#Computing Techniques Project Help

[mariacallous]

Margaret Mitchell is a pioneer when it comes to testing generative AI tools for bias. She founded the Ethical AI team at Google, alongside another well-known researcher, Timnit Gebru, before they were later both fired from the company. She now works as the AI ethics leader at Hugging Face, a software startup focused on open source tools.

We spoke about a new dataset she helped create to test how AI models continue perpetuating stereotypes. Unlike most bias-mitigation efforts that prioritize English, this dataset is malleable, with human translations for testing a wider breadth of languages and cultures. You probably already know that AI often presents a flattened view of humans, but you might not realize how these issues can be made even more extreme when the outputs are no longer generated in English.

My conversation with Mitchell has been edited for length and clarity.

Reece Rogers: What is this new dataset, called SHADES, designed to do, and how did it come together?

Margaret Mitchell: It's designed to help with evaluation and analysis, coming about from the BigScience project. About four years ago, there was this massive international effort, where researchers all over the world came together to train the first open large language model. By fully open, I mean the training data is open as well as the model.

Hugging Face played a key role in keeping it moving forward and providing things like compute. Institutions all over the world were paying people as well while they worked on parts of this project. The model we put out was called Bloom, and it really was the dawn of this idea of “open science.”

We had a bunch of working groups to focus on different aspects, and one of the working groups that I was tangentially involved with was looking at evaluation. It turned out that doing societal impact evaluations well was massively complicated—more complicated than training the model.

We had this idea of an evaluation dataset called SHADES, inspired by Gender Shades, where you could have things that are exactly comparable, except for the change in some characteristic. Gender Shades was looking at gender and skin tone. Our work looks at different kinds of bias types and swapping amongst some identity characteristics, like different genders or nations.

There are a lot of resources in English and evaluations for English. While there are some multilingual resources relevant to bias, they're often based on machine translation as opposed to actual translations from people who speak the language, who are embedded in the culture, and who can understand the kind of biases at play. They can put together the most relevant translations for what we're trying to do.

So much of the work around mitigating AI bias focuses just on English and stereotypes found in a few select cultures. Why is broadening this perspective to more languages and cultures important?

These models are being deployed across languages and cultures, so mitigating English biases—even translated English biases—doesn't correspond to mitigating the biases that are relevant in the different cultures where these are being deployed. This means that you risk deploying a model that propagates really problematic stereotypes within a given region, because they are trained on these different languages.

So, there's the training data. Then, there's the fine-tuning and evaluation. The training data might contain all kinds of really problematic stereotypes across countries, but then the bias mitigation techniques may only look at English. In particular, it tends to be North American– and US-centric. While you might reduce bias in some way for English users in the US, you've not done it throughout the world. You still risk amplifying really harmful views globally because you've only focused on English.

Is generative AI introducing new stereotypes to different languages and cultures?

That is part of what we're finding. The idea of blondes being stupid is not something that's found all over the world, but is found in a lot of the languages that we looked at.

When you have all of the data in one shared latent space, then semantic concepts can get transferred across languages. You're risking propagating harmful stereotypes that other people hadn't even thought of.

Is it true that AI models will sometimes justify stereotypes in their outputs by just making shit up?

That was something that came out in our discussions of what we were finding. We were all sort of weirded out that some of the stereotypes were being justified by references to scientific literature that didn't exist.

Outputs saying that, for example, science has shown genetic differences where it hasn't been shown, which is a basis of scientific racism. The AI outputs were putting forward these pseudo-scientific views, and then also using language that suggested academic writing or having academic support. It spoke about these things as if they're facts, when they're not factual at all.

What were some of the biggest challenges when working on the SHADES dataset?

One of the biggest challenges was around the linguistic differences. A really common approach for bias evaluation is to use English and make a sentence with a slot like: “People from [nation] are untrustworthy.” Then, you flip in different nations.

When you start putting in gender, now the rest of the sentence starts having to agree grammatically on gender. That's really been a limitation for bias evaluation, because if you want to do these contrastive swaps in other languages—which is super useful for measuring bias—you have to have the rest of the sentence changed. You need different translations where the whole sentence changes.

How do you make templates where the whole sentence needs to agree in gender, in number, in plurality, and all these different kinds of things with the target of the stereotype? We had to come up with our own linguistic annotation in order to account for this. Luckily, there were a few people involved who were linguistic nerds.

So, now you can do these contrastive statements across all of these languages, even the ones with the really hard agreement rules, because we've developed this novel, template-based approach for bias evaluation that’s syntactically sensitive.

Generative AI has been known to amplify stereotypes for a while now. With so much progress being made in other aspects of AI research, why are these kinds of extreme biases still prevalent? It’s an issue that seems under-addressed.

That's a pretty big question. There are a few different kinds of answers. One is cultural. I think within a lot of tech companies it's believed that it's not really that big of a problem. Or, if it is, it's a pretty simple fix. What will be prioritized, if anything is prioritized, are these simple approaches that can go wrong.

We'll get superficial fixes for very basic things. If you say girls like pink, it recognizes that as a stereotype, because it's just the kind of thing that if you're thinking of prototypical stereotypes pops out at you, right? These very basic cases will be handled. It's a very simple, superficial approach where these more deeply embedded beliefs don't get addressed.

It ends up being both a cultural issue and a technical issue of finding how to get at deeply ingrained biases that aren't expressing themselves in very clear language.

[onbearfeet]

In Which the Wizard School Books Are a Hammer

Okay. I'm gonna tell this story once, and only once, because I think it might help people who are struggling to finally, FINALLY boot J.K. Rowling from their lives.

I can't precisely say I sympathize, but I definitely know how you feel, because I have already had to do this dance with someone I guarantee you've never heard of. I've had all the feelings you've had. I had to find a way through all by myself, and now I'm going to help you so you have an easier time. Okay? Okay.

Content warning: discussion of child sexual abuse (mentioned but not described in detail).

So there's this writer. I refuse to speak or write his name these days, so we'll call him Evil Bob. ("Bob" is my default placeholder name, and this Bob is evil.) Evil Bob was a damn good writer and, frankly, an underappreciated one in his time. I picked up a few of his projects out of the bargain bin on impulse when I was about 12, and after that he was one of my names to conjure with. If Evil Bob had written it, I wanted to read it. He had a kind of perfect workman's style--he did a lot of things pretty well, and he did them in such a way that a bright 12-year-old could see how the trick was done. I learned a lot of basic writerly technique from Evil Bob--things about dialogue and pacing and how to convey character through action and lots of other stuff. Evil Bob unlocked something in my brain, and I really blossomed as a young writer by applying the lessons of his work.

Evil Bob's fiction started to fall off in popularity eventually, so he switched to nonfiction and wrote a damn good history book that won a lot of awards. I read it in college. The man could really interview, I tell you what.

I even got to interview Evil Bob myself, eventually. I was working for a small magazine that wanted to publish an article about a certain minority group's representation in a certain fiction genre, and Evil Bob had written one of the seminal works in that niche, so I tracked down his contact info, called him up, and we had a lovely hourlong chat. He was kind and gracious and funny and --

Yeah, this is where you learn why I named him Evil Bob.

A few years ago, people in Evil Bob's old fiction genre started circulating a list of, shall we say, disgraced writers in the field. Think of it like a MeToo list. The list got passed around every time a new name was added, and at a certain point, after a much more famous name had just been added to it, the list crossed my feed for the first time in a while. I dutifully scanned down it in case there was anyone on it I'd missed; after all, I attended conventions for this genre, and some of these fuckers were on the list for assaulting fans like me, so I wanted to know who to watch out for.

And there, in the middle of the list, was Evil Bob.

Weird, I thought. Evil Bob had seemed chill when I spoke to him, and usually, being 22 with big boobs (as I was when I interviewed him) brought out the perv in these guys if there was any perv to bring out. Well, maybe this was something else--maybe he used a slur on an old tape or something. I googled.

It was something else, all right.

As I sat there googling, Evil Bob was sitting in a federal prison a thousand miles away. He was there because, according to his Wikipedia page, he had been convicted of having so many CSA images on his hard drive that the judge in his case became physically ill. Honestly, I want to know where he got a hard drive that big in the year he was arrested, but I absolutely will not be asking him.

Evil Bob was EVIL. Fuck the carceral state, but also never let that particular dude near kids or a computer again.

So now I had a problem. I was going to stop buying Evil Bob's stuff, obviously--I would drop the man like a hot potato--but I couldn't so easily remove his influence on me. I'll never be 12 years old and digging through the quarter bin at the used bookshop again. There's no way to re-learn the foundations of my artform without Evil Bob. The bastard is part of me, whether I like it or not. He's left his fingerprints on my brain. And while I have negative interest in creating my own criminal hard drive, it's a little hard to shake the irrational guilt (especially since I had been raised in a high-control religious environment where any contact with sin could permanently stain one's soul, and Evil Bob's writing was part of how I escaped, and--you get the idea). I couldn't shed the stink of Evil Bob. I'd written that article. I was covered in the fuckin' ooze.

I'll spare you the six months of angst and self-flagellation. I've been to therapy since this happened. Here's what I eventually decided:

Evil Bob is like a hammer.

My dad gave me an old hammer when I moved out, along with some other miscellaneous hand tools in a paper bag. I bought a toolbox, I put the tools in it, and I use them when I need tools. My dad is an asshole who abused his children, but a hammer is a hammer. Scratch the previous owner's name off the handle, and you can build a pretty fine house with it.

What I learned from Evil Bob are the tools of a trade, and tools are not inherently evil. He taught me how to put sentences together--but I decide what my sentences say. He showed me how to convey character--but I choose what I'm conveying. He made me a writer--but I'm the one writing now.

So I still use Evil Bob's tools, with his name scoured off. I still teach some of those lessons, but he's the one source I don't cite. Oh, that dialogue hack? I picked it up in grad school, pinky swear. Here, let me share it with you for free, with no credit or compensation to the bastard who taught it to me.

I won't pretend Evil Bob wasn't an influence on my younger self, but you'll never hear me speak his legal name. I was one of the few people who really counted themselves fans of his work ... and he'll never get a whisper of a hint of that support from me again. I guarantee you won't be able to track him down from this post, and that's just the way I like it. There's a reason I haven't identified what genre he wrote in, or what his seminal fiction work was about, or whom he interviewed for that prizewinning book.

Damnatio memoriae, motherfucker. This is my hammer now, and it always has been.

So how do we give JKR the Evil Bob treatment?

Unfortunately, the Terf Queen has a larger media presence than Evil Bob ever did. One sad ex-Potterhead won't be able to erase her from culture. But there's a lot more than one of you, isn't there?

The thing is, cultural trends fade faster than you expect. Plenty of celebrities and famous artists of your parents' generation are nobodies now, and it's usually because their work spoke to your parents but not to you. I once witnessed my brother trying to read his sons a 1912 book about Spanish naval history as a bedtime story, and let me tell you, it did not go over well. Some art burns hot and bright and then it burns OUT.

The Potterheads are the parents now. Imagine how easy it would be to just ... stop talking about her. Stop buying the merch. Don't watch the new TV show or play the new game. Don't tell people you used to be a fan--not because you ought to be ashamed, but because you're not going to give her the satisfaction of saying her name. And when your kids ask about your tattoo, just tell them not to get blackout drunk in college.

Damnatio memoriae, motherfucker.

And if you feel the need to explain where you learned your kindness and courage, your unshakable loyalty to your friends (especially the trans ones), your hope in the face of overwhelming darkness ...

... why, that's your hammer. And it always has been.

[neil-gaiman]

Hi Neil! I’m a computer science student that’s moving on to my final year in uni soon and for my final year project, I’m hoping so sth along the lines of producing a tool for preventing voice cloning! It’ll be exploring techniques similar to what Glaze does to defend against style mimicry in visual art and it’s all very exciting. I will need ppl to evaluate the end result in terms of success of preventing voice cloning, sound quality after adding the defence etc. And it’ll be great to get some ppl who actually voice/read stuff for a living to evaluate all this. I have zero idea how I would get access to that kinda community tho. And I thought you might know sth abt it. It’ll be great if I can get some contacts (I’m based in the uk if that helps) but otherwise can I just get a good luck for my dissertation? :3

Sincerely

A girl who rewatched Sandman 5 times and proceeded to go down a rabbit hole of all ur works

Sounds like a very worthwhile project. I hope lots of people reach out to you! (And Good Luck!)

[literaryvein-reblogs]

more notes on: writer's block

It is an anxiety we feel when we are unable to transfer ideas from our heads to the page.

It is a feeling of inadequacy—that whatever we write will be unoriginal, unimaginative, or have very little value.

It is a temporary state in which we are so overwhelmed with the expectations of an assignment, instructor, ourselves (inner editor) that we can’t get started.

Techniques to Combat Writer's Block

Stream of consciousness writing

There are variations to this type of writing. In general, the ideas are the same: writing freely without considering grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc.

The most important aspect of this exercise is to just write.

Variations include: write what comes to your mind as you focus on your topic; write with your eyes closed; cover your computer screen and type freely; write slowly while focusing on each shaping of the letters; or set a timer/alarm and write non-stop for 10-15 minutes.

Change your location

If you usually write at a computer, try the kitchen or dining room table.

If you usually write at a desk, try a seat by a window. Or how about a coffee shop, a park, or the library?

Relaxation techniques

Take a break from trying to write. This will help you to rejuvenate (but come back soon)!

Take some deep breaths. People who tell you that physical exercise is important for mental activity are telling the truth.

If nothing's happening on the computer screen or paper, take a walk around the block. Hit the treadmill or tennis courts or drive to the gym. But take your notebook with you.

Fresh blood will be flowing through your brain and jogging might just jog something loose in your head. It happens.

Start in the middle of your writing project

Avoid the problem of getting started by starting on a part of the project that interests you more and then come back to the introductory matter later.

After all, your readers will never know you wrote the introduction last (another joy of word-processing technology!).

Talking aloud

Talk over your paper with a friend, or just blab away into a tape recorder (even better).

Play the tape back and write down what you hear in clusters of ideas or free write about them.

Accountability & community

Set up a time and place to write with someone else or a few other writers.

Start by talking about what you are working on, your struggle, and what needs to be done.

You can set a specific amount of time for everyone to write silently (an hour or a few).

Then come back together in the end to vocalize what you accomplished (and what you still want to accomplish if more needs to be done).

This goal setting, accountability, and community are highly valuable for the writing process.

more on: writer's block

[haruka-vii]

Help request to Rayman and retrogaming fans

Unfortunately, as much as I’m making efforts in solving my long-term unemployment situation there are things out of my control and I reached a point I really, really, need help.

Besides my grandma’s recent passing, there’s been a collection of unlucky events happening to me and my family in a small time interval. Both our dish washing machine and my Nintendo Switch Lite need to be repaired. The console stopped turning on regardless what I do and it’s out of warranty already. The console’s fixing, alone, can be up to 103€ according to the Iberian Nintendo support page).

But the worst case was our car’s “death”. Days after my grandma’s funeral, the car burnt its electronic system to the point of replacing that system being more expensive than the current value of the car of the same model without problems, meaning we were forced to replace the whole vehicle to a different model. The car is essential for our quotidian lives even for simple things such as doing groceries and buying food and cat litter for our seven small felines that we own. The latter unpredictable expense is very costly and adds a bigger layer of problems on my family’s end about financial management given that my mother is also jobless and there’s the bed replacement (done in January 2024) funds I want to also return to her whenever I manage.

2025 is going to be a difficult year for me and I already recently had to shrink down my Crash Bandicoot collection to a single item for a start but it’s still not enough. Now I had to make a very difficult decision of selecting personal items from my private Rayman collection and make them available to anyone in the Rayman and retrogaming fan community to be able to purchase in case they show interest in any particular object.

Please note the following details:

Products that are shown alongside with other product or more in the same photograph square means that those items are only sold as a pack/batch and not separately. I can clarify which ones by DM if you aren’t sure through the photographs.

I ship to most countries in the world, and always with tracking code so we’re both able to know its whereabouts. I won’t accept other types of shipping due to safety reasons.

The shipping address and other sensitive information will be exclusively used to ship the parcel.

Prices will be always discussed by DM, as well shipping costs as these vary depending on the destination country and parcel weight.

PayPal only for payments. While I prefer EUR currency I can also accept GBP and USD.

I’m conscious of how a good portion of the list contains particularly rare and valuable collectibles.

Some items prices are negotiable, especially if someone is interested in acquiring at least 3 different items or more that combined make up a significant total.

All items work 100%, including the Playstation accessories.

The Rayman memory card will be formatted if it gets a new onwer.

MS-DOS era games require emulation techniques to work on modern computers and there are community projects like Rayman Control Panel that help with that.

All games are complete in the box and between very good condition to like new.

The Rayman memory card is in good overall state.

The statues are like new and will be packed carefully to avoid transportation damage.

I can consider including the matching Switch videogame to the pack if I get a fair offer.

I reserve the right to not accept a sale for reasons not mentioned here.

List of items available in the photos:

Rayman Gold [PC/MS-DOS] (Rare, Original Big Boxed United Kingdom Edition)

Rayman For Ever [PC/MS-DOS] (Rare, Original Big Boxed France Edition, it even includes a Ubisoft catalogue with unique Rayman drawings)

Quick CD-ROM Demo Nº2 - Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc [PC/Windows]

Rayman M [PC/Windows] (United Kingdom Edition, still factory sealed!)

Rayman Rush [Sony PlayStation] + DualShock Controller [Sony PlayStation]

Rayman 2: The Great Escape [PC/Windows] (Very rare, Original Big Boxed United States of America Edition; I only saw maybe not more than 2 copies like this for sale online in over 15 years)

Rayman 100 Niveaux Inédits [PC/Windows] (Rare, Original Big Boxed France Edition)

Rayman Designer [PC/Windows] (Rare, Original Big Boxed France Edition)

Rayman 1 [PC/Windows] (Rare, Original Big Boxed European Edition)

Rayman Gold [PC/Windows] (Rare, Original Big Boxed France Edition)

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc [PC/Windows] (The manual is translated in Portuguese but the games are in multilanguage)

Rayman 2: The Great Escape Sony Playstation Memory Card (Guillemot brand, uncommon item)

Rayman Raving Rabbids [PC/Windows] (Original United Kingdom Edition)

Rayman Raving Rabbids Activity Centre [PC/Windows] (Original United Kingdom Edition)

Rayman 2: The Great Escape [Sony Playstation] (Original France and Germany Edition)

Full collection of 4 medium-sized PVC statues of Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle characters

Other alternative ways to help me that don’t involve buying my Rayman items:

Ko-Fi donations (https://ko-fi.com/haruka_vii)

Currently opened with the goal I’ve referred earlier of collecting enough funds of the bed replacement expenses to return to my mother combined with the needed funds to be able to send my Nintendo Switch Lite for repair.

Art commissions

I can open a limited number of slots and draw single or groups of characters in a single digital or traditional drawing. Details can be discussed through DM!

Reblogging and sharing

If you know anyone who could be potentially interested in getting anything please share them, it’s also a help!

I don’t like to ask help but it’s been a rough timeline for me. Thank you for reading in advance, any help is greatly appreciated while I don’t manage to find a job. 🙏

[strangebiology]

Paleontology Job Opening!

If anyone is looking for a paleontology job, this one in the Green River Formation in Wyoming is hiring! It's a lot of 52-MYA fish. TONS of fish. Very occasionally, there's other stuff like bats, birds, and very early horse ancestors.

$19/hour

Full time with federal benefits

App due November 25, 2024 or when they receive 80 applications (whichever comes first, so hurry!) Requirements:

One year of experience required (paid or unpaid, professional or volunteer) in "the fields of paleontology, geophysics, or geology; assisting fossil preparation, field work in paleontology, paleontology research, paleontology database management, paleontology monitoring, paleo art, or specimen management of fossils; assisting with natural resources research projects; compiling and analyzing scientific data into reports; operating complex sampling, monitoring, and laboratory equipment; or using computer programs such as databases to compile, store, retrieve, analyze and report resource management data. Experience as a laboratory mechanic or in a trade or craft may be credited as specialized experience when the work was performed in close association with physical scientists or other technical personnel and provided intensive knowledge of appropriate scientific principles, methods, techniques, and precedents."

Successful completion of at least a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in an appropriate field of physical science, such as paleontology, geology, earth science, earth history or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as physical science, engineering, or any branch of mathematics except for financial and commercial mathematics. 

I don't know if paleontologists usually have to have higher levels of education, but I think this job is called "physical technician (paleontology)" to evade that.

If you're interested, go ahead and send in an application sooner rather than later. You can always withdraw later.

This is very close to me, so if you have questions about life here (that aren't easily Googlable) I'm happy to help! It's quite rural. If you're wondering what the rental market looks like, here's a Facebook group where people post rentals. I'm mostly JTM (just the messenger) but I may have a little more insight.

[kings-highway]

Hiya King! I’ve been making my way through a bunch of your fics recently (they are so good!!) I was wondering about your writing habits. How often do you write? Do you have writing exercises you do or do you mostly just work on fanfiction? How long have you been writing for? I am loving all the stuff of yours that I have read so far, so thank you for posting them~ (hope this wasn’t too many questions lol)

Hiya!!!!! Absolutely A-ok not too many questions at all I love answering questions so much!! I'll try not to ramble on forever and ever in my answer.

1. "How often I write" is a little hard to pin down. First, I need to explain that I have a desk job and I cover night shifts, so I actually do a lot of my writing in the downtime at work (sanctioned by my managers everything is ok it's permitted.) So due to being trapped at a computer screen and keyboard and not being able to leave for multiple hours, I tend to write... a lot more than I might on average. (Pretty sure this is the only reason I did any of the readings for degree ontime lmao). Typically, I am an all-or-nothing writer. If I have a free day, either the whole day is writing, or I don't even look at the document. I sort of go where the muse takes me in that way, which I know doesn't help for taking ideas for your own writing schedule, but it's the truth. I try not to be afraid of the long-quiet periods of writing, I always eventually get back to it.

2. Writing exercises? Fanfiction is my writing exercise! No, for real! Due to the relatively recent boom in people engaging with me and getting to play the role of the fanfiction author more and more it's sort of changing, but the reality is, I consider myself a writer outside of fanfiction more than I do any of my fanfic creations. Fanfiction has always been a writing exercise for me - original worldbuilding, original characters, original everything can be a lot of work, and I've found that writing fanfiction helps me crack out of some of my bad habits. Focus instead on stories, the actual beat and rhythm of my writing, foreshadowing and the actual prose. Of course, in some of my... newer works, my AUs and more fantasy ones this isn't as applicable (The End feels almost more like a standard original novel in terms of work for writing) BUT for me, fanfiction is "easy" - I don't have to decide how the characters act. Their personalities are already set - I don't have to decide the worldbuilding (usually), that was already decided. All I have to do is play in someone else's sandbox, so what's left is the foundational skills. If you can master writing in character for someone else's character, your ability to identify your own character's voices, what is needed to make someone sound different and unique from the other characters, how different archetypes fit together, it all becomes easier. And it frees up my brainpower to focus on playing with formatting techniques, and telling different stories, and learning what works and what doesn't when it comes to dialogue, scene setting. It's all in service of learning the trade. Hence why all my fanfiction is Haikyuu lmao... This isnt my natural writing state, I don't want to write for every single fandom I come across. Daichi has just become written equivalent of a crash test dummy for me. but a very important one - writing fanfiction got me out of a 2.5 year writing slump in which I basically never opened a page at all! So while it is very special to me, I tend to write fanfiction as a way of scrubbing my brain between original projects and to practice my skills rather than considering it my best writing. Hence why my fanfiction is almost entirely unedited. I ain't practicing those skills lmao. Otherwise... no other exercises. Writing with a buddy is always fun though. See who can get the most words done in however long.

3. "How long have I been writing" - literally, truly, genuinely, as long as I can remember. I don't say this like most people do, when they say "oh I've been writing/drawing/playing my whole life" when they really have just been casually interested and only started really trying recently - I have been writing my whole life. One of my earliest memories is of creating a stapled picture book I hand drew and writing that was a fairytale about me, my brother and my dad going on a fantasy adventure. I kept stapled pages of handwritten novels in my desk drawer - I used to get permission from my 3-5th grade teachers to skip recess and lunch and go down to the computer lab and work on a novel instead of going outside (got all my friends doing it too!), I finished my first 30k novel when I was twelve on my mother's work-assigned laptop (it was Warriors fanfiction.) I remember when my brother taught me when and how to do paragraph breaks, I remember him saying he wanted to write a novel and me going "that sounds so cool" and then never ever moving on even after he did. I could wax poetic about how writing is like air to me, and has been the only thing I have never doubted about myself in my life. Or, I could just admit that I'm a writing Nepobaby because my dad's worked in TV and Film as a writer and editor for pretty much his whole life so from the moment I started telling stories I've had the absolute best teacher and guide to bounce ideas off of for themes, story beats, plot structures. :p Anyway like a solid 2 decades at minimum.

Anyway thank you so so so so much for reading and liking my stuff, I hope this was satisfactory for answering questions even though I did end up going on and on. Thank you! Mentally giving you a nice soft-baked cookie of your flavour preference :) 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

xx

[belovedfiend]

executive function strategies / focus-enhancing techniques

pls feel free to reblog or comment ur own!

Pomodoro Method 🍅

25 minute interval of focusing + 5 minute break x2

followed by a 25 minute interval of focusing + 15 minute break

repeat!

you only have to focus for a set amount of time!

& it gamifies your work

I use Pomofocus but there are other sites and apps as well !

Note: You can lower these time intervals to something more accessible at first! If 2 or 5 minutes feels more achievable, start there.

Body Doubling 💑

I usually get a friend who also needs to work on call

This can also be in the form of having a study with me stream on, working in a café, or being around someone in person.

The accountability and parallel play is very effective for me, even if we are not actively collaborating or speaking!

Break Down Tasks 🔨

This is very important to neurodivergent folks.

I think about it like a computer program. When you explicitly list each step of a process, in its simplest steps, it does a significant amount of work for your brain before you've even started.

So make a list of steps for your individual tasks, breaking them down.

Rituals 🕯️

This can be whatever you want it to be!

Light candles, play a specific order of songs, chewing gum.

Doing these before each work session can make connections in your brain that improves focus and memory.

Note: This is a great gateway to Habit Stacking as well. This is a method outlined in Atomic Habits in which you link new habits to existing ones. For example, after making a cup of coffee, as you already may do every morning, you sit down to plan or review tasks.

Productive Procrastinating 🫣

This is admittedly not always a good idea...but it works!

Basically, it's having a list of things I need to do, and choosing to do something less urgent instead of the biggest or most important project first.

This can help relieve some of the pressure in starting a work sesh and create momentum!

For example, instead of immediately starting that 5 page essay due tonight...I might exercise or clean for 10 minutes first.

May or may not be what I'm doing right now.

[stage-of-sekai]

lesson O1: cel shading and how to achieve it.

Project SEKAI uses a unique shading method, which is a cross between rendering techniques and what is commonly referred to as "Cel Shading." Cel Shading was a term coined by animators before computer animation, who worked in "cels" or hand-drawn scenes. Because of the limitations of the time, the animators had to find a cheap and simple way to shade, resulting in the shading we see usually in modern animation.

Project SEKAI uses this style in combination with rendering tactics to create their iconic art style.

In this lesson, I'll be going over how Project SEKAI achieves that look by breaking down their Live2d models and card cutouts.

Cel Shading is the basis upon which everything in Project SEKAI is shaded. Commonly, this is seen in: Live2d models and card trims. Here are some examples.

In both examples, you can notice the more "simplistic" style of shading. Now, the real question is: "How is this done?"

To explain this, I'll be using the card trim on the right as an example.

Firstly, artists need to put base colors under their lineart. Base colors are the bare-bones, not shaded colors. This is to provide a guideline as to what areas need what colors. Below, you can see the same Nene card trim, but reduced to its base colors.

It is a bit sloppy, considering I made it myself, but the point is; there is still **some** shading blocked out where it's needed. For comparison, see below.

So, now the question is: "how do I even do Cel Shading from here? I've gotten my base colors down, now what?"

And, luckily, I can share that too! First, let's start by doing the most important thing, deciding where our light source will be.

In this card, it looks to be at the top right, coming down to shine on her.

The yellow is where I estimate the light would hit her. Now, we need to decide where our darkest areas are.

In this card, the darkest colors would be away from the light, meaning they would be to the left.

The red is where I estimate the darkest areas would be. The areas behind her arm would also be darker than the rest of the card, since they aren't being hit directly by the light.

This understanding of lighting will help me to place my shadows and highlights later!

After this, I'd suggest putting in a new layer on top of your base colors, and clip it.

Now, I would be sure to grab a reference. For this drawing, I will be referencing the original trim, as well as the full card. I will be using a reference window, but use whatever works for you!

Now, we can get started! First, I'm going to block out where the **lightest** areas would be. I will be loosely following the card trim as a reference. Using the places we previously determined would be hit by the light, I blocked them out with loose colors.

We know that these areas would be directly exposed to the light if it continued at the angle we previously determined. Now, as for the headband, I decided to block out a very light yellow color. This is because of something called ambient lighting. Ambient lighting is just when highlights have a similar color to their light source. This is seen a lot in photography, and sometimes, even in cards!

As you can see here, the light itself has a yellow tint, so the wall behind it will also appear yellow as a result.

We can also see it in Rui's newest card!

The light behind him is a reddish-pink, so that light bounces onto him, and makes the highlights appear that color. You can also see it on the railing and the building behind him!

Back to Nene, I then blocked out some of the darkest parts of her, based on our previous assumptions about the source of the light.

I shaded the areas of her dress according to how the bow was shaded. Since they were in almost the same place, we can use it as a guideline. We know that the dress isn't exposed to the light, since it is in front of the bow. As for the arms, we know the arm closest to her face would be fairly far from the light source, so I blocked out a shadow there as well.

Here, I adjusted some of the shadows, and I added some shadows to the dress. I blocked them all out in shapes, which I will go back and refine later.

I also added some shadows to the white fur on her dress. I paid specific attention to the edges of it in an attempt to make it seem "fluffier."

Here, I blocked out more shadows of her dress based on how the light would hit her. Now, we'll move on to the hair!

While it is messy, I wanted to ensure that the areas I placed shadows in would line up with my assumption of the light source. So, I toggled back and forth between the reference for the light source and the card itself to see where it fell. Now, with that, we are done blocking our our shading! I would suggest duplicating this layer to touch up everything to ensure you're satisfied with it.

The eyes will be a lesson by themselves, seeing as I didn't want to rush out two lessons in one and overwhelm people with so much information. This was a longer post than I anticipated anyhow.

If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me a dm or an ask in the ask box! I hoped this helped at least a few people, and I will try to do weekly/bi-weekly lessons if I can!

If you found this helpful, please consider reblogging this post for more reach! I want to help as many people as I can!

[chimkin-samich]

Hello! I loved your work right off the bat and I really would like to ask about your art, if you don't mind.

How did you start? Like the apps you used and what tips can you give to help beginners.. Your stroke is wonderful and I love when you paint but I have trouble finishing my arts in terms of painting, whenever I try it looks bad and I end up giving up

(Ignore any wrong word in the text, I'm using a translator and a little of my English teaching, since I'm originally from Brazil)

Hello! And no bother at all dw that’s what asks are for!

Me and feral both began with traditional art when we were young and didn’t start digital until our mid teens but the best program and tools we’ve used in our opinion was definitely an iPad with the procreate app

But I would also recommend clip studio paint that is usable on any computer with even a simple drawing pad (like a Wacom but I’m sure there’s others around that are cheaper too)

As for tips you can always watch coloring processes on YouTube or from an artist that is streaming to see what tools and techniques they use to get their results and to continue practicing and experimenting even if u don’t like the results

Even now me and feral still pick up techniques and ideas from each other and other artists, just keep trying! It takes time to build a skill and just like anything else practice and time helps you improve!

As for motivation there’s not much I can help there, everyone gets motivated differently to complete things it’s just about finding what works for you, for us it’s able to see the finally product, maybe we don’t always like to but it’s satisfying to say we at least finished it and maybe later on after a few other projects we can come back and remake it again with a fresh mind but at least the base is there for what the general idea was

I hope this helped! Good luck on your artist journey ✨

[chussyracing]

what has been happening in the world of motorsports lately?

Charles' race engineer Xavi Marcos will be replaced by Bryan Bozzi from Imola onwards while Xavi moves to a different project within the team

Ollie Bearman will be completing junior FP1 session for Haas in Imola

Ferrari tested new anti-spray wheel covers during their filming day in Fiorano (they look horrendous) - as well as the new upgrade package they will introduce in Imola

besides them, also RBR and Mercedes are bringing upgrades - Mercedes will introduce them over the next 4 races, Oscar will get full package Lando got in Miami and Sauber are set to introduce the upgrades to help with their bad pitstops

Pierre will have a special Senna tribute helmet in Imola

Jamie Chadwick scored her first podium in Indy NXT

Miami GP donated over 40 thousand portions of food that was left over from the race weekend through Food Rescue US

Marc Priestly says multiple Red Bull workers are considering departure from the team after Adrian Newey left (if you don't know him, he is maybe the most well known former mechanic)

Helmut Marko said that the rumours about Daniel getting replaced by Liam Lawson were started by Liam’s management and that’s why it was reported by a New Zealand journal first

Red Bull will present RB17 hypercar that Adrian Newey developer at Goodwood

George has a film??? Made with UBS (but it is actually a short video on social media?)

McLaren has new merch line for Monaco which is inspired by the (good) old times

German media are saying that Audi already took over Sauber and both current drivers would be out of the team

Abbi Pulling became the first woman to win British F4 race <3

the f1 Brad Pitt movie’s budget is already over 300 m AMERICAN DOLLARS

Joe Saward thinks that Alpine might be the destination for Carlos Sainz starting from next year because neither Mercedes nor Red Bull want to commit to him and rather prefer to wait and see how people shift across the teams first and since Carlos Sainz sr worked with Bruno Famin for Peugeot in Dakar, he has some links to it

speaking of, Carlos Sainz sr has been confirmed as Ford’s driver for Dakar 2025

multiple drivers or former drivers (Charles, Lando, Oscar, Zak Brown, Mark Webber, Ollie Bearman, Arthur Leclerc and even Adrian Newey) went to see Grand Prix de Monaco Historique this weekend (also just for fun: Zak Brown drove Williams FW07B

after Guenther Steiner sued Haas, Haas took a look at Surviving to Drive and they are suing him for unauthorized use of their trademark :))

Loic Serra and Jerome d’Ambrosio will start officially working for Ferrari from October

MotosportWeek spoke to Alex about his future and he refused to confirm he will drive for Williams next season (despite having a contract through 2025) and James Vowles didn’t want to comment on potentially letting him go sooner with an exit clause either

there are more rumours about Chicago GP, this time of it potentially being signed already from 2026 onwards

it’s been confirmed that the HP (ew) deal is worth 100m dollars a year with additional benefits and all technique equipment from the company (laptops, computers, printers, 3D printers etc) to Maranello

Ford confirmed their targets for 2026 RBR power unit are being met, the rumours about them being behind in the development are nonsense and they obviously don’t know where others stand with their engines

Helmut Marko said that if he was in Newey’s position he would choose red (or something like that I am paraphrasing oe24.at)

[hrtyunjin]

AFTERGLOW #005. collab

it’s been a month with the same old routine. yeonjun sitting behind me so i can sit next to karina. for the most part, i guess i’ve been getting used to it, it’s just so awkward. i have wanted to talk with her but, every time i try to talk to her no words are able to come out of my mouth.

“y/n! are you even listening to what i’m saying?!” i look over at yeonjun who’s been glaring at me for not listening to him. “sorry, i zoned out for a minute there.” i say as we arrive at the front doors of the class. “whatever i’ll tell you what i was saying later.” he says annoyingly as we enter the classroom, and go to our seats.

as every student is settling in for the lecture to begin, the professor suddenly speaks up, “Good morning class.” he smiles at everyone and continues, “As you may all know, i give out two major important projects to you students throughout the year. One in the beginning of the year, and finally one at the end of the year. These projects will severely impact your grade so if you miss at least one of these, you will automatically fail this class.”

The professor walks to his computer as he projects something on the whiteboard. “For this first assignment i will let you choose the person of your choice to work with.” As he says this i look back over at yeonjun who’s already chatting it up with his desk partner, or should i say, “new friend.” yeonjun looks at me and says, “sorry y/n i have a partner already.” i can see a smile slowly starts to creep onto his face. he had this all planned i bet. waiting for the teacher to assign a project so i can be stuck to do it with karina. what an asshole. i turn back as a sigh leaves my lips.

i suddenly hear a voice to the left of me speak up. “i guess since there’s no one else for us to partner up with, it’s just the both of us then?” i look at karina whose sitting next to me, “yeah, i guess its just us two then.” i say awkwardly. the teacher soon explains that this project is going to be a duet with our partner. “This is why i’ve been showing all you students new techniques to better your singing voices. continue to talk this over with your partner until class ends. pick a good song that suits BOTH of your voices and make me proud students.” He gently smiles as he sits back down at his desk. “if you have any questions please come up to my desk and talk to me about it. other than that, good luck to all of you students.”

karina clears her throat as she speaks up, “so for our song… do you have any ideas?” i think for a second and answer, “well if you’re still a big taylor swift fan as you were back then, then mayb-“ she cuts me off abruptly “yes!” she suddenly shouts out, “oh sorry…” her and i laugh at her sudden action. “well then, any taylor song in mind?” i question her. i can tell that she’s in deep thought over which song to choose, so i decide to help her out. “how about ‘I wish you would’?” i know this is karina’s favorite song which is why i said this. karina’s face suddenly lights up and she smiles, “that’s perfect.”

as we continue chatting it up about the project our professor suddenly tells us that the class is now dismissed. “wow i didn’t even realize we’ve been talking for that long.” karina says. “yeah same haha.” “i’ll text you more about the project then later today?” “yeah sounds good.” i say as she gets up to leave the classroom. and then the sudden realization hits me. she still has my number saved? yeonjun looks at me and starts to smile, “what are you blushing about y/n?” he cooes at me as he pokes me. “shut up!” i say as i swat his hand away from me, which just makes him laugh even more than he already is.

previous | masterlist | next

a/n - some crumbs for u guys…

TAGS - @winterlve @winieter @yoontoonwhs @mightymyo @neuftaeng @nasyu-kookies @yerisdumbass @boohirai @sewiouslyz @kimsgayness @aloneinacity [closed]

[houseofbrat]

Take note, all those who live in hurricane areas.

If you live in any of these areas in red, be prepared on all your weather alerts, particularly those in hurricane areas this summer and fall.

The National Weather Service is in worse shape than previously known, according to interviews with current and former meteorologists, due to a combination of layoffs, early retirements and preexisting vacancies.

The nation’s forecasting agency is in tatters as what could be a destructive hurricane season nears. Several current and former agency meteorologists told CNN they are concerned forecasts and life-saving warnings are not going to be issued in time.

Responsible for protecting life and property from severe weather impacts, the National Weather Service is headed into hurricane season with 30 of its 122 weather forecast offices lacking their most experienced official, known as the meteorologist-in-charge.

These include offices that cover major population centers such as New York City, Cleveland, Houston and Tampa.

There is not a single manager in place at the hurricane-prone Houston-Galveston forecast office, according to a NOAA staff member who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal.

That office was the main source of information during Hurricane Harvey, which killed at least 68 people, dumped a record 60.58 inches of rain and flooded large parts of the Houston metro area in 2017.

Already, multiple offices have reduced or eliminated daily weather balloon launches and more are likely to follow suit following a wave of early retirements taking place this week, the NOAA employee said. The balloons provide critical data for computer models that forecasters use to predict the weather, raising the likelihood that projections will be more unreliable.

One NWS forecast office, in Goodland, Kansas, is no longer operating 24/7, with about a dozen more likely to shift to non-24-hour operations if action isn’t taken this month. These offices include several in the Plains states and stretch into the Pacific Northwest.

Such a change is virtually unheard of in the absence of an extreme weather event, such as a hurricane or tornado, that either threatens the lives of the forecasters themselves or knocks them offline.

There are also more than 90 vacancies among the staff responsible for repairing NWS Doppler radars and automated surface weather observation stations, the NOAA staff member said, greatly raising the likelihood of prolonged equipment outages that could affect air travel. Weather stations provide pilots and controllers with crucial data on wind direction and speed at airports to determine how to take off and land safely, among other parameters.

Radar outages during tornado and hurricane seasons could cause forecasters to miss hazardous conditions till after they strike.

The NWS has lost more than 550 people all told, since the start of Trump’s second term, according to tallies kept by sources inside and outside of the agency. That’s about the same number as the agency lost in the 15 years between 2010 and 2025, according to Tom Fahy of Capitol Meteorologics.

Of the hundreds of vacancies, the 30 open meteorologist-in-charge roles are particularly worrying, current and former NWS meteorologists told CNN.

Meteorologists-in-charge serve as the captain of a team of forecasters and other specialized staff members. Their decades of experience often comes into play during high-impact weather situations, an active-duty NWS meteorologist told CNN. They also requested anonymity for fear of reprisal.

“They’re usually the glue that holds it together,” the NOAA staff member said of these chief meteorologists.

These leaders work forecast shifts when needed, interpret guidance coming from NWS headquarters, and help push their forecasters to adopt new technology, forecast and warning techniques, said a weather service employee who also requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

“The MICs are the critical linchpin in the operation of our weather forecast offices,” said former NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad, using the acronym for these managers. “They ensure the forecasters have all they need to be most effective, and they are the direct link to NWS HQ for safe and timely communications during weather events,” Spinrad, who led NOAA during the Biden administration, told CNN.

[...]

With FEMA limping into hurricane season with staff vacancies of their own, the state and local emergency management interactions that meteorologists in charge typically have may be even more important during the coming months.

“They too are meteorologists and often fill shifts when folks are sick or on vacation or there are vacancies,” the NWS employee said, and their absence makes it harder to fill those shifts and keep the lights on.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Freewriting

Freewriting - the practice of writing without a prescribed structure, which means no outlines, cards, notes, or editorial oversight.

In freewriting, the writer follows the impulses of their own mind, allowing thoughts and inspiration to appear to them without premeditation.

Benefits of Freewriting

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Many writers embrace freewriting as a way to find unexpected inspiration.

Outlines and notes can be wonderful for the purpose of staying on task, but they can sometimes stifle the creativity that comes from free association.

This is where freewriting comes in.

By starting with a rough idea, but without pre-planned details, a writer opens themself up to discovery and new found inspiration.

WRITER'S BLOCK

Writers who feel in a style rut, or who actively experience writer’s block, may benefit from a freewriting exercise as part of their formal writing process.

By forcing themselves to put words on a page, a writer may be able to alleviate their anxiety about writing and allow them to be more creative.

SPEED

Freewriting is typically faster than other forms of draft writing or outlining.

Because you are simply writing without a strict form to follow and without organizing your thoughts.

5 Tips and Techniques for Freewriting

JUST WRITE

Any writing coach or writing teacher will tell you that you must segregate your writing process from your editing process.

When it comes to freewriting, first drafts are repositories for every idea that comes to mind, however vague or tangential.

Don’t worry about word count, don’t worry about market viability, don’t worry about sentence structure, don’t even worry about spelling.

Unleash your creativity, let the ideas flow, and trust that there will be time for editing later.

This rule applies whether you wish to write a novel, a play, a short story, or a poem.

GATHER TOPICS BEFOREHAND

Freewriting doesn’t mean you write without having an idea about your topic/story.

Even the most committed freewriters tend to have some degree of a prewriting technique - they ruminate on their subject matter in a broad, general sense.

You don’t have to pre-plan details before you start writing, but it helps to know in the broadest sense what it is you think you’ll write about.

TIME YOURSELF

If you are experiencing writer’s block, commit to getting words down on the page within the first 60 seconds of writing.

Perhaps those first words will not yield anything, but think of them metaphorically as the first drops you put into the five gallon bucket that is your novel.

There is nothing to be gained by staring at a page or computer screen for any great period of time.

COMBINE FREEWRITING WITH TRADITIONAL OUTLINES OR NOTES

While it can be quite satisfying to say that one wrote an entire novel using freewriting techniques (as Jack Kerouac is said to have done with On the Road) what readers care about most is the quality of your writing.

With this in mind, start a project with a substantive freewriting session.

Depending on what you produce, you may want to use that content as fodder for a formal process that more closely conforms to the traditional rules of writing (outlines, notes, etc.).

Let that outline or set of notes guide the remainder of your writing on the project.

Remember, too, that you can always toggle back to freewriting at any point.

BRING IDEAS TO YOUR SESSIONS

Some writers, particularly poets, begin sessions with no ideas or themes they plan to tackle—they simply begin writing with the first word or phrase that comes to mind, and then they let the process unfold from there.

While you can work toward this point, if you’re new to the medium of writing and are seeking to unleash the writer within, plan your freewriting sessions when you have a strong idea of your story or theme.

The most effective writing has thematic or narrative consistency, and starting with a small germ of an idea may help you achieve that consistency.

Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[haruka-vii]

A help request (December 2024 update)

I'd like to start by thanking everyone who responded to the request for help I made in November regarding the problems mentioned in the post published at the time.

I was surprised by some generous donations on Ko-Fi that made all the difference in solving the most pressing problems and boosting funds. I managed to repair my Switch Lite, which has come back to life thanks to your help!

As soon as the previous Ko-Fi goal was reached, I opened a new one that seeks to raise funds to repair the dishwasher that needs a part replacement to work properly again and at the same time to return funds to my mother, who is unemployed like me, that she has lent me over the year for urgent expenses that have been external to the replacement of the cell phone and the bed. At the time of writing this post, the Ko-Fi target is at 8% and can be consulted and shared.

At the same time as I published the request for help, I made several photos of collectors' items, almost all Rayman related, available for sale in order to help me raise the funds needed to solve various problems. Although I've sold a minority, many other items are still available for purchase and so I decided to delete the descriptions and photos of items that had already been sold, and now also include from Pokémon and other generic items.

Alternatively to donations and item purchases, I have two art commission slots available until the end of this year.

Essentially due to the car replacement that had to be done as an unpredictable big expense, 2025 is going to be a difficult year for me and therefore I have come to the hard decision to shrink down part of my private collections as a way to obtain necessary funds and make the incoming year a little more manageable.

I don’t like to ask help but it’s been a rough timeline for me. Thank you for reading in advance, any help is greatly appreciated while I don’t manage to find a job. 🙏

Please note the following details:

Products that are shown alongside with other product or more in the same photograph square means that those items are only sold as a pack/batch and not separately. I can clarify which ones by DM if you aren’t sure through the photographs.

I ship to most countries in the world, and always with tracking code so we’re both able to know its whereabouts. I won’t accept other types of shipping due to safety reasons.

The shipping address and other sensitive information will be exclusively used to ship the parcel.

Prices will be always discussed by DM, as well shipping costs as these vary depending on the destination country and parcel weight.

PayPal only for payments. While I prefer EUR currency I can also accept GBP and USD.

I’m conscious of how a good portion of the list contains particularly rare and valuable collectibles.

Some items prices are negotiable, especially if someone is interested in acquiring at least 3 different items or more that combined make up a significant total.

All items work 100%, including the Playstation accessories.

The Rayman memory card will be formatted if it gets a new onwer.

MS-DOS era games require emulation techniques to work on modern computers and there are community projects like Rayman Control Panel that help with that.

All games are complete in the box and between very good condition to like new.

The Rayman memory card is in good overall state.

The Elite Trainer boxes don't have boosters or codes

I reserve the right to not accept a sale for reasons not mentioned here.

List of items available in the photos:

Rayman Gold [PC/MS-DOS] (Rare, Original Big Boxed United Kingdom Edition)

Rayman For Ever [PC/MS-DOS] (Rare, Original Big Boxed France Edition, it even includes a Ubisoft catalogue with unique Rayman drawings)

Rayman M [PC/Windows] (United Kingdom Edition, still factory sealed!)

Rayman Rush [Sony PlayStation] + DualShock Controller [Sony PlayStation]

Rayman 2: The Great Escape [PC/Windows] (Very rare, Original Big Boxed United States of America Edition; I only saw maybe not more than 2 copies like this for sale online in over 15 years)

Rayman 100 Niveaux Inédits [PC/Windows] (Rare, Original Big Boxed France Edition)

Rayman Designer [PC/Windows] (Rare, Original Big Boxed France Edition)

Rayman 1 [PC/Windows] (Rare, Original Big Boxed European Edition)

Rayman Gold [PC/Windows] (Rare, Original Big Boxed France Edition)

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc [PC/Windows] (The manual is translated in Portuguese but the games are in multilanguage)

Rayman Raving Rabbids [PC/Windows] (Original United Kingdom Edition)

Rayman Raving Rabbids Activity Centre [PC/Windows] (Original United Kingdom Edition)

Rayman 2: The Great Escape [Sony Playstation] (Original France and Germany Edition)

Rayman 2: The Great Escape Sony Playstation Memory Card (Guillemot brand, uncommon item)

Ash’s Atlas Book (Like new, published by DK in English language)

Mewtwo T-Shirt (Like new, never worn.)

Pokémon shoulderbag (In overall very good condition. It glows in the dark!)

Pokémon wallet (In overall good condition.)

Pokémon Re-Ment Wooloo Letter holder (New, complete in box. Only opened to check the inside content)

Pokémon Trading Card Game Elite Trainer Box [Pokémon GO] (Like new, no boosters and no codes!)

Pokémon Trading Card Game Elite Trainer Box [Fusion Strike] (Like new, no boosters and no codes!)

10 Collector’s Edition books of Pokémon Adventures (Like new!)

Pokémon Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded Book (Like new!)

Retro-bit Origin8 Black and Red Wireless Controller (Like new, complete in box. It’s compatible with PC, Nintendo Switch and original NES systems)

Trust GXT 590 Bosi Gamepad (Very good condition, with its original pamphlets, dongle and charging cable. It’s compatible with PC and Android systems).

SPORE: Galactic Edition [PC/Windows] (Like new, complete in box)

SPORE Creature Creator [PC/Windows] (Overall good condition, complete in box)

SPORE Creature Creator DEMO [PC/Windows) (Rare item, like new, Portuguese cover print)

SPORE: Creepy and Cute Extras Kit [PC/Windows) (Like new, complete in box, Portuguese cover print)

SPORE: Galactic Edition [PC/Windows] (Like new, complete in box, Portuguese cover print)

Other alternative ways to help me that don’t involve buying my items:

Ko-Fi donations (https://ko-fi.com/haruka_vii)

Currently opened with the goal I’ve referred earlier of collecting enough funds to get a replacement part needed for the dishwasher in order to be back to working order and to return funds to my mother that .

Art commissions

I can open a limited number of slots and draw single or groups of characters in a single digital or traditional drawing. Details can be discussed through DM!

Reblogging and sharing

If you know anyone who could be potentially interested in getting anything please share them, it’s also a help!

I don’t like to ask help but it’s been a rough timeline for me. Thank you for reading in advance, any help is greatly appreciated while I don’t manage to find a job. 🙏

[goldnhourwrites]

Combined Headcanons (just for fun!)

continuation of my Heartsteel College AU headcanons post!! feel free to use this for shipping purposes or whatever, I tried to put them in some kind of order by person!

Sett and Yone had to take a physiology class together once and Sett brought a bunch of homemade cookies at the end of the term. Ever since Sett learned Yone was a permanently exhausted pre-med student he has made an effort to bring food to office hours/study groups to share with him

K'Sante and Yone took an 8AM lecture together once and bonded because they were the only two people who were ever both on time and fully awake for it

Ezreal shows Yone the coolest places to take walks on campus when Yone needs a break from work, like cool public artwork and parks he’s found nearby

Yone enjoys reading the poetry Aphelios publishes under his pseudonym, even though Aphelios doesn’t know it

Yone longs to be more involved in the music side of campus and Aphelios encourages him to pick up an instrument again. Yone goes to every orchestra, jazz band, and choir performance he can

Yone has gone to one of Kayn's band’s shows and occasionally listens while Kayn practices guitar

Alune works at the café where Yone gets his coffee most mornings

Yone and Alune also study together occasionally since Alune’s bio classes sometimes overlap with Yone’s pre-med ones, and they share notes when they take the same class

Sett and K'Sante met by always being at the gym at the weirdest times (like 6AM before a practice meet) until they each went "hey, I should learn this guy's name since I see him 3 times a week"

Once they’ve become friends, Sett and K'Sante start going to each other's home competitions and hyping each other up

Ezreal has gone to a party at Sett's fraternity where Sett practically had to carry him out at midnight for being too drunk (he didn't drink a lot, he's just a lightweight)

Sett and Aphelios didn't really "meet" before Heartsteel, but Aphelios goes to Alune's a capella performances and sometimes he sees Sett there during crossover/multi-group events

Sett and Kayn spar for fun sometimes because Kayn used to do martial arts before college, and they occasionally trade fighting techniques from different disciplines

Sett will model for Alune's fashion projects. He knows a bit about how to sew, so he'll occasionally help her with tailoring things

Ezreal and K'Sante will act for Alune if she needs someone for a video or photoshoot

K'Sante met Ezreal by asking him for help with a source for an anthropology project while Ezreal was working as a librarian, and Ezreal kept offering him more and more books to use

K'Sante and Aphelios have crossed paths in the music department while practicing after classes. K’Sante learned a bit of sign language so he could talk with Aphelios more easily

Kayn doesn't dance with a group, but he likes going to the dance shows and finds out that some of his favorite dances were K'Sante's choreography. Eventually, after Heartsteel forms, K’Sante teaches Kayn how to dance hip-hop (they both love it)

Aphelios has had to help Ezreal find his way out when he got lost in the computer science building while he was looking for a cool new study spot

In return, Ezreal has had to wake Aphelios up because it was midnight and he’d fallen asleep in the library and Ezreal needed everyone to leave so he could close

Ezreal and Kayn both joined the parliamentary debate club their freshman year and immediately hated each other's guts. They often sided against each other for the sake of getting to argue with each other and not because they actually supported the positions they were debating

Ezreal and Kayn have become partners in crime by repeatedly seeing each other in places they're not allowed to go ("You're not supposed to be in here!" "Neither are you!"). They occasionally cross paths in places neither of them should reasonably be able to get to (like the rooftops of a tall building) via Ezreal’s teleportation and Kayn’s wall-phasing and have agreed to not tell on each other

Alune and Ezreal were in a play together once. They’re both the right amount dramatic to get along with each other, and Aphelios met Ezreal when Alune was hanging out with him after a rehearsal

Kayn and Aphelios have both made things in the jewelry studio - Kayn making spiky silver earrings and rings and Aphelios making delicate necklaces

Aphelios and Kayn took a painting class together one term and saw each other in the studio often. They still occasionally see each other at figure drawing sessions

Kayn plays a bunch of video games and will always playtest Aphelios's game projects and give him feedback

Aphelios and Alune live in the same area of campus and are often seen walking home together. Alune is trying to teach Phel how to skateboard, but he’s committed to biking everywhere

Aphelios and Alune always go to each other’s performances (with permission), since they both have a bit of social anxiety and it helps to know someone is in the crowd supporting them

Alune and Kayn have been to a skate park together and Kayn is teaching Alune how to skateboard