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teacupsandcyanide · 2 years

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how to customise your blog from within the app

With the whole Twitter exploding into a million tiny pieces situation we’re seeing a lot of people who haven’t been around for a good while or are completely/mostly new to Tumblr, and I’ve been seeing a lot of posts from regular tumblrinas saying “please change from the default icon and settings, you look like a bot”. I’ve been wanting to make some posts about fun ways to customise your tumblr experience and I thought I’d start with a basic bitch tutorial on what you can customise from within the app.

To give the app version of your blog the equivalent of a sick new haircut, go to the lil guy who lives in the bottom right? (?? I think it’s the right. I have dyscalculia but I promise I’m otherwise mostly reliable) side of your dash. Give him a smack on his phat bald head to gain entry to your profile page. Then go to the paint palette icon at the top of your profile.

From here you can change four five things:

Your blog title. This is different from your url and it doesn’t have to match your url or be unique, unless you personally feel the need to be unique. You can change it by tapping it to start editing; when you do you’ll see three menus come up. “Title” is where you change what the title is. “Font” allows you to select a font and some of the fonts have a bolded option. “Colour” will give you a colour sampler to pick a colour from. You don’t have to have a title and you can turn it off under the “font” menu, but having one will make it clearer that you aren’t a bot, especially if you don’t choose “sexyangiebabymilf6969” for your title.

Your bio. I have a Van Gogh quote because I have a separate about page*, so I’m fine letting my bio just be a faintly pretentious smudge of mystique. Other people will often have whatever name they go by online, their pronouns, and sometimes their age and what their main interests are, eg fandom, hobbies, special interests, you know, the neurodiverse slut stuff. People also put links there sometimes using html coding*, like the kids put their caard and some people put ko-fi. You can change your bio by tapping on it to edit. You don’t have to have a bio and can turn it off, but if you have one people will be much less likely to think you’re a bot, and they’ll get some vague idea of who you are and what content you like to paste into your online scrapbook.

Your blog background colour. This can be changed by tapping on the “background” button.

Your accent colour. This can be changed by tapping on the “accent” button.

Your header image. This can be changed by tapping on your header, and you’re able to zoom into a chosen picture to or drag it to reposition. You can also turn off your header or choose whether or not to stretch the image to the necessary size.

Your icon/avatar. This can be changed by tapping on the icon. You can choose to hide your avatar on your profile (it will still be visible on the dash), and select a square or round frame.

Extra note on colour customising. You can pick out a truly custom colour by messing about with the slider and colour sampler, but if you want quick and easy or you’re shite at colour sampling you can click on the circles of colour above the slider to see a range of different preset shades, including greyscale. Each circle has a range of a few pages you can swipe through. If they all turn out to be shite you can go back to the slider by clicking the rainbow circle.

Each time you change an aspect of your profile and are satisfied with it, hit “update” up in the corner before moving to the next thing. Once all the edits are made save them by hitting “save”, also in the upper corner.

Resources for headers and icons can be found by looking through the “headers” and “icons” tags. Please follow the rules of the people who make and share those (they’re usually just “don’t claim it’s your edit, don’t repost, and leave a like or reblog” but each person has their own). I’d also recommend image searching for patterns, as you can tile your header if you use a seamless pattern image, and looking through livejournal for icons (again, please follow creator rules, icons take time to make).

*This post is hopefully a precursor to a post or numerous posts about how you can customise your blog outside the app appearance, including adding pages and using coding to put links wherever you want, and I plan to link to more resources for customisation in said post/s. When/if I get around to writing that I’ll drop a link in a comment or reblog of this post.

Godspeed, have fun finding out how much of the bee movie script you can fit in your bio I remain ever faithfully yours etc

#tumblr tutes #Twitter refugees #Twitter refugee reading material #tumblr how to #hmp42

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no6secretsanta · 2 years

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The Painting of Mao

A/N: For @glorifiedscapegoat from @a-still-small-vox.

[Ao3 link] (now live!)

This AU popped into my head when I was doing the matches, and I was like, ‘Who likes AUs? Ah, I know. Mira!’ so I assigned myself to be your gifter. I understood your request to mean “if you write angst, give it a happy ending”, not “please write me angst with a happy ending and not something else”. I hope I interpreted that correctly, because this story is not very angsty. It does, however, have a happy ending. I really hope you enjoy it, and happy holidays!

P.S. The name of Shion’s town in this story, Maceria, means “wall”.

⁂

Shion sat before his easel, frowning as he idly scraped his palette knife back and forth against the edge of his palette. The said palette was a riot of colour, adorned with daubs of all the rainbow colours and splashes of all the unnameable colours in between. Blues and greys predominated, however, giving the impression that Shion might be painting a mystical ocean, perhaps under a sunset or struck by a fiery storm.

Shion’s smock was similarly adorned with flecks of colour, which he hadn’t even noticed before. This particular painting tended to cast a hypnotic spell on him, blotting out great chunks of time and holding his focus against all the needs of his body. Hunger, thirst, and exhaustion were no problem when in front of this canvas.

The trouble was, Shion didn’t actually know what he was painting. It wasn’t that he had no plan. Most, if not all of his artworks, were carefully planned beforehand. Clients had certain expectations after all. Shion specialised in portraits, and because paintings were expensive, they were usually portraits for the wealthy, so they had to be done right. So maybe this painting was a portrait? Shion didn’t know.

He didn’t know because his brain simply could not comprehend what he put down on the canvas every time he sat down before it. He could see shapes and colours, but when he tried to focus on them, they went fractal, kaleidoscopic.

The only thing he did know was that the painting compelled him. Every time he thought of discarding it, he got a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. It was irrational to feel like painting over, discarding, or donating a canvas for re-use was a crime akin to murder. And yet.

There was a knock on the doorframe behind Shion, and he turned his head to see his father standing there.

“Still working on that enchanted canvas, son?” he said.

“Dad…” Shion groaned, setting down his palette and palette knife on the table beside him. The canvas probably was enchanted or magical in nature. But he felt like his dad didn’t take that possibility seriously, and was just saying that to tease him.

“Still haven’t figured out how we can turn a profit on that thing. Maybe if it turns out to contain a long-lost prophecy or ancient hero. Then it’d be worth a pretty penny,” Shion’s dad continued.

“Daaaaaad…” Shion groaned again. “You never change.”

Shion’s dad laughed and winked. “Nope. And that’s why we’re the most profitable studio in Maceria.”

Although Shion’s mother had been born into a wealthy merchant family, she had chosen to marry a young woodworker instead of a person with an equal social standing to her own. Fortunately, her parents had given her enough money for Shion’s father to apprentice to a woodworking studio, where he learnt to make decorative frames and canvas stretchers, among other things. He had then encouraged his young son, Shion, to apprentice to a master painter so that they could establish their family business, where both painting and framing was done in-house. It wasn’t the first career that Shion would have chosen for himself, but he liked the intellectual aspect of it, the meticulous attention to detail, the analysis of the painting subject, the puzzle over which techniques to use to create the impression that he wanted the viewer of the painting to have. And he liked working with his father as well, for all the mischief he caused.

Shion rolled his eyes at his dad, who looked not the least bit discouraged.

“I’m done for the night. I’m heading up to see your mother and to have some of that leftover apple crumble she baked. Better hurry up or I’ll have the whole thing.”

Glancing back at the canvas, Shion felt a tug in his gut. He found his hand closing one of his paintbrushes before he even realised he’d moved. “I think I’m going to stay here for a while. Please don’t eat all of the apple crumble.”

“Don’t bet on it,” Shion’s dad said, although Shion suspected that his dad would save him some anyway. Shion’s dad turned towards the stairs that led to their apartment over the studio, and then paused. “Son… be careful with that thing.” He gave Shion a heavy look.

“It’s not evil…” Shion began, glancing at the painting out of the corner of his eye. “He – um, it is just… nervous. I think.”

“Well, it’s probably not evil because it hasn’t consumed you,” his dad said. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous. I think it’s probably fine, but you know how your mother worries.”

It’s enchanted, not cursed, was on the tip of Shion’s tongue. Instead, he just sighed.

“It’s fine, Dad. Go have your dessert.”

After lingering for a moment longer, Shion’s dad shrugged and then disappeared from the doorway. Shion heard the thuds of his footfalls on the stairs, until the door at the top of the stairs creaked open and then shut, and there was silence.

Shion closed his eyes. He took a deep, fortifying breath. Then, he turned back to the canvas with the paintbrush and palette in his hands.

“I’ve done everything I can to help you,” Shion muttered to the painting. “What do you want from me?”

The canvas with its mystifying swirl of colours failed to respond. But Shion noticed, for perhaps the first time, that the central form of the painting seemed to be very much akin to the shape of a human face.

So it is a portrait, then.

Shion resisted the urge to brush his fingers over the still-wet paint to feel the shape of it, as if by touch alone he could determine what colours were really underneath his fingers, and if the face that they might form was a kind one or a cruel one. He had a feeling that the person who was perhaps represented here was just as mysterious as the painting he – um, they were depicted in.

Before he had really anticipated it, Shion was gathering paint from his palette once more. His hand moved toward the canvas, and he fell into a soft oblivion.

Some time later, Shion let his aching arm drop with a sigh. He looked out the window, expecting to see a thick black swathe of night. But to his total shock, he saw a blush of pink on the horizon. It was the morning of the next day. Shion had painted all through the night, something that had never happened before.

It wasn’t just his arm that ached, but his whole body. His head throbbed. But when he looked at the table beside him, he saw a half-full glass of clean water and a plate with what looked suspiciously like crumble crumbs on it. Apparently, he’d gotten up to get food and water at some point, and hadn’t even known it. That had never happened before either.

Shion felt a pit in his stomach. Was I wrong about the portrait? Is it evil after all?

He couldn’t help but turn towards the portrait, to try and re-centre his understanding of it. When his eyes met the gleaming, river-grey eyes on the canvas, the room... stopped.

It was like being held in the centre of a crystal. Cocooned against the outside world in glass and in silence. All was still, the dust motes hanging in the air and the breeze that had ruffled the branches outside instantly pausing. Shion was caught between two breaths, suspended.

And he could see, really see, for the very first time, what he had painted.

As he had suspected, a portrait. A man with grey eyes, at once dark and yet silvered with light. Shion had never seen eyes like that before, though somehow he had painted them – or the man had compelled him to paint them that way. He had pale, delicate skin with long, blue-grey hair tied up in a curious ponytail knot behind his head, its soft strands charmingly framing his face. Another colour Shion had never seen.

Behind the man was a verdant forest. But the sky was not blue, but grey with smoke that rose from the trees in plumes. Here and there Shion caught glimpses of the red and orange of fire. Seeing it made his stomach turn, for reasons he didn’t understand.

“You’re beautiful,” Shion couldn’t help but softly say to the man in the portrait. “And mysterious…” he sighed, running a hand through his already-messy brown hair. “I wish I knew your name.”

The man’s grey eyes seemed to gleam.

There was a word on the tip of Shion’s tongue.

“Hmmm,” Shion hummed. Yes. It came to him all in a rush, then – “Nezumi.”

The man’s dark eyelashes fluttered.

“Hello, O Mighty Painter,” said Nezumi. Shion could hear the playful irreverence in his voice. Like Nezumi’s face, his voice was mysterious and beautiful. His words were formed more like a song than like speech.

“My name is Shion. And you’re amazing,” Shion breathed.

“No vocabulary, and no sense of self preservation. You should be worried that I’ve been stealing your will.”

Shion shook his head. “No you haven’t.” It was true. Although Shion had felt uneasy about being compelled, he’d never felt that he wanted to stop working on the painting, that he couldn’t get free. He’d known he was under a spell, but he’d been okay with that.

Nezumi raised an eyebrow, and Shion caught his breath as he noticed the elegance of the simple movement.

“Who are you – really?” Shion said.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Nezumi said, but then relented. “Fine. I owe you that much.”

Shion looked into Nezumi’s grey eyes, and he began to speak.

“I am a nymph, a forest spirit, bound to a tree in the Mao forest. My tribe lived there in peace until a fire was started by greedy humans who wanted the land for their cattle. We all hid our spirits away in our trees, knowing that our magic and their strength together would make them resilient against the fire.

“Most of us survived, but our trees grew sick and weak when their leaves were burned. Some of my tribe and my family were able to escape, but I was too weak to leave my tree. The humans came back and saw an opportunity. They cut down all the trees that had not been turned to ash by the fire, some of them with spirits inside them and some of them without.

��The tree I was in was made into a canvas stretcher. So you see, it isn’t actually the canvas which is ‘enchanted’, but the stretcher. And it’s not enchanted, but inhabited.”

Nezumi smiled a dangerous smile, his white teeth gleaming. “And that is how I came to be in your painting, human.”

Shion didn’t reply, but simply stared.

“Well?” Nezumi said. “Are you an idiot? Speak.” The sting in the words was lessened by the slight tinge of worry in his voice.

Shion blinked. Then, he was wiping his eyes with his sleeve, heedless of the thin purple paint streaks he was leaving across his cheeks and nose.

“That’s horrible!” he burst out. “Didn’t those humans know that you lived in that forest?”

Nezumi looked taken aback, but then shrugged. “It’s not like they would have cared.”

“They’re worse than scum!” Shion burst out, still watery. “I’m sorry that happened to you, Nezumi. It was a travesty! But –” And here he was struck with a thought, “Now that I’ve painted you, can you come out of the stretcher? Can you go find your family?”

There was a pause, where Nezumi looked Shion straight in the eyes. “With the grace of the one who painted me, I can.”

“Me?” Shion said. “Of course I’ll help you, Nezumi. But what do you need me for?”

“You are the only one who really sees me. You are the only one who can speak me into reality once more. But beware, Shion. If you don’t truly know me, I may not turn out to be the person I’m supposed to be.”

Shion drew back, pondering the weight of Nezumi’s words. “You mean… if I just expect anyone to appear, it won’t work? Or… if I imagine you wrong, you’ll turn out wrong?”

Nezumi only shrugged enigmatically.

Narrowing his eyes, Shion tapped one finger against his lips. How could he know Nezumi, when he’d met him just tonight? Shion wanted to help him get out of the painting as fast as possible, but what if he needed more time to get to know him?

But now was the singular moment. Somehow he knew that this crystal moment was perhaps the only chance he’d get to speak Nezumi back to his rightful existence.

It’s now or never.

“Alright,” Shion said, talking aloud. “I’ll do it. Just… stay still.”

Nezumi rolled his eyes. “Shion, I’m a painting.”

“No, you’re a canvas stretcher. Be quiet.”

But Nezumi kept chuckling as Shion closed his eyes and tried to think.

What did he know about Nezumi from all those days he’d sat before this canvas with a palette in his hand, drawn to complete it without really knowing why?

It came to him, from the depths of his mind. He did know who Nezumi was. Someone who was sarcastic and prickly, distant, and yes – hurt. But at the same time, someone with a quick intelligence and humour, interesting and clever. And beneath his cool exterior, there was someone who was warm, who cared.

Nezumi could have driven Shion to complete the painting at a back-breaking pace, and Shion would have told himself it was the fire of inspiration, and let him. And yet, Nezumi hadn’t taken advantage of him. In fact, he’d sent Shion packing off to bed more than once when Shion had wanted to keep working, to hasten the uncovering of the mystery. Looking into the depths of Nezumi only reinforced what Shion already knew.

This painting is not evil, it is not cursed. It is good. And Nezumi is my friend.

“Alright,” Shion said, opening his eyes and giving a sharp nod. “I’m ready.”

Nezumi let out a breath. Although it was subtle, Shion thought he could see the muscles around his eyes tighten.

“Then hold me in your mind, and reach out for my hand.”

Shion closed his eyes, and held thoughts of Nezumi behind them like water held in cupped hands. He reached forward, farther and farther than he should have been able to with a canvas and easel in front of him. Then his fingers brushed warm skin. Nezumi’s hand tightened around Shion’s, and Shion pulled.

The world turned upside down. There was a clattering sound as wood hit tile. Shion opened his eyes, and there was a man standing in front of him, head and body and arms and legs and all, taller than Shion and still clutching his hand.

Nezumi.

“You’re here,” Shion breathed, and then a bell rang, and then the crystal silence shattered.

The world turned right again. Shion and Nezumi were standing in Shion’s studio, the easel and canvas lying on the floor behind Nezumi. Behind him, the sunrise had reached the top of the sky, burnishing the room with warm morning colours.

“You’re here!” Shion said again, delight suffusing his voice. He dropped Nezumi’s hand and threw his arms around him.

“Oof,” Nezumi huffed out. “Is this how you treat every stranger you meet?”

And yet his arms came up to enfold Shion’s body, and gripped tight and warm and real. And Nezumi pressed a kiss to Shion’s brown hair.

#no. 6 #no.6 #no 6 #no6 #nezumi #shion #nezushi #the painting of mao #glorifiedscapegoat #a-still-small-vox #a still small vox #voxiferous #vox

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blouptalking · 2 years

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Boy’s Abyss

Shounen no Abyss

Minenami Ryo

114 chapters (ongoing)

drama, psychological, tragedy

TW: suicide, eating disorder, rape, sexual assault, bullying, pedophilia, nudity

“In a town with nothing, in the middle of a daily life with seemingly no signs of change, high schooler Reiji Kurose was "just" living. Family, dreams for the future, childhood friends. All of them were binding him down to that city. He thought he would "just" keep on living like that. Until he met her. Is there hope in living? Is there light waiting ahead? It's the start of a boy meets girl series which reflects the "now".”

(resume from AniList)

Story: 8/10

Pfiou that was something. I haven’t read a manga with so many chapters in a while so I think I’ll have a lot to say on this one. First of all, I feel like the summary of the story does not explain the entire plot and that it is misleading in a way. I was expecting a story about a boy who has met his all-time favorite idol, but it turns out that this idol is not all bright and pretty and, basically, just that. However, it turned out that Nagi Aoe, the idol, was not even a recurrent character in the story. She’s important for the plot, yes, but she doesn't show up much and other characters easily take center stage in the manga. I was also very disappointed in the first 20 chapters and I almost dropped the manga because minispoiler alert: in 20 chapters the MC fucked/kissed all the female character introduced at least once. I really thought it was some kind of fanservice and I was dealing with some kind of silly harem manga hidden under the cover of a "deeply depressing manga". But the scenes were meaningful to the story, I suppose. It also stops far later in the story and there are fewer scenes like that. Even though there was some things I didn't really appreciate in the story, I think every struggle and sensitive issues were well presented. I wouldn’t say that it was well developed thought.

Art: 9/10

Lovely. Very lovely. Everything looked great. Especially the colour pages and the volume covers. I love the color palette chosen by the artist.

The only thing missing from a 10/10 is that sometimes some panels were full of bubble talk. Like FULL of them. And I know it was probably to accentuate the craziness of the character, but I'm not going to lie I just skipped those pages...

Cast: 6/10

Come to think of it, the main character wasn't so interesting. His character could be resumed to a boy getting sexually and mentally abused by every woman around him. The female characters of this manga were either very annoying or non-existent to the story. I hated every pages with Chako in it (fuck her I swear), and the mother, Yuko, scared me. I have the impression that the teacher was the only well-written character. While what she did to Reiji was very wrong, the entire relationship was very well depicted as toxic. It shows that no matter the context, the student is always the victim in a teacher-student relationship. Because the teacher is older and have more power over the student so they can manipulate them very easily.

Enjoyment: 6/10

I had planned to give an 8/10 to this manga because I enjoyed my reading session. But I just had a nap and the whole thing was repeating itself in my head while I was sleeping. On top of the fact that I'm really sick today, I blame this manga for the atrocious headache I'm having right now. It doesn't make sense and the manga isn't to blame for my disease, but I don't care, I need somebody to blame hehe.

Overall: 7/10

#Boy’s Abyss #Shounen no Abyss #manga review #manga recommendation #book recommendations #manga #seinen #bloup review

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alexsfictionaddiction · 1 year

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Review: Valentine Crow and Mr Death by Jenni Spangler

I really enjoyed Jenni Spangler’s previous book The Vanishing Trick and was highly intrigued about her latest. The colour palette on this cover is beautiful too, so of course I had to give it a go.

Valentine Crow has lived in the Foundling Hospital since he was born but now that he’s 12, he’ll be taking up an apprenticeship -apparently with Death himself! But then his best friend Philomena’s name appears on the list of souls to take and Valentine is desperate to save her. Can he cheat Death?

I don’t know whether it’s because I was reading a galley rather than the finished article but I wanted more illustrations within the book. The style on the cover is gorgeous and I think a few more interesting pieces of art would have been lovely. Usually, a lack of illustrations don’t really bother me in ARCs but as this was such a visual story, it really needed more! (I haven’t seen the finished copy -let me know if it is heavily illustrated!)

The humour reminded me of Terry Pratchett, which was really charming and nostalgic. However, I wanted more of it. I understand that it is possible to overdo comedy in books but this one had nowhere near enough!

Captain Bones was a lovely addition. He really didn’t need to exist but I love that he did. Animals can be constant companions, even defying the boundaries of mortal realms and I really enjoyed that sentiment.

My favourite thing about the book was the library and how it was used in a pretty unique way. The idea of librarians as angels really made me smile and I loved the metaphor of our lives being unfinished books. However, I really wanted a full illustration of it because I did struggle to picture the layout and walk around it, as I like to do in the settings I visit.

It gets pretty philosophical at times too and I appreciated the depths that this silly, whimsical story went to. It has a lot to say about humans, the complexities of their lives and positive ways of dealing with them, which is really great to see in a children’s book.

There is also exploration of the concept of kindred spirits and it came at a time when Valentine is feeling unloved and unwanted. Death cheers him up with an important lesson that things get better when you find your tribe. I love that found family is now a common feature in books of many genres because I don’t remember it being a prominent thing in the books I read as a kid. However, found family celebrate people who have chosen to love each other and every time, it’s so beautiful.

Valentine Crow and Mr Death is a quirky, funny adventure with some unique ideas. I wanted a few more visual aids and perhaps a more cohesive plot because I got lost around halfway through, so I’m sure some younger readers would too. However, I really enjoyed my experience reading it and will be a great October TBR addition.

#valentine crow and mr death #jenni spangler #middle-grade #fantasy #book review #review #books #bookworm

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i-draws-dinosaurs · 3 years

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David Armsby’s ‘Old Buck’: A Review

youtube

So by now most of you are probably aware of the short film Old Buck by David Armsby (AKA Dead Sound) that came out today and has singlehanded become one of the best pieces of dinosaur media I have ever seen in my life. I haven’t really done a review-format-type-thing before but this really make me want to give it a shot. So, in advance, my short review is that this film is absolutely incredible, and you should all go and watch it a million times over like I have. Now, to say that in a much more long-winded way!

I’ve been a fan of Dead Sound for years, ever since I was introduced to his first dinosaur short Sharp Teeth, which is the precursor to this series in a lot of ways. I’m also a huge fan of his Autodale series, set in a dark retrofuturistic dystopian world, that slowly uncovers the mechanisms behind why the world is the way it is and who is secretly pulling the strings.

Old Buck tonally and visually feels like a direct successor to Sharp Teeth, exploring similar themes and being presented in a similar way, but as great as Sharp Teeth is I feel like Old Buck is in every way more mature and superior to its predecessor.

Visually the film is absolutely spectacular. I’m always a complete sucker for a limited colour palette and the blues and greys and pinks that Armsby has chosen are stunning. Trans Rights Styracosaurus is beautiful and I love it. His modelling and texturing of the animals has gotten more and more detailed over the years he’s been making films, but they still retain a lovely simplicity and stylisation that works fantastically with the unshaded flat coloured style.

The dinosaurs are, simply put, absolutely top notch. These are unreservedly the best dinosaurs I have ever seen on film. The protagonist Old Buck is absolutely overflowing with character without ever being overly anthropomorphised, with the broken horn, plant-matted horns and scars making him feel old and weathered and worn but still full of strength and steel.

I genuinely tried to come up with enough nitpicks to fill a paragraph in this review and I do not have enough! That is just how well Armsby has done his research, and while there’s a couple things I personally might have done differently that is 100% an art style thing, and has nothing to do with accuracy or scientific validity. Just,,, wow these dinosaurs are so good.

There’s also some wonderful variation between members of the same species in the Styracosaurus, with different arrangements and forms of horn and different colour patterns, which must have been so much extra work to put in but it’s so worth it. It makes them feel like a group of individual and varied animals.

The way that the dinosaurs are treated within the frame of the story is fantastic too, and it’s one of my favourite things about Armsby’s work in general. He often includes running themes of nature being neither benevolent nor malevolent, that there are no heroes or villains in nature, simply animals trying to survive. The Old Buck is our protagonist, but he is not the Hero. The rival male is the antagonist who opposes the Old Buck, but he is not the Villain, nor are the Daspletosaurus that watch from the sidelines.

Another thing I absolutely love is the decision to not have any narration. Sharp Teeth had a poem as narration, and while that poem is great I think removing any narration for Old Buck was absolutely the right choice to make. It lets the visual storytelling stand on its own, and that visual storytelling is lovely. I particularly like the part where the rival male uses the same move on his first opponent and on the Old Buck, but when he attempts to use it a third time Old Buck has learned from it and changes his strategy, turning the tide of the fight. That’s the kind of thing that could have been made blatantly obvious with narration, but the visuals are strong enough that they do not need it and the film is absolutely better for that!

Speaking of visuals, I’m just gonna end this review off with some of the absolutely stunning cinematography and composition in this short because if me gushing about it for 700 words hasn’t convinced you to watch it then you should at least see how insanely pretty this film is. This was all made by one person by the way.

So yeah, this is an absolutely stunning and beautiful outing for David Armsby’s Dinosauria series. Everything about it is such a breath of fresh air that dinosaur media desperately needs, and I am beyond hyped for the next instalment!

#old buck #old buck film #dinosaurs #dinosauria #dead sound #david armsby #paleoart #palaeoart #palaeontology #paleontology #review #styracosaurus #prehistoric #palaeoblr

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mithrilwren · 5 years

Audio

While I was working on this art piece, I quickly became overwhelmed by the thought of Essek experiencing his first sunrise on the deck of the Balleater. That emotion, much to my surprise, became this song. I haven’t tried my hand at songwriting since university days, but I guess this episode just brought it out of me :) Full lyrics below the cut!

Edit: After a few requests, now available on Soundcloud! To download the track, click ‘More... > Download original file’.

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First light, falling on the deck and burning through my skin Just an itch against the ache of shame that’s burning from within Only yesterday I swore I’d never look their way again But it all looks different in the morning

First light, casting shades of colour in a different hue Lines of red and gold, a warmer palette than the one I knew And I’m wondering if there’s something brighter growing in me too It all looks different in the morning Oh, what a fool I’ve been To open my lonely heart and let seven more in They say that I’m one of them, well, how could that be? Drown this ocean in forgiveness, would it be enough for me? First light, I hear the captain’s bell calling from below One last chance to ask the question: should I stay or do I go? Only yesterday I thought I’d chosen 30 years ago But it looks different And it looks different And it feels different So if change comes at you sideways, without warning Maybe I could be different In the morning

#critical role #cr spoilers #essek thelyss #essek #i don't think there's a tag for fansongs lmao #this was written and recorded in the space of an afternoon #so im shocked that im as happy with it as i am

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blastoisemonster · 3 years

Photo

Pokèmon World Magazine: Porygon Net (Various Issues)

We’ve had a very long streak of Photoset posts lately, didn’t we? Let’s have a little break from anime and tie-in games and let’s go back to oldschool Pokèmon and my favourite childhood magazine, Pokèmon World!

This summer I'm working on my own portfolio site: it's getting built from scratch and, due to the kind of art it's going to showcase, I'm designing its layout to look like one of those old personal pages a lot of Internet users used to have back in the first 2000s. This choice was also influenced by one of my childhood dreams, which was, infact, owning a corner of the Net all for myself; without the right equipment or spare money to purchase a domain, though, the idea of having my page online was only hypotetical, so all I could do was designing some cute layouts on Microsoft Frontpage and admiring what others were doing. Of course, as Pokèmon was my main interest at the time, I found the Porygon Net section of Pokèmon World mag to be extra inspirational.

Porygon Net was a very small section with just a double page: every month, the magazine's staff would choose and review an italian site dedicated to everyone's favourite monsters. These online corners were, most of the times, built by fellow readers and fans who sometimes even wrote back either by mailing the staff or boasting about it on their site's news section, thanking for the feature and the subsequent wave of new visitors. As these places were built by teens or even kids (I may have seen some online pages managed by 10 year olds at the time o.o), their quality varied greatly depending on their web-making skills: some were very simplistic, other more orderly and neat, and some... showed potential, but needed more work. Pokèmon World's staff, though, never mocked these attempts, and instead also published suggestions to make certain parts of the site more functional and pleasing to the eye. I found this very encouraging, and I wonder if many of these people have continued with a career in the online world.

I went and browsed among my mag issues to find some sites to showcase: I mostly picked the ones that stuck in my mind since reading about them, or that I actually used to visit back in the day. Wayback Machine may have not been kind to the italian community, and I fear the majority of these sites are now lost; however, I'll post links if, surprisingly, I find them still alive!

Issue 4: Pokemon Mania

The pictures have been displayed in chronological order, but I still would've chosen to display this site first as I used to actually visit it before it was featured on Pokèmon World. Due to its easy and straightforward name, Pokèmon Mania was one of the first fansites to show up on the search engine if you ever looked for more Pokèmon content. It was managed by a guy with the alias of Professor Kao, and the whole feeling of the site was that of a Pokemon lab at the start of your monster journey. Though it wasn't exactly a marvel in terms of layout esthetic, the site aimed to amaze with content: it had simple browser fangames, a section dedicated to drawing tutorials (with pictures taken from japanese sources- which at the time were very scarce and hard to get!), many sections dedicated to the Cardgame (apparently, the main focus of Kao's Pokèmon interests) and its live tournaments, and one centered on the monsters' trivia. One very interactive section even proposed quizzes given by the webmaster himself that visitors could answer via mail: Kao would then contact winners and even send out special official merch like Pokèmon Center plushies or other branded toys. Generous! This site has been preserved in the Wayback Machine with a lot of snapshots, though unfortunately without many graphics. We can still navigate and read most of the sections!

Issue 20: Pokemon Museum

My second site of choice striked me with its very homely layout: even looking at the snapshot in its article feels like I'm viewing a cozy corner of the Net, in which the webmaster poured its personal thoughts and passions more than providing a service like PokèmonMania did. The issue is number 20 and quite some months have passed: online trends regarding these kind of pages had changed a bit and now people preferred to offer their own content instead of copy-pasting what Nintendo produced. Pokèmon Museum's graphics have all been drawn by the owner, Kabutops: the background texture, banner, and a lot of the graphics all around the sections! Kudos for being to prolific and precise during a period in which digital art still hadn't reached its peak popularity, and drawing tablets were only restricted to professionals. Going past the many sections dedicated to the anime, games and lore, one interesting aspect was the beginning of affiliates: fellow webmasters were starting communicating with eachother and sharing their visits by dedicating a little button to other sites. I loved the affiliates section because, once finished looking through a site, I could click on the cute little rectangle banners and find myself in another home without passing from Google searches! But webmasters wouldn't affiliate with everyone, and for the purpose of only interacting with other best Pokèsites, awards had become popular as well: graphics that people would exchange after rating a site and feeling impressed with their content, presentation, or popularity. Pokèmon Museum's magazine review focused on its affiliates and the awards, inviting fellow readers to have their site reviewed by Kabutops. Unfortunately, the site is not present on Wayback Machine. I'll never know if Kabutops came back updating its museum after summer vacations :(

Issue 35: TBPS

Let's have another jump of several months; issue 35 featured a page under the bigger domain Pokevalley and named itself The Best Pokèmon Page, rather narcissistic! This was one of those rare times Pokèmon World featured an english-speaking site. The layout doesn't impress me too much, yet the fact that the header reads "Crystal Water Version" conveys that the webmaster(s) used to periodically change aspect and palette of their site, an activity that proved to be very prolific for many page owners at the time: sites were often in construction, and people were experimenting with different colours or HTML code tricks to impress viewers and reviewers, have as many affiliates as possible and collect positive awards from other sites. Such was popularity, back in the day! The site has a long menu with many sections dedicated to the main games and movies; although, none of those pages were catching anyone’s attention anymore as everyone had the same copypasted guides and info; instead, what’s interesting is the hefty section dedicated to browser games, the big menu with pages concerning the site and staff themselves, and the oekaki board! Oekakis were very popular in that period, as it allowed fellow aspiring artists to meet eachother and show off their own skills by drawing live! If a site hosted one, they could quickly become a melting pot of creativity. Wayback Machine, sadly, doesn’t have anything concerning this site as well.

Issue 36: Arcywof

We’re back on italian sites with a page that definitely impressed even Pokèmon World’s staff for its pleasing graphics. When I first saw this among the magazine’s pages... my eyes lit up! I can’t hide that after seeing its beautiful palette, checkered background and condensed menu, teen me adopted Arcy & The Fire Pkmn as design guru: many of my subsequent mockup pages had exactly this layout, or variations of it. It’s too bad, though, that aside from the beautiful presentation, the site’s contents aren’t exactly interesting: the Pokèmon images are ripped straight from Nintendo’s official archives, and most sections are concerning the anime’s characters, episode plots, and broadcasting dates. However, Arcywof also offers a forum and a live chat, which definitely helped the staff build an interactive and affectionate community around it. Among all reviewed here, I’m most bitter that Wayback Machine hasn’t archived this site, because seriously, it’s a little jewel ;w; its pastel colours and checkered texture remind me of candy shops!

Issue 38: Pokemon Super Site

I wanted to finish this little jump in the past with a positive note and show at least one more saved address from Wayback Machine. Although not in its updated version originally featured in Pokèmon World Issue 38, Pokèmon Super Site has been archived and it’s more or less complete to explore. It’s too bad a lot of the graphics haven’t survived but hey it’s something! It’s 2003, and the trend has changed once again: forums are as popular as ever and considered one of the most successful ways to build a solid audience for one’s own page, which are now treated more like portals or an extension to the forum itself. Super Site’s sections are centered on game guides, nothing too special, but I do love the grey and white grid background on menus and header, as if we’re viewing a notebook page; reminds me of school days. I also really like the gifs section as featured in the review, all those old graphics bring back so much memories of scouting the net to save them all on hard drive!

If you stumble upon one of these sites in Wayback Machine, chances are the ever present affiliates buttons will still be working, allowing you to visit even more fansites. It’s a true trip to the past, and a never ending source of inspiration for me!

#Fandom

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shortnfantastic · 4 years

Note

I’m sure you get this a lot, but how to you balance the colors so well? Mine are blended but it doesn’t work too well, and the only other option I know is harshly lined shadows. Also, keep up the amazing work!

Hi, thank you so much for the support. 💕💕 I actually must confess I don’t get a lot of color asks. I struggle a lot with coloring tbh. It’s not really my forte, so I recommend looking into color theory. There’s this really nice video that explains this in depth and I thought it was a really good tutorial. 😊

youtube

If watching the video is too much I can give you some tips that work for me but please be aware the guy in the video knows more than I do, and you’d benefit more by watching it.

This is gonna get a bit long...

It really helps me using complimentary colours and working with palettes. Also using colours next to each other in the colour wheel can create a very harmony filled look.

The author of the video called this using analogous colours. I didn’t know what that was called but I’ve been using that technique for a while haha. So I think it works for me.

I’m not sure what software you’re using, but seeing the colours of your piece together can really help you see if the art will have harmony when you color it. For me it’s still a bit of trial and error. But I try to limit my pictures to a few colours and if I use a lot of colours I try to make sure there’s not more than 2 dominants.

In the pic below I used a very saturated yellow for things I wanted to stand out like the blanket then that would guide the viewer to deceit, with a kind of desaturated red for Roman because in the first panel he is the secondary. The bg is very desaturated too so it doesn’t become too overwhelming.

In the second panel yellow is more dominant than red in amount, but also it’s more desaturated. Because in this one, Roman’s eyes are the main thing that will guide the viewer to the door. They are the most saturated and will draw more attention. Everything else is kinda pale.

Also to unify both characters, the shade of Dee’s hair is leaning more towards a red tone while Ro’s is leaning more towards orange/yellow. It’s just something that can make your characters feel more harmonic with each other... if you give them little details from the other characters without overwhelming their palette.

Purple is also complimentary to yellow but it is minimal comparing it to the amount of yellow and red. Green is complimentary to red but is almost non existent here as it is only used for the plush eye. If you want to use tons of colours just make sure you’re not using them in the same amount and saturation in your pic or things can get a bit too much.

I also try to practice the contrast and saturation on values by using a limited color palette. And this kind of helped to understand what parts of your drawing will draw the most attention by using the few colours you have.

When it comes to coloring shadows, I like to use browns, blues, purples, dark reds on a multiply layer set to 30% opacity. I almost never do harsh shadows, cuz I’m not confident enough yet tbh. But I also like the softer look that not overly harsh shadows give the pic. One thing I’m very sceptical with is the use of pure black tinted grays to color your shadows, if you’re not careful, pure grays can make your pic look dirty.

This is one of my first digital pieces. It has a lot of issues but we’re going to ignore everything that’s not color related for the time being. First of all what I can see here is that there’s too much clashing. Every single one is very saturated, even the background, to the point it’s just too overwhelming.

Some of the shadows in the face are gray and as you can see they end up looking like dirt. The shadows on the clothes and the skin of the arms are also not working.

Instead of using a darker shade of every color I had I should have chosen a single color set it to multiply in a low opacity and use that to color my shadows.

My shading technique is far from perfect. It’s a bit improvised... that’s something I’m still working on improving. But anyways, here I really quickly used different colours on low opacity on a multiply layer for the shadow. On the third one I also used the eraser tool on low opacity for get rid of the harsh edges on the shadow on the arm.

They’re not perfect but they already look a lot more like shadows and not dirt. So I’ll take that as an improvement. 👌

Anyways I’m so sorry this turned into a sort of never ending tutorial thing. I’m not an expert in coloring at all, and there are a lot of people both here on tumblr and other platforms that talk about this subject extensively and offer better tips and help. But I hope this helped in some way!

Try to have fun and experiment different things! See what works for you and what you like in your pics.

Ps: as a final unrelated note that is a kid version of Vlad Masters from Danny phantom. Which means it’s been more than 10 years and I still haven’t outgrown the trend of making children out of my faves. I think that says something but I’m not sure what.

#short answers #lovely people #coloring tips #tutorial thing #i guess #also old dp art #long post

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nafeary · 4 years

Text

“Therapy Session”

⚬ Pairing: No romantic pairing.

⚬ Characters: Dazai, Isaac (mentions of Arthur, MC, Leonardo, and Napoleon)

⚬ Word Count: ca. 2,5k

⚬ Warnings: mentions of anxiety/panic attacks

⚬ Genre: mostly angst, Confused Newt™️, fluffy ending

✧✎ Synopsis: Dazai refuses to open up. Isaac refuses to see people as humans instead of equations. Perhaps, the time was ripe for the residents to pull the strings behind the scene.

✧✎ A/N: @arsnovacadenza HERE IT IS!!! I haven’t written in ages, so after fending of good ‘ol writer’s block, it took a while to finish this. I hope that you will like this, sweets... I’m not usually self-conscious, but I’m just like 😣. ENJOY AND DRINK WATER!!! (I might change the mood board into a banner... I dunno man.) ALSO, pls tell me if the read more link isnt working... y’all know how bitchy tumblr is.

Dazai couldn’t remember much of his mundane life; nay, he preferred not to.

Most of this mortal coil had been spent in debauch; whoring around, neglecting his studies, committing attempt over attempt at ending his breath. He wrote it off as a tragedy, preferring to build the plots of his own stories rather that the one of his being.

Life is fleeting. For some it is akin to the joy of chasing butterflies, flower fields embedded in their sundry wings, fluttering away with no worries plaguing their minds.

For most, however, these nonchalant butterflies aren’t an omen of euphoria and felicity. They are the begetter of anguish as it sails beneath the wrong colours, maelstrom’s created by the fortune of others. Destructive. Noxious. A storm ready to destroy one’s entire motivation and spirit. Whether it be in form of capitalism or a simple shtick.

Life is unkind.

Thus, the author didn’t see the point to relieve any of his memories... but one particular scene kept his mind awake. It was fuzzy, fuming paper assaying to its destruction.

But what he could remember was a certain tale relayed to him as the moon reigned mighty, futon feather-like below his boyish body, and a tranquil voice would envelope his senses until all he could see was the palette surrounding him sponged into shadows.

He remembered the fable of a celestial guardian, a dragon so gentle it prefers flying as to not bring harm to a single organism of life. The birth of a human signified the birth of such dragon, a Kirin. It acts in protection of benignant households, as the unseen force guiding them back to morality. He was told his cousin’s birth foretold the creation of their guardian.

As a mere child, he believed these words. He believed that someone would shield him, serve as a warning sign for impending danger.

He believed someone would come to open the cage he had locked himself in. He believed someone would burn its cover, guiding him to long-lost light. He believed someone would teach him to take flight again.

He believed.

“Unlock the godforsaken door, you insolent fools!”

Sir Isaac Newton was annoyed. Horribly aggravated. Excruciatingly narked. And more so than usual. His ire had multiple fountains, one of these being these insolent fools that had chosen to bolt the room, muttering something akin to “therapy session”.

If he had to be plain, he expected such action from the frivolous author and his partner in crime (a young woman who had arrived a few months prior, the second humane addition to their otherwise monstrous community).

However, the physicist hadn’t expected Leonardo and Napoleon to agree to the couple’s notion.

Another cause fueling his irritation, like a mosquito buzzing to and fro and disregarding any clemency, was their reason for imprisoning him.

“You heard our condition, ‘ol boy,” the voice of the reformed Casanova reverberated. “Neither of you are leaving that room until you’ve talked. Thoroughly.”

That’s right. He wasn’t the only one.

His attention redirected to the owner of the lair they were currently stuck in, simpering away in his wonted manner. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that their predicament was the Japanese man’s fault.

Dazai Osamu was a pest. The neighborhood rascal ringing every door’s bell, pestering everyone’s existence with the sole motivation of garnering the final laugh. As of right now, he seemed to have succeeded in his mission.

“Are you satisfied now?” He couldn’t help the prominent sneer from forming. “If it wasn’t for your countless jests, we wouldn’t be here!”

Dazai spared him another nonchalant smile, moving to take a seat at the dark mahogany desk. “Do not fret, Ai-chan. They’ll open the door... eventually.”

A few hours had passed, and the warmth in Isaac’s chest, welted into disdain and anger, had mellowed his mind. Enough so as to admit that he might have been one of the causes of their situation, too. Frankly, it was due to the atmosphere Dazai’s room granted.

Soft and gossamer strands of alabaster light enlightened the room in a serene glow, aiding to the eminent scent of books. The smell was slightly musky, akin to aged paper, but a comfortingly nostalgic vellichor. Outside, a symphony created by Mother Nature herself resonated; tree branches rocked against each other urged by the gentle breeze as insouciant hummingbirds frolicked their sweet tunes.

It wasn’t his first time to share the author’s company in his room; on the contrary, the well of his silent animosity sprang forth from their last meeting (which had rendered him drunk on accident). Seldom at most, Isaac would traipse across a formula he just couldn’t solve, but Dazai was without compare.

He had barely asked for a sliver of information, the wish to befriend Dazai more genuine than ever. Alas, aiming to divert the topic, he had been fooled into a lull of folklore.

Hurt. It pained him to admit it, but Isaac was hurting.

With nothing else to occupy his mind, his eyes wandered to the fibster whose orbs told fables of the sun. Clad in purple, his hand was infallibly hidden beneath the fabric of his traditional (and knowing him, probably slovenly worn) garment, choosing to hide his cards just like everything else.

The empyrean galaxy of spotted crystals did not appear unlike the author; thus Isaac always found himself discovering their contrasts. He didn’t like the man, but he was a sight to behold, just like his beloved sky.

Dazai was ethereal, be it his fluid manner of dipping his feather into the abyssal ink pot, his elegant smile adorning his cheeks, or his voice carrying the voice of chiliad angels, or—

“If you continue staring at me, you’ll make me blush~”

Having been caught red-handed, the exclamation sparked an oppugnant reactions, leaving his cheeks at the mercy of scarlet apples and making him want to bury himself beneath mounds of bedsheets.

Declining the teasing and averting his head to the side , Isaac said “I suggest we pretend to have discussed our... quarrel. You know they tend to worry endlessly.”

There was a subtle shift in the nuance of Dazai’s posture, almost resembling a covered bird’s cage, waiting for its turmoil to be revealed.

“Don’t delude yourself.”

It was barely a transient whisper, lightsome yet so immensely heartsore Isaac had to halt, processing if he’d heard correctly; the uncharacteristically deafening scratching of a pen sliding across paper deepened his shock.

...this was what Arthur had meant when discussing the possibility of Dazai’s mayhem. That void in his eyes.

Quite possibly, were the physicist to reflect upon his following thoughts and actions, cruelty and manipulation reigned the battlefield in his view. Oblivious as he was, he never realized his actions to have a much purer and innocent fount, rather than for the single desire of gaining knowledge.

After all, love was more than just a unique concept to him; whether it be platonic or intimate, it had always seemed so... afar. Unreachable even. An unfamiliar ground, ruled by sweet chaos.

...it was utterly absurd! He sank his brow into the the palm of his hand. Why was he so worried for the fellow vampire? They all had issues, didn’t they? They all carried baggage from their previous life... so why did he care so much about the author’s troubles?

Isaac couldn’t possibly still want to befriend him?

...Nay, it was his insatiable thirst to solve every equation, surely. And he was a scholar with the sole purpose to solve the equation of this world, and its variables finally seemed to arrange in his favour.

Said variable being Dazai’s unforeseen display of trauma.

“You cannot possibly believe that they’d ignore your vacant spot at dinner,” Isaac started, alert in his tone. “Especially Arthur’s... whatever-she-is-to-him will succumb to her usual tendencies.”

The other vampire wasn’t smiling at him, no, his facade was an eerily empty one, unlike any of his expressions he’d laid his eyes on. Not only his smile was void, his eyes had lost their habitual mirth as well. Black holes mirrored in the pupils of his eyes.

“Besides, it’s not like you don’t enjoy our company...”

By then, the black hole kept growing, threatening to swallow him. Its intense stare prompted goosebumps to litter his skin, vulnerable. He’d never seen this sorrow portrayed by the charlatan.

To hell with it. He wanted to leave the discomfort.

“Listen, I’ll let you jest me without complain— for today. So can we please just agree to have talked?” he asked. “Or we could talk... whatever makes you happy, I suppose.” He tilted his head, closing his eyes in thought, peeking one opened as he waited for Dazai to reply.

“Go ahead without me. I’ll stay here, Ai-chan,” he declared, glee pulling at his lips as if he wouldn’t have just waddled in some unknown swamp.

“They’ll ask me questions about it, you know?”

“Very well.” Isaac’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. That was all it took for him to open up? “Dazai Osamu isn’t my real name.”

He was about to snap, irritation bubbling in his voice at the useless information he used to dodge the topic once again, but was able to stop himself. Epiphany chasing away the storm clouding his mind, he realized an important piece to solving this equation.

It was something Arthur had droned on about, one of Dazai’s works, No Longer Human. The protagonist wore a facade of hollow jocularity as he was unable to present his true self. Additionally, a piece of yourself slithers it’s way into every piece of art you create... according to Leonardo, at least.

A facade of hollow jocularity... observing the male opposing him, that phrase seemed gruesomely familiar.

“You still haven’t answered me,” he told the Author.

“Pardon?”

“I asked whether you’d be happier wit—“

“My happiness mustn’t be your concern.”

Muscles tensed as these eerie words coursed through his mind, nature’s symphony from earlier drowned out by it’s unforgiving echo. Albeit, as much as he desired to crawl someplace secluded, apart from dealing with human emotion, his mind dictated his stay.

Mustering up the courage from the depths of his heart, he spoke, “But you aren’t weak, Dazai.”

The man visibly startled, arm jerking violently into the desk, garnering a quiet foreign-sounding curse. Isaac took the opportunity to join Dazai’s side, blasé to the anxious trembling of his own lip.

“Arthur is quite familiar with your works, and I kept one particular quote in remembrance.”

The Japanese almost seemed to cower in his seat, shoulders hunched as he held his throbbing elbow.

“The weak fear happiness itself,” he recited to the best of his abilities. “As far as I’m concerned, weak doesn’t exactly describe you.”

As if he’d burned a bird cage’s linen, breaking its lock open only for the bird to panic in distrust, Dazai flew up into a stand. Eyebrows scrunching as his mouth spit bigger poems.

“How could you know? How could you possibly know of all my fears?”

Isaac’s feeling of helplessness commenced its intensity, pushing his shoulders to earth’s core. But he couldn’t stay his efforts then.

“I don’t need to. Seeing you standing before me gives me enough reason to believe so.”

“I ended my own life.”

He had to control every fiber of his being to rule his body into submission. The waltzing hairs couldn’t be precluded from showing their discomfort, however.

“Do you realize what this makes me? I’m a coward— a coward who only stands before you to— to—“

Had he finished his sentence, it would have been incoherent at best. Isaac could only watch as the author’s shoulders sacked into themselves, chest jumping in no particular pattern. His fingers snaked around the pristine fabric, just above his heart, as though he tried to confine the bird once again.

He was having a panic attack, a foe not uncommon to the physicist himself. But how could he possibly act as a cure when he was the disease?

Barely conscious of the act, his hands curled around the man’s iron grip; they struggled to enshroud the pain of his throat constricting, mutating the simple feat of breathing into a conquest of charging air puffs.

This wasn’t his domain. He’d never had to be along side a troubled person, inclined to walk the earth alone. There was no need for a circle of brethren when he had his formulas that constructed his life.

Humans were no formulas. And Dazai was no equation. His feelings were no variables. Isaac battled to come to terms with the fact that he couldn’t continue striving in solitude.

He realised that that must have been their reason for locking him inside the vicinity. The constellation of empathy coming undone before him. They’d wanted him to accept the fact that he couldn’t live like the everything could be solved in the same manner as his mathematics.

He’d show them. He’d create a formula solely for him, just as he had created multiple ones for every other problem he had encountered.

“There is a phenomenon, a mirage at the end of a horizon—“

“A-Ai-chan—,”

“Just keep quiet for one minute,” he snapped, “I know that is strenuous for someone as verbose as you, but right now, allow me to talk.”

If it was possible to solve an equation by keeping to a formula, surely it was the same for humans? But life was unique, every being disparate, an especial star.

“It distorts the objects, rendering it unrecognizable,” he elaborated. “Such phenomenon is referred to as Fata Morgana.”

He’d commit perjury were he to claim that he was calm. Forces of all kinds threatened him to collapse onto all fours, leaving him at the mercy of his lungs to commence his breathing. Yet, he kept his facade of cool determination, the fear of the man further breaking stronger than his own.

“I don’t know of all the horror you might have gone through,” he said. “But perhaps, it is distorting you to think that you are undeserving of happiness.”

“I—“

“Perhaps, you simply don’t realise that you standing here doesn’t mean you are a coward, but that you are strong.”

Before he even realised his body’s efforts, he already felt silken fabric caressing his cheek as his arms pulled him toward the other man. Choosing to ignore the charlatan’s droplets of anguish falling onto his shoulder, he shuffled his feet as he didn’t know how he should position himself.

“As such, I believe that your happiness is indeed my concern.”

He made a mental reminder to thank Leonardo for his philosophy books later, grateful for the lessons he could convey.

A rough, yet mellifluent laughter enveloped his ears, the urge to scratch where bouts of air were tickling his ear were stilled by the comforting notes.

“Who knew you were such a charmer, Ai-chan?”

His blood running a marathon across the veins of his cheeks, he drew his face nigh into the men’s chest in an effort to mask his crimson shade.

“Shut up.”

Dazai truly did believe in his guardian hitherto. Especially as the man brushed with the faintest of cherry blossom petals embosomed in his arms.

And Isaac might have been unable to teach the bird to take flight again, unqualified of the task himself, but perchance, they could aid one another to learn the art of raising yourself to face the winds, leaving them no choice but to carry you.

#ikemen vampire #ikemen series #ikemen fanfiction #ikemen headcanons #ikevamp #ikevam isaac #ikemen isaac #ikevamp athur #ikemen arthur #ikevam arthur #ikemen dazai #ikevam dazai #ikemen leonardo #ikemen napoleon #ikevam napoleon #ikemen angst

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summit-studies · 4 years

Text

10 questions tag

aaaaah this one seems really fun bc we make up our own questions :OO

@bulletnotestudies‘s questions:

1. what’s a skill you’ve always admired but never quite got to trying out yourself?

drawing/painting, i’ve never seriously given them a try

2. what goes in the bowl first - milk or cereal?

cereal goes first because that is the amount of actual food youre gonna eat, and if you put too much then you can remove cereal but you can’t be halfway through pouring cereal into a bowl of milk then realise that theres too much milk and youre gonna need too much cereal to get the correct cereal to milk ratio. plus it’s really hard to judge exactly how much cereal you’re about to eat when it’s floating on the milk. the only time milk before cereal is acceptable is if youre going to warm up the milk first

3. what are your top 3 movies i absolutely have to watch? (i need recs, make ‘em good x)

ok so

emma (2020) was HILARIOUS, i felt like it was exactly what jane austen would’ve intended it to be, and the cinematography, colour palette, costumes, acting, it’s all just *chef’s kiss*

your name is one of the most beautiful movies i’ve ever watched, the stunning animation and music and storyline all came together in this completely heart-wrenching concoction. still not entirely sure about what exactly happened bc the plot is told in a very inverted way, but i found that enjoying a movie as a sensory and emotional experience and not obsessing over the logic and sequence of plot points made for a really memorable movie

howl’s moving castle, also beautiful animation and music and storyline. unfortunately i never watched it when i was little, so i didnt get that nostalgia that lots of people seem to have towards it. in any case, the themes and story are told in a very unique and absolutely magical way.

sorry if you dont like animated movies :// i really cant think of anything else tho bc i rarely watch movies in general

4. do you sing in the shower?

hmmm i do sometimes, but the song has to be really PROPERLY stuck in my head for me to start serenading the shower lol

5. describe your ideal date

doing something new that we both end up really enjoying, trying out a new food that turns out to be delicious, and having lots of interesting discussions and funny moments in between would be like the perfect blueprint

6. if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? why?

i think i haven’t traveled nearly enough to say :// somewhere with lots of history, for sure, and lots of nature too

7. is there anything you’re really scared of? (skip if you’re not comfortable answering this one)

that the career path i’ve chosen is the wrong one for me, but i’ll be to scared to face it and change my life so drastically (i’m a huge nerd so i can literally enjoy *studying* most things, it’s the making a career out of it part that’s scary)

8. what was your favourite book(s) when you were a kid?

i absolutely adored the harry potter books, i knew them inside out and backwards

9. are you still friends with/talk to your middle school best friend?

we talk with occasionally, but we’re nowhere near as close as before and i think we’ve definitely drifted apart. i think it’s because most of our friendship was based on common interests like the above mentioned harry potter obsession, and we didn’t have many things to discuss once we didn’t see each other as often

10. list 3 great things about yourself (it’s self-love time ladies)

i’m extremely patient. i can sit down and have a discussion with the most infuriating people and still have a fruitful conversation. this was probably how i avoided being bullied lmao, people would throw backhanded comments or sarcastic questions at me to tease me or freak me out and i would just be like .... do you want to talk about it?

i’m a pretty open person - i’ll share my experience or opinion on anything (just give me a min to form one if i’ve never heard of the topic before lol), and i looove having discussions with people and exchanging advice/opinions.

i always try and see as many different sides to a situation as possible, and look for the truth and the balance between optimism and pessimism

my questions:

if you could have dinner with any person, past/present/future/fictional, who would it be?

who is a person that inspires or motivates you, and why?

what is the latest thing to give you goosebumps?

3 things that you’re proud of yourself for?

what is a misconception that people may have about you

what animal are you most similar to?

favourite plant/flower/tree?

favourite childhood cartoons/movies?

3 books that every person should read at least once in their lives

3 things you’re grateful for

i’m going to tag: @study-van, @gammastudies, @medical-magpie, @moonshinestudies and any one else who wants to do it!! (just say i tagged you)

#tag game #ofc no one is obligated to do it!!#sorry if i tagged anyone who's done it already

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wildlyminiaturesandwich · 5 years

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The Sims 4 Moschino Stuff - Early Access Build/Buy Review

Huge thank you to the EA Game Changer Program for providing me with the opportunity to play Moschino Stuff early!

Ever since I saw the trailer for Moschino Stuff, I knew the Build/Buy content was going to be the part of this pack that I was the most excited for and interested in and for the most part I absolutely love a lot of it. But, like CAS, Build/Buy is not without it’s issues.

As always, if you have any questions about the pack, feel free to send me an ask!

See a preview of all the new Build/Buy items here

👗The Buy

I pretty much love all of the Buy Mode objects. The couches come in some very cool patterns as well as solids, the funky pop art mirror is fun, and I love that the end table is much lower than most end tables we have so it sits nice and flush at the same height as the couches and coffee table.

But my favourite things are probably, as always, the decorative stuff. More specifically the LiBEARian (the books with the bear book ends, get it!), the Simsational Style Stack (the magazine pile) and the Amp Stack (they’re all in the pics above). Even though the Amp Stack is purely decorative, it looks very cool sitting next to a guitar and adds a lot of character to any musician’s house!

I also really like the Repurposed Gear Chest (the trunk with stickers on it) that’s essentially a coffee table and looks very cool and retro, and the Tastefully Empty Bookcase which... is not empty at all? lol I do wish the bookcase came in different heights and widths as well, but at least this time it’s a short one, unlike the bookcases that came with Seasons and StrangerVille that I love but never get to use because they’re too tall for short walls.

Something that’s bothered me pretty much since base game released is that there’s no consistent colour palette for all build/buy objects. I get that each pack has specific themes and there might be colours that fit that theme better than others but I would love to see a consistent palette used throughout every pack — say like black and white obviously, 5 different wood tones, 5 solid neutrals and 5 solid “standard” colours (blue, red, yellow etc) — and have every single item that gets added to the game made in those colours, then if a new pack has specific colours for it’s theme they can be added on top of the standard palette. I like the colour palette that was chosen for the items in this pack but I found it really hard to find anything from other packs that matched it. It bothers me so much that nothing ever matches from pack to pack, half the time objects in the same pack don’t even match! And even now that the 350 new swatches were added to base game doors... they still don’t match anything else!

Sorry, I know I’m ranting and this has very little to do with Moschino Stuff but it just really bothers me that nothing ever matches because whenever I build I spend hours trying to find a floor to match the trim around the bottom of the wall I’ve chosen, then none of the doors match the floor and trim so I have to change it all, then none of the windows match the doors, floor and trim, and on and on until I’ve completely forgotten what I originally wanted the build to look like!

I really like the new frames we got for photos too, and the fact that they can now be placed on tables BUT I’ve had a couple of issues with them. First of all, it’s not possible to turn the frames placed on tables using the alt key, so you can only turn them in 45 degree increments and I hate that. I like to have all my photo frames slightly askew at different angles and it bothers me that these ones can only be places either facing straight forwards or angled by 45 degrees.

The second issue I have with the frames is actually more of a technical one but I’m not entirely sure if it’s the frames themselves, the photos, or the photography skill; I haven’t been able to work that out yet. When I have a sim take photos using the new tripod and camera everything is fine, but the second I exit out of the photography UI my FPS drops drastically.

I thought it was just my computer being stupid at first, until other Game Changers started reporting the same issue. I suspect it might be the photos and frames — specifically the new collage frame — because as soon as I remove the frames from the lot, the FPS goes back to normal. My game normally runs at a steady 60 FPS at all times but as you can see here, it drops down to 8-12 whenever there are framed photos on the lot and shoots back up when I delete them.

NOTE: This was with my game 100% CC and Mod free.

All of the new photography gear is so cool too! The fact that most of the items (like the tripod, camera, and tape markers) can be picked up in your sims inventory is so handy; your sim can just grab their equipment and head out into the world to take photos of other sims, landscapes, pets, and themselves literally anywhere they can plop the tripod down! And the backdrops have some really cool backgrounds for you to take photos in front of... or maybe... some other... uses 😈

👗The Build

I think the thing most people were looking forward to in this pack were the beautiful windows and doors; I’m definitely one of those people lol They are definitely gorgeous but as seems to happen every single time we get new windows and doors, the selection is limit in many different ways.

Every single colourway for both the windows and the doors is either white, black, red, or some combination of those colours. There are no colourways that match any of the other colours used on the furniture for the set (like blue, pink and yellow) and absolutely zero wood or neutral tones.

There are also no other heights for both the door and window other than for the shortest wall height, which absolutely baffles me because they’re clearly a set made to be used in lofts and converted warehouse type builds... builds that are generally made with either the medium or tallest wall height. They also didn’t bother to make single tile versions of any of the windows and doors, or even a closed version for the smaller window!

But what’s even more baffling (at least to me) is the way the door was made. I literally spent a full 30 minutes just sitting here in front of my computer, staring at this door, trying to figure out what could possibly have been going through the head of whoever made it when they decided that not only would it be shorter on one side, therefore also shorter than the windows, but also that it wouldn’t take up the full two tiles it was allocated and therefore wouldn’t sit flush up against the windows it was made to go with!

I saw a tweet by one of the Gurus that basically said “It’s the right height on the outside, just flip it around” but... that still leaves you with one side shorter than the windows, it’s just now on the other side, and there’s still gaps at the side! Why you would go to all the trouble to make the windows fit beautifully together like that and then not make the door exactly the same height and width! It bothers me way more than it probably should but I just don’t understand!

On the plus side, there are some base game doors that fit in with the windows (kind of) that I will probably use instead of the Moschino door... at least until someone makes a build add-on for them anyway lol

👗The Verdict

Overall, while I have issues with some of the build/buy stuff, this is where this pack makes up for the lack of CAS stuff in my opinion and what would make me want to fork over the $10 for the pack. To be completely honest, I’d pay $10 just for the LiBEARian though 🤣

All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. I am not paid by EA to “hype” their games; I am given the opportunity to review their games early in exchange for an honest review.

Click here for my Create-A-Sim Review

Gameplay Review coming soon

#The Sims 4 #Sims 4 #TS4 #EAGameChangers #TS4MoschinoStuff

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emmasmythcontext · 4 years

Text

Folio One Section One Final Developed Painting Critics

Emma Smyth

Before commenting on your final painting, critically analyse your development paintings so far, referring to your use of techniques, colour and compositional choices. You can include comments from your peers.

1) How would you describe the atmosphere / mood in your paintings and how did the painting techniques you used help to achieve this?

Development 1 – In this first piece I wanted to convey the idea of a cold and windy landscape. The brush stokes of the water help to convey the movement of the water. I feel that the use of a roller and a sponge for the sky help to convey the look and movement of the sky and the use of cold colures; blue, white and grey help to convey the cold and wintery atmosphere.

Development 2 –The atmosphere in this second piece is cold, sad and possibly depressing due to the use of cold colures; blue, white, grey and skin tone. The use of the dark earthy tone under and around the eyes indicate that I am tired. The use of light cold tones for the face, shoulders and chest area indicate that I may be cold. I tan well in the summer, so it’s clear that I haven’t been in the sun due to my skin tone which can indicate that it is winter which can be a depressing time for some people.

2) What emotional impact does your colour palette produce in each painting?

Development 1 – The first piece creates a very dull and cold atmosphere, which is created through the use of cold colures. For example, the use of blue and white in the sky and water indicate that it is a cold winter or autumn day.

Development 2 – The second piece creates a very cold and depressing atmosphere. This is created through the use of cold colures i.e blue, grey and white. The cold colures used for my skin indicate that I am cold. I am laying in the bath with my eyes closed which indicates that I am thinking about things. Almost about to go under the water which could indicate that I want an escape or quite and relaxation. The use of cold colures helps to convey this atmosphere.

3) What is your chosen composition and content communicating to the viewer and how?

Development 1 – My chosen composition is nature. This particular painting is a landscape of the water at the Erskine Bridge on a cold winter’s morning this is conveyed by the bare trees in the foreground and background along with the dead grass.

Development 2 – My chosen composition in this piece is human form, there isn’t a link between my first piece and second piece however in my final piece I am combining the two to focus on human intervention within a natural landscape. The cold colures, pose and facial expression convey that the figure is thinking, relaxing and is possibly depressed or going through a lot.

4) What connotations are beginning to emerge in the work as you have developed the paintings? List them. (Another way of thinking of a connotation is “Something that doesn’t necessarily appear in the painting but is suggested or implied”)

‘Connotation’ (noun) an idea or feeling which a word or image invokes for a person in addition to its literal or primary meaning: A possible connotation of “home” is “warmth, comfort, and affection”.

Development 1 -

Development 2 – The idea that the figure (me) is in a bath conveys warmth. A bath is known for warmth, comfort and relaxation. However, the facial expression conveys sadness, thought processes and possibly depression. A bath or shower is also know for a space where people tend to think a lot possibly overthink things and get emotional.

5) From this reflection on your paintings so far, what do you want your final painting to communicate and how will you achieve this? Make a plan of action.

For my final piece I want to combine nature and human form to focus on human intervention within a natural landscape. I will achieve this by using the same references photo of me for the human figure and I will use a combination of landscape pictures to incorporate into the final piece. For example, I will have branches and leaves across the face and chest. I would like to create a cold and depressing atmosphere and I will continue to use cold colures and warm colures to achieve this.

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