#I was making them to be corresponding sizes to put 2 below 2

[bloopygooo]

I’m learning to draw some chubby bellies

Here’s some refs that I found! Special thanks to @banished-away for finding these people who made these refs! Go check them out! Give them, and these amazing artists, a like and a follow if you can! :D

Credits:

src 1: Alexandervici on dA (seems to have deleted?)

src 2: Guardian Daca on dA (also deleted)

src 3: Mackenzie Lee on Artstation (part of bigger tutorial)

src 4: CourtnerysConcepts on dA

src 5: not found

src 6: not found

src 7: Mackenzie Lee on Artstation (same page as before)

Art Tips:

I don’t see where it is so I might have not put it in here but another tip is to start the fat below the the rib cage to make it more realistic.

Lav Recs:

I recommend studying the chubby poses from behind more often I feel as though people struggle more with drawing characters from behind because why would you be looking at their back? But it's incredibly useful to have refs with people with chubbier body types from the back also does anyone else see ref number three person two from the right checking out person 1 from the right? Lmao.

Extra Note:

P.s I've been told im good at finding refs if you ever need any you can just send me an ask. And I'll do my best to credit the original artist and provide refs.

Affirmation:

All bodies are beautiful and unique to each person that's how genetics work. <3 Even identical twins will grow up with slight differences with their bodies and that's okay! Because either way you're perfect the way you are as long as you're healthy and happy. A lot of times those two things correspond.

Lav Tips for Refs:

Usually Google is where I look. A good way to find chubby refs is to search plus size swim suit models for men or even wemon. Let me know if you guys need more tips on finding refs.

Side note: this post has nothing but good intentions. You all have a lovely day and keep the demons away except mine >:3

[sunkissedlouis]

Hi! I don't know if you already have a tutorial but would you mind sharing your gif making process? Thank you!

hiiii anon!

thank you for sending this in :) it's my first time getting a tutorial request hehe i tried to explain each step i do as best as i can.

i'll put the gif making process and tutorial under the cut bc it's image + text heavy

before starting, i'd just like to share what i use in creating gifs:

i'm on mac (i used to do them on windows... the ps steps are the same if you're using one)

i'm currently using photoshop 2022

i use 9xbuddy or video downloadhelper extension on firefox mainly for downloading videos

best quality to download for hq gifs is ideally 1080p and above. (although you can get away with 720p for smaller gif sizes)

i use mplayer-osx extended to get the screencaps/frames for my gifs (if i'm not doing the import option in photoshop)

for this tutorial, i'm using the latam highlights video from louis' ig reels to make today's gif. on to the tutorial / process!

please click the screenshots i've included below and zoom in on the texts on them to see them clearly (apologies for the quality!)

IMPORT YOUR FRAMES. once you've downloaded your video, open photoshop and click FILE > IMPORT > VIDEO FRAMES TO LAYERS

SELECT THE PART YOU WANT TO GIF. the shorter, the better because you want to keep it crisp and keep the file under 10mb when you save it after all the layers. here are the settings i use:

toggle the smaller arrows under the bar to select the parts you want to gif. once you have your frames loaded, it should show you a timeline table at the bottom and their corresponding layers on the right side. (if you can't see the timeline, go to WINDOW > click TIMELINE)

3. DELETE EXTRA LAYERS, CROP PARTS YOU WANT TO FOCUS ON, AND RESIZE.

after cropping the parts of the gifs, resize them according to the tumblr sizing to prevent your gifs from looking blurry once you upload them. you can use this size guide for your reference :) the gif's height can be any size as far as i know. go to IMAGE > IMAGE SIZE > INPUT THE SIZE. for this gif, we'll do 540 x 540

4. CHANGE GIF SPEED and CONVERT TO SMART OBJECT

once you've selected all frames

set the delay to 0.07. this is usually the natural, normal speed for gifs on here. it depends on the number of frames you have but i usually do .07 or .05 (sometimes .08 haha)

with all your timeline frames still selected, then select all the layers on the right side. go to SELECT > ALL LAYERS

then convert them to smart object so we can edit all the layers all at once. go to LAYER > SMART OBJECTS > CONVERT TO SMART OBJECT

5. SHARPEN (one of my fave parts!)

this is the basic one that most users use:

STEP 1: go to FILTER > SHARPEN > SMART SHARPEN

radius usually goes from 0.3-0.4

STEP 2: Repeat STEP 1, but this time change the settings to:

you can stop here but i like my gifs crispier and to have more texture! i use the sharpening settings from this tutorial or these sharpening action packs from user brainwasheds. i highly recommend these! i mix and match the settings when i'm not happy with how they look on my gifs. but for this gif we'll use the sharpening settings from this tutorial.

in addition to the settings from that tutorial, i also added FILTER > OTHER > HIGH PASS at 3.4 radius, then set the opacity to 60-80

then lastly add FILTER > ADD NOISE > NOISE at gaussian setting with 1.5 amount, then set opacity to 20-30

6. BRIGHTENING, COLORING, BALANCING, ADDING TEXTURE

now for the fun part!

STEP 1: BRIGHTEN UP THE GIF this is my go-to way to increase the brightness. go to LAYER > NEW ADJUSTMENT LAYER > BRIGHTNESS / CONTRAST then change its blending mode from NORMAL to SCREEN

you now have a very bright, highly saturated gif but we'll fix that lol

STEP 2: ADD CONTRAST BY FIXING THE BLACKS AND WHITES add a new adjustment layer > LEVELS

i usually play around with these. middle and black arrows add shadows and contrast while the white arrows add highlights/brightness to the gifs.

these are my settings! these are not definite bc it varies depending on what you're working on, so adjust them accordingly. next, add another adjustment layer > CURVES

i usually zoom in to locate the darkest / black area using the black dropper. then once that's done, do the same and locate the brightest/white area. this adds further contrast to your gif that wasn't done in the previous step.

STEP 3: COLORING (my fave part!!!) add a new adjustment layer > SELECTIVE COLOR this is the part where i like to neutralize the skin color when it gets too yellow or red, make the colors pop, and sometimes change them too. louis' skin was looking too red heavy, so i wanted to reduce that! i start with balancing out the skin color with REDS & YELLOWS.

these are my settings for this gif! adjust them and observe the changes it makes on the person's skin. if you know color theory, it's helpful to see how it affects the colors on your gifs. putting the arrows more on the left side, adds more 'cool' tones, whilst putting the arrows to the right side, adds more 'warm' tones.

i like to deepen the blacks on my gifs further so, go to selective color's BLACKS and on the black scale, add more to the right! for this one, i added +10

add a new SELECTIVE COLOR adjustment layer. for this one, we'll make the surrounding colors pop more!

for these settings, i made the leaves more vivid while the teal(?) wall, i adjusted them made it more blue.

next, add a new adjustment layer > COLOR BALANCE this is where you can make further adjustments on the overall colors of your gif. you can also change the color tone of your gifs here if you want to make it more 'cool' tone or 'warm' tone looking.

earlier's color theory applies here as well!

6.5. OPTIONAL STEP: ADD TEXTURE/OVERLAYS after the last step, you can save your gif as is but again, i like adding textures to my gifs so we'll add one. i use the textures/overlays that i got from here :)

i like to use film, grainy textures! add the texture you want on top of all the layers.

then change the blending mode to LIGHTEN or SCREEN. adjust the opacity to 20-40%. for this gif i used screen with 40%.

7. EXPORT AND SAVE YOUR GIF time to save your gif! click FILE > EXPORT > SAVE FOR WEB

this is my default setting for my gifs. i also tick the interlaced option sometimes.

here's the finished gif:

there you go anon! :) if you have any more questions, just lmk or you can directly dm me off-anon if you want.

i also get inspo, guides, and other tutorials over at @usergif

[stwritings]

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 & 𝑯𝒂𝒕𝒆

𝑹𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓!𝑬𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝒙 𝑭𝒆𝒎!𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 - 𝑫𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒚 𝑱𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 & 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒊𝒙 𝒂𝒖

𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑰 - 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝑬𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒚

𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: 𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘩𝘰𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨.

May, 1988

The sun beamed through the chipped windshield of Eddie's 1971 Chevy as he made his was through the city of Chicago. Taking quick glances at his map every chance he got, his eyes honed in on the big red pen mark circling his new address.

Truth be told, Eddie wouldn't have believed it if he were told a few months back that he would be uprooting his life one state over. He wasn't much of a plan kind of guy, so this move was rather spontaneous. The town of Hawkins no longer felt like home but a prison, it's tight shackles a reminder of the simpleton lifestyle he was bound to lead if he stayed in this godforsaken place. He dreamt of a bigger life, for it to have meaning. And if he couldn't attain it in Indiana, perhaps Illinois was the place to be.

He finally pulled over to the side of the road next to a dilapidated building. He put the car in park and glanced at his map once more, then back at the rough looking structure. Eddie caught a glimpse of a golden plate on the brick wall reading '242' and sighed. The number, unfortunately, corresponds with the address on his lease. He could only hope for a nicer interior as he climbed out of the driver's seat and walked towards the building.

Upon entering his new residence, his prior optimism was shattered by more unfavorable characteristics. The building had a distinct smell that Eddie couldn't quite place, but it certainly wasn't a pleasant one. It reminded him of his great aunt's home that reeked of cigarettes and peppermint, only so much worse. He tried not to think about too much, making his way up the flight of stairs. As he came to his apartment door, he noticed a small note taped to the door. He squinted as he attempted to read the scribbled writing:

'See 87 for key' the note read.

Assuming this was the work of his landlord, he began looking for the number eighty seven. The apartment was relatively easy to find, given that the building only had 2 flights of stairs. Eddie noted that his landlord lived directly above him before knocking on the door. He took a step back as he waited for a response.

A few seconds passed, then a whole minute did and still... No answer. Not wanting to seem too eager, he decided against knocking again. This decision was forfeited once 2 minutes elapsed without any sign of life inside that apartment. Eddie knocked once again, this time more forcefully which, luckily, yielded results. An older gentlemen with large bi-focal glasses opened the door, smiling, though he did look a tad frazzled.

"Can i help you?" he asked, pushing the bridge of his glasses up his nose.

"I think so... Uh, i hope so." he nervously chuckled. "I'm moving into 82...." he trailed off, pointing at his feet in reference to the vacant apartment below them.

"Oh, yes. Eddie, is it?" the man asked, eyeing him up and down curiously.

Eddie nodded, feeling slightly uneasy under his landlord's inquisitive gaze.

"Brian, pleasure." the old man extended his hand while smiling.

They shook hands and Eddie was taken aback by Brian's strong grip, especially considering his small stature. He handed Eddie the key and gave him the rundown of the building. Despite it's dodgy appearance, this appeared to be a great place to live. Rent was affordable, his landlord was nice and the interior of his bachelor pad was newly renovated.

After two hours and several tedious trips up and down the stairs, Eddie was finally settled in. He sat on the window seat overlooking the city, feeling excited for the morning to come. When it eventually did, he embarked on then next task at hand; finding a job. He figured it wouldn't be too difficult in a city this size, and began wandering the streets, walking into all shops and bars in sight within walking distance from his home.

Eventually, he found a shoe store that was hiring. Now, this wasn't the kind of excitement he was hoping for, but given his circumstance and dire need for cash, it would have to do for now.

_

Following a closing shift one Saturday night, he decided to venture down the bustling street, figuring a night out on the town would lift his spirits. Luckily the shoe store wasn't strict on attire, so Eddie rolled out of there wearing his nicer pair of jeans along with a Van Halen band tee and his trusty leather jacket. He eventually stumbled upon a small rock junction with a flashing neon light reading 'LIVE! SHOWS! EVERY! SATURDAY!'

Obnoxious advertising aside, he was intrigued, and decided to give this place a chance. He felt right at home once her entered, noting that it was very clearly a dive bar similar to the one he used to play at with his former band back in Hawkins.

Given it's size, it didn't take much time for him to find the bar and order himself a beer. His usual go to of Pabst Blue Ribbon was anything but his favorite, but it was the cheaper option. He thanked the bar tender and found a spot to stand within the small crowd gathered near the stage. Eddie noticed almost instantly the lead singer's inebriated state as he swayed and screeched the lyrics into the mic. Eddie quickly took a large sip of his beer in an attempt to hide the grimace forming on his face. He hoped that maybe after a few drinks himself, the drunkard would sound better.

He didn't.

The band carried on for another 10 excruciating minutes, the crowd filing out of the bar as they tried to escape the horrendous performer. Eddie stayed put though, amused yet feeling sorry for the rest of the band mates who looked absolutely horrified.

Without warning, the man hurled the mic down to the ground, causing a shrill ring to blast through the sound system. He then stumbled off the stage, yelling words at his bandmates that Eddie couldn't quite make out before stumbling out the back door.

Eddie downed the rest of his beer, placed it on a nearby table waiting to be bussed and headed out the front door. Once outside, he leaned against the brick wall, sighing as he looked for his pack of cigarettes.

'What a night.' he thought to himself.

His attention was diverted to the front door swinging open and an agitated woman storming out. Eddie avoided eye contact, trying to mind his business and not irritate her further.

"Got a light?" she blurted out, staring directly at him.

Eddie froze at the sudden interaction, eyes widening. He quickly snapped out of it, hurriedly digging in his pocket to retrieve it. He pulled out the small blue lighter, flicking it before the cigarette placed between her lips.

Once he successfully lit it, they stood together quietly, Eddie not daring to speak a word. From experience, he knew better than to try to feign encouragement to make someone feel better about a clearly shitty situation. The antsy woman paced around for a bit, before turning to face him once more.

"You don't happen to know any available front men, do you?"

Eddie chuckled at her desperate, unexpected plea. "Uh.. none that you'd be interested in". he responded while putting out his cigarette.

She perked up. "What do you mean by that?"

"None in the city, i mean..." he quickly corrected himself.

"Shit..." she muttered under her breath, her disappointment very evident.

Eddie felt bad for bending the truth... He would be a front man, hell he was one once! But this band was different than anything he had ever played before, and he knew better than to try to live up to an expectation he knew he couldn't live up to.

"Well, thanks for the light." She offered a kind smile before retreating inside the bar.

"Good luck!" Eddie called out, truly wishing her the best.

_

June, 1988

It had been a month now since Eddie had moved to the city, and he had become quite comfortable here. He finally ditched the shoe store, finding work at a record store where he restored donated instruments, a gig that proved to be urgently needed given how many busted up Les Pauls' ended up in his care. He had yet to make any friends, apart from his co-workers, but that felt like plenty for now. Especially since his time off was mostly spent wandering the nearby shops or visiting friends and Wayne back in Hawkins.

The only real complaint he could think of was with his landlord, Marvin, who had a nasty habit of falling asleep at the drop of a dime. This would often result in the tap being left on causing flooding in his apartment. This, in turn, would lead to the flooding of Eddie's apartment as well.

Despite Eddie's patience and understanding for the older gentleman, he had reached his breaking point one morning when he was awoken by the uncomfortable feeling of damp sheets surrounding him.

"...what... the fuck..." he mumbled while sitting up from his drenched mattress. He instinctively looked up just as a droplet of water splatted on his forehead. "God dammit!!" he screeched, the covers flinging off of his body and onto the floor from the motion of him launching out of bed.

He hurried to his closet where he practically ripped his house coat off the hanger, shoving his arms through the sleeves and tying the loose belt around his waist. He stormed up the staircase and hurried over to apartment 82.

After knocking several times with varying amounts of force, the brass door creaked open. Marvin appeared in the doorway looking rather disheveled, wearing a similar house coat to Eddie's. The older gentlemen chuckled at the sight of his young tenant, not used to seeing him look so.. flustered. "I'm sorry Eddie, you know how i get after I've had tea." was all the gentleman offered as he looked at him apologetically.

Eddie often wondered if the tea in question happened to be laced with some type of sleep agent. Nevertheless, he no longer wanted to deal with it, deciding right then and there to look for new places to live.

His search for one bedroom apartments proved to be a challenge, as most of the places he was interested in were way out of his budget. He was forced to look for bedrooms to lease, even though he wasn't keen on the idea of having roommates.

After a slew of disappointing visits to sketchy buildings with even sketchier people, he had but two ads in the paper left to respond to. One was on the far side of town, and the other was a room a few blocks away from his place. He figured he'd start with the further option since the description of the place sounded a lot nicer than the latter.

After a lengthy cab ride, the car pulled up to a building stained with light blue paint lazily applied onto the brick wall. He exited the cab after paying the driver and made his way into the building. Despite the unkept exterior, the lobby was very nice and even came equip with an elevator, something Eddie wasn't so lucky to have where he currently resided.

He eagerly got into the elevator, pressing onto the number four until it illuminated, signaling it's final destination before promptly shutting the doors. Finding the listed apartment was fairly easy given the small amount of homes per floor. He knocked on the door and waited patiently for his potential roommates to answer. He only had to wait a couple of seconds for the door to swing open, a stark contrast from how long it takes for Marvin to respond.

"No shit!" a familiar voice exclaimed.

'"Oh, hey!" Eddie replied, surprised to find the keyboard player from the bar standing before him.

"What? What is it?" came a muffled voice from another room.

"Just some guy i know." the woman responded, smiling amusingly. Eddie couldn't help but smirk at her response. 'Some guy i know' was generous given their brief interaction a month ago.

"Eddie." he said introducing himself.

"Well, Eddie, you come to see the place?" she began before extending her hand. "I'm Steph."

"Uh, yeah! I saw your ad in the paper..." he shook her hand in return.

"Why you moving, Eddie?" the voice called from afar. "You get evicted or something?" he questioned challengingly.

"Don't mind him." Steph responded while smiling warmly, a stark contrast to her annoyed tone. "He assumes the worst in people."

"Because people are the worst!"

She rolled her eyes in response. "Well, come on in! It's a two bedroom, but we converted the living room into a bedroom, which don't worry! Is not the room you'll be staying in!" she spoke rapidly while making her way through each room. Eddie followed along, though he struggled to keep up.

Steph guided him to the bedrooms, urging Eddie to enter the larger vacant one. "This is the master," she stated. "perks include more space and access to the fire escape!"

Eddie stepped inside to have a look. Although he liked what he was seeing, he wanted to make sure it wasn't too good to be true.

"And you said 200$?" he asked while inspecting the room.

"A month, yeah. Usually we'd get you to pay first and last's but... We're kind of desperate..." she admitted, trailing off.

"Desperate, huh? Well, when could i move in?"

"Tomorrow's good!" she eagerly responded.

Eddie raised his eyebrows, unable to prevent the chuckle from escaping his lips. Just then, a man appeared behind her, presumably the voice that rang through the apartment earlier.

"You're really dropping the ball here, Stephanie." he teased as he put both hands on her shoulders. She quickly shrugged them off of her, turning to glare. "Eddie, is it?" the man continued.

Eddie hummed in acknowledgment.

"Tom." he said dryly.

"Or Thomas if he's being a real prick." Steph chimed in, clearly retaliating for his prior use of her full name.

"Don't call me that." Tom said in a stern manor, pointing a threatening finger at Eddie.

"Noted, Steph and Tom." Eddie reassured, raising both hands up defensively. He had to admit, Tom's attitude was slightly off-putting and he certainly found his and Steph's dynamic odd, but amusing nonetheless. Despite this, Eddie felt that he was a pretty good judge of character, and apart from this small quirk, the lack alarm bells sounding off in his brain helped him make a decision.

He took a leap and agreed to move in, which in tern, caused Steph to leap as well.

Literally.

-

September, 1988

Despite everything that resulted in Eddie seeking a new apartment and Steph's eager offer for him to move in so soon, he chose to give Marvin a few month's notice out of respect. After all, he wasn't a bad guy, he just had a bad habit.

Luckily, there were no more incidents leading up to him leaving and soon enough, moving day came. Much to his surprise, his new roommates offered a helping hand, though Tom seemed less than pleased. What would have normally taken Eddie a full day, only took two hours.

Once all of his belongings were set in his room, Eddie walked around his new place, taking in small details he hadn't noticed before. For example, the collection of shot glasses neatly placed on a hanging shelf near the kitchen. He couldn't help the smile that formed on his face, the arrangement reminded him of his uncle's collection of mugs back at the trailer.

Steph appeared behind him, gazing up at the shelf. "Oh, yeah! Just a.. silly little thing i like to do." she stated, seeming proud of the display.

"My uncle's got a bunch of mugs he collects, too."

"Does your uncle steal them from bars and restaurants, too?"

Eddie turned to face her, eyes wide and fully invested in what he thought was just mindless chit chatting. He glanced back at the collection, then to Steph one more. He nodded, his lips forming into a pout while his eyebrows raised. "Impressive."

-

October, 1988

The trio had gotten closer in the small amount of time spent living together. Tom finally warmed up to Eddie, allowing him to see the good side of him that wasn't always snarky and judgmental. He opened up to Eddie one night following a smoking session, speaking of his tumultuous upbringing. The pair bonded over shared experiences, and realized that they actually had quite a lot in common. Thus, a friendship blossomed where Eddie didn't think it would.

As for Steph, they became close almost instantaneously, all thanks to her bubbly, in your face personality. Their banter, though not as intense as hers and Tom's, was always cause for entertainment. Unlike the men, Steph had lead a simple life, some might even call it easy. Her lack of trauma was almost unbelievable to Eddie, but it made him very protective of his new friend. In his eyes, if she was lucky enough to have gone through 24 years of life without experiencing hardships, now was not the time for that to happen.

Eddie as well as his roommates had varying work schedules, which often resulted in at least one person being left alone at the house.

This time, it was Eddie's turn for some much needed me time. He spent the afternoon reading and smoking in his favorite spot: the fire escape. Though, spending more than an hour at a time in there resulted in him being covered in dust and debris, most likely becoming airborne from the speeding cars passing by.

This slight annoyance caused him to cut his reading session short, heading inside in desperate need of a shower. With everyone out of the house, Eddie didn't feel as bad blasting his music through his stereo as he occupied the bathroom. He sang along loudly to the Black Sabbath album playing through the apartment without a care in the world. He lathered his hair in foamy shampoo, enjoying every minute of this warm shower when suddenly, the bathroom door swung open and a wide eyed Steph came gawking in.

"JESUS CHRIST!!" he exclaimed, quickly covering his bottom half with his hands.

"You sing?!" she shouted over the music still blaring, paying no mind to his naked body.

"Uh, yeah...Do you knock??" he blurted out, now blushing from her presence.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she pushed on.

"Can we have this conversation some other time? Maybe when i'm not naked, THREE FEET AWAY FROM YOU."

Steph rolled her eyes, storming forward and pulling the transparent curtain aside causing Eddie to yelp. "Like this thing covers anything anyway. Besides, i don't care about that right now. Why didn't you tell me you can sing, you could have joined our band ages ago!"

"Because, you... Could you at least hand me that towel?" he asked pleadingly.

"No." she responded without missing a beat, causing Eddie to sigh.

"I didn't think you'd want me to join... Our styles are so... different. Plus, don't you need a bass player?"

"And a singer!" she corrected.

"Right... But i don't play bass, remember?" he asked rhetorically, knowing Steph had seen his guitar hanging up on his bedroom wall.

"I know, jackass." she said, throwing the towel at him. "But if we have you as our lead, it'll be way easier finding a bass player rather than someone who can do both! You've heard of two birds, one stone? Well this is one stone and you're the bird!"

Eddie paused, blinking slowly while trying to decipher her jumbled metaphor. "What...are you talking about...?"

"Forget it, can you just do me this one favor, and please join the band?" she pleaded, bringing her hands up to intertwine her fingers.

"If i say yes will you get the hell out of here?" he asked, wanting nothing more than for this interaction to be over.

"No backsies?" she urged, narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah, fine!!" Eddie blurted out, growing frustrated as the foamy shampoo began trickling down his forehead and into his eyes.

Steph shrieked excitedly while exiting the bathroom. "Alright! Let's find that other bird!"

_

𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑳𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 2

[itwasmagic]

Hi, Regina is my absolute favourite in ouat and you made her stunning in this gifset ✨

I was wondering how did you make glitch effect from green to b&w, Would you please post a tutorial?

Hi! Thank you so much! the start of the tutorial is below the cut but because it's multiple gifs and I could only add so many photos to a post to explain, I have had to split it onto another post but I have put a link at the end when it's time to move onto the next one. :) if anything doesn't make sense or if anyone follows this and it helps, i would love to know either way!

Glitch effect tutorial used on this set below the cut

note: credit to this tutorial which was very helpful when i was making the set but i didn't feel it explained how to do the b&w gif and that's what took me a while to figure out, so if anything on this tutorial isn't clear, that one should also help. this will be slightly different because in my set i made it so the glitch faded into each other and i've added my own flare to it but the basic technique is the same.

create 2 gifs the same size, you can add whatever colouring, sharpening etc you like, one in colour, one in b&w (you can do 2 in colour but for the purpose of this i'm doing one b&w to show how to do both versions).

i'm going to do the b&w gif fading into the colour gif on this tutorial (bc that's just what i started editing first) but obviously if you're making a full set decide which gif you want to fade into which because the first part of the gif will have the glitch effect on the end and the second will have it at the beginning so it will matter for the final outcome of your set

PART 1 - B&W GIF

if you edit in frame animation, you must convert your b&w gif to the video animation timeline otherwise the colours will not show up on the glitch effect. you can do this by clicking the lines menu above the frames

i usually colour in frame animation because it plays quicker to preview how it will look and then convert to video to add my sharpening at the end but it's personal preference how you create your gifs.

hold control + select all of your frames > right click > convert to smart object

all of your frames, colouring etc should all be in one frame now, select it > click the lines menu above the animation timeline again > convert frames > flatten frames into clips

you should now have a longer list of layers that make up each frame of your gif

this is because we need to convert back to frame animation to edit the glitch effect onto individual frames. if you don't flatten the frames to clips the gif will not play when it's converted because 1 layer will equal only 1 frame. it may seem long winded to go back and forth but it makes sure all your colouring is already included in the frames when you make it glitch. if you add the colouring afterwards it will change the colour of the glitch effect or turn it black and white and it won't be very visible (if anyone has an easier way i'm very happy for suggestions, i was just figuring this out as i went and found the glitch didn't work on the b&w gif any other way for me!!)

now we go back to the 3 lines menu > convert frames > convert to frame animation

if you get this pop up, press continue. it's fine because we have each of our frames in their own layers now

your frame animation timeline will initially load with just one frame

go to the lines menu again > make frames from layers

now all of the frames will load, but they will be at 0 seconds (except the first frame) and we need to make them all run at a playable speed, so go back to that same lines menu above the timeline > select all frames > select under any frame where it says 0 sec. > other > i usually put in 0.05 but do whatever works for you

PART 2 - ADDING THE GLITCH EFFECT

pick a frame about 5 from the end, select it and select the corresponding layer with the eye icon next to it to show it's the one visible

right click > duplicate layer (or just press control + J)

then on the copy of the layer right click > blending options (or double click)

in the advanced blending section, untick R > ok

make sure the move tool is selected

now using the arrow keys on your keyboard move that layer either left or right as many notches as you like (i've started out with 10 here)

hold control > select both the visible layers

right click > merge layers

now move onto the next frame and corresponding layer and repeat the same process (i have no idea why my ps decided frame 46 doesn't exist so ignore that dkjddj)

if the frame(s) below is still visible, just click the eye to hide it so only the one you're working on and it's copy layer are showing

this time i've moved the layer 6 notches to the right as below

keep going until you get to the end of the animation. you can move each layer as much as you like either side just play around with your gif and do whatever you think looks good! if you want to do more than the last 5 frames or less than them, do that too! just remember that we are also going to put a glitch on the coloured gif then combine them, so the final glitch effect will be longer

when you're done, you might have to go back to the first frame on your animation and hide all of the layers you've just edited because on mine they all visible so the gif won't play

then go back to the end of the gif and make the right layer visible on the right frame again (hopefully this makes sense)

so far, the gif should play something like this

to make it smoother i picked a few frames earlier in the gif, before the start of the glitch at the end to add the same effect to the first frame i edited was number 32 (layer 'frame 45'), so i'm going to add it to frames 25 and 26 as well

then i selected the last frame and layer > filter (at the top of the screen) > blur > motion blur

then pick another frame and corresponding layer > filter > noise > add noise

do this to a couple of frames of your choice with the glitch effect on too, it makes it a little more grunge-y which i think fits with the concept that it's supposed to be glitching/broken

now it looks like this, subtle but in my opinion notably smoother

go to the left side of the screen under the frame timeline and click the convert to video timeline button

once i've converted it back to the video timeline, i like to select all of my layers again > right click > group from layers (or select all and control + g). i'm going to rename this b&w so it doesn't get confusing later

I can only add 30 images per post so this tutorial is CONTINUED HERE!

[tildeathiwillwrite]

June of Doom Day 18

"I'm fine." / Self Defense / Allergies / Headache

Prompts List | Masterpost

<- Previous part | Next part ->

Fandom: Original Work

Words: 1200

Tag List: @juneofdoom @fourwingedsnake @whumperofworlds @pigeonwhumps @mr-orion

@scaewolf

CW: headache, stress position, nets, knives, rescue, starvation, captured, escape attempt

Part 2 of Draven net-prison whump. Terrible name but can’t think of anything more clever at the moment.

----------

The rope creaked menacingly as Draven hauled himself out of the net and began to slowly inch his way up, hand over hand, the coarse rope digging into the flesh of his palms. He tried to ignore how far down the drop would be should he fall, and he tried to ignore the sharp, rusted spikes protruding from the floor so far below. He would most certainly die an agonizing death if he fell.

Then don’t fall, you idiot!

His headache hadn’t fully subsided before he began the climb, and exerting himself like this did not help the aching on his temple or the throbbing in his skull. He should’ve given himself time to recover before attempting escape, should’ve allowed time to plan or await the inevitable rescue when Octavian tracked him down.

Only a coward would do that.

Below, Reprobus called out to the other prisoners, quietly urging them to wake up and prepare themselves. Draven noted the hint of hope in his voice but didn’t have the energy to care. His hands burned from the rope, his wrists and elbows sent sharp needles of pain down his arms, and his ankles protested with every inch he gained.

“One of these days,” he grunted, pulling himself up another few inches, “how about I not get captured for a change? Take a vacation somewhere? Maybe?”

Of course, no one had any answers for him.

As he reached the top, Draven noticed that the ropes for each prison seemed to come through its own corresponding trapdoor, no doubt to allow easy access for their captors. Easy for them, he thought as he quickly removed one of his hands from the rope to press to the trapdoor, but not likely easy access for—

The trapdoor raised easily. It wasn’t even latched! Draven slowly peeked over the edge, careful not to make any sound besides his heavy breathing from hauling himself all the way up. The room above the prison was the same size as the vast chamber where he was held, with one door leading to the rest of this place. The floor was a checkerboard of trapdoors identical to the one he held with one shaking hand. It would be more accurate to call them lids, they didn’t have hinges.

Draven had been put in a net somewhere around the middle of the room, and across the room, close to the door, he spied a pair of boots, their owner facing away from him. Slowly, silently, he lowered the lid on his prison and quickly gripped the rope with both hands. He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to hold on before his grip loosened and sent him plummeting all the way back down to where he’d started.

Far below, the other prisoners murmured to each other, their eyes no doubt on him. They were counting on him to get out, perhaps wondering if he would make good on what he claimed and free the rest of them. Draven didn’t know what any of them had done to get tossed in such a prison, but from the look of Reprobus and the others, he didn’t think it was terrible enough to merit such a punishment as being starved and suspended over a pit of spikes.

Their captors would probably disagree, but Draven had literally been hit over the head and dragged here, he suspected the rest had arrived in much the same manner.

Taking a deep breath, Draven lifted the lid over his rope and peeked at the boots. Or tried to, because they were gone. The owner must’ve left the room while he wasn’t looking, and he hadn’t noticed their departure due to his desperate concentration on not falling.

Well, now or never.

Draven quickly grabbed the edge of the floor and hauled himself over the side, the rope swaying wildly from the movement. He scrambled out from underneath the lid, letting it fall back over the pit. Taking deep breaths, arms shaking, Draven let himself rest, eyes on the door, hand on the knife in his sleeve.

When nobody entered, Draven slowly got to his feet, spikes of pain shooting through his ankles, and moved to the nearest rope. He tugged on it and was rewarded with a surprised yelp from below. He smirked before grabbing hold of the coarse fibers with both hands and hauling the prisoner up to the top, keeping eyes on the door and ears for shouting outside.

The prisoner, a woman in a faded dress who appeared to be in her mid-twenties, was already breathing her thanks when Draven pulled her out of the pit. Draven just nodded and cut her out of the net before dropping it back into the prison. “Keep watch on the door,” he ordered, moving to the next rope.

So it was for the remaining prisoners until every net was emptied. Most were so weak from hunger they could barely stand, let alone help him pull people out. As the last prisoner, an older man with almost a full head of white hair crawled out of the net, Draven folded his arms, surveying the group.

“Do any of you know what you were imprisoned for?”

It wasn’t a big shock when everyone either shrugged or shook their heads. Draven exhaled slowly, trying to gather his thoughts through the pounding in his head, which still hadn’t subsided. He doubted he would have time to truly rest until they managed to flee wherever they were. Typical.

“Are you alright?” Reprobus asked softly, noticing his exhaustion. “You look like you’re about to fall asleep where you stand.”

“I’m fine.” Draven snapped, drawing the short knives from his sleeves before stooping and grabbing the one in his boot. “Does anyone have combat experience with this kind of knife? We might have to fight our way out.”

The prisoners glanced at each other, painfully aware of the sorry state they were all in, including Draven. Finally, the young woman in the faded dress stepped forward, as did a man about Draven’s age. Draven eyed them both, not missing how they were in the best physical shape out of the entire group besides himself. 

He handed them each a knife anyway. “Don’t hesitate to go for the throat,” he instructed, noting how they took the weapons gingerly as if they were to explode if handled improperly. “I doubt our captors will aim to recapture once they see we all escaped. Make sure no one is left behind.”

Draven turned towards the door but paused, remembering something. “Oh, and if anyone sees a pair of pistols lying around, those are probably mine and I’d rather have them than these knives.”

Some murmurs of confusion at that, but he ignored them, raising his weapon, and slowly pushed open the door. Time to get out of the whatever-the-depths this place was.

[baby-stims]

How to make a stimboard (how I do it!!!)

Under a read more as its kind of a long how to! But I hope it helps those who dont know how to do this! There are also photo helpers to those who need visual and verbal explanations!

First you're going to want to have some sort of theme, lets for funsies choose a calico cat as this theme. Second, you're gonna want to choose a still image or gif as your middle picture (if youre grabbing it from google like I do sometimes youre going to want to source back to the picture, I can help you with that too!) Once you've found the photo you like you're going to want to right click on the photo and copy image address! Then you paste onto a photo document like pictured below!

Next is how to adding an emoji to go with it, lets add cats to make it easier! First they will be small, but you want to highlight them and select biggest for their size!

After that you can add anything to separate them from one another, I usually use slashes! Next you want to search up some type of stims, I'm going to make it with the same color as the cat. So I'm searching brown stims up first!

Youre going to be met with a lot of stimboards! It is okay to use the same gif from another stim board! Just credit the other stimboard as where you found the gif. Sometimes the original credit is a dead link so its best to just credit where you found it from :) When you find a gif you like, you click that gif and right click it just as you did the cat image. Copy image address. And paste it into the box your cat image is on.

Make sure you hit the red image box first so you can get the option to select inserting a linked image first though! After it will look kind of wonky! Like this!

That is okay!!! Just long hold with your mouse and drag the gif image up to where you want it to go! I usually first start by putting them by the middle image.

Like so!!! Now you got these two images from somewhere! Lets link back to their sources! The source for the gif image I found will be at the top of the page here!!!

Not everything has to load for you to grab the source link!! You need to highlight the emoji (or whatever image thing you chose for representation) that corresponds with the gif image, and insert the link found above.

Like that, hit done and thats how you add a link to your emoji!

You follow these same steps until the gifs fill up 3 at the top, 2 on either side of the middle picture, and 3 at the bottom and you have yourself a stimboard.

[orchid-151]

I have one last ask to answer later, for now...

Of 5 votes, 80% said yes, so here is the next poll...

The poll will last 7 days from when I post it...

Below the cut will be the price range for each answer as well as a reason why they are priced the way they are.

Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated 👏 as this will be my first time offering commissions to others~

Also, for the trees and plushies, I will pay shipping and handling when shipping them...

Art 🎨

Pencil ✏️: $5

Digital : $10

Background: +$2

Color: +$2

Includes up to 5 characters and objects in one picture. Background and color extra.

(Drawing on paper is the easiest thing I can do, digital is another story But all I have to do is trace a physical drawing of it and the digital Program And then I just go from there... Backgrounds and colors are extra.Because I have to take time to color them in, otherwise you're getting a black and white picture...)

Wire Trees 🌳

Small: $15

Medium: $20

Large: $25

Pipe cleaner leaves: +$2.50

(I watched my father make wire trees when I was younger and wanted to put my own spin on them... keep in mind they come with a rock to be put on that corresponds with the trees size...)

Stuffies 🧸

My OCs: $45 (Two payments of $22.50)

Your OCs: $45-$75 (Two payments)

You pay the first half with your request a plushy. You pay the rest when you receive the plushy.

(I am going to be honest, I have never sewn a plushy before. I have repaired and made a small outfit, but that is the extent of my experience... I have watched YouTube tutorials on the basics of plushy making, and I have a basic idea of how to make one. I will make a prototype later [hopefully before the poll is done] and show you all the results. Making Plushies is one of my bucket lists I want to mark off, and I will give you my best work if paid for~)

(I want to do all three, but I can understand if everyone can't spend their money on something... if this works, I'll leave my commissions open for everyone past summer brake~ While the poll is up if you wish to request anything that is listed before I open up A payment method, You can DM me So that we can talk about it...)

[iconmochi]

Not really a request but your stuff is so pretty!! Do you have a tutorial of how you make them??

TYSM!!!! i’ve put a tutorial under the cut just for you :3 lmk if you need any clarification or pics for some of the steps!!!

apps used: ibis paint x (putting it all together), pinterest (manga panels, masks), picsart (transparents)

1 ) get the mask you’ll clip everything to!! i found the one i use on pinterest and i simply made it into two separate parts. i’ll attach them below!! import them both into the same 1280 x 1280 canvas and you should be all set!! make sure that the one on the right (hollow circle) is on top

2 ) import the flag you’re going to use and make sure it’s on the highest layer and completely covers both masks. after it’s all imported and sized, duplicate it and move it so it’s on top of the mask on the left (filled in circle). clip both layers of the flag to their corresponding mask (the one they’re on top of)

3 ) color pick each color from your flag and add it to your palette. then, create a new layer and clip it to the filled in circle. just make sure it’s below the flag! turn off the flag layer and set the new blank layer to lighten.

4 ) while you have the new blank layer selected, go into effects and choose parallel gradiation. under the gradiation section of the effect, add the colors you picked from the flag (and remove any that are already on there). space them out as desired. play around with the other settings a bit to get it to line up with the flag (which you should still be able to see on the hollow circle mask). pro tip: even if the flag has white, i recommend omitting it from the gradient unless it is the first or last stripe. if you leave it in the panel will basicalli become invisible in that section due to the white on white.

5 ) now add your manga panels! add them below the gradient layer but still on top of the lower circle. clip them to the lower circle as well. the black on the panels should now be replaced with the gradient you made!!

6 ) after you’ve made the desired amount of icons with the manga panels, you can now create some with transparents/renders. open picsart, choose a transparent canvas, and go to the stickers tool. search up the character you’re making icons of. i usualli do two manga stickers and one anime/colored sticker of the character.

7 ) after you’ve gathered your transparents, go back to ibis paint x and select the color of the middle stripe of your flag. then go to the hex code/color wheel area of the color palette and make that color a bit darker. you can do this by sliding the curser around the square as you see fit. make sure to save this darker color to your palette!

8 ) open a new project in ibis paint x (i use square 1280 x 1280, but it doesn’t matter that much) and use the paint bucket to fill the canvas with that darker center color. then, import the manga transparents you got from picsart. move the color fill layer above one and duplicate if needed to go above however many other ones you have. clip the color layer to the transparent, and set the color layer to lighten. save each newly colored transparent.

9 ) go back to the original project and import the newly colored transparents so that they are above the flag on the lower circle mask but below the upper circle mask. resize them as needed. you can also turn the eyeball of the gradient and manga panels off if you haven’t done that already, but bc the flag is over it, it doesn’t make much of a difference. make sure the transparent is clipped to the lower circle mask as well!

make sure you have all the icons saved and voilà!! you now have super cool pride icons!!

[vout-vouniern]

So, to those of you who play/are interested in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, who do you think the last 2 characters they’ll add in wave 6 will be? I have 3 theories personally, so I’ll state them below:

#1- Nintendo is adding characters that match the rows they’re to be put in.

This one’s probably the most out there, but it does have merit. Birdo is placed next to the princesses and is close to Yoshi. Petey is right next to his Double Dash partner, King Boo. Wiggler is a heavy (technically “cruiser” I think) that uses medium sized vehicles, much like the metal characters in the same row. Kamek is in the same row as Bowser and Bowser Jr.

So, what are the next characters then? For row 5, it has to be a character (already in a Mario Kart game) related to the Koopalings, which includes Hammer Bro, Chargin’ Chuck, Nabbit, Peachette, and Monty Mole (though Monty’s a stretch). It could be any of them, really; though I feel either Hammer Bro or Nabbit would be most likely. Row 6 needs to be a character not from Super Mario, and there’s actually quite a few. R.O.B, Funky Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., and PAC-MAN (and some other NAMCO characters, but they wouldn’t get in over him). Let’s be real though, it’d 100% be Funky Kong in this case.

#2- Nintendo is adding the “superstars” of previous titles, unless the character was already included in the roster.

This one has one outlier character, but I’ll get to that. Excluding Tour and BCP, 8DX is missing 1 SNES character, 0 64 characters, 0 GBA characters, 3 Double Dash characters, 1 DS character, 3 Wii characters, and 2 7 characters. Therefore, focusing on the popular characters from these titles makes sense. Petey from DD, Wiggler from 7 (since Metal Mario is already here), and Kamek from Tour (dude almost got cut 3 times smh) all make sense to represent their corresponding games. That just leaves Birdo as an outlier, but also not really? See, Birdo was present in 2 other games: Double Dash and Wii, same as Diddy Kong. Assuming Funky to be the Wii rep, it doesn’t make sense to add another Kong, so Diddy and Jr. don’t make the cut, and instead Birdo gets in as a more likable character than Honey Queen (RIP HQ Fans). This of course leaves the final spot open for the DS rep R.O.B. In my opinion, this is the best outcome and the one I’m hoping for.

#3- I, as usual, am overthinking things and Nintendo is just adding characters they think will be the most liked.

Yeah not much to say here. If this is the case, I guess Pauline and Funky to be the last characters, though it could be Pauline and Diddy I guess. Hoping I’m wrong here, as I don’t actually care for Pauline as a racer that much (Nintendo just kinda went “Hey you know how Pauline sang that song once? It’s her entire personality now!” and I’m not a fan).

PLEASE JUST ADD R.O.B. NINTENDO I AM ON MY HANDS AND KNEES

[rennyji]

Solutions to Senate Hearing with Tech Execs

(UPDATE: 2/25/2024 7:17 PM - added 2 images, an Excel formula, and the starred sections at bottom, particularly last starred section)

So,

I need to establish a couple of thoughts before getting into addressing the alleged harm coming from social media.

One: One of the things I realized from my teenage interest in being a doctor, compared to my actual attempt at engineering, is that both fields require different methodologies to studying, and producing results, in a career. I believe, to a large extent, you can make a Doctor Robot. But you can't necessarily create an Engineer Robot, at least not until AI becomes more advanced. Why do I say this? A Doctor or pre-med student internalizes a database of medical knowledge. They go through documented possible scenarios in procedure/surgeries. They are essential well trained. Engineering is different because you're not trained for all possible scenarios. You have to come up with something new. You learn a subset of knowledge, to build on that, and create solutions, to be innovative. This contrasts with the medical database a Doctor/Pharmacist internalizes. Not to belittle a high paying respected profession, but if you have a gifted memory, you can match patients cases, with your internalized medical database, and output a list of possible solutions, based on what your internalized textbooks and practices say. You're almost, at least from the perspective of a Pediatrician, always coming up and treating problems that have happened before. Not the case with engineers.

Two:

In my last job, I held a job where direction was so limited, the managers turned it around to "success with navigating through ambiguity" on our yearly evaluations. One one project, what they called a SKU mapping project, I was presented with a task. Ultimately, I had to map columns from two different files to non matching text in a third file. The result had to have a SKU code and a Product Description, determined by a Brand, Flavor, what kind of pack it was (6 pack/12 pack), its weight in grams, from two other files. To add to the difficulty or the vagueness of the task, it was based on a file of 1000 rows. Because, again, the criteria was vague and the rows didn't exactly match, I couldn't use a VLookUp formula or Index/Match in Excel. I didn't want to check every row manually, and then guess, if it matched the vague text in a third file, and then jot down the corresponding SKU code. It didn't make sense to do something if "I thought" it matched. I realized in the process of implementing my solution that Excel ended up spending hours processing my spreadsheets, stating that it's "calculating" in the status bar with a percentage. I don't think, at least me, have ever seen Excel spend hours calculating how much of a spreadsheet it processed. Now the problem may sound poorly described or the task may sound poorly described, but my solution, simple as it may be was:

I copied the data from the multiple files into Excel tabs, kind of like a figurative or symbolic database. I took the columns that needed to be "seen" and "determined" (based on vague criteria), in this case: Brand, Flavor, Pack size, and Weight in grams (which may need to be converted to grams)

I took the text from those aforementioned columns and put them in rows with wild card searchable characters like the asterisk or question mark.

Every column in the top half of the file (with the exception of the first two columns: A+B), from C onwards, listed the various products at my company, with its text broken into the rows below.

Columns A+B listed the mapping output data that I needed to produce. I formed a list form the aforementioned third file and I listed it out. It contained a Product Description that I was going to search the keywords for, and the corresponding mapping SKU Codes.

Now based on the search criteria in columns C and onwards, if the descriptions in Columns A+B contained keywords, from Columns C and onwards, the intersecting row or cell would add a 1. If no match was detected, it would assign a 0.

Whichever cell had the highest value, based on again, the vague criteria preventing a simple VLookup, was assigned the SKU code to the product description not worded perfectly, but matched closely enough.

-the image shows creating count of searchable terms (listed topRight) in Microsoft Excel & adding aCount ofHits 2 description, on leftHandSide.Along w/help of Name Manager in Excel, I calculated&checked everything in2 1 cell w/formula: =SUM(COUNTIFS($C28,INDIRECT(G$1)))

- with regards to last two tweets, I'm talking about doing this with images on a bigger scale. need a lot of computational power though.

---

So I mentioned points 1 and 2 above. Now, I read the articles on Google News and followed the Senate Hearing of the Tech Execs on CNN on January 31 up until 3 PM.

But how much is the tech execs fault?

On kids spending time on these apps. Things like Likes and immediate results can increase dopamine and continued interest on the platforms. After writing these things, I noticed my mind is active and I need to wait for it to reach a quiet level. That's the onus of the children and their parents, not the tech execs.

On self image, increases in anorexia/bulemia, kids killing themselves over their kids envy of their peers...that again is the onus of users of social media. There is a bigger problem. Kids are now impulsive and have no restraint. If your friend is prettier than your own self perception, that's something that person needs to work on, by changing themselves or adjust their perception.

On drugs, you probably shouldn't buy any kind of medication, whatever you're trying to treat-pain killer or not-from social media, in place of CVS or Rite Aid or even Amazon. That's education that needs to come from parents, common wisdom. Everyone knows you don't walk in front of a moving car. Likewise, it should be common knowledge not to buy any drug (medicinal/recreational) from social media. Does it even make sense? It like people knowing they need to be careful when operating off "Craigs List" - common accepted knowledge. THIS IS THE BIG ONE WHERE SOLUTIONS NEED TO BE IMPLEMENTED. NUMBER FOUR.

On child predators, disinformation about Bin L*den and such, Revenge porn, or children posting salacious pictures of themselves of their peers, companies like Facebook already have troves of data. That existing data and pictures of what counts as genitals and other inappropriate things should fed into a private Facebook server like a dictionary for the machine. Image recognition, not to be funny or inappropriate, should know which curves or spaces are - I'm sorry has to be said - breasts or cleavage. And the detections, kind of like my Excel detection, should keep a count of the number of "Flags" raised on posted content, and it should be matched with different age groups. It really boils down to if/else logic statements and some for loops for checking. If the total count for a particular age group is too high, the content should be removed, and if their parents are listed, they need to be emailed about the matter. "The total count of flags raised" for what's appropriate should be different for different age groups. Little girls shouldn't show off their chests, and if skin is detected in a "particular region" of a picture, that needs to be automatically removed through AI, and their parents contacted. It can all be automated.

iphoneImageDetection/Arkose Challenge IDverify showItsPossible

iphoneImageDetection/Arkose Challenge IDverify showItsPossible Conversely, and not to express one view or another on this, college woman or woman at a party dressed in skimpy dress, posting themselves on Facebook, should also have pictures scanned by Facebook with Image Recognition, but ALLOWED if their age defined is that of a consenting adult. For people basically saying on social media, "Hey man, you want to buy Fentanyl from me?!", that kind of text should be matched with all the forms and slang of Fentayl, all the ways that question can be asked, and removed from Facebook postings if their is a match or if the total flag count raised is too high. On questionable people contacting your kids for whatever ill intent, parents need to educate their kids. My parents told me, growing up, go Trick or Treating, but don't eat the candy. You never know what people might put in it or do to it or how old it is. Parents need to make clear, don't talk to strangers in reality and in virtual reality. The high flag count search result method should also be used with a Facebook user's postings and photo uploads. Once it crosses a threshold of indecency, that account should be notified as per a REVIEW. High LIKED OR VISITED content should also be REVIEWED. Creates jobs. As per the dopamine high, where the mind is over active, that comes down to limiting your time on social media, knowing yourself and how much is too much for you, and learning mind quieting techniques like the secular Relaxation Response from Dr. Herbert at Harvard. Think about your inhale when inhaling, think about your exhale as exhaling, and when you exhale, say "ONE" in your head or some meaningless monosyllable word. It's that simple. Do it for 5 min after social media use. A less aggravated mind is less likely to compound that agitation with pot/cocaine. Social Media Companies: you don't need 40,000 employees things. Just do some coding and stock up on the data that needs to be stocked up.

I mentioned point one at the top of this post about doctors because you could automate intelligent psychological advice in response to troublesome content posted. It's just taking the postings and images, interpreting the data, matching it to a database of psychological knowledge, and outputting advice. You can even make it comical. "Eat healthy, and you can look just as good as you're friend..." Free speech can still be preserved. *** Updated separately with below

When people say to social media Execs, that "your products are killing people," I'm reminded of Oxycontin from Purdue Pharma. People say that Purdue Pharma knew their drug was addictive and killing people. And they did, and in this context, their argument that people have to make responsible choices doesn't count. The drug is addicting by nature. It's a pain killer. Social media and gaming is a luxury, not a necessity. It is not a drug. Whether you watch too much tv or post, that's a choice under the supervision of individuals and people in their lives.

***

Encourage social media timeouts with a notification and meditate!

Overactive after going through Facebook, X, Instagram? Try doing the Relaxation Response from Dr. Herbert- Harvard. Set aside 5 min, do a conscious inhale, hold breath for 2 secs, do a conscious exhale, followed with saying a meaningless word like "One" in your head. Repeat.

*** Social Media companies need to have 800 numbers to report users and posts for parents and children. It's not enough with just an email or chat. Opportunity for jobs.

******* Can take computation load of calculating threshold with a mix of server side and client side programming or a browser plugin or some framework like old Java framework download or .net installer for c# programming. Someone logins into something like Facebook, they’re asked to download plugin or can’t login. Or, just pure server side/client side programming where before contentious pic or video clip uploaded, image recognition threshold counter scans and verifies upload of post. Should be easy with racey text.

[christanworkshop]

DIY: Flipper Zero Quick Prototype Module

Tinkering with Flipper Zero and adding various modules have been fun, but I found doing it with breadboard and jumper wires have been rather messy and it's difficult to bring the add-on around with wires and components hanging off the Flipper Zero. So, I decided to spend a couple of hours to put together a quick prototype module with breadboard attached that plugs into Flipper Zero. I also added an AMS1117 5v to 3.3v step down power supply buck to the board, so that 3.3v also comes from the 5v pin. This makes the module hot pluggable as long as you don't use the Flipper Zero's 3.3v pin. It's a lot more convenient this way. Here's the final result! What do you think?

Now I can try out quick builds of various projects and bring it around to test it with no issue, before committing to a design and making it permanent. Here are more examples using this quick prototype module.

It just cost me a few bucks for the parts and I think it's time well spent. If you wish to make one yourself, here's a quick guide below.

Build Steps

Here are the stuff you will need for this project: An 8cm x 6cm double sided prototype board, a 400 hole breadboard, some 25mm male and female header pins, some jumper wires and an AMS1117 5v to 3.3v step down power supply buck. These can be found in Aliexpress, Amazon, Lazada, etc.

First, cut away the connectors on the side of the breadboard just to give it a cleaner look.

Next is to cut the female header pins to the right length, or you can just get the right sizes of the shelf. You need one with 8 pins and another one with 10 pins.

Next, we need to cut the male header pins to length. Again, we need one with 8 pins and one with 10 pins. After that, stick the header pins all the way into a breadboard, then use a ruler/screwdriver to slowly push the plastic thingy holding the pins down until it touches the breadboard.

Use a masking tape to mark the pin at 5mm above the plastic thingy. This is the line where you will bend the pins.

Now use a plier to bend the pins 90 degrees, then cut the pins shorter like below. You can cut the pins after soldering it on to the board, but I find it easier to cut it before.

Next, we work on the power supply step down module. You need to remove the plastic thingy from the pins. Just use a cutter to trim it off, then bend the pins straight.

Now you can solder the male header pins to the prototype board like below. You can also see how the female header pins should be placed on the board.

Bend the legs of the female header pins so that they lean towards the solder points of the male header pins, then solder each corresponding pin to bridge them together.

Now go ahead and also solder the power supply module and wire them accordingly. Note that I also cut a 2 pin female header and I wired both to the 3.3V VOUT from the power supply module.

At this point, it's probably good to take out the multimeter (or use the continuity tester app on Flipper) to test all the connections to make sure all the connections are good and that there are no shorts. After that, peel off the tape backing from the breadboard and stick it on the module.

That's it! You're done, and now you have a nifty quick prototyping module for your Flipper Zero that will make your experimenting a lot more enjoyable.

Oh, and just one more thing ... I designed and printed some stickers to label the pins on the module. This makes it a lot less likely that you will stick the connections in the wrong holes. You can download the PDF for the stickers here.

There, now we are really done. Let me know what you think, or how I can improve this. Have fun! If you enjoy stuff like this, check out our Makers & Hackers Exchange  Facebook group.

[carley-cramer95]

Guide to Choosing a Portable Oxygen Concentrator

A medical oxygen device known as a portable oxygen concentrator is used to treat respiratory conditions including cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (CF). Portable oxygen concentrators are made to be lightweight, and effective, and provide the patient with as much mobility as possible while still ensuring their oxygen needs are fulfilled, in contrast to other oxygen devices like oxygen tanks or stationary oxygen concentrators. You're probably searching for a decent place to start if you've never bought an oxygen machine before or if you want to improve your current model.

Why Use a Portable Oxygen Concentrator?

Why should I utilize a portable oxygen concentrator is probably the first query you have regarding them. Given the variety of oxygen devices available, including oxygen tanks, portable oxygen cylinders, home oxygen concentrators, and more, this is a legitimate issue. Although each of them has advantages and disadvantages, portable oxygen concentrators will, on average, offer you the best long-term value.

Pulse Flow vs. Continuous Flow

It's time to choose between pulse flow and continuous flow now that you've determined you need a portable oxygen concentrator instead of another medical oxygen equipment. An oxygen concentrator with continuous flow produces a constant stream of oxygen, much like a water fountain. Unless they contain a device known as an oxygen conserver that is attached to the top of the unit, all oxygen tanks are continuous flow. On the other hand, a pulse flow oxygen concentrator contains extra technology that monitors your breathing and only releases oxygen when you take a breath.

Portable Oxygen Concentrator Specifications

Oxygen Output

The total (maximum) oxygen production of your portable oxygen concentrator is without a doubt the most crucial factor. Pulse flow portable oxygen concentrators are constrained by the size and effectiveness of their compressor, as opposed to oxygen tanks, which provide almost any oxygen setting you choose. On the market, there are pulse flow machines with speeds ranging from 300 ml/min to 1,260 ml/min and 2 to 6 distinct pulse flow settings. For most oxygen patients, a setting of 2 or 3 on most POCs corresponds to an oxygen flow rate of at least 400 ml/min.

Battery Life

The battery life of a portable oxygen concentrator is the second most crucial factor for the majority of oxygen patients. In the end, you might feel that you have less mobility than you had with your oxygen tank because a POC that can only function for an hour before needing to be charged doesn't actually offer any portability at all.

Sound Level

When switching from oxygen tanks, one of the common inquiries people have is "Do portable oxygen concentrators produce noise?" "Yes" is the response to the query. They probably don't make as much noise as you believe they do. The noise level of oxygen concentrators typically ranges from around 37 decibels (dBA) to about 50 dBA, however, the majority of pulse-flow portable oxygen concentrators are at or below 40 dBA. This is comparable to the volume of a whisper or a hushed chat, to put things in perspective.

Final Thoughts

It's not always simple to choose a portable oxygen concentrator, especially if you've never bought one before. Above all else, you must ensure that your POC satisfies your oxygen requirements, is portable, and has a long battery life. Because pulse flow POCs are more technologically sophisticated than their continuous flow counterparts, they frequently achieve these criteria more readily.

[bcth-uk]

Benedict Cumberbatch Week An outfit he wore.

[undertale-data]

[Image Description: an Undertale textbox with “INTRODUCTION AND DEMOGRAPHICS” in all caps in its middle. To its left and right are a radar screen and an egg, sun, and "WED" from the Dating Hub. End I.D.]

Our sample size consisted of a total of 2651 responses. We did not set any sort of age restriction to take the survey, and no other qualification than self identifying yourself as part of the Undertale fandom.

[Image Description: a pie chart titled “AGE OF UNDERTALE FANS”. In clockwise order, the results: 31%, or 812 responders, are 13-17 years old; 44% or 1160 are 18-24; 15%, or 398, are 25-30; 6%, or 158, are 31-40; 0%, or 6, are 41-50; 3%, or 91, preferred not to answer, and 1%, or 25, are 12 and below. End I.D.]

The age group most represented is composed of people between 18 to 24 years old (also known as emerging adults), corresponding to 44% of all participants. They are followed by teenagers aged 13 to 17 years old (31%) and young adults aged 25 to 30 years old (15%)

(Many more demographics under the cut.)

[Image Description: a pie chart titled “GENDER OF UNDERTALE FANS”. In clockwise order, the results: 374, or 14%, are male; 1144, or 43%, are female; 789, or 30%, are nonbinary; 167, or 6%, identify as ‘other’, and 177, or 7%, prefer not to say. End I.D.]

In terms of gender, most people identified as female with a total of 43%, followed by nonbinary with 30% and male with 14%.  A significant amount of people responded with “Other,” explaining their identity (or questioning) more in depth.

[Image Description: a pie chart titled “UNDERTALE FANDOM AND LGBT+ IDENTITY”. In clockwise order, the results: 1949, or 73%, identify as LGBT+; 293, or 11%, do not identify as LGBT+; 280, or 11%, are questioning; and 129, or 5%, prefer not to say. End I.D.]

Considering the great amount of LGBT+ representation present in Undertale, we decided to ask people whether they identify themselves as part of this community. The majority, 73%, has declared to be a part of it. It is relevant to add that 5% chose not to say, and 11% were questioning. It is possible that media containing well developed representation draws more people to it; many people said that the reason they liked certain characters was being able to feel represented as a minority.

[ID: a pie chart titled: “LOCATIONS OF UNDERTALE FANS”. In clockwise order its results: 1788 responders, or 67%, are from North America; 420 responders, or 16%, are from Europe; 141 responders, or 5%, are from Asia; 94 responders, or 4% are from South America; 83 responders, or 3%, are from Australia; 11 responders, or 0% are from the Pacific Islands; 22 responders, or 1% are from “Other” locations; 92 responders, or 4%, selected ”Prefer not to say.” End of ID.]

The internet has made the game known all over the world, which motivated us to look into the way its fans are distributed around the globe. It is important to consider that since this survey is in English, people were more likely to respond to it if they understood the language, whether it is their native language or not (like Vessel #1, who’s writing this paragraph). It would be interesting if other communities did a similar exercise in the future by translating the survey. 

Having said that, we present the results. To get these numbers some of the answers were distributed into their corresponding existing group, and at least three new categories were created.

North America: 1788 votes 

Europe: 420 

Asia: 141 votes

South America: 94 votes

Australia: 83 votes

The most represented area is North America, which is no surprise considering it’s composed by a majority of native English speakers. It should also be noted that considering Toby Fox is from the US, it makes sense that people with a similar cultural background would more likely hear about Undertale and join the fandom. Europe follows with 420 votes, which could be due to their usage of the English language either as a native language or a frequently taught second one. Asia has a similar situation, however, if we take global population estimates (e.g: 141 per 4.561 billion in the case of Asia compared to Europe with 420 fans in an area with a population of around 746 million people), we can see that the density of Asian fans is drastically lower. After that we have both South America and Australia with a similar amount of votes. In those cases, knowledge of the English language may also factor into the density. Common social media used around the world could also be a factor but we do not have enough data to draw any conclusions.

92 people preferred not to specify and 50 people answered the survey with “Other”, giving their explanation. A few of these responses were put in bigger categories (Canada is in North America, for example). Besides them, the most notable group were Pacific Islanders, making up 11 people, 3 more than Africa. Due to their sizes, further investigation is needed to know if this is a replicable result or just the product of the places the survey was able to reach this time.

[Image Description: a pie chart titled “YEAR FANS FIRST EXPERIENCED UNDERTALE”. In clockwise order, its results: 937 responders, or 35%, experienced it in 2015; 687, or 26%, experienced it in 2016; 231, or 9%, experienced it in 2017; 181, or 7%, experienced it in 2018; 123, or 5%, experienced it in 2019; 145, or 5%, experienced it in 2020; 88, or 3%, experienced it in 2021; 231, or 9%, don’t know when they experienced it, and 25, or 1%, have never experienced Undertale. End I.D.]

We asked about the exposure to the source material. After all, to be a fan of something, you should know about it. The biggest proportion of fans experienced Undertale for the first time in 2015 and 2016, with those two years amounting for more than half of our sample. As for people who have only started playing during this year, they represent 3% of all participants.

[Image Description: a pie chart titled “YEAR FANS FIRST EXPERIENCED DELTARUNE”. In clockwise order, its results: 1585 responders, or 60% of those responding, experienced Deltarune in 2018; 275, or 10%, experienced Deltarune in 2019; 213, or 8%, experienced it in 2020; 126, or 5%, experienced it in 2021; 115, or 4%, don’t know; 253, or 10%, have not played but want to; 77, or 3%, have not played and don’t plan to; and 7, or 0%, do not know what Deltarune is. End I.D.]

Many people are familiar with Deltarune as well. Most of them played the first chapter of the game as it was released in 2018, and other people followed in the next few years. Among the people that didn’t play, 253 manifested interest in playing in the future, while 77 stated they knew of the game’s existence but did not plan on playing it.

[Image Description: a pie chart titled "HOW FANS FOUND UNDERTALE". In clockwise order, its results: 870 responders, or 33%, saw someone play it online; 576 responders, or 22%, were introduced by a friend; 539, or 20%, saw fancontent first; 195, or 7%, read reviews or recommendations on social media; 63, or 3%, came through the Kickstarter before release; 50, or 2%, came through a different fandom; 34, or 1%, came by following Toby Fox, Temmie Chang, or other collaborators; 221, or 8%, came through another way; and 101, or 4%, don't remember how. End I.D.]

33% of responders found Undertale by watching someone play it online.  The next largest categories were those who were introduced by friends or saw fancontent first, comprising 22% and 20%, respectively.  These statistics are indicative of the love that fans have for Undertale: they want to share the game with others, whether by creating and sharing fancontent, or just by talking about the game positively enough to inspire others to give it a chance.  In the “other” category, many fans mentioned specific fanworks or AUs as their reasoning for giving Undertale a chance.  Other common answers in the “other” category were through the soundtrack, through memes, through connections to Homestuck, and through curiosity about the infamous fandom.  One humorous response that stuck out said, “I was searching for the word ‘sand’ and had wrote ‘sans’ by wrong.”

[resinatingbeauty]

~•~Easy Spell Oils & Infusions In Your Instant Pot! (& 'The Old Way'•~•

I just received my COVID vaccine first dose yesterday and my arm is quite sore (ridiculously sore- so far my biggest and only complaint, other than the pain, I feel fine!) and wanted to take a break from the more tedious projects this weekend, focusing more on my Craft and creating items for 'Blessed Boxes'.

Last year, my aunt and uncle purchased us a full sized Instant Pot as a housewarming gift and since I received it, I made it a point to find some sort of use for it instead of letting it collect dust. What I discovered was that this a fantastic appliance to have on hand for the crafty witch, as it is practically a multifunctional, electric, magic cauldron (with the added bonus of quick and easy pressure cooked meals!). I have used my Instant Pot for making everything from Lip Balms and homemade Ointments, to candles and potions, and now quick spell oils / infusions using my own homegrown herbs and flowers and various dried plants I've stored for different purposes in my work.

But what if you don't have an Instant Pot?

You may still create your spell oils and infusions the old fashioned way! Grab your dried and fresh herbs, flowers, and whatever else you wish to add and let's make some magick!!

I will go in depth here so that you may choose the right herbs and flowers for manifesting your will and desires / serving whatever purposes you would like your oils to enact for you. First, these are the basic items you will need for this endeavor:

•Instant Pot (Disregard if doing the old fashioned way)

•4-8oz Mason Jars with Lids (glass, as they will be pressure cooked. Plastic may melt or crack)

•5mL or 10mL essential oil bottles or jars (for storing your oils once finished. You can always keep them in their jars)

•Herbs & Flowers Of Choice (more on this below)

•Oil of Choice (approx 2 cups will do it, I admittedly eyeball it)

•Cheesecloth, Sifter, Old T-Shirt (Strainer, for removing plant matter)

•Small Funnel (For bottling)

•30 mins or so to derp around your kitchen

~°~Optional Stuff~°~

•Essential Oils -For all intents and purposes, we are NOT creating our own essential oils, but oil infusions. (Edit: Through pressure cooking, you are essentially extracting components into the oil!) If you have ready made essential oils on hand you would like to use for a specific purpose or to enhance the aroma of your spell oils, you may add them to your jars before or after bottling. 2

•Labels

•Crystals (for putting in the bottom of your containers once your oils are finished to infuse with crystal energy)

•Mortar & Pestle (can use spoon or wooden popsicle stick as I didn't break out the old M&P for this lazy-arm project)

~•~Choosing Your Carrier / Base Oil~•~

The type of oil you choose for your spell oils is entirely your choice. Most choose Olive Oil, as it has direct historical and symbolic correlations with worship, prayer, and magick / manifestation, and was believed to be sacred by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Realistically, Olive Oil is expensive and not an option for everyone. Feel free to experiment with the different types of oils available on the market. I have compiled a short list of common oils you may purchase at your local grocery store and their corresponding magickal purposes.

•Olive Oil- (Expensive, Slightly Viscose, Light Aroma) Aligns with the element Fire. Ruled by the Sun. Ideal for healing, protection, fertility, and peace. Considered an 'all purpose' oil.

•Safflower Oil- (Inexpensive, Liquid, Subtle to no Aroma) Aligns with the element of Fire and ruled by the Sun. Used for love, health, wisdom, introspection, fertility, protection, motivation, and attraction.

• Jojoba Oil- (Mid Range, Viscose, Slight Aroma) Ruled by the Moon and aligns with the element of Water. Ideal for desires of love, healing, dream work, and for increasing psychic awareness.

•Sweet Almond Oil- (Mid Range, Mildly Viscose, Slight Nutty Aroma) *NOTE: I generally steer clear of Almond Oil based oils myself for allergy reasons, so the previous information comes second hand. Ruled by the planet Mercury and aligns with the element of Air. Ideal for knowledge or truth seeking, second sight / third eye enhancement, divination, prosperity, and success.

•Castor Oil -(Inexpensive, very viscose, strong aroma) Readily found in your pharmacy or grocery store's medicine aisle as a lubricant and laxative, Castor Oil is better suited for beauty treatments, but it may be used as a carrier oil for your spell blends as it aligns with the element of Fire and is ruled by the planet Mars. It is primarily used for purposes of banishing, protection (psychic and otherwise), exorcism, and dispelling negative energy / curses or hexes.

•Coconut Oil- (Inexpensive, Viscose if Non- Hydrogenated / Liquid if Fractionated, Strong Coconut Aroma) Fractionated Coconut Oil is most often used, as Non-hydrogenated is chunky and must be broken down which can be done at home, but it's a process I haven't tackled myself. Unfortunately, Fractionated Coconut oil is more expensuve than non hydrogenated, so if you would like to use Coconut Oil and Fractionate it yourself you can save some money that way. Coconut Oil aligns with the element of Water and is ruled by the Moon, commonly used in blends dealing purification, cleansing, and protection.

• Grapeseed Oil - (Inexpensive - mid range, liquid, unnoticeable aroma) Also ruled by the Moon and aligned with the element of Water. Grapeseed Oil is beneficial for the skin and hair as it has natural vitamin E and antioxidants. It may be used for blends dealing with prosperity, clarity, developing psychic ability, fertility, and cleansing.

• Avocado Oil - (Expensive, Slightly Viscose, Light Aroma) Aligns with the element of Water and ruled by Venus, Avocado Oil also offers benefits to the skin and hair, often used for purposes of love, attraction, glamor, and sexuality.

None of these in your cabinet or available to you? Don't worry about it- sure, it's nice and ideal to select a carrier oil that identifies with the purpose of your spell oils, but it's less important that you match them to your intent and more important that you don't empty your bank account or trigger an allergic reaction. Pick the oil that suits you in terms of price, sensitivity, and smell, as any inherent aroma will be a part of your spell oil. I often use regular, good old Canola or Veg oil- inexpensive, functional, and essentially hypoallergenic should I choose to sell my spell oils or put them in mystery boxes.

~•~Choosing Your Herbs/Flowers~•~

This is a VERY concise, selection of herbs and botanicals that share thematic magickal properties you can integrate into your spell oils. I specifically avoided more obscure plants that would not be found in your favorite grocery store, farmer's market, or growing in your backyard. However, for your own research, I have included links to sites with more information regarding what may be used for what at the end of this post. You may also choose your herbs and flowers for their smell or color.

Cleansing / Banishing / Protection

•Mint

•Spearmint 

•Sage (All Kinds- All Purpose)

•Cilantro

•Bay Leaf 

•Basil 

•Thyme

•Rosemary 

•Cayenne 

•Lavender 

•Clove 

•Calendula 

•Dandelion 

•Chrysanthemum 

•Jasmine 

•Lemongrass

•Rose (Multi-Purpose) 

•Marjoram 

•Ginger 

Money / Prosperity / Luck 

•Bay Leaf

•Spearmint 

•Cinnamon Stick 

•Peppermint

•Chamomile 

•Honeysuckle

•Poppy Seed 

•Dill Weed 

•Anise Seed / Star Anise 

•Peony 

•Rose 

•Hibiscus 

•Marjoram 

•Thyme

•Basil 

•Rose

•Lily

•Sage

•Allspice 

•Vanilla Bean

Love / Attraction / Sexuality/Fertility 

•Rose Petals / Rose Bud 

•Chamomile 

•Lavender 

•Dill Weed 

•Honeysuckle 

•Forget Me Not 

•Roselle (Hibiscus) 

•Violet 

•Peach Blossom 

•Marjoram 

•Forget Me Not 

•Lemongrass 

•Jasmine 

•Lilac 

•Lily 

•Orchid

•Cayenne 

•Paprika 

•Rosemary 

•Sage 

•Ginger 

•Saffron 

•Daisy

•Daffodil

•Vanilla Bean

Healing / Soothing / Psychic Awareness

•Star Anise

•Lavender 

•Clove  

•Lily 

•Lemongrass  

•Rosemary 

•Thyme 

•Allspice 

•Lily

•Orchid 

•Sage 

•Bay Leaf / Laurel 

•Calendula 

•Rose 

•Chrysanthemum 

•Peony 

•Hibiscus 

•Gingko 

•Ginger 

Manifestation / Empowering (Good For All Purposes)

•Sage 

•Bay Leaf 

•Lavender

•Rose 

•Chamomile 

•Dill Weed* (Specifically empowers love spells)

•Star Anise 

~•Notes Before Beginning•~

*You may also choose to add essential oils to bolster the smell, enhance your spell oil, or in place of an herb or flower you may not have on hand, but have an essential oil for. This is totally optional.

*You may use this same recipe / process for creating edible oil infusions - they too make fantastic gifts that are decorative and tasty if you are less inclined to use them spiritually. In which case, you may want to limit your selections to one, two, or three edible herbs / flowers for your infusion. I have included a link to a recipe for edible olive oil infusions using the instant pot below. Be sure to select edible plants and herbs if you plan to ingest your oil :X

*Choosing the corresponding moon phase, time of day, etc. For the purpose of your spell oils may enhance their efficacy / success rate!

Ye Old-Non- Instant- Pot Way

•Fill your jars about 3/4 of the way full with your oil of choice. If you have chosen to use a mortal & pestle to combine and mash your selections for infusion, do so now and drop them in your jars.

•Stir and add into your jars with any other components you desire while focusing on the desired purpose for your oil. Cap and seal. Label and date with the purpose that you have set and place them in a secure location.

•Return to your spell oil in a couple months (ideally the three month anniversary of the creation date). The longer your oil is allowed to sit and infuse, the stronger it will be in aroma and metaphysical strength. :)

Instant Pot Magick Way!

Fill the bottom of your Instant Pot with about 3 1/2 cups of water. You will be using the standard steam release top for this.

•Add your herbs and flowers into your oil of choice in the jar. Again, you may use your mortar and pestle to combine them while visualizing / focusing on your intentions or purpose for the oil, otherwise you may simply mix everything together with a spoon or stirring stick. Stir in essential oils if you desire and seal your jars before placing them into the water inside your Instant Cauldron (Do not add any crystals at this point.) Make several at once if you can to save time, especially if taking advantage of a full moon or special date! I sometimes will inscribe a sigil on the jars or attach one on paper. You may even recite a blessing or invoke a deity for dedicating your oils to for future use as ritual oils working with them and offerings :)

•Seal/twist the Instant Pot until locked. At this point, I have read two different methods that yield pretty much the same results. However, one requires at least three days of running your Instant Pot and while ultimately yielding stronger, aromatic oils. This, in my opinion, takes all the pros out of using an Instant Pot because it's not really instant, is it? Instead, you can:

•Lock your lid. Put your Instant Pot on the 'Pressure Cook-High' (custom) setting. You are basically just creating your infusions through the high pressurization of the pot in this process with the heat, so you will set the timer to 0 mins. Push start. Let the magics happen.

•Let your instant pot pressurize until it says it is 'cooking'. Once 'cooking', you can press cancel or allow your oils to warm for some time, visualizing your purposes, desires, and intentions building within the pot as your spell oils infuse.

•Press cancel to end the cooking cycle. Allow your instant pot to release pressure through the steam release valve.

•Wait 30-45 mins before removing your spell oils.

???

Success!

From here, you will want to strain the plant matter out of your jars to bottle and label your spell oils and add crystals if you wish for use as ritual oils, fragrant body oils, anointing oils, etc.

I chose 10mL & 30mL Amber essential oil bottles for bottling with stainless steel roller balls in a pack of 24 for $12 on Amazon. You can purchase nifty aluminum screw cap 10-20mL glass bottles (better than corks, which will need to be sealed using a waterproof sealant or wax before storing liquids long term / safely) on Amazon (MaxMau & Vivaplex Brand) in packs of 24-36 for less than $10. My local Dollar Tree carries 10mL glass aluminum screw cap bottles in packs of 6 or 8 for $1, but even just using empty glass mason jars will suffice for personal use, it's totally up to you!

For my three spell oil jars, I created a Multipurpose Anointing Oil, Money Oil, and Love / Romance oil that will be available in my intuitively chosen mystery boxes and in the shop once I've let them marinate for a while. :)

Experiment with different components for different aromas and effects! Feel free to share your recipes for your unique spell oils and your experiences using them in the comments!

Resources / Sites

Complete Magickal Herb Quick Reference

Carrier Oils & Their Magickal Uses

Moon Phases & Correspondences in Witchcraft

Days of the Week for Witchcraft

An Intro to Essential Oils

Instant Pot Infused Olive Oil

5 Simple Things to Do With An Instant Pot

Verified September 11 2021

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend! I hope I didn't flood you with this long post from my phone. Will definitely be editing in the future.

-Samantha

Blursedbaubles.etsy.com

(Owner, Creator, Chaos Witch / Spiritualist)

[rationalnerd62]

Survival predictions of WoT s1 characters

"I wanted people to be a little on their toes, because real deaths are coming for characters that don't die in the books. We have to, because we can't hold 2,000 series regulars through multiple seasons" - Rafe Judkins, EW

When Rafe confirmed that Loial was, in fact, not dead, he also warned viewers to be ready for real (and shocking) deaths, as a TV show is limited in cast size, an issue books do not have.

Since then, many (especially on Twitter) have made guesses on who are the most susceptible characters to get snapped in the show. Some of those guesses (cough cough Siuan and/or Moiraine cough cough) annoyed me quite a bit. As a result, I've been trying to put those death sentences in perspective by giving a "Risk Level" to the characters we have encountered so far in season 1.

Non-book readers, please run away. This post will be full of spoilers regarding the fate of some characters, and this will definitely spoil your fun of watching the show without some preconceived idea of what should happen.

For others, feel free to read below.

I've defined six different levels:

Safe: this character will make it to The Last Battle, and there is absolutely no doubt about it.

Risk Level 1: this character is significant to the plot up to The Last Battle. Something could still happen to them, but probably not during the first few seasons of the show, to limit butterfly/trickle-down effects.

Risk Level 2: this character is still significant, but tends to disappear for a while in the books, or has storylines that could be done by others. While I still think they will make it to the end, their risk level is higher than the previous one.

Risk Level 3: this character is alive for a long time in the books, but mostly not significant to the plot. Cutting them early or earlier would make sense. This can either mean death or being forgotten/not encountered anymore at some point.

Risk Level 4: this character isn't dead yet, but considering their fate in the books, they probably won't make it to The Last Battle.

Dead: this character has already been killed in the show.

The following characters are then ordered by their total screentime during season 1. In parenthesis, I have added their rank in terms of the number of times this character is mentioned in the book series. This rank was directly taken from the WoT Top 250 Quiz. For characters that did not make this list, a N/A is given to this rank.

Here we go.

Moiraine Damodred (#7): RL1. Her book storyline corresponds more to RL2, as Moiraine pretty much disappears for half of the books. However, the show has put this character as the lead of the first season (she’s the number one on the call sheet), and Rosamund Pike is invested in the Wheel of Time and involved in the production of the show. The show is already adding stories to Moiraine (who doesn’t do much in Book 2), with Rafe commenting that “we're not going to put Rosamund Pike on the bench”. IMO, as long as Rosamund Pike wants to be involved, she will be, which could result in an earlier rescue from the Tower of Ghenjei.

Rand al'Thor (#1): Safe. TDR/EF5 shield.

Egwene al'Vere (#2): Safe. EF5 shield.

Lan Mandragoran (#11): Safe. EF5’s husband shield.

Perrin Aybara (#4): Safe. EF5 shield.

Nynaeve al'Meara (#6): Safe. EF5 shield.

Mat Cauthon (#3): Safe. EF5 shield.

Liandrin Guirale (#62): RL4, with nuances. If I recall correctly (IIRC), Liandrin is an interesting antagonist up to Book 5, so her character could disappear when the show arrives around that time. However, some characters will be merged together in the show, so this will also depend on whether this is the case for Liandrin. There have been several hypotheses on which characters she could be merged with: Elaida (#14), Galina (#66), Alviarin (#70)… IMO, Elaida will be her own character (she’s too important as her own), but Galina or Alviarin would make sense, as their plot happens mostly in later books and they have a rank similar to Liandrin. If that’s the case, Liandrin could last a few more seasons, but it would still be a surprise for her to reach the Last Battle.

Siuan Sanche (#12): RL1. While not being a main character, she’s a primary protagonist in the books, with interesting stories up to the Last Battle. People have been guessing she will be killed off early, either in s1e6 or during the White Tower schism, but the butterfly effects of that change would be quite significant, considering the mentorship and help she gives Egwene in Salidar. Moiraine being shielded in s1e8 does not change the importance and relevance of Siuan’s future storylines. Moreover, the show decided to increase her importance with respect to the books, by having a cold-open about her childhood, by canonizing the romantic relationship between her and Moiraine (and giving it the time and attention they deserved), and by making Siuan the top secondary character of the first season in term of speaking time and second in term of screentime. Last but not least, Oscar-nominated actress Sophie Okonedo plays the part and was hand-picked by both Rafe Judkins and Rosamund Pike, the last one sending Sophie a passionate letter to ensure she would take the role. IMO, the only concern is whether the actress is okay with such a long-term project. If she is, and the show has the budget, I have no doubt she’ll stick around up to the Last Battle.

Alanna Mosvani (#56): RL2. She’s an important character who makes it to the last book, but she’s not as significant as Moiraine or Siuan, thus the different risk levels. She’s suspected to have been merged with Myrelle (#73), which makes me think she’ll stick around for a while.

Loial (#17): RL2. Look, I love our boy, but I actually don’t remember much of what he does in the books. I know he disappears a few times, which makes me lean toward RL2, but he’s still there by the end of it and he’s a great character. We need more of him, really.

Stepin (N/A): Dead.

Logain Ablar (#33): RL1. He’s absent for quite some time, but we’re talking about Alvaro Morte here. The show is already expanding on Logain’s story, and there’s the whole Black Tower plot during the last few books and we need it. Plus, he’s traveling with Siuan after the schism, and I need them to interact.

Maigan (N/A): RL4. Yo, she mentioned going to see what’s going on with the ships disappearing West, and then we got the ep8 ending. She won’t last long.

Dana (N/A): Dead.

Leane Sharif (#34): RL3. She’s around Siuan a lot but doesn’t really do as much, except for some nice cuendillar skills. If someone has to die during the schism, that would be her. It would be sad, though, as I like the chaotic energy of Siuan and Leane making everyone in Salidar believe they are enemies. If that ain’t a recurrent theme for Siuan, really!

Tam al'Thor (#25): RL1. The relationship between Rand and Tam is really sweet in the books. Moreover, WoT breaks this trope of the orphan hero, and I don’t really see the show falling back into it by killing Tam.

Kerene Nagashi (N/A): Dead.

Thom Merrilin (#13): RL2. Very important character during the books, however, his storyline in the last few books may significantly change if the show sticks to Moiraine x Siuan. Will he still save Moiraine from the Tower of Ghenjei? If not, what will he do instead? That last question is why I’m leaning toward RL2, but in any case, he should be safe for quite a few seasons.

Ihvon (N/A): RL3. It’ll depend a lot on Alanna’s storyline, but I’m not optimistic.

Maksim (N/A): RL4. Idem, but slightly worse as we know Alanna loses a warder in the books and it affects her a lot.

Eamon Valda (#130): RL4. Even if he’s indeed merged with Child Byar… menacing smile.

Lady Amalisa (N/A): Dead.

Ila (#204): RL3. She doesn’t die in the book, but she doesn’t stay around either.

Aram (#77): RL4. A bit more tragic than his grandparents, and I’m looking forward to his evolution.

Marin al'Vere (#141): RL3. She may not die, but we won’t see her anymore after a few seasons.

Bran al'Vere (#148): RL3. Similar to Marin.

Raen (#202): RL3. Similar to Ila.

Ishamael / The Man (#40): RL1. Do I need to say anything else?

Lord Agelmar (#81): Presumed dead. Overall, RL3. We may see him again at the Last Battle, but if the actor isn’t available when that happens I guess we’ll survive.

Lord Yakota (N/A): Dead. This is actually our first “dead before their time” from the show.

Uno Nomesta (#71): RL3. Either he dies in s2, or he’ll randomly show up in Salidar and/or at the Last Battle. In any case, this won’t affect the general plot too much.

Min Farshaw (#8): Safe. cough. EF5’s girlfriend shield.

Tigraine Mantear (N/A): Dead.

Laila Dearn (N/A): Dead.

Daise Congar (N/A): RL3. She won’t leave the Two Rivers anyway.

Berden Sanche (N/A): RL3. For all we know, he’s already dead.

Danya (N/A): RL3. May show up again when we’ll come back to the Two Rivers, but that’s it.

Padan Fain (#46): RL2. Fain has this tendency to disappear for several books and then show up. His last appearance at the Last Battle was very random. Either the show develops him more, or they’ll kill him off earlier.

King of Ghaeldan (N/A): Dead.

Master Hightower (N/A): Dead.

Geofram Bornhald (#201): RL4. I’m kinda excited to see him again, though.

Bode Cauthon (#229): RL3. She’s too young to become a novice in this turning of the Wheel. May not leave the Two Rivers.

Eldrin Cauthon (N/A): RL3. Same as Bode.

Natti Cauthon (N/A): RL3. Won’t leave the Two Rivers.

Lews Therin Telamon (#27): Dead (but still around). Corruption time hehehe.

Latra Posae Decume (N/A): Dead.

Mr. Grinwell (N/A): Dead.

Zahir (N/A): RL3. Rip his wife, will we ever see him again? Not sure.

Helga Grinwell (N/A): Dead.

Abell Cauthon (#187): RL3. He may or may not hang around Tam. While I’m sure many would love for him to do so, it won’t change the plot much if he doesn’t.

Mrs. Grinwell (N/A): Dead.

Grinwell Son (N/A): Dead.

Tom Thane (N/A): Dead.

Basel Gill (#109): RL3. I would love to see him again, but overall he’s a supportive character.

To summarize:

Safe: Rand, Egwene, Lan, Perrin, Nynaeve, Mat, Min

RL1: Moiraine, Siuan, Logain, Tam, Ishamael

RL2: Alanna, Loial, Thom, Fain

RL3: Leanne, Ihvon, Ila, Marin, Bran, Raen, Agelmar, Uno, Daise, Berden, Danya, Bode, Eldrin, Natti, Zahir, Abell, Basel Gill.

RL4: Liandrin, Maigan, Maksim, Valda, Aram, Bornhald

Dead: Stepin, Dana, Kerene, Amalisa, Yakota, Tigraine, Laila, King of Ghaeldan, Master Hightower, Lews Therin, Latra Posae, Mr Grinwell, Helga Grinwell, Mrs Grinwell, Grinwell Son, Tom Thane

When only keeping characters from the top 250:

Safe: Rand, Egwene, Lan, Perrin, Nynaeve, Mat, Min

RL1: Moiraine, Siuan, Logain, Tam, Ishamael

RL2: Alanna, Loial, Thom, Fain

RL3: Leanne, Ihvon, Ila, Marin, Bran, Raen, Agelmar, Uno, Bode, Abell, Basel Gill.

RL4: Liandrin, Valda, Aram, Bornhald

Dead: Lews Therin

Do you agree with those risk levels? For which characters would you change the risk level, and why?

In any case, I fully intend to link that post whenever someone leaves a comment on a tweet of mine about Siuan or Moiraine dying. The audacity.

Just kidding, you can think whatever you want, but stop saying that to queer folks loving Moiraine and Siuan, this is depressing, we want some nice happy ending too.

Side note: I actually have a sheet with those top 250 characters. Maybe someday I'll make more predictions on who will live, who will be merged, who will be skipped, who will die, etc.