#i removed the bottom part of the panel at the upper right

[cantsayidont]

March 1984. Poor Jason. Everyone knows it, but you can't just say it.

[tbcanary]

Hiii, I love ur edits so so much!! Was just wondering, how did you edit the last gif for the lucius fox edit? The way the glasses reflected was so cool to me

hello! this is a very good question, and i'm happy to answer it for you. but i feel like I should say to start that this is a pretty convoluted thing, the way i do it. i am almost positive someone else out there does it in a simpler and more straightforward way than i do. that being said, I can show you my process!

the main tools for this particular trick are layer masks and the animation timeline tool. i’ll also be using the movement/selection tools, but those are pretty straightforward I think? we’ll see, i guess!

i’m going to use this catwoman panel as an example.

let's start out by cropping it in and removing all the text bubbles/extra things, just to get a blank slate. i have a tutorial on how I edit panels here, and how I size them here, if that’s something you need. It’s not really necessary for this trick, but I like a clean visual.

i end up with something like this:

now you’ll want to make a new blank layer on top of this one. this will be the one you work on. this part comes down to kind of personal preference/artistic decision making, but you want to fill this blank layer with the sliding effect you want to have. this would be the reflection in lucius’ glasses, or the arrows in this ga/gl gifset.

(it looks very silly, I know. trust the process on this one.)

then, on the layer where I’ve just drawn the white lines, I am going to create a layer mask. select “layer” in the toolbar, find “layer mask,” and select “reveal all.” this won’t change anything about the visual at this point, but it’s necessary for creating this effect.

two things to do right away: unlink the lines from the mask by clicking the little “chain” between the two, and select the layer mask itself to work on.

wrong:

right:

(ignore groups one and two, by the way. those are just old versions of the panel/lines in case i screw up and need to go back to a previous one for some reason. you don’t have to do that; i’m allergic to the delete button.)

use the selection tool to pick the area where you want the affect to appear. for me, that’s all the yellow facets of the diamond, so i’ve outlined it like so:

on the layer mask, fill those sections with black. then hit either ctrl+i or command+i to invert the layer mask, so the white portions become black and the black portions become white. in my case, this makes the white lines… disappear! magic.

basically, what the layer mask is doing is choosing when the pixels on a layer show up. by coloring something in, you’re saying, ‘I don’t want the white lines to show up when they live in this space.’ so because you’ve inverted it, you’ve turned everything outside of the area you want to animate into a no-show zone, and only the area you want to work on is left.

this is probably not a very good explanation. sorry about that. mess around with it on your own and I guarantee it’ll make sense.

we are now done creating the layer mask! click on the layer itself to make sure you’re working on that for this next bit, like so:

this next part is like. actually really hard to explain. but i’ll try my best.

i’ve done a tutorial on how I animate gifs before. some of that might help here, but it does function a little differently. first, you’ll want to go to the timeline at the bottom of your screen.

create a new frame in the timeline with a 0-second delay. then go back up to the image itself, and select the lighting effect you made (my white lines, in this case). move it just a little bit. i’m opting to go just until I can see the first line or two on the diamond.

it won’t look like much. here’s the difference:

you can see (I hope) the tiny bit of “shine” on the upper left corner, where the mask is white and the pixels are visible.

now i’m going to make another new frame in the timeline, and nudge those lines a little more. let’s say six pixels to the right, and two pixels down. now it looks like this:

you will notice the change is almost imperceptible. that’s fine. the resulting animation will be smoother if you do smaller movements, as opposed to bigger ones.

basically… just repeat that. new frame, nudge a little. new frame, nudge a little. over and over, until the lighting effect has moved fully off the area you’re animating on the other side. These edits can get a little long/the number of frames can get huge, so if you catch that happening, wait until you get to the end and then select either all the even or all the odd frames and delete them.

this will double the speed of your animation, but given the very small increments in which we are moving things, it still won’t look too choppy. you could certainly start with bigger movements to cut this off at the pass, but it’s a LOT easier to cut these frames out than to add new ones in if it ends up looking too rough, so I opt for more frames and then remove them later.

once you’ve moved the lighting effect all the way across the image and over the other side, make sure you play it through at least once or twice to get a feel for it. this is what I have:

this is way, way too fast to me. that’s okay! we can mess around with the timeline settings to increase the delay to pretty much anything. I’m going to set it to 0.2 seconds per frame, with a longer setting for the first and last frame to give people a breather between the start and end of the effect. now my timeline looks like this:

and my gif looks like this!

that works better, i think. the more I’ve made gifs, the more I’ve allowed for pauses and slower animations; when I look back at some of the first ones I did, they feel way too fast. but it’s all up to personal preference, really, so mess around with the settings all you want until you get the vibe that you want.

you can also mess around with opacity. if you want something to fade into the background as it moves, use a white-to-black gradient instead of just stark black or white spaces. if you want the shine to be less prominent (not at all necessary here with such a small effect), change the opacity of the entire layer until it's subtle enough for you.

basically, the world is your oyster, and you can mess around with this as much as you want. this is my method; it does not have to be yours.

I hope this helps! happy making <3

[ennaku-sirri-da]

JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE TOWER ( S4M COMIC )

PART 1

PS: the punching glove isn't involved I just forgot to remove it!

PPS: This has a lot of my personal HCs LMAO don't worry about it but if it confuses you just see my talk under the cut! Actually I HIGHLY recommend you read it PLS

[ ID: Fanart done in traditional medium, uncolored, with pencil and slightly rough sketching. It's a comic of the game Smile For Me featuring Putunia Mollar, Kamal Bora and Dr.Habit living together. The panels alternate colors between cool blue, warmer red and orange tones and gray because of how they were photographed.

The designs have canon style but the changes in the artists interpretation are as follows. Kamal has a lot of acne, eyebags and thick brows. For this comic his hair is in a ponytail and he casually wears sleeveless top with sweatpants. Putunias hair is more scruffy. Habit has the most change- Here he has a muppet-like appearance with fur, longer hair, cheek patches with a splash of freckles, stitches and scars on hands plus an X shaped one near his mouth. His teeth are uneven with a bigger snaggletooth too. His long coat is made of some soft, scratchy material and it's collar is bush-like with feathery parts holding flowers.

The comic starts with Kamal massaging Putunia's shoulders. He smirks, "Alright, kiddo, we're gonna fucking get that asshole today." Putunia bravely kisses her muscles for good luck.

We see she is standing on a high rise stool to reach his height. She yells in unbridled excitement, " GIMME FIVE BRO!!! " and smacks her non-punching glove palm into Kamal's, who sheepishly replies, "kk..." with a grin.

Their plan comes into action as they sneak up behind Habit. He is standing at the window admiring the beautiful morning, singing the lyrics to Tomorrow from Annie, " The sun will come out to-morrow....bet your bottom dollar...". His back faces them. There are slightly visible odd shapes in his hair. Kamal's cheeks puff and his eyes go wide as he presses a hand to his lips, gesturing to Putunia, "SHHH. I see he's singing the same song again....like a total CHUMP..." he whispers. The little girl can barely hold in her glee. She bites her fingers and squeals, " eeeEEE!"

A side view is shown as they get closer to Habit, about to scare him. Kamal can't resist chuckling while he holds up Putunia. She takes aim at the target, circling her fingers around her single open eye and sticking out her tongue in intense concentration. Habit's upper face is in shadow but he has a slight, characteristically crooked smile. He continues singing, "clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow....till there's none..."

Suddenly! A very loud BOO is splashed onto the page. Below is the building reaction to it, a shrill scream going AAAA-

And we cut to a very distraught and crying Kamal, his arms jumped up in sheer fear, continuing it with, "AAALLAHU AKBAR-"

Before Putunia stops him on the spot via a finger to the mouth, " BABA. ...shut the up." He is in so much shock. His eyes get huge.

We see her now wrapped inside Habit's arms, looking up at Kamal apologetically with a thin smile, twiddling her fingers, " Sowwy..." He manages to stammer out, "Y-Y-You....you....Y..."

He catches his breath! In a burst of energy Kamal points a damning finger to Habit, saying at the top of his voice, "YOU! STOP THAT. RIGHT N-NOW." Habit is too amused by patting a wonderstruck Putunia who's going "Oooo.." at him, and having bent his head all the way from front to back( looks like an upside down head) to really be intimidated by that. He puts his fluffy tongue out, and his glass eyes appear to be missing as well- leaving just two dots on the face. " Hee hee... hoo hoo.." end ID]

Talk under the cut!!

OK let's get some basics out of the way first! In this AU, which I've named Roseverse( after its Flower Kid named Rose lel), Habit is a muppy. A mubbit. A man or a muppet? Mupman.

And I've since dropped the HC but I've headcanoned Kamal as Muslim for a REALLY LONG time because I am projecting so that's why you're seeing that here !

Here they all live as a family in the 6-floored Tower( the black rings we see on it in-game that lead up to the top office are seperate rooms) though Putunia's a Community Child and only comes in for routine visits but yeah.

Onto the comic proper now!! I'll explain headcanons panelwise :) (smile emote)

Panel 1: Kamal's like

[ GIF ID: Captain America from the MCU mutters "Language." sternly. End ID]

Around Putunia when HABITS THERE but He is the Cause‼️‼️( thick red exclamation emotes)

As for Habit on that subject, really he doesn't swear much on the regular but SOMETIMES he'll whisper things like MOTHERFUCKER or CUNT into Kamal's ear just to watch him jump ( BTW if someone knows what this is referencing YOU ARE COOL )

Panel 2: 'Tunia's picking up speech patterns!! Kamal was that one guy in college dropping "dudeman" 's and he NEVER expected to see his brospeak come back in this Tiny Powerhouse but 'tis welcome

Panel 3: Habit's singing Tomorrow from the original Annie! Such a sweet and lively song. It is infact my voice claim for Kid Habit.

Speaking of, fun fact I started at NIGHT drawing this powered by freaking. Heart Broken 💔( broken heart emoji) Hindi Songs and I DIDNT STOP BABEEEYYYYYYYY

Panel 7: In my old school bus someone used to say why don't we say shut sideways 🥸 (silly disguise emoji with huge mustache and glasses, showing amusement in this context)

BUT OFC THE SUPERIOR ONE IS PIN DROP SILENCE IN THIS FISHMARKET CHILDRENS!!!!!!!!

[ Plaintext: But of course the superior one is " Pin drop silence in the fishmarket childrens!!!" ]

Panel 8&9 AKA The last ones: Oh Habit practices his contorting sometimes!

so anYWAY if it's confusing to see the pose just like imagine him bending backwards from his midsection and stuff. And the dot eyes will be explained more laterrr but basically they show that his proper eyes have been detached ( they're a beautiful blorange made of glass) ;-) (winky emote)

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 PWESS🥺

[Plain text: Stay tuned for part 2 please (pleading emote)]

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Dynaco Repair Post No. 2

Monday Evening, Dec. 11, '23

It turns out I did hit upon an "upper limit" of number of photos per post. SO...it looks like I'll have to start a new post when I hit that limit again. I will add a link to this part at the bottom of the first post. As long as the current post is the one I'm updating, I will pin it, for easy reference. Once it's all done, I'll probably make a masterpost index.

To the project at hand! Been working on and off through the day. The day, which started out with anxiety about getting the parts today, due to the mailbox vandals. I should not have worried, the box was delivered by my apt door before noon!

Can't say enough good about the Dynakitparts.com site and Kevin, who runs things. Extremely fast and courteous with responses, and packs like a pro, tape in all the right places, everything arrives appropriately packaged and SAFE! If you have an old Dynaco beastie that needs TLC and are looking for parts, try them first! Their boards and kits are extremely well executed. Things of beauty, as you will see this evening!

The new sticker looks really sharp, and the new (modern) resistors are much smaller.

The power cords on both the PAS and the ST70 are the beige/brown originals: the plastic has become hard/brittle, but still intact. I rummaged through my box of clipped power cords and found two appropriate flat-bladed cords that will be perfect. The one for the PAS is grey, the one for the ST70 is black.

So, the first order of business today was to solder the new power cord into place on the PAS. Very straightforward, just two simple solder lugs, and it's done. Tied a knot as a stop (like the original), and routed the same way the original had been.

The above photo is showing the "new" grey cord with its knot, waiting to be prepped for soldering, while the old, brittle, beige cable has been clipped and is about to be unsoldered. The new cord is nice and pliable, and a slight improvement gauge-wise. It looks good, in place:

Now the next thing that I was really concerned with was that triple-wafered monster source switch. It had become so difficult to turn, I was afraid of breaking those wafers where the inner rotating disk's contacts meet the outer, stationary ring's contacts, and once that happens, it's toast.

But, again, I shouldn't have worried, as some strategic sprays with this stuff, on all the contact surfaces, plus the front "bearing" and the mating surfaces where the control shaft turns, a few left/right turns, gentle at first, then with more force, until you have hit all the spots with the cleaner and let it flush through and drain, the source switch feels brand new again.

And I found my white lithium grease, and applied some to the front bearing/spring-clip assembly, and did the same left/right six clicks to distribute the grease, and it's good for another good long while.

I did say "things of beauty", well, the new board along with the gold-plated RCA jacks, with color coded insulators (not brittle ceramic) are just very nice eye candy for eyes that appreciate good design!

See what I mean?

The RCAs all come with a separate ground lug, only ONE of which gets used. Again, the directions are written so well that if you read thoroughly and carefully, and study the pictorial drawing you will have no trouble. The one ground lug that is used, here on the corner top RCA, No. 9:

Now, the two pairs different resistors are clearly marked, and packaged so as not to be mixed up or confused. The old carbon resistors are huge in comparison to the new ones:

The next steps are about marking the wires and switching out the panels, and finishing up the connections. I figured that was a good place to stop for tonight, and start fresh in the morning. In prep for that, you remove the four brass screws that hold the back panel to the base, and tilt it back a bit to access all the old jack terminals:

And there's (^^^^) the old RCA panels (one of which is cracked), with the older, cramped style RCAs with the brittle white ceramic insides. The new ones are light years better in both design and quality.

I was also able to find a source for the #53 bulb for the pilot light. They arrive on Wednesday, which is pretty much right on schedule for me to be finishing the PAS repairs and turning my attention to the Stereo70.

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Yesterday began auspiciously enough, I was able to get the old wires marked 1-thru-9 for both left and right, and then began unsoldering them from the old RCA array...even though the instructions themselves say it's easier to just clip them.

I should have heeded that advice.

About halfway through the unsoldering of the left channel leads, I thought I had gotten one of them "loose" enough to pull through the hole in the original jack, and so I tugged. A little too zealously.

My hand flew backwards, into that third and final wafer in the triple-wafer Source Switch, and the outer ring of it cracked. Completely. The pieces still held together at the very bottom but the top was completely broken. But also, the remaining wires all lost their little numbers I'd put on them with pieces of adhesive stickers that suddenly seemed to fly apart when hit the the force of a hamfisted hobbit.

Tried superglue. lulz. A farce. Then I realized that when I held the piece in place, it clicked and worked just fine! SO...I got a piece of wire, and wrapped it around the broken top part, and it seemed to be ok. Clicked it a few times, and it seemed like it had come out of alignment, so I realigned it, re-wrapped the wire and added a little more and all seemed fine.

So I set about with the rest of the unsoldering, and using the lead length, figured which RCA they went to. All was going fine, until I saw that a ground wire had come loose from somewhere on one of the PC boards, and I had no idea which. Looked on the pictorial, and saw where it was supposed to be, but I had a feeling that's not where it had been soldered.

Finished soldering all the leads onto the new RCA jacks, and soldered the ground wire to the lug as instructions show.

Brought it back to the rest of my system to see if it was ok, and it most definitely wasn't. I got the sound at the amp showing it was plugged in, but nothing from any of the inputs.

Tried phono, nada, tried Spare, which I always had a 3-input external switchbox on, and nothing from direct plug. Took the RCA line out of the two "audio out" jacks, and accidently brushed the inner (positive) tip to the outer (negative) part of the RCA and sound blasted forth.

That was at almost 10pm last night, and I was too beaten and felt far too defeated to go any further. Today has not brought much progress, other than to read through the original build and follow with my eyeballs on the pictorial. I don't think I flubbed on the soldering. If it's that broken wafer, then I have to admit defeat here.

At this point, it's only a couple hours away from me needing to be ready to go to kiddo's school band concert (she's playing trumpet!), so Dynaco has to wait.

I know I shouldn't let it get to me that I broke the one most irreplaceable part I could have, but I really do feel defeated. I guess I could try and find one on eBay, but no guarantee it wouldn't be broken, too.

At any rate, here's the pics from the debacle yesterday.

I'd just gotten the first few of the left (green) leads unsoldered when the switch fell victim to my stupid:

My first attempt at a stopgap solution:

Notice the tabs at 2 o'clock...the inner is over the outer, should be the other way around. Several tries later, I thought I had it.

So I turned my attention to removing the old jacks and installing the new ones.

Gorgeous, ain't they?

So, I had gathered what wits I had left and got the leads soldered as best I could determine (where the original labels had fallen off) which was which. Some, there was no doubt. Others, plenty.

Got them all soldered and tight, then put a new pilot lamp bulb in (they had arrived the day before), put the tubes in and got four glowing 12AX7s and a lit pilot bulb, so yay! I guessed the only thing left was to put the bottom cover in place and test it out.

When I did, I got the above-referenced fuckery.

But, in my defence, it was almost 10pm, I'd been up early, been at it all day, and my back was killin' me. I just unplugged everything in disgust and took my shower and went to bed.

I will spend more time on it this evening, after I get back from the concert. At this point, I suppose it's safe to assume the Source Switch is borked, and see what to do from there.

Update: later 12-14-23

Well, I found one on eBay, still with wires attached, for $27 total:

Had a coupon code so that knocked some off. Messaged the seller, and he said he had multiples, so I'm figuring it will be one I can work with. Whew. Thanks @misfitwashere, always the voice of reason. I will set the PAS aside, and set about putting the bias kit in the ST70.

Link to Repair Post No. 1:

And here is the link to No. 3:

[glacierfresh]

How to Change LG Refrigerator Water Filter?

LG is one of the leading brands of refrigerators and water filters. Different fridge models have different locations for their filters. All you got to do is check the model number, purchase a new filter, locate the old one, open the system, and swap the two.

If you own an LG refrigerator water filter, it might be challenging to change the old filter by yourself. Don’t worry; you are at the correct place, as I have the complete guide for you. LG is one of the leading brands of refrigerators and water filters. Different fridge models have different locations for their filters. All you got to do is check the model number, purchase a new filter, locate the old one, open the system, and swap the two. Still confused? Keep reading.

Where is the Water Filter Located on the LG Refrigerator?

Locating the water filter in your LG refrigerator is the first step to changing the used filter. While some refrigerators have easy-to-locate external water filters, in some, they are placed in an internal housing. So, depending on your refrigerator model and style here’s where to look for:

Bottom-Freezer Style: Back of the fridge.

French 3-Door Style: Upper left interior, upper right interior, back of the fridge, or in the left door panel.

French 4-Door Style: Upper left interior, upper right interior, back of the fridge, or in the left door panel.

Top-Freezer Style: Back of the fridge.

Side-by-Side Style: Upper left interior, upper right interior, or back of the fridge.

Side-by-Side 4-Door Style: Back of the fridge.

Side-by-Side 3-Door Style: Upper Left or inside the lower door bin.

Side-by-Side 3-Door View: Upper Left.

How To Replace the Water Filter In LG Side-By-Side Refrigerator?

Most LG side-by-side refrigerators have a water filter located at the refrigerator's top left corner. Whenever your refrigerator indicates for filter replacement, purchase a new one and use the following steps:

1: Shut the water line valve off to drain excess water from your fridge before replacement to avoid spills.

2: Take out the top shelf to make space.

3: Find the Push button on the filter compartment, press it, and pull the cover down.

4: Grab and slide the water filter down.

5: Rotate counterclockwise and pull the filter gently toward you.

6: Bring the new filter, and remove its wrapping.

7: Place the new filter in line with the socket, push it gently, and rotate it clockwise.

8: When the filter is secure, slide it back upwards.

9: Close the filter door back until you hear a clicking sound.

10: Replace the top shelf of the fridge.

11: Run 2.5 gallons of water at 30-second intervals to remove the trapped air and contaminants, if present.

How Do You Reset LG Refrigerators After Changing the Filter?

As the indicator light must have turned on to indicate the need for filter replacement, you don’t have to keep it on after changing with a new filter. So, follow these steps to reset the filter system:

After the replacement is complete, hold the light button on your refrigerator's front interface for 3-5 seconds.

The light will disappear. Your LG refrigerator is reset.

This indicator light will turn on again after 6 months or so.

How Do You Remove a Stuck Refrigerator Water Filter?

Make sure you have enough space around you while making the change. After all, you wouldn’t want to break any part due to forceful pulling. There is always the right method:

Take out the top shelf from the refrigerator's interior if your water filter housing is located at the top corner. It provides more space to pull the filter downward and remove it easily.

A backlog of water pressure in the water line can make it difficult to remove the filter. So, turn the water line off, and dispense any remaining water to decrease the pressure before removing the old filter.

If your filter’s still stuck, hire a professional service to help you change the water filter.

How Much Water to Flush Through the New Refrigerator Filter？

It is advised to always rinse or flush a new filter with water to open the pores and drain the dust or impurities left over from manufacturing. You can run at least 2-4 gallons of water through the LG water filter after or before the attachment. It also helps prevent your water dispenser from sputtering due to trapped air in the new filter.

What Type of Water Filter Is Suitable for My Lg Refrigerator?

Picking out the right option from hundreds of filter styles and sizes might feel like an impossible task. Don’t worry as all the information you need is right in front of your eyes on the refrigerator itself. You don’t need the user manual as the product details are also mentioned on the label sticker or rating plate located on the fridge.

Every branded electronic device has a model number. So, check your refrigerator model to find the water filter that fits your unit. For example, in LG refrigerators, this label is on a panel behind the salad drawer or an internal wall inside the fridge. The different LG filter models are LT500P, LT700P, LT800P, and LG LT1000P refrigerator water filter.

How to Purchase a Water Filter Which Is Suitable for My LG Refrigerator？

You will find a variety of lg filter replacements in the market. Besides OEM filters from the LG manufacturers, you will find many compatible aftermarket filters. As the latter is economical, you should know the parameters to check before investing. This buying guide is here to help you choose the best partner for your home and refrigerator:

NSF Certificated or Not

The NSF is an organization that tests and certifies water filtration products to ensure they meet strict quality and performance standards. We cannot emphasize enough just how important it is to check the standard certification of a product. If you want peace of mind that you have made a good purchase, read the label of the filter to see if it's NSF certified.

For example, glacier Fresh is an aftermarket manufacturer with NSF 42, 53, and 372 certifications along with IAMPO ,which is almost the same as OEM water filters. These certifications are issued after rigorous testing by government officials to check reliability. So, you know you can trust them.

Installation of the Refrigerator Filter

The installation process for fridge water filters should be designed to be user-friendly and straightforward enough that buyers can install the filter themselves without the need for professional help.

Compatibility of the Filter

Different filters are meant for different refrigerator brands, so double-check the number and name of the filter required for your fridge model. You can search for your required model on the Glacier Fresh website. With the right filter, you can enjoy clean water without worrying about contaminants.

The Cost

After all the research, it all comes down to the cost. Your total cost, including the initial purchasing cost + maintenance charges. As every filter retires after a certain period, it needs to be replaced with a new one.

You cannot avoid it because clean water is a necessity. An old worn out, or blocked filter can harm your health and refrigerator. So, it's wise to change the filter timely (usually 6 months). You can reduce your expenditure by going for aftermarket filters like Glacier Fresh without compromising the quality.

Can I Only Buy Them From the Manufacturer?

No, as mentioned earlier, both OEM and aftermarket filters are available in the market. People tend to trust the OEM filters more and pay whatever amount they ask, but you should know better. Trusted and certified aftermarket filter manufacturers like Glacier Fresh can supply you with competitive quality filters with the same compatibility at a much lower cost. The decision is up to you.

Summary

I believe this article was informative and cleared all your doubts regarding the replacement of your LG refrigerator filter. The process is pretty simple and easy to perform. All you need is the location of the old filter and a new filter in hand. 

In case you need some new LG water filters, Glacier Fresh is always here at your service. Just visit our website and search for LG water filters. You won’t be disappointed. You can check out our other blogs and filters too.

[whennnow]

Sewing a Regency Gown Part 4 - The Sleeves

September 23, 2020

[Image ID: a photo of Alex from neck to hips wearing a white drawstring-front Regency dress.]

Going into this, I want you to understand that everything I know about sleeves is only known in theory, not practice. I'm as likely as not to set a sleeve inside out or backward. But here we go.

I actually ran into my first snag before I really started in on the sleeves. I was taking photos for the skirt post when I noticed some gaping where the shoulder strap met the back panel. I had taken the time to adjust my pattern to make sure that part fit correctly! So what happened?

My very final adjustment happened. I had tilted the shoulder strap out slightly to reduce gaping in the front-armpit-ish-area of the armscye. I did not re-adjust the back angle of the strap to match.

While I was griping about having to fix that, @frauleinninka came to the rescue again, saying that other people have had the same problem, and suggested it might be best to leave it in for movement. I tried to pin it closed anyway to see just how bad it was, and it was less than half an inch on both shoulders.

Which is to say that I proceeded without making any adjustments to the bodice.

I drew out the original sleeve pattern from Regency Women's Dress onto my gridded wrapping paper and measured the top and bottom edges. Then I measured the armscye seam line on the bodice and the widest part of my upper arm.

One thing I know about sleeves is that the armscye seam lines have to match up, kind of. The shoulder of the sleeve is usually a bit wider (longer?) to account for wiggly fabric and allow for easing or gathering at the sleeve head.

The first two mockups weren't full length, I just wanted to figure out that sleeve head, since the shoulder sits so far in on the back of the bodice. Also, the pattern didn't say how the sleeve seam should match up with the bodice, so I had to figure that out.

That first mockup used the sleeve pattern without any adjustments and it was way too wide, but I was expecting that from my measurements. I removed 2" from the width of the whole sleeve and tried again.

The second mockup was better, but I decided the gathered/eased part of the sleeve needed to be at the top of the shoulder, not towards the back.

I didn't make any further adjustments to the pattern for the third mockup. I did the full length of the sleeve, though, and moved the excess easing/gathering to the top of the shoulder. It went unexpectedly well! I needed to shorten the sleeve a bit to get the length I wanted, I decided to take in the underarm seam by a half inch on either side, and I decided to tilt the sleeve a bit.

I had been lining up the sleeve's seam with the line of prick stitches I had done where the waist drawstring began. Doing that made the sleeve go perfectly up and down, whereas my arms tend to tilt forward I bit (or, rather, I tend to held my arms in front of me, rather than letting them hang at my sides). Basically, I just decided to rotate the sleeve to move the sleeve seam forward and up by about an inch.

Mockup three and a half, with just those little adjustments, went even better than that third mockup and I declared it Good Enough. I transferred the shape of the last mockup onto gridded paper, made markings and notes about setting the sleeve, and cut my sleeves out of both my lining and outer fabrics.

The seam lines were marked on the lining fabric with a Frixion pen, then I layered the outer layer over it (making sure I had a left and right sleeve) and basted both layers together along the line. The sleeves were then ironed to remove the marks.

The underarm seams were done with a backstitch, ironed again, and felled. I then ran two lines of gathering stitches along the easing area - one on either side of the seam line.

The non-gathered part of each sleeve was pinned into the armscye first, then I eased and pinned the top in. I sewed the sleeves in with back stitches - which I'm getting faster at - and ironed the seam allowances toward the neckline of the bodice for a nice, crisp seam.

I consulted The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking again about finishing the armscye seams. It confirmed what I remembered - armscye seams were often left unfinished or just whipstitched. I decided to do one better and turn the seam allowances in toward each other before whipstitching, which gave me what was basically a french seam, just done after construction instead of during. This worked around most of the seam, but not so much on the gathered parts.

Then the only thing left to do was the sleeve hems (cuffs?)! I put the dress on to confirm the length and pin the hem/cuff (and to ooh and aah over my work because self-validation is important). The hem was then ironed, repinned, and felled.

And... that's it! My classic white Regency dress is done!

I'll be back in two weeks with final photos of my dress, along with some of my original inspiration, since I never talked about that.

In the meantime...

Stay warm. Stay safe. Stay healthy.

[Image ID: a photo of two elbow-length sleeve patterns. The one on the left is marked with green marker and was taken from a book. The one on the left is marked faintly with pen and is the same pattern after alterations.]

[mentaltonki]

Zelotes mouse usb overdrive

ZELOTES MOUSE USB OVERDRIVE DRIVER

ZELOTES MOUSE USB OVERDRIVE FULL

So, I went and got another mouse, and checked to see if that one worked.Īfter confirming that it worked, I disassembled it, but not to the same extent as the last mouse.

ZELOTES MOUSE USB OVERDRIVE DRIVER

After a few hours of trying to figure out if I had a software driver issue, I discovered that the USB interface chip on the board was dead. It was at this point I decided to test my original mouse to make sure everything worked. While hot gluing the encoder and switch to the axle guide, you will want to glue the encoder first, with the wheel slotted correctly in place, and then solder the switch accordingly to ensure proper alignment. I also mounted the scroll wheel encoder and "middle click" switch to the axle guide. Unfortunately I don't have any good pictures for this step, but the principle is simple enough.īasically all I did here was desolder the microswitches and the scroll wheel encoder, and then resolder them with wires so that I can reposition them however I like. Now that we have some parts, we'll move on to do some soldering. Using some Cyanoacrylate glue from BSI (one of the better brands, in my opinion) I then glued each clicker pad to its respective guide so that it actuates exactly as it would were it still attached to a mouse. I ended up with 3 pieces: the left and right finger rests, and the guide for the clicker pads.įrom there, I cut the clicker pad part as well as the corresponding guide neatly in half. The scroll wheel axle guide is best left with a 1/2 centimeter square skirt of plastic around the edges, as seen in the photos.Īfter that, I decided to cut apart the upper section of the mouse. I used an X-acto knife and my snips to cut off all of the curvy edges, with the end goal of obtaining both the optical port (the hole in the base) and the scroll wheel axle guide as separate pieces. Now, you should have several assorted plastic bits. Then, fully disassemble the outer shell of the mouse, so that the clicker pads are separate from the grip/palm rest. While disassembling, keep all of the parts, you will need many of them later.Īfter all the paneling is removed, you will want to identify and remove the circuit board. Usually there are a few obvious ones, and if the mouse was made by any typical company, there's a good chance of there being a couple screws hidden either under the label or under the feet. I suppose that was for the better anyway, because I ended up using the microswitches, paneling, and scroll wheel from the 1st, as I preferred them to the ones in the 2nd mouse.įirst we have to find all of the screws on the bottom of the mouse/mice. I actually used 2 different mice in this project, because I was stupid and forgot to check if the first one worked. I really appreciate all of you that have decided to follow along so far, and I hope to continue to be able to make awesome stuff with your wonderful input, advice, and support. Your voting/favorite-ing/following helps me be successful as a maker, and motivates me to build more awesome projects more often. Read on to build your own, and please, please don't forget to leave a vote in the Colors of the Rainbow contest if you like this project. And that spawned my idea to use the optical sensing system in one of these old mice to read input from a trackball, essentially creating a trackball mouse.

ZELOTES MOUSE USB OVERDRIVE FULL

So, since I have a box full of about 30 old, partially functional mice from back in the days of Windows XP, I decided to hack a few open to see what I could do with them. While my trusty Zelotes T-90 is a nice mouse that I like and will continue to use until it dies, it lacks the versatility afforded by a trackball, i.e. Trackball mice are growing in popularity, but they are still really expensive to buy, especially the ones that incorporate all the features of a normal mouse. I incorporated green LEDs into the design (why not?).It is made out of junk, so it is environmentally friendly.Hello everyone! Today we will be building a Green DIY Trackball mouse from old junk we have lying around.

[nexusbanana]

High contrast windows 10 themes

#HIGH CONTRAST WINDOWS 10 THEMES HOW TO#

#HIGH CONTRAST WINDOWS 10 THEMES APK#

#HIGH CONTRAST WINDOWS 10 THEMES WINDOWS 8#

#HIGH CONTRAST WINDOWS 10 THEMES WINDOWS#

The choices are yes and no with yes being the active key which means that is is possible to press enter to activate the theme. The keyboard shortcut Shift-Alt-Print displays a prompt that can be used to enable or disable a high contrast theme in the operating system. The majority of users probably does not know that there is an easier way to enable and disable high contrast themes in Windows. Windows 10 includes a few high contrast themes that provide a different look to the OS. It includes many options to improve the usability of the operating system, especially for users with various health issues. The feature works by enabling the user to select theme colors for a scoped number of semantic elements.

#HIGH CONTRAST WINDOWS 10 THEMES WINDOWS#

Windows 7 for instance ships with four high contrast themes, and while they take some time getting used to, they are usually the best option when it comes to working in bad lighting or visibility conditions. High Contrast Mode is a part of the Ease of Access system in Windows 10. High contrast on Windows is an accessibility feature designed to increase text legibility and improve readability. Most users are probably opening the Control Panel to change the theme there, others may right-click on the desktop to quickly reach the listing of available themes.

#HIGH CONTRAST WINDOWS 10 THEMES HOW TO#

Related Articles: 3 Ways to Turn off High Contrast on Windows 10 How to Remove. Step 3: Select a High Contrast theme from the four themes provided. Step 2: Enter high contrast in the top-right search box and hit Turn High Contrast on or off under Ease of Access Center. Users of Windows XP and newer Microsoft operating systems can enable the high contrast mode in several ways. Way 3: Turn High Contrast on in Control Panel. Microsoft has built-in a high contrast mode that has been specifically designed for those situations. That's for instance the case if you are working with your laptop in broad sunlight outside. When I need to share my screen with others on Skype/Lync I switch back to a standard windows them as most people are thrown off when they see a non-standard layout. First, move your mouse to the bottom or upper-right of the screen to show the Charm bar, and choose Settings.

#HIGH CONTRAST WINDOWS 10 THEMES WINDOWS 8#

If you want to turn off high contrast, choose the theme under either “Aero themes” or “Basic themes”.The visual conditions can sometimes be that bad that you can barely read anything on the monitor. How to set the default High Contrast Theme I have setup a custom high contrast theme at work. If your Windows 8 tablet is running out of battery or you need better screen readability when you use it under direct sunlight, you can switch from a normal modern theme to a high contrast theme.

Scroll down to the “ Basic and High Contrast Themes” section and choose the theme of your choice.

Right click on an empty part of the desktop to bring up a menu and then select Personalize.

Method 3: Turn On / Off High Contrast in Windows 8 / 7

#HIGH CONTRAST WINDOWS 10 THEMES APK#

PS: I will not update these apk anymore, so this is end of life for high contrast blacked theme. Under Choose a theme, choose a high contrast theme from the drop-down menu, or select None to disable high contrast. using new High contrast from theme store, which has blue accent and new icons. Pressing left-alt + left-shift + print-screen will automatically switch out of high contrast mode to your previous theme. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app, click Ease of Access icon.Method 2: Turn On / Off High Contrast from Windows 10 Settings select the “ Turn on or off High Contrast when left ALT + left SHIFT + PRINT SCREEN is pressed” check box.Open the Control Panel in Large icons view, and then click Ease of Access Center.If the keyboard shortcut is not working on your Windows, follow these steps: This keyboard shortcut (left Shift + left Alt + PrtScn) can be used as a toggle to turn a high-contrast theme on and off. Likewise, the 'apply' button found in this tool, is also greyed out and you cannot apply any color theme using this tool. Method 1: Turn On / Off High Contrast Using Keyboard Shortcut If you set Windows 10 to High Contrast theme, then the Color Theme dropdown box inside VS2019 (under Environment->General) is greyed out and cannot be changed. Here are different ways to turn on / off High Contrast in Windows 10 / 8 / 7. This feature is really useful for users with visual impairment. How can I remove High Contrast mode? Windows comes with several themes that provide high contrast and make it easier to read screens in bad lighting.

[michelle-is-writing]

Sneaking in, Steve Harrington

Word count: 1.5k~

Sneaking into his girlfriend's room was nothing new for Steve. However, since they hit the one year mark in their relationship, Steve gained the key to (Y/n)'s shared house with her parents along with a cute anniversary card and kiss on the cheek. Still, there were some nights that he wanted to head over to her place without alerting (Y/n)'s parents to his presence by accidentally waking them up. So, instead of using the front door, he stacked chairs and tables against the wall beneath his girlfriend's bedroom window and climbed up.

Finding the window to be unlocked, Steve opened the panel of glass as quietly as he could before stepping in and lightly stumbling on a pair of stray shoes (Y/n) had lazily tossed across the room earlier. Instantly, Steve jerked his head toward her bed and sighed in relief upon seeing his girlfriend still asleep, her head nuzzled deep into her pillow as she lied on her side toward the window. Steve smiled at the sight, his heart beating for her and only her in that moment.

Walking toward her bed, Steve got onto his knees once he reached the side of her bed and leaned over to face her. "Hey, (Y/n)," He whispered, reaching up to brush a stray hair out of her face. His pajama pants rubbed against the harsh carpet floors of her bedroom as he rested his upper body against the top of her bed, leaning his head on his other hand as he gazed at his sleeping beauty. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

Waking up from her sleep, (Y/n) immediately became startled at the dark silhouette in front of her, causing her to do the first thing that came to her mind: throw her fist forward at the dark shadow. Of course, Steve was lucky enough to throw himself back in response, but he wasn't fortunate enough to miss (Y/n)'s fist entirely. Instead of punching him in the cheek, her punch landed on his nose, earning a small crack as soon as her hand came into contact with Steve's face.

"Oh!" Steve groaned out in a mix of pain and surprise, covering the middle of his face with both of his hands as he landed on his bottom with a thud. Within a short second, (Y/n) recognized that pained groan and quickly reached over to turn her lamp on, the light from it brightening up her room through the vast darkness that took over it. Once her eyes landed on her boyfriend who was holding his nose in pain, (Y/n) gasped.

"Steve!" She shrieked, clambering out of her bed as her sheets tangled around her feet. Crawling toward him, (Y/n) fought him to remove his hands from his face before assessing the damage on his nose. To her horror, blood began seeping from his nostrils as the skin turned red and inflamed, no doubt about his nose and cheek area turning purple within the next hour.

"Why did you sneak in, honey?" (Y/n) asked him, her voice now filled with concern and worry rather than panic. Pushing his hair back, (Y/n) rested her hands on the sides of his face to make him stare at her. "Why didn't you just come through the front door? I gave you a key!"

At her flustered face, Steve smiled again. "You're so cute," He told her, causing her to roll her eyes, but blush nonetheless. "I didn't want to wake your parents up," He added on. "It's almost two in the morning, and I doubt they want me opening your loud front door with the old and noisy hinges."

"Which you still have to help my dad fix, by the way," (Y/n) reminded him, standing up with him following her.

"I know," Steve assured her, walking alongside her as they headed to her bathroom across the hall. "And don't worry - I will be the best son-in-law to your dad ever."

His words made (Y/n) shake her head and smile, the term 'son-in-law' making her heart beat ten times faster than usual. Steve alone already caused her heart to do that just by being near her, but with the idea of being married to Steve one day clouding her mind, (Y/n) could barely think about anything else at all.

"My parents aren't even home tonight, Steve," She reminded him, as she pulled the toilet seat lid down for him to sit on. "I told you that when you called about going on a date tomorrow morning for breakfast," (Y/n) added, pointing toward the toilet lid for him to sit down on. "So, again, why did you come through my window?"

With him seated and low enough for (Y/n) to clean off the blood around his nose and mouth, Steve realized what she was saying was the truth. He completely forgot what she was saying to him over the payphone speaker because he was too engrossed in his thoughts about giving her the gift he had gotten for her at the mall earlier. "Because coming through the window is much more... romantic?" He proposed, arching an eyebrow at her.

Pulling back from touching his now clean nose to feel if it's broken, (Y/n) stared down at him with pursed lips and a hand on her hip. "Is that your final answer?" She asked, unable to resist the smirk that rose to her lips in response to her boyfriend's goofiness.

Thankful his comment made her smile, Steve wrapped his arms around her hips and pulled her closer between his parted legs, his arms remaining firm in his hold around her. "I do have to say I'm a bit proud knowing my girl can take care of herself," He confessed, forgetting about his broken nose until (Y/n) touched it again, feeling the curve of the bone. He had broken his nose yet again, but thankfully, this time it wasn't because he was defending a group of twelve-year-olds.

"But, for the people who really need to get beat up," Steve tugs his girlfriend closer to him, effectively pushing his chest against her stomach and his chin on her chest. "That's my job," He adds, making her giggle and lightly slap his shoulder.

"Oh hush!" She said to him right before pushing his nose back in place, causing Steve to shut his eyes and go stiff in his movements as the numbing pain rushed through him. Holding her breath, (Y/n) didn't move either until Steve did a few seconds later, letting her release a thankful sigh.

"Thank you, baby," Steve told her, rising up from the toilet lid to once again stand a few inches taller than (Y/n). Still holding her tightly against him, the red-and-blue-faced boy smiled down at her as his eyes scanned over her gorgeous face. For having just woken up, she was utterly beautiful without anything covering her perfect face, and not to mention she was sexy as hell dressed in only his t-shirt and her panties.

Watching his eyes never leave her face, (Y/n) returned his bliss-filled stare with a giggle soon falling from her lips. "What?" She couldn't help but ask as he continued to gaze down upon her, his facial expression never changing in the slightest. Without answering her questions, Steve jerked (Y/n) up into his arms and carried her back into her room, her legs stuck around his waist the entire time.

"Oh, I don't know if we'll make it to breakfast tomorrow," Steve told her, gently tossing her down onto her messy bed before hovering over her and pressing his lips to hers in a passionate and heavy kiss. The meaning behind his seemingly innocent words made her let out a laugh without the worry of waking her parents. However, once her lips parted from his, she remembered something.

"Wait, wait, Steve, your nose!" (Y/n) reminded him, quickly trying to sit up to go and get a bag of frozen peas for him. "We need to put ice on it so it doesn't swell!"

Just as (Y/n) began to slide out from beneath Steve, he wrapped his arms around her once again and pulled her close, her back pressed up against his chest. "I need you more though," He simply muttered before attaching his lips to her neck and sucking on the skin, leaving purple spots there that would definitely match the area around his nose in the morning. Although (Y/n) wanted to try and reduce the swelling of his nose as much as she could, she couldn't help but lose that thought as other thoughts began arising to her minds while a warm hand began roaming underneath her shirt and over her soft skin.

The next morning, they did end up going to breakfast with (Y/n) wearing a turtleneck in the middle of summer and Steve smirking the entire time, trying his hardest to ignore the pain it caused his nose.

[lillywillow]

For Heart or For Country

Summary: “You’re in line to be the next ruler of your kingdom. But first, you must marry the young ruler of your worst enemy. Would you risk all of your happiness for the sake of stopping a war? Or will you find true love in the town’s pub?”

 Word Count: 3089

 Pairings: Natasha x gender neutral Reader/ gender neutral Loki X Reader (arranged)

 Warnings: Seductive Nat, arranged marriage

Written for @caplanbuckybarnes ‘s writing challenge. Go check out her amazing works!

From the moment you were born, you were destined to take over from your father. You spent countless hours in lessons learning how to be ruler of the kingdom, been taught everything from politics to art, sword fighting to etiquette. Long story short, everything you needed to take the throne and face the challenges that came with wearing the crown.

 For years, the kingdom had been at war but recently there was at last a chance for peace but it came with a cost... an arranged marriage. You weren’t so sure about it but if it meant your people being safe, you would sacrifice your own happiness.

 Ever since your father had made the announcement of your impending wedding, it had consumed your every thought. You hadn’t even met your betrothed and, yet, you were supposed to spend the rest of your life with them. You had watched the older servants with their spouses and to be honest with yourself it melted your heart. Even your father was a kind and gentle person when it came to your mother. With any luck, the person you were going to marry would be kind to you.

 Deciding you needed a distraction; you put on a disguise and managed to sneak out of the palace. Sure you could have gotten drunk in your room but where was the fun in that? You had crept out on a few occasions so you knew that the townsfolk knew how to party compared to those stuffy nobles.

From the moment you stepped inside the tavern named The Nest, the atmosphere was abuzz with excitement. The walls were decorated with purple fabric hangings, crossbows, longbows, arrows and other archery items. A taxidermy hawk was perched above the door, its eyes ever watching. A one eyed dog ran about the patrons, getting pats from some of them and cleaning up pieces of dropped food. People were dancing, singing and drinking, some leaning on each other for support as they swayed. To any other noble, the scene may have looked chaotic but to you, it only looked like fun.

 With a grin, you made your way over to the bar and took a seat. Still taking in your surroundings, you barely noticed when the sandy haired bartender stood in front of you.

 “What can I get you?”

 “Oh! Um...” You tried to think of something that would not give away your identity as a noble. The man raised an eyebrow at you.

 “Hey, Clint! Two boilermakers over here,” another patron called.

 The man whom you now know as Clint poured them the drinks and turned back to you.

 “So?”

 “I’ll have... o-one of those,” you said, making a feeble attempt to pound your fist on the counter in an attempt to fit in.

 Clint tilted his head and gave you a curious look.

 “Alright...”

 Clint made the boilermaker and placed it in front of you. Thanking him, you took a swig of the drink and felt instant misgivings about it as the alcohol burned not only your throat but your ears and the very pit of your stomach. Clint laughed as you coughed and spluttered.

 “You’re not from around here, are you?”

 “You... might say that,” you mumbled, wiping your mouth.

 “You picked the right night to come. Nat’s doing a show.”

 “Nat?”

 “Wow, you really aren’t from around here if you don’t know Natasha. Just watch,” he advised, nodding his head over to the stage.

 The stage was well lit and crowed around the edges by men and women who were eagerly waiting for whoever was about to appear from behind the purple curtains.

 Music began and a foot decorated with a silver anklet emerged. The audience cheered loudly as the woman behind her curtain slowly began to reveal herself. She wore a black piece of fabric around her upper body, twisted just a little in the centre of her chest. The bottom of her costume was made up of a red fabric front and back which started out solid but faded to transparent as it went down and held together by delicate chains. Silver cuffs adorned her upper arms and wrists. Her lips were painted sinfully crimson. Sparkly onyx hairpins held her red curls in place. She was absolutely stunning.

 The woman slowly began to sway her hips to the music, arms and feet poised. It was almost hypnotic in the way she moved. As the beat picked up, so did her dancing. One of the men near the front of the stage started to get a little carried away and tried to climb up.

 Fearing for the safety of the dancer, you tensed and shifted to help her but Clint placed a hand on your shoulder.

 “Easy. Nat can handle herself around these drunk idiots.”

 You watched as Nat placed her foot on the man’s cheek before kicking him off the stage. The crowd jeered and laughed at the man, some pouring their drinks on him. Despite the interruption, Nat continued her performance.

 Her face was calm and collected, never faltering, as the audience got more and more rowdy.

 Nat ended her performance by kneeling and giving a graceful bow. The throng of people got even more riled up as she headed back behind the curtain and before you knew it, a fight broke out. You could only sit on your barstool and laugh as the place erupted into bedlam. As a noble, the most you had ever witnessed people scuffle as a heated argument that never went beyond words and even then they never used the language you heard flying around the room. Sure, there was the battlefield but once again that was an entirely different situation.

 However, your humour was soon cut short as the royal guards walked in to break up the fight. You felt your heart sink to the bottom of your stomach.

 “You hiding from those guys?” Clint asked, not even fazed by the mayhem around him.

 “S-sorta...”

 Clint jumped over the bar and prompted you to follow him. You weren’t entirely sure what made you decide to trust a total stranger nonetheless, you followed his lead. As he walked along, he dodged all fists, tankards and bottles that flew his way. You did your best but still caught the occasional projectile to your body, taking great care not to let any hit your face lest there be questions tomorrow.

 He stopped to look around before opening a panel in the back wall, just big enough for you to squeeze out.

 “Follow the tunnel until the end. That’ll take you to the backstreets. Be fast. The guards will start patrolling the minute they break things up here. Just make sure you close the exit on the other side.” With that, Clint pushed you through the gap and closed the panel behind you.

 Just as he said, you followed the tunnel until the end, closing the door behind you and made your way through the backstreets until you had made it all the way home, fortunately without incident.

 As you got ready for bed that night, you couldn’t stop thinking about Nat. She was just so beautiful... Could this be just a crush? You had to know for certain.

...

 The following night, you once again crept out of the palace and back to The Nest and sat at the bar. The place was busy but nowhere near as packed as it was last night.

 “I see the guards failed to catch you,” Clint commented, making his way over to you.

 “Yeah... um... is Nat dancing again tonight by any chance?”

 Clint gave you a sly look.

 “She’s not dancing but she is working. Hey, Nat!”

 Your heart began to race as the red head walked over to you. Tonight she was wearing a black, off-the-shoulder dress with a red belt around her waist. Even outside of her dancing costume she was beautiful.

 “What?”

 “This is the one I was telling you about.”

 You felt panic seize in your chest. They were talking about you? What in the world could they have possibly been saying? Nat looked you up and down, carefully examining you before glancing over at Clint who gave an approving nod.

 “Let’s dance...”

 Before you could protest, Nat grabbed your hand and dragged you onto the dance floor. It was no surprise to you that she was just as graceful on her feet as she had been on stage. As you danced with her, you could feel her brushing her hands over your hips and waist. You found yourself surrendering to her touch. At the end of the song, Nat wrapped her arms around your shoulders and pressed her lips to your ear.

 “Tell me... what is a noble doing in a place like this?”

 You completely froze.

 “Wh-what makes you think...?”

 “Everything. From the way you dance, to your posture and your speech. So, answer my question.”

 “Is... is there somewhere private we can talk?”

 Nat lead you to the backroom after checking the coast was clear.

 “Now talk...”

 With a sigh, you removed your hood, showing her your face.

 “The heir to the throne,” she whispered reverently.

 You put your hood back on and looked down.

 “You should get out of here. Folks in these parts don’t take kindly to nobles, especially members of the royal family. What are you doing here anyway?”

 “I... I wanted to experience as much freedom as I could before I get married...”

 “So one last fling before finally settling down. How sweet.” Her voice positively dripped venom as she spoke.

 “It’s not like that!”

 “Then tell me what it is like...”

 With a sigh, you looked out the tiny window on the back wall that let in a sliver of moonlight.

 “Ever since I was young, I dreamed of having a perfect wedding with the perfect person I would spend the rest of my life with... but with this war, I’m to marry one of the children of the opposing kingdom as a token of peace... I don’t know what kind of person they are. If they’re good, maybe we could work together to fix some of the broken parts of the city and of course, I would help in their kingdom too but if they’re not a good person, well...”

 Nat was quiet for a few moments before finally speaking.

 “I really hate it when Clint is right,” she sighed.

 You turned to look at her.

 “Clint?”

 “You see, Clint has this innate sense of finding the good in people and helping them out. He helped me a few years back...”

 You held her hand, encouraging her to continue.

 “I was in a really bad place... did some really bad things... Clint helped me get out of it. Got me a job, a home... even made me partner. I owe a lot to him...”

 You couldn’t help but feel a small pang of jealousy for the man even though you knew it was completely irrational.

 “So you and he are...?”

 Nat shook her head.

 “We tried it once but it didn’t work out. We’re better off as friends.”

 You couldn’t help but feel a tiny sense of relief.

 “I would like to get to know you better... for however I have until my impending marriage. That is if you’ll let me.”

 “What about after?”

 “I’ll try and see you if I can... and if not; you can be my one who got away.”

 “That was... really cheesy,” she laughed.

 “I guess it was... but what do you say?”

 “On one condition; don’t make any promises you can’t or don’t intend to keep. I’ve been through enough of that in my lifetime.”

 “It’s a deal.”

...

 Over the next few weeks, you got to know Nat quite well. You knew everything about her and she knew everything about you and not just as future sovereign but as a person. Eventually the time came when the feuding royal family came to your kingdom, bringing with them your spouse to be.

 They introduced you to the youngest member of the family named Loki. Loki was about your age and attractive enough but in the short time you spent with Natasha, your heart purely belonged to her. Your respective fathers left you alone to bond, catching daggers in their backs from the glares from both you and Loki as they left.

 “They certainly can be civil when they want to be,” Loki sneered.

 “You got that right...”

 “You don’t really want to be married to me do you?”

 You thought carefully about how to answer.

 “I don’t even know you... but how else can we stop this war?”

 “I have been doing research on my end. If we can pool our resources, perhaps we can find how it began and how we can stop it. Shall we?”

 Loki offered a slender hand which you took.

 “We shall.”

...

 In the time leading up to your wedding, you and Loki spent every minute of the day together. To anyone else, it looked like a couple bonding and getting to know each other before your upcoming nuptials. To you and Loki, it was a mission; one to find out the truth and put an end to the war.

 Your nights were spent with Nat, talking about Loki and what else you could do to stop the fighting. There was one night you had crept in after seeing Nat and Loki had caught you and you thought for sure you were done for but instead, Loki covered for you. Loki was fully supportive of your relationship with Natasha and encouraged you to pursue her once this whole thing had blown over.

 Eventually it came time when your wedding was fast approaching. The night before the big event, you were of course with Natasha, wanting to spend as long as you could with each other before whatever happened tomorrow.

 “I promise you Nat, we will be together...”

 Nat teared up and shook her head.

 “Remember the deal you made, Y/N. You said you wouldn’t make promises you couldn’t keep...”

 “But I intend to keep this one...”

 “Just go!”

 Nat turned away so you couldn’t see her cry. You gently turned her back to you and kissed her softly. She kissed back, holding you tight as if she didn’t want to let you go. Eventually you had to break for air.

 “If... if this really is our last night together... then let’s make a memory that will last a lifetime...”

 With that, you kissed her again, this time with all the love and passion you could muster. It may have seemed scandalous to spend the night before your wedding with another but you wouldn’t give Nat away for the world.

...

 The following morning, you and Loki had set your plan into motion. The wedding started out like any other with guests arriving and people all taking their places. Your heart was hammering against your ribs and blood roared in your ears as the ceremony began. Loki remained calm and collected, keeping cool until the right moment.

 “If anyone has any objections as to why these two should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

 “We object,” both you and Loki said in unison. The whole room erupted into shock. Instantly, both Odin and your father rounded on the pair of you, absolutely seething.

 “Silence!” Loki snarled. The room fell quiet.

 “Now, the whole point of this wedding was to stop this ridiculous war. A war that was started over a futile reason...”

 Both you and Loki went to where you had hidden two ancient artefacts; one from your history and one from Asgard’s.

 “Many years ago, our kingdom was accused of taking this,” you said, holding the item up high.

 “But they were wrong. We had our own the whole time,” Loki stated, holding up the other.

 “Our two kingdoms went to war when they should have been joining forces as we were once centuries ago...”

 The pair of you combined the two items to show they fitted perfectly together.

 “We should be united once more. Let us put a stop to the fighting once and for all!”

 The gathering all cheered and rejoiced at the prospect of peace. Your fathers sat there sullenly while their wives attempted to gently comfort them. Loki gently turned to you.

 “Isn’t there someone you want to see?”

 With Loki’s blessing, you ran out of the church.

...

 Nat had been drowning her sorrows at The Nest. She had known this day was long coming but it didn’t stop the ache she felt in her heart from losing you to another. Clint did his best to try and comfort her but it wasn’t enough. She didn’t even look up when her name was called but eventually Clint did catch her attention.

 “What?!” she hissed. Clint pointed behind her to where you were standing still in your wedding clothes.

 “Y/N? What are you-” You cut her off with a kiss.

 “Loki and I did it. We were able to restore peace and we didn’t even have to get married. We can be together now...”

 “But I’m just a common barmaid. You’re going to take over the throne...”

 “And when I do, I can make whatever rule I want and marry whoever I want. I want to marry you one day Natasha... that is if you’ll have me...”

 “I...” Nat looked over to Clint who smiled and nodded. “Yes...”

...

 Over the next few weeks, you worked in tandem with Nat to fix the rough parts of the city, just as you had told her. There was a lot of gossip surrounding your relationship but neither of you cared. You had also made a point to stay in touch with Loki to find out how things were going in Asgard.

 After so many years of war, it was nice to finally see some happiness. Maybe in time, there would be a royal wedding after all. A real one out of love that was formed between two hearts that truly cared for one another.

[studiesinconnoisseurship]

Sicily's Triumph of Death

Triumph of Death – Palazzo Abatellis, Palermo

Palazzo Sclafani, Palermo

The Triumph of Death – il Trionfo della Morte – is a huge fresco filling most of the end wall of a large and lofty hall in Palazzo Abbatellis, the National Gallery of Sicily in Palermo. It was not painted for that room, but for a wall of the courtyard of another palazzo in the city, Palazzo Sclafani, still standing  and still to be seen, though not visited, close to a public garden east of the Cathedral. That palazzo was built in 1330, originally for a Count, Matteo Sclafani, but exactly a hundred years later, in 1440, the City Administration (the Senate), wishing to rationalise its hospital provision and have one big hospital rather than seven small ones, requisitioned the palazzo, by then in a poor state, and set about converting it into the main hospital for the city. This development evidently included commissions for artists, and one of those was given to the painter of the Triumph. It is unfortunate that the commission document has never been found, but we can be thankful that aerial bombardment of Palazzo Sclafani in 1943 did not destroy, only damaged, the fresco, which was soon after removed, restored and displayed where it now is.

Details from Triumph of Death (clockwise from top): Death rides of a skeletal horse; The Fountain of Life; Death’s Victims; Lute Player

The painter’s choice of subject was a natural one for the courtyard of a hospital in those days. Sclafani’s palazzo dated from the time of the Black Death, but in Sicily, as in mainland Italy and the rest of Europe, Death in the form of plague had galloped back into people’s lives unpredictably and most often fatally ever since. Skeletal Death rides his skeletal horse full tilt across the fresco; his victims lie in a heap at the bottom of the picture. There is, however, Life, a Fountain of Life, beside which a harpist plays his silent music. Elegant ladies converse with animated gestures of shared alarm; there are men to the left, young and old, but, one observes, no children. Above the men a menacing wolfhound and another dog strain at the leash. Death, in short, threatens Life, for the mitred as for the unmitred, but Life is there. Memento  Mori, you who enter this place and may not leave it alive; but remember, too, that you have lived, and life, with all its music and conversation, will continue after you.

Such is the general message. I have chosen this work as the focus of my latest Studies in Connoisseurship partly because we are living through a global pandemic. The hospitals of Palermo, as of many other cities in Italy and beyond, have once more been filled with very ill people dying, or threatened with dying, as life outside them struggles to continue.

As a connoisseur my motive is different. The fresco, unsurprisingly, has captivated many visitors and inspired some writers, but the fact that without a surviving contract or other document from the early 1440s we still do not know who painted this work surely plays its part in our fascination: we see it as a unique phenomenon, sui generis. This of course is unreal: someone painted it. Sicilians wonder if he was Sicilian. The last owner of Palazzo Sclafani lived in Spain; could he have proposed a Spanish artist? Some, bizarrely, have suggested that the painter may have come from the Netherlands. If he was Sicilian, did he afterwards leave the island to seek his fortune, like Antonello da Messina, on the mainland? Or did he come from the mainland, invited by the hospital’s rector, Pietro Speciale, or someone else who was commissioning works of art for it? A work like the Triumph of Death does not appear from nowhere; what other works by its creator preceded it?

I cannot answer these questions, but privately I have shared the quest for answers over many years, and I think I can at least contribute to our understanding of this anonymous artist by adding other works that may reasonably be attributed to him. As with all exercises in connoisseurship, what is ‘reasonable’ is what can be argued visually through juxtaposition of  images.

First, a general observation should be made about the work from an aesthetic point of view. Iconographically, the Triumph of Death is well known and quite a lot has been written about antecedent examples of the theme, at the Campo Santo at Pisa, in the work of Orcagna, and elsewhere. In this case, however, the horse and the rider are not enough to pull the composition together, because all around them are disparate groups of figures and animals and objects that relate awkwardly to each other and fail to bond into a coherent whole. Whatever else he was, this artist cannot be said to be a great composer. Seen from a distance – as the fresco can be – it reminds one of some large and similarly incoherent tapestries. This is a serious defect which no doubt excludes it, as a whole, from the very highest rank of artistic achievement.

Details from Triumph of Death (clockwise from top left) – Death’s Horse; The King; a Survivor of Death; Death’s Victims

The words ‘as a whole’ are to be emphasised, though, because as soon as we draw close and our eyes take in the details (as would those of anyone standing or walking under the arcade of that hospital courtyard in 1442), they are everywhere amazed by what they discover in the sphere of draughtsmanship. There the artist excels, both in ‘disegno’, his brilliant invention of representational forms, and in the extraordinary refinement and elegance of his line, whether in the tail of the hound, the head of the horse (like something out of Guernica), in the aristocratic ladies or, most originally of all, in the heads of the dead tumbled together at the bottom. It is the quality of this artist’s drawing, rather than his colour or composition, that makes it less important that all the colour reproductions offered here are of questionable fidelity.

Comparing drawings at the Louvre (top left and top centre) with details of the noble women from Triumph of Death

Comparing the similar hand gesture of the drawing of a Lady (left) and a Survivor of Death (right)

To pick out the draughtsmanship is, I believe, to pick up the key that can unlock the mystery of what else this artist did. Over many years of intermittent study I have kept a look-out for any drawings that might be associated with him by virtue of their extreme linear elegance combined with a certain oddity. Among the drawings in the Vallardi Album at the Louvre are a few that are not by Pisanello, and among these is a pair of profiles, one of a mature Lady, the other of an older Man. The one of the Lady is the more developed and the more remarkable, for the fine lines of the hair and the purity of contour in her profile. Compare this drawing with the depiction of the aristocratic ladies in the Trionfo, especially the one seen in profile who likewise wears an eardrop, and I think a definite similarity is observable. It is confirmed when we turn to the raised left hand of the Lady in the drawing. Artists describe hands and their gestures in such interestingly different ways: this one favours two fingers (first and second) straight, two fingers (third and fourth) bent. Anyone who tries to put their own fingers into the same position will soon realise that it is not natural and not sustainable; but there it is, not only in the drawing but in the Trionfo, exactly in one instance, and to varying degrees of bentness in many more. To anyone acquainted with the history of connoisseurship this could be a textbook illustration of Giovanni Morelli’s ‘method’.

Drawing of a Man with a Fur Collar (Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München) 

Comparing the Louvre Drawing (left) and Munich drawing (right) with faces from Triumph

At the Print Room at Munich (Staatliche Graphische Sammlung) there is another drawing, this time of a Man with a Fur Collar seen close-up, his head turned to our left, his neck emerging from a fur collar encircling it. this is not finished, but those fine lines drawn in long parallel strokes that distinguished the tresses of the Lady in the Vallardi Album are also here, along with a very particular shape given to the eye (upper lid and corner nearest to the nose) and to the ear, philtrum> and lips. These features are most clearly matched in the face of the young man on the extreme left of the Trionfo, and that of his companion.

Portrait of a Lady – Johnson Collection, Philadelphia

Comparing the Drawings from the Louvre (Top Left and Bottom Right) and Munich (Bottom Left) with the Painting of the Lady at Washington

At this point in my quest for drawings by the Trionfo Master the trail goes cold. There is, however, a painting in the Johnson Collection at Philadelphia, attributed, unconvincingly in my view, to Ercole de Roberti, which exhibits exactly the eye-shape, ear-shape, lips and philtrum of the Munich drawing, as well as the sharp, rounded eyebrows of the Vallardi Lady and the ear of the Vallardi Man.The Johnson painting has morphological similarities with the Trionfo, but it seems to belong to a later period, and there is reason for thinking that it does. It may indeed be the link between the Trionfo and a whole body of much later work by this artist, not in Sicily but in Ferrara.

Comparing faces with fresco in Palazzo di Schifanoia of Virgo recumbant with her Decani (bottom panels)

In the Salone dei Mesi of the Palazzo di Schifanoia in Ferrara  it is possible to distinguish fairly clearly the work of Francesco del Cossa, but there is another artist, credited with many of the Months whose identity has always puzzled art historians. He has been called the ‘Maestro di Ercole’ or the ‘Maestro degli Occhi Spalancati’, but these names have not led to much development of an oeuvre for an artist of such weird imagination and invention, a man capable, as Cossa was not, of creating extraordinary images like the figure of Virgo, for August, the giant lobster, for June, or the sign of Libra, for September.

Scenes from the Fresco at Palazzo Schifanoia: Virgo in the Allegory of August (top); The Lobster from the Allegory of June (centre); Libra from the Allegory of September (bottom)

From Palazzo Sclafani to Palazzo Schifanoia is not only a leap of geography; there must also be a gap of many years, perhaps a quarter of a century. It is frustrating and unsatisfactory that there is, as yet, so little to fill that gap. I do believe, nevertheless, that Palermo and Ferrara are connected in the career of this painter. The argument depends as always on a juxtaposition such as this one: the Munich drawing, the Johnson portrait, the heads of Virgo.

Detail of Virgo (top left) to compare with the Lady in Philadelphia (top centre) and the Man in Munich (top right), and comparisons of the horse from Triumph of Death (bottom left) and horses from the Allegory of March (bottom right)

From August we can move to other Months in the astrological zodiac, and discover that the eccentricity manifest at Palermo has not deserted this artist, but it has changed. In the many years that have elapsed he has developed, for example, a bizarre way of representing drapery – like sharply creased paper folded one way and then another – and rocks – like laminated tombstones. Despite the lapse of years there is a horse’s head whose structure can still remind us of the one at Palermo.

The Allegory of August, Triumph of Ceres and representation of Virgo – Palazzo Schifanoia

The Allegory of September (top) and detail of Mars in bed with a Nymph (bottom) – Palazzo Schifanoia

There is also a change of theme. The work at Palermo is dominated, very obviously, by Death, his work at Ferrara quite largely by Sex, especially so in August. The bare-breasted figure of Ceres brandishes the reaped corn and then, recumbent, sprawls luxuriously across three divisions while looking out seductively at the spectator. In September Mars is in bed with a nymph, Ylia, and the figure of Libra is set between two figures of a physique reminiscent of male ballet dancers, their calves developed like athletes on Greek pots. Sex, yes, but also, to complete the trinity, War. There is now a definite martial streak to the artist’s imagination, no doubt fuelled by the idea of ‘triumph’ and expressed in images of Mars, Vulcan’s Forge, armour.

Detail of Vulcan’s Forge from The Allegory of September

His contributions to the Triumph scenes are at least as ill-composed as the Triumph at Palermo, but under them, in the Months, he wisely sets his figures and creatures against plain dark backdrops. We remember them all the better for their standing out pale, even white, against the deep blues and browns. At Palermo this had only begun to happen in the upper left quadrant and behind the horse.

Clearly I and others must look diligently for other works by this artist that will allow us to see how he developed between the two periods of activity and what he was doing before the first one. The drawings that I have proposed as his must belong to the earlier, Palermitan  phase of his career, but how did he draw in later years? His name is more likely to be discovered by historians and archivists. I would like him to be a Sicilian – the island has too few major artists besides Antonello da Messina – but I must declare a doubt that he was. We need the evidence in any case to tell us whether he was brought to Palermo from the mainland or was native to the island at the time of the Sclafani commission. Without the facts we are left in ignorance. If the thesis presented here, of a connection between Palermo and Ferrara, should find acceptance, I hope that it will have armed us with a little more understanding of his character as an artist. He has an abundance of character. As painter, as draughtsman, as inventor of images, he appears to be one of the great eccentrics of European art, and one that can speak to us, of life and death and love, in another dark time.

[catherinesboleyn]

I’ve recently become obsessed with stories of what happened to the Tudors graves after they died. The amount of times people have just gone in and opened their coffins for curiosity’s sake is INSANE. I wanted to share some of this with y’all.

Catherine of Valois

During the reign of Henry VII, Catherine’s tomb was destroyed during extensions at Westminster Abbey. Because of this, the lid to her coffin was accidentally opened, making her remains clearly visible, and it soon became a popular tourist attraction (?!?!?!?).

In 1669, Samuel Pepys visited Catherine’s grave and wrote this of the experience: “On Shrove Tuesday 1669, I to the Abbey went, and by favour did see the body of Queen Catherine of Valois, and had the upper part of the body in my hands, and I did kiss her mouth, reflecting upon it I did kiss a Queen: and this my birthday and I thirty-six years old and I did kiss a Queen.” Yes, you read the right. He kissed the dead body of Catherine of Valois for his thirty-sixth birthday. I hope he’s having a nice time in hell right now. x

Edward IV

On March 13th 1789, renovations were being made to St Geroge’s Chapel for George III, and Edward IV’s tomb was accidentally opened. They decided to open his coffin and take a look, and what they saw was a skeleton (obviously), but also a dark liquid at the bottom of his coffin that covered his feet. Upon examination, it was determined that the liquid came from the dissolution of his body. The people there not only decided to take locks of Edward’s hair with them, but also phials of his bodily fluid as souvenirs... 😀 huh? x x (I’m also trying to think of a scenario where the fluid didn’t touch them while they were putting it into a phial and I.... I just can’t. It definitely touched them).

Margaret Tudor

In 1559, the cemetery where Margaret was buried in was destroyed by a mob. It is said that her remains were removed from her coffin and burned. Archeologists are working to find any remains at the site, but it doesn’t seem they have found anything yet. x

Henry VIII & Jane Seymour

Henry VIII originally had big plans for his and Jane’s tomb, but none of it ever ended up happening. Their grave actually was unmarked until 1837. In 1649, their vault was opened to put in the body of the recently executed Charles I, whose coffin was placed next to Henry’s. At some point, the body of an infant child of Queen Anne’s was also put into the vault.

In 1813, the vault was rediscovered. The discovery was said to have been an accident, but that didn’t stop them from taking a look inside. A sketch was made of how it looked, and the coffin you see in the center is Henry’s (clearly not in good condition), the coffin to the left is Charles I and the coffin to the right is Jane Seymour. The lead sheets wrapped around Henry’s body still remained, and they took some souvenirs with them (I assume locks of hair/beard). They left Jane’s remains undisturbed. x x

Mary Tudor, Queen of France

On September 6th 1784, Mary’s coffin was opened. Locks of her hair were taken, which you can still see today in the picture below. x

Henry Fitzroy

Fitzroy’s tomb was opened in the Victorian era, and his wood coffin was found decayed. His body was still wrapped in the cerecloth, with a second body right next to him, probably his wife’s, Mary Howard. x

Katherine Parr

Sudeley Castle was in terrible condition, and the grave of Katherine was considered to be lost. But, in 1782, a group of people “stumbled” upon her grave. They noticed a marble panel on the wall of the chapel and had a local farmer start digging. The inscription on the coffin they found was Katherine Parr. Of course, they just had to take a look inside, and they found Katherine’s remains wrapped in linen, with her skin still “white and moist” (ew).

After this, Katherine’s coffin was repeatedly opened by people until it was moved to a sealed vault in 1817. By this time, her body was heavily decayed. The picture below shows a lock of hair and a tooth that was supposedly taken from Katherine’s coffin. x

[ficforce]

Black Lies

Hinawa x Reader NSFW

The two froze as they heard someone outside the locker room and Y/N pressed her face into his neck, holding her breath in hopes that their teammates would keep going and they wouldn’t be caught yet. The voices began to drift away and she let out a relieved breath, she didn’t have time to take oxygen back in before Hinawa’s mouth crashed into hers again, his tongue pushing back into her mouth with as much fervour as before as his fingers went back to unbuttoning her shirt. She could feel her lungs burning and pulled on his hair, tugging until she was able to pull his head back, he reluctantly let her and whilst she was gasping in air Hinawa pulled at her belt, “W-Wait!” The man paused without hesitation and Y/N couldn’t help but smile at him for his restraint, “It’s too risky in here…” The Lieutenant nodded and took her hand, pulling her through the station without a care, their relationship was secret but he had the confidence to walk them out so openly until they reached his room, they didn’t run into a single person and she wondered if he could sense where everyone was in the building. Their hands were back on each other the moment the door to his room locked, pulling at clothing and grabbing at naked skin until Hinawa lifted her with ease and put her down on his bed. Y/N wriggled further upon it and welcomed him back into her arms as he pressed himself over her, kissing down her throat to her collarbone and then he slowed just a little when he reached the uneven skin along her upper chest. He felt her shiver and grazed his teeth over her burn-scarred shoulder just once before continuing to kiss down her body, “Takehisa…”

His name falling breathlessly from her lips made his eyes brighten until they were burning yellow, she was so honest with her feelings for him that he couldn’t help but get excited, “I want you, Y/N” “I’m already yours,” her body felt hotter than usual, everywhere their skin touched burned and the air felt a little thin, “T-Takehisa, it’s too hot…” The air around them cooled as he reigned in his ability to reduce the heat in the room, it didn’t seem to help her as heat prickled all over her body, inside and out. Choosing to ignore it, Y/N grabbed his face and pulled him up to kiss her, a small whimper was swallowed up by the Lieutenant as he pushed into her. The sudden stretch and feeling of fullness had her so hot she felt dizzy, as long as he kept thrusting into her so passionately that she could see stars, Y/N didn’t think she cared. Hinawa felt the heat spike in the room too and made a conscious effort to slow his hips and make sure he wasn’t overheating - it wasn’t him causing it. He caught a glimpse of colour in his lover’s eyes and his thrusts stuttered to a halt, “Y/N?” “No… no, please!” She pleaded as her body rolled up against his, trying to get the friction she so badly needed, “Please.” The man caught her hips and gently shushed her, settling himself deep inside and gritting his teeth as her tight, wet heat fluttered around him. Her eyes were glowing and Hinawa saw soft yellow flames dance along her skin; scorching the bedding in places. “Take…” The Lieutenant was taken off guard, he had know Y/N for years and never had she mentioned that she was a third-generation pyrokinetic, nor had he ever seen her use any ability. He felt a hard push on his chest and she forced him onto his back whilst straddling him; he couldn’t hold onto a thought as Y/N rode him almost desperately. Their skin met loudly and Hinawa pushed himself up on one arm, his free hand yanking her head back to expose her throat, biting and licking, enjoying the way she bounced on his lap and moaned his name like a mantra. He felt his skin tingle each time she accidentally burned him, her control was tenuous and Hinawa wasn’t sure that she wouldn’t set the room on fire if he didn’t do something fast. Y/N gasped and squeezed around his cock, “Oh God…!” Hinawa’s thumb rubbed and stroked over her clit, his hips bucking up into her just right that he knew she wouldn’t last long. He had muffled her cries as best he could when she came, his own moans a little quieter but he didn’t doubt someone might have heard them. As she collapsed on top of him, Hinawa stroked his hands up and down her back, her body was hotter than he’d ever felt before, he waited until their breathing had calmed and they both began to cool before asking her outright, “Y/N… how long have you been pyrokinetic?” She froze in his arms and then she removed herself from his lap, ignoring the way she could feel his cum leaking out between her thighs, “Y/N?” “I’m not,” the woman said quietly and began getting dressed as quickly as she could, “I’m going to grab a shower and then I’ll get back to writing up the reports.” He reached out for her hand, his fingertips barely brushing hers before she tore her arm away, she didn’t look at him as she headed for the door. Hinawa blinked dumbly as he watched her blatantly lie to his face and try to run away - was she scared? He pulled on his pants and stood up to follow, “You can tell me as your boyfriend or I’ll make you tell me as your Lieutenant.” Y/N’s hand paused on the doorknob and she felt her bottom lip tremble, she couldn’t believe he was pulling rank on her, she didn’t think he would ever do that to her and Y/N felt like he had just shot her, “It doesn’t matter…” “It does.” He put his glasses back on and disliked that he could see clearly how tense she was now, her shoulders drawn up and a tremble just noticeable throughout her body, “It’s not in your file, you’ve never mentioned it before and it matters, Y/N. For your safety at the very least… The Captain and I need to know so that we can -!” “I don’t want anyone to know,

Takehisa!” Flames danced along her shoulders and up into her hair as she yelled, they disappeared without a trace in seconds, “I hate it!” Y/N opened the door and ran out into the hallway, she crashed straight into Obi who steadied her by her shoulders, she shoved him back without a thought, her palms scorching his overalls by accident and they both looked at each other with wide-eyed surprise, “I… I’m so sorry!” She shoved past him and kept running. — - Obi and Hinawa searched the building as discreetly as possible, once it was obvious she wasn’t there they took to the streets to find their teammate and Hinawa told Obi about their relationship. It wasn’t against the rules to date his subordinate, they had found the secrecy fun and Y/N had been worried he might be accused of being softer on her than the others - though, in truth, he was harder on her. The Captain gave a slight shrug and admitted that he had figured it out a few weeks ago when he heard them in the back of the matchbox. “Do you know why her ability is active right now?” The Captain checked down one of the streets and blew out a puff of air, “She seemed really upset… you think it’s a new thing?” “Her chest and shoulder were burned badly when she was a teenager, it’s safe to say she didn’t have it then but I think she’s been suppressing it.” He was worried that she could have a burnout and he worried that threatening her with his position had been a step too far; he should have let her come to him willingly instead of being so forceful. “Y/N became a firefighter because she lost her mother in a house fire.” Obi nodded, he’d heard the story and read it in her file, “Her sister Infernalised, right? She’s amazing for choosing to fight fires even after getting burned and losing so much.” He knew that she still had her father but he hadn’t heard her talk about him and the man hadn’t ever shown up to any of her award ceremonies or even come to visit Company 8 after she had been recruited, “I heard her shout that she hated it… do you think that’s her thinking or someone else’s?” “I’m not sure,” he stopped to adjust his glasses and looked up at the sky, “I sent a message to her father a few months after she joined and before we started dating. I thought I should invite him to the Rookie Games to cheer her on but his reply was absolute.” “Absolute?” “He replied that he would ‘rather eat glass than watch his daughter associate further with fire breathing freaks’. A little more research showed that he’s part of several clubs against fire users.” It wasn’t unusual, people who lost loved ones to Infernalisation often resented second and third generations - simply for surviving the flames. “Perhaps she was trying to run away from his hatred…?” Obi pat his shoulder and nodded his head back toward the Station, “We’re her family now, she knows that so… I think she’ll come home by herself.”  — - Vulcan flagged them down when he saw the Captain and Lieutenant, he pulled them toward the garage and made sure no one else was around before whispering, “Y/N’s locked herself in the back of the Matchbox, I think I heard her crying but when I called out she went completely silent and pretended not to be there. Also, the temperature in here keeps going up…” Obi looked to Hinawa and the other man nodded, “Nice work, Vulcan, let Hinawa deal with it for now.” The younger man looked back with worry in his eyes, he liked Y/N and he didn’t like that something strange was going on or that she wouldn’t speak to him, “Everything will be okay.” Hinawa exhaled after taking a deep breath and approached the vehicle, he knocked on the doors at the back and waited a minute before heading to the front and getting in, he slid open the panel and flinched as hot air hit his face and steamed his glasses up. “You’re overheating, please come out of there… you don’t have to talk to me, Y/N, I won’t force you to but I don’t want you to collapse either.” The back of the vehicle was too dark for him to see anything and he couldn’t hide the worry in his voice anymore, “Please, Y/N, I know how

exhausting it is keeping things locked away.” Still, she wouldn’t come out and he slumped back into the driver’s seat, “In our world, people burst into flames… and burn to nothing. Rather than getting stuck where you are, constantly lost and confused, it’s probably better for everyone if you stay indifferent and unemotional.” It was his own personal feelings, it was Hinawa’s way of coping with everyday tragedies, he figured that her hiding her powers was a similar coping mechanism. “Just another cog in the machine, not standing out and just trying to fit in and keep going. It’s easier that way… but it’s exhausting. It hurts, right?” He heard the click of the lock from inside and got out of the Matchbox, the garage was becoming like a sauna and he barely caught Y/N as she staggered out of the back, “Take deep breaths.” Hinawa lifted her into his arms and headed for the showers, he didn’t bother checking for occupants before he placed her on the floor and turned the shower on so that the spray was cold. Steam hissed off her skin and rose up above them, the Lieutenant felt his black t-shirt begin to cling to him as the fabric became heavy with water but he was more concerned with cooling her down. “I hate it… fire… it takes and takes and… I hate myself.” His hands stroked over her cheeks and he pressed his forehead to hers, “Don’t let it take you too, don’t burn yourself out because I wouldn’t know what to do if I lost you too.” He sat beside her under the spray and soon he felt her nestle into his side, her head resting over his heart as she began to cry, Hinawa rested his cheek on her head and held her tight, “You don’t have to hide from me because I’ll love you regardless.”

[pavelmintyukov]

Hi! I just loved the set you did of shazam it was amazing the purple was just ahhhhhhh I was wondering if u had tutorial on how you did each gif in the set?

aw thank you anon, i really appreciate it!! 💜

akdjkdjkkaj i'm not the best at explaining things but i made a tutorial on how to make the gifs after the cut :) please note that this entails basic gif-making knowledge and general understanding of photoshop and use of its tools.

if you have any other questions, please let me know!

gif #1 & 3

the first and third gifs are done using similar processes in which i mostly utilized selective color and added warped text.

first, create your gif and adjust its settings to your liking.

for me, i first sharpened the gif. then i added some adjustment layers like brightness/contrast, curves, etc (and doing my best without whitewashing the character) since the lighting of scene i used for this gif was pretty dim. 

add a selective color layer

modify the selective color settings by choosing to alter the neutral colors in the drop down menu. then you can tinker around by selecting other colors to adjust or playing around with the levels of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black to make the gif more of a color that you desire. 

because i wanted mine to look purple, here’s what i adjusted: 

now the gif is purple! but you can see that darla also has a purple tint to her, and we want to remove that. to do so, make sure you’re still on the selective color layer and now click on the brush tool.

make sure you’re on the selective color layer mask thumbnail and your brush tool has black set as the foreground color.

with the brush tool, use it to essentially erase/paint over the areas where you want to remove the purple tint created from the selective color layer. you can also adjust brush settings; i used a softer brush to make the distinction between darla and the purple background more subtle. 

and voila! part one of making a gif with a purple background is complete

now you’re going to add text. for my text, i mainly used this tutorial explained under gif #3.

so you’re going to add new text layer and type in whatever you want with your desired size and color. then, you’re going to click the “fx” icon at the bottom of the layers panel and select blending options. 

like the tutorial states, set blend mode: difference, color overlay blend mode: color, and gradient overlay blend mode: multiply. i also added a drop shadow to make the text more apparent.

then i’m going to warp text by right clicking the text layer and selecting warp text or you can click the warp text icon at the top. 

i chose the flag style and adjusted the bend of the text to my desire. you can also play around with horizontal/vertical distortion if you like.

finally to create the white outline of the text, right click the text layer and click duplicate layer so you have two of same text layers.

click the “fx” at the bottom again to get to blending options.

check stroke, set the size to 1px, and the color as white. turn off the other text layer effects (color overlay, gradient overlay, etc.) by unchecking them.

finally, in the layers panel, set fill to 0% and move the white text outline over your original text and you’re done!

for my third gif in this gifset, it’s basically the same steps of creating the gif > adjusting settings > selective color layer > using the brush tool erasing areas where you don’t want the color tint.

then i implemented the same text process and settings. the only difference is how i warped for the text.

for the third gif, the warped the first line of text using the shell upper setting and the second line of text with shell lower. adjust the bend to your liking. then i would edit > free transform the text layers to move them to their respective corners of the gif. the white stroke layers are done using the same process.

there you go! that’s how you make gif #1 & 3 :)

gif #2 & 5

these gifs are little trickier to make, but some of the coloring steps are pretty much done the same as for gifs #1 & 3!

first, i downloaded these templates from @thlaugraphics. i’ll demonstrate using the diagonal template. i then resized it to the desired dimensions i want for my gif. then i went to timeline > create frame animation > convert to video timeline to ensure that the gifs can move when put in the template.

next, have your two gifs prepared. make sure they are the same frame length!

then input your respective gifs to the template’s different parts where it says “torn paper pic here” or “background pic here”. the creator of the template provided this super helpful tutorial that i used! (also make sure that when the .psb file opens in another tab and you input your gif, that you continue to convert it to frame animation/video on your timeline.)

(i’m using two of the same gifs in this example bc i’m lazy lol)

now you have your two of gifs placed into the template, and it’s time for the coloring effects.

for my second gif in this gifset, i used the same process as gif #1 and #3 in which i utilized selective color.

so, add a new selective color layer. adjust the colors to your liking. as i did previously, i modified the neutral colors to it gif looks more purple. 

then, like we did for gif #1 and 3, we can erase the parts of the gif that we don’t want to be covered in the purple tint. making sure you’re still on the selective color layer mask thumbnail, click on brush tool.

set the foreground color as black and then use the brush to essentially erase your desired parts of the gif, or in this case, the purple tint on darla. 

and that’s how you make gif #2!

for gif #5, i used gradient layer to make the purple vignette look, which doesn’t require the selective color layer. with your original two gifs in the template, go to layer > new fill layer > gradient. click ok.

open the gradient fill window. adjust the style to radial. check the reverse box. change the gradient color to your liking (i chose purple in this case). then adjust the scale according to how much of the gradient you want to border your gif (i did around 230%).

and there you have it! that’s how you make gif #5.

gif #4

the fourth gif is pretty simple to make. first, have your gif ready and fix its adjustment layer settings to your liking. i added mainly the brightness settings for this one. 

then, create a new layer and change it to “color”.

next, click the gradient tool in your tool bar. change the gradient colors to your liking at the top left. apply the gradient across and over your gif.

you can also reduce the opacity of this layer if it looks too vibrant/harsh for your taste. 

finally, it’s time to add the text. add a new text layer and type whatever you’d like. 

then click “fx” at the bottom of the layers panel to access blending options. 

check the drop shadow option and the stroke option. set the stroke to 1px and the color to white.

finally, set the fill to 0% and that’s how you create the text!

if you want to create the check boxes like i did, click on the rounded rectangle tool in the toolbar and draw the boxes beside the text. add check marks through text layers and by typing/pasting them in as emoticons.

and you’re pretty much done! 

gif #6

ok for sixth gif, the beginning steps are basically the same as gif #1 & 3′s in which i used the same adjustment settings, selective color, and masking/erasing process.

after that, click the rounded rectangle tool in your toolbar and draw a border around your gif. i set my border size to 5px in this.

next, click on that shape layer and then the “fx” at the bottom of the layers panel to access blending options.

check gradient overlay and make sure blend mode is set at “normal”. 

modify the gradient colors and angle to your liking. 

afterwards, add your text through new text layers and enter whatever text you want. click on the “fx” for blending options again.

check drop shadow and gradient overlay, and just like the rectangle tool, you can edit the text’s gradient colors and angle to whatever you’d like.

then, move the text to top and bottom of your rectangle borders. 

finally, go back and click on the rounded rectangle layer. then at the bottom of the layers panel, click on the layer mask icon. make sure you’re now on the layer mask thumbnail!

similarly to how you would use the brush tool to erase parts of the selective color layer, do the same for this rounded rectangle layer. 

use the brush tool, make sure the foreground color is set at black, and erase parts of the rounded rectangle border where the text lies.

and you’re done!!

and that’s pretty much it! i apologize if anything confuses you lmaoo

[meabd]

Tricks of the Trade

Chapter 2: A Complicated Dance

It was nearly five o’clock when you approached the Heyu Teahouse. As you neared the entrance you caught sight of the slender form of the Eleventh Harbinger as he leaned against the side of the building, arms crossed, a look of concentration on his face. He startled as you stepped into view, his expression morphing into one of surprised pleasure.

“[Y/n], you look ravishing ,” he winked, offering you his elbow. You bowed instead, ignoring the gesture.

“Thank you, Tartaglia ,” he rolled his eyes at the use of his code name.

“None of that now. Call me Childe,” it was your turn to roll your eyes as he ushered you through the front door, one hand at the small of your back to direct you. The hostess was deferential to the young man, guiding you quickly to a private chamber on the second floor. The view over the harbor was breathtaking, and you found yourself distracted by it as Childe ordered for you both.

“You know, if we’re being honest I didn’t think you’d actually show up,” his comment broke you away from your thoughts, though you did not turn to acknowledge it.

“It’s funny,” you mused, eyes trained on the setting sun, “for as long as I have lived here I still haven’t gotten used to the beauty of it all,” he hummed in reply. Finally you turn to look at him, your gaze flickering over his formal Snezhnyan suit. He had no business looking as good as he did. “Why did you really ask me out this evening?” He cocked his head, his lips quirking into a bemused grin.

“Because you’re a beautiful woman with impressive connections with the highest powers operating out of Liyue Harbor,” his voice was matter of fact. The waitress returned with the bottle of wine he’d requested, pouring two glasses and bustling away.

“I’m not an idiot, you know,” you murmured, swirling the wine in your glass as you waited for him to taste it first.

“And I never said you were,” he countered, taking a healthy gulp of his own wine. “So who do you work for?” You took a small sip from your glass before answering.

“Lady Keqing oversees my work for—”

“I would appreciate it if you did not insult my intelligence,” he cut you off.

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you sniffed primly. The charming smile had not slipped from his face, but there was a newfound tension around his eyes.

“Come on Miss [y/n], whatever it is you’ve gotten yourself mixed up in it’s nothing the Fatui can’t handle. I’m sure we can, what is it you said? ‘Come to an equitable agreement’?” His smile was soft and comforting—and entirely false.

“Just what is it you’re implying, Master Childe?” You weren’t sure exactly what it was he thought you were, but you were glad to hear he wasn’t either.

“[Y/n], hails from Wuwang Hill, father deceased, mother deceased, brother jailed for petty crimes in Fontaine—is that who it is? Your brother is being held hostage and Fontaine's struck a deal with you?” Your mouth hung open, an expression of sincere shock. Childe leaned back, hands behind his head to enjoy the fruits of his detective work.

Little did he know, your shock was not because he was right, but rather that he actually bought your Cover. Sure, [y/n] was your real name, but it was also the name of a little girl who’d gone missing during the Wuwang Hill landslide. A little bureaucratic magic was all it took to assume her identity.

“It’s okay,” his expression softened as he leaned forward again, laying one hand atop your own, “I know what it is to care for family. You would do terrible things to keep them safe…” his voice trailed off as if he were remembering his own misdeeds. “I want to help you,” his voice was earnest. He was a damn good actor.

“I… appreciate the offer,” you gulped, attempting to tug your hand away to no avail.

“...But?” he pressed you.

“But they’d kill me,” and that part wasn’t a lie.

“Snezhnya is a formidable country. We have ways of helping… people like you,” he squeezed your hand in what you assumed was supposed to be a comforting gesture. It felt claustrophobic.  

“I don’t know,” you bit your lip, dropping your chin a scant inch so you could look up at him through your mascara thickened lashes. “I couldn’t possibly give you an answer right now,” he nodded, withdrawing his hand.

“I understand, of course. Take some time to think about it. The Tsaritsa is a strong Archon, you would be safe within our ranks,” you pursed your lips, hoping the tension in your face read as nervousness and not amusement. A silence fell between the two of you, though not one as uncomfortable as before. When the server arrived with your food, all seriousness bled away from Childe’s face as he thanked the young woman before refilled your wine glass.

The conversation shifted as the two enjoyed your meal. You weren’t completely at ease, but that was nothing special; you never were. Childe, having gotten his ‘proposal’ out of the way was a regular chatterbox. It was really quite impressive how much he said without revealing anything of substance.

He was a charming man, that was doubtless; his conversation skills were remarkable, he was an active listener, and his flirtations (though inappropriate, in your opinion) managed to steer clear of any touchy territory. He was beautiful, to say the least, with striking eyes and a well formed figure that would send any woman’s heart aflutter. He was the perfect Honey Trap.

But then again… so were you.

“This has been lovely, thank you,” you smiled at him with a bit more honesty than was advisable.

“Why does that sound like a goodbye?” He stepped closer into your space, his fingers grazing the delicate bone of your wrist.

“Because it is? I have to go to Master Shizhuong’s,” you backed away from him.

“We’ve got plenty of time,” he cajoled, “come take a walk with me, we could revisit that tree,” his eyebrows twitched up at the suggestive remark.

“No, thank you. Perhaps next time. I’m going to be late as it is,” you turned to leave but were halted by a hand on your elbow.

“When I asked you out tonight I didn’t just mean to dinner, [y/n].”

“That’s all well and good Master Childe, but I do have work to do. Now if you’ll excuse me—” he yanked you forward, pressing his body against yours. His lips brushed the shell of your ear and you shuddered to feel his warm breath against it.

“You don’t honestly think I’d let you out of my sight now , do you? That banquet doesn’t start for another hour at least,” there was a threat in those words, no matter how soft the tone was. You pulled back from him, shifting your features into what you hoped was a neutral expression.

“...I’m the dance coordinator. There’s a Yayue performance before the feast, I have to be there for the arrangement.” Childe’s smile was contrite and his grip on you loosened.

“Sorry, sorry, just being cautious you know,” he laughed. You huffed an incredulous sigh.

“Come on, ‘you don’t honestly think’ I’d run off to wreak havoc at a banquet immediately after your oh so considerate offer,” you tossed his turn of phrase back at him and he frowned.

“I would certainly hope not,” he brushed a stray curl out of your eyes. “See you there, then? That is if you have time for me,” he winked. Despite your better judgement you nodded your assent before making your way to the estate.

As you approached the back entrance to the mansion you let your fingers trace over the wood of the exterior until you found the right panel. As quickly and discreetly as you could manage you lifted it off its hinges and swapped the bottle that was inside with the note you’d had strapped to your upper thigh. You took a moment to lean against the building, one hand pressed against your chest. You took several deep breaths before straightening your qipao and heading inside. To any wayward onlooker it would seem as if you were merely collecting yourself. If who you thought was tailing you actually was, then you’d just solidified your cover as an indecisive and reluctant operative.

Inside the mansion you passed the dancer’s dressing room to enter Master Shizhuong’s private chambers. You removed the bottle from your bodice, dripping its contents onto the bottom edge of an ornately framed painting. Behind it lay the Master’s safe, containing valuable and important documents. Documents that you had on good authority were to be stolen by a Fontainèse spy that very evening.

You re-corked the bottle and returned to the dressing area, satisfied with your work. Launching into your Cover role you helped apply traditional makeup, tied ribbons, tightened bodices and arranged hair as the dancers gossiped amongst themselves. Ming, one of the youngest dancers of your ranks, sat quietly in the corner. You approached her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Are you alright there?” You inquired. Her large doe eyes met yours and you could see the fear in them. She nodded.

“Are you… will you still help me tonight?”

Ming had come to you the week before with a sob story about needing money to help her sick mother. She shared with you her (rather convoluted) plan to bed Master Shizhuong, then blackmail him into providing her with the necessary funds. She’d asked for your help, imploring you to distract the middle-aged politician long enough for her to ‘prepare herself’ in his chambers.

You had, of course, readily agreed. You would never turn down a chance to take out an enemy operative. You almost felt bad—almost because, frankly she just wasn’t very good at her job. Her Cover was flimsy at best and her true intention—stealing classified documents from your host—was laughably easy to suss out. You smiled gently at the girl, a warm and comforting expression.

“Of course Ming. Anything for you. Please be safe,” you hugged the younger woman and felt her tears on your neck.

“No crying now,” you murmured, wiping a tear off of her cheek. “You’ll smear your makeup. Be strong; think of your mother and be strong ,” Ming’s smile was watery, but she nodded.

This is entirely too easy .

The entertainment had gone off without a hitch (because of course it had, you were damned good at your job) and you were engaging the Master of the house in a spirited discussion on the merits of the use of Cor Lapis in the production of chopsticks. You noticed your host’s eyes drifting over to the clock and you ran your finger down the seam of his sleeve, a coy gesture. Just as you were about to switch topics you felt a hand on your back.

“If I may be so bold, I believe Noctilucous Jade to be the superior material,” Zhongli’s smooth voice cut in and you inwardly groaned.

“Yes, yes, right as always Master Zhongli,” Shizhuong nodded with enthusiasm. “But—ah, excuse me please, I’m afraid I have an urgent matter to attend to,” he bowed before beating a hasty retreat. You hoped you stalled him for long enough for the poison to take effect. You’d be very disappointed if Ming lived long enough to get any of it on your host. You actually quite liked him.

“Hello Uncle,” you smiled pleasantly, using the honorific you reserved for when he was getting on your nerves. Zhongli’s head cocked to the side.

“My my, you’re in a mood, aren’t you? I take it your sortie with our resident Harbinger was not to your liking?” You blanched.

“I—you—he told you?” Zhongli chuckled.

“Bragged about it is more like it,” Childe’s voice came from behind you as an arm snaked its way around your waist. You fought hard against your instinct to flinch away. Zhongli inclined his head in greeting and Childe returned the gesture. “And I thought we had a lot of fun, didn’t we [y/n]?” You knew you were blushing but didn’t bother to fight it.

“Yes, ah, it was quite enjoyable,” your voice wavered just the slightest. Enough so that Childe’s grip on your waist tightened a bit.

“I must admit, I did not see this particular turn of events,” Zhongli remarked, his golden eyes lingering on the fingers tapping against your hip bone. “[Y/n] has never been out with a man, not once in the five years I’ve known her.”

“Maybe I was waiting for the right one,” you grit out from your teeth clenching smile.

“ Ming !” Master Shizhuong’s startled cry was muffled, but audible. The three of you turned in unison to stare at the hallway leading to the dressing rooms.

“Ming… no ,” you gasped, attempting to break away from Childe.

“Hold on—” he started but you pushed him away.

“Ming is one of my girls, I have to— I—” you shook your head before running towards the sound of the shout. You flung open the dressing room door, stopping only for a moment. You knew Zhongli and Childe were following you and you had to make a show of searching.

“Ming!” You screamed, continuing down the hall, throwing doors open as you went. Finally you made it to the master bedroom, your hands flying up to cover your mouth as a strangled sob escaped. You sagged against the door frame, making sure to hold your position until your companions had caught up. In the bedroom Ming laid slumped against the wall, dressed in nothing but her undergarments. The picture frame had been moved and the wall safe was clearly visible. Master Shizhuong sat on the bed, head in his hands.

“Oh no, no what did they do to you?” You stumbled into the room, dropping to your knees in front of her body. You reached out, hands shaking, as if to touch her, but felt yourself being yanked away.

“Don’t,” Childe’s voice was tight. “She may have been poisoned. Don’t touch anything ,” he barked. You felt your breath hitch as tears came to your eyes. These, at least, were more genuine than the one’s Childe had previously called you on. You liked Ming, you really did—she reminded you of yourself when you first started out.

You let that kernel of truth slip through your mask as you sobbed in Childe’s arms. He ran a soothing hand through your hair, pressing your face into the crook of his neck so you couldn’t look at her corpse.

“Shh. It’s okay,” he whispered. “Zhongli, can you handle this?” He must have nodded since you found yourself being tugged to your feet.

“No. I have to—I have to help her,” you protested softly. Childe shushed you again and led you from the room. “That could have been me,” you whispered, your voice hollow.

“It could have,” your companion agreed, though not unkindly. You allowed yourself to be dragged into the adjoining study. Gentle hands prodded you into an overstuffed chair and Childe knelt on the ground in front of you.

“I’m sorry [y/n], but I have to ask—did you have anything to do with this?” You tried to breathe in but the air stuck in your throat. Wordlessly you shook your head, tears still streaming down your face. You were certain your makeup was a disaster and you regretted your choice in mascara.

“Alright. Okay. Stay here. Zhongli and I will handle the rest,” he soothed, moving to stand.

“No,” you choked out, standing as well. “No, I have twenty nine other girls out there that need me,” you sniffled, wiping away the moisture on your cheeks. Childe stared at you, his face unreadable.

“Fine. But wait for me. You’ll need an escort home tonight,” you didn‘t argue. He turned to leave and you reached out without thinking. He stilled, looking down at your joined hands.

“I’m sorry. I… thank you,” you startled at the soft brush of lips against your forehead. He said nothing in reply, sweeping out of the room in a hurry.

Report;

Things have progressed well with Agent Pisces. Target believes me to be operating under duress and has made overtures to turn me. Agent Swan has been eliminated, Millelith on high alert. Will proceed with caution.

Dead Drop at Blue House compromised, Sanitized documents have been left there, please convey a new rendez-vous point ASAP.

Operation Blowback Intercept on hold until further notice.

I await further instructions.

Swallow

[peterparkcr]

GIFFING TUTORIAL

As requested by an anon yesterday, here is my abridged version of how I make gifs. Instead of going through every detail, I’ve decided to include my photoshop actions which will make the gif process much faster and hopefully smoother and easier. If there are any issues, feel free to ask me about it. And this is purely just the gif making after the screencaps, but I’m up for making a tutorial for that if needed.

Here’s the gif I ended up making in this.

What you’ll need is: 

- Photoshop. I use Photoshop 2020, but as long as it has the video timeline you should be good. - Very high quality video. Preferably 1080p, but 720p can be tolerated. Not the compressed versions either. The bigger the file size, the higher the quality. - Screencaps where you’ve screencapped every frame. Skipping frames makes the gif look kind of laggy.

Anyway, here we go!

FIRST STEP: INSTALLING ACTIONS

Here are the download links.

ACTION 1 (Sharpening) ACTION 2 (Giffing)

So these are the actions I’ve created to make my giffing go by faster. The first one includes my sharpening settings. It’s in two parts. You must have these installed in order for the second action to properly work. The second does the majority of the giffing process for you. After you’ve cropped and resized, the action converts the timeline, sharpens, converts the timeline back and sets the frame delay among other things, etc etc.

Here’s the full break down of what it does. I created this myself and have tried it on two different versions of Photoshop. So hopefully it works for you too.

To install, make sure you have the actions panels open.

Once in the actions panel, you click on those little lines that are stacked on top of each other on the left.

Click on load actions. From there, just open the two action files from wherever it is that you saved them. Gif Sharpening and Giffing are what they’re called. Remember you need both in order for the “giffing” action to work.

After they are installed, they should appear like this.

SECOND STEP: GIFFING

Now I use the screencapping method. I have a Mac so I use MPV Player. But I’ve also giffed on a Windows and I used KMPlayer for that. Once I’ve got my screencaps all organized for my gifsets, I go to load layers. If you need a screencapping tutorial, feel free to hit me up for that too.

Under File go to Load Files into Stack.

Then click browse and look for your screencaps and select them all and add them.

Once the layers are loaded, it should look like this.

From there, I convert the timeline at the bottom into a video timeline. So click that “create video timeline” button.

After that, we crop! Cropping is completely up to you in regards to height, but here’s a link to a breakdown for the proper Tumblr dimensions.

This is where you change the size to whatever you have cropped.

After that, all you need is to click on the action and the rest is done for you. On the right side, click the actions panel. 

Then click on the action I titled as “overall”

Click that play button at the bottom.

And boom. It should look like this. After that you just add your coloring on top of the “gif base” folder.

THIRD STEP: COLORING THE GIF

So I don’t use PSDs for my gifs because every scene is different even within the same movie or show. So my coloring is always different, but I do follow a general outline each time I gif a scene.

I start with curves always.

Here’s an excellent tutorial on how to use curves.

Some little extras I do in curves, however, is I darken the shadows by five. Sometimes more, sometimes less depending on the footage, but five is my go to starting point. (That little block on the left hand corner of the graph)

I also brighten up the highlights a bit. This one is fully dependent on how dark or bright a scene is. Sometimes I don’t move it at all if the scene is bright enough. (That little block on the upper right hand corner of the graph)

Before/After

After that, it’s playing around with the adjustment layers. The ones in the screencap above are the ones I commonly use in that order. But the link I provided above has some useful tips on how to color after the curves layer. But I’ll provide my settings in order for this particular gif.

Selective Coloring

Another curves to remove some of the reddish tint and to brighten it up some more

Color balance to make further adjustments to midtones and shadows

And a little vibrancy to bring up the colors more

FOURTH STEP: SAVING THE GIF

Here we go to save for web.

And these are the settings I use to save my gifs. There are times where I do some changes, but for the most part, this is what I use and have always used. And I believe the gif limit is 8mb? Or it was the last I heard of it.

I hope this made sense and was helpful in any way. If there are any questions, my ask is open.