#nerd project layouts

[waterrr]

( 🧶 ) i can't move on, baby doll . . .

[tarjapearce]

Bad Teachings (Pt. 4)

WARNINGS: Nerd talk, Miguel into Work Mode, Relationship Building, Slow Burn, mild fluff, awkward meetings, british slang, mutual help.

Summary: A little peek into Miguel's daily life. Returning favors, rocky starts.

Pt. 5

Hope you like <3

Pairings: Miguel x Fem!Reader

The alarm beeped, and you rose from bed. You'd usually sleep in late and just chill the evening away if you had the free time for it, if not, you'd work ahead to declutter your to-do list. Something that adult life had taught you was to make the most out of your time and keep a balance between resting and work life.

You washed your teeth and showered, adding a mental note to buy more shampoo and conditioner later. Fifteen minutes after you came out, and did a brief skin care routine to finally get ready. You changed into some baby blue high waisted jeans, a white tank top and cardigan along some white espadrilles. You packed in some work tools such as your laptop, an usb docking station and your usb's.

Need you at 9-

Miguel had texted you around 10 pm, and now you were on your way to his home.

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

You knocked on the door and held the two cup holders tightly as your working bag hung on your shoulder. The heavy yet familiar steps approached and soon, the door was open, revealing a sleepy looking Miguel, black sweatpants and robe on. A smear of toothpaste foam on his chin. Baggy eyes are a bit more prominent.

"Coffee?" you smiled sympathetically as he let you in. You then offered a napkin

"Clean your chin." He did with a grunt and took a sip of the coffee.

"Didn't know how you liked it, so I just got it plain with two pieces of sugar."

"It's good, thanks." He mumbled and rubbed his face, tiredly.

Now that your hormones were under control, you actually paid attention to your surroundings, the floor was covered in marble-like textured tiles, and the walls were painted in a soft cream. The overall layout displayed before you.

You were standing in a soft rug, to remove all dirt from outside, to your right there was a small hall and a door at the bottom, the broom peeking out made you guess that it was the cleaning supplies storage, if you walked straight, you'd find the dining table and behind it, the kitchen, a small breakfast island separating the spaces.

Oddly enough the chairs underneath looked as if they hadn't been used in a while, they looked almost brand new except for one that had child-like doodles on it, in different colors. If you walked to the right of the dining table, you'd find the living room.

An L shaped couch along a dark wooden coffee table, a tv set with some shelves full of books and few portraits on each side of it. There was a wall dividing the livingroom and the bedrooms, as another one limited the kitchen, creating another hall between.

The windows in the dining room  and his bedroom were made out of thick glass, letting enough natural light to illuminate the spaces. However they were both covered by curtains. Miguel rubbed his eyes as he guided you to your work station. meaning, the dining room. Paper files spreaded all over the glass table.

"You'll work with these. Easy task. Each file is labeled with a letter, the main information is tagged in capital letters, the sub files, or the one related to the main file, are tagged in lowercase letters and a number, it dictates the page." He pointed to the bottom corner of the pages

"But, the lazy ass people I work with just gave me this bundle of papers." He sighed and put on his lenses once more.

"Once you are done organizing, hand them over to me. I need to revise which ones are outdated."

"Wait, so you're working with obsolete information?"

"No, with projects that should have been revised a week ago but were never revised due them being incomplete. Tal Vez una junta y un memo hacen que estos pendejos trabajen bien." He grumbled the last part more to himself than anyone else.

You didn't want to add to his stress, so you picked up the loose paper sheets in the file. He gulped the last remains of caffeine in his cup as you sipped yours.

"Excuse me." You put your work bag on a chair and soon began to follow instructions.  

"If you're stuck in something, tell me. I'll be in the living room. " Your paper cup was taken from your hands and he sipped it, then walked back to the living room with a tiny smirk. You were about to protest, but seeing coffee had gotten him a bit more alive, your lips remained shut.

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

The only sounds in the room were either you flipping and organizing pages or him typing away on the keyboard. A bird chirping somewhere occasionally, or some faint music from a neighbor.  You had glanced his way a couple of times, only to find him buried in his work, his figure was something impossible to miss. His lower lip jutted as his brow furrowed as he looked at the screen.

You on the other hand had organized one complete file, it was a short one. And from what you could read, it was about recreating a Japanese pink strawberry in some labs to see if it was feasible enough to start commercializing them. Miguel had done the whole research by himself.

"Y'know? I apologize for giving your intelligence little credit."

He looked at you with a quirked eyebrow

"Did you just call me stupid?"

"W-What? No! No. I didn't mean it like that. Like, I knew you were smart, but, this is a whole new level of smart."

He just chuckled and continued his work.

"Seems you're easy to impress."

"No, it means I just need to increase my standards. And I don't even ask for much really."

He stretched and yawned before taking some papers.

"And what are those?"

You stared at him, a bit taken aback that he would actually ask such trivialities.

"Well... I like a man that knows what he wants. Honest, loyal, not a clown but neither a stuck up guy, someone smart that can teach me stuff, in the same way that is willing to learn about new experiences. Sure of himself, someone I can trust and vice versa, good at communication and someone that has gotten over his ex. Or at least do not repeat patterns that they used to do with their ex."

He huffed at the last bit in mirth.

"Good luck with the last one."

"Yeah, That's why I don't head first into it. And the one that kind of met those requirements had to leave to another country" you shrugged and started on the second file.

"But yeah, anyway. I'm impressed that you alone lead these sorts of investigations. Not a good team player?" you smirked and he shook his head.

"Not really. "

"Oh... Well, sometimes it is more about the people you work with than the job itself, I guess."

He stared at you, eyes full of quiet wonder, but the beeping of his phone interrupted his train of thoughts.

"Hold on, gotta pick up"

You nodded and continued your work. He disappeared into his bedroom.

The second file was about rectifying the propension of field corn in getting infected by fungus. And the third one was about creating a substance or reactive that could reveal any anomalies in pregnant animals raised in captivity to preserve the species. The more you read about said files the more your admiration grew. And so the need to make things right.

"Feeling  hungry?" He spoke from the hall, the clock had ticked 12 midday. You both were so engrossed in your respective works that you forgot about time.

"Uh, a little."

You kept organizing files and separating the projects, reading and learning about them on the go.  

"What do you wanna eat?"

"You're ordering or cooking?"

"Ordering."

"Uh, a poke bowl sounds nice."

"A what?" He scrunched his nose and you giggled.

"It's a hawaiian dish made out of raw marinated fish and veggies or rice. Quite nutritious and delicious."

"Sounds nice, except for the raw fish."

"Haha, don't worry, there is a place that sells them with other cooked protein. I highly recommend the salmon glazed one. My treat"

"No. You got me coffee in the morning. We're even."

"Alright. Lemme get you the place´s number."

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

"So... how do you eat this?" You grabbed the chopsticks and grabbed a piece of glazed salmon.

"Just like that. Give it a try. " you smiled as your hand passed his packed chopsticks. He stared at them for a second and sighed.

"Please?

"If you just wanna laugh at me, say it"

You couldn't help but chuckle and shake your head.

"Pfft. It took me a while to get used to them too. But yeah, this will be funny."

"Sólo porque me lo pides de por favor..."

You always gave him a confused look whenever he spoke in what you could guess whas his mother language. He ripped the small package open and separated the sticks.

"Now, put the lower stick between your thumb and index finger, like tha- , No, no. Yes! Like that! And the other one must be held by the thumb and the middle finger"

There were two main emotions going through his face, frustration and determination. It turned into complete frustration when the small piece of protein fell off his chopsticks.

"It's fine if you don't get it at the first one. Takes a bit of practice." You handed him a plastic fork and smiled, he took it with a light scowl as you kept eating with the chopsticks.

"Besides, once you master them you can eat anything with it. Even snacks so your fingers don't get all... sticky."

"I'm staying with forks and knives, thanks."

You both couldn't help but chuckle.

"What has been the most difficult project to you, so far?"

"The ADA reactive in animals."

"Anomaly Detector Algorithm, right?" The corner of his lips curved slightly upwards at your response.

"Glad to see you're doing your homework, guapa."

"Your work is interesting. By the way, the Corn Field Fungus one is incomplete. Couldn't find the other pages"

He shrugged and finished eating.

"Not my fault. They are not doing their job properly, so of course it was incomplete."

"Sounds... stressing. Your job I mean."

"It is when incompetent people are in charge of things they shouldn't be. But when people know what they are doing, it's different."

"So, basically your job is modifying DNA from things to make things better or create alternative solutions if things don't get better?"

"Simple as that" He nodded, "We gotta check those files before creating the digital copy"

He stood and you quickly finished up your meal, smearing some sauce on your chin, you were about to retrieve the empty plastic bowl to put it in the trash when he cupped your face with a single hand and pulled it gently towards him. He used a napkin to clean the smear and nodded.

"That's better. Get to work" He went back to his work spot and so did you, after cleaning the table. Cheeks flushing.

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

"I'll send you the first transcribed file, so you can check it out as I'm finishing the third one."

"Sure."

He stretched once more to then give the last sip from another mug of coffee. The man lived on caffeine, or he was beyond exhausted and coffee kept him up. You had your work tools out. The noises of your typing mixed with his, almost as fast as he was.

"Want more coffee?" You offered as his eyes drooped.

"Not really. Can't surpass my fifth one."

"Then you should rest your eyes a bit. Take a break of five."

"We're almost done."

"That's precisely why you need five minutes off. Is the light bothering you?"

"A little"

 He rubbed his eyes as he pinched his nose bridge. Gruff voice coming as a rough whisper as you turned the unnecessary lights off, leaving the living room's on only. Then you soaked a clean handkerchief with cold water and returned to his side.

"Here." you offered the cold and wet piece of cloth with a small smile. "Close your eyes and put it on."

He didn't seem convinced that it would do anything, but your willingness to alleviate his distress made him take the cloth and put it on his eyes. He exhaled at the coolness the item provided.

You sat next to him and continued your job, as quietly as you possibly could. Even after the five minutes passed, you didn't move him. He was exhausted. The living room was lit enough to give you a small glimpse of what the shelves had.

Books on Genetics, probably from college, maths, engineering, some spanish titles you quite didn't understand. What threw you off guard was some children's book and stories in one space of the shelf.

Titles like "El Principito", "Cuentos Por Teléfono" "A Bear Called Paddington '' among others with colorful pictures of dinosaurs, soccer balls and some tattered coloring books.

Your eyes squinted as they settled for a portrait, It was a little girl, Black hair as Miguel's combed in a high ponytail as a red headband adorned her front section of the head, keeping the smaller and wild hairs under control. Her smile was cheerful as she held a golden trophy with a soccer player motif on top.

The words "Mi Sol" written in the left corner. The only picture of her in the portraits Miguel jerked awake and your eyes were casted back to the screen.

"Feel better?" He just nodded and exhaled.

"Here's the other two files" You mumbled and passed the usb to him, his large hand covering yours for a second. You waited as his eyes dragged across his screen.

Eyes going from squinting, frowning to widen gently. He gave you a rusty smile.

"Good job."  

"Thanks. Glad to help." your smile was genuine, almost smug. You exhaled, relieved. Clock ticking 7 pm.

"Is there anything else you need help with?"

" All done.Thanks."

"Alright, I shall get going then. It's getting late"

"Then, Stay." You looked at him with a pout.

"As much as I'd like to, you are exhausted, slept on the couch for more than five minutes, you need sleep."

It was his turn to give you a smug smile and you rolled your eyes.

"And stop drinking that much caffeine. You'll get a heart attack."

"A myth, by the way. Five cups is fine"

"If you say so"

Smiling, you put your tools back in your work bag and went for the door, he followed you.

"Thanks for the help"

"Anytime." You nodded.

He just stood on the doorframe, watching you as your nerves rioted inside you, was he expecting a hug? a kiss goodbye? You didn't know.

"Uh, Bye then. Don't forget to sleep" You ended up waving, unsure of giving a more intimate farewell. He seemed amused at your choice.

"Pasa linda noche, muñeca" You heard him mutter before the elevator's door closed.

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

Your elevator's door slid open, revealing the ever long hallway, work bag slinging on your left shoulder as your keys tinkered upon grabbing them. You tried to open the door but to your little surprise the door wouldn't budge. You groaned in annoyance as you pushed, to no avail. All happiness from a good deed done, drained away.

"Fuck." You heaved as you tried once more and failed. Taking your phone out, you recorded a small video for evidence, to send it to the landlord.

No matter how much you pushed the door, or turned the key, the door was stuck. You couldn't help but kick it, but regretted it instantly. Shoes too soft against a sturdy metal door.

"Fuck!" you whined, both in pain and exasperated.

"Seems ya could use some help"

British deep voice from behind you

"Be my guest. This thing wouldn't budge."

"Been having troubles with it too?"

"I already sent the evidence to Mr. Cufton. Hopefully he will fix the damn thing for real this time."

"I'm sure the bloke will be buzzin' when he sees it"

Hobbie stepped closer and took the keys. He turned them around a couple of times and pushed against the door with all his might.

"Goddamn..." Your eyes widened as he opened the door for you, he seemed unfazed, almost used to it.

"Thanks, Hobie."

"No problem." He stepped out of your apartment with his hands stuck in the pockets of his jacket.

"Have a good night." He nodded your way with a lax smile, you closed the door and opened it a couple of times to make sure it would work in the morning.  

You prepared the food for the week, your clothes and a small presentation that was sent to you to be corrected last minute.

And soon went to sleep.

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

You were having a bad day as it is, the door was jammed again and made you get one hour late since Mr. Cufton barely replied your way, and had another neighbor help you out. Traffic was insane, and when you got to your office, ready to start your day, the usb storage box wasn't in your tote bag.

Panic surged through you as your hands frantically searched for the small plastic box. You not only had a couple of months worth of work in them, but also some other coworker projects that would be presented in a couple of days.

It didn't help that the newest client was bitching about the little flow of movement her new beauty products' line was receiving. The responsibility falls directly on your both superiors and you.

Then, your superiors reprimanding you for not having the usb on hand to show the manager the newest projects to be soon developed in the firm and Mr. Cufton announced the door wouldn't be replaced until next week. As soon as 5 pm ticked in, you bolted out the place.

You couldn't help but cry out of frustration, however a ding on your phone prevented you from weeping in the parking lot.

I believe this is yours?-

He had sent the image of the usb box you had looked up. In all your haste, you had barely thought of it staying behind at Miguel's.

Forgot to mention this in the morning-.

Of course he would. He was super busy. You couldn't help but actually cry, relieved that at least one of your problems, one of the biggest problems was solved.

-You literally just saved my ass from being fired... Thank you so much. I'll pick it up at your place. Is that ok?

Give me your location, I'm not home yet.-

                                Stuck in traffic.-

-Neither do I, but I'll be there in 15 minutes.

You shared your home location, and drove home. Traffic only held you back for five minutes. You parked the car in the usual numbered spot assigned with your apartment number. Then took the elevator, work tote bag in hand, face still red from your previous crying, and finally you managed to get home and let Miguel know you were already there and your apartment number.

You knew you had to open the door to at least put your things away, and make yourself look less beaten up by life. Sadly there was no Hobie or the other friendly neighbor to help you out. The only times you saw Hobie was around seven or eight pm, and there was no sign of the other guy. You prepared mentally to struggle against an inanimate object.

First time was worthless, the second time was even worse. You had only slammed your body against it, earning another pain in your tender shoulder's muscles. Just when you were going to try a third time, Miguel called you from the hallway. You were on the verge of tears again, your face flushed like a tomato.

"You ok?"

You shook your head as you tried your best to keep the tears inside.

"Shitty day but, you saved my ass, again."

"What's wrong with the door?"

"It's stuck and the landlord will replace it until next week. Got an hour late at job because I got trapped inside" your voice was the first thing in breaking.

Miguel stared at you for a moment and then put his things down on the floor with a sigh. He rolled up his sleeves and grabbed your keys that felt tiny on his large hands. He could feel the weight of the door against the doorframe, knowing that if he was too rough, the whole door would cave in and make the problem worse.

He just stared at it's structure for some minutes, evaluating what could be wrong with it.

The elevator dinged open, revealing Hobie with a bag of groceries. He entered his apartment to drop the bags and then came your way. Eyeing the situation from afar.

"You gotta push against it, mate" He wore ripped jeans, his red boots, a sleeveless and irregular neck shaped shirt and studded bracelets.

Miguel acknowledged him with a glance before focusing on the door again.

"That's probably what messed up the hinges last night."

Hobie's eyebrow quirked as he deadpanned.

"If I push the door open, the whole thing will cave in and it'll make everything worse" Miguel spoke as he gently took the doorknob and pulled back, the door creaked but it didn't cave in, but it fell back on the floor with a metallic thud.

Miguel looked at the back of the door and grunted.

"That's the problem. Hinges are rusted, and the screws are loose."

"Hobie? Could I borrow your tools for a second?"

"Haven't unpacked them yet, birdie"

If there was a staring contest, you were sure it was a tie. Miguel's ever present frown deepened slightly as Hobie gave him a complete poker face. Tension in the air, you saw your other friendly neighbor coming through the elevator with his dog.

"It's okay, I'll ask him." You smiled nervously at him and approached your neighbor to ask him for some tools.

Hobie huffed with a slight smirk at Miguel

"Good luck with that dead naff door, mate. Imma leg out."

He turned around and left, giving a quiet smile your way.

"Charming" he mumbled once he was out of hearing

"Told you to be nice. He helped me out last night." you gave the screwdrivers to him, "Need any help?"

"I'm good. Yo me encargo"

"Yeah, Y'know I might start learning spanish cause... I don't understand what you're saying sometimes"

He smiled mischievously as he effortlessly held the door and began screwing it back to its place.

"What's the fun in that then?"

"I mean, for all I know you could be making fun of me or worse" you spoke as you picked up his belongings and yours to take them inside.

" Or worse? Hm... probably"

"You're mean. But I'm grateful you're helping me out. Again."

"At this point I'll start keeping tabs."

"Ouch."

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

Miguel fixed your door, but explained to you it was a temporary solution, lucky you'd know how to fix it in case another incident happened.

"Here" you gave him a glass of water as he looked around, taking in your surroundings. He then gave you the storage box.

"What happened today?" he drank from the glass

"Oh... uh, I told you shitty day. Got trapped here, got an hour late at work, the client was pissed she wasn't getting the numbers right of her products, blamed my boss and me," you sighed, annoyed

"Then the manager scolded me for not having the data on hand, cause it's in one of these little things, then the landlord told me my door is getting replaced next week, traffic and the door. But now, at least three of those issues are solved."

You slumped on the couch. exhausted

"Sorry for always dragging you to help me around"

"You apologize too much. "

You were about to open your mouth to apologize but remained shut. His frown decreased a bit and his face relaxed.

"Gotta go"

"Sure, Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it."

"De nada, hermosa"

"Might call you one day to help me out with some furniture that needs to be assembled"

He deadpanned and you giggled.

"Of course I am joking. I know you are really busy."

He picked up his things and you went to the door with him.

"Might do some time for that"

"Really? I might prepare something to eat then. Or maybe you could show me some cooking skills"

"I'll think about it"

You nodded with a bashful smile.

"Thanks, Miguel."

"See you"

You closed the door, it didn't lock you up this time.

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

Tal Vez una junta y un memo hacen que estos pendejos trabajen bien.- Maybe a meeting and a memo will make these fuckers to work properly

Sólo porque me lo pides de por favor.. - Only cause you're asking nicely

El Principito - The Little Prince

"Cuentos Por Teléfono- Telephone Tales (Highly recommended btw <3 By Gianni Rodari)

Mi Sol - My Sun

Pasa linda noche, muñeca- Have a nice night, doll

Yo me encargo - I've got this

De nada, hermosa - You're welcome, beautiful

Taglist ❤️

@vyxvi

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

[gffa]

Hello! I love your posts about the Jedi, and I was wondering if I could ask you a question: What's something you would love to see explored with the Jedi?

Hi! I'm glad you're enjoying them, I love the Jedi and I hope I can help make being in the fandom around them a little more fun for people. <3 For me, my #1 wish for things I'd love to see explored with the Jedi: TELL ME ABOUT OUR FAVE JEDI'S APPRENTICESHIPS. I want to know so much more about Mace's apprenticeship, I want to know who was Shaak's Master, I want to know if Shaak and Plo were Padawans at the same time together, I want to know just exactly how Depa was a chaos gremlin for Mace, I want to know how much trouble Kit Fisto got into, I want more stories of Obi-Wan & Siri & Bolla & Pre being "a merry band of brats" as Yaddle called them, I want more stories of Yoda training Dooku and probably forcing Dooku to let Yoda ride on his shoulders! I want more stories of Luminara's time as a Padawan, I want more stories of Adi as a Padawan and what made her take the career paths she did, I want to know if Saesee was as much of a hellion as a Padawan as I suspect he was. I want to know more about various Jedi and their time as apprentices, rather than just more about Obi-Wan or Anakin's time as Padawans. I also want more worldbuilding on everything about the Jedi, I want to know what their schooling scheduling looks like, given how well-educated every Jedi we meet is, I'd love to know just how their classes are arranged, I want to know exactly what the layout of the Jedi Temple is, I want to know what special holidays the Jedi have that are unique to them, I want to know what special rites they have around their kyber crystals, given that they become extensions of the Jedi's soul. I want to know how the Force influences their art--there's statues and Force-sculpting and murals all over the place in the Jedi Temple, but the Force is more than just lifting clay or paint, at its heart is that it's your emotions that are your connection to the Force. Mace was a theatre nerd, how did the Jedi's psychic abilities work with that, did the actors project the emotions of the characters out into their Jedi audience? I want to know how emotions soaking into the walls affects the Jedi's way of doing things--when Anakin and Ahsoka get back to the Temple and can still hear the screams of the bomb that went off days ago, because it's echoing all around the space for them, how do the Jedi approach that? How do they try to mitigate leaving behind sorrow and pain and horror, especially in a hospital area where people are often sick and wounded? I want to know exactly what kind of games the Jedi babies play in the creche, especially since they would be teaching games, as the Jedi are a teaching-centric culture. I think one of the games mentioned in a book somewhere was a Jedi version of hide-and-seek, but what about cute little treasure hunt puzzles for developing psychometric skills? They have to pick up clues from the stuffed bantha toy to tell them where to find the next stuffed nexu toy, etc. each of the toys soaked through with warm, soft, comforting feelings by the creche masters to make it fun for the babies. There's so much that's under-explored (for my tastes, I've certainly cobbled a lot together to get a general idea of some things!) specifically through how the Jedi interact with the Force and to expand outside of just Obi-Wan or Anakin's time as an apprentice that I go a little gremlin-like just thinking about all I want to see explored!

[braindamagedteen]

introduction ☆

my irl name is [???] but i go by kat online

i’m 3-5teen years old!!

☆ lesbian ☆

details abt me :

mental:

i struggle with s/h & binge eating, i also struggle with communication & controlling my emotions because i get riled up easily offline & online! i’m a self-proclaimed hikkikomori & i feel like i will rot in my room till i x___x

fandoms:

menhera-chan, butterfly soup, madoka magica, needy streamer overload, magical girl raising project

hobbies:

i enjoy writing poetry a lot, haven’t wrote since february though because i’ve been so drained recently TvT, i enjoy playing minecraft & coding different spacehey layouts!!

music:

ruru’s s☆★cide show on a livestream, s3rl, mitski, alex g, diskowarp, i threw glass at my friends eye and now i’m on probation, rebzyyx, my chemical romance & like a ton more i’m just bad at naming stuff on the spot!!!! ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡

fun facts:

i like cats a lot, i have 5 cats, i’ve been a hikki since 2020, i’m into cosplay, i’m a huge fashion nerd, i like the brand so so happy i think the mascots & clothing designs are cute!! ^______^

things i wanna learn:

i wanna learn how to sing, play the electric guitar, japanese + chinese & skateboard, i struggle with commitment so i probably won’t learn any of those but i think they’re cool if i ever get a burst of motivation i’ll maybe consider doing them!! >______<

[phoenixkratos]

I came across the Phoenixdex website while researching for my own fan-region. I'm curious as to how you build the website to display your works, and do you have any recommendations when it comes to website-building?

Hi!

The Phoenixdex website is custom-coded, built on top of the ProcessWire PHP framework. ProcessWire and frameworks like it are great for building full-on database applications, but a project of that scope is usually way beyond what most people are interested in when they just want an easy personal website for showing off their fakemon stuff. I only bothered building all that myself because I work with web design and development as my actual job and it's a hobby I've had for a long time, so it used a skillset I happened to have already.

You can always go the same route if you either have or want to learn the same skills, but if you're not yet familiar with coding for the web, be aware that you'll need to obtain hosting for your site, and to learn about databases and the programming language/frameworks of your choice. (If you are curious about this, let me know and I can share some resources to help you get started/see if it's something you're really interested in!)

The much, much easier route is to sidestep all that and create a wiki-style site for your project. This is what I did before I created the fully-custom site, actually! (Although I still used my own hosting and made a few modifications, because again that is adjacent to my job/hobby and also I am a nerd.) This gives you a website that's nice and searchable but is also much easier to put together pages for than needing to learn full HTML or some kind of templating language and database APIs or whatever. It would basically be making your own custom Bulbapedia.

Most people used to recommend Fandom/Wikia for this, but there are a lot of awkward limitations and obnoxious ads and policies and it's probably best to stay away from all that. It looks like Miraheze ( https://miraheze.org/ ) is the big not-crappy wiki farm these days. I haven't used them myself so I don't have any personal experience to share about Miraheze as a host, but as I understand it they run a pretty straightforward version of MediaWiki (the same software created for Wikipedia and used for sites like Bulbapedia) so there are plenty of guides and resources out there for learning to use and customize it without Fandom's janky corporate nonsense confusing things. It's even possible to lay things out in the same format Bulbapedia uses, if you're interested in that and up for learning a little bit about MediaWiki templates, but that's far from necessary—you can just put your fakemon info, or trainer or move or whatever you're making a page for, onto the page in whatever format's easiest for you.

You can see an example of a fangame wiki made using Miraheze + MediaWiki on Pokémon Flux's wiki here: https://pkmnflux.miraheze.org/wiki/Main_Page They've opted to use a Bulbapedia-like layout for their content as well.

Sorry for the super basic yet kinda lengthy overview, but there're a lot of weeds you can get into when talking about website creation. I hope it at least helps get you pointed toward something that'll work for you! Let me know if anything was unclear, and best of luck getting your fan region site set up!

[moonstar-mush]

Exalted Secret Santa Journal 2023

Hyped to be doing this again! It's my second go at it.

Entry 1: Spears-to-Billhooks Nazmiya Architect Exigent of Lookshy Pronouns: She/her Age: 24 (been an exalt for three years) Ht: 9'6"

Description: When the last architect of Lookshy spoke out against the rampant corruption of the General Staff, they were assassinated for their insurrectionist behavior. The tyrants in charge hoped to get a more obedient and pliable replacement, instead they got Nazmiya. The hulking giant of a woman quickly got to work organizing an underground resistance movement and revolting at every opportunity against her would-be handlers. Lookshy is a city of soldiers, and under Nazmiya's banner they would fight for their freedom, and they would win.

Anima: In our game, the city-flag for Lookshy had a stylized white lotus silhouette. As the city's architect, Naz's anima mark depicts this logo, but with a messy purple scorpion overlaying it (Naz's moniker in the rebellion is "Queen Scorpion").

Anatomy Notes: Damn girl she huge. Take every opportunity in your composition to emphasize this fact.

Motifs: Purple & Silver; white jade; construction materials like bricks, rebar, and sandstone; scorpions, like the big kind that crush prey with their pincers; graffiti and spray-paint, the rebellion she leads is very Jet Set Radio inspired; bigness, hugeness, monolithicness, Naz is literally the pillar of the community.

Entry 2: Tendaji Greenwich Twilight Caste Solar Exalt (Bureaucracy Supernal) Pronouns: She/Her, Xe/Xyr, or They/Them Age: 23 (been an exalt for a year and a half) Ht: 5'8"

Other References: see the links in last years Journal

Description: My first ever exalted player character! Her game has just wrapped up a month ago, so I'm feeling very fond and nostalgic for her. She went from being a nervous and timid little nerd to a confident and self-actualized little nerd. I couldn't be prouder of her. The outfit and hairdo in the first two photos are her current appearance, and you can use the general color scheme in the third drawing.

Anima: Instead of appearing on xer forehead, Tendaji's castemark is actually situated on xer left eye, which turned teal upon xer exaltation. They manifest the Sun's command over the cycles of night and day, which essentially means they have time-powers. Tennie doesn't just build things, they push forward the hands of time to a project's completion. They don't just move quickly, they skip through time in a series of glitchy leaps and teal after-images. The nature of their exaltation is a bit overwhelming, and the more they use their powers, the less control they seem to have over what they're doing, slipping into a trance-like state and babbling in First Age tongues.

Anatomy Notes: Tendaji lost xyr right arm in a battle against an Abyssal, and eventually got it replaced thanks to the help of a necrosurgeon and xyr Liminal boyfriend (who donated its arm for grafting). The references in the artwork above depict how it should look, however now the vitiligo patterns have now begun to spread to further parts of Tendaji's body. Another note that hasn't been included in the color refs is that a few of her locks have become stark white due to some mental trauma involving ghostly possession.

Motifs: Teal & Yellow; clocks, watches; hourglasses, sundials and other assorted time imagery; architecture and city layouts; sunflowers & honeybees; paperwork, pens, sketches, and blueprints; when they're having a bad time: glitchiness and intense shadows

(The first image here is art from my fabulously excellent and talented GM, @butch-king-frankenstein )

Entry 3: Mokshi Bodhisattva Compassion No-Moon Caste Lunar Exalt (Carpenter Bee Spirit Shape) Pronouns: She/Her Age: 23 (exalted two years or so ago) Ht: 5'2"

Other References: see the links in last years Journal

Description: An NPC from Tendaji's game, Mokshi is xyr Lunar counterpart. With the campaign she's in being over, Mokshi has now gotten to train in a lunar enclave to learn sick martial arts and begin her own journey of self-discovery. She's also scored a 9-foot-tall girlfriend (Nazmiya) so basically life is going perfect for her.

Anima: Like Tennie, Mokshi's caste mark doesn't appear on her forehead, but rather on her eye. Specifically her left eye, which turned bright yellow upon her exaltation (mirroring Tendaji's heterochromia). When using her essence in displays of lunar power, the classic silver is overpowered by ambery-gold hues of honey. At higher anima levels, an amber moon hangs behind her like a halo, and spectral yellow bees swarm like a hive.

Anatomy Notes: Mokshi has a pair of little bee wings on her back. The wings and the exoskeleton of her hybrid from are primarily glossy black like a carpenter bee. Her left arm as suffered significant burn scars after fighting a dragonblood, and the hexagon tattoos on it have been damaged slightly. Mokshi is fat and curvy, so if you're drawing her please try to depict her body type accurately (no skinny Mokshi's please!). She wears pretty pronounced eyeliner and eyeshadow, and has glossy black lipstick. Feel free to give her a lil' fang or pointy teeth or two, as a treat. She has moonsilver knuckle-tats that say "BUZZ" and "KILL".

Motifs: Yellow & Black; bees, honey, and hives; honeycomb & hexagonal grids; goth aesthetics; fashion & clothing; comics and very sketchy pencil doodles; knives; money and burglary imagery; finger guns

Anyway these are my funny guys! Excited to see which get picked!

[enneamage]

What’s the weirdest thing to me is I kind of don’t get why tommy is floundering content wise I honestly think he’s way more insecure about the numbers than he says he is but everyone is down on numbers, it’s not quarantine anymore people are busy, but I think he’s taking it personally and it’s making him insecure (I also think this is why he’s sticking by dream tbh but that’s a different thought) what I’m confused about is comparatively he is still doing good and maybe it come from he also had the farthest to fall but he is a natural entertainer and his content does best when he drops the persona a little his (for example his live show went very well) but instead he seems to be really upping his persona I also don’t know why he seems so desperate to find something new because there’s been many things that really seem to have worked for him I do think he is jealous all his friends have big projects and he doesn’t but I think he needs to find something he enjoys and just commit to it I feel like he’s overthinking it but I also think he’s so scared of becoming irrelevant or he doesn’t wanna see something he genuinely enjoys fail I also think his fan base has grown up a little and he needs to decide if his content is gonna grow with them or if he’s going to continue to make content for kids/young teens like his yt videos tend to be

I have a superstition. It’s not really a theory because there’s nothing data-based backing it up (that I can point to), but years ago I started to believe that every two to four years the internet does a ‘full rotation’ when it comes to public figures, where the landscape shifts to a new cast/layout of people who are popular among The Youth / blowing up. The closest I can come to explaining it is that school tends to move in two to four year brackets so the peer-to-peer spread of something popular gets concentrated in those waves. I remember thinking ‘we’re coming up on the two-year mark’ a few months earlier when it came to the DSMP wave and man it’s really hit that two year pattern, down to the month.  

Nobody Is inherently doomed because of this and there’s always exceptions, but people generally have to switch up what they’re doing to some degree every two to four years because of the flow of who’s watching and what their headspace is like; you generally only get your young audience once. I feel like Tommy is aware that what goes up must come down because I remember him mentioning on stream that the fanbase for the DSMP was an anomaly, and that it would have been normal for them to have faded off in popularity at the time he was talking. I think that would have been around mid 2021, so in a way he was already accepting the fact that what goes up must come down. It wouldn’t make it any less emotionally difficult, but Tommy does have a stats nerd streak to keep him grounded.

I think there’s room to find a balance in what he does next. He’s said that he tried a lot of things this year, so there’s a line to straddle between keeping the things that made his content ‘work’ in the past and having to transition into a new era. I’m nobody’s Youtube advisor because appeasing the robots is not my strong suit, but it is his, so he’s going to be strategizing what he wants to do versus what he needs to do from here.  

[paponela]

Etching process pt.1: sketching

hiii!!!! so!! as i’ve said i’m beginning a big etching project right now and i thought it would be cool to show a little bit of how i approach it simply because i love sharing my stuff online but in this instance i can’t anywhere else because it’s a secret gift for a friend!!!!! and also because as we’ve established with the etching fic i am a nerd about it lol

 so!!! a bit of the process under the cut!!!! including lots of pics and lots of rambling

okay so first things first. a decade old friend moved to a different country a couple of months ago, and right before he did we traveled together to say goodbye. i obviously miss him very much, so i wanted to gift him something nice. at first i was going to draw him some landscapes and that was it, but this week i thought wait a minute.. what if... i made an etching COMIC!!

and i thought this because when you print something you made in copper it leaves a very distinct volume on the paper that i though would look great as a comic panel, check it out:

but the problem is. copper is extremely expensive. and since im making a comic i’ll be cutting it in extremely specific sizes that are very, very prone to leave a bunch of waste behind. i usually sketch something on my sketchbook before i draw on the copper and call it a day, but this time specifically i wanted

to be extra sure of what i was doing

heavily trace pictures of the trip

have a cool digital illustration just in case something goes wrong with the etching

so i ended up playing around with the pics me and my friends took and ended up with a 6 panels A3 layout that looks like this:

(back reveal omg hi!!!!!)

as you can see some pics were just fine by themselves, but i meshed some things up to look better, and the first panel looked weird no matter what i did, so i took a pic in my room this week and photoshoped it on top of something else to represent the one hundred hours we spent snorkeling - which obviously i have no pics of lol - it worked just fine i think!!!!

but anyway. since we’ve established that i also wanted a digital illustration in this specific instance, i set the brush to a very, very small size (2px) and just... hatched the hell out of the pics. usually when i do my sketches digitally i print multiple copies throughout the process so i don’t waste time drawing things that won’t show up, but this time i just wanted to have some fun!!! not only would i have a cool drawing by the end but it’s always nice to like. test out how to draw something before you actually spend a lot of money to draw in on copper hgdkjhgfd the end result looks like this:

and the printed version looks like this, with my hand for scale:

while everything looks fine on the screen, the second and third panel have waaaay too much detail for them to really work on print, so im doing a simpler redraw some time later so they fit better with everything else. but for now that’s it!!! im taking the printed version with me to my uni next monday and i’ll begin the actual etching, and when i have one of them ready i’ll come back with part two and show how you both etch and print an individual panel!! i’ve never printed multiple plates at once, so obviously there will be a lot of testing around about that specifically lol. wish me luck!!! you’ll hear more from me soon ;)

[tastyflowers]

I went for a consultation with a tattoo artist this morning and I am SO STOKED. she is a fellow plant nerd and is clearly very excited for the project and had a lot of great input and ideas for the layout and mannn it's going to look so good!!

[waterrr]

oi, bem! poderia fazer layouts do andrew de nerd project? por favor

prontinho !! espero que goste <3

[cordrazine-official]

I was tagged by @fancy-a-dance-brigadier to post the titles of all my current WIPs so here they are. I don't have a lot because I try not to start too many at the same time (I have learned over time that starting a lot of different pieces is the perfect recipe for me to never finish anything.)

Cargo plane fic: in this modern AU Sisko and Bashir are cargo pilots flying for the same airline and this piece specifically is about one specific flight and the hotel night they spend together once they land. It wasn't meant to become this huge, long-haul project (ha) but it did; and now I'm nerding out about safety procedures, cockpit layouts and checklists in addition to trying to make it good. Exploring their dynamic in that context is really interesting.

Moonlit date by the lake: exactly what it says in the title. This is my entry for the upcoming Siskoshir Sunday so this is the one I'm focusing on right now. I'm trying Ben POV for this one and I'm excited about it!

UFP-BAJ-DS9: a multi-chapter fic I'm updating whenever I feel like writing a new chapter. Its main character is an Andorian OC which was a background character in my "Stroll Across the Promenade" series, and I liked her so much I gave her her own story. She's an Air Traffic Controller at DS9 and that's basically it - a look at everyday life working on DS9. She occasionally meets characters like Sisko, Dax and Bashir but most characters are OCs.

Doommaker: a Garashir Bond holosuite fic. It's actually almost finished but I'm having trouble editing it. I started it ages ago… James Bond is one of my special interests (RIP to me) so I really loved writing it. There's some good stuff in there.

Patouillet TOS: you know those little disposable plastic cups they drink from on TOS, during meetings and such? They very clearly come from a vending machine. So this is a fic that follows the guy whose job it is to replenish that vending machine whenever the Enterprise is in for maintenance. It's set during the episode "Court Martial". I'm really interested in what the random crew members on the ships and stations get up to, so that's what I like writing. The title refers to an inside joke that would take too long to explain.

Belinda Blinked fic: something I started writing at a point where I didn't have any ideas for a trek fic. It's set during book 6 of the Belinda Blinked series (if you don't know it - go check out the "My Dad Wrote A Porno" podcast, you will not regret it) and it's basically Belinda having drinks at the Pentra while she tries to come to terms with Spooner's death. I tried to make it dark and broody cos i thought that would be hilarious.

That's it for my WIPs! I'm tagging @elemental-queen-writes, @section-69 and anyone else who wants to do it!

[danpuff-ao3]

Danni! For the Behind the Scenes ask --- 5 & 12!

Scarlet!! <3

5.) What is the perfect environment for you to write in?

MY OFFICE!!!!

Eddie (my partner) and I decluttered and reorganized our home recently. We still have some smaller projects to tackle, like the kitchen cabinets and the outdoor shed, but...the point is, we've made a lot of progress!

(Forgive the rambling but I'm really happy and wanna talk about it!)

Our space has been super cluttered and chaotic for a while because my partner's work hours were insane, and they've only been slightly less insane the past year. And over time, my own motivation to stay on top of things, basically alone, waned. But late November/early December we were super motivated to get moving and we did! Every weekend we'd tackle another room. Donated a bunch of excess stuff. Got supplies we needed to set up some stuff. And voila!

When we moved in, what is meant to be a dining room (but neither of us has use for a dining room) was made into a computer room, and our spare room was...basically a library? But for our fantasy books specifically. But our needs changed over time, so now the dining room is my office! And the spare room is his fantasy/MTG/DnD/Nerd Cave.

So rather than just my desk crammed into the computer room (slash junk room, basically) I now have my very own space! My HP bookcase is in there, a bookcase for my astrology books, a desk bookcase for reference books. I have various figures all around, and my mugs on the wall, and SNARRY ART. SO MUCH SNARRY ART. I AM SPOILED BY SNARRY ART AND I NEED MORE. Ahem. Anyway. Basically I have a very special space and it's perfect and it brings me so much joy and I'm all teary just typing about it.

ANYWAY. I now have the Ultimate Writing Space. But I've not properly used it for writing yet. 😂 It's only been properly set up for a few weeks and I've not written much since I submitted White Lies & Silver Bells.

Wait wait I lied I wrote Again last weekend 🤣 So it might be more accurate to say I've not written much there yet. And tbf I was fangirling too much about writing fic for A_Loveunlaced's art to properly appreciate the experience. 😅

But it's great! The aesthetic is great. I have much inspiration from all the Snarry. I have candles to set the mood! I have comfort in the layout, from my laptop stand, to my ergonomic keyboard and my vertical mouse, and my footrest! I have lots of lighting options between my whimsical string lights and the mood lighting from our Philips Hue bulbs. I have much coffee! And since my office is what should be the dining room, it's so close to my InstantPod!!!! Just a few steps, grab a mug along the way, and COFFEE!

Ideally I'd have some ambient noise playing. I have enough room to prop up my ipad and pull up YouTube to pull up a video from MiracleForest or one of the Hogwarts Pomodoro videos. That way I have chill noise that isn't distracting and nice imagery!

Idk I have everything I need in one little area and it has such a good vibe and it genuinely brings me so so much joy. I still have a few art pieces to hang but once it's all finally finished I plan on sharing pics with everyone!! 😁

And with luck, I'll get more writing done there this weekend!! I'm getting a head start on Thon 😎 (in theory, anyway.)

12.) Is there a trope you haven’t written yet but really want to?

Omg!! Probably. But what is it...? 🤔

The big one that I can feasibly write soonish would be soulmates! Even though Snarry are soulmates so every Snarry fic is a soulmate fic, but I digress. But I have an actual idea for one!! Mega angst and wrongness and weirdness. I've made a few attempts but the time isn't right yet. It's not come out right so far, so I just poke at it every few months and see how I'm feeling about it.

Others I have vague desire to write, but have no actual ideas for yet, would be like amnesia!! I want a good amnesia fic where Harry forgets Severus and has a super negative reaction to his present life and Severus being all heartbroken and defensive...😌

Also! I'd love to write a case fic, I just don't know that I have the right skillset for that. Or maybe it just requires more time and thought than I can really give right now. Who knows! But I really do need more Snarry case fics in my life.

Oh! I actually do have an idea for an arranged marriage fic, but I'm still hacking out the details on that one.

OH!! And a sex pollen fic I need to write.

Okay so I have more Actual Ideas than I thought I did, oops. But yeah! Lotsa cool stuff to play with one day. But I don't really wanna pump out stories for the sake of writing an amnesia fic, but to have something really solid that I'm really excited about. And even when I do have ideas, other ideas are ones I'm more jazzed about and steal my attention...😬 So I'll get there one day! Maybe!

Behind the Scenes of Fic Writing: 30 Questions for Authors

Answered: 1, 4, 23; 5, 12

[firestar5318]

Because I am a huge overly meticulous nerd I am currently on a quest to determine the best layout and design for my village in Disney Dreamlight Valley.

This includes taking measurements and figuring out best placement to optimize efficiency, while still remaining atheistically pleasing.

I was hoping the community would give me a hand in figuring all this out!

If you’re interested in working on creating a pleasant, efficient and ideal layout for each of the buildable areas in DDV, feel free to join the server. I have a feeling this is going to be a project.

[theplumbnerd]

Bathroom Remodeling Challenges: Plumb Nerd's Success Story

Introduction

Hey there, fellow DIY warriors! Jack Thompson, your Plumb Nerd from Denver, is here to share a success story that emerged from the trenches of a bathroom remodeling project. Bathroom renovations can be a rollercoaster of challenges, but fear not – in this tale, I'll walk you through the hurdles I faced and the steps I took to turn those challenges into triumphs. So, put on your hard hats, and let's dive into this bathroom remodeling success story together!

The Renovation Rollercoaster

A few months ago, I embarked on the ambitious journey of remodeling my bathroom. What began as a quest for a fresh, modern space quickly morphed into a series of unforeseen challenges. From plumbing predicaments to unexpected surprises behind the walls, this renovation tested my DIY prowess. Challenge 1 - Plumbing Predicament As I started dismantling the old fixtures, I discovered outdated plumbing that needed urgent attention. The pipes were corroded, and the water pressure left much to be desired. It was clear that a plumbing overhaul was in order. Solution 1 - Plumbing Renaissance Undeterred, I tackled the plumbing challenge head-on. With the help of a wrench and a lot of elbow grease, I replaced old pipes, installed new fixtures, and even added a water pressure booster to enhance the shower experience. The plumbing predicament transformed into an opportunity for an upgraded and efficient system. Challenge 2 - Surprise Structural Issues Upon tearing down some walls, I uncovered unexpected structural issues. Rotting wood and a termite surprise made it clear that a simple cosmetic renovation wouldn't suffice. Structural reinforcements were needed. Solution 2 - Structural Resilience Taking a deep breath, I reinforced the weakened structures, replacing damaged beams and ensuring a solid foundation. The surprise structural issues became an opportunity to create a bathroom with not just aesthetic appeal but also robust integrity. Challenge 3 - Design Dilemma As I delved into the design phase, I faced the challenge of making the most of a limited space. Maximizing storage while maintaining an open feel became a puzzle that needed solving. Solution 3 - Space-Savvy Design With a tape measure in hand, I carefully planned the layout to optimize every inch. Wall-mounted storage, strategically placed mirrors, and compact fixtures transformed the limited space into a well-organized haven. The design dilemma became an opportunity for creativity and innovation. Challenge 4 - Budget Bumps Midway through the renovation, I encountered budget bumps that threatened to stall the project. Unforeseen expenses and the temptation of upgrading materials added strain to the financial plan. Solution 4 - Budget Juggling Adapting to the financial curveballs, I revisited the budget, prioritizing essentials and finding cost-effective alternatives. Budget bumps became a lesson in financial flexibility, reminding me that a successful renovation doesn't always mean breaking the bank. Challenge 5 - Timeline Tug-of-War The timeline for completion became a tug-of-war between expectations and reality. Unforeseen challenges and meticulous detailing extended the project beyond the initially envisioned schedule. Solution 5 - Patience and Precision Embracing the mantra that good things take time, I reevaluated the timeline, ensuring that each step received the attention it deserved. Patience and precision became my guiding principles, turning the timeline tug-of-war into a journey of meticulous craftsmanship.

Lessons Learned

This bathroom remodeling saga left me with several valuable lessons: - Expect the Unexpected: Renovations often come with surprises. Expecting the unexpected allows for a more flexible and resilient approach. - Opportunities in Challenges: Every challenge presents an opportunity for improvement and innovation. Embrace challenges as stepping stones to a better result. - Flexibility is Key: Both in design and budget, flexibility is crucial. Being open to adjustments ensures a smoother renovation process. - Patience Pays Off: A successful renovation requires patience. Rushing can lead to oversights, while a patient approach yields a more polished outcome.

Conclusion

And there you have it, DIY champs – a success story born from the challenges of bathroom remodeling, delivered by Jack Thompson, your Plumb Nerd. If you're tackling your own renovation, remember that challenges are part of the journey, and with the right mindset, they can lead to the most rewarding results. Happy remodeling! Read the full article

[assortedbirds]

08/01/24: Log 1- Static Pulse

To try and motivate myself, and also because I love archiving things, I am gonna experiment with writing diaries/logs for projects in order to update and reflect on my progress. Let's see how long I keep up with this!

While flitting between VN projects and other OCs for years I am finally in a place where I think I can feasibly start putting together Morgan and Wren's story. It's been a long journey with them so far, having first conceptualised them/crafted the story outline in 2017, but I can finally see myself putting the entire thing together. My original plan was to "warm up" so to speak by finishing/publishing another, shorter, work, Voice of A Living Fate. However: VN software is intimidating so I have been sitting on the completed script for Fate since the end of 2022 (whoops...). Truly, my brain's tendency to short circuit is my arch-nemisis.

However, I am nothing if not determined and I was looking into Ren'py, VN Maker and other such software to try and get started on learning the ins and outs of it, and out of left field my brain fell on Twine. It did not think of Twine as a potential software in which to make Fate, as it definitely would not suit the vision I have for that game, but I came to the realisation that the specific layout of text and visuals Twine is capable of would perfectly suit Wren and Morgan's story. And because of how approachable Twine is (so far, I am, fully anticipating that I will get caught up on trying to do something specific later) the story finally felt achievable to create.

I would have to adjust my process for this one, however. Instead of writing the entire script in my OC book (I vastly prefer handwriting my notes) then transferring that script to Google Docs, as I had with Fate and smaller personal projects like my twst OCs, I think that the best way to go will be to just use the assorted scene notes I have written over the past 7 years and write everything directly intro Twine. I just need to think about what device I want to start developing the game on, as I would ideally like to be able to work on it on my laptop, however I am far more productive when I work away from home and the inconveniences of my ipad might be outweighed by its portability...

As any rate, the first step, I quickly realised, was to simplify my artyle because if I use my regular style for this I will never get it done. I need to cut more corners!! I need to make it simpler!!!! While I am still agonising over Morgan's eye shape, I have more or less settled on this approach (having simple lines and minimal, flat, foreground and background colours):

(why does simplified Morgan look like he's smizing far more??? Argh!!!)

After that, upon opening a blank Twine Canvas, I came to the next stopping point...after seven years I still did not have a name for this story. So, on one of my "going to a café to force myself to be productive" outings, I sat down and spent a few hours agonising over names. My first idea (after looking at some "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" quotes, not because I reference that story in any way in their story but because I am a Literature Nerd who loves cheeky references) was for the title to go against the thesis of the work somewhat. I enjoyed the idea of androids supposedly living "paltry lives" and the story being about proving that wrong. This idea could apply to Wren somewhat as well, so I started experimenting with phrases and soon realised that static is the perfect word to use in the title.

(If you notice the difference in pen, it it because mine had ran out and the café staff were kind enough to lend me another one...thankyou staff.)

Once I had that sorted, now came the arduous task of narrowing down what specific combination of words I wanted to use.....this is where I start to become unhinged over the span of a few days and 24 titles:

After discussing this with one of the two people who know the full details of this story (love you Evie, thankyou as always💖), we settled on Static Pulse as the title!

Now that this is decided, my goal is to start working on the early story CGs and chip away at the first draft of the game 💪 I will update with more information later...probably.

-Billie

[kamsparadox]

I forgor (ramble #2)

I said I was going to ramble here, and I sort of forgot. Well, more specifically, I had this perfectionistic mindset on what I wanted to be posted since it's a far more public place, so I put off rambling until I found something I though was worthy of being talked about.

Anyway, I was planning on talking about history but as I rambled further below, I'm instead going to just vomit out some things.

Me when my mind

I'm not as big of a nerd (obsessive study guy) than I actually seem, and I often feel like I have to dedicate a large chunk of malleable time in order to push myself into studying things. This is because my specific way of learning things, the moment I start, requires me to learn every detail there is to something.

This also stems from a sort of perfectionistic desire to ensure that everything works out if I did put in effort into doing something, so I'm often left with the choice of either just half-assing or full-assing, and due to the constraint of the variety of my interests, I never want to full-ass in case I miss out on another interest of mine. It's a huge time sink, and I already have multiple projects I'm devoting some time into.

Perfectionism and poor executive control don't mix well at all

Recent obsessions

1. Urban Design

Recently I've been really into wanting to learn more about urban planning and city design as a side to another project of mine. Since the past, I've always been interested in exploring the idea of a city and how that affects its inhabitants. The cultures, history, customs, etc. have both such a clear but also vague relationship with the person inhabiting it. Constantly in my head I'm playing with the ideas of where farms will be built, how people will acquire resources, and how people will build communities based on these material needs. The way the population due to their history will affect the city, and how it becomes this system of perpetuation of the minds of the people is fascinating. But most interestingly, now that I think about it, is the way that these histories continue to put pressure on the psyche of the population by virtue of structures and layout being permanent.

Imagine if the statues of totalitarian dictators continue to loom over your now democratic nation, preserved for historical purposes. That'd be some fucked up shit. A population holding on to trauma for the fact that it's a portion of one's history. There are ways of preserving history that's healthy. Put it in a museum rather in a public place.

2. Chinese History (or, a very long ramble mostly about the Yellow River)

So i was reading up on Chinese history because, out of everything, that's basically the one I have the least clue about. It was going to be fun, I thought, but then it opened up a can of worms that's important but minimally to the understanding of Chinese history: The Yellow River

The Yellow River is one of the rivers in China that became the catalysts that started it all. All civilizations require access to water for farming purposes, and the Yellow River provided that. It's also used for traversing and trade.

Look at how yellow and murky that is yippee But my main interest wasn't the interaction between the Yellow River and ancient Chinese historical development. No, what I need to know is why the fuck is the river yellow?

Okay, so the yellow river wasn't originally yellow. It gained its name after it got its color. In the beginning it was just the river. What caused the coloration is the distribution of sediments from the Loess Plateau. Doesn't explain it still. Okay: Loess is a silt-like sediment. Silts are basically a granular material with the size between sand and clay. Not completely fine, but it's small. They're created through the Aeolian process, which is basically saying: they're caused by winds carrying small bits of weathered materials.

Aeolian Process Okay, but why yellow: because one of those small bits carried by the wind is Iron Oxide, which typically come in Yellow and Red forms. Additionally, there are just a bunch of various other silt materials there that interact with light in such a way that it gives off a yellowish coloration.

Iron Oxides

Have you ever seen what sand looks like under a microscope? Do you think they're just yellow particle grains all there under your feet being silly? Nope. They're

a collection of various different materials: quartz, rocks, shells, minerals, volcanic materials all smoothened up by their time under water. The yellow coloration is in part due to the interaction between these collections of materials and light when viewed from far away rather than their composition. That can help explain the yellow coloration of Loess.

And even more fascinating: the fact that this river has a lot of Loess running through it means that when rivers go on a very meandering, slow route, the loess sediment transportation slows down too, and, affected by gravity, falls to the riverbed. Accumulation of Loess begins and natural embankments are made. That embankment goes high enough, the yellow river will have to change routes because by that point, it becomes more energy efficient for the river to find another path to the sea.

The Yellow River has always been known for its turbulence, but I think the surprising connection of the yellow coloration and its turbulence is just very cool and exciting.

In the 2,540 years from 595 BC to 1946 AD, the Yellow River has been reckoned to have flooded 1,593 times, shifting its course 26 times noticeably and nine times severely.

Not only that, but artificial embankments were made in an attempt to control the shifting paths of the river. That artificial embankment only helped to shift its path yet again, causing it to flood and displaced people yet again.

That's what I've learned about Chinese history. idk about dynasties or smth yet.

3. Cyberpunk 2077

Visually amazing. Great lore. Lots of attention to detail on the urban design, historicism, architecture and the various cultures of Night City. It feels alive and as if everything has its historical purpose. Each district is distinct and memorable. Constantly playing the game just to get on a car/motor and ride through it.

Extra thoughts

So earlier I talked about how I wasn't that big of a nerdy guy. Sorry I was wrong.