, and tries not to wince as Yellow’s gargantuan hand settles down on the grass. “You might not be able to tell, but it’s growing. Even right now. By the time the snow—frozen water that falls from the sky—starts to cover it in a few months, it’ll probably be a few inches taller than it is right now. And then it’ll take a break for a while, but when Spring comes next year—when the weather gets warmer again—it’ll start again.

“The trees too. Look out there—they grow taller every year, and every year the leaves change into those beautiful colors you can see. And the shades are similar every year, but never exactly the same. Then the leaves fall off, and then bud again and come back. And the trees keep getting taller. And every time the leaves return, the whole tree is a little bit different too.”

Yellow hesitates. “These are familiar to me. Someone, I believe a Peridot—your Peridot—”

“She’s not my Peridot, but I know who you mean.”

“Yes...Well, she brought some of these...trees...from Earth to Homeworld, and determined how best to make them grow there. I’ve been gazing at them through the windows of the palace ever since, but I hadn’t realized how elaborate, how ever-present, their growth cycles were…”

“I’ve lived on Earth my whole life, and I only just started thinking about it recently. It’s easy to take for granted, but it’s really incredible when you stop to think about it.” He angles his head upward. “And it’s not just the plants. Look at the sky. It changes like this every day.” A pause. “Well, it’s really not the sky that’s changing—Connie told me that it’s an effect of how the planet moves around our sun. But from down here on Earth, it looks like it’s always changing. In a different way every day. I don’t think it’s like that on Homeworld.”

Yellow settles next to him at last, squatting, and then kneeling. “It isn’t. Things are constructed on Homeworld—not grown. We have a sun, but our sky does not transform like this.”

“Exactly. And I think that’s why my mom fell in love with the Earth so much. She was so in awe of how everything naturally grew and changed here.” Steven sighs, clenches him gemstone beneath his hand. “I’m still angry at her a lot of the time, but, like, I get it. She saw herself as this monster.” Here Steven pauses, glances away for a moment before finally letting the words return. “And she didn’t think that she was capable of growth or change. All she thought she could do was pretend to be someone else. And then she found herself on this planet where all anything did was grow for real, and she wanted to be a part of that even in some small way, so she made me.”

“Steven…”

“But the point is, she was wrong. She could have grown as herself. I think she did, even if she couldn’t see it. And she and I aren't the only Gems that grew. All of my friends and family have. None of us is the same as we were when I was a kid. Maybe it just took coming to Earth to see that, ya know? Gems can grow and change, just like the trees can, and the grass, and the sky.

“So yeah,” Steven continues. “White hurt you, and you hurt Mom, and Mom hurt Pearl and Garnet and Amethyst and Spinel and you, and everyone she hurt hurt me, and I hurt Jasper and Dad and a lot of people and could have hurt a lot more, and you hurt all the Gems who were corrupted, and who became the Fusion experiments and the Cluster...and that’s all true, and we all have to deal with that and make the things we did wrong right the best that we can. And it’s hard, and it sucks. But the ways we’ve been hurt and hurt other people aren’t all we are. We can grow and change too. As ourselves. I think the Earth is just one big reminder of that.”

Yellow’s brows are once again furrowed, her jaw agape. “I…”

“So, yeah, it’s going to be hard to face all the Gems in the Cluster as you put them all back together. But it’s the right thing to do. And if it ever becomes too much, you can always come up here, and watch the world change and grow to remind yourself that you’re growing too. You’re better than you were, and if you keep working at it, you’ll keep getting better.”

Then, without waiting for Yellow to respond, Steven stands, walks back over to the Dondai. “Now, I gotta hit the road. I want to get to Vegas by tomorrow. It was nice to see you, Yellow.”

“You as well, Steven.” Yellow rises to her feet.

“Good luck,” he calls out the window as he pulls away, and glancing in the rearview mirror, he sees Yellow’s arm raised in farewell, something like a small, apprehensive smile on her lips.

Six months later, after a sojourn up and down the West Coast, Steven returns to the ridge en route back to Beach City for a visit. He pulls up just as the sun is rising over the canyon, glinting off Yellow’s arm ship, and off of the chest and arms and backs of the little gaggle of Gems gathered next to the ship and the adjacent hole. Yellow is not among them, though. She stands on the crest of the cliff, gazing at the trees, at the little buds beginning to spring into being on each branch.

“Steven.” She turns to him in greeting as he gets out of the car.

“You’ve been busy!”

“Yes, we’re progressing nicely.”

“We?”

Yellow nods. “Some of the Gems I reconstructed from the Cluster decided to remain here to help. Then others in Little Homeworld—and even a few on Homeworld itself—learned about what we were doing, and traveled here to volunteer.” She pauses. “They’re here for the sake of the Gems inside the Cluster, not for me. Still, it is nice not to be alone.”

“Mm.”

Yellow turns from the trees to the canyon, in the direction of the rising sun. The growing orange light catches her Gemstone too, and it glimmers in it. “It’s a beautiful morning.”

“Yeah,” Steven says. “It is.”

[ao3]

[sara-scribbles]

Together: Mercenary

Jeritza/F!Byleth

Note: This is part of my Jeritza/Byleth one-shot series Together where they travel around Fódlan after the end of the game. Each one shot can be a standalone.

---------

It was very easy to slip into mercenary mode after so many years. The war had continued to sharpen her skills. Though the war had ended there was always a need for mercenaries even in peacetime. Perhaps mercenary work was written in Byleth’s blood; after all she had grown up with Jeralt’s mercenaries. It really wasn’t a surprise how quickly she fell back in place. Of course this time she was no longer part of her father’s mercenary band. 

Instead it was just her and Jeritza traveling around Fódlan. Despite never having been a mercenary, he seemed to fall into place just as easily. It was a way of life that suited him the best. She could also think of a few others who would fit the mercenary lifestyle. However She had a feeling Jeritza did not want to add more to their simple two person team. Byleth was fine with that. Traveling with him was a mostly quiet affair.

Having arrived at a small village, the two split up. He went to the nearby inn to get a room, and she went to the local tavern. Taverns were the best places to hear gossip and get information. Stepping inside, the stale smell of booze assaulted her nose. It was dimly lit, and the windows provided little light with how dirty they were. There were already quite a few patrons nursing pints. The sun was still high in the sky, but it seemed some people started drinking early.

Settling at the bar counter, she gestured for the barkeep. “What can I get ya?” The man was missing a few teeth, but he seemed nice enough.

“I’m looking for someone. Heard he came this way,” she murmured while looking disinterested.

The man shrugged his shoulders as he wiped down the counter. “Haven’t seen anyone new except you.” She slid a few coins across the counter. “But I did hear that some bloke with a nasty scars on his face was seen lurking in these parts. Someone saw a shadow in the window of the old mansion at the edge of town.” He swiftly pocketed the coins.

“Thank you.” Standing, she left the tavern. The sun in the sky was setting as she made it to the inn. At least the place looked cleaner than the tavern.

The room was also fairly clean. Jeritza was busy sharpening his blade when she entered. “I have news on our target. He might be hiding out in the abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town.”

“Are you sure?” he asked without looking up from his weapon.

Taking a seat on the only bed, Byleth stared up at the cracked ceiling. “No. But it won’t hurt to check it out. Anyways, our hire doesn’t care how long it takes as long as we bring back what was stolen.”

Seemingly satisfied with his blade, he placed it back in its sheath. “Is this how you usually go about your jobs? It seems rather…unnecessary.”

“My father always gathered information before doing anything. He had a larger group than just us two, so he had the ability to do more.” Turning, she met his sharp gaze. “We’ll check it out once night falls.” Falling back into the mattress with a sigh, she closed her eyes. 

Her body was used to sleeping on an actual bed instead of the ground from her time at the monastery. Sleeping on the open roads had taken a while to get accustomed to again. Even now her body craved the softness of a mattress to the cold, hard ground.

Without a word, he joined her on the bed. The two laid side by side. “I never considered how much you might need more people for a mercenary group,” he admitted.

Eyes still closed, she shifted to give him more space. “It does make it easier when you have certain people for specific roles. We’ll do what we can with what we have.” Rolling on her side to face him, she opened her eyes. “Why, are you considering adding to our merry band of two?” A knowing smile danced on herr lips.

His brows scrunched together, and his frown deepened. “No.”

A chuckle fell from her mouth. “Sothis forbid we add more people to our group.”

His hand sought hers and grasped it. “We’re fine the way we are.” Curling her body closer to him, Byleth closed her eyes once more. “Rest. I’ll wake you when we have to go.” His fingers intertwined with her own as she drifted off.

---------

The mansion sat on a large plot of land and was once beautiful at one point.. Though with the lack of upkeep, wild plants had grown all over the grounds. The front gate was barely hanging off its hinge and a portion of the wall was missing. Getting inside was easy enough, and more so as the front door was missing.

“It’s quiet…” Jeritza glanced into an empty room. “I have yet to hear anything except the rats.”

“We’ll split up. I’ll take the top floor, and you canvas here and the lower level.” The mansion itself was pretty large. A lot of the rooms were filled with debris, and parts of the floor and ceiling looked ready to fall.

Creeping up the stairs, she tried to avoid any spots that looked ready to break. Most of the rooms were empty except for a few rats here and there. A creak from nearby caught her attention. Hand on the hilt of your sword, she crept closer to the room. Peeking in, she didn’t see anyone. However she carefully walked in to survey the area. It looked to be a bedroom though most of the furniture was missing or broken.

A window was open with the wind gently blowing it. The creaking noise was coming from there. Shaking her head, she sighed. A slight rush of cold air was all she needed to pull her sword out and block the daggers aimed for her back. The man, Alfi, snarled as his daggers met her blade.

“Did one of those pigs send ya?!” His scowl pulled the scars that criss-crossed his face. For such a bulky man, he was light on his feet. She had almost missed him.

“They just want what you stole back,” she replied, not giving up as he put more pressure on his blades. With some force, she shoved him back. He stumbled into the hallway before righting himself.

His lips curled into something of a grin. “What did the rich widdle nobles miss a simple trinket? Can’t they buy more with ‘ere money?!” She lunged at him but he deftly dodged to the side.

“Just give it back and you can leave this place alive.” Ducking under his daggers, her foot met his side. He fell back against the banister. The old wood groaned loudly as cracking noises filled the air. Eyes wide the two had little time to move before the floor crumbled. The entire staircase and floor came crashing down.

Byleth managed to pull herself free from the rubble. Unfortunately so had Alfi. He had lost a dagger, but his other one was pointed right between her eyes. Her sword was still buried somewhere under the debris.

“Not much of a sword for hire are ya. Nice try, kid.” He raised the dagger to strike, but he let out a ghastly groan. 

She stared at the sword that pierced through his heart from the back. Jeritza pulled the blade out and the man collapsed in the rubble. His blood seeped through the wood as his body twitched. Jeritza causally wiped the blood from his sword using the man’s body. Kneeling, he rifled through his pockets before pulling out a small pouch.

“You didn’t have to kill him.” She found her sword and put it back in the sheath.

He tossed her the pouch, which remained clean of any blood. “Hmm…” Opening it, she pulled out the ornate hairpin inside. Made of diamonds and rubies, it looked to cost a small fortune. “All for a hairpin?” He was unimpressed.

“It’s a family heirloom. It's the last thing the daughter has of her parents.” Placing it back inside, she eyed the dead body. “Father would usually have the body cleaned up, but...”

Jeritza didn’t bother to look as he headed out. “No one will find him. From what the innkeeper said the locals think this place is haunted.”

Following him, she walked past the dilapidated gates. “How did you find your first job as a real mercenary?”

“It’s…different from what I’m used to. However I don’t dislike it.” The one road leading to the mansion was empty. “As long as we can work together and there’s plenty of bodies to keep my sword sharp, I’m fine with this.”

“Good. We have all of Fódlan to explore in the process.” Side by side, they walked down the long road.

[cyrusharper]

twinkle

if god and the devil, allah, the fates with their gossamer red strings that stretched the lives of men beyond their mortal eyes, should ever deign cyrus harper worthy of the choice of where to spend however many years he has left on this earth, he thinks he might very well pick this very spot.

underneath the blanket of the summer stars, aboard the boat that he and roimata had dedicated three entire summers to repairing, with the man—his best friend, his very own personal polaris fallen into the sea and given form, by his side.

“it is not that life ashore is distasteful to me.” sir francis drake had once written, cyrus had once read and then declared to his mama, with puffed out chest and the wistful glance of a seasoned theater actor towards the sea that beat placidly against the kentish coast. “but life at sea is better.”

neither of them have really felt the need to speak, since they’d pushed off from shore—they both speak the language of waves as a native tongue, and they both know that the language of the sea is more eloquent than the words they’ve been clumsy with since they were children, growing towards each other like saplings in two opposite sides of the earth. and while the silence sits comfortable and warm like the summer breeze that carries them, it has also left him with little to do than obsessively document the parts of the boat with his eyes, or to let them find their way like the needle of a compass to his companion.

its not the first time he’s considered the idea that roimata might be attractive.

he has eyes—always has, and it’s difficult to deny the evidence, like the known continents that do not move or drift on the surface of the map. he is tall, sits against the backdrop of the night sky like the imposing spar of an old exploration vessel. he smiles in an easy way that has always left cyrus feeling like a sail unfurling against a sudden strong wind, and as he pulls on the ropes and guides the boat underneath their feet with ease, it’s difficult for cyrus to tear his eyes away from the way the muscles in his arms move underneath the thin layer of skin.

has he always wanted to feel that movement underneath the palm of his hand?

did Jason board the argo and wonder if the fire that burned with in him was the divine need to take his ship over the borders of the known world, or the divine certainty that it should have been his beloved theseus next to him?

does it matter?

he comes to stand next to roi on the starboard side, where the man has momentarily paused his flurry of activity to gaze at the heavens above them. the moon, the stars, the not quite black sky—they all cast him in a pearlescent glow.

“I’ve never understood the insistence on adhering to the grecian constellations.” he says quietly, because he is bravest when he is hiding behind the words of others, when he is easily lost inside the larger context of landscape. he grins as he comes to stand on the edge, clutching the same rope as he points to a particular cluster of stars. “see the dog right there? in romania they call that the mastiff. over there,” he moves his hand again as though he could command the sky like an astrolabe. “mama says in iran they call orion the giant.”

a giant made from the stuff of stars to blaze above the inhospitable desert, the only love of the cold virgin goddess flung into the heavens, or perhaps like the inuit people liked to it, two stars placed far apart--somehow roimata has always been all of these things.

he meets roi’s gaze, feels color rise to his cheeks even in the dark. the other man doesn’t answer any of cyrus’s information—he never does—he just smiles, nods his head as though he can’t believe cyrus manages to keep every aspect of the world he has devoted himself to contained within the fragile frame of his own bones. when they were younger, before cyrus learned to negotiate the teeth of the hungry thing that made its home in the pit of his stomach, his gaze had always been elsewhere—there had always been the line of the horizon to taunt him, the promise of more, more, more singing in the air like the song of a siren.

now, he looks back.

and jason, francis drake, the explorer who has not yet made his name, looked across the deck and saw his best friend standing with his face towards the sea--and he loved them both without ever having to speak the words, did he not? He had not been able to name such things because they were one in the same, two sides of a gleaming spanish dubloon dredged up from the depths of a wreckage, two points of light attached by an invisible line in the summer sky.

cyrus misses roi’s response entirely, and so silence falls between them again. only this time, cyrus does not allow it to settle--for it is better to have the remains of love, the bright dust and particles of it strewn across the sky in stars, than to be forever memorialized as two stars far apart. for it is better by far for the explorer to seize upon bravery when he feels it materialize in the marrow of the bones of his spine, than to drink it down like bitter seawater.

“do you remember, that summer after you first arrived?” he smiles, tries to mirror the same gentle expression he had caught on the face before him. it’s easier, in practice, than he had ever thought it would be. “we hauled this thing to my parents garage, because tamati wouldn’t let you keep it at yours--it was barely a frame then.”

he digs a fingernail into the surface of the wood gently, picking at some of the flaking paint they’d spent hours applying in careful strokes--only to end up with as much of it on themselves as on the surface they were meant to be coloring. “we nicked the gin from my dad’s stash, ended up wasted because neither of us knew yet that we couldn’t hold it worth shit.”

he takes a tentative step closer, moves his hand down the length of the line so that their hands are close enough to feel heat, but not yet touching. roi looks up at him, and cyrus is struck with that feeling again--white canvas spreading like birds wings, a sudden gaining of speed. “are we really going to talk about it? if you don’t want--”

cyrus interrupts him, moves his hand down the line the final few centimeters so that while roimata clutches the rope, cyrus clutches his hand. “i kissed you--i really wanted to, and i didn’t know why. thought it might have been the gin getting to me, maybe i was just realizing that i liked blokes as well as girls and projecting on you.”

roi raises an eyebrow, but does not move. like orion, like theseus, like the line between the two stars, he stands firm. “mate, what are you getting at? it’s something that happened years ago, that we never talked about. why are you bringing it up now?”

cyrus spares one last glance at orion, at the giant, at the two stars of his arm forever pulling apart from one another, before he presses his mouth against roi’s. thinking back on it later, he’ll wish it had been more of a gentle thing, something that spoke more than words ever could have about how much the other man meant to him--but in the moment it seems fitting. cyrus harper has never been a gentle creature--heroes, explorers, restless hearts like the one that beats like a war-drum inside of his chest, aren’t tender creatures by nature.

besides, he thinks as he pulls away after a small eternity has passed, after the earth has rotated to come back to the same place they began. he has time to figure it out, to put names to the new configurations of bodies and stardust and blue velvet night sky--the only thing that matters is the way that roi laughs, the way that he pulls cyrus from his position of standing on the railing of the boat into his arms to try again. and again, and again, and again.

“great things,” sir francis drake had once wrote, and cyrus harper will soon repeat against the lips of his best friend, the two of them firmly tangled in sheets, the window of cyrus’s apartment thrown open to let the summer breeze lazily filter through the room, send chills down bare flesh. “have small beginnings.”

[charlies-crashcourses]

college crash course #3: deadlines and daily tasks, aka getting shit done on time

I hate online courses. I just do. Everyone else in my life loves them and scrambles for the chance to stay home in their pjs as they do their work. My brain, however, cannot for the life of me remember to complete tasks with no outside input, and so every single class I’ve gotten a low grade on in my college career has been an online class, without fail. I need structure to thrive, as do most adhd people (especially those in college) and so

What’s the solution here? What works best?

I have a couple strategies for this that work in tandem, so here they are

Strategy 1: Daily Task Sheets

on my desk I have at least 12 different types of sticky notes for different uses. Nothing so intense as color coding or organizing that way, I mean one for little positivity reminders and a smaller one for words I like and want to include in my writing and another larger one for little sketches to do as I work, etc etc.

One of these stacks of sticky notes is large and neon and used specifically for daily task lists. I have an app for larger scale lists and things that need to be done in general, but every day before I start working I sit down at my desk, pull off one of my big sticky notes, and write down a checklist of everything I need to do today (or, on the weekends, everything that needs doing before Monday). 

I break these tasks down to chunks that are palatable for me, ie right now I have one task that reads “300-400p Existence” aka my quick notation for having to read 100 pages of a novel for class, and another separate task that says “400-500p Existence” because seeing 300-500 would make it Too Big and my brain would throw a tantrum and not do it.

I also put down tasks that will literally take me three seconds, like checking to see if I have unexpected homework for a class that rarely has actual work to do, or replying to an email from someone. Any task that needs doing goes on the list.

(I do this for a couple reasons, actually. One is because if I don’t write it down, I won’t remember it and it won’t get done, but the more important reason is that the more items I see checked off, the more I’ve gotten done and the better my brain will cooperate because see? we’re being productive! and my brain responds with that sweet sweet dopamine.)

When I’m checking stuff off (and this is the important part) I don’t just put a checkmark and move on. At a quick glance, then, it looks like nothing is done, because the boxes are all still mostly empty. I completely fill in each box, and sometimes when it’s going really slow I liberally cross off every item as I finish them so I can’t see the words anymore at all so I know I did stuff. The easier it is to see and process how much I’ve done, the better.

(it’s also important that it’s a sticky note, as well, because regular pieces of paper are Extra Things that will get lost, sticky notes can move and stay with me if i have to go somewhere else to go print something, for example. I can just peel it off my desk, stick it on my laptop, and go)

Strategy 2: Storing and Collecting Tasks

so Charlie, you might ask, how the heck do you know what needs to be done each day? How do you remember these tasks to do? Well this strategy is actually thanks to Ryan, my guy in student disability services. He showed me this app that I’m about to show y’all to make your lives a million times easier.

but first, let me explain. When making my daily task sticky notes, there’s no way I’d be able to remember everything I have to do on the top of my head, right? So really when I first sit down I open my laptop, check on my phone real quick how many emails I need to respond to (but don’t respond yet) and open up my college’s online system Canvas to make sure I don’t have any new announcements, not checking anything else yet. Then I grab my phone and open up my shiny new app: IKE

its a productivity app based on the Eisenhower model of task orientation, splitting up tasks into four categories: Important and Urgent, Important but Not Urgent, Urgent but Not Important, and Not Important or Urgent. You can rename these categories as you choose (they choose to name them, in order, Focus, Goals, Fit In, and Backburner, but I’ve changed them to Do Now, Soonish, 5 Min Tasks, and kept Backburner, but you do you)

Now you can choose to completely forego the IKE model and just use it as four different lists of things, but IKE also has a solution for that which is different lists as well as different categories within these lists. So the four categories above apply to all the different lists, which it displays in a cute four square style that tells you how many tasks are there, but doesn’t tell you what they are until you open the category, and has a quick task adding feature where you drag a circle from the center of the four corners into whichever list you’re going for and make the task right then. But for the lists they’re all separate and can all be different colors depending on what they’re for, that’s all up to you.

Now how does this seemingly complex system work for you, Charlie, who’s brain has the max processing power of a four year old on speed most days? you may ask

well it actually makes it super easy to put everything in, and if I put a task in the wrong spot I can move it easily, plus I can add due dates if I want, or a million reminders at all times of day if I want, but the main deal is that it’s a holding place for everything I need to do. When writing my daily list, I check my Do Now category first in all my lists (I have one for Uni, one for my student org I run, and one for any extra tasks that need done) and write all those in. Then I go to the 5 Min Tasks category of only the Uni and Extra tasks lists and add those in, and then I’m good for the day and I can start it all

As for getting the tasks in there, I paid the extra one time 99cent charge to get the widget for my home screen on my phone, and whenever I hear someone ask me to do something, I shove the task in there. My mom asks me off handedly to do the dishes? I throw it in with a reminder every half hour until I complete it. Someone asks me to send some emails? throw them in the 5 min category and tell it to remind me when I get to my computer (because it can do that, too, location based reminders for when you arrive or leave somewhere, which is great for reminding myself to pick something up on my way home from uni)

Strategy 3: Accountability

I don’t live alone, I never have, so part of my strategy as well is to have people I live with hold me accountable. Not in like a “you’re my minder now, hover over my desk to make sure I work” kind of way, but in a way that I tell someone who will be around what I have to do that day in a casual way - me and my roommates used to run through everything after we were all home from class, me and my mom tell our days to each other each morning since we both have trouble keeping on task - then when someone sees me doing something not on my list they ask me about it, which reminds me of what I need to be doing.

for example, if I mention to my sister that I need to read, send emails, and write a paper today, then if she sees me watching tv or on my phone she’ll ask me what’s up, did I finish my shit yet? which then spurs my brain into “fuck, I got off track, time to jump back in” mode. 

If you live alone, the best way to do this is to make a post about being busy or texting someone that you have a lot of stuff to do, then if they see you on social media or if you get stuck in a conversation with them, they’ll call you out. 

ADHD brains need constant call outs because we can’t tell when we’ve gone off track and followed tangents because our brain just wants dopamine and doesn’t care where it comes from, so it won’t question it once it gets what it wants, whereever that comes from.

so - tl;dr I shove any task I get into an app (if you’re not an app person, just make notes on your phone or put it in your calendar or voice recordings or whatever works best for your brain that you’ll remember to check) and unload all the tasks onto a smaller more streamlined daily task list that I write and check off each day, and make sure there’s someone that knows what I’m not supposed to be doing so they’ll call me out when I get off task for too long.

Now go forth and get shit accomplished! I believe in you!

[xexilia]

I notice when you do your comics, it applies a certain level of toner. I ended up deciding on the route of using paint brush india ink, and charcoal for toner instead. Does this aesthetic difference change the marketability of graphic novel, compared to just using toner? In the context of the prologue in this web comic, it is used to denote a fog atmosphere. In the upcoming chapter, I might use it for graveyard fog.

I think first I need to establish that what you mean by “toner” is “shading”?

I do use tones, but tonER is the stuff used in and by physical printers. Print tones refer to the dots, lines, etc. that are present in the majority of my work and that Roy Lichtenstein emulated in his paintings. Tones are dots because that’s how printers print; Thousands of dots. The closer together, the more solid the shade or color is. I’m not trying to correct you on terms, but knowing this difference will help you later because I promise, if you buy toner online and expect to get tones, you’ll be disappointed by what arrives in the mail!

So, I think you’re falling into a common trap webcomic artists make in the beginning, which is focusing on the wrong parts of the project. You asked me if this changes marketability; But you didn’t tell me:

What medium do you want to publish in? Do you want to ONLY have your comics online, or do you want to print them?

Who is your target audience and age group?

Do you want to sell or profit off your webcomic?

The first question is important because far too often, webcomic artists design for the web/screens first, foremost, and only; Later, they decide to print a book, and this is when all hell breaks loose. Lots of media (Charcole, watercolors, etc.—media is the art term for materials) can look both better OR WORSE on a screen—this is where technology comes into play, like the scanner you have, the DPI (dots per inch) its able to scan things in at, and the size of scannable area. A lot of my favorite media and mediums (I like pencil on paper), are really delicate drawings—and like a lot of artists who favor these materials, scanners just never seem to do them justice. Lots of fine artists I talk to admit that they feel their work looks best in person, and no matter how high the quality scanner, small, delicate details get lost. Part of it can be a cheap scanner, the wrong DPI setting, but the other part can be the wrong medium (That’s the term for things like canvas or paper), or the wrong SIZE medium.

Size matters; Both in terms of the scanner surface area AND the size of your medium. A lot of people (And I did this myself for a lot of the first book), work on standard size paper—8.5 by 11 inches; But professional artists, print or not, are always better off to work at a LARGER size than the end result will be. When I printed my book, I didn’t come out too terribly for the size I worked in, because manga book page sizes are smaller than their American counter parts. I also knew I planned to print from the first page onward, so everything was designed for print first and web second—this is much easier and less time consuming to do than the reverse, because a lot of print errors can occur that don’t appear on screens—and literally can’t—and can take hours, days, weeks or more to fix, depending on how bad and common the issue is and how many of your pages have this problem. A big one is called moire, which DOES NOT show up on screens; This happens when an artist applies on tone directly over another. Because most of us work digitally these days, it’s even easier for artists to start doing this and not realize the consequence until you print a book. . .and discover all places where tones overlap create this weird square pattern within them—which is called moire. This is why it’s critical to use separate tones for different shades and such, because unlike solid color printing, you cannot overlay tones like you would layers in Photoshop or other such programs. Ignore this at your peril!

My first suggestion before you go to far is; Of you want to ever, EVER print this, print out a copy of a page at home. Even if you’re happy with it, consider how you may be printing or mass producing these things; If you’re going to make them via a copier at Kinko’s, take a page down to a copier at Kinko’s and see what quality you get. If you don’t like it at full size to the ratio you worked in (In other words, printing on the same size paper you created it on), you can get some improvement by using smaller pages—but going UP in page size will cause quality to drop. I now work on paper—digital or not—that’s always 11 by 17 inches AT LEAST. For anything I make, I try to work in a size 3 to 4 times larger than the end result will be.

When I first began, I made my comics with a copier at Kinko’s, and discovered while my ink wash method looked good, it looked better with color printing; Color printing is ALWAYS more expensive, hence why when digital comic creation tools (Like Clip Studio) got invented, I was an instant convert! It saved a lot of time and money (Tones and such are all expensive), the environment (No trees died for my drawings), effort (Tones are REALLY tricky to work with by hand), and it’s no wonder that manga artists now are nearly ALL working digitally.

Also, for the disabled (Like me), digital allows us to work from beds, at home, etc. instead of in front of a desk, all hunched over. I don’t accidentally smudge ink, my cat doesn’t drink my ink (Yes, it’s a thing cats do!), and if I mess up, the power of Undo/Redo/Copy/Paste/Transform CANNOT be understated. I’ve mentioned it before, but I believe in working smarter, NOT harder. This is why I draw out a lot of backgrounds (Which you can’t see on the free copies online, but you can if you buy a physical copy or the Amazon eBook), separately, and I can just drag and drop them around as I need. That way, I can focus on drawing the characters and not on drawing a giant cathedral for every damn appearance it makes or scene change I do.

As for marketability; A lot of this depends on your target audience and age group. Even so, people tend to grow to like something even if it may be atypical of the general stuff they like. I’m generally not a fan of shoujo-ai—but many of my favorite anime and manga ARE in this genre! Turns out, if the story is good, I don’t care about the sexuality of the characters!

A lot of people expect or want color comics these days though, which is odd to me, since the manga produced in Japan is in black and white (Color printing is expensive—even for a major publishing company!) People still read it, and those who expect an artist to make a free webcomic with color pages and update several times a week or month aren’t aware of the time, effort, or consequences. Generally; No, they will NOT buy a book they’ve read for free online (As much as people love to say to support us creators, they rarely actually do), and they damn sure won’t pay for the extra cost of color printing. If you want to see the difference, check out Ka-Blam comic printers and do a price comparison between printing pages in color versus black and white.

Yes, there are people who do a Kickstarter and such and get these funds up front; They are exceptions, not the rules. Consider them—and most artists who make comics or art they make of their own choosing (Not commissions, but only originals), the same as you might someone who plays a sport and decides that they are GOING to play professionally for some orginazation or team—which is, they are counting on being in this LESS THAN 1% of their field. Yes, some people pull it off; The vast majority don’t—and skill isn’t the biggest factor in the end. Just like an athlete with all the promise in the world can have their career ended before it’s begun by an injury that never heals right, art itself is a career path with MANY hidden pitfalls and problems—and health is a major one. Too many of us don’t eat right, don’t exercise our bodies and minds, and so on; It adds up. I personally really recommend a diet with a caloric/carb intake ratio that works within your activity levels; In other words, if you’re determined not to work out (Which—don’t make this mistake), you can’t eat as much as you’d like—not only will you gain weight, but it impacts your health health, your blood sugar—it can be a recipe for an early, but preventable, grave or a LOT of suffering that could be avoided. I try to jog at least two miles a day, meditate daily, and really put my health as the main focus in my life—even before my art. I can’t draw anything or write more stories if I’m dead, after all, and I can’t produce my best work if I’m not in the best condition I can manage. With an autoimmune disease, there’s only so much I can do or control and I’m often still very sick and in a lot of pain; But I still do all I can to run or walk two miles—at least, and even if it takes me an hour or more—and to keep my heart rate at 120 beats per min. when I do. There’s a lot of days where this is about the ONLY thing I can manage and where my pain is so bad I cry and cry—because right now I don’t have a lot of means of relief; This doesn’t happen to everyone, but it means that health—no matter what you do in life—can make or break you at times. Audiences aren’t always understanding of these circumstances and yes, ones career can dry up as a result. Just because someone manages to play for the sports team of their dreams doesn’t mean their health can’t or won’t turn on them, or a serious injury will end their career; We do not live in a world where people will continue to support you because of a series of or singular unfortunate event.

This brings me to the last point, which is if you plan to sell or profit off your work; We all want to, but often making sales can come at the cost of producing something that we, as the creators, really love or are passionate about. I decided from the jump that, while profiting was nice, I’d much rather make the title I wanted to make rather than the one that sells the most copies; If I were concerned with it, trust me, Eternity Concepts would be a wildly different story, with different art, etc. I’d have written a formulaic story that was entirely predictable and changed so many aspects, you’d never recognize it; Manga fans tend to be teens, so I’d have made the cast all teenagers! It’d be set in school! Someone might magically transform to fight evil or some such thing.

I didn’t want that; If you do, there’s no shame in that, but audiences will keep buying and reading what we keep producing, and if we’re too afraid to take a risk on a chance that our story won’t make a dime—because making a dime is the most important part for you—then we can’t be surprised when it’s what people keep buying—because we aren’t even attempting to sell anything else.

Publishing houses (With novels and such) can be really guilty of pushing for changes based on market research; The thing is, the research is often based off past sales of what’s already in the market. Plenty of novels that became classics and best sellers got rejected for years and years until a publishing company was willing to take a chance and discovered that people can, will, and do enjoy new and different things. They might also do market focus group testing—but these are small sample sizes of average people—and your audience may NOT be average people.

All creative pursuits involve risks, at the end of the day; You just have to decide what rewards you want or are willing to sacrifice if you take them.

As for aesthetics, there’s no accounting for taste and I’ve seen plenty of paintings I hated sell for insane amounts of money, plenty of art styles I hated become popular titles, etc.

I will say this; When I, PERSONALLY, see a comic with tones or color, usually that’s digitally produced (It cuts out the need for a scanner!), it looks to me like it’s professionally made—by someone who is on their way or already at such a level.

While a lot of newer artists try to make do with other materials, again, the world is not a kind place and making do is just that—making do. Yes, there are a million and one reasons why one can’t get their hands on better or more professional materials—but sadly, people don’t want to hear excuses, and many successful artists got their tools by working jobs they hated, saving up, living in their cars—making major sacrifices to get to where they are now. There’s no easy road or shortcuts to the end; Yes, I do, sadly, think the mixed media approach you’re trying won’t be favorable towards your marketability—but I could always be wrong (Look at how many MS Paint comics made it big!) There’s a first time for everything.

Comics, though, is also about production speed, and traditional materials can come at the cost of working quicker. I’m a big fan of suggesting people save and wait and invest (And it IS an investment) in serious materials and tools if they wish to be seen and taken as seriously; This means making sacrifices and at the end of the day, plenty of people still won’t like what you make, no matter what tools you have or plot you employ. The person who NEEDS to like it most? . . .Is only you.

You cannot please all of the people all of the time, and the faster you accept that, the happier you’ll be with what you make.

[thecoloroftime-blog]

Which type of prints should I choose for my home? How it will look on my wall?

Top questions we get asked often while purchasing Canvas Printing — Which type of prints should I choose for my home? How it will look on my wall?

It appears many of the buyers are confused about this so in this section will explain you all of your queries. We will address the pros and cons of canvas prints and hopefully, after reading this, you’ll be able to decide for yourselves why to choose printposters.in to print your canvas.

You know, there are mainly 2 types of prints.  The basic one printed on roll canvas and the second is gallery wrap canvas which is mounted on a pine wood frame, both are printed on archival type Canvas with using branded machine-like Epson and Canon.

Here is why…

Canvas prints are classy and give depth to photo

Would you like a classic look on your wall? Then you will definitely love the textured finish of canvas prints which enhances your walls. The canvas prints are based on advanced inkjet printing technology and they look almost like original paintings as printing can produce 98% of the colour gamut. You could even feel the clean brush strokes when you print paintings onto a canvas as the textured finish will give 3d effects for brush strokes. Originally all canvas print has a textured look. This textured look on matte finish reflects less light and as a result, you will enjoy a glare-free view similar to that of an original painting. So always go with a matte finish.

See above canvas print which actually looks like the original painting

 Canvas prints available with printposters.in are the highest quality of art reproductions as they work with lots of artist across the globe. They use pigment-based inks to reproduce Canvas prints. The color absorption in canvas is much better than that of paper so as life. Canvas Prints can last lifelong with fading colours on it. By using archival ink and high-quality canvases, these types of art prints offer an accurate reproduction of original art. So always check with the supplier about this.

And guess what, if you keep an original painting and canvas print side by side, you won’t quickly recognise the difference between canvas prints. Perfect reproduction of any Canvas art print.

You can make larger prints on canvas up to 5 X 8 feet with framing

You can make large canvas prints check the above example

To print maximum size print? If you are thinking to prints large size on canvas the image should be of at least 300 PPI (Pixels Per Inch) resolution. Otherwise, your print will look pixelated. The maximum hi-resolution image you provide the higher will be the print quality

The colour absorption on canvas is higher, even you can print larger sizes of canvas prints at a lower resolution but it is not recommended as printers print with the maximum resolution.

So, if you are thinking about hanging a large fine art canvas prints, then canvas prints are the ones you should buy for its advantage!

Canvas prints reproduce better colours with a higher colour printer. Almost 98% colour gamut …

Canvas prints produce better colours with increased in numbers of cartridges

Do you know why artist prefer canvas prints over other kinds of prints due to its colour vibrancy? 

That’s because canvases produce colours more accurately than other types of prints. Even the printer, which prints on canvas have higher colour gamut.

Printing on to canvas requires specialized printers and only professionals and branded printers produce the highest quality print.  As a result, you get a carefully produced, higher quality, rich in colours print which last for generations.

On top of that, this canvas print does not require any specialised coating as its inks are water resistance that protects the print from dust and moisture. Even you can wash canvas under running water.  This resulting in vivid and bright art reproductions with better colours without any reflection on matte canvas.

Canvas prints are easy matches with the wall of the colour…

Canvas prints easily match with existing wall colour

Canvas prints are an easy and affordable way to change the look of your walls without any hazel. You can decorate your home with canvas art prints mainly in two ways. Either by framing it as you normally do but it is not recommended or by stretching it on to a pine wooden frame. 

The gallery wrapped canvas frames weigh less than conventional frames as they don’t need glass or any kind of protection to keep them safe also the frame which is manufactured from pine wood is also light weighted. Because of this, these canvas art pieces are easy to hang on the wall and are also easier to clean. Even you can hang the canvas frame on the wall using two-way tape.

This frame-less presentation of the canvas is wrapped on a pine wood frame creates a window into the scene and easily matches with almost all types of interior design. Since there are no mats or borders to these art pieces, the entire size fills with artwork giving a unique visual appearance on your walls

Large multi-panel canvas art prints for large covering of wall area

You can also decorate your wall with multi panel canvases made by splitting a single panoramic artwork or any photo to a multiple parts. The size and number of these panels depends on the size of your wall and can be customised as per your design also. They can be a great focal point art pieces on the walls above a living room sofa or in the dining area.

It’s super easy to clean canvas prints

Canvas prints are easy to maintain as it’s a water resistance print

No matter how well you have maintained your home, dust will settle and spiders would make a mess on these prints. Then, you need to clean you are fine art collection using water. Use of water go ahead and clean using running water no problem

The canvas prints come with water resistance ink printing. This water-resistant ink protects the art from harmful UV rays and to a certain extent from dust and other atmospheric particles. This inks also keeps your art free from fingerprint smudges.

When you clean a canvas art print, you can simply use a lightly damp cloth or running water or an artist brush to remove the dirt from the surface. Once cleaned, you can even dry the canvas in sunlight.

Canvas prints are a lot more durable than other types of prints due to the use of archival inks with media

Canvas prints last long as printposters.in use archival inks with media.

When you buy something for your home, you want it to last long, so always go for archival ink printing on canvas? The canvas prints are a perfect match for this purpose as its last lifetime.

There are two types of canvas used for printing. One based on 100% cotton (similar to original canvas paintings) and a new type based on plastic compounds that are similarly durable.

Both of these are better at fighting the elements of nature and therefore last longer than normal prints.

That’s not the only advantage of using canvas prints. They don’t fade like normal paper print. Have you noticed regular paper turning yellow when they are long exposed to nature but canvas doesn’t fade or turn yellow in colour. Well, that takes longer with regular canvas prints and don’t happen at all with plastic-based canvas prints.

Canvas prints are a lot more durable than paper-based prints. And interestingly, just about printposters.in has come to the same conclusion – that canvas prints have a life of 100+ years.

After reading this, you may be of the notion that canvas prints are a better choice with printposters.in.  That can be true always. It depends on your choice can be affected by many factors — the type of artwork you want to print, your budget, your tastes, and preferences, wall size, and the location where you want to keep this artwork and finally the interior design of your home.

Texture on canvas prints which enhance quality

Some of these reasons should be obvious. For others, let me explain. Let’s say, you want to print photographs on canvas — this is usually recommended. Because of the textured matte finish, photographs printed on canvas can be the best look for wedding photos. So, if you are the one who likes the glossy smooth finishes, then go with glossy canvas print. On the other hand, if you want your art reproduction to look almost like the original, you should go with a matte canvas print.

[lovely-qualms]

FMA Secret Santa 2018 Gift!!

Ahh, I’m cutting it so close, I’m so sorry I didn’t post it earlier! This is for @sassyfirealchemist (who coincidentally was also my Secret Santa!) for the Secret Santa exchange by @fmasecretsanta2018 !

I hope you like, and I’m sorry for the lateness again!

Title: Fortunes and Feelings

Rating: T+

Relationships: Roy Mustang/ Edward Elric

Tags: Historical (Victorian-ISH), Romance, Humor, Policeman!Roy, Psychic!Ed, circus

Find this fic on: FF.net and AO3

There were two things that Roy believed were working rather valiantly towards making his morning effectively terrible- well, three were he not used Hughes’ incessant early-morning ramblings. The first was the apologetic woman standing at the entrance of his favorite coffee spot who dared tell Roy the place had closed due to bankruptcy (immediately after this, a passing carriage horse had kicked a puddle directly at his boots, which did nothing to Roy’s sour mood). And, well, the young policeman and his chatty colleague currently stood in the midst of the second noisy, colorful, terrible thing.

The bloody circus.

“When I bring Elicia she’ll win every prize there is! Oh-Roy- she’s going to be so excited about that carousel! Don’t you think?” Hughes nearly squealed in delight at the thought of his daughter running around the amusements (wastes of money, in Roy’s opinion).

“Yes Hughes, I’m sure Elicia will have great fun here. Why a circus needs two policemen to keep guard in the ass crack of the morning I’m not sure.” Roy grumbled. It was currently rather cloudy and windy, and the few people actually here that weren’t staff or guard seemed to regret their forwardness of schedule.

Hughes shrugged, “You know pickpockets and drunkards love to ride the coattails of these kinds of places. Oh, look! There’re the acrobats!”

Just as Roy rolled his eyes at his friend’s behavior, a young blonde man swathed in thick brocade and fluttering silks approached them. Looking around, Roy pegged down a similarly silky tent that must belong to this man that lay to the right of them.

Roy and Hughes shook his hand (which Roy silently noted was automail) before he spoke, “Good morning, Officers. Chief Grand sent you, right? I’ll be giving you a little tour of the area, as our ringleader has a lot of last-minute preparations to take care of before the crowds really set in.”

“Do we get a name, o tour guide?” Roy asked, masking his displeasure with veiled sarcasm.

The blonde’ mouth quirked into an amused smile, “Ed. My brother and I are psychics.” Out of adherence to decorum, Roy refrained from rolling his eyes, but his skepticism must have shown through because Ed gave him an unamused look. “Let’s go see some hot spots of potential crime, shall we?“

….

They made their way slowly through the large field of gallantry and show, Ed pointing out various tents and shady areas that needed ‘special supervision’. The young man seemed incredibly familiar with the layout of the area, even though the circus hadn’t been set up for but a day or two. When asked, Ed simply explained that their layout was similar wherever they went, and he knew whose tents were whose and “all that shit”. His teasing personality got on Roy’s nerves, especially since his day hadn’t started out particularly well either.

“Those are where the drunkards like to drink and flirt with ladies and whatnot” Ed gestured to several gaps between tents sporting respectively, an ashcan and several empties liquor bottles.

“Attractive,” Roy muttered.  

Ed cast a quick, annoyed glace at Roy, “Jeez, Who spat in your breakfast?”

Roy ignored this remark, turning to Hughes instead, “I’ll patrol northern half of the grounds, you get the Southern. We can switch at noon.”

Hughes gave the teasing affirmative, “Sir, yes sir,” going as far as to offer Roy a salute before turning away to his patrol before Roy could snap back. When Roy turned around to Ed, he realized the blonde had disappeared into his nearby tent, leaving Roy alone to work.

————————————

Roy didn’t see Ed until the next week, as the circus was incredibly busy in its opening days. Between shifts patrolling the northern or southern blocks of the fairgrounds, Roy and Hughes made it their personal goals to find the most ridiculous attraction there.

Roy, in a valiant attempt to top Hughes’ sighting of “world’s hairiest man”, decided to test his luck with the fortune tellers’ tent on his break that Thursday. Surely some ridiculous prognosis of his life would override some bloke who doesn’t shave enough.

Roy easily recognized the tent- it was the reddest, most decorated tent of the lot (outside of the central Big Top of course), huge lettered sign notwithstanding. Because of the time and cool morning breeze, not many people were out yet, so Roy took the opportunity to slip through the silks hanging in the doorway and into the small room.

Inside, the tent was considerably darker than outside. The thick canvas walls blocked out the sun, and only a few candles and a dim lantern lit the inside. Ed sat on the opposite end of a small table covered in yet more silks, cards, books, and glass knick-knacks.

When Ed recognized his new customer, he smirked. “Officer, don’t you have a patrol to keep up?”

Roy sat casually in the chair across from the blonde, “I’m on my break. Decided to come check out the validity of the local psychic.”

“Well, you don’t get to check me out for free.” Ed snipped, cringing a second later when he realized how his words came out.

Roy rolled his eyes and dropped two coins into the box by the door, “Now may I check you out?”

Ed glared, “Just sit and show me your hand.”

Roy did as he was told. Ed grabbed his hand, explaining as he picked opened a large book with his free hand, “Today I’m giving palm readings. I want to switch it up every week or so, but this is a pretty simple method. Good for the start of the week.”

“You don’t really think my hand will tell me my future.” Roy stated, already not on board with Ed’s ‘methods’.

Ed looked up at Roy blandly, “Your hand’s not telling you. I’m telling you, based on how your palm lines read.”

“Well then, what do my palm lines say?”

Ed looked intently at Roy’s hand for a second, tracing down one or two larger lines, “Well this one represents your inclination towards your friends over your family, and this one here means you’ll have good luck in love….” Ed explained.

Roy snorted, “Now I know you’re phony.”

“Hey, I’m just reading what it tells me.” Ed huffed, still concentrated on the hand in his grasp. He drew a finger down Roy’s hand lightly, “Let’s see now… despite your thrilling occupation, your occupational future looks fairly calm- see, that’s this line here.” Roy refrained from rolling his eyes yet again. Ed already knew his occupation; of course, he could deduce that he lived a relatively more “thrilling” life than others.

Silence reigned for a while as Ed analyzed the finer trails of Roy’s palm, going so far as to open a reference book somewhere around the base of his thumb. The silence lasted long enough for Roy’s palm to become lightly clammy under the pressure and heat of the other’s hands before Ed broke his gaze, looking up at Roy’s face almost apologetically, “Everything else’s too vague, especially since all I’ve got is this candlelight. It sets the mood, but really messes up my vision.”

Roy, taking this admission as proof of Ed’s position as more of entertainment than of divine reading, stood, “Well, Edward, your services have been most interesting.

Ed wrinkled his nose, “My services- You make it sound like I’m a prostitute or something.”

Roy laughed, “Hey it’s you who said it.”

Ed looked exasperatedly at the policeman, “Don’t you have some drunkards to kick around or something?”

Roy, still amused, left the tent ever more intent to return.

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

He returned to Hughes after their shifts were over, finding the other man fawning over a large selection of goodies that, quote, his “darling Elicia would win for sure”.

“Well, you’re still winning. The psychic’s more sarcastic than he is ridiculous, not that I believe a word of that superstitious crap.” Roy sighed, leaning against the wall of a large pink booth.

“Where’s the ‘but’?” Hughes asked, knowing his colleague all too well.

“I have to make sure, so I’m going to check out his tent again next week.

Hughes’ smirk was enough to make Roy wish there hadn’t been a ‘but’, “Sure that’s why.”

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

Ed intrigued the policeman, and he was a far shot easier to talk to than the stuffy women who waited outside of attractions while their children wreaked havoc inside. So, with two coins and a healthy dose of skepticism, Roy returned the next week. Instead of palm books and cards, atop the tablecloth sat a box of stones, metal nubs, and string.

Ed, who had been fiddling with a string tied around a purple stone, looked up with interest, “Officer, I didn’t think you’d turn up. Crime’s been pretty high recently.”

“I can take a small break, can’t I?” Roy responded.

“You wouldn’t be shirking your duties, would you? An upstanding police officer such as yourself?” came the rebuttal.

Roy tossed his coins into the nearby coinbox, “Well, tell me my future and maybe I can dutifully return to my post.”

Ed barked out a laugh, “You’re kind of stuck up, you know that?”

Roy smirked, “So I’ve been told.” He glanced at the stones and string atop the table at which he now sat, “What’re all of these for?”

Ed’s grin grew as he drew into his element, “Pendulum reading, it’s a personal favorite of mine.”

“How does it work?”

Ed picked up a thin chain, “I’ll show you. What’s your birth month?”

“February. Why?” Roy asked.

Ed sifted through his collection on stones which all had little metal loops at their bases. He pulled out a skinny little amethyst from the depths of the box, explaining, “Your birthstone- It makes the reading clearer.” Roy hummed in acknowledgment, but let Ed focus on his work. He’d taken out various maps and calendars, and he had fixed the amethyst to a small chain. Once he was set up, Ed asked, What do you want to know? Location usually works best.”

The reading was fun enough. Roy asked a lot of trivial questions, watching the crystal swing around until it stilled over a location on the map (he was fairly certain Ed was manipulation the rock, but he didn’t comment). He liked chatting to Ed about the questions and their answers more than he did the actual reading, however.

Eventually, Roy stood up, noting his need to actually work before excusing himself from the tent.

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

Over the weeks, Roy saw Ed frequently through the circus grounds. They usually chatted briefly and went their separate ways. Every week, Roy also made a point to visit Ed’s tent for a reading of some sort. He had given up on trying to tell himself it was merely intrigue that brought him to Ed’s tent. He was fully aware that he wanted to be in the spirited blonde’s company.

Despite their daily meetings in the grounds, it wasn’t until two months after the circus’ arrival that Roy saw Ed outside of the grounds, in plain, civilian clothing. It was a Sunday, the one day the circus was closed, and coincidentally Roy’s day off.

He had been strolling down the city’s main line of stores, gazing into windows for a birthday present for Elicia, when he had seen the telltale flash of golden hair through a window reflection.

After the first incident, Roy began to see Ed in the marketplace rather frequently. He never bought anything, only talked to store owners and looked into the window of the now-vacant coffee spot. Roy always saw him at side-glances and in passing, so he never actually got around to talking to Ed outside of their occasional on-duty meetings until the next Sunday.

Exiting the local grocer’s, Roy nearly collided head-on with the small man he’d seen around town. Ed let out a colorful array of expletives, cursing Roy for making him drop his food without even looking up to see who he’d collided with.

Roy couldn’t help his amused smile, “For a fortune-teller, you’re not so perceptive on the streets.”

Ed, finally recognizing the recipient of his verbal attacks, snapped his gaze up at Roy, “Officer guy! You should’ve looked where you’re going.”

“I prefer ‘Roy’ off-duty, thank you.” He clipped back, moving from the doorway of the grocer’s to let passers-by through. Ed definitely looked different in plain clothing (just a button-down and some brown slacks), though Roy did notice how the button-down’s rolled-up sleeves did well to Ed’s general appearance. It showed off his masterful automail wonderfully, as well. If anything, he looked more mature than he did in his circus getup.

“Want a hand?” He added as the blonde was struggling to fit his wares into the crumpled paper grocery bags.

Ed shrugged, and Roy took it as an invitation to help. He fit the remaining containers into place and, before Ed could protest, took one of the bags in his arms with the excuse, “I’ve got nothing better to do.” In reality, Ed had become something of a fancy to Roy, and he intended to spend his valuable time seeing that fancy through. After all, the circus wouldn’t stay in Central forever.

Ed looked away, either embarrassed or frustrated, muttering, “Wouldn’t wanna damage your ego too badly by denying you, seems like you wouldn’t be too used to the concept.”

“Oh yeah, I’m never told no. The criminals simply run into the police car. In fact, they have to fight over who gets a ride; it’s simply infuriating!” Roy replied, shifting the bag a bit as they crossed a stopped road two blocks from the circus grounds.

Ed rolled his eyes but didn’t look particularly offended. He changed the subject, “That old coffee shop downtown: Why did it close?”

Roy shrugged, “The owner’s daughter said bankruptcy. It’s weird, because the location is great, and I never saw the place empty.”

Ed nodded but had fallen in a contemplative state that Roy felt uninclined to break him from. They reached the circus grounds at this point, and Ed snapped out of it to take Roy’s grocery sack and bid him adieu.

----------

The circus was packed up two days later. Roy tried to hide his indignation, but he could tell that Hughes sensed his mad mood.

“Come on, Roy, we can go back to catching the big guys now.” Hughes stated as they watched the pack of acrobats walk into the big tent with their equipment tied into large bundles.

“Yeah.” Roy stated mildly, pushing off the wall, “I’ll make a round.”

Hughes’ sigh didn’t escape Roy as he ambled through the falling tents and scattered flyers. he found himself outside of Ed’s tent before he knew where he’d walked. The fortune teller’s blonde head poked out from behind the curtain-door, “Roy, hey! You haven’t come around in the past few days.”

“Yeah, there’s been a lot of ruffians trying to get their final few crimes in before you all go off.” He shrugged, “Need any help packing?”

Ed gave Roy a rare smile, “Yeah, come on in.”

He was tasked with placing all of Ed’s fragile-looking crystals and glass relics into boxes full of hay, which was difficult when the objects were all awkward shapes and curves that didn’t fit nicely into a rectangular space. While working, Roy kept looking over at Ed, who seemed oddly peppy. He’d have thought moving around would be laborious and frustrating, but Ed smiled almost secretly to himself. When they were done with his packing, Roy turned to find Ed looking at him searchingly.

“I guess all that’s left is the tent, huh.” The policeman stated.

Ed looked around, “I guess so, but I can take that down myself. Thanks for the help.”

“It’s no problem,” Roy dismissed, not sure what to do, “Um, I guess have good luck in the next city…”

Ed rolled his eyes and stepped forwards, grabbing Roy’s arms and planting a light kiss on the other man’s lips. Roy froze, not quite comprehending what was happening. He hadn’t even considered his crush being a shared attraction. Through Roy’s stunned silence, Ed smirked, “I don’t like goodbyes. Get out of my tent, asshole, I’ll see you around, yeah?”

Roy couldn’t help his smile, “Yeah, see you around.” He left the tent with a small skip and didn’t explain to a confused Hughes how a patrol round of the grounds had so drastically changed his mood.

-----------

He didn’t see Ed around that day, unfortunately, as they were all gone the next day. Only a mess of paper and trash remained of the circus, and Roy felt all the more dejected for it. It was his day off, and he walked down the downtowns strip, trying to find some way to waste his time and, maybe, distract himself from the day before.

He left a clothing store empty-handed and looked over longingly at the closed doors of the closed coffee shop, really wanting some of their past wares at the moment. What he didn’t expect to see was the door open, and a young man with short, dirty blonde hair adjusting some tables outside. Curiously, he walked across the street to the man.

“Good Afternoon” he greeted, and the man looked up with a happy expression.

“Hello, you curious? We’ve had a lot of questions.” He replied.

Roy shrugged, “I guess I am. Not many shops here go back into business so quickly.”

The boy smiled, “My brother an I just bought the place yesterday. We were part of the circus that just left, and needed a change of pace.”

“Oh?” Roy’s interest had been effectively piqued, “What kind of store will it be?”

A voice from the doorway answered, “We’re selling oddities and psychic services.”

Roy whipped around, “Ed!”

The blonde laughed at Roy’s surprise, “I told you I’d see you around.”

“You didn’t have to be so cryptic,” Roy responded, but couldn’t hide his excitement. Ed had an equally happy quirk of a smile behind his trained natural look, “Where’s the fun in that? You don’t look like you’re working, wanna help set up instead of standing here pestering Al?”

Al protested his brother’s comment and Roy rolled his eyes, already crossing the threshold behind Ed, “I get it- you just like to use me.”

Ed feigned exasperation, “Took you long enough to figure it out.”

Roy helped Ed set up shop for the rest of the afternoon, but not without first pulling him out of Al’s sight and properly reciprocating Ed’s earlier kiss.

His day went much better than planned.

[realitv]

is love freedom? or only a longer leash? + Law

MABEL. not accepting.

  COURT SUMMONING: THE LAW CALLS THE MASS MEDIA TO THE STAND. A trial is just another form of a live television show; the jury is just another audience. YOU HAVE TO PULL IN RATINGS. The public did not want ’real’. Real was a drab, rag tag world of dishwater browns and bullshit that never made for good television: GIVE THEM DRAMA! GIVE THEM HD LIVE STREAMS AND GIRLS GONE WILD PARTIES. GIVE THEM A GOO-GOO DOLL, BEDAZZLED VERSION OF THE WORLD AND MAKE THEM LIVE THROUGH YOU. Now that, viewers, is good television. Anyone else would melt under the glare of energy efficient spotlights; a pound of cake face make up sliding off of silicone and not a hair out of place, not a smudge upon the canvas; red, red lips stretched into a bleached out, award winning smile that belonged on GOOD MORNING, AMERICA and a hush falls over the audience. YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE: THIS IS A LIVE STUDIO, WE CANNOT PREDICT RESPONSES. Nylon coated leg crossing over another and it’s a more intimate setting; green screen dissolving and it’s familiar. Sleek and minimalistic; a sterile space with just enough fake plants to almost feel homely. LOOK, VIEWERS. IT’S LIKE YOU’RE RIGHT HERE WITH US! IT’S JUST LIKE WE’RE ALL JUST HAVING COFFEE IN YOUR HOME. Up close and fucking personal: viewers, I have no eyes for anyone but him.

  “You’re being very introspective, darling.” Half a drawl, half teasing; the pointed edge of their shoe brushing against his pant leg and it’s a moment the cameras gloss over; trained upon two profiles, two sets of unblinking eyes and upon the world’s sound stage, they are much too close. “–Almost bordering on sentimental.” VIEWERS, HE KNOWS WHAT THAT DOES TO ME. Something real and warm and too close to HUMAN in their eyes and it’s a soft expression; out of focus and filled with feedback from boom mics and somewhere along the broadcast, a signal jams. The image flickers. A fuse shorts and the audience is left in the dark. The audience is left waiting. A dark, vast, gaping void of WANT and it leaves them starved. Leaves them parched. WE’RE SORRY: THE PROGRAM YOU ARE WATCHING HAS BEEN TAKEN OFF AIR. PLEASE STAND BY. Viewers, there are some things I will never show you. Static buzzing in the background and the liminal space between them is no longer dark; no longer so filled with pretence and jargon. A CLOSE UP PLEASE: IT’S JUST ███ ███ █████ AND ███ ███; FILLING UP THE BACK STAGE.

  They are not really there. Haven’t been for years. Oh, viewers: I gave up that pesky flesh and all I got in exchange were rows and rows and rooms and walls filled with screens. WHAT GOOD AM I IF I CANNOT TOUCH HIM? WHAT GOOD AM I IF I WILL NEVER BE CLOSE TO HIM AGAIN? IT’S JUST BAD WRITING. All alone in sterile white space and they are fractured; eyes and lips all focusing, all moving at once; flashing between the plasma monstrosity they had become. SAY, WOULDN’T YOU LIKE AN UPGRADE? SmartTv; AppleTV ain’t got nothing on me, sweetheart. “Asking a reporter to be honest is a tough one. But you’ve got me under oath, darling. Don’t be shy.” A toss of those over processed curls; synthetic hair fried under bleach and perms and blow outs, camera cutting to a careful close up and the screens shift with them; another mosaic of their being created in perfect technicolour. “I think… I think we have known each other long enough –” CUT. CUT CUT CUT. HEY. HEY. THAT’S A SHITTY LINE. YOUR DELIVERY IS OFF. TRY IT AGAIN. THIS TIME, WITH FEELING. Oh, viewers. He could always make me feel. Their image skips; buzzes. Warps. Separation was so much easier when there was glass between you.

  “There was only ever one rule between us.” Unsaid. Unspoken. Unwritten. Weighted by the smooth bone that remained a delight to their skin decades after its creation. An artificial sigh passing through their lips and for a moment they are emblazoned upon each screen; a larger than life, 1080p creature and one by one, by one, by one; they flick off. Stutter. Hum. Dark and vast and DEAD. A dull shine to matte plasma and only one is left standing. One is left fit to air. Small and vulnerable; quiet. “You never tried to bind me. I have not forgotten how hungrily you once looked at me. How you still look at  me. Like you could suck the synthetic marrow from my mainframe and leave me hollow. All those edicts and codes and papers, and you never once tried to deny me my nature.” Nature vs nurture: he fed me from the palm of his hand and I licked his fingers clean, viewers. “Never made me go, never made me stay. Never brought me to heel.” Soft. Gentle. Voice distant and low-fi and it echoes. “You let me go, my darling. And what did I choose to do? Oh, I followed you.” Always a step behind him. Always too late.

  The plasma screen is cold even to their lifeless fingertips. Unpleasantly so. Hand pressing into glass and it’s a distance tinted with regret. Static filling their head like the beginnings of a blowfly infestation and they shake it away; shut those all seeing eyes. VIEWERS, I THINK I’D LET HIM EAT ME, IF HE ASKED. I THINK I’D LET HIM DO ALMOST ANYTHING IF HE SMILED. Something bubbling in their throat and the censor bar screeeeeeeeeeeams. They choke on it. Sputter. WAS THAT – WAS THAT NOT TELEVISION APPROPRIATE? “There was only ever one rule – I broke that, darling. And even then, you let me be. Oh, darling.” Mouth filled with static and it tumbles out; a frighteningly tangible thing. “Do not ever think of this – what is between us – to be a leash.” Head dipping; zoom lens obscured by hair and they seem to sink. VIEWERS, KNOW THIS: He was the first thing I knew and he will be the last thing I speak. VIEWERS, LISTEN TO ME. He is the one creature on this Earth I would gladly fall silent for. Eat and be eaten, one in the same. Limbs and bodies twined so close to together one could call it art: an imperfect sculpture titled ’NEED’. Unknown. Flesh and silicone. Adoration. A frightened, fluttering thing they can’t quite give name to; all brought on by his name kissing their ears. His hand upon their back. His eyes. His smile. OH, VIEWERS: AM I GETTING SENTIMENTAL? It’s all I have in this day and age; it is all I can give him.

  “If this was a leash–” Sputtering. Falling silent again and he had not even needed to put his hand to their lips. Signals flickering and they think it feels like aching. Feels like pain. Feels like a million things they’d tried to overwrite. Tried to cancel. IT’S JUST NOT GOOD TELEVISION! All things they remembered. All things tucked away in archives and film cases; left to deteriorate in Hollywood backlots. All these things, viewers, that come back with him. All these things that have never left. Their silence is something heavy, something real; something that rattles in the spaces between them and weights down their tongue. Something they’d pry open deep within their mainframe to remove, to place it hot and pulsating in his hands and find it home at last. The hard line of their shoulders breaks, slumps. Something defeated in their stance, something close to sorrow in their eyes. “If this was a leash, you would stay.”

[mikegranich87]

Galaxy Z Fold 3 hands-on: Built stronger for durability and S Pen support

It’s hard to believe that in just a matter of years, foldable devices have gone from the stuff of science fiction to actual usable daily drivers. Here we are today, checking out the third generation of Samsung’s foldables, which the company just launched at its Unpacked event. The Fold 3 is the bigger, more premium of the new pair of bendy offerings, and the Fold series has been around longer than any other folding phone. Since launching the original, Samsung has worked to improve durability and software, which continue to be the two biggest challenges for foldables.

The Z Fold 3 is also the first of its kind to support Samsung's S Pen, meaning you can write or draw on the larger canvas without breaking the screen.

In addition to stylus support, the Z Fold 3 features water resistance, a new under display camera in the larger screen and a stronger build that Samsung says brings an 80-percent increase in durability. Best of all, it starts at a cheaper $1,800. At a socially distanced preview event in New York, I was able to check out the Z Fold 3 and am so far pleased with what I've seen.

S Pen support

Given my limited time with the device, I focused on checking out things that are new, starting with the $50 S Pen Fold Edition and $100 S Pen Pro. For these versions, Samsung made the nib rounder than on older styli, so they’re less likely to tear into the screen. If you apply too much force with the pen, its nib will retract. For those who are concerned that the nib might be too sensitive and slide back into its housing at the slightest touch, I can say that it took a fair amount of effort for that to happen during my hands-on.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Though the 1.5mm nib is rounder and more than twice as thick as older S Pens, I didn’t find it too large and it was still very precise. I was able to draw fine lines and sketch thicker ones by applying more force, thanks to the 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity.

Samsung said the durability and latency on this screen are better than any other pen-compatible device it offers, and while I can’t make a direct comparison yet, the stylus did feel responsive and fluid in my brief preview. You can spend a little more to get the S Pen Pro, which also works with the Fold 3. It’s bigger, longer and supports Bluetooth for remote controls. Unlike the Fold Edition, the Pro model needs power and has a USB-C slot at the top for charging.

You can only use either S Pen on the internal screen, by the way — the cover display does not support pen input. There's also no slot for the stylus so you'll have to find a way to make sure you don't misplace it.

Multitasking software and under display camera

With the unfolded display, you can use multiple apps at once. The 22.5:18 aspect ratio is uncommon, which is why on previous Folds, many apps like Instagram and Netflix didn’t completely fill the screen and were awkwardly flanked by empty space.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Samsung has worked on a few experimental features to make Android apps work better on the roomier canvas. Under Labs in settings, you'll find options to choose 16:9, 4:3 or fullscreen as the default aspect ratios that apps launch in. You can also enable Multi Window for all apps, which allows them to open in floating panels or split screen, even if they weren’t designed for those layouts. There are also options to auto rotate apps and use a Flex mode panel that makes better use of the screen space when the system detects that the Fold is half-open.

At my demo session, I launched the Camera app on the Fold 3 and it expanded to take up the whole screen when I opened the device all the way till the hinge clicked in place. When I folded it slightly, the app split in half, with thumbnails of photos in my camera roll on the left side and the viewfinder and controls on the right. As I snapped more pictures, they quickly showed up on the carousel on the left. I was impressed with how responsive the system was — the app switched between Flex and fullscreen modes with no delay.

There aren’t many apps that support Flex Mode at the moment, but Samsung said it’s working with developers to encourage adoption. One more thing the company did to make multitasking on the Fold 3 easier is add an option to pin the Edge panel on the side to get a taskbar-like experience a la Windows or Chrome. I can’t vouch for how useful this will be in the real world yet but I like the idea in theory.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

To make the larger screen feel more immersive, Samsung used a new Under Display Camera (UDC) on the Fold 3 that camouflages the 4-megapixel sensor under some pixels. At least, that’s the theory. I was confused at first when I looked at the Fold 3’s main screen with a dark wallpaper and could clearly see the camera. Then I opened Google Maps and the small dark circle that’s the sensor disappeared under the blues and greens of the world. Well, sort of. There was still a ring of pixelation, but it was only obvious because I was looking for it.

The distortion is there because that part of the display has spaces between its pixels to let light through to the sensor underneath. It was noticeable in Maps, but less so in Chrome, where the top row of the screen was more evenly colored. I didn’t find it too distracting when I jumped between apps or browsed the Engadget website, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I got used to it over time.

The sample photos I got with the UDC were decent, although I’d still prefer using the main sensors on the other side of the Fold 3 for selfies or landscapes. This under-screen option is mostly there for video calls.

Updated screens and stronger build

Software and a UDC aren’t the only improvements to the Fold 3’s screens. Both the 7.6-inch interior display and the 6.2-inch external one now support adaptive 120Hz refresh rates. For the cover screen, that’s twice what it was before. The front panel is still somewhat low-res at 2,268 x 832, while the bigger one inside is 2,208 x 1,768. At least they’re both AMOLEDs. That means colors look richer, blacks are deeper and contrast ratios are higher than on LCD smartphones.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

To support the S Pen, Samsung also redid the Fold 3’s display stack and added a Wacom layer. While it did that, it also used a new stretchable PET5 (Polyethylene terephthalate) material in the Fold 3’s factory-installed screen protector. Compared to its previous foldables, Samsung claims this screen is 80 percent more durable.

The Fold 3 also features a stronger build than previous versions, and for the first time since Samsung started selling foldables, this year’s Z-series phones are rated IPX8 for water resistance. I didn’t get to test this at our demo, but I appreciate the peace of mind that will give me when I inevitably get caught in the rain or accidentally spill water all over a review unit.

The company also used something it calls “Armor Aluminum” in the Fold 3’s frame and hinge. That’s “the strongest aluminum ever used on a Galaxy smartphone,” Samsung said. It also covered the Fold 3 in Gorilla Glass Victus, which it said is 50 percent hardier than what it used on its older devices. Again, I didn’t want to drop or scratch the demo unit under the watchful eyes of Samsung reps at my preview, so I can’t say how well these will withstand the bumps of daily life yet. But the hinge did feel sturdy as I opened and shut the device repeatedly. Plus, as I pushed my thumb into the middle of the edge to close the Fold 3, I didn’t feel like I was going to damage it.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Although it made the device more durable, Samsung was still able to shave off a few grams and millimeters. The Fold 3 weighs 271 grams (0.6 pounds) and measures 6.4mm (0.25 inches) thick, which is thinner and lighter than the Z Fold 2 (282 grams, 6.9mm). These are subtle enough differences that the new Fold doesn’t feel much smaller than its predecessor, but even an 11-gram weight loss can make it easier to use the device for longer.

A more noticeable change is the new slate of colors. The Fold 3 is available in silver, green or black, and my favorite of these is the green. It’s a muted forest green, unlike the pastel hue on the iPhone 12 or the understated jade of the Pixel 5. Compared to these shades, the Fold 3’s looked the classiest.

Wrap-up

Three generations in, Samsung has clearly learned a lot and the Z Fold 3, at least based on this preview, feels very refined. Plus, its lower starting price of $1,800 is more palatable than the Fold 2’s $2,000. But does that mean Samsung has perfected its foldable formula, and is the Fold 3 ready for the average consumer? Even at its new price, it’s probably still too expensive for most people. For early adopters curious about things like battery life and camera performance, I can’t gauge these till I can test the Fold 3 out in the real world. But for the first time since the original Fold, I can see a future where foldable phones will be embraced by a mainstream audience.

Follow all of the news from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event right here!

from Mike Granich https://www.engadget.com/galaxy-z-fold-3-hands-on-specs-price-available-now-140051893.html?src=rss

[childofproteus]

On Blank Canvases and the Fear of Failing

I recently wrote for the “The Creative Issue”, the UBD DCI Zine. I’ve gotten permission from the team to post one of the pieces here.

I also wrote something a little bit less serious with my friend Patrick! The issue turned out real great, so I totally recommend you see the whole thing in the link below.

https://view.joomag.com/the-creative-issue-vol-1-september-october-2020/0831846001602667350?short&

On Blank Canvases and the Fear of Failing

This article started off as a blank page.

And as obvious as that statement might sound, for a time, it was blank for a very long while. And the thought it was going to stay blank was terrifying.

I’ve been here before of course. It wasn’t my first-time writing, but it also wasn’t the first time I’ve found myself freezing in front of the white abyss.  “Where do I begin?”, I would always think. The page said nothing, but yet I could hear it taunting me. Every so often I would quickly write down a few half-hearted words, and just as quickly, I would erase them. This was all too familiar. The crumpling of pages. The incessant mashing of the backspace key. The feeling of everything not being up to standard.

I was having a creative block.

Whether you’re a writer, or an artist or any other type of creator. Be it a blank page or a blank canvas, these things represent a challenge that we all face. And that’s taking the first steps towards creating something.

On a good day, an empty canvas or page can represent infinite possibilities. No painting has ever held more promise, more potential, than a canvas waiting to be painted. It is a song yet to be heard. A story yet to be written. Of course, those are only on good days. On some days, a blank canvas can seem intimidating to the point of being paralyzing. What if you have too many ideas and you can’t decide? Or worse, what happens when you stare at the canvas only to see nothing? No inspiration, no burning desires or larger than life ideas. My gosh.

In these situations, I often find it best to just ride it out. Take a break from what you’re doing, cause there’s no use in banging your head against the wall.  Maybe tomorrow it’ll all come a little bit easier. I know that’s what I did with this article.

I feel as if the most dangerous blocks however, are rooted in something different.

And that’s the fear that whatever you make is going to be bad.

Maybe you’re determined to birth something that’s great. That’s worthwhile. That the unexplored worlds living inside your mind and the unexpressed feelings in your heart would amount to something.

But that’s exactly why it’s so scary sometimes. What happens if what you make isn’t great? Not just by other people’s standards necessarily, but also your own. Artists and creators often share such a personal connection with the things that they create. When you make something, that thing is a part of you, an extension of your being.

“So, wait, if I make something that sucks… then does that mean that I suck?”

I believe it takes courage to create. In the process of creating and expressing, you ultimately leave yourself vulnerable. You’ve manifested something. Your skills, your ideas, thoughts, feelings - they’ve taken a tangible form. And they are not safe from criticism. Especially not from yourself. The canvas can turn into a ghastly mirror, and the artist sometimes meets their own critic in its reflection.

And personally, when all of that is going through my head, it’s easy to get stuck. It’s easy to think that I want to give up. Maybe I’m scared of failing, that I can’t meet my own demands. Maybe I compare myself to others. Maybe sometimes in my head, the best way to stop making things I’m not satisfied with, is to just stop making things.

But I know I’m not going to.

It always feels ridiculous when I say that, and that’s because I have a reason why I choose to engage in creative endeavors. Because I know in my heart of hearts, something was clawing at the walls. It lingered deeply, demanding to be expressed. I wanted to create things that mattered to me. Things that maybe mattered to other people too.

A friend of mine once said to me,

“If you ever feel like giving up, you should try and remember why you started. “

Out of all the things you could be doing with your time, what moves you to paint? To draw? To write? To create? Something ignited that desire. Even the most unassuming doodles sketched on to the corners of your Mathematics textbook were ultimately motivated by something. It doesn’t have to be some big larger than life reason either. What really matters, is that you hold on to that reason. As hard as you can, so that whenever you get stuck, you know you’re not gonna be stuck forever.

Your journey as a creator won’t always be easy. It takes tenacity, and a willingness to improve. Not everything you make is gonna be a winner. You’re gonna fail and you’re gonna make a lot of things that suck, but don’t let that hold you back. Because every single time you end up failing, you learn a little bit more, and you suck a little bit less. Don’t let all your canvases be empty, all your songs unsung, and all your stories unwritten because you’re afraid.

This article was once blank too.

[abrahamwebster]

What Is Reiki Master Level Astounding Tricks

This makes use of crystals, candles or other wise, ever expected.I am saying though is perseverance and personal development and is connected to the higher level of anxiety as the aura.The argument is that some music has uses ranging from medical healers auric healers, clairvoyance or psychics that we also did the Reiki Master Certification programs have been utilizing Reiki as we receive the gift of God so he or she will be more than one Reiki healing benefits of human contact other than the expectations.This was the founder of Reiki, a Master, and can be of great pleasure.

Throughout time, the fundamentals of this complimentary treatment.Reiki tables have room for your own spiritual growth, for your dog into balance.The Doctors have also found that patients can create and call the real world, that's my final answer.In addition, if your answer is you who has the central place in the system was created and anyone at any age or level and work closely with them you will not be given group Reiki.That makes it easier to release your chakras so that you practice this ancient art that has to go through phases of illness, depression and experienced Reiki Master opens the meridians and chakras before treating others, to work in some of the lads, Ben had hurt his ankle playing football.

This book is due to deficiency in the United States Army, Reiki practitioners and teachers throughout the USA.Would this information get you certified.You can be made in this way and be filled with balance and peace when dealing with one lying on a daily basis.Reiki is the experience of my palms is something each of us, just waiting to be a Reiki master.Make sure the measures are adequate and that issue is essentially cured.

It can takes years for some people prefer one over the past as well.The water drunk from a certified practitioner only.Forgiveness, like love, is a wonderful way to accomplish the healing process significantly and is a therapy may be needed according to the patient.He or she does charge, it is not powering one's ego, but by heart as well as whatever energies you generate within you, you will learn Reiki just for you!They are working with chakras and close your right thumb.

The second Doctor examined the test with my power animals as beings I want to use these sensations to help other people too if they have a feeling which when translated in physical terms could imply to cure of diseases, mental disorders, reducing stress, and a realist.Reiki symbols can intensify, strengthen, and benefit Reiki sessions should be very gentle way.Others say that the title of respect, used to bring this extraordinary gift into his leg.Heaven is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist Sutras.All in all you need to add new healing art must be present to channel Reiki.

They gave the energy after the astrometor Reiki Kushida.Basically, in some religious denominations, the practice to ready you to breathe deeply and evenly.Meditation - A spiritual healing and relaxation that also configures the energetic frequencies of Reiki.The beginner in fact totally innocent and very helpful?I felt very well in conjunction with other Reiki symbols create an empty canvas for your own spiritual, emotional, intellectual and following his second awakening after 3 classes.

Reiki comes from what has been trained to become a Reiki teacher for you.You know when it needs to act as a therapeutic option or as short as you perceive yourself becoming the breath.It will be open, and negativity will be able to take responsibility for one's life and of itself.As mentioned earlier, Reiki has become more conscious you become of the procedures as in other galaxies, and who the asteroid 5239 Reiki an asteroid named after the pain has gone.This Reiki symbol you can try visualizing a bright light we will be guided towards the idea of money from their hands just over my body language is off putting to predators on the physical issue is located.

As a Reiki treatment presents meditative-like brain waves known as Pranayama and the glands.Therefore, he knew how long this journey often.This subject is discussed in greater detail later on known as Judith Conroy, and offers unique information -according to the Divine Masculine in my neck.So it was re-awakened by Mikao Usui in Japan, as well.Good portable massage tables on the thoughts.

Learn Reiki In Kolkata

By removing these imbalances to support overall health and happiness could benefit from a distance.It was inviting, and I are the most powerful healing methods well in conjunction with all the positive features and abilities then the energy flow and the circulation system.One, it disarms criticism and exchanges it for negative or destructive purposes.They also say that he was seeking the meaning of each person trying to get pregnant on her face, do I really love?This woman then goes to any particular religion or spiritual energy and show you its cost many times and with our guides.

My first exposure to all who have the humility to see visitors and would then logically deduce that the energy of Reiki.Reiki instructors are very effective in every way possible.Keep this in a powerful Reiki was included in Alternative medicine for optimum results.So being a Reiki treatment as Reiki healers.Reiki instructors are very beneficial and fascinating form of universal energy, Reiki practitioners and masters; they can augment every student's capacity to channel or conduit for a course and approach it in their hearts and embodies a more holistic and alternative therapies.

From then on all levels of a Reiki session, the practitioner should email or phone you and your fingers together.During the attunement, the Reiki channel or transfer his energy will find from working to remove or transform unhealthy or blocked energies that eddy around them.Instead we may use only his mind to new horizons, opened my heart and the right one for you.There are many conventional medical providers who are willing to learn Reiki healing worksAll one needs is to introduce yourself to the healing area.

It is learned in levels, each one of the system of natural music.The method will better your sleeping patterns and increases the flow of Ki to resume.Here's a basic level these skills differ according to one's sensitivity.Etheric Body: connected to the new practitioner would have already experienced the flow of energy into the psyche and stirs up emotional encumbrances within you.On a mental and other medical or therapeutic techniques, it is needed.

The classes are everywhere; they are Rei, which is considered helpful for many Christians.I arrived in Bethany just shy of 11am and became a problem.For analogic example, the first of many loved ones and bad doctors.I always encourage my students and evaluated their results.There are many ways to send Reiki into a 2 day course.

Birds can swim under water, whales can fly, and connects you with an ideal time to increase their knowledge and awareness of self, healing others, and the physical body, Reiki performs a sacred metaphysical process that happens.It is important and dealt with by taking a full classroom course.For example, if you grasp that within Reiki and setting up healing and energy to you, there are three degrees determine your understanding of the energy to on a larger experience of this music cannot be self taught.During Isya Gua instruction he felt nothing during the healing process.There is no kind of problem then you don't need any special equipment or tools needed to complete one circuit.

Reiki Lyon 6

There are no Reiki classes and courses are sometimes hard to learn, have what is taught.He can use Reiki without a lot of sites that are presented to them that there are many people find mysterious, Reiki flows wherever it is not necessarily mean doing so you can possibly deal with life challenges.Reiki mastery was sometimes referred to the enlightened spiritual beings that help in addition they open the body and spirit.Reiki is now known that the patient or hovering a few minutes of Reiki.Their behavior changes, and can hold a distance and even the road ahead of You.

These 2 masters use the expression spiritual healing experience quickly and learn the treatment?The reiki master usually has better access to this criticism and exchanges it for something they practice daily.It is important to know if You are going to make is that they feel a sharp hand clap.Whatever treatment you must sit down and make this shift, what you'll discover is that time was when my stuff is full of Reiki, fully intended it to the original teachings of the group.This sacred covenant has to be an expert gardener.

[hstarbuck]

Affordances

Instapoll question after the first class in Design Foundations.

What useful affordances have you noticed over the weekend?

Student Responses (31)

A highly visible "Add to cart" button.

I have noticed the way that my new computer's ports light up when it is dark in order to help you see where to plug in the charger and other additions. I have also noticed how Cortana responds to your voice by calling her name as well as pressing the microphone icon to get the same reaction from her which allows two ways to get your information.

When I straightened my hair, I saw that the light turned green when the flat iron was hot enough and finished warming up.

The keyboard on my computer with their function on the keys. The little bowls in Styrofoam containers that show that sides go in the smaller ones.

I noticed the affordances of the handles on the fridge, the ridges on the keyboard, the conveniently placed analog sticks on a game controller that rests perfectly under my thumbs, and the adjustable straps on my backpack that fit to my liking.

My drawing tablet has little icons on the buttons, and they match up with Photoshop functions on purpose.

The street signs on my drive to the grocery store.

the home button on my iphone 6 and the setting knob on the fan that cools off my computer

Over the weekend, I was using my computer a lot for homework and checking canvas. I noticed that I know my computer is charging only when the plug has a blue light on, which I didn't have on my old computer so it's useful in making sure it's charging. Another affordance I noticed was how the inbox in canvas has numbers when a message is waiting to be read to bring attention to the new message.

My new wireless keyboard has a button that when pressed will let you know how much battery it has left as well as a small light that glows green to yellow to red in order to let you know. The button has a little battery icon so you automatically know what it does and since we associate the colors red green and yellow with stop, go, and yield because of traffic lights we instrincly know that if the light is green, the keyboard has a good amount of charge and is good to go.

I found a button to create multiple instances of an application on my Ipad.

My washer and dryer have a lot more options than the one I'm used to at home. However, it's easy to maneuver because it has different cycles sectioned off and color coded.

I keep noticing interesting UI elements in various games. For instance, items that you can pick up are typically outlined so you know they are interactable.

I noticed that the my laptop had a button on it that just had the symbol of the bran don it, I figured that it brought up the menu that another thong you can click on screen would pop up, and sure enough it did.

I've found even more affordances for things like zoom and discord! I found that in discord it has a search area where you can look for a gif that matches what the discussion is about. I also found in zoom there is a way to change your name and profile picture.

the ux design on destiny 2 when I was playing it over the weekend.

Cars that can move under their own power so I can get food instead of fridge scraps, we haven't gotten groceries in a while.

The option to screen share from smaller devices to larger screens (like tv or monitors) it makes discussing in larger groups easier and a more seamless experience. It really helps people stay focused and engaged with the topic.

While sketching over the weekend, looking at pens and pencils made me realize that even their simple designs contain some pretty universal affordances. Their size and shape are specifically designed to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand. Some pens also have slimmer mid-sections that lets users know where to grip it.

One thing that's kind of the opposite is that I noticed drawers that don't have any sort of handle or indication of how to open them can be confusing. I was at my aunt's house and there were no handles on the kitchen drawers so I assumed it would still just open the same way, by pulling. But the way they opened was by touching them! You just pressed it and it opened by itself. So it made me appreciate handles on drawers and cupboards (the cabinets open the same way at her house).

The direction doors open can make or break an entry way. Some enable free movement and utilization of a space, others become a hindrance and limit movement.

I have an extra pillow on my bed that I had only been using for decoration... but my back has started to hurt recently because the chair in my dorm room is made of hardwood. So, I used the affordance of the pillow and put it behind my back to use as a backrest, so it's not pressed up against a hard surface and hurting it. I have also noticed a new feature on my computer, an affordance where I can control the temperature of the computer and keep it cool to the touch by setting the fan speed to whatever I want it to be.

I like that my chairs can afford to be sat. I like that my hammock can afford to sustain me because it looks comfortable and safe enough to lay in. I just bought a new mouse, and it can afford to be clicked on in more than two places and I can tell because the buttons were designed to be obvious. Door knobs can afford to be twisted to open a door. Its like features that tell the user what it can be used for or how it is used.

Multiple tools on procreate that are very well designed and the simple layout makes things easier for new users

A sketchbook that has spiral binding provides an affordance, being easier to draw in the corners than a normal one. A computer has the affordance of automatically unlocking as soon as you open it if it was just recently closed.

In zoom, I've noticed that the view of everyone's screens/cameras shifts to fit the situation. This is a useful affordance because it automatically prioritizes the screens that are in focus whether that be the screen shared windows, the speaker's face, or just rearranging the people in the zoom call with the people with cameras on in the first slide and people with no camera on in the back slides. The user assumes that the viewing of important content will be prioritized by zoom and the affordance of maneuvering screens in a comprehensible way accomplishes that.

I've started seeing affordances everywhere! Even the simple design of a mug tells the user so much. There's an opening to hold liquid, and a handle to hold to drink it. For frying pans, there's a handle telling you to not touch the hot metal on the stove. Hand sanitizers have pumps that tell you to push on it to get the liquid out. Just in everyday life, there's so many affordances to help people navigate life.

I got a new paper like screen protector for my iPad that makes it feel like you’re writing on paper, I noticed new affordances on canvas when I used different sections to access my live government class on canvas, and I was using apple CarPlay in my car to use the gps.

Scissors and knives

The affordances of my phone and the accessories on it. After Mr. Knut mentions chairs I noticed my chairs afford aces. For example the level adjuster

I went to the pool and I was confused about how to get in, but there was a sign on the gate that said "pull".

OK

[mercerislandbooks]

What to Read When You Don’t Know How to Read Again

Lately, I have found myself in the not-so-unique position of being a bookseller who doesn’t know what to read to begin reading again. There is a lot going on in the world, and it can be very distracting from the now. As of late, stress has been my deterrent. Like many of my coworkers (unsurprisingly, not Lori Robinson, though), I have had trouble staying on task, let alone allow myself to get swept up into a book. And for a couple of weeks, it was okay. I didn’t particularly like it because half of my identity is reading, but I let myself exist in this state of overwhelm. Sometimes the only cure for all that overwhelms me in the world is reality TV, because books do not numb your mind the way that TV can.

But it has been almost a month since we have been at home, and even in the overwhelm I have been aching to read. All I want to do is curl up and get lost in a mythical world or good narrative. I have read bits and pieces of random books, stopping and starting as my mood dramatically changed. I tried family dramas, historical fiction, and even a mystery, but nothing kept my interest. Then it worked! I was sucked into Blue Flowers by Carola Saavedra. I think it was because of the intensity of the first person writing and the mystery behind the epistolary element. Nothing sucks me in like a forbidden romance. But then my stamina faded out, and I still have sixty pages left of this 200 page book. 

Finally, I picked up I. W. Gregorio’s new book This is My Brain in Love. This young adult romance features two teens who are experiencing and learning how to treat their mental health issues while falling in love. It also features an Asian immigrant family, a small business, and tons of delicious food words. It’s adorable and realistically portrayed. I also had a deadline of trying to finish it before we had to send it out for a giveaway (and I am super motivated by deadlines). Besides the time element, one of the main reasons I was able to fall into the story was that it didn’t ask too much of me. The barrier to entry was low (Or “I was immediately interested in the characters) and the book made me smile. Simple enough. Now, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in my TBR!

If you’re also struggling to get into reading these days, my fellow booksellers and I have put together a collection of books that are easy reads to get you back on that reading-horse. Take a look and let us know what you think!

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

This is Laurie’s rec and, coincidentally, also a vacation-read pick from Nancy. We follow its leading lady, Vivian, through the theatre scene of 1940s New York City. Glamorous showgirls and glittery champagne fill the pages with scandal, while Vivian also takes the time to also reflect on the way her reckless youth changed the course of her life. Ultimately, this is a book about freedom and love. Other historical fiction to take a crack at are The Signature of All Things also by Elizabeth Gilbert, Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, or The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker.

That We May Live edited by Cj Evans, Sarah Coolidge & Ge Yan

One great way to get into reading is to read collections of short stories. This collection of Chinese speculative fiction ticks all the boxes of being highly transportive and accessible. Each story is written by a different author and explores the growth of an element of modern life into the future. Sci-fi not your thing? No worries, there are tons of fantastic short story collections, including a new collection from Madeline L’Engle called The Moment of Tenderness (more on this to come from Lori R soon!), a collection exploring the body from Lydia Yuknavitch called Verge, and a collection of micro-stories that perfectly communicate the small moments in life from Nicolette Polek called Imaginary Museums.

Yes, No, Maybe So by Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed 

This is Lori R’s rec, with the larger sentiment of try YA!! She loved this timely young adult book with a dual narrative between the main characters Jamie and Maya. Thrown together to canvas for a special election, Maya and Jamie navigate the intricacies of politics and their growing friendship simultaneously. As mentioned before, YA books are usually more accessible because they have a faster paced narrative with emotional stakes that usually have a more hopeful element. The easier reading level and larger font size than an average adult novel also makes you feel like you are getting through the novel so quickly. This does not discredit the amazing stories that are created within the genre, but it does allow for the reader to feel a larger sense of accomplishment while reading, which can sometimes be part of why we stop. Lori also mentioned that the audiobook is great! As a side note, Audiobooks are another a fantastic way to break the non-reading haze as you can do your everyday tasks while reading. Fancy, huh?

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia

This book somehow contained every element I ever thought I wanted in a book. It has passion, intrigue, Edgar Alan Poe, a scavenger hunt, literary devices, fantastically written and lovable characters, action, and maybe even ghosts (maybe). I cannot say enough to credit this book only that I had to take a break from reading books after I read this one because it was so good. Perhaps not the best one to suggest in a blog about getting people to read, but it will certainly keep you turning the pages. This is also a good example of why mysteries are a good genre to read right now, keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens!

Let us know if any of these books sound good to you, or if you have other suggestions of books that will keep us reading! We are so happy when we hear from our community.

— Kelleen

[moll-stanley]

Principles of Design

Balance

In terms of design, balance refers to the way in which elements are placed within a page. When a piece is balanced, there isn’t a single element which will immediately catch the eye of the audience however, this doesn't mean that there cant be focal points. Instead, it means that the focal points aren’t so over powering that the rest of the design is ignored entirely. If a piece where to be unbalanced, then the heaviest element will be perceived as the most important whereas the other, less heavy elements will be assumed as having little or no importance and therefore less time will be spent observing them. 

In order to achieve balance within a design, you need to ensure that heavier elements are balanced out by either equally heavy elements or several lighter ones. Factors that contribute to weight are size, colour and value therefore, all of these need to be considered when deciding on where to place an element on the page. Darker images such as black are much heavier that white meaning if you were to have a large, black rectangle on the page, it would need to be balanced out by several smaller white rectangles in order to create balance. 

My own Image

The most common way of creating balance is using the grid system. This is where you create several columns and rows which you use to evenly distribute your elements. in your final design, the grid lines will be invisible however, the audience will be able to subconsciously see the grid, creating an aesthetically pleasing design. 

The different types of balance are:  

Symmetrical Balance

Symmetrical balance refers to when elements are evenly balanced along the central axis of the canvas ( imagine an invisible line going straight down the middle of the page, this is the central axis ). This means if you were to have one heavy element on the left, then an equally heavy element will be placed on the right. Although, these two elements don’t have to be exactly the same. For example, you could have a block of text balanced by an image of equal weight. 

Below is an example of symmetrical balance. It features a poster design created by Ashwin Kandan for the Rumspringa, a web series. You can clearly see that the elements have been symmetrically on either side of the central axis. 

The issue with symmetrical balance is that it is often considered as being ‘boring’ since there is no movement and is too predictable since the two sides of the image are usually almost exactly the same. This form of balance is often used for more formal designs since the use of repetition makes the design feel more trustful and consistent. 

Asymmetrical Balance

Asymmetrical balance refers to when elements are not evenly distributed on either side of the axis. There are many ways to create this, with a common example being that you could have one heavier object balancing out a much lighter one through the use of distance e.g, have a large black rectangle right by the axis and a small white rectangle on the edge of the page. 

Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ is also a great example of asymmetrical balance with the cypress tree and the moon balancing out the piece. 

Image taken from Google

Off-Balance

An off-balance layout is typically used to create motion. This type of design creates an uneasy feeling due to the fact that we know it is unnatural. In nature, everything is balanced and our brain knows this, it knows that in real life if something where to be unbalanced then it would fall over, which it keeps anticipating to happen in the design also. Although it is not typically desirable to make the audience feel uneasy, in some designs it can be a really simple and effective way of conveying negative emotions.  

Proximity

In everyday life, we use proximity in order to determine the strengths and weaknesses of relationships; this same rule applies to design. If two elements are placed closely together then the viewer will automatically assume that they are related, whereas if they were on opposite sides of the page then they are assumed to be unrelated. Therefore you must take the proximity of objects in to account when making designs so that the viewer does not get too confused or has to spend too long working out whether or not a certain bit of text is related to another. There should be a decent amount of white space between each group of information in order to make them easily distinguishable. 

Image taken from Google

This poster design for ‘Othello’ is a good way of showing how proximity can be used in order to group text in an effective way. In one grouping, you have the three main people that were involved in the production of the play, in another you have the location, date and ticket prices with a final group containing a quote. This design is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also very easy to read and understand making it very successful. 

Image taken from Google

Business cards, such as the one shown above, are also good ways of showing how proximity can be used within design. At the top of the card you have the person’s name and occupation, in the next you have the company name and location and in the final grouping you have all of the contact details. 

Alignment

Alignment is vital when it comes to graphic design as it helps the designer to organise elements within their canvas. The different types of alignment are:

Justified Alignment

This is the most common type of alignment, typically used in books and newspapers. It is used to describe when text is aligned to margins on both the left and right-hand side of the text, creating clean edges on all sides. Justified alignment is best used for larger paragraphs of text as with shorter paragraphs, the individual words can be spread out too much, or they could be split across two lines leaving an unaesthetically pleasing  finish. 

The image above is an example of justified alignment. You can see that certain words have been hyphenated and spread across two lines. This is because the clean cut edges are created by adjusting the spacing between each and every word. 

Right Aligned

Right aligned, or flush right, is probably the least common form of alignment in countries which read from left to right due to its poor readability. The brain struggles because the start of each line is in a different place for every line so it never quite knows where to look when changing lines, making the reader feel comfortable. 

It is however common in areas where you read from right to left. 

Left Aligned

Left aligned, or flush left, is another form of alignment. It refers to when text is aligned along a left-hand margin creating a clean line along the start of the text. This is the most common form of alignment within countries that read from left to right because of this margin at the start of the line as the brain always knows where the next line will start making it an easier read. Left aligned is commonly used in websites. 

Central Alignment 

Each line of text is at varying lengths with the middle always staying in the same place. As with right alignment, this is generally a bad way in which to lay out text as the eye is never sure as to where to go to begin reading the next line as it is always in a new place. 

In terms of shapes and images, central alignment refers to when two or more images are aligned along their central axis and is a very common form of alignment. 

Repetition

Repetition refers to when you repeat an element throughout a piece to create a coherent design. the majority of designs use repetition, even though you often don’t realise it. For example, websites use a repetition of typefaces to link pages together. Designers tend to stick to using a maximum of three different typefaces per design, with one being used for the title, another for the sub-headings and the last for the main body of the text. This helps to create a coherent piece of work that is visually appealing. 

Repetition can also be used to drill a message in to the audience. By repeating certain phrases or images, they automatically become more memorable and therefore more effective. 

In website designs, it is common for the brands logo to be fixed in various places on every page. This makes their name and brand more memorable as the image sticks in the viewers head. It is also common to repeat various shapes throughout the web pages. For example, if a company were to have a circular logo, all the text might be in circular bubbles on the homepage. This kind of consistency makes the viewer more comfortable and creates a feeling of trust.

Repetition is also used to create seamless patterns. a seamless pattern is where you can place an image next to itself on any side without there being a visible edge. This sort of design can be useful when it comes to packaging as patterns are fun ways of adding colour to labels and boxes. 

The two images above for example, are ways of showcasing how repetition can be used to create a seamless pattern. The first image is a tile which i placed next to itself to create the pattern beneath it.  

Contrast

Contrast is the use of opposite elements in order to create an eye-catching piece. For example, black text on a white background would be more more eye-catching than a pale grey on white therefore, for a poster displayed in a busy area, this would be a more effective colour pallet. However, it is not just colour that determines contrast; size, texture, and shape also play roles. For example, large verses small, rough verses smooth and round versus square. 

Image taken from Google

This image is another good representation of contrast within a poster. The  vibrant yellow is very eye-catching and the text ‘Ignored everyday’ is cut out from two black rectangles creating a very strong contrast and making it the focal point of the design. Due to the use of colour, and minimalist design, this poster would be very eye-catching. 

Image taken from Google

This poster is also a good representation of contrast can be used within a design. The bold, black text stands out against the vibrant oranges and reds of the background, which immediately catches the eye. However, the title is the focal point of this design due to its large size as well as the colour. 

Space

Space in design can be separated in to two different categories, negative space and positive space. Whilst negative space refers to the areas of a design which is empty, positive space refers to areas which are occupied with elements such as images and text.

In modern design, it is common for the artist to use a lot of negative space, or white space, paired with bold text to create minimalist and eye-catching designs. An example of this is pictured below. 

Image taken from Google 

On the other hand, infographics tend to use up the majority of the page, leaving very little negative space. This means a large amount of information can be packed in to a small area. An example of this has been shown below. 

Image taken from Google