#auto photo background

[div-divington]

his Mandatory Fun Raider Quirk™ is that he's addicted to Nuka-Cola to a point of obsession.

[techdriveplay]

How to Take Car Photos

As someone who gets the thrilling opportunity to review a new and exciting car every week, I’ve learned that taking great car photos is more than just snapping a quick picture—it’s about capturing the essence of each vehicle I come across. Whether it’s the raw power of a sports car or the refined elegance of a luxury sedan, knowing how to take car photos that truly reflect the personality of…

[reallycreative]

How to Use Canva Auto Focus Feature to Blur Your Backgrounds

[dannychai1617]

ao3 skin that i made!! (copy code under "keep reading")

it's a messy combination of pieces of code from other people's skins and my own changes

the header image is NOT MINE! it is "Pattern Galaxy Space Planets Vibrant Linear Universe" by Arncil on Redbubble, which i just used as an example for an image you could use!

here are some of the skins that i can remember using as part of this, but i've been building it for years so forgive me if i forget some:

Shortening long tag fields by Xparrot (on ao3)

Slim Shaded by AO3 (on ao3)

Lily Garden by tealtiam (on Tumblr)

AO3 Tag category coloring! by ao3css (on Tumblr)

come back here to my tips or leave a comment if you need some help customizing the code!

Background color: #26303C

Text color: #CBC6C3

Header color: #46626D

Accent color: #993F33

steps to create a new skin using this code:

log into ao3 account

go to dashboard >> skins

click "create site skin"

make sure TYPE is "site skin"

add a unique title

copy all code below

paste into field 'CSS'

click on "use wizard" at the top

copy and paste the four colors written above into their corresponding boxes

click SUBMIT

click USE

how to customize this skin:

FONT SIZE: at the very top of the code, change the "90%" to be bigger or smaller to change the font size within a fic

MAIN COLORS: to change the main colors, select "use wizard" when editing the skin and replace any of the four hex codes under "Background color:", "Text color:", "Header color:", and "Accent color:"

SECONDARY COLORS: find all hex codes within the code and change those numbers as you like! i changed all colors to match with the color palette of the header photo that i chose to make it feel cohesive

TAG COLORS: towards the end, the "relationship", "character", and "freeform" tags alternate three colors to make them easy to separate. in this skin they are all very similar, so you can change those to be whatever colors you like!

HEADER PHOTO: find the link towards the end of the code right before the warning tags and replace it with a link to any photo you like! it loops, so you don't have to worry about sizing or anything

FONT: i'm unsure how exactly to do this, but the in-fic font is currently set to Georgia Serif, so i suppose just go find that and replace it with your preferred font!

BORDER STYLES: wherever you see the code "border-style:", replace the word that comes after it with one of these options: none, solid, dashed, dotted, double, groove, ridge, inset, outset, or hidden

WARNING TAGS: at the very end of the code is a list of words or phrases that, when they appear in the tags of a fic, are highlighted in a contrasting color so that they are easy to avoid if necessary. you can add or remove those tags however you like, or change the warning color!

COPY AND PASTE ALL CODE BELOW

#workskin { font-size: 90%; } li.blurb .tags { max-height: 7.5em; overflow-y: auto; } #header { min-height: 0; } #header a, #header fieldset, #header ul.primary, #header ul.primary .current { border: 0; background: 0; } h1 a img { height: 50px; border: 0; } #header .landmark { clear: none; } #header ul.primary { background: rgba(0,0,0,0.65); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.75); } #header ul.primary, #header ul.primary .current, ul.primary.actions a, #header ul.primary .current { color: #CBC6C3; } #header ul.primary .current, #header #search input, #header #search input:focus { background: rgba(0,0,0,0.25); color: #CBC6C3; box-shadow: inset 0 0 3px #131A2A; border-color: #131A2A; } .actions, .actions input { text-transform: lowercase; } blockquote.userstuff { font-family: "Mido", "AUdimat", "Ostrich Sans Rounded","Lucida Grande", sans-serif !important; position: relative; background: rgba(0,0,0,0.1); padding: 2%; border: 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.15); box-shadow: 0 0 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.4); } blockquote.userstuff:after { content: "\201D"; right: 0; top: auto; left: auto; } body, .userstuff { font-family: Mido, Georgia, serif; } .heading, .userstuff h3, .userstuff h4 { font-family: "CabinSketch", Georgia,serif; } #main .heading { color: #CBC6C3; } #inner .group, #inner .heading, fieldset, .verbose legend, table, table th, col.name, span.unread, span.replied { outline: none; background: transparent; border-color: #131A2A; border-style: double; box-shadow: none; border-radius: 2em; border-bottom-right-radius: 0; border-top-left-radius: 0; } #inner .group .group .group, col.name { border-style: double; border-color: #CBC6C3; box-shadow: 0 0 2px #000; } #inner .bookmark .user.module, #inner .wrapper { border: 0; border-radius: 0; border-top: 3px double #bbb; box-shadow: none; } .filters { font-size: 90%; } .toggled form, .dynamic form, .secondary, .dropdown { background: #fff url("/images/skins/textures/tiles/white-handmade-paper.jpg"); } a.tag, a.tag:visited, a.tag:link { display: inline-block; padding: 1px 3px; margin: 2px 0px; border: 2px solid #46626D; border-radius: 5px; } .commas li:after { content: ""; } h5.fandoms.heading { color: transparent; } .favorite a.tag { border: none; } .tags li.relationships:nth-of-type(3n+1) a.tag { background-color: #1d3954; } .tags li.relationships:nth-of-type(3n+2) a.tag { background-color: #264663; } .tags li.relationships:nth-of-type(3n+3) a.tag { background-color: #305475; } .tags li.characters:nth-of-type(3n+1) a.tag { background-color: #214154; } .tags li.characters:nth-of-type(3n+2) a.tag { background-color: #294c61; } .tags li.characters:nth-of-type(3n+3) a.tag { background-color: #31576e; } .tags li.freeforms:nth-of-type(3n+1) a.tag { background-color: #234e54; } .tags li.freeforms:nth-of-type(3n+2) a.tag { background-color: #2a585e; } .tags li.freeforms:nth-of-type(3n+3) a.tag { background-color: #316269; } .tags li.freeforms a.tag:hover, .tags li.characters a.tag:hover, .tags li.relationships a.tag:hover { background-color: #26303C; color: white; } #header .logo { display: none; } #header ul.primary { box-shadow: none; padding-top: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px; background: #FCC191 url(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/8c/bc/ae/8cbcae1760dc88ae8730566337a5d2eb.jpg); background-attachment: fixed; } li.blurb a.tag[href*="suicid"], [href*="suicide"], [href*="Suicide"], [href*="rape"], [href*="Rape"], [href*="consentual"], [href*="Consentual"], [href*="non-con"], [href*="consent issues"], [href*="Kidnapping"], [href*="kidnapping"], [href*="Canibalism"], [href*="cannibalism"], [href*="Cannibalism"], [href*="Dove"], [href*="dead dove do not eat"], [href*="murder"], [href*="Murder"], [href*="harm"], [href*="self harm"], [href*="Harm"], [href*="Torture"], [href*="abduction"], [href*="asphyxiation"], [href*="blood"], [href*="Blood"], [href*="death"], [href*="Death"], [href*="gore"], [href*="Gore"], [href*="incest"], [href*="Incest"], [href*="trauma"], [href*="Trauma"], [href*="torture"] { color: #000000; font-weight: bold; background-color: #993F33; }

[ask-p2-germany]

(this question is for mun) I've been wondering for a long time, how do you make your backgrounds? they look so realistic?? do you use some kind of 3d/rendering program? or photos? I too use clip studio paint, but I would have no idea how to make the backgrounds look as perfect and realistic as yours😳

Snaptoon: https://www.acon3d.com/en/toon/product/1000007186 https://snaptoonwarehouse.com/snaptoon/snaptoon_en.php Acon3D: https://www.acon3d.com/en/toon Clip Studio Assets: https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/

Mentioned auto actions: https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1901436 https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1989728 https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1990089 https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1936799 https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1989165

[shiningliive]

Live Emotion Game Introduction 5 - Emotional Pieces

Lets have a look at Emotional Pieces:

As described on the official twitter account: When you cultivate the fragments of the idol's feelings - their 'emotional pieces' - you'll gain access to things like special outfits, and piece stories. You can also see a new side of the idols by awakening them.

Further Analysis below:

As expected, 'Emotional Pieces' seem to be the equivalent to cards/photos in Shining Live. In this video, we get our first look at what I assume is the initial set of SR (super rare) Pieces titled 'Be Elegant!'. The art on the Pieces is 2d, and likely ties into the main story at the beginning of the game as seen in the previous Story gameplay preview with the same background. The four diamonds to the right of the 'Be Elegant!' title likely either representing the cards rarity as an SR, or the amount that is has been awakened (diamonds could fill with colour to indicate awakening).

Screen 1 - Piece Levelling

In this clip we see Masato's 'Be Elegant!' SR Piece levelled up from 1-11 with the use of two EXP Score (S), and two EXP Score (M). The number above the area to select how many EXP Scores to use shows how many of each item you own. EXP Score (S) earns 100 EXP EXP Score (M) earns 1,000 EXP EXP Score (L) earns 10,000 EXP

We can also see there there are three categories of Pieces. Sing, Dance, and Charm. It's likely that each idol can be different categories depending on the Piece (Eg, one Masato SR could be Charm type as seen in this video, and another could be Dance type). Levelling up the Piece adds slightly more to the Piece's assigned type than the others (Masato's Sing and Dance points get an additional 100 points, and his Charm gets an additional 104.

Each Piece has also has an assigned 'Life' value, assumedly similar to stamina in Shining Live. In this case likely each cards 'Life' value being added together to give you a value for your stamina bar.

Under the Life value on the left shows the level of the Pieces Skills. Main Skill, Idol Skill, and Guest Skill.

The buttons at the bottom read (from left to right): Reset, Omakase (Auto?), Confirm, and 'Piece Board'.

Screen 2-3 - Piece Board

This looks to be the various unlockables for each Piece.

The Top tree is unlockables for Story , the middle tree for Skills, and the bottom tree for Costume/Voicelines. Each also had additional unlocks for extra Charm, Dance, Sing, and Life points. They are levelled up with the pink gems seen in the popup screen. It seems each unlock will reward you 2 of the rainbow gems which are likely used for the Piece Gacha.

The outfit unlocked for Van is titled "Formal Wear'.

[ubejamjar]

Ube's Gpose Edit Process

Disclaimer: I have no idea what I'm doing, this is just-- *gestures vaguely*

For @oneiroy!

Okay so, I'll be using the Candle Autumn - Gameplay preset. It's my usual preset, but I do toggle some effects for gposing. We'll get into it later. All my gpose settings are at default except for 'Depth of Field' and 'Character Lighting'. (Please ignore my sliders for Lighting 1, I'm not going to be playing with lighting here. It's a pretty neutral shot without any strong light source, so I dont feel like I need it. )

before vs. after of 'character lighting' being turned from 53 to 0

'Character Lighting' gives the effect of even lighting no matter where they are. I usually turn it down to 0. In this situation, it's because she's standing under the dock roof thing with even natural lighting. When I work with light, turning it to 0 helps me understand exactly how light is hitting the subject and where my shadows are.

Now I'll mosey on over to Reshade. I've turned off the 'DoF' here as well. I prefer to do my blurring in post :D

I'll enable 'MxaoFFXIV' and mess with the settings until I have shadows appropriate for the lighting situation. Again, there's no strong light source here, so I want soft shadows that hint at objects being close together.

Next I enable 'HDR'. Just in case we don't know-- HDR stands for 'high dynamic range'. Essentially it makes our shadows darker without turning them black and our highlights brighter without making them white. 'HDR' picks up more details and is great for making those HQ screenies.

Now I mosey on over to my Windows photo editor.

I like to start by blurring the background. The auto-detect isn't always great so I'll go in and make sure the mask (the blue stripes) doesn't overlap Ajisai too much. If I don't, there'll be a strange glow radiating from the blurred spots. I also want to add the mask to any pieces of the background auto-detect missed.

Here's some problem spots:

Hopefully you can see here that the background isn't completely blurred in image 1 & 2. In image 3, the problem is the feather is almost completely blurred when I don't want it to be.

Now I edit! I usually don't push the values too hard. Except for vignette, which I turn up to max because I like it. It's probably just a phase, mom.

Done! I'll put some process pictures below to show how we were looking: 1. Pre-Reshade + Character Light 53 2. Reshade + Character Light 0 3. The Final days Image

Hopefully this was helpful and I apologize if I explained something you already knew ^-^;;. Thanks for the opportunity to break down my process, this helped me understand what in the Fury's name I'm doing.

If anyone has any questions about why I did what I did, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer!

Bonne chance and happy gposing o/

[catboy-beckett]

So a few months back, I started getting ads for a game called Tokyo Debunker. The ads had WILDLY different tones and genres, not entirely unusual for mobile game ads, and usually I just ignore it when this happens. They want me to be curious so they can get me to download. It's a cheap, common trick, not worth my attention.

This time though, the ads were so bizarre and disconnected that it actually worked on me. I HAD to know what this game was about.

For context, here are all the screenshots I took of these ads:

(no, the bright flash on the second image isn't censorship, it's just a poorly-timed snapshot of a visual effect)

So, we're getting essentially three distinct genres of ads here: Dating Sim game, Horror game, and Cute Casual Cartoon Cat game. I think it's really the horror imagery that put these ads above the rabble. It was too high-effort and offputting. Normal clickbait goes for as generic and appealing as possible.

So, what was the truth? What IS the game, actually?

Well, uh.

Here are the actual screenshots I've taken in-game:

It's not just the ads that are all over the place, that's for sure. It turns out this IS a horror dating game filled with cute cats!

I'll explain further: the main mode of the game is a visual novel (that "story" button on the fourth screenshot) which occasionally has comic panels in the middle of scenes. In the background, you have the "Campus" where you can build facilities that generate currency that you can use to upgrade or build more facilities, and these gradually passively increase your character stats. What are stats for? Why, you can have your characters do battle with monsters or other players' teams! It's an auto-battler sort of thing so it's not very involved, but powering up the characters is surprisingly convoluted. Wait, how do you get "characters"? Oh, there's a gacha too! (The "summon" button.) The gacha is kinda shit to be honest; rates are bad enough but they lumped equipment and characters into the same banners, so even when there's a "rare guaranteed in 10 pulls" it might not even be a character.

It's definitely a romance game, though not the sort with "routes" or even story choices, really--you can get characters' affinity scores up outside of the story by making them fish or taking them camping (oh yeah the fishing is to summon cats to eat the fish and then if you're quick you can take photos of the cats, Neko Atsume style--) but nothing in the course of the story changes.

Honestly, I think this game is great. I've completed all the available chapters of the story so far, and the writing and characters are great. I love the horror too, and I really appreciate that they don't pull any punches with it just because this is fundamentally a game about flirting with eccentric 2D men. I hope in the future they revamp the gacha system to make it less ass.

BONUS:

Lightning round of ✨which aspects of these ads were accurate?✨

Rescue Him-- That artwork is in the game, but the minigame is not, and there is no need to "rescue him". He's fine. That's just Jiro. He's always like this.

Do You Always?-- That artwork is also in the game, though I'm not sure why Jin is labelled "guy from cafeteria". The UI is also not right.

Who is Cheating Whom?-- This one is interesting. Not only is this scene entirely fabricated (and the player is never tasked with solving riddles like this), I can only identify one of the characters. The guy on the right looks like Ren (albeit wearing another character's earring) but I have no idea who the guy on the left is? Rui or Towa are my best guesses, but I've heard that these ads just sometimes fabricate entire characters. That octopus is in the game though.

Vegetable Ninja-- Not a real minigame. That cat is one of the ones you can get in the Neko Atsume clone guild cat album, and it can indeed be seen slicing carrots.

Cat Town?-- This is real, just with more of the collectible cats added for flavour. (You can even see this area in one of my screenshots!) In the actual game, there ARE cats running around delivering messages, as well as chibi versions of the anime boys.

Eye Monster-- This monster is actually real! She appears in the beginning chapter. The human in front of her however, doesn't look like the protagonist or anyone else currently in the game. You also never see that pixelart style.

Customize Your Crush-- Not a real feature. You can pick which character you want on the home screen and can change their outfit to a limited extent, but you can't freely undress them or mess with their features. That character is named Alan though, and they did just release a shirtless card of him. Hi Alan!

Slenderman, Sadako, and Jeff the Killer-- Breaks my heart to say, they are not in the game. There is an anomaly that kind of looks like Slenderman, I suppose? The "You have been cursed" tagline is actually true though; in the beginning of the game, you DO get cursed.

Bathing in Blood-- Curiously, this scene is in the game... but it's not a horror scene. It's not sketched like that, it's not red and black and white, there's no explicit or implied blood. It's just a brief fanservicey scene of Leo in the bath.

Cat on Rails-- This one is the closest to being an actual minigame! There's an overhead view of a cat running along in the rhythm game "bonus stages" you get in-between some of the autobattler stages. You have to tap the screen to make the cat turn at certain points in time with the music. It's not very good, but it's easy to cheat. The cat is identical to the one pictured but the stage looks different and there's no food.

[pughswoman]

Moles & Freckles 🫶🏼

Florence Pugh x Fem!Reader.

Thank you @unreliableforecasts for the idea!!

A/N: little (bit lazy) blurb about Flo’s moles and freckles and reader appreciating them:). Also, I wrote this on my (new, why I haven’t really uploaded much, I’m adjusting) phone because I couldn’t be bothered grabbing my laptop, and when I have my laptop usually my work is more creative and less ‘plain’. And while writing this, it was kind of on auto pilot and I’ll probably edit it later so it isn’t ‘robotic’ if that makes sense.

Edit: let’s pretend Flo had more freckles… I swear I’ve seen photos where she has more but I can’t find them so the one above will have to do.

I hope you all enjoy!

Word count: about 200-400 maybe?

Warnings: flufffff. A few bits of swearing

—

‘Baby?’ Flo says, attempting to regain your attention.

‘Yes, my love?’ You reply in a daze, however your honey eyes don’t reach her forest ones.

In other words, you’re trying to count Florence’s moles and freckles that are gracefully scattered over her pale skin.

‘What are you looking at, sweetheart?’ She questions softly.

This isn’t the first time you’ve done this, just not with her freckles. More with her eyes, or lips, or any beautiful features that sit perfectly on her face. But never this.

‘Just admiring the most prettiest spots on your skin ever,’ You mumble.

The slight frown is evident on your face as you try to concentrate and begin counting again for the second time.

You note the ones on her chest and around her shoulders, counting peacefully as Flo just stares at you in amusement.

As you and Florence decided to have a calm afternoon beside the pool, Flo is in her blue bikini and you in your black one so it’s easy to count the noticeable spots.

Soft music is playing in the background. Flo’s playlist as she claims it’s “much better” than yours.

‘Go lay down on your stomach, baby. On the pool chair just near you,’ You say, finally pulling your eyes up to hers.

You peck her lips as you hold her hips before you pull away and smile softly.

Florence wants to question you, but doesn’t as she decides to wait and see instead.

She goes to lay down - wriggling a bit as she gets herself comfy and pushes her head into the chair easily covering her face with her arms to avoid sunburn.

You make your way over to where Florence is and place yourself on your knees beside the chair as your gentle hands trail lightly over her back - almost creating constellations as your fingers move from one mole to the next.

‘Honey, if I may ask. What exactly is it that you’re doing?’ Florence’s muffled voice comes from the chair but you continue your soft movements.

‘Mmm, you’re gonna put me to sleep,’ She mumbles again.

This causes you to let out a chuckle at her words.

As you completely ignore her previous question, you begin placing feather like kisses over each mole and freckles that’s spread on her soft skin.

‘Are you kissing all of my freckles?’ Florence perks up after a moment of you kissing them.

‘I’m appreciating them because they are so beautiful and I love them so much. Especially on you, they’re so fucking gorgeous,’ You say as she turns her head to the side to look at you through her yellow sunglasses.

You can see the blush spread over her cheeks as she fully flips over to you and jumps into your arms in a matter of seconds.

Because you weren’t expecting it, you quickly grab ahold of Florence - however you fall back, along with Flo and end up on the ground laughing hysterically.

You grip her hips as she landed straddling you with you laying down on the ground.

Slowly, the laughter dies down and you find yourself staring into Florence’s moss green eyes and her staring into your honey ones.

You sit up and adjust Flo on your lap.

‘I may absolutely love your freckles, but I will never ever be sick of your eyes. They are the prettiest ones I have ever seen in my entire life,’ You say as you kiss her nose.

Florence giggles with a loving look in her eyes as she lifts her hands to cup your face and leans in for a passionate kiss.

You return it, and the kiss lasts for a couple of minutes, a tongue slipping in at some stage. Nothing about this was sexual, it was simply two lovers loving each other.

As you pull away, Florence rests her forehead against yours, her hands now tangled in your hair.

She smiles softly, and you return it happily.

‘I love you so fucking much, darling. So fucking much,’ Florence says with a watery voice as a tear slips down her cheek.

‘I love you so much too, my love. So much,’ You say, giving her a soft kiss before pulling her into a hug, her sunglasses fallen.

—

[slippinninque]

☀️Crusin'🚘

You have a wonderful day

Fontaine x blackfemreader

warnings: Fluff, some cursing, longfic, mentions of drinking/smoking,

The sun blazed but there was no better day to do it, in your opinion.

It was what Dream Wheelz Cruise deserved, after all. When the 'hood came together to show off the rides they've been working on beneath Jack Frosts' nose. It was very much a pageant for the die-hard mechanics and customizers.

The cruise was destined to go through a few cities. A long, beautiful line of creations and well kept machinery that welcomed all appreciation and celebration.

Businesses and storefronts either closed for the day and offered their parking lots as impromptu showrooms or offered their services and wares to the walking auto-fans.

Many walked their way through the cruise as most cars were parked and those interested in rolling on to the next city cruised at a leisurely pace. There was a unspoken rule of respect to mind the careful speed as much of the foot traffic could leak into the street.

You weren't brave enough to partake in that rule, so you minded the helpful cones and barricade stands to keep your direction.

Revving engines, excited people, music blasting--it brought the very concrete to life. The good mood was infectious as strangers laughed with one another in passing, handing out free merchandise of handy work or paint jobs.

There were popup stands and food trucks dappled the area, offering refreshments of all kinds. You smelled the delightful scorch of grills and watched as hand packed ice-cream flew out window. There was something extra in a lot of the coolers and definitely something loud in the air.

Your favorite part was everybody was stepping out in their freshest 'fits and looking to be pictured with some dope cars. This year, you decided to follow suit.

In honor of the beautiful day--you decided to show some skin. White shorts with a matching white and silver the circle-sequin cropped camisole. You braided your locs up into a bun though a few of the shorter ones escaped shortly after.

Armed with your camera--you set off with one mission: To enjoy yourself!

You saw a olive-pearled 1970 Cadillac DeVille Convertible, it's owner an absolute starlet as she leaned against the door to smoke a cigar.

There were twin girls bouncing about their grandpa's sable Chevrolet El Camino while their grandmother threw a few wings onto a small grill a few few away.

An endless flow of flawless metal and hearty characters, so ready to share their special creations. You'd bet there would be an ache in your neck from your constant rubbernecking a you walked.

When a Lotus Esprit rolled past, you nearly lost your shit. It was painted in tribute to Kill Bill with a pair of blazing, blue eyes stenciled artfully on it's left side. You ditched your spot in the slushie line, but the photos you got were more than worth it.

You ran into the elders of your block who decided to come together to see the precession. You sat and chatted, a plate of somehow making it's way onto your lap. The lot of you traded photos and told the others what you've seen. Before departing, you made sure to snap plenty of photos to pass out later.

Your quota for pictures was met two-fold. This year came along with a promise to appear in more photos--not just the background. So, when someone offered to take your photo in front of their wheels after a chat? You accepted.

With the way you winked and twinkled in the light, you could see a few heads turn from the corner of your eye. By lunch time, your face ached faintly from all the smiling you've done and your tote was heavier with goodies on your shoulder.

Walking slowly, going through your camera roll filled you with pure satisfaction. You looked as happy as you felt inside.

Someone called your name and it popped your thought-bubble. Whirling to follow the second call, you grinned at who was coming to meet you.

" 'Taine! I didn't know you'd be here!"

You held a hand above your eyes to see him better. He was wearing grey sweats, a white tank, and then a smile when he caught you staring. Fontaine clasped his hands behind his back and tilted his head as you fumbled to change the subject.

"Uhm--I'm goin' to submit again this year." You stammered and grabbed your camera for proof, "I'd love to get a photo of you and your boys to add to my streak!"

" 'Course. 'Moss went off to get some ice for the cooler. C'mon and chill with me for a bit if you ain't doin'."

You brightened and nodded, not trusting yourself to say anything. Fontaine winked at you and gestured for you to follow. Behind his back you let your mouth drop open a bit, marveling at the turn of events.

---------

Fontaine found a great spot, half-shaded by one of the trees lining the miscellaneous lot further away from the heart of the cruise. You spotted Big Moss' '70 Chevy Suburban he only took out on special occasions. It reminded you of the Flintstones sherbet push-pop. It's polished orangesicle finish with light blue detailing was electric in the day light.

Fontaine waited for you to finish snapping your photos of the cars in the lot, walking with you and offering a nod to the drivers who weren't posted at the nearby Coney truck.

"Pretty, pretty girl!" You whistled as you finally saw the Grand Prix. It was polished down. Every bit of it gleamed in the light, Fontaine's care to detail showing all over it.

Fontaine grinned, scratching at his nose a bit bashfully, " 'Preciate you but I can't take all the credit. Junebug helped with the drying and chose the air freshner."

You laughed, just knowing that the kid was tearing up the road somewhere with his two-wheel gang.

He opened the back passenger door for you to sit as he leaned against the Pontiac. You dug into your tote and pulled out your last water bottle, offering to share with him.

"I don't have cooties, just to let you know." you said after he insisted you have your fill first.

He only accepted it when you drank more than half of the bottle,

"All ya'll women got cooties. It's cool, though. Ain't gonna hold it against you or nothin'. "

"First off, ya'll gave them to us!"

You were 52% sure that Fontaine knew that you had a crush on him. Taking into account that half the women in the Glenn had thing for him, you have yourself some grace.

Though...if Fontaine didn't mind being near you, didn't that mean something? If he kept up with your previous photo submissions, wouldn't that be more than nothing? It felt different than friends but not quite more. Like you were a page apart from each other.

Being like this was enough for you, though. Having easy conversation with a flirty center, it was more than good enough. The cherry on top is when Fontaine allowed you to snap a photo of him posed in the front of the Pontiac.

"Oh, you real with it." Fontaine said when he saw you kneel, taking your time focusing the lens.

" 'Preciate you." you repeated back absently, catching his smile with a flick of a shutter.

"Can I go next?"

You startled and turned to see a group of ladies. From the looks of it, someone was having a birthday if the matching air-brushed shirts was any indication. The one who spoke wasn't the one who was wearing the crown, though. Which seemed to be an immediate problem.

You looked to Fontaine to see him begin to speak, but the party group erupted into who was going to go first and what was appropriate 'birthday behavior'.

Standing back up and watching them for a moment, you couldn't help but to feel for the birthday girl. Then you felt worse for what seemed to be the only sober friend of the quartet.

You were prepared to suggest a group photo when you felt a touch to your elbow.

"C'mere, 'Bit. Lemme see something real quick."

Before you could respond, Fontaine led you away from the curb and placed you neatly onto the hood of his car. The metal was pleasantly warm under your thighs. Before he pulled away, you grabbed his wrist nearest.

"What about your paint, my shirt have the-the things!"

Fontaine pinched your chin and pulled your camera loose to aim at you. The sight shocked you into compliance as you appreciated how good Fontaine looked behind a camera.

"Gimmie somethin'." He said to you, ignoring the dying argument behind him. A few walkers saw you posted and the bickering women before they waited off to the side admiring the Grand Prix.

You fought the urge to clam up. Keeping it simple with a grin and peace sign wasn't enough for Fontaine, who sucked his teeth loudly.

"Girl, I know that ain't all you got!"

"Well excuse me for not wantin' to scratch up anythin'..."

"All you gotta do is keep looking good," Fontaine threw a high-brow look at you before ducking back behind the camera, "Keep that little attitude on yo' face. S'cute as hell."

As if the sun wasn't enough in it's beaming down on you, Fontaine's words sent you into a whole different level on the Scoville scale.

Failing to catch it in time, your giggle spilled through your fingers. Fontaine hummed and the shutter sounded rapid fire.

Those who lingered tutted and clucked but he paid them no mind. He focused only on you. As if it were only you and his car, as if there was nothing else worth note in the sea of classics and supers.

Those eyes made it easier to breathe. To relax against the hood in a lazy recline. Fontaine made a noise, took a step back and another flurry of shutters.

For the next while, you played model as Fontaine played photographer. He took shot after shot, you leaned up against the Pontiac with vintage flair, hips tilted with a flirty wink.

Sitting pretty with your hands folded neatly in our lap, on your best first Lady Obama Picture Day realness. You forgot who you were with for a moment when you knelt down next to the rims, arched and popped.

"I like that one." Fontaine announced immediately. A man, somewhere behind you, agreed. Fontaine's face flattened as he glared into the crowd as you laughed.

You were then helped to your feet, the crowd dispersed to be visit the other Old-Schools and Supes. You couldn't find it in you to be apologetic for hogging 'Taine a little.

You both poured over the photos and when you realized that you only two 2 photos of Fontaine while he took a dozen of you. When you pointed it out, he shrugged.

"Shiet, you tryna tell me the block ain't gonna know this me?" he was all low-toned, "The car, I mean."

"Well, with me being all over it--might be a mistake of...circumstance." You spanned your fingers on the warm hood.

Fontaine took a step closer to put the camera's band back over your neck.

"They goin' know what it is, 'Bit. I'm gonna make sure."

Looking up at Fontaine as he slid his eyes from your brows to your thighs, that sweet heat returned and you. You knew you weren't talking about cars or the cruise anymore.

Looking away to clear your throat, you could see Fontaine's head tilt as he tried to keep your gaze.

"Um, those food trucks aren't so busy now," you shrugged a bit, "You wanna grab a bite?"

Now it was his turn to lean against the hood, his edges fuzzed by the sunlight.

"Was actually shootin' to take you somewhere nicer"

You made a surprised noise, "Oh! Were you now?"

"Hm. Planned on asking you to ride with me. Was gonna take you to that Caribbean spot everyone been talkin' about in the next county."

"Pretty full proof, I would say! You got the entertainment and food handled. Where are we in the plan exactly?"

Fontaine's expression was fond at your teasing as he pretending to think over your question earnestly.

"Not too far, 'suppose. I did think I would have you sitting in my front seat by now, gorgeous."

Those eyes caressed you as best they could, matching with Fontaine's obvious interest. This made you tongue tied and hot cheeked again.

"And Big Moss?"

"I'm sure he'll find that ice."

When you looked over your shoulder to the closed door of the Grand Prix, Fontaine moved past you to open the passenger door. You brushed a hand over his as you got into the car.

What a wonderful time. You think you finally understood the cat who got the cream, that absolute content from getting what you want.

"You gonna hook your phone up?" Fontaine asked as he started the Grand Prix. He revved it once, twice just to see your estatic grin.

You took the aux cord when it was offered and snugged back into the seat as Fontaine pulled the car out of the lot. The Grand Prix was welcomed into the sea of precious metal, another ripple in summer's wave.

"I have the perfect song to start..."

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

ending notes: Siiigh to ride off into the sunset with this dude 😌And yeeees, you put on D'Angelo's Crusing Thank you so much for reading and being patient with me! 💕💜✨I hope you're all having a wonderful, sunny summer!☀️✨💜

taglist:@megamindsecretlair @thadelightfulone @mag1calenchantr3ss @cocoeffects @wide-nose-and-wonderful @8ttached @thadelightfulone @hobiesmain @thickeeparker @longpause-awkwardsmile @ms-angiealsina @educatorsareslutstoo @mysterychick93 @sageispunk@hunnishive@notapradagurl7@mcondance@longpause-awkwardsmile@ms-angiealsina@educatorsareslutstoo@miyuhpapayuh@mogul93 @kindofaintrovert@blowmymbackout @mcondance @kindofanenigma

[deepdreamnights]

All These Devices Are Now In Your Pocket

Select photos from the Uncanon Valley Museum's installation of the same name, intended to show youngsters just how much utility has been compressed into a single device, and how much the market has narrowed because of it.

By Row:

Martel InstaKlik Camera (1984) / Melinoë Industries GPS-2s (2001)

Fatholla Light Meter (1977) / Issac's Brand Underwater MP3 Player (2003)

Klaxaxabaxan™ Handheld Game (1994) / "Prince Adrian" Platinum Edition Speak & Spell, Tiffany's (1966)

Edison High-Freq K3030 Camera (1973) / L700 Four-Demon Chest, Panasonic (1981)

Splap-it! Game, traditional (1922) / Demiurgical Responder Engine, J.W. Welles & Company (1873)

L'l Farnsy Vacuum-Tube Radiotrox (3022), Poch Ackaoch Perpendicular Receiver (1971)

The images above in this post were made using an autogenerated prompt and/or have not been modified/iterated extensively. As such, they do not meet the minimum expression threshold, and are in the public domain.

Process under the fold:

Lotta prompts here, so I'm going to just go over my process with these.

I took a number of pictures of consumer electronics, along with some wild card objects, and ran them through with Midjourney's /describe feature.

I then shuffled the resulting prompts, separating them with :: marks, resulting in prompts like the following example:

a gold and red medallion located on a white background, in the style of rangercore, konica auto s3, curved mirrors, shuzo oshimi :: the skull in a purple outfit is made from a plastic, orange and green, in the style of m42 mount, terrorwave, packed with hidden details, destroyed gadgets sculptures, katsuhiro otomo, toy camera effects, science academia

The :: marks are used to denote weights normally, but if you don't weight them, MJ tends to blend the concepts. So after that I just appended:

:: electronic device photograph on white background

The example prompt was for the "Edison High-Freq K3030 Camera (1973)" image.

[bloomous]

» welcome to my resources page!

these are a few of my must-have mods and custom content. if there’s anything that you’re curious about that you don’t see listed, feel free to send me a message 🤍

[updated: 03/12/2023]

✦ cas and defaults

skin // eyes // body // teeth // feet skintones // skinblends (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5) female underwear // male underwear cas unlocks // tidy cas // cas tuning stand still in cas // auto shorter teens

✦ skin details

female hairline // male hairline // baby hairs cleavage // belly overlays // tan lines lip liner // face sculptor // blush eyebags // eyelashes (1 + 2 + 3) // moles body hair // collarbones // eyebrows

✦ visuals

milk thistle // fluffy clouds in-game lighting // cas lighting sgr override (ultimate) // shadows for days // no fade map overrides // loading screen (purple) // cas backgrounds missing plumbob // smaller sensor // cc wrench no overhead effects // hidden highlight

✦ overrides

food // vehicles // paintings // billboards phone // photo frames // earbuds smile // selfies (1 + 2) // misc (1 + 2 + 3) complete list of overrides

✦ gameplay

meaningful stories // personality please // wonderful whims healthcare redux // personal simple hygiene basemental alcohol // snb + bills // simzlink lgbt+ overhaul // relationship & pregnancy overhaul childbirth mod // try to make friends // carl's overhauls kuttoe's mods // littlemssam's mods // bienchen's mods

✦ other mods

mccc // ui cheats no random townies // home regions smarter pie menu // all cheats // b.e. // b.b.b. // t.o.o.l. less intrusive sims // spawn refresh better reactions // visible hidden needs // towel after shower steady sit // control any sim // walk normal weather realism overhaul + better seasonal changes bird life + bugged out

[thesims3help]

Sims 3 - Gameplay enhancing mods: CAS, Build/Buy, World, Objects + Chores & Services.

A category-based mod post. Mods and links previously featured in our Masterlist. All credits to their rightful owners.

Categories include: CAS, BB mode, (Edit) World, game objects related mods, along with chore fixes and new services.

CAS:

Truely Unique Sims

o violet on Tumblr - Pure CAS lighting mod

The Sims 3 [cas background, cas lighting mod, & cas organizers] | Patreon

CAS Sim Bin Genetics as Presets

CAS Lighting Edit

ColorLash: Eyelashes Match Eyebrow Color + Mascara

XCAS core mod: more tattoo locations, edit naked outfit, slider hack, body hair, more

Build/Buy:

One More Slot Please! (with vertical shifting)

[TS3] Catalog Search Mod | Patreon

Add Any Lot Size

No More Free Roofs by Gurra (simlogical.com)

TS3 HD Textures Series - Terrain Pack [UPDATE: Fixed road tiling]

Builder Stuff

Reworked & Improved EA Lights

Lazy Duchess — [TS3] Auto Lights Overhaul (tumblr.com)

More Light Coming Through Windows

Microwave Slots

Railings on Spiral Staircases!

Stuff on the Back of the Toilet

More 1-tile Dressers!

Decorate 6 Base Game Dressers - with more slots

"Stuff on the Fridge" Mod

What's On Your Stereo?

Showbiz, Profession & Other Trophies for Displays & Pedestals

Floor Plants Placeable On Slots [BG & SEAS]

More Slots for EA Furniture - End Tables, Coffee Tables, Windows, Bookshelves & More

Midnight Hollow Toys and All Teddies on Surfaces

Horse Trophies for Display Cases

Shelves + Extras Shift & Hide With Walls Down

So Many Shiftables! And a little more.

Shiftable Curtains

'Cortinas Festivas!' and 'Traditional Curtains' Blind Fix UPDATED!

Shiftable Televisions

Shiftable Skill and Partnership Certificates

Shiftable drafting table sketches

Fountain and Hot Tub Fixes by sydserious (simlogical.com)

Base Game Half Walls FIXED!!!!

Dangerous Stoves Mod - More Fire!

Objects:

Collection Icons and Files

Functional Washboard - Sims 4 Conversion

Harvestable Tree Default Replacement

More Harvestables

Buyable Mermadic Kelp

Same Energy Gain For Every Bed

Super Hampers -- Automatic Laundry Pick Up (Plus Bigger Hampers) by Nona Mena (simlogical.com)

Spring Harvest And CookBook

Harvestable Flowers

Better Hoverboards

Canning Station Overhaul

The Transmogrifier (aka Object Script Changer)

New and Improved 9/11/21] Functioning Well - and Off-Grid Plumbing!

No Crappy Bunk Beds!

Default Umbrellas & Parasols

Default Taxis

Digital Photo Frame Overlay Replacement

Unlocked Permanent Tents for Residential and Community Lots

Wildflower Sell Price Nerf

Buyable Beach Towels (with custom script)

Vending Machine Tweaks

Salvaged Junkyard Objects Made Usable

Make those elevators go faster! Or slower...

Toilet Tweaks

Fairy House motive tuning: Bladder and Hygiene

Buyable Culinary Career Rewards: MinusOne Kelvin Fridge by Nona Mena (simlogical.com)

[WA] Buyable Permanent Sultan's Tabernacle (Scripted object) by Nona Mena (simlogical.com)

[SEAS] Gift Pile Tweaks by Nona Mena (simlogical.com)

[SEAS] Buyable Bunch o' Gifts (Gift Pile) by Nona Mena (simlogical.com)

Motorcycle Parking Spaces

World:

Reduce/Remove Lag caused by Houseboats

SetHour Cheat

Lot Population Mod

TS3 Apartment mod - Updated for patch 1.55 - 1.63/1.67

nraas - Apartment Mod

Invisible Sim Fixer Mod by Consort (simlogical.com)

RPG Manager - Edit your Bin sims, towns and Active household!

NPCRomance

Space Rock Spawner Edit

Lunar Lakes missing EP rabbit holes by Darkitow (simlogical.com)

Auto-place official festival lots in later Store worlds

AMB Community Lots Auto Placement Fix + Add Other Lots (Compatible with Patch 1.63-1.67)

Chores + Services:

Gardener Service 2

Housekeeper Service - v1.2

Housecleaning For All Sims

Dirty Laundry Mod (Update 8/8/23) - Maid & Butler Tweaks

Butler & Maid will Feed Pets & Clean All Pets.

DouglasVeiga's Dancer Service

[kaiserouo]

Hello! In this post I will describe the details of making a render of Apex Legends stuff (namely the video you're watching) so you can make a photo / video to your liking! Even if you don't wanna render things, I think you might still find the process interesting, OR, especially, the tools useful in you future work.

Why am I doing this? Because I'm taking a train and I'm bored. Also there's too little Bloodhound content here. Maybe someone will actually do some cool rendering of them after this.

Idea

Do you know in training mode, Bloodhound will wait for you indefinitely like a puppy with their cute little look-around motion?

Precious footage of Houndy on Youtube

I want them to be my background. So the most important requirements are:

3 Bloodhounds looking around and waiting like that of training mode. (why only 1 if you can have 3?)

Firing range background.

Looks overall good or something (e.g., lighting, motion not synchronized, 1920x1080 for my computer, etc.)

Let's get started.

Model

Well, there won't be multiple Bloodhounds waiting for me in the firing range in-game. I am also not intended to mod R5Reloaded just for this. So we'll use Blender to pose them.

First we need the model. The details of how to use Apex Legends model in blender can be found in this tutorial I found. Basically you just need Blender, semodel + seanim loader, Legion+, and the game itself. You COULD find archives of some models on the web, but manually extracting will guarentee that you can get everything you need.

Reddit Apex Legends model tutorial

Apex File Archive (by Biast12)

Model name list (may be incomplete)

I made an auto shading addon btw

There are a lot of tutorials of how to use Blender. I will not include the details here.

We need:

Models of 3 Bloodhounds (pilot_medium_bloodhound, bloodhound_v21_pilot_level03_w, bloodhound_v21_heroknight_w)

Animation of them waiting indefinitely (mp_pt_medium_training_blood_idle_A_0.seanim)

The names are a bit weird. You can just try to import all the models / animations to find what you want.

Background

Map files are large and hard to load. In my case I never even imported any map in Blender successfully. Fortunately we are looking for a still image background.

I used R5Reloaded's photo mode (or something like that) to get a clean picture. Quite a lot of steps to get a background picture, I know. I used R5Reloaded for other things at that time so this was the most convenient way for me ironically.

R5Reloaded does has a lot of potential, though. Maybe you can use it on other stuff afterwards.

R5Reloaded official page

But if we just make a render in Blender and composite the result with this background, the perspective will certainly not be aligned and the result will look very weird. Probably need a disgusting amount of time just to adjust this stuff.

Thankfully, by the theory of perspective and projective geometry, we can calculate the focal length, the height and the angle of camera all from a single image by your favorite subject: math!

...I mean, by fSpy. We have computers. We don't do the math that others already did for us.

fSpy official page

After getting the parameters of the camera, you can import them into blender directly. The camera from fSpy already has the background image composited so you won't need to do much else in Blender.

Posing & Lighting

We have almost everything we need. So just:

Import all models and camera (from fSpy)

Shade the models and adjust size / position / orientation so it looks good on camera

Import animations on model and adjust the keyframes s.t. they don't do the exact same motion every frame.

We are using the existing animations so posing won't be a problem. If you want to make your own pose you might need some more proper rigging. Not expert on this so that's all I will say.

Now we need the lighting. The lighting environment in the firing range is not really available to us if we don't have the skybox or the map file. Maybe you can find the skybox in Legion+ or archive, but I use lights in Blender instead.

Namely, a sun light to simulate the light from the sun, and a plane light at front for overall light adjusting (probably also simulates reflection from the ground and the environment).

And wait for like half an hour for Blender to spit out all 285 frames and we're done! I let Blender store each and every frame as an image and use ffmpeg to composite them all into a video because I thought I need the high resolution images for something else. Blender does have a setting to just output a video without the intermediate result if I recall correctly.

Conclusion

This is definitely not a complete guide on how to do rendering pieces of work with Blender. I myself am not even well experienced in this kind of stuff. But I think the process is fun and the result is rewarding, especially when seeing your favorite character moving on your background.

I hope you do check out the reference of tools and tutorials above. After all, as an artist (kind of), having the model is like possessing THE absolute reference for a character. Very recommended for every artist to learn how to use Blender and search for models. In 2024 a lot of games are in 3D and there WILL be someone on the web sharing how to extract models from the game or simply gives out the entire archive. You name it! Apex Legends, Titanfall, Destiny, even Ultrakill has like a 1GB blender file for high quality models, if you just google for that ever so slightly.

...Welp actually you can just treat this post as a huge Bloodhound advertisement. The end.

[oldxport]

𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑖. 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑖. (𝑑𝑖𝑠)𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.

[tw: references to religion, christianity]

Nothing  is  truly  archived  in  its  pristine,  maiden  state  —  photos  age,  digital  files  corrupt,  and  atom  links  corrode  one  by  one.  Painstakingly  crafted  monuments  oxidize,  the  Great  Pyramids  crumble  by  the  second,  and  the  stars  go  out. —  The  constant  of  life  is  the  beating  shore,  the  waves.  Movement,  change.  Erosion  chases    heels  like  a  mad  dog.

Even  the  mind  is  subjected.

Memory  is  the  basis  of  evolution.  How  can  one  prepare  for  a  future  if  one  does  not  remember  past  paths,  leading  to  pitfalls?  The  information  must  be  stored  to  be  retrieved  and  safely  kept  to  progress.  Hail,  progress.  The  human  brain  is  marvelous  for  processing  data  through  the  senses  and  parsing  time-space-now-then-will.

The  permanence  of  anamnesis  relies  on  factors  that  are  opposingly  conscious  yet  automatic.  Current  scientific  theories  propose  two  leading  families  of  individual  human  recollection:  the  declarative,  explicit  memory  and  the  non-declarative,  implicit  memory.  The  explicit  centers  on  the  “self,”  it  is  autobiographical,  semantic,  and  episodic,  the  epitome  of  what  humankind  thinks  memory  is.

They  merely  see  the  surface  and  guess  the  depths.

The  implicit  are  those  without  focused  consciousness,  background  tasks  in  procedural  memories,  and  subliminal  stimuli  in  priming.  The  human  mind  is  fascinatingly  efficient  and  set  on  learning.  Intake,  inhale,  install…  However,  reminiscence  is  not  a  science.  It  is  an  evocation  of  the  heart,  and  it  is  damn  awful  at  it.

To  light  the  synapse,  a  capricious  impact  has  to  stir  the  heart.  Humans  are  no  longer  concentrating  creatures  on  their  own  accord.  Intensity,  disbelief,  or  abnormality  of  circumstances  is  vital  to  categorize  memory  as  a  “notable  incident”  and  prevent  it  from  falling  through  the  cerebral  grates  and  being  discarded  as  peripheral  tedium.

The  other  way  to  preserve  time  is  to  conduct  it  as  a  ritual.  Opposite  of  the  singular  moment,  the  ritual  is  a  compilation.  By  diminishing  the  individual  days,  it  proposes  a  trade-off  to  stabilize  and  further  a  construct,  a  pattern  of  action  that  organizes  time  with  space.  It  is  mismatched  socks  worn  together  as  a  distinct  statement,  no  accident.  The  repetition  fights  off  modern  cynicism’s  iconoclastic  war  drum.

The  last  way  to  keep  recollection  is  through  auto-annihilation.  To  scar  the  inside  of  the  mind  so  thoroughly,  the  brain  cannot  overwrite  the  data.  Touch  upon  it  repeatedly;  the  echoing  sting  disembodied  of  the  time  of  the  strike.

Yet,  despite  all  of  the  methods  to  keep  vigilance  of  memory,  the  first  statement  holds.  The  lens  of  retrospection  is  smudged;  what  is  necessary  for  the  ability  to  remember  is  intrinsically  flawed  by  natural  design.  To  call  upon  memory  is  a  return  to  bear  witness  to  a  crime  scene,  and  in  its  autopsy,  the  testimony  is  never  black  and  white.  It  is  the  sentiment  branded  on  top,  warped  and  curling.

What  is  said  is  what  is  thought  to  have  been  said. REMEMBER THIS.

The  past  is  a  burn  that  lingers  but  weakens  as  the  mind  digs  through  its  kindling.  By  order  of  this  world,  memory  is  no  different  than  a  star  lightyears  away,  its  beam  dimming.  It  is  meant  to  fade.

It’s  more  than  alright  to  bask  in  the  glowing  embers  of  a  dying  planet.

Therefore,  there  is  no  reason  to  fear  un-memory.  It  is  part  of  the  forgetfulness  curve.  The  waves.  In  every  crest,  there  is  a  trough.  A  soar  ends  with  a  land.  Why  look  for  a  map  for  a  place  you  do  not  know  anymore?

A  day  lost  a  week  gone,  are  not  causes  for  alarm.  Recall  last  Tuesday  at  7:23  A.M.  Asleep,  maybe.   A  “normal”  day  is  liquid  glugging  into  the  drain.

A  man  closes  the  faucet  and  helps  himself  to  a  cup  of  water.  It  is  partly icy.  The  pipes  are  directly  pumped  from  a  frigid  spring  in  the  ███████  Mountains.  He  hopes  to  rediscover  it  again  tomorrow,  along  with  his  name.

It  is  OLD SPORT.

He  is  uncomplex  like  a  line,  that  one.  Point  A  to  B,  straight.  At  the  end  of  their  ride,  he  tells  Mr. Kato  that  he  had  no  idea  what  they  talked  about  but  wishes  the  befuddled  captain  a  good  day.  Arrives  on  the  premises,  books  a  photography  appointment  when  he’s  told  about  the  temporary  keycard  and  spreads  out  his  arms,  a  wingspan  similar  to  that  of  a  large  Pandion  or  a  smaller  Aquila,  when  security  pats  down  his  charcoal  blue  but  otherwise  nondescript  two-piece  suit.

He  enters  the  second  floor.  The  timing  couldn’t  be  more  appropriate  since  this  is  the  first  time  Old  Sport  is  not  the  first  operative  on  the  scene.  He  is  second,  the  numbering  graphically  explicit,  as  he  is  greeted  by  a  man’s  figure  at  the  end  of  the  hallway.  The  vow  Old  Sport  made  a  long  time  ago  somehow  pierces  through  the  fog’s  veil  and  shines  brighter  than  the  fluorescent  lights  overhead.  As  asked  by  the  Foundation,  he  will  devote  himself  to  it.  It’s  the  sense  of  duty,  an  ingrained  reflex  responding  to  the  new  task.

Or  is  it  the  man  behind  the  glass,  a  familiar  stranger,  who  sparked  the  guiding  beacon?  Summoned  that  lost  purpose?

If  it  was  indeed  lost.

With  or  without  amnestics,  the  mind  is  conditioned  to  adapt  to  the  unknown  or  press  on  while  in  denial.  Both  march  forward,  boots  thumping  untrodden  ground.  A  fool  smiles,  walking  into  a  place  he  does  not  know,  and  reaches  out.

Operative  —  correction:  Commander  Tiul-Xol’s  handshake  is  double-handed.  Old  Sport’s  hand  is  clasped  on  each  side, embraced.  The  Commander’s  hello  is  warm,  raining  years  of  comradery  on  the  former  agent.  Old  Sport  notices  the  disparity;  his  twenty  and  even  so  years  of  experience  is  not  up  to  par  with  this  man,  who  has  shared  bread  and  shed  blood  for  his  compatriots,  saving  the  world  from  ending  over  and  over. A fraternized secret pact to go into the dark together. How apropos that it  is  together  how  constellations  chart  the  night  sky.  Together,  together.  —  The  tender  first  fruit  who’d  break  his  own  heart  and  let  others  feast  on  its  fragments. OH, YOU ARE NOTHING.

… 

Even  a  ‘hi’  or  a  ‘good  morning’  would  do,  but  this  is  to  be  expected.

A  simple  salutation  struggles  to  form.  Like  a  dumb  little  newbie,  Old  Sport  opens  and  then  closes  his  lips.  There  is  overthinking  on  the  length  of  a  “hi,”  or  if  “hey”  is  too  casual  for  an  official  first-time  shared  assignment,  or  if  a  “Hello,  Sir,”  would  be  dismissively  professional  of  the  various  times  he  and  the  other  man  have  cursorily  orbited  one  another.  All  the  while,  the  Commander  blinks  at  him,  every  dark  batting  lash  sweeping  up  something  torrid  within  Old  Sport  than  the  tranquil  knowledge  that  the  Foundation  might  have  had  a  deliberate  hand  in  macerating  his  past.

He’s  buckling,  god,  the  crook  of  his  spine,  all  but  kowtowing.

That  is  what  happens  to  those  who  creep out  of  the  underground.  They  cannot  bear  the  light  head-on.  He’s  punched  his  ticket  into  the  Sublime,  and  the  clarity  of  his  ineptness  burns  him  up  under  its  magnifying  scope.

Thankfully,  the  Commander  laughs  and  claps  his  hands  around  Old  Sport’s.

“ It’s  good  to  see  you.  I’m  glad  the  Committee  took  my  recommendation  into  account. ”

“ Thank  you. ”

And  then  the  interaction  is  over.  Old  Sport  sits  down,  choosing  the  chair  close  to  the  door.  His  eyes,  which  have  never  strayed  from  his  clasped  hands  on  his  lap,  slowly  trace  the  curved  contour  of  the  table.  The  stare  stops  on  a  pair  of  worn  combat  boots,  no  polished  dress  shoes.

Their  owner’s  face  is  creased,  loose  with  tiredness,  and  open,  vulnerable  like  a  split  pomegranate.  Old  Sport  doesn’t  know  if  he’s  authorized  to  be  a  witness.  A  yawn  scrunches  the  center  of  the  Commander’s  face,  prominent  on  his  heavy  brows  and  strong-bridged  nose.  He  wipes  at  his  eyes,  and  as  Old  Sport  begins  to  rise  to  action,  the  Commander  waves  it  off.

But  no,  that  won’t  do.  Old  Sport  searches  the  inner  pocket  of  his  suit  jacket,  preparing  a  remedy  in  advance  as  always.  It’s  to  be  another  score  on  his  perfect  record;  he  digs  through  the  void  and  discovers  nothing  there.  He  has  forgotten  his  handkerchief.  The  chill  from  the  water,  now  swirling  inside  him,  permeates  throughout  his  system  at  this  small  but  surprisingly  heavy  failure.

Do  not  fear  un-memory.  Surf  on  the  forgetfulness  curve.  Shoot  the  tube.

Someone  else  enters  before  he  can  request  his  leave  to  fetch  the  Commander  a  tissue.  Therefore,  Old  Sport  stays  put  and  assembles  his  belongings  from  his  briefcase.  It  is  one  thing  to  watch  a  man  be  unguarded,  another  to  signal  others  to  look.  While  Old  Sport  cannot  help  the  man,  he  can  at  least  sanctify  the  Commander’s  authority.  The  room  fills  up.  Old  Sport’s  thoughts  wander  to  the  First  Disciple.

It  is  not  Peter.  It  is  Andrew.

Befitting.  Nobody  remembers  Andrew.

It  doesn’t  take  very  long  for  introductions  to  go  around  the  table.  Throughout  it  all,  Old  Sport  barely  stirs.  He  smiles  through  it,  raising  a  brow  at  Dying  Breed’s  self-appointed  break,  but  overall,  it  has  been  an  illuminating  experience.  The  Decommissioning  Department  and  MTF  Iota-10  have  never  held  formal  team  introductions.  A  matter  of  size,  schedule,  and  if  the  rumors  were  correct,  egos  made  this  an  impossible  undertaking  by  the  Fire  Suppression  Department.  This  is  Old  Sport’s  first  time,  and  finally,  his  chance  arrives.  Old  Sport  grins,  stands  up,  and  bows  as  the  focus  swings  to  him  at  the  end  of  the  table.

“ Hello  and  good  morning,  everyone.  Regardless  of  whether  or  not  this  is  the  first  time  we  are  meeting,  I  would  request  that  you  all  please  refer  to  me  by  the  appointed  codename-slash-callsign,  'Old  Sport,'  as  it  is  one  of  the  precepts  of  Chi-Zero-Zero. ”  He  says,  righting  himself  back  up.

“ As  everyone  else  has  shared  some  personal  information  and  or  humorous  anecdotes,  I  will  also  release  useful  background  facts  about  myself.  I  have  been  with  the  Foundation  for  twenty-four  years.  Previously,  I  was  a  member  of  the  Decommissioning  Department,  as  well  as  the  Mobile  Task  Force,  Iota-10,  known  as  the  ‘Damn  Feds,’  officially  and  unofficially. ”  Old  Sport  figures  disclosing  his  experience  would  be  helpful  to  the  junior  members  of  Themis.  Now,  the  mind  whirrs  for  the  next  move.

“ I  have  a  multitude  of  hobbies  and  like  various  things.  Additionally,  I  have  very  few  dislikes.  I  look  forward  to  working  with  everyone  until  the  very  end  of  this  assignment  or  until  reassignments.  Thank  you. ”

He  sits  down,  pleased  to  have  hit  all  the  notes  he  practiced  in  the  shower.  As  he  is  the  closing  act,  Old  Sport  decides  to  utilize  the  chaos  of  a  post-meeting  exit  rush  to  speak  with  the  Commander.  In  some  parts,  it  is  to  repent  the  previous,  unsubstantiated  “mission  failure.”  In  others…  esoterica,  meaningless  to  everyone.  Rather  than  calling  the  Commander  over,  Old  Sport  spots  his  window  of  opportunity,  gleaming  and  wiped  clean,  and  moves.  Forward,  forward.

Catching  Smooth  Operator’s  attention,  Old  Sport  slides  his  arm  frontward  to  initiate  a  handshake  —  snatching  the  other  man  with  a  two-handed  clap.  It  is  a  mirror  of  the  past,  a  reflection  of  Smooth  Operator’s  candid  warmth.

Imitation,  flattery.  Prayer.

Albeit  enveloping  the  Commander’s  hands  with  longer  digits,  Old  Sport  swings  their  hands  up  and  down,  body  saying  what  he  couldn’t  before.  Hello,  hello.  He  won’t  waste  his  time  now.  “ Commander,  it  has  been  nice  to  see  you  again.  It’s  been  two  years,  eight  months,  and  to  my  knowledge,  three  days, ”  Old  Sport  muses  and  tilts  his  head.  Pauses.  Tests  out  the  words  sans  shower.  “ It is an honor  to have been selected. I will be  dedicated  to  serving  you,  on  and  off  the  field. ”

Old Sport  leans  forward,  stamping a  grave  promise in the air  between  their  intertwined  limbs. Each word is pressed in like a personal cinnabarite seal.  “ Upholding  the  parameters  of  this  assignment  is  my  highest  priority.  Therefore... However,  whenever  you  need,  my  body  is  yours  to  command. ” 

He’s  felt  this  way  for  every  job  given  to  him  by  the  Foundation.  The  corporeal  is  nothing  without  purpose.  If  his  back  breaks,  it’ll  be  with  pride  at  fulfilling  something  grander  than  a  single  skeletal  remnant.

“ I  do  not  know  if  you  have  accessed  my  personnel  files  yet,  Commander,  but  I  will  strive  for  nothing  but  success  to  the  best  of  my  ability.  I  will  fill  any  position  you  require  of  me  without  complaint.  I  have  been  told  I  am  quote,  ‘accommodatingly  versatile,’  and,  ‘surprisingly  flexible,’  end  quote. ” 

As  he  is  saying  them,  no  boastful  flourish  curlicues  the  para-phrases.  Such  comments  never  particularly  mattered  to  Old  Sport.  However,  to  recompense  the  earlier  mistake,  he’ll  assure  Smooth  Operator  that  it  was  a  fluke; he has  verifiable testimonials.

Old  Sport  smiles  and  leans  in  again,  unaware  of  the  lack  of  privacy  in  a  crowded  conference  room.  He  closes  with,  “ I  fondly  anticipate  working  out  the  details  of  this  arrangement  after  introductions  and  the  facility  tour.  I’d  like  your  pager  number  to  find  a  suitable  time  and  place. ”  There  is  a  soft  squeeze  between  their  hands  after  one  last  downswing.

Finally,  the  lattice  breaks.  Old  Sport  concludes  with  a  nod  and  returns  to  his  spot.  He  picks  up  his  briefcase.  As  asked  by  the  Foundation,  he  will  devote  himself  to  it.  It’s  the  sense  of  duty,  an  ingrained  reflex  responding  to  the  new  task.  Support  the  MTF  Commander  at  all  costs.  Forget  your  record.  It  means  nothing.  You  are  nothing.  Support  the  MTF  Commander  at  all  costs.  Nod,  if  you  understand,  In-su. The scales ...

A Valuable Employee  does  not  think  of  themselves  as  individuals  but  as  a unit  member.  The  workplace  is  family.  The  company  is  covenant.

Nobody  remembers  Andrew.

Old  Sport  nods  and  wonders  where  he  left  his  handkerchief.

[treacherous]

I recently received a request to show how I recolor photos from black and white (mainly from the photos featured here and here), so here is a quick summary of how I colorized another photo from TIFF from black and white in Photoshop!

Tutorial including some photos under the cut:

For this set of recoloring I used the newest version of Photoshop as of December 2022, which includes an option for “neural filters” under the filter tab. This opens a variety of options, of which I will select “colorize”.

A couple examples of what auto-colorizing will generate from this include the following:

Some resulting photos appear more realistic from this option than others (some parts of the curtain behind her on the second photo are reddish and don’t match, the dress is missing gold and her eyes are missing the blue, etc.), which is why it’s helpful to go in the section on the right and manually add points of color where needed.

In this case, I added a gray point to the patch underneath her face to make that curtain section consistent with the gray on the rest of the background, and added several points of yellow in varying strengths to realistically add color back to her dress.

Once I finished adding these points, I opened the photo as a new layer and got this as my result:

It’s mostly there but I still have some areas that need adjusted to make it fully realistic to other photos of her at this event. Outside of some general edits to add more depth/brightness/color vibrance, I also added some transparent layers and used a brush tool with different colors to add certain colors that didn’t generate beforehand. The photo below shows my addition of blue on her eyes with the brush on the left and how it looked before I added the brush coloring on the right:

Depending on what section I’m working on and how saturated I want that extra color to be, I’ll set the blend mode that the brush layer is on to either “soft light” or “color” (I used soft light for this photo). In other layers, I set a layer mask to concentrate other changes to smaller areas of the image.

Some additional layers for hue & saturation, selective color, and color balance especially helped in getting my coloring lined up to be consistent with other photos from the event she was photographed at, leading to this final result:

The process of colorizing photos from black & white is full of trial and error to get a realistic result, but hopefully this will help give some ideas on how to get a good recolored result!