#Free Excel tutorial

[toestalucia]

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[mosharrafdha]

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[sadagios]

Icarus, and the Sunflower

A Desert Duo/Scarian AU about an avid player meeting his favorite, comfort character in a death loop video game.

I can’t write a fic, nor have time to draw comics like i used to, so we are doing bullet points on a tumblr post

PART ONE: BEFORE THE ALPHA TEST

PILOT: PART TWO

2.1k words below the cut

SOME BEGINNING NOTES: - This AU is only character shipping, and references a lot outside the life series events (evo, hermitcraft, empires, etc). This is not meant to ship the CC’s themselves and if anything alludes to it, it is purely unintentional. - This is not canon-compliant ermmmm i do what i want and i will put every idea i have into this - Tags for this part? Game dev AU, Grian is whipped for Scar, some characters are real and some are fictional, this is only the pilot, absolutely not beta'd i only have one impulsive braincell

A. Gria

Gria is a single man in his late 20s; he works at a game company called E.V.O. Games (Entertainment Virtual for Everyone). He was an architecture graduate who dabbled in game dev in his spare time during his undergraduate studies. Although he didn’t pursue that path, he utilized his skills in level design. He used to work in several indie game companies, one of which was a company founded with friends, before he was hired by E.V.O. Games. He was excellent at his job, and his ideas and inputs always improved whatever project he worked on. Because of this, after a few years, he was promoted to creative director.

His latest project was “The Evolutionists’ Portal,” a 3D pixel-style puzzle game in which the player has to navigate the world to find portals hidden in each level, and these portals progress the game. With each portal traveled into, the world becomes bigger and more complicated, making each portal harder to find. However, with multiplayer, this task is easier through working together (and doing fun shenanigans together).

It had a buggy release, especially for multiplayer, but it built a decent player fanbase; the story itself was short and simple, but it was replayable thanks to its multiplayer mode.

For visualization, it’s 3D with a top-down perspective like “Pokemon Diamond/Pear/Platinum” but has gameplay similar to “Stardew Valley”

Gria and his team get along well, and he is quite close to some of them:

Martyn: an audio engineer. This is the first game he’s worked on since he was first hired in the company.

“Big B”: a VFX artist. He and Gria joined the company around the same time and bonded over stressful deadlines and annoying seniors when they started out.

Jimmy: the project manager. Although Gria takes a lot of joy in teasing him, he is hardworking and great at keeping everyone in check with the calendar. Out of everyone, he is the one Gria is closest with. He also works on another game by the company called “Empires.” 

Pearl: an environment artist. She joined the company a bit later in the development. It is her first time dealing with pixel graphics but she did it incredibly well. She also works on “Empires” with Jimmy.

“Empires” is a free-to-play fantasy open-world action gacha RPG. It is the biggest game of the company and their title game. 

For visualization, it’s just “Genshin Impact” and “Honkai: Star Rail”.

Recently, there was a buzz around that their game, “Empires”, will have a collaboration event with another big name. Gria was too busy and overworked to take notice of this, though. 

The fruits of his labor later came as game nominations for “Best Multiplayer” and “Best Audio Design.” Gria was happy their work was acknowledged by players worldwide, even if they didn’t win.

B. Hermitopia

After so long, Gria finally took a week off. It was foreign to have no obligations for even a day. He doesn’t use this time to travel; instead, he sits at home and lurks on the internet to keep up with gaming news and updates. He uses the username “Xelqua” with a red macaw as his profile picture.

He stumbled upon a “Redstone tutorial” post by the user ”Potatonutshell”. Curious and intrigued by how such a complicated contraption is possible in a game (and bored out of his mind), he asked this user what game it was for. Potatonutshell briefly, and over-excitedly, DM’d Gria with a huge wall of text about this game called “Hermitopia 6.”

In the beginning days of his break, Gria spent time messaging this Potatonutshell fella, named “Mumbo.” Mumbo named himself after a character named “Mumbo Jumbo”, who is one of the most skilled “redstoners” in the game. He related heavily with the character and took a lot of interest in the redstone circuitry game feature as he is a programmer in real life. Gria thought the game was interesting, but not enough to install a 36 GB game for $39.99. He changed his mind when Mumbo told him more about the game, especially its base-building mechanic.

“Hermitopia 6: Hermit Civil War” is an open-world fantasy action RPG known for its base-building core mechanic. It is the sixth game in the franchise, and each game starts in a brand-new world. The player and the lovable NPCs are called hermits, a band of humans, fae, hybrids, and other species who live together on an island and work together to live a sustainable life amidst the hostile creatures that roam the world. 

For visualization, it’s like “Skyrim” with “Baldur’s Gate 3” graphics and dialogue UI.

Gria planned to try it for a few hours, only humoring his new internet friend, until he met this beautiful NPC named “Scar Goodtimes” — a human-vex hybrid with scars all over his “handsome face and carved body”, as Gria would personally describe him. He was also a builder who lived near Gria’s very odd underwater base. Throughout the remaining days of his break, and his weekends after that, Gria played Hermitopia 6 religiously.

Scar calls him “GRIAN”, which was a typo error — Gria pressed enter early in the name selection screen and he didn’t realize it until Scar first mentioned his name 3 hours into the game. He can’t be bothered to fix it, though (and he's grown fond of it.)

Gria continued to play the game in his free time, slowly falling in love with the game as he kept on playing. He also kept talking to Mumbo, who he fanboyed about the game with. He found out that Mumbo lived close by too, so they hung out frequently and bonded over the game.

Gria: I genuinely thought you had a big mustache, y’know, like Mumbo Jumbo. Mumbo: I do too! It’s... it's there! [he shows his very faint mustache] It's there! Gria: sure.

Xelqua started off as a lurker, to an active Hermitopia fan account. He was interested in the base-building aspect of the game and shared his designs online.

Hermitopia is not a dating simulator. There is no romance mechanic in the game. Anyway, Gria installed (and tweaked) a romance mod because no one can stop him from flirting with his fictional vex boyfriend.

Mumbo: Grian, if I hadn't met you personally, I would've pictured you as a crazy Scar fanatic. Gria: Wha— How— I’m not crazy. Mumbo: You downloaded a romance mod just to flirt with Scar and commissioned an artist to draw a scene from it, and now you have it framed on your bedroom wall. So, Grian, I think that’s crazy behavior. Gria: … I do what I want, Mumbo!

Gria's love for the game and Scar grew more as another hermitopia game was released (Hermitopia 7). Then, he, as Xelqua, became a notorious name because of a supposedly harmless poll about the sexiest character in the game. He was known as the insane Scar fan.

He's got every Scar merch, though there isn't much Hermitopia merch released in general. However, if someone posts about a new Scar fan merch, a certain username might appear in their notifications, like a hound trailing a scent. Haters and trolls are also dragged to hell and back because, if they aren't regretful after being berated by this insane man, they will not be able to surf through the web in peace as long as Xelqua holds a grudge. 

As insane as this Xelqua person is, Scar had become a popular character within the fandom, compared to his old status as an underrated sweetheart without much attention or fanfare thanks to Xelqua constantly (for years without missing a day) talking about him. Xelqua also organized or helped some Scar fan events and constantly supported merch creators with hermitopia merch (especially if it involved Scar.)

User Xelqua, about Scar: He is my little sunshine, my precious sunflower. He might’ve killed some men, but he was hot while doing it.

C. The Collaboration Event

Back to Game dev stuff, Gria isn’t open about his current obsession with his coworkers. When the collaboration event with the “Empires” games was finally announced, two representatives from the other company came to visit. “Skizzleman” has been a writer for Hermitopia since the 3rd game. A character from Empires, Gemini, will become a new character in the next Hermitopia game, and there will be a DLC that will add a new small map with many biomes and new materials. In Empires, Hermitopia characters will be featured in a limited-run gacha banner and a limited-time story event. 

Now a Hermitopia fan, Gria tried to interview Skizzleman about the game (while making it not obvious how obsessed he is with it). Skizzleman was the one who wrote the lore for “Impulse” as well as most of his dialogue throughout the games.

Another representative for Hermitopia, the lead designer Joel, came to visit for the collab event. He is a fanatic of Empires and a diehard “Shadow Lady” fan, which is why he is so excited to work with E.V.O. Games for the collab.

Accompaniment art for this here: link

Gria was never into gacha games, but with a mix of Pearl and Jimmy convincing him to try the game they worked on (not to mention the fact that it is free-to-play), and showing him an initial sketch of what some hermitopia characters will look like in the game (this isn’t allowed, but Jimmy and Pearl found the thought of their serious coworker playing a gacha game amusing), he finally caved. Little did they know, showing a topless concept art of Scar is more than enough to reel him in.

When the collab update was finally released, Gria grinded Empires just to get Scar. He practically paid his own salary back to his company just to get Scar to max level and his additional skins. (He loved his new “HotGuy” skin the most)

With the release of “Hermitopia 8: Moon Collision” and the introduction of co-op multiplayer mode, Gria invited Pearl to play with him with the excuse that they're only going to see how Gemini looks in the game. Gria successfully got Pearl hooked on the game.

D. The Watchers Studio

Before Gria properly applied to a game company, he developed small-scale games with his high school friends. They called themselves “The Watchers.” He met them in a small art club and they bonded over their favorite games. Gria’s favorite game growing up was an old zombie game with a title he can no longer remember.

One of their unfinished games was “The Life Game.” It was a battle-royal death game where the players had to gather resources and have limited lives.

Two of their old friend group recently reached out to Gria to catch up. They said they wanted to work on “The Life Game” again and wanted to ask Gria if he wanted to join again. Of course, Gria already had a job himself, so he declined. However, he hung out with the two and checked in with their progress, nostalgia hitting him as they relived their old game ideas.

The two invited Gria to do an alpha test and asked him to invite any friends who might find it fun. Gria invited Jimmy, Pearl, Martyn, and Big B, as well as Skizzleman and Joel who he’s been acquainted with. He also sent an invite to Mumbo, who was unfortunately busy with his job at the moment. 

To Gria’s surprise, the two had turned their game into a VR game. All seven of them played in a medium-sized studio, and although the game was fun, it was nausea-inducing, especially for Joel. They all lost to the Computer-AI characters, which concluded their Alpha Test.

After the meetup, the two lent them their CD copy of the game with the VR Headset they used (which was suspiciously generous of them).

Skizzleman liked the game a lot and asked if they could do it again sometime, which Gria relayed to his two old friends. Pearl shared the same sentiment but is too caught up with work which makes her unable to join their next session.

The gang kept discussing the game they played and its potential to become a hit with a little more polish. This made Gria feel proud of his old team and his past self, reminding him of the time he was passionate about making games despite his lack of experience. 

With limited coding knowledge and a little help from Mumbo, he made a server to host “The Life Game” online instead of LAN. He sent copies to Mumbo and Pearl in case they’d join later. According to the two, the game had more improvements to it since the last time they played it, which was months ago.

Gria had a small voice in his head telling him this was a bad idea— well, he did get a bit sick in the last session, but everyone had fun. So, he ignored the warning bells and hit “Join World.”

This marks the End of Pilot Part One Next Chapter > PART TWO: UNFIXABLE ERROR

ENDING NOTES: I've been brainrotting and hyperfixating on the idea for a while now, and I don't know how to let it all out so I'm going to try out this format. Hopefully I could add more to this! Thank you if you've read this far into the post. :) Made a spotify playlist too in case anyone is interested (I'm still working on this though)

[the-trinket-witch]

OK TWST FANDOM

We as artists and writers like having sources for stuff, right? And we like giving credit to other artists for their work, right? Well, I've compiled a collection of resources I've personally used and thoroughly believe would benefit others.

[NOTE: THIS LIST IS UNDERSTANDABLY GOING TO BE INCOMPLETE. IF YOU HAVE OTHER RESOURCES TO ADD, PREFERABLY BY A PRIMARY SOURCE, PLEASE ADD IT IN REBLOGS]

Alchemivich's collection:

Ripped Assets Backgrounds SD Sprites (navigate via Excel Sheet) Login Font (free download site)

Robo-Milky: (Info Pulled from TWST Discord server)

TWST Game Font list

MonstroLoungeOfficial (HD Card uploads/limited sprite assets)

Stestylius-arts:

Blank OC Assets Magical Archive Profile Blanks

WolfLover10's Transparent Heartslabyul Uniform

TheDoughWorks (Twitter) Fanslated Prefect Profile (Original via DisneyJPGames)

TwiwOnCrackPopcorn's similar Prefect Profile fanslation

Twisted-Tech's Hair rendering tutorial

SilvyPretty_ (Twitter) Color Rendering guide (photos from Official Visual Books)

Szynkaaa's Pomefiore uniform lining

RubyPearl31's Club Badges:

Equestrian Pop Music Club Magift Science Film Studies Track/Field Gargoyle Research Society Basketball Mountain Lovers Board Game

Unfinished-Projects-Galore:

Blank Intro Cards OC Profile Template Birthday Jacket Card Blanks

AraRoseheart's Broomquet Card Blank

Fumikomiyasaki's Platinum Jacket Card Blank

TomatoWar (Twitter) 妄想 Ramshackle Dorm Floorplan

Estcaligo's Cleaned Dorm Bedrooms

(my own Ramshackle 'cleaned' room)

Fanslations:

OtomeAyui Shel_BB Ekala

TAGLIST: (lemme know if you want added/removed)

@ceruleancattail @squidwen @thecosmicjackalope @vaporvipermedia@writing-heiress

@oya-oya-okay @k-looking-glass-house @thehollowwriter @rainesol @cyn-write

@heartscrypt @honey-milk-depresso @br3adtoasty @jackiecronefield @ruggiethethuggie

@hoboyherewego @achy-boo @oreoskys @oseathepebble @oathofoaks

@tunabesimpin @hamstergal @fumikomiyasaki@valse-a-mille-temps

@hallowed-delights @kimikitti @plutos-hell @thetwstwildcard @atwstedstory

@comingyourlugubriousness @ice-cweam-sod4 @twst-the-night-away @nammanarin

[gingersnappish]

A Big Collection of Art Tutorials

I find art tutorials really useful and also, sometimes quite far-flung. I'll come across one cool resource here and another incredibly helpful post in a totally different place, months later. I've been collecting bits and pieces of art advice that ease my way for a long time now, and I wanted to make a post to share some of the good art resources I've come found all in one place! GENERAL RESOURCES The Etherington Bros. have an enormous repertoire of drawing advice on their blog and I find almost all of it spot on! Griz and Norm have an incredible tumblr chock full of tutorials!

Drawing Den is a great tumblr that collects how-to-draw resources! Zephy.fr has some lovely free tutorials on their Insta (their main site is paid, but I've found the free resources to be quite helpful all on their own)

Sycra has a truly wonderful YT channel comprising a zillion vids on practically every topic - he's been going a long time and it's all excellent (his stuff on human anatomy and figure really fixed some difficulties for me)! DRAWING PEOPLE THIS is my favorite basic breakdown on expressions! A HELPFUL WAY to conceptualize drawing hair! People are complex - simplifying with CLEAR SILHOUETTE helps!

Aging or de-aging characters can be rough- THIS HELPS imo! WHEELCHAIRS are easy to get wrong if you don't have one/haven't studied how to draw them - and this is a very helpful remedy!

CLOTHES Hats are difficult to get sitting right and THIS POST helps a lot!

Suits and formal clothing can be A Lot: THIS LAYS IT OUT helpfully!

Historical Menswear is tricky: TRY THIS LINK by Shoomlah

And as always.... DON'T FORGET TO STRETCH YOUR HANDS!!!

(this makes a big difference in the long run, I can't emphasize enough that you oughta try a little stretching on the regular!)

[kimsuyeon]

complete beginner's guide to [kpop] giffing, as explained by me!

keep in mind everyone has a different style and process, so there are some things in mine that may not feel intuitive or helpful - if so, don't include it! if you can make the gif, and have fun doing it, that's good enough. this post also assumes interest in specifically kpop giffing, but can for the most part apply to other content as well. i would just recommend different sharpening and coloring for those.

separated by headings (not images, since i need those... for examples) - if you are skipping to a specific section, look for the orange text of what you are looking for!

table of contents: - picking your programs - additional tools and programs (optional) - finding files - importing to photoshop (vapoursynth, screencaps, etc) - photoshop shortcuts and actions - sharpening - coloring - export settings - posting on tumblr

programs:

if you already have photoshop / your giffing program installed and set up, go ahead. if you don't, i would recommend looking here to get photoshop. please make sure you follow instructions carefully and safely! i do know photopea is an alternative people use, and i'm sure there are others. i unfortunately don't know any tutorials to link and probably won't be much help in regards to those programs, but i'm sure there are some floating around on tumblr!

my gif process uses photoshop, so this tutorial assumes that as well. if you use a different one, you might be able to transfer this to what you use, i'm not really sure :(

additional tools and programs: - handbrake: upscaler, found here. i make my own settings and generally only use this on lower quality sources to give vapoursynth a better chance with encoding in higher quality. - davinci resolve: a program i use to make clips appear 60fps when they are choppy or too few frames for the gif to look nice, and occasionally to do pre-photoshop coloring! i use the free version. i do not use this all the time and it is a big program, so definitely don't get it if you think you'd forget to / not want to use it. - yt-dlp: open source, downloads pretty much any file i could want quite well. i use this for most of my downloads and for subtitles as well. does require some knowledge of code, or, at the very least, willingness to troubleshoot set-up. find it here! i can share the command lines i run for: video, audio, vid + sub. - 4k+ downloader: what most people use for youtube-source sets, i believe. you have a limited number of downloads per day on the free version, thus the other downloading programs. - jdownloader2: no limit but sometimes a little slow or will refuse to download because of not being logged into an account, etc. a good download alternative if you plan on downloading a lot and yt-dlp is too much. - vlc: free program, standard on some devices, good for viewing files. - mpv: excellent file viewing, can also deinterlace and screencap (if you do not have / use vapoursynth) - vapoursynth: mac users beware, it's not optimized or set up and is a huge headache. windows users, once you get it set up, it's golden.

finding files, what to look for, and how to use them: how to use is explained here, with a focus on smooth and nice speeds! but finding the file is the first step, so let's head there.

stages: k24hrs (invite only, feel free to private dm or send an ask off anon for a file - i will do my best to get it to you); kpopbuzzhub; sharing korea torrent (requires a torrent app); twitter (shrghkqud (only has recent files) and a few other uploaders, requires much more active searching). there are a few other places you can look, but it is often more trouble than it is worth (or costs $). i am also always willing to help people find materials, so you can ask me to help you look for something or to link a source i used for whatever set.

music videos: also sometimes on k24hrs. i use vimeo a lot (color graders, directors, etc., will upload clearer versions). sharemania.us has some kpop mvs, typically bigger groups (i.e. blackpink). this is a place i check for ggs. and if none of these places or searching for torrents on btdigg, or on google in korean works, i just download the highest quality setting from youtube.

other types: like vlogs and fancams, normally directly downloaded from youtube, instagram, or twitter using yt-dlp or sites specifically for the app (i.e. twittervideodownloader).

what do i look for? 1080i for stages (or 1080p) are often super nice as they're a .ts. 2160p/4k is often ideal, but it also depends on your computer and what you are comfortable working with! generally - not always due to ai upscale - a bigger file size (in the gbs, high mbs like 800) is better and has more detail that will look clear when you work on it. older stages (2nd gen and before, some 3rd gen) and music videos often always are lower quality due to camera quality, and much harder to find. if you have to use the youtube upload for a stage, it is definitely doable, but it may be slightly disappointing in the quality you want to achieve. it depends on what you're comfortable posting and making!

how do i use them? if you use vapoursynth, scenedetect (encode/process whole video) or timestamp (just a small clip) your file - if upscaling, using davinci resolve, or any other pre-processing, do that first. it will pull up a resizer and a program and once you encode, it will give you an output file using the size and settings you put. this will import to photoshop. if using mpv or another screencapping method, take your screencaps (again, all pre-processing first) and prepare to import. there are two ways to do that for screencaps. you can also just watch whatever you downloaded, i'm guilty of downloading concert files just for fun 😅

in the next sections, i will be using four different files of varying quality and sources to explain my steps. hopefully that is helpful!

example file 1 (4k and 60fps, obtained using yt-dlp) example file 2 (1080i, obtained from k24hrs) example file 3 (1080p HD, obtained using yt-dlp) example file 4 (pulled from the gg archive i use, master)

importing to photoshop (vapoursynth and mpv explained): using example file 1, i am processing in vapoursynth - i always do one extra second before and after the clip i actually want so it doesn't cut off any frames i'd like. i adjust my sizes based on what works best for tumblr (540px for wide, 268px for 2 column, and 178 for 3 column). i always use finesharp 1.5 (this setting is up to you! i used to use .7, so totally ok if it changes over time, too!) when you export in vapoursynth, you need the y4m header. i use export to mov preset.

when importing to photoshop using a video (so vapoursynth, video files, not screencaps):

i recommend making your selected range a little bigger than the frames you want so they don't accidentally not get included. delete any extra frames while in the frame animation and then turn it into video timeline. i turn all my layers into a smart object (select them all by clicking the bottom layer and then shift-clicking the top one, or use (on windows) ctrl + alt + a to have it select faster). set timeline framerate (if you want to, i always use 60).

now your smart object is ready to sharpen and color!

using example file 2, i am processing mpv - i hit 'd' until deinterlace is on 'auto'. find the clip you'd like and hit your screencap shortcut (alt+s) for me - your screencaps should be super clear, it depends on how you set up your software (if mpv, what compression you told it). screencaps can take up a ton of storage so i recommend only screencapping what you need and deleting them after. when you hit your shortcut, play the file to the end of the clip you went and hit the screencap shortcut again to stop. your frames should be in the folder you designated as pngs now. delete extra frames now!

you now have two options: import as is, which can be a little slow, or turn them into dicom files. importing as is is done through stack. it will prompt you to select what is being loaded - change Use: to folder, and let it process. it will be slow. hit ok when the file list updates.

when it is done loading: create frame animation -> make frames from layers -> reverse frames. i would crop now using the crop tool for processing speed, and then proceed to do video timeline, smart object, and frame rate. when cropping: on the top, above your document names, the second image should show up on the crop tool - this can set your dimensions. i zoom and crop screencaps using this.

the other option is DICOM files, and what i use. when you have your pngs, do alt + d in the folder (windows), type cmd, and run this command: ren *.* *.dcm. press enter. it will update the files. on macOs, just rename the file type to .dcm.

then, import as so (it will prompt you to select the folder your .dcm are in, and will not work if the files are not actually DICOM). i find it much faster than the stack import. crop when it is done importing for processing time, like the other screencap import style.

create frame animation -> make frames from layers -> video timeline -> smart object from layers -> 60 fps.

photoshop shortcuts and actions: (windows) - ctrl + alt + a: select all layers - ctrl + shift + alt + w: export as image - ctrl + alt + shift + s: save for web (legacy) - this is the gif one!

actions are imported or created, i've shared my sharpening ones before. there are plenty you can find (or make) for a variety of things, such as aligning objects to a fixed position on all docs, doing the screencap reverse and import for you, etc. they are imported using load actions - select the [downloaded] .atn file and it'll pop up.

sharpening: explained here, and has my actions (feel free to use). very important to the quality and clarity of the gif. the better the file, the clearer a gif looks, sharpening can only do so much. play around during this step!

coloring: very much the most personal taste stage of giffing. i explain my process here. in kpop giffing, we tend to focus on unwhitewashing. other giffing tends to be more aesthetic tastes and fun since the source has better colors to work with.

export settings: these are what i use! you need the 256 colors. i do not recommend lossy or interlaced. i think bicubic sharper is the clearest i have tried.

posting on tumblr: use these dimensions FOR GIFS. edits can be different. height is up to you - i would not go over 800, but i think my quality looks weird past 600 range anyways.

example gifs: yeji, from example file #1, imported using vs. uses no. 1 sharpening (altered) from my pack. colored. zhanghao, from example file #2, imported using mpv and the load via stack. uses no. 4 sharpening (altered) from my pack. colored. taeyeon, from example file #3, imported using mpv and the load via dicom. uses no. 1 sharpening from my pack. colored. eunbi, from example file #4, imported using vs. uses no. 2 sharpening from my pack. colored.

if your gifs don't look how you want right away, that's okay! it takes time. my first ones were not great either. i am always improving on and working on my gifs. good luck and have fun hehe ♡

[thesovereignsring-if]

Hello! Your IF story inspired me to start my own IF game

Im thinking of using twine

And I would like to ask you if you had any tips or advice

Thank you!

Also side note I’m really excited and very interested in how this story is going to play out I already love the cast and can’t wait to see the rest!

OOoo thank you so much! I'm very flattered the game inspired you!

Twine has many different story formats, each with their own pros and cons. I personally use Sugarcube (I think next to Harlow, it is the most popular) so all my tips will be for Twine Sugarcube:

Basic tips:

Bookmark the Sugarcube V2 Document. This is your bible. It will have everything you need to use Twine. It's a daunting read, but I use it to troubleshoot when I forget how Macros work. I always have tab open for it.

Download a Twine Template. If you are brand new to Twine and making IFs, I heavily suggest downloading a template or two. Most of them come with tutorials and examples on how they work. Sometimes they even provide more helpful resources on Twine. I use Vahnya's Template II that I modified myself afterwards.

Study from pre-exisiting Twine IFs. Might be controversial, but I personally believe that diving in and seeing how other authors code and structure their stories helps a lot. Eventually you'll figure out a system and structure that works for you. It might not work for all games, but most Twine games can be downloaded and opened up in the twine editior. If you're worried about spoilers or upsetting people, feel free to download my game and see whats inside. I make multiple copies of the game, so any build I have out in the public is not the original build and therefore have no spoilers. I know it will look insane when you open it, but there's a method to the madness.

Writing and Planning:

Making an IF is no joke! Plan your story out, know your big variables, your branching routes and at least some part of your ending!! Try to stay as organized as possible. These projects and can will spiral out of control if you're not careful. I suggest having a giant excel sheet with tabs for important variables, chapter/scene breakdowns, wordcount and characters ect. Updating it will be a pain (that I am guilty of not doing) but will make developing easier. Even if you don't make a big project, its still good practise to do it.

#Stylesheet:

All the code in here relates to how the game looks. You can fiddle in there to configure the game to look how you want it to look. If you even want to see what element is tied to what ID code, the best thing to do is playtest the game (build >> play) and then leftclick and select "inspect element" you browser will open up the developer window and you see what elements are tied to what and even play around with the contents to test out CSS elements you like.

This website is a great resource on using CSS and other coding language. I personally used it many time to modify my game.

Helpful resources and Macros:

Chapel has made a LOT of custom macros that you can add to your game. You can find the list here.

But the most important one is the Pronoun Template. It might be confusing at first but one you understand how it work, its a great tool to have. You can even add gendered titles so that they work with the pronoun template.

Idrellegame is a great resource on coding in Twine. You can find the list here. It helped me out when starting out.

Exporting to Itch:

I never see people talk about Butler when it comes to uploading If games onto itch.io, so i'm doing it now.

What is Butler? Its a command-line tool that Itch made to upload your game onto Itch.io quickly and reliably.

The documentation is here. And I suggest coping and pasting the export codes onto a doc so you can use them for every update afterwards.

Here is a youtube tutorial you can follow along as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JCJa5iWREM

I personally have the Butler on the Itchio.app so that's its always up to date.

Thats all I can offer off the top of my head, if you or anyone wants some help on something specifically, feel free to DM me or drop another ask in the inbox. Always happy to help. Working in twine is very overwhelming for newcomers.

[absolmon]

I've seen people complain that he treats others like objects early on but they were just flat background characters to him until he transmigrated. And I think part of why he tries to hold onto this fiction for so long is because he doesn't want to breakdown. You wouldn't consider someone evil for killing an NPC in a video game, right? So him killing the Skinner is just removing a tutorial boss in his mind, even though on a deeper level SY is horrified. If there's one thing we can all agree SY excels at it's compartmentalizing.

I feel like enough people don't acknowledge that a big part of the reason that Shen Yuan acts the way he does about the people around him is because the System is essentially gamifying his interactions with them. He literally gets points and objectives from interacting with others via a user interface. There's a shop to get cheats!

The System presents itself like a video game but it also obscures information from SY and railroads him when he tries to break free from its script. All of the dialogue options the System gives him are like Glass Him. As far as SY can tell he's been trapped in a flat world as the only real human being and the System puts in work to keep it that way. The only thing the System cares about is having an interesting story and it doesn't care about either the people of PIDW or its transmigrators.

[andy-15-07]

Will you please write a paul mescal x reader where he's your college prof and you're doing him some 'favours😏' bc youre failing his class 👀

Office Hours After Dark

PAIRING:Paul Mescal x reader

WORD COUNT: 1589 | requests are open (send requests, I will gladly answer them all)

Paul Mescal Masterlis

A/n:I'm sorry I haven't been active in the last week, school kept me busy, now I have more free time and I will respond to all your requests.

You never imagined that failing Professor Mescal’s advanced literature course would lead you down a path of such delicious, dangerous temptation. You had always been an excellent student—until your grades began to slip. With your final exam looming and your academic future in jeopardy, you found yourself desperate for any way to redeem your standing. That’s when you noticed the unmistakable glint in Paul’s eyes, a silent promise of something beyond the dry pages of Shakespeare and Keats.

You remember the moment clearly: after class one rainy Thursday afternoon, as the rest of your peers hurried out to escape the downpour, you lingered behind. The door clicked shut and the lights dimmed. There, alone in the quiet lecture hall, Professor Mescal’s deep voice broke the silence.

“Are you having trouble keeping up, love?” he asked, his tone laced with concern and something else—an unspoken desire. You swallowed hard, your heart pounding in your ears.

“I…I’m trying my best, Professor,” you replied, your voice trembling just slightly. “I’m afraid I might not make the grade.”

His dark eyes softened as he stepped closer, his presence intoxicating. “Maybe we can arrange…extra lessons,” he murmured, his hand reaching out to gently brush a stray lock of hair from your face. The touch sent shivers cascading down your spine, igniting an ember of defiance against the academic world that had let you down.

That night, in a secluded study room of the old campus library, you met him again. The air was thick with anticipation, the room lit by the soft glow of a single desk lamp. Paul’s voice was low and persuasive as he explained the “extra lessons” that would help salvage your failing grade.

“Sometimes,” he said, his tone dropping to a sultry whisper, “a little extra credit isn’t found in textbooks.” His eyes searched yours, daring you to see the invitation within them.

Before you could protest, he leaned in. “I know you’re desperate,” he murmured, his breath warm against your ear. “And I’m more than happy to help…if you’re willing to return the favor.”

The promise of secrecy, of a forbidden liaison, hung heavy in the charged silence. You nodded, heart racing with a cocktail of fear and excitement. “Yes, Professor,” you replied softly. “I—I need your help.”

Paul’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “Then let’s begin our…private tutorial,” he whispered. With a final, lingering look, he led you out of the study room and into the shadowed corridors of the university.

In his secluded, dimly lit office—books and papers scattered in disarray—Paul closed the door behind you. The atmosphere was almost academic, yet the energy between you crackled with anticipation. You felt both nervous and eager, knowing that tonight, the classroom lessons would be replaced by something far more visceral.

“Sit,” he commanded softly, gesturing to a leather armchair across from his desk. You complied, your eyes locked on his as he began to unbutton his crisp white shirt. Each movement was deliberate, as if every inch of fabric removed was another layer of formality peeling away.

“Good…very good,” he murmured approvingly, his fingers trailing lightly along your arm. His tone shifted, laced with a confidence that made your pulse quicken. “You know, I’ve been thinking about you ever since you raised your hand in class. There’s something about the way you look at me, the way you…need to understand,” he said, pausing as his eyes roamed over you. “It’s almost as if you’re craving a deeper lesson.”

You swallowed, your voice barely audible. “I…I want to learn…everything.”

A spark of amusement danced in his eyes as he rose from behind his desk. “Then let’s begin with a demonstration,” he said, stepping closer until you could feel the heat radiating from his body. His hands found the hem of your blouse, and before you could react, they were slowly, deliberately tugging it upward.

The fabric slipped off your shoulders, pooling at your feet. “I must confess,” Paul whispered, his lips brushing against your ear, “there’s more to education than just reading.” His hands roamed over your bare skin with confident precision, eliciting soft, involuntary moans. Every touch was a lesson in desire, each caress an exploration of boundaries you’d only dared to fantasize about.

Before long, the space between you and the professor narrowed into nothingness. Your eyes met as he reached out, cupping your chin with a tenderness that belied the intensity of the moment. “Do you trust me?” he asked, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through the air.

“Yes,” you whispered, your voice trembling with anticipation and a trace of apprehension.

With that word, he closed the gap, capturing your lips in a heated, all-consuming kiss. It was a kiss that spoke of forbidden pleasure and academic redemption, of lessons learned beyond the pages of any textbook. His tongue traced patterns along your lips, exploring and claiming, as if imprinting the memory of this moment in both of your minds.

In the intimate glow of his office, time seemed to slow. You were no longer just a failing student; you were a willing apprentice in the art of seduction. As his hands trailed down your back, unfastening the tie that symbolized the rigid authority of academia, you felt every inhibition dissolve.

Paul’s voice broke through the haze of sensation. “Tonight, I’m not just your professor,” he murmured against your skin. “I’m your guide in pleasure. I’m going to show you that sometimes, the most valuable lessons are those that we learn with our bodies.”

He led you over to his desk, where the cool surface became an unlikely altar to your newfound desires. With every movement, every whispered command, you felt the boundaries of teacher and student blur into something raw, passionate, and undeniably real. You explored each other’s bodies with a hunger that was both desperate and determined, as if each touch could rewrite the narrative of your academic failure into one of triumph.

As the night deepened, so did the intensity of your encounter. Paul’s hands, firm yet gentle, guided you through a maze of pleasure and exploration. His touch was both instructional and indulgent, a combination that left you breathless and yearning for more. Soft moans mingled with hushed whispers of encouragement as you both surrendered to the moment.

“I need you,” you admitted, your voice a tremulous confession as you reached out to him, your fingers tracing the line of his jaw. “I need you to teach me everything.”

Paul’s eyes burned with a mix of desire and unyielding authority. “Then learn well,” he replied, his tone commanding yet tender. “Tonight, every sensation, every whisper of pleasure, is your lesson. And I promise you, my dear, it’s one you won’t ever forget.”

The exchange of dialogue was punctuated by the rhythmic sounds of your mingled breaths, the soft rustle of fabric as it was shed, and the occasional exclamation of pleasure that filled the space. In a crescendo of passion, your inhibitions gave way completely, and you found yourself lost in the overwhelming tide of desire that Paul evoked with every touch.

Your bodies moved in a delicate dance of exploration—a silent, wordless conversation where every gesture spoke volumes. His every caress was an assertion of control, yet your responses were bold and unyielding, a testament to your own burgeoning confidence and need. As the intensity built, so did the fervor of your exchange, until it reached a fever pitch.

“Tell me,” he whispered in between deep, resonant kisses, “what do you want most from me?”

Your answer was instinctual, raw, and honest: “I want you—completely.”

In that moment, any semblance of formality evaporated. The academic veneer was replaced by an unbridled passion, an explosion of sensations that left you both trembling and sated. The room bore witness to the merging of two worlds: the structured discipline of academia and the wild, uncharted territory of desire.

Hours later, as dawn peeked through the window blinds, the air was heavy with the remnants of your passionate encounter. You lay beside him on the desk, your skin still tingling from the night’s lessons. His hand rested lightly on your arm, a silent promise that what you had experienced was more than just an act of desperation—it was a transformative journey.

Paul’s eyes met yours with a soft intensity. “Remember this,” he said gently, “every lesson we learn in life comes with its own price. Tonight, you paid yours, and I hope you’ve learned something worth more than any grade.”

You smiled, the lingering heat of the night still warming your skin. “I’ve learned that sometimes, the most valuable lessons aren’t taught in a classroom,” you replied, your voice imbued with a newfound confidence.

The morning light found you both changed, your secret shared between whispered promises and the lingering scent of desire. As you dressed in the quiet aftermath, a part of you knew that nothing would ever be the same—not your grades, not your perceptions, and certainly not the lessons you learned that unforgettable night.

In the coming days, every lecture, every textbook passage, carried the echoes of that secret lesson. You no longer felt like a failing student, but rather someone who had dared to reclaim control over your narrative, even if it meant venturing into the dangerous territory of forbidden pleasure. And as you sat in class, the memory of that night with Paul Mescal—your professor, your guide in desire—remained an indelible imprint on your soul, a private reminder that sometimes, learning comes from the most unexpected places.

[canarysage]

PSDs For Dummies <3

— as written by a dummy

hello dear readers and welcome back to canarysage, the world’s least comprehensive tutorial blog. today, we’re back at it again with photopea for dummies, and we’re tackling something i probably should have done first: psds.

example psds are: 1 (@cutesiplushi) 2 (@didlivio) & 3 (@lumieron)

what is a psd?

excellent question, dear reader! psd stands for photoshop document, and it’s a type of file format (like .png or .gif) that allows you to store a project’s individual layers! it’s a file format that, for obvious reasons, is exclusive to photoshop and photopea.

in editing circles, psd has become shorthand for filter. people use psds to save configurations of adjustment layers that are then used to filter images consistently, without having to remake them every time. when someone posts a psd, they’re posting a folder (hopefully it’s in a folder) with their specific set of adjustment layers for anyone to use!

where can i get psds?

right here on tumblr! check your favorite edit blogs, as they may have posted some, or search ‘free psd’ or ‘psd coloring’ in the search function. tumblr doesn’t allow you to upload psds directly, so you’ll be redirected to a site outside tumblr. probably either deviantart, google drive, or ko-fi, all of which are easy to use. deviantart requires you to have an account to download anything (luckily, an account is free!) and ko-fi may require you to pay money. google drive doesn’t have a search function in and of itself, but it’s extremely easy to download off of.

also, shameless self plug, but i post psds right here on canarysage! i personally use deviantart, but again, an account is free. if send me an ask, i may be able to provide you with a google drive link, if you ask really nicely (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

and of course if you don’t want to use someone else’s psd, you can always make your own.

how do i use a psd?

once you have a psd of your choice downloaded, open up photopea! or photoshop, if you’re rich like that.

once you open photopea, click this here button right in the middle of the screen, the one that says “open from computer”

from there, go to choose files and open up your psd! depending on from whom you got it, psds will look different once you open them. i’m using one of my own as an example.

you can see there’s two layers in my psd, a folder, and an image. the image is just for me so i know which psd this is once i save it—i like to save all my psds with images of real people so i know how it looks on moodboards or stimboards.

the folder is the important part here, that’s where the adjustment layers are contained. to transfer a psd, you can either go to file > new

which lets you start an entirely new project, or you can open an image using file > open

which will give you the image you selected.

as an aside, if you’re opening a psd and you already have a project in progress, make sure to click file > open and not file > open & place, as open & place won’t give you the adjustment layers.

then to move the folder, go to layer > duplicate layer into while having selected the folder (just tap on it, that will make it a lighter gray to show it’s selected) and duplicate the folder into whatever your image is

i’m moving mine to a random image of honami i found which is why it’s named like that. once the folder’s duplicated into your project, go over and take a look!

you should now see something like this! ensure that the folder is on top, as otherwise the adjustment layers won’t work.

here’s the difference between the unfiltered image and the image with my psd!

to save images in photopea (like i did just now) go to file > export as > (your preferred file format)

which will pull up something like this

i recommend either saving as a png (for still images) or as a gif (for… gifs) but that’s up to you! in order to save a psd, go to file > save as psd! that will save your project to your device

bear in mind that tumblr doesn’t accept psds as a file format, so if you’re going to post an edit, you have to save it as something else. also, don’t just save other people’s psds and claim them as your own—psds take a lot of time, effort, and skill, like any other art form.

can i make my own psds?

100% yes! i can’t give you a step-by-step process unfortunately, as there really is no one way to make psds. i recommend familiarizing yourself with adjustment layer and seeing what works.

shameless self plug again, but you can check out my other posts in this series to find out about some of the adjustment layers!

basically, i like to think of adjustment layers as a few different categories. light/darkness adjustments (ie: brightness/contrast, levels, curves, exposure, black & white, and threshold to a certain extent.) saturation adjustments (vibrance, hue/saturation.) color adjustments (hue/saturation, color balance, photo filter, channel mixer, selective color, gradient map depending on how you use it, and replace color.) and also, miscellaneous (posterize, which gives your images a pop-art crunchy kind of effect, invert, which… inverts your colors, and color lookup, which is a set of filters unto itself)

how you utilize adjustment layers is up to you! i personally like to use a variety and see what happens, my personal favorites being channel mixer, photo filter, and hue/saturation. you can also utilize blending modes (shameless self plug again,) or opacity.

if you have no idea where to start, you can look at other people’s psds to see their process. don’t copy or steal, for obvious reasons, but you can toggle layers on and off and see what happens and what each layer does.

making psds isn’t as intimidating as it sounds, you just have to start a project and start creating! it gets really fun once you get the hang of it (*'▽'*)

i don’t edit with photoshop or photopea, can i still use psds?

short answer: nope!

long answer: if you want use psds but you’re super used to ibis paint or whatever you currently use, have no fear! you don’t have to switch all your editing to photopea. you can make your main project in ibis or whatever as normal, then upload it to photopea and add a psd.

you can also make perfectly fine filters in ibis paint in your own right, with enough tweaking. there’s also apps such as polarr and picsart which come with filters, but i’ve never used them so i’m unable to vouch for how they work.

do i need to use psds when editing?

nope! psds are 100% optional. they’re a style like anything else—some people prefer them and some people don’t. it’s up to you.

did you genuinely write 1178 words answering questions no one asked?

yep.

what if i have a question you didn’t answer?

feel free to shoot me an ask! i don’t mind explaining further, and i promise i don’t bite. as with anything, this is just meant to explain to anyone who needs assistance—photopea for dummies by a dummy, after all. we can be confused together!

are you done now?

i am! congratulations for reading this far!

yours truly, canarysage

[sable-dream]

Five Tips, Tricks and Hacks For Cold Weather Therians!

It's summer (in the northern hemisphere) and I'm missing my snowy Ural mountains habitat - so I've decided to put together a list of stuff that I've been using to cope! :D

#1 Fake Snow

You can buy this pretty much everywhere online - but I've actually been using a DIY recipe! It's just baking soda + shaving foam but it gives you a nice crumbly texture and is even cool to the touch! :D This YouTube Video includes a couple of recipes that include common household ingredients!

#2 Cold Baths + Showers

These are self explanatory! As well as being refreshing, they also give you an excuse to nest in fluffy blankets afterwards - which helps if you long for your fur (even in the heat). These can be paired with bath bombs - I've done pine before to invoke forest-y feelings! DIY Bath Bomb recipe

#3 Frozen Foods

Obviously ice cream is a go-to here, but snow cones, popsicles, and ice cream sandwiches are all excellent! Ice cubes by themselves are also great in a pinch, and frozen fruit is another cheap option (stick it in the freezer overnight and boom homemade frozen snack!). 5 Minute Ice Cream Recipe Video

#4 Paint (Or Draw) A Cold Landscape

This really helps if you want to get into a more 'chill' (lol) headspace. I prefer to paint traditionally but digital art is also great! Two Bob Ross tutorials if you'd like them: Snow Fall ❆ Grey Winter

#5 Watch Videos, Movies, Or Documentaries With Cold/Snow Landscapes

If it's hot outside sometimes all you want to do is lie there and watch videos shot in places with subzero temperatures. You can find these on literally any streaming platform, and here's some youtube links for free documentaries: Frozen Worlds | Our Planet ❆ Mountains | Hostile Planet ❆ Animal Winter Wonderland | BBC Earth ❆ Canada's White Wolves | Real Wild ❆ (And a bonus Winter Ambiance)

[raspberryfrogs]

BOBBLY antennae 👽👾

baby's first mesh!!😁 thanks to this excellent tutorial by @gloomiegalaxie <3

bgc

disallowed for random

found under skin details

please don't put my cc behind a paywall or on simsfinds/simsdom. feel free to edit, recolour and include mesh just please credit me :)

please tag me if using as i'd love to see!

Download [SFS]

@alwaysfreecc

[hillbillyoracle]

So you want to print and distribute a free zine...

I wanted to throw together a short tutorial on how I print zines using this excellent COVID safety zine by @newlevant as an example.

Printing

First make sure you are clicking on the printable file. When you open it, it should look slightly jumbled. I always look for seeing the front cover and the back cover on the same page.

Then click "print" (usually a printer icon) and open "more settings".

The key things people tend to get wrong when they try printing zines is they forget to make sure that it is double sided and flips on the short edge. If you tried printing one and it came out looking wonky, make sure to check this.

Also, it will make your life infinitely easier if you use the collate option should you have it available to you.

Fit to printable area is a helpful setting to have on if you're printing zines who use a different paper standard than you. This zine didn't for me but I leave this on out of habit.

When you've got this all set up - print as many copies as you want to assemble.

Assembling

When you get them out of the printer they'll look like this. Just a big old stack. I highly recommend parsing out each individual copy before you try assembling any. I have made that mistake before.

This is how I stack mine.

I like to leave the cover side up as it makes for a clearer division as I'm assembling.

As you're flipping through these to parse and stack them, check them over for any issues with printing. I ran out of printer toner on the first three so I'm glad I checked.

Imperfections are fine but you're looking for anything that makes critical information unreadable.

To assemble a copy, get them lined up by tapping them on the table along a short and a long edge.

Both hands is a lot easier but I was trying to take a picture lol

Then fold them hamburger style and smooth down the spine as best you can. If you have a bone folder or similar use that.

Again, let go of perfection. We are looking for good enough here. Minor errors here should not make info unreadable so don't sweat the small stuff.

I recommend doing all your folding in one go to prevent errors. Or at least it really helps me.

Now it's time to staple. You will see my fancy stapler in the background - you do not require it and I would not recommend it. Unhinging a normal stapler is way easier to use in my opinion and this one gets jammed fairly easy. Use what you've got.

If you don't have staples, but you do have sewing supplies - check out this tutorial for a way to bind it with thread.

If you have no staples and no thread, you don't have to staple every zine. Smaller ones (~5 pages or less) do fine with no staple. They can be a little tougher for some people to use and don't hold up as well being taken in and out of places so I would consider that when thinking of where to leave them. They're still well worth printing and putting out.

This zine is small enough that one staple in the center should be enough to keep it together.

I opted to staple in two places - one about an inch in from either edge - mostly out of habit. It does add a little stability and will make them a little better for putting in Little Free Libraries and other places where they'll be removed and placed back.

Here is my partner looking over the zines to make sure my stapling didn't cut off any important information in each copy. It's a little tedious but it's pretty important. A quick flip through can mean the difference between someone getting the info you want them to have or not.

And here's the finished product

I made 15. I'm pretty privileged and have been making zines for over a decade now so it's almost like knitting or crochet for me. Feel free to make fewer copies or just one for yourself. It still counts.

I will stick some in each car and my bag. I have some medical appointments coming up so I will for sure be leaving some of these in the waiting room.

I'm also going to keep an eye out for Little Free Libraries and other place where people are looking for something to read. I might also toss some on the tables of a coffee shop I pop into sometimes (masked, take out only) and the library to pick up books (also masked).

I tend not to give them to specific people, even people I know, because people are way more open to information they've picked up themself than something it feels like someone is pressuring them to read. But if people bring it up in conversation, I'll be sure to offer a copy to anyone who is interested.

Hope this is helpful!

Go out there and print!

[rigelmejo]

Some language learning apps:

Notifyword - free, closest I cpuld find to a free alternative to Glossika with the feature to upload your own sentences/decks/spreadsheets, and it makes audio using TTS and plays them. However I did not test it enough to see if it schedules new/reviews so you don't need to manage figuring all that out yourself. It has potential, I will check into the app again in a year.

Smart Book by KursX - free, used to be my favorite app to read novels as it could do parallel sentence translation, then something broke on my version and it crashed whenever I opened a novel. Now any chinese book I add epub or txt shows me a black screen, no text, making the app unusable. Its easier to read in the web browser now. Which makes me sad because this app was so good back when I got it. Then something broke and I haven't been able to fix it. I paid for premium for this app I liked it so much, I'm really sad I can't see text in books in it anymore. If anyone knows how to fix this problem please let me know? Maybe it's a txt file setting? But then why do the epubs also not load text? Anyway great app... if it works for you. Sadly its broken for me.

Live Transcribe - I don't use this enough. It transcribes what people say (or audio), then you can click to translate the text.

LingoTube - only free app I know where I can put in a youtube video link, and it will make dual subtitles/let me replay the video line by line (including repeating a loop on one line), click translate individual words. Excellent for intensive listening. I'm usually lazy so I just watch youtube and look up an occasional word in Google Translate or Pleco. But this tool is excellent for intensively looking a lot up in a video/relistening to particular lines.

Duoreader - basic collection of parallel texts. No options to upload files, but super nice for what it is. Totally free.

Chinese:

Hanly - a new free app for learning hanzi. Looks great, has great mnemonics and sound information and you can tell it was made with love/a goal in mind. It's still new though so only the first 1000 hanzi have full information filled out, making it more useful for beginners. As the app is worked on more, I'm hoping it will become more useful for intermediate learners.

Readibu - free, great for reading webnovels just get it if you want to read chinese webnovels. You can import almost ANY webpage into Readibu to read, just paste the url into the search. So if you have a particular novel in mind you may want to do that instead of searching the app's built in genres.

Pleco - free, great for everything just get it if you're learning chinese. Great dictionary, great (one time purchase) paid features like handwriting, additional dictionaries, graded readers. Great SRS flashcard system, great Reader tool (and free Clipboard Reader which is 80% of what I use the app for - especially Dictate Audio feature which Readibu can't do).

Bilibili.com app - look up a tutorial, it is fairly easy to make an account in the US (and I imagine other countries) using your email. The algorithm is quite good at suggesting things similar to what you search. So once I searched a couple danmei, I got way more recommended. Once I searched one manhua video, more popped up. Once I searched one dubbed cartoon, more popped up. You can easily spend as much time on this as you'd like.

Weibo - you can browse tags/search without an account. I could not make an account with a US phone and no wechat account. Nice for browsing tags/looking up particular topics.

Japanese:

Tae Kims Grammar Guide - has an app version that's formatted to read easier on phones.

Yomiwa - this is the dictionary app I use for japanese on android.

Satori Reader - amazing graded reader app for japanese with full audiobooks for each reader (which you can listen to individual sentences of on repeat if desired), individual grammar explanations for each part, human translations for each word and sentence. When I start reading more this is what I want to use. Too expensive right now unless I'm reading a bunch, as only the first chapter (or first few) of each graded reader is free. I would suggest checking out the free Tadoku Graded Readers first online, then coming to this app later.

[daxeek]

Art Resources!

I've been actively involved in a few different art critique communities for the past 4 years, and I've noticed that most people seem to struggle with a lot of the same things. Here are the resources I suggest to people the most. Feel free to add onto this!

Guides

This composition guide by genicecream here on Tumblr, which was the first thing to make composition really click for me:

This absolutely excellent guide by SpongeBob storyboard director Sherm Cohen, which goes into a lot of different things, but mainly storytelling and posing. It is critical for anyone working with storytelling in art, even if it's not as stylized as SpongeBob!:

This guide to edges by Marco Bucci on YouTube:

This video series about design theory by Sinix that is absolutely essential for character design, composition, and pretty much doing any work with visual art at all.

The Schweizer guide to spotting tangents explains itself. Everyone should read this. There is also an updated version here with even more information!

Tools

Pick a head angle using a 3D model and be given a matching human or animal reference photo (credit to @selfish-ghost for initially posting these to Tumblr).

Line of Action is a well-known reference photo website that provides randomized references set to a timer. They currently offer full figures, animals (including bugs), hands and feet, faces, basic shapes, and environment scenes. They have a really awesome tutorial for figure drawing here that only takes 15 minutes!

Adorkastock has both a huge backlog of reference photos with a TON of different action poses (of models with varying body types) and another timed reference photo tool!

Quickposes and Sketchdaily also offer timed reference photo tools.

Earthsworld is a wonderful collection of high quality candid reference photos of people spanning all the way back to 2003. This is an excellent resource if you're looking to break out of sameface syndrome.

This virtual lighting studio by zvork allows you to make custom lighting setups on 4 different 3D models (including 1 darker skinned model).

William Nguyen on Artstation has male and female Asaro-inspired 3D head models that are rotatable with customizable lighting, intended to show the planes of the face.

[uniquexusposts]

Her || Charles Leclerc

Main characters: Charles Leclerc x OC Genre: fanfiction, fluff  Story type: novel  Part: 46/45 Word count: 2969 Co writer: @mistrose23

Story summary: Matilde Jørgensen, the new Scuderia Ferrari team principal, faced the nerve-wracking challenge of reviving the team's fortunes and aiming for a championship. Leading a historic team as a 'newbie' and separating her work and personal opinions posed a significant challenge. The big question: is she capable to do so?

Previous chapter

Bonus chapter

Matilde clicked send and watched the email disappear from her screen. It was nearly noon, and she had granted herself a break once the financial update was out of her hands. Luckily, she had an entire team who could handle the details, but they still needed her final word (even though she still had no idea what was going on. No, only joking). She leaned back in her chair, stretched her arms overhead until her spine popped, then stood and walked away.

The Ferrari HQ was quiet, the usual hum of keyboards and half-muted meetings fading as she passed the open-plan desks. Outside, the sun was warm, something she was finally getting used to. She squinted against the light as she crossed the parking lot toward the bike rack. Her bicycle was one of seven parked there. The light green city bike she had bought nearly fifteen years ago as a student in Copenhagen, was still delivering excellent service. Except today, the chain had slipped off, again, and was hanging awkwardly from the gear.

She unlocked the bike, placed her right foot on the pedal, and pushed off with her left, gliding forward like she was stepping through water. At the side entrance of the garage, she manoeuvred inside and found a free workspace to claim. What a luxury, having something like this available at work, and being allowed to use it. She grabbed her phone, opened YouTube, and searched for a tutorial on fixing a slipped chain. It wasn't her first time doing it, but it had been a while. Sure, there were plenty of people around who could fix it in seconds, but that wasn't the point.

She was avoiding work. And fixing her bike felt like a perfectly justifiable excuse.

She tied her hair up into a messy bun, flipped the bike upside down with a small grunt, and began collecting a few scattered tools while watching the video.

"Matilde," said a familiar voice.

She glanced over her shoulder. Galileo was lowering himself into one of the metal chairs nearby. His expression shifted as he took in the scene before him. "Galileo," she replied, casually.

"You do know we have actual mechanics who also could do that?"

"I'm aware."

"You also know they're literally right down the hall."

"Yup."

He crossed his arms, like he was about to launch into a lecture, but instead paused, eyeing the way she was crouched beside the bike, carefully inspecting the chain. "I will never understand the love people have for bicycles."

"Trust me, it's a love-hate relationship," she muttered. "I grew up with this thing. Cycling's just... part of life. And when I bike to work, I don't have to force myself to work out later. Win-win."

He rubbed a hand over his forehead. "Even after five years, you still manage to surprise me."

"Glad I'm keeping things interesting."

Silence settled between them, interrupted only by the clink of metal tools and the occasional Danish voice from the YouTube tutorial. Galileo watched her, the usual quick confidence in his chest giving way to a creeping wave of guilt. He had thought this through. Rehearsed it. But now, sitting here, he wasn't sure anymore. What if he was wrong? What if this was a mistake?

He didn't want to disappoint her. Not her. He respected Matilde too much for that, more than she probably knew.

"Ow," she hissed suddenly, pulling her hand back. "Fucking hell. Just when my nails were perfect, this fucking bullcrap happens." She sighed, examining the smudge of grease and broken nail. "Whatever."

The way she still biked to work, the fact she was down here trying to fix the damn thing herself... Galileo swallowed the tightness in his throat. He would never meet another boss like her. Not even close. Matilde was... special. One of one. If someone asked him to explain why, he wouldn't even know where to start.

"I, uh..." he finally said, his voice uneven. Matilde looked up, focused on him now. He took a breath. "I really need to tell you something. And it's getting very hard not to just blurt it out." He tried to smile, but failed. "Can we move our dinner to lunch instead?"

She smiled at him. "Yeah, sure."

"Perfect," he said, nodding a little too eagerly.

But she didn't look away. Her eyes narrowed, studying him. Something was off. He was avoiding eye contact, his fingers fidgeting against the chair. She looked around her to see if anyone was there and tilted her head.

"What?" he asked, trying to sound neutral.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Her voice was quiet, gentle, even, but carried that unmistakable edge of clarity she always had when she had already figured it out.

His heart dropped. He looked around instinctively, like someone might have overheard them. "I..." He swallowed hard. "I'm sorry."

He braced for her reaction... but it didn't come. Not how he expected.

She didn't look angry, or disappointed. She just... froze. Her expression went neutral, cold even. And yet, her eyes shimmered, tears starting to gather. That contradiction startled him. For five years, he had seen her face crises, failures, brutal headlines, and back-to-back race weekends. Never like this.

"No," he said slowly, blinking, when the realisation hit him. "Wait. Are you leaving too?"

She didn't answer. Not right away.

Tears welled in his eyes now, uninvited. "Matilde..."

But then she smiled. Not a big one, not a triumphant one, just something soft, and oddly peaceful. She gave him a little nod. "Surprise," she whispered.

He stared at her, dumbfounded.

"God," she breathed out, rubbing her hands over her face, "shit," she mumbled when she realised she was probably smearing the grease all over her face. She looked at him again. "I didn't want to say it, thank you for saying it first. I've been having the worst anxiety about how to bring it up."

Galileo let out a laugh, wet with relief and disbelief all at once. "I thought I was going to ruin everything."

Matilde shook her head. "You're not ruining anything. We're just... both done."

He leaned forward, elbows on knees. "Wow."

"Yeah."

They sat in the quiet hum of the garage, surrounded by half-finished projects, motors, and oil-stained tools, two people on the edge of big change, still grounded by a broken bike and an overdue conversation.

"Why and when?" Galileo then curiously asked. "I swear, I don't know how you did this, but you hid everything really well."

She shook her head. "Trust me, it was not. But I handed in my letter this morning." Matilde nodded when she saw his questionable face. She licked her lips. "Because I bought a house. In Denmark. My dream house since I was a kid and... I just had to buy it when it was for sale. It was literally now or never. And I just want to start a family."

"With whom?"

Her face straightened. "I don't care. I just want to be available for that. I want to have children, with or without a donor. I mean, I always need a donor to get pregnant, but you get the point. And if I'm lucky to birth one myself, obviously."

He smirked at her babble. "I get it, I get it."

"And because I'm done here, I've done what I wanted to do and I'm ready for someone else to take it over."

He nodded. She explained it so simply, but he noticed the imperfections Matilde had for this job since this year. She was still the very best and on top of her game, but the sparkle wasn't always there anymore. Not like it used to be. "Congratulations," he smiled.

"Thanks. And you?"

He shrugged. "Felt it was the right time to leave. I'm done with F1 and I'm moving to Australia because why not?"

"Yeah, why not?" A laugh rolled over her face, which made him smile as well. "No, honestly, Galileo, go for it. You deserve it."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it," he gratefully smiled. "Anyway, should I book a meeting for tomorrow, or do you want to wait?"

"Mate, that is something for later. First, I need to hear everything from you. Once I'm done fixing this bike, we will go out for lunch. I need to tell the boys first about our departure, then I will book a general meeting myself. No worries." Matilde took a deep breath. "Holy shit," she mumbled.

His heart fluttered. This is why she was the best boss. "Sure." He looked around, still no one in sight. "But what will you do for this year's title?"

"I don't care. Charles has two titles, Max has two titles with Ferrari, I have four titles with Ferrari, and we are running for two titles this year. We are not even halfway through yet. I don't care who wins, as long as no one dies and gets injured. We just need to enjoy the last half, and that's it. Unless, when are you leaving?"

"Finishing this season."

They locked each other's gaze, taking a moment to embrace the calm before the storm.

–

Max gave Charles a brief wave to let him know he had seen him, then cruised slowly down the street in search of a parking spot. He found one quickly, slid into it, and headed toward the building. Charles was just about to go in, but paused when he noticed Max approaching. He was holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Nice bouquet," Max said, eyeing it as he joined him. It had been Charles's turn to buy one.

"It screamed her name," Charles smirked, glancing down at the wild arrangement. As the main characters, two red roses nestled among the chaos, because why not? "After five years, I never would have thought that we would have our monthly work dinner at her house after all." It made him think of the offer she made this afternoon:

"Are you in for dinner tonight?"

Charles raised an eyebrow at his boss, who entered the sim office, a slow grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He straightened up, arms folding across his chest like a man preparing for a challenge he had been waiting for years.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Matilde?" he asked, his voice laced with mischief. "Should I let you pick the place, or do I have to come up with something classy?"

She rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "In your dreams, Charles."

The thing was... he had. For five years. Five years of dreaming about someone who felt just out of reach, even when she was standing right in front of him. Strong. Untouchable. Unavailable. And yet, there she was.

"Seven o'clock. My place," she added casually, turning to leave.

Dangerous place. Too familiar. Too personal. Too close to everything he had spent five years pretending not to want.

"Do you know where Max is?" she asked, glancing back over her shoulder.

Oh. Right. That was more on brand. Dinner wasn't a date. It was logistics. And why would anything change now, after all this time? Charles cleared his throat, forcing his thoughts back into order. "He's over at aero, last I saw."

She gave a short nod, that easy, unreadable smile on her face. "Perfect. I'll cover dinner." And just like that, she was gone. Still close. Still untouchable. And Charles was left exactly where he had always been; with a grin, a stupid flicker of hope, and absolutely no idea what seven o'clock was going to mean.

"We got promoted, apparently," Max said dryly. Still, he thought, if anyone had gotten close to Matilde, it was Charles. Literally inside her. Not that it mattered. "You ever been here?" he asked.

"Nope. Just dropped her off once," Charles replied, though the answer was already obvious.

"I have. Not often."

As they made their way to the entrance, they passed a pizza delivery guy scanning the nameplates. He held up the boxes in question. "Matilde?" he asked.

Max stepped forward. "Yeah, we'll take those."

The guy blinked, shrugged, and handed them over. Max handed him two euros; everything he and Charles had in cash.

They carried the pizzas upstairs. When they reached her floor, the door was slightly ajar.

Max tapped his knuckles against it, then nudged it open with his elbow. "Special delivery!" he called.

Soft music played somewhere inside. A moment later, Matilde appeared in the hallway, curls thrown up in a messy twist and a few euros in hand. Her eyes flicked between them and the pizzas, then she smiled. "Oh. Hello. You stole those off the delivery guy?"

"Technically, we intercepted," Max said, placing the boxes on the counter. "Proactive hospitality."

"Very nice. Please tell me you tipped him?"

"Two euros," Max grinned. "All we had."

She leaned in to greet him with a quick kiss on the cheek. Charles held up the bouquet.

"These are for you."

Matilde's expression softened. Wildflowers. And two red roses. Charles and Max. Was that symbolic, or just Charles being dramatic? "They're beautiful," she said, voice quiet, almost cautious. She kissed his cheek too, and the scent of his cologne lingered a little too long. Dangerous.

He followed her into the living room, where Max had already claimed a spot on the couch. Charles glanced around and couldn't help but feel... charmed. The table was modest, white, wooden, with few colourful details. Not showy. No Ferrari-branded nonsense. Just Matilde. She had set this herself. "Nice setup," he said, genuinely.

"Thanks," she replied, gesturing for them to sit.

They ate quietly at first, hunger making conversation unnecessary. Charles took in the apartment. Clean lines, warm tones; a quiet blend of Italian soul and Scandinavian restraint. Nothing screamed racing or management, or status. Just like how she was.

He exhaled slowly. He didn't know why she had chosen to host the dinner at her place, but he was glad she had. It felt like the right place to say it; quiet, private. No eyes or ears but theirs.

"I need to get something off my chest," he said suddenly, then before he could second-guess it, he blurted, "I'm taking a sabbatical year next season."

Max and Matilde both froze.

"There," Charles added with a nervous laugh. "Finally said it. Been holding it in for weeks."

Max's eyes flicked from him to Matilde, waiting for her reaction. Her expression tightened; not angry, just stunned. And then it sank in. She was losing both her drivers. Max had announced his retirement at the start of the season: one last year, and then done. And now Charles. Sabbatical. No guarantees.

"I want to travel," Charles continued, filling the silence. "Backpack, maybe. I don't know yet. But I need a break. Just life, without racing. Then I'll see what happens." He looked at her, heart pounding. Still, she didn't say anything. She just nodded slightly and kept eating. Was that... passive-aggressive?

A long silence followed.

"What are you thinking?" Max finally asked, voice low. "Mattie... don't leave him hanging."

Matilde blinked, swallowed her bite, and straightened up. "Sorry," she said quickly, then turned to Charles. "I think it's a great decision. Go see the world while you can." Her smile was warm, but a little too careful. "I-"

Charles cut in. "What's your real reaction?"

He didn't want diplomacy. He wanted honesty.

She bit her lip. Then sighed. There were so many thoughts going through her mind. Her lips parted, and she looked at Charles. "I am out of words, I am so, so, so, sorry," she whispered. She really meant it. As team principal, this was her worst-case scenario. Two fantastic drivers were not racing for Ferrari next season, voluntarily. GP had resigned last week. This morning, Galileo had too. And now Charles. The pillars of her team were crumbling.

And then... her.

She covered her mouth with her hand and dropped her gaze.

But on the other hand, the team principal was resigning at the same time as her drivers and assistant. So technically, this wouldn't be the problem of the team principal anymore.

She had also resigned.

The irony wasn't lost on her.

And personally? She meant it, she thought Charles was doing something brave and admirable. She was even jealous. Backpacking the world? Freeing himself from everything? It sounded like something she had never allowed herself to do.

But what could she say now?

She cleared her throat and straightened up again. "Okay," she began. "Sorry for the awkward pause. Don't take it personally." Her voice steadied. "As team principal, I would like to thank you for the amazing years you have brought to Ferrari. There were ups and downs, moments we all learned from, we laughed, we had fun, we raced, we won, we lost, we grew. And you should be proud of it. I am proud of you. And it sounds so heavy, sabbatical year, I mean, you could be back the next season. Or not. You will see how it goes, right? Go with the flow." She took a sip of wine. "And personally, I am very happy for you, you should absolutely do it." And then she took another sip. "And personally, I'm really happy for you. You should absolutely do it."

Charles tilted his head. "But?"

Her eyes met his. He looked confused, disappointed. "I- fuck. I fucked that up," she muttered. "This wasn't how I wanted to react. Honestly, I don't even know how I should've reacted." She removed the hairclip from her hair and ran both her hands through it, frustrated. "I've been thinking about how to explain this to the board. Max is leaving, that's public. This morning I got Galileo's resignation. GP quit last week. Now you. And..." she paused for a breath, "...I handed in my resignation this morning too."

And just like that, the room shifted.

Max raised his brows, looking between the two of them. Charles turned to him, wide-eyed. Matilde exhaled, cheeks puffed, then took another sip of her wine.

"Well," Max said, grinning slowly. "How are you going to explain that to the board? Or the press? People are gonna think we staged some kind of protest." Then his grin widened. "But hey, that also means no more contracts after this season." He leaned in, playful. "And no contracts means..." He wiggled his eyebrows.

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