#one of these days I should make a tutorial for basic set-up

[skaruresonic]

The reason I get excited at being able to implement even small functions in RenPy is because whenever I try to follow a cookbook or tutorial: = The information is outdated, and I don't realize this until I get errors trying to execute the code. Much of the documentation that exists is obsolete by now, and RenPy is always updating the syntax it will accept. So you can have code that works for version 7.1.1 if you "word" the code right, but not work for version 8.1.1 because the newer version changed how you express the function. = The tutorial-maker made a mistake or neglected to establish an important variable early on, and you only realize it 5 forum thread posts later when they're like "teehee disregard what I just said, this is the correct code" = The code is poorly-written. Nobody in this Chili's fucking indents their shit. Also y'all need to comment out code with TWO pound signs, not one.

= I keep getting syntax errors because it's like 3 AM and I don't realize I forgot a single quotation mark. = It turns out the function I need to manipulate is a piece of code in screens.rpy or gui.rpy, or both, or neither, or it needs to be defined in the script as well. Nobody tells you where to put init:, for example, everyone assumes you already know you put it in the script. And like I said, because RenPy changes what syntax it will accept with each version of the program, you need to place code in specific places in order for it to work. But some other stuff like changing the text, font, and size of the notify box but not the notification box without also changing all of your game's GUI can be tricky.

= After much banging of head against wall, you realize the way you're implementing something is contradictory and causes a crash because you're trying to make RenPy read something in the wrong order (putting cart before horse) or you're trying to make it read something you haven't defined, or which doesn't exist. The computer can only read variables you have defined. = Didn't indent. = Indented too much. = RenPy decides nah, it doesn't wanna run the code.

That being said, I am now unreasonably excited about finally being able to use object classes in Python. The problem I kept running into in OaS was that, for whatever reason, I couldn't get persistent variables to stick, meaning the flags for triggers that were not as complex as I may have liked. But object classes seem to work around that constraint just fine, and the best part is I don't have to define a million individual variables with easily-breakable if/else statements.

So now instead of the narrative being based on one binary choice while feigning the illusion of divergence in the others, I can craft a more complex narrative that actually takes your choices into account and assigns variables to them that will influence the ending you get or which routes you see.

Implementation is going to be a shit ton of work as usual, but I'm actually really excited to see how this will pan out.

[jasperxkuromi]

Play ideas for chronically ill, disabled, or otherwise bed bound/low energy littles

Hi all! I am chronically ill. I am not comfortable sharing my specific diagnosis, but I am more than okay with talking about disability in general. Everything below is based on my own personal experiences and activities I like to do while stuck in bed. Everyone's body and experiences are different. I may list some things that just aren't an option for you, and that's okay. You are more than welcome to add on to this post with activities you do too!

🐛 Open the curtains and cloud watch! I like to look for clouds that remind me of animals or characters and day dream a story about them. If the weather is nice, consider opening your window a little bit and letting some fresh air into your room.

🐦 Bird watch! I have a bird feeder outside my window that I painted myself from a kid's kit. There are also bird feeders that have suction cups that can be stuck right on your window. You can also make your own seed ornaments. You could pick yourself up a kids book or two on learning to identify birds.

🌷 Get a window planter. You may need someone's help to set one up, but once they are in place they are fairly easy to care for. I like pansies and marigolds because they remind me of childhood, and they are low maintenance and do well in containers.

📖 Audiobooks are great for middles who want to read chapter books. If you have a library card you can borrow tons of audiobook, ebooks, and comics through hoopla and Libby for free. There are some audiobooks for younger kiddo books, but honestly I think YouTube is better for that.

🖼️ Scrapbooks and journals! Being penpals with another little is also an option, but I do recommend using basic internet safety and common sense. (I don't think you should do this if you are under 18). You could always scan/take pictures of your letter and send it digitally to your penpal instead.

🛏️ If you spend a lot of time in bed, and have the money to do so, I really recommend getting items to make your time in bed more comfortable. Extra pillows, or even a reading pillow can be helpful. Lap desks or bed tables can give you space to color or set up play scenes with small toys.

🌟 You can also decorate the area around your bed to make it more child like! Fairy lights, glow in the dark stars, bed canopies, posters, and the like.

🪑 I have a floor chair I use for times I am playing outside of my bed. Being close to the floor helps me feel small, but not having back support hurts after a short while. I have an adjustable one that I can lay flat on the floor as a sleeping mat. Very helpful for the times when I need a quick nap after playtime.

🎨 Check the seasonal and kids sections at dollar stores and Five Below. I usually find fun craft kits that can keep me occupied for a bit for really cheap.

🧶 Do your own crafts! I like the knit and crochet. Some people can do them in bed, but I find it difficult to find a comfortable way to do that. However making friendship bracelets in bed works out pretty well. They make great gifts, even for non little friends. Or you could make matching ones for you and your CG or favorite plushie!

🪀 Make your own sensory bin! You can find tons of tutorials and ideas online. Bonus is you can get most of the items you would use at the dollar store. There are tons of other DIY sensory toys you can make as well if you look around. Glitter/shaker bottles are pretty popular too.

🐇 Cuddle with your stuffed animals. Tell them stories. Play pretend. Read to them. They will appreciate all of it.

🎮 If you have an old 3DS stuffed away in a drawer somewhere, pull it back out. 3DS are fairly easy to install homebrew and there are toooons of kiddo friendly games you could get (check 3ds.hacks.guide for this, do not follow tutorials on YouTube or random websites as they very well could be outdated)

💊 Decorate your medicine organizers with stickers. If you use mobility aids you can decorate them as well! Fake flowers are great for decorating mobility aids and there are tons of ideas you can find online.

🍼 I have stomach problems that makes it hard for me to eat enough. I often drink Ensure to make sure I am getting enough calories/nutrients. I get the strawberry flavor and sometimes put it in my sippy cup and pretend it is strawberry milk 😋

😴 If you need rest, rest! You deserve to get as much sleep as your body needs. Babies and toddlers take naps all the time! Trying to just exist with chronic health issues is difficult enough. You don't need to push yourself.

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

Hello! Many people have said this but ill say it too, I LOVE YOUR COMIC SO MUCH ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡

I really wanted to ask you about how you do the backgrounds? (Something i struggle with) whats the process? Like from start to finish, also, to do the rise backgrounds do you use reference from the show and generally real photo of ny? Or do you come up with them? And last question- The shadow and light on the background- Like HOW

i know it’s a lot of questions but i’m just so curious qwq and wanna learn to be better, thank you again in case you read this and respond, in case you don’t, i hope you have a nice day and a wonderful life uwu keep up the great work! (≧◡≦) ♡

Backgrounds are a really broad subject and I'm always a little overwhelmed when asked this question. Just like drawing the human body, backgrounds take time, repetition, and practice!

My answer got a bit long, so it's going under a read more :) but if you digest info better in video format I found this on youtube

It pretty much goes over everything I wanted to say, but in a much better way. I wish I had found it before writing all this out lol

ok, first of all, I'm not a teacher nor was I built to be one of those cool helpful art tutorial people who do a full coloured tutorial filled with illustrations. This is just going to be a messy "how I do backgrounds / environment layouts from start to finish." kinda thing.

... lets start with a sight tangent.

Sketch from Life!!!

If you want to get better at backgrounds I recommend doing some sketching out in the real world!

When I was first getting into doing backgrounds I went to cafes and parks to just sketch the buildings and objects. Sketch rocks, flowers, clumps of grass, garbage cans, bottles, tables, street signs, etc. If you are drawing a tree observe how the trunks twist, how the bark flows, or how the leaves are bunched.

If you can't leave the house the same still applies! Sketch the interiors of your house, the walls, or common objects like chairs and bookshelves. How are objects stacked? items on the floor?

If you aren't comfortable with drawing outside or in public you can take some photos to draw from! They are good for practice and you can use them again as references later. Alternatively you can find pictures online of buildings and objects to sketch as practice.

All spaces have objects in them, it becomes easier to draw those kinds of spaces when you already have spent time observing and sketching them.

ALSO! They don't have to be good sketches! It's just to build out your mental catalogue and strengthen your perception of perspective.

now the actual thing...

BACKGROUNDS

(the pictures used for this are my own. I dug them out of my 2022 folder)

Backgrounds have slightly different rules based on what you are making them for. Videogame Environment Concept Art vs Animation Layouts vs Comic Backgrounds vs Illustration backgrounds.

They all follow the same basics, which I will go over here, but the intention and function of those designs are going to be different. It's all about how you set up the scene and what it's purpose is!

Brainstorming and Thumbnailing

I like to think about a location as though it is a character. An abandoned old house with creaky sagging floorboards is very different from a futuristic space ship with sharp metal floor panels. A gas station has a very different feeling from a library.

I usually start by asking what is this location's story? Why was it built and for what purpose? What kinds of things does this room need to fulfill that purpose? You don’t need solid answers, but its good to be thinking about it while you are working.

Next, sketch some ideas for how this place is going to look. For me, this usually involves drawing the idea from multiple angles and then making lists & small sketches of the objects I think should be filling the space.

Example: The main character of my original work is a Wanderer. They collect a lot of things on their travels, but those items have to be small enough to be easily carried in a backpack. I wanted his room to be in the corner of an attic, walled off by curtains, and filled with trinkets. You can see some of my brainstorming above.

References

I only look for references after I've done some sketching and planning; this is to solidify my idea first so that I don't accidentally copy anyone else's work. I will make a moodboard with pictures of lighting, colours, items, rooms with specific ceiling beams, old chairs, etc. basically whatever I feel fits the vibe.

Honestly, I don't use references as much as I should. For ROTTMNT fanart I look at backgrounds and screenshots from the series to study the style. I also reference actual photos of NYC to get a feel for how Rise condenses the visual information.

In general, it's good to have references of real life objects/locations, because there are so many details like cracks in pavement, stickers on polls, crowning on buildings, fancy fencing, weird chair legs, etc. that you might not think of. It's the imperfect details that can make a location feel more alive.

Perspective

Once you have your chosen sketch we move to.... the infamous perspective boxes. Doing backgrounds is just learning to be comfortable drawing So Many boxes and carving items out of them.

Many better artists than myself have made videos on perspective, vanishing points, and all the technical bits. Videos like THIS ONE and THIS ONE are helpful (this post is great too!!). There are probably a lot of classes to be found on Skillshare or Schoolism. I learned a lot of this in my college art course, so I can't give you a specific video which helped me.

You can get by and be a good artist without learning this stuff. There are quite a few successful artists who have admitted they never bothered to learn perspective (one of these people even made a whole graphic novel series).

I personally avoided properly learning this stuff until I was in my 20s because I thought it would be boring and difficult to do. tbh I really wish I had learned it earlier because it's so much fun to make those silly little boxes imo. It looks scary and complicated but, just like drawing humans, it just takes time, repetition, and practice to develop the knowledge and skills.

Cleanup

You have your boxes and lines! Cool! Now to make a scene out of it. Fill in the details, get everything placed were you want it! Generally, the lines of each item will point back towards the horizon line, but they can have different perspective points.

Generally you would want to clean it up and get your room completely sketched before doing the lineart. I tend to combine the steps (not recommended)

Lineart

I've mentioned how I do this before. Closer objects have thicker lines and more detailed inside. Further objects have thinner lines and less detail. I didn't quite achieve that balance with the image below, but it's close enough.

Colours and Shading will have to be a separate post. In the meantime, I highly recommend the book "Color and Light" by James Gurney. I used to borrow it from my local library and a good chunk of my knowledge was learned from it :)

[being-addie]

Morning Routines

We're all looking at those Instagram influencers who somehow manage to wake up at 5 am, do meditation, journal, do a 15-step Korean skincare routine, and go to the gym. And then they make a green smoothie and avocado toast, get dressed in a Chanel outfit and then sit at their fancy desk with a vanilla latte and a croissant.

This is not realistic. You probably already know that, but it likely won't stop you from trying to change your routine bit by bit to look a little like theirs. That didn't stop me, at least.

But now I've come to realise that no matter how much I try, I'll never be able to have a routine like the ones I see online. Because it doesn't exist. It's all curated for aesthetic appeal and generates a sense of false productivity in the watcher's brain. We feel motivated looking at those videos and never get around to changing our own life because we're too busy living vicariously through our phones.

Here's some things you should add to your morning routine, not to be fancy, but to feel better. This is coming from someone who's tried the unrealistic routines, and I now incorporate all of these into my routine. You can skip or add things according to your schedule.

S-T-R-E-T-C-H: Do your body a favour and loosen up your muscles. Nothing better than having a good stretch that wakes your body up.

Drink water: Before you put anything in your system, drink water. Not coffee, not tea. Plain warm water. And I don't mean lemon water. Some people might not agree, but lemon water strips your teeth of the enamel. It also is acidic, so all that bullshit they talk about it being "alkaline and pH balancing" is nonsense. Warm water is the way to go.

Make your bed: A clean bed should be the first thing you do after you wake up. At the end of the day, you'll thank yourself because it will be clean, and fresh and you can fall into bed immediately.

Hygiene: Wash your face to get rid of crusty eyes and sleep. Do a basic skincare routine (cleanser, moisturizer) so you'll feel fresher. Brush your teeth and hair.

Move your body: It doesn't matter what you do, even if it's for 15 minutes. Go for a walk, do a Zumba workout, or squeeze in a HIIT session. You can find lots of tutorials on YouTube (Caroline Girvan, growingannanas, Chloe Ting). Either way, working out will help you feel more motivated and happier. It's the endorphins.

Clean yourself: Set aside some time for showering, slathering on lotion, and doing your (real) skincare and makeup routine. Pick an outfit that makes you feel good about yourself.

Eat something: ALWAYS make some food. Your body has been famished for hours on end, give it some fuel. Make a healthy breakfast, or prep one the night before. If you don't get very hungry in the mornings, have a banana, and pack a mid-morning snack beforehand so you don't reach for chips.

Do 3 things: Make a to-do list of everything you need to do today. Don't overwhelm yourself. Then, knock off 3 easy tasks from the list that you can do quickly. You'll be filled with a sense of motivation, and it'll be easier for you to complete your list. It can be chores, it could be some assigned reading. Just get it done.

Gratitude or prayer: You don't need to sit for 15 minutes to practice gratitude. You can think of things your thankful for on the way to school or work or practice deep breathing/say a small prayer on the subway or bus. You don't HAVE to do it, but it definitely makes you realise how much you have in life and appreciate it more.

Kindness: Start your day with kindness. Compliment your barista, smile at the old lady on the street, pet the stray cat. There's so much love in the world, and you have so much love inside you, and it's beautiful to be a part of it.

No longer will I be stuck in a rut. I cannot be confined to being a bitter, unhealthy person when I know there's a smiling, healthy, happy version of me in the future. Deep breaths. You'll get there babe.

<3

[astrobiscuits]

Astro observations part 6

🪻Individuals with Sun in Taurus degrees (2,14,26) are always thinking about money - how they can earn more money, what to spend it on. If it's in Scorpio or conjuncts Pluto, they'll often lie about how much money they actually have just to profit off of you. You'll often hear them say "I don't have any money" but secretly have stash of money hidden in their house

🪻Not only do Aquarius Suns have a lot of friends, they also befriend the shy/awkward/forgotten kid (me). I haven't noticed this with other Sun signs

🪻People with Venus in Leo/Leo degrees (5,17,29) often get complimented on their thick hair

🪻Asteroid Fraga (1105) conjuncting any of your planets/angles/nodes indicates your love for strawberries lol

🪻 Check your Moon in Webb (3041) Persona chart. It gives you more insight on the type of content you like to consume on the internet. You can also take into consideration the degree of your Moon

Aries 🌙 - *watches sports matches live*; *laughs at stupid, childish memes *

Taurus 🌙 - the one who always searches for tutorials; "how to bake lava cake", "how to remove a stripped screw"; hmm, maybe i should move *searches houses for sale*;

Gemini 🌙 - *watches memes*, doesn't care what kind of meme it is as long as it's a meme; *scrolls endlessly on r/todayilearned*

Cancer 🌙 - *watches baby videos*; the type that reads family drama posted on reddit, but also regularly checks what their own relatives post on social media

Leo 🌙 - the newest tea on their fav celebrities; they're the first to know what Zendaya ate this morning, where Tom Hanks went on vacation yesterday and if Kylie Jenner is pregnant again; awww a kitty *ends up in an endless loophole of cat videos*

Virgo 🌙 - "declutter with me" videos, "clean with me" videos; *checks their fav blog every day*; *watches workout videos while working out*; *checks e-mails 20 times a day*; ugh, i need to take a break *watches pet videos*

Libra 🌙 - "get ready with me for..." videos, "OOTD" videos, make-up tutorials; their pinterest is full of outfit inspo and aesthetic house decor; "red/green flags in a guy/girl" videos, "first date do's and don'ts" videos

Scorpio 🌙 - *watches every true crime documentary out there*; "Michael Jackson spirit box session"; time to do the deed *watches p8rn*

Sagittarius 🌙 - *saves bible verses all the time*; searches "how to manifest everything you want", obsessed with Neville Goddard content (i'm so sorry, i'm guilty of this); *decides to go on a spontaneous trip, so they end up watching travel videos*

Capricorn 🌙 - the type that doesn't use the internet for entertainment much; actually, you'd be surprised by how little they use their phone compared to the average person; probably has a daily time limit set on their phones, *reads memoirs and biographies*,

Aquarius 🌙 - twitch is their life basically; if they're not watching someone play a video game, then they're playing a video game; *follows LGBTQ+ content during pride month*

Pisces 🌙 - they're listening to music 24/7, has a playlist for every mood they're going through, *watches tangled for the 7th time in a row*; actually, they're always watching a tv series if not for a disney movie

🪻I noticed that most film directors (Hitchcock, Kubrick, Tarantino) have got Neptune in Gemini or Neptune in Gemini degrees (3,15,27). Besides Hitchcock, they also don’t have any aspect between Neptune and Mercury

[mister-qi]

Mr. Qi Friendship and Romance Mod: 4/19 Progress Update

It's a working title, I'm trying to come up with something less wordy that still will pop up in Nexus searches.

I wanted to be able to track my progress, mainly for myself, but if you're curious, this is the state of the mod right now:

Writing:

Heart Events - the 2 heart event is fully written (with blocking directions), and the 6, 8, and 10 heart events are outlined. The 4 heart cutscene currently has me a bit stumped; I have ideas, but nothing concrete yet. I definitely now understand why Sam's 4 heart cutscene is him dropping an egg. 14 hearts is on the back-burner as a little treat to myself once I get further into things.

Generic Daily Dialogues - about 1/3 done, probably the highest priority for writing. I'm leaving his vanilla casino dialogue as the two heart dialogue, and the vanilla Walnut Room dialogue as his four heart dialogue, with a few small changes. And, since it's me, I have more marriage dialogue written than anything else...

Day-Specific Dialogues - very few written, lower priority. Hoping to have a lot of these made eventually, and I have plenty of ideas, but they aren't necessary for the core of the mod so they're on the back-burner for now.

Gift Dialogues - all 5 generic gift response dialogues are written, with an additional 22 dialogue lines for specific items/groups of items. I'm also up to around item 530 in figuring out what item corresponds to which dialogue/whether or not he likes it. Certain item groups, like cooked food, still need more lines, however. This is definitely something that should be low priority, but also something I'm really enjoying working on. Some personal favorites so far are-

[if given a fish (hated)]: "Eugh, it's all slimy..."

[if given a legendary fish (disliked)]: "If you must give me one of the rarest fish in the valley, can you at least wrap it so I don't have to touch it with my bare hands?"

And I think that's pretty funny.

Art

Portraits - 3 new portraits finished: "deep frown" "glint" and "glasses-less". I'll probably be messing with "glasses-less" for a looong while; it's first shown at a dramatic moment so it needs to look good. Blushing portraits are next on the docket.

Here's "glint" btw, with a background thrown on so I can have a custom icon. You know I gotta make him do the anime glasses thing a few times.

Sprites - no progress yet. Walk cycle is up next after I finish the blushing portraits. Did you know he doesn't have a walk cycle at all? [1.6 spoilers] in the cheated Summit cutscene where he attacks(?) you, he literally just slides at you very fast. Anyways, I may also change his map sprite a bit as well, since it was drawn to match his old portrait and doesn't actually have the same color scheme as his sprites. Note to self: is it possible to make the sparkles on his outfit prismatic?

Maps - no progress yet. The 6 heart and 10 heart cutscenes both require custom maps, with the 6 heart one being a fully custom asset. 10 heart recycles some existing assets but will still need some custom stuff done as well.

Misc Sprites - in my head, there's a dream version of the 8 heart cutscene that has so, so many unique sprites. Like an incredible amount of stuff. I think it'll kick ass, but also that sequence could be done with a few lines of text. So, for now, it's low priority. But maybe in a few months I'll put out a request for help.

Implementation

Not totally sure how to split this into sections yet, as I'm very much still in the preliminary stages so far. To say that I'm feeling overwhelmed is an understatement; documentation on the wiki swings wildly between "an asset is a file in a video game" and "this is an advanced tutorial. Read these 4 other pages first before continuing."

I've started using Ms. Coriel's NPC Creator which has been good for setting up the basic file structure, but ultimately doesn't cover some of the more complex stuff I want to do. EDIT: Turns out it's completely outdated for 1.6! Had to throw out a bit of work, but I still learned from it so it's fiiine.

I think setting up his "schedule" will be a challenge, in that I don't actually want him to have a real schedule like most NPCs. Not to pull back the curtain too much here, but I want him to "exist" in both the Casino and the Walnut Room simultaneously, which is to say, he does not exist in two places at once in the narrative, just in the code. This will change after marriage, however.

My next goal is to set up placeholder cutscenes for each of the heart events, and then to implement the generic daily dialogues once those are finished.

Final Notes

God, this will be a work in progress for a while, but I'm enjoying it! Definitely enjoying the writing more than anything else, but hey, that's how it be. I've got around 70 lines of dialogue written, a bit of art done, and I've started learning how to actually get stuff in game. I've always been more of a designer than a coder, but it's getting there!

ADDITIONALLY I've decided that if I abandon this project for more than 8 months, anyone is welcome to request my work so far and use it for their own mod. If this blog hasn't posted in a long while, feel free to send me an ask or message! I may say no, however.

Ultimately, I want this mod to exist in some fashion. While there is an existing one, I have a pretty different take on the character and I want to share it with you all! Every line of dialogue, every heart event, every little detail needs to share something interesting about a character and their world. Yet, Mr. Qi is a mysterious guy, and I think some things should be left up to player interpretation. And I think it's crucial to be able to match his tone and voice to the vanilla game, while also expanding on his characterization. It's a fun challenge to write, and I hope the finished product, uh, well I hope it gets finished mostly, but I think it'll be pretty good.

Thanks for reading all this. This is largely just a stream of consciousness for myself, but I hope it's...interesting, or something?

[hils79]

4 years ago today my dear friend @kpopingenue and I were talking and she sent me the MV for Wonderland because she liked it and thought I would too.

And, thus, my Ateez journey began.

I jokingly call it a slow burn relationship. I loved their music from the first time I listened to Wonderland but it took a few months before I checked out their albums and listened to their b-sides.

Even after that I still didn't know all their names (which is nothing against them, I'm the same with a lot of kpop groups I've been listening to for ages. I've been listening to Stray Kids for almost as long as I've been listening to Ateez and I still only know half the members).

Eventually, and I remember this clearly, in December 2021 I had a very vivid dream about buying Zero Fever Part 2 and I took that as a sign and ordered it as soon as I woke up.

It was funny because I knew some of the members at this point but not all of them and I had to text a photo of my photocards to a friend because I knew one of them was San, but I had no idea who the other one was (it was Yeosang).

After that, it became a pay day treat. Every month when I got paid, I'd treat myself to an Ateez album until I had them all. I now have at least one version of every album including all the Japanese ones.

And I finally sat down and watched a guide because if I was going to start collecting albums I should probably learn who everyone was.

Even after that I still struggled telling Yunho and Jongho apart for the longest time, and I have no idea why because now that I know them well I can see that they don't look anything like each other.

So, this carried on for a couple more years. I was happily collecting my albums and watching new MVs when they came out, but I still, for whatever reason, hadn't crossed the bridge into the fandom side of things. I was just quietly enjoying them by myself.

Then Will came out, and I don't know why, but that album rewired something in my brain. Suddenly I was fully obsessed. I watched Hongjoong's behind the scenes of Matz vlog, and suddenly I wanted to make gifs, but proper gifs not just a using a screen recorder which was all I'd ever done before.

I had an ancient version of Photoshop (which I have now upgraded) so I found a gif making tutorial for beginners. The gifs I made were very basic, but I had made them, and I was proud of myself for learning a thing.

Then I decided that to practice and learn new colouring styles, it would be fun to make gifs of all the Ateez MVs. So I did! It took a good few weeks of making a new set every evening, but I did it, and I can definitely see how I've improved as I've gone along.

And there we have it. 4 years from watching an MV to collecting albums to learning how to make gifs. And along the way I've reconnected with some old friends who love Ateez, and made some amazing new friends too. I went to my first ever cupsleeve in May, and I've been to a couple more since then, with another one on the calendar for later this month (happy birthday Mingi). And next time they come to the UK I am definitely going to try and get tickets, which will also make them my first kpop concert.

It's taken me a long time to get here, but the important thing is I made it.

Happy Ateez-versary to me!

[masteraqua]

okay i need to take a break from thinking about it but i still want to share what i've been working on for my kh3 reimagining—now officially named KH3 Retry! get it? re-tri? you get it

so i've been thinking a lot about the kh3 prologue. if you saw my recent complaints about it, then you'll know i find the original sequence to be sloppy and forgettable, resulting in an incredibly weak start to the story. and so in light of that, i'm throwing the whole thing out and starting from scratch.

keep reading to see what i have in mind! 👀

i'm still working out some details, but here's what i know so far:

a teenage xehanort is the central character of the prologue rather than sora. i always found it bizarre that the main antagonist barely appears in kh3 until the finale, and i intend to correct that by starting the game with him, allowing us to get a glimpse inside his head to better understand his motivations and perspective.

as a direct parallel to kh1, we begin with a dream sequence. however, instead of a station of awakening, xehanort finds himself atop a gigantic alba & ater game board floating in a void.

i love the way the board is used throughout the kh3 opening as both a physical stage and a framing device. i'm incorporating both of those angles, but i'm also taking it a step further by making it playable. the tiered structure of the tiles would lend themselves well to teaching physics controls, don't you think?

the height of the tiles will change as the tutorial progresses, depending on what's being taught; walking/running, jumping, climbing, dodging, etc. maybe they'll form stairs or a labyrinth or even a pit if the situation calls for it.

here's some concept art! no i did not draw the board accurately, but you get the idea. baby nort for scale

after completing the mobility tutorials, the ground will begin to shake and towering chess pieces will fall from the sky to fill the board, nearly crushing xehanort in the process. this will lead into the questionnaire that influences the level progression system.

as this is xehanort's dream, the dream weapons this time around will be represented by chess pieces. i need to flesh this part out more, but the basic idea behind it is that everything in life is a strategy game to xehanort; move the right pieces to the right places and you'll win. so you choose which piece to play

here's a low-effort mockup of the pieces that can definitely be improved later

as xehanort traverses the board, setting up his strategy, he will see visions playing out around him of events that have yet to pass—events he will one day be responsible for. this ties in to all the pieces that are now on the board, since they represent different characters. this also has the added function of reminding the player of the story up to this point.

there are several cool shots from the kh3 opening to use as reference here. it's a shame they go by so quickly

after the questionnaire, there will be combat tutorials and probably a boss fight at the end, à la darkside and twilight thorn. i haven't thought it through yet, but i wouldn't dream of leaving out a big monster set piece battle. maybe he's fighting a representation of his own darkness? or somebody else's...

it might be interesting if he's using the gazing eye keyblade during this part, because he doesn't actually have it at this point in his life. i think that'd be very ominous from his perspective.

after taking down whatever metaphysical monster has been conjured by his psyche, the dream will end on a triumphant but foreboding note. altogether i think this sequence would take about 15-20 minutes.

but we're not done yet! continuing the parallel to kh1, xehanort awakes in scala ad caelum. he's sitting by the window in the classroom, game board by his side. he gives it an inquisitive look, still thinking about his dream.

i'm still contemplating what happens next, but the gist is this: playable scala. we should get a proper introduction to the world and be able to interact with the environment in order to learn more about what xehanort's life is like here. i think this is important in the pursuit of humanizing him.

there will probably be some minor objectives to complete, something small, maybe a fetch quest. would it be too on the nose to have a mock fight against eraqus with a score counter?

i have some ideas for how to incorporate story elements from dark road, but i need to think about them more.

this section doesn't need to take longer than 20-25 minutes, i think; it just needs to be enough to get a sense for the world. it's very important to me that it isn't as time-consuming as the kh2 prologue.

the last shot will have the camera follow xehanort's gaze up to the sky, followed by the title card.

speaking of which!!! i made a logo :)

[bylrndgm]

how did you make the gif into that shape?

https://www.tumblr.com/bylrndgm/715951263258411008/i-wanna-be-more-than-a-friend-more-than-a?source=share

Hey anon, thank you very much for the ask. 💞 It's a very simple and quick technique, all you need for this tutorial is a basic photoshop knowledge.

1: Make your gif as you always do

Make the gif, sharpen it, color it. (I'll be using a random scene as well as some basic coloring for this tutorial)

Once you have your finished product group all the layers (select all the layers and use the shortcut CTRL/CMD + G).

2: Find the shape

In that gifset I had used a ripped paper shape - but follow the same exact steps for every shape tou want! Tip: png shapes are easier to use, so try to find one that has a transparent background :)

Once you find your shape, place it over your gif and play with it until you like the result.

3: Sharpen the shape

I never skip this step because it allows you to hape "crisp" shapes.

Click on the png layer -> right click -> Convert to Smart Object

Go to Filter -> Sharpen -> Sharpen (repeat if necessary!)

4: Masking

Now, while holding your CTRL/CMD button, click on the shape layer's thumbnail

And the border of your shape should be all dashed, like this:

Now click on the group we made on step #1 (the yellow one) and on your Layers tab, click on Add Layer Mask:

Next to the group a new thingy should pop up (it's B&W). Select it by clicking on it and press CTRL/CMD+I to invert the mask (the black should become white and viceversa).

Now you can either delete the shape layer or make it invisible by clicking on the little eye on the left

5: Saving

Choose your usual settings, but remeber to change the Matte option to None.

And... you're done!

You can do this with any shape or even text!

Hope it was useful <3 Have a nice day!

[femmefatalevibe]

Hello! I love your blog and would like to ask for your advice. I want to look like an elegant, expensive woman. However, I am having a hard time applying makeup and setting up a skin care routine. Do you have an tips or resources on how to wear makeup elegantly and care for one's skin (for those new to makeup and skin care)?

What are the basic products needed for a dewy, classy make up look? Do you have any tutorials?

What are the basic products needed for healthy, minimal skin care routine?

Thank you for reading this ask! Have a great day!

Hi love! Sharing some of my tips below:

Skin:

Always use a disposable cloth when washing your face: Regular towels store bacteria and can cause breakouts too easily. These facial wipes from Amazon are my holy grail.

Wear sunscreen daily: Yes, even when you spend all day indoors. UV rays can interact with your skin through windows, too.

Niacinamide, Vitamin C Hyaluronic Acid, & Tea Tree Oil are among the few skincare ingredients almost everyone should consider incorporating into their skincare routine.

Learn the correct order to apply the products in your skincare routine: Cleanser, Toner, Serum, Eye Cream, Spot Treatment, Moisturizer, Sunscreen (or Retinol/Skin Oil at night).

Remember: From a dermatologist's perspective, your face starts (or ends) at your nipples. So, ensure you're cleansing, exfoliating, and applying sunscreen daily to your neck, chest, and décolletage to keep your skin smooth, youthful, and well-hydrated.

Vaseline is a great (affordable) alternative to traditional eye creams.

Sugar scrub your facial hair for a more gentle alternative to waxing (Combine sugar, lemon, and water). Laser hair removal, especially under your arms and your arms/legs is life-changing.

Follow up a warm shower with a dry brush and coconut oil for smoother, firmer skin.

Always apply a hydrating lip balm, mask, or Vaseline, hand cream, and moisturizer to your feet before going to sleep.

Layer complementary scents. Ensure the scents of body wash, lotion, and perfume work well together and don't clash.

Makeup:

Learn your skin undertones and educate yourself on color theory (I can create a short ebook/PDF if you want some more educational content on these types of topics – I write about them for a living!).

Test any foundation, concealer, or face powder on your wrists, too.

Don't forget to color-match your bronze and blush: They can appear orange or muddy if you don't find a product with the correct shade or undertones for your skin type.

Invest in products that go on your face, brow products, and eyeliners. Great mascaras and lip products are easy to find at a drugstore or relatively cheap (I suggest Covergirl and NYX, respectively).

Apply concealer in a triangle; don't dot it around your eyes for better coverage.

If you have oily skin (or it's humid outside), apply powder before your liquid/cream products. Set them again with a light powder to lock the color in.

Apply mascara from tip to base for the best lashes of your life: One coat on the tip, another from middle to tip, and the last coat from base to tip.

In a pinch, use a fragrance-free moisturizer and a Q-tip to remove excess makeup (no more raccoon eyes).

Use a light nude or white eyeshadow underneath your brow to make them appear more defined.

Apply face powder under your eyes to help the eyeliner on your waterline last longer.

Create a simple daily makeup routine formula: 1 skin coverage (foundation/concealer), 1 skin color (a favorite blush or bronzer), brows, mascara, an eye-definer (eyeliner or shadow), and a signature "your lips but better" lip shade (1-2 shades deeper or lighter than your natural lip color): This formula provides you the basics, so you never have an excuse not to put yourself together for the day (5-10 minute routine here).

Discover your day-to-night hero product: Always keep a slightly deeper lipstick, a smoky eyeshadow, or liquid liner in your bag to transition your day look into the evening with one portable product.

Hope this helps xx

[tawaifeddiediaz]

Hi!

I was just wondering if you have a tutorial on how you created this effect in your gifset, it's something I'd like to try but have no idea where to start. Your set is so pretty! Any helps appreciated x

https://www.tumblr.com/tawaifeddiediaz/712911415428743168/ill-take-you-with-me-then-well-both-die-you?source=share

Hey Nonnie, thank you! This is super late, but I don't actually have the psd for this set anymore (I delete them as soon as I post them), so we're just gonna wing it with a gif I made the other day. I think this ask is about the text, but if it's anything else, just drop me another line and I'll get to it when I can!

I'm pretty sure I got this tutorial from the wonderful @eddiediaaz but I then turned it into Lazy Girl Hours :)) anywho, here we go!

We’ll be making this gif:

This tutorial assumes basic knowledge of gif-making, Photoshop, and coloring. I’ve only described the typography tutorial in this, but you can reach out if you have any questions.

Tutorial under the cut:

Couple things to note beforehand:

There is a lot of trial and error involved when doing any sort of effect, and this is no exception! You might have to play around with the colors and the settings before you find something that looks good and readable and that fits your set!

This text effect works better on big gifs (540px width).

For this, I find that a simple font works better than a fully-cursive one, but play around with what you like. The boxes may need some adjusting if you use a font with too many tall or tail letters (i.e. text where all the letters aren't on one uniform line - that's why capital letters work so well.)

Movement works really well with effects like these, but again, it depends on your gif + readability. If you have a blended gif, it may take a little more trial and error.

I work in frame animation for all my text effects, but this works just as well in timeline as well.

We’re going to start with this gif:

First, I like to put my text on the gif. You can obviously move this around later so don't worry too much about how it looks right now.

The dialogue is "Just don't feel it." "Feel" is one of those Big Words for this quote, so I'm going to emphasize it with cursive text.

I am using Moon for the sans serif text, and Santa Fe Spring for the cursive text. Keep both of these in white for now:

Next, we're going to use the rectangular marquee tool to draw our rectangles around the capital letters (we're not touching the cursive text right now). I just eyeball this, and then try to center it as much as possible.

(The rectangular marquee tool has a keyboard shortcut of M, and it's the second tool in that little toolbar on the left of most people's Photoshop.)

This is what that'll look like:

Next, we're going to go down to the icons at the bottom right of the layers panel and select the half-black half-white circle > Color Fill.... You should get a color dialogue box. Choose your color - I'm using #8d0000. Then, we're going to move that layer below the corresponding text layer, and set its blending mode to Difference. This is what that looks like (click the image for better quality):

I'm going to repeat that with the other two boxes as well, using the same color. The boxes will look different with the Difference blending mode because of the shadows underneath.

For example, the box with "it" looks like a solid red square because it's against a completely black background, while the other two have some blue shading to them since there are some highlights behind them.

This is what my gif looks like now:

Next, I like to go The Lazy Girl™ route and put all three color-fill layers into one group underneath all the text layers. This just lets me edit the drop shadow of all three of them at the same time.

Right-click the group and open up the Blending Options. In Drop Shadow, these are the settings I'm using. The drop shadow color is #0c6477:

(Note: uncheck "Use Global Light" especially if you're working in frame animation to make sure all the drop shadow has the same angle on all frames.)

This is what my gif looks like now:

Now that we've finished that, time to move on to the cursive text.

I usually match the cursive text to the palette of the rest of the text, and since the drop shadow is our "accent" color, so to speak, I'm going to use a lighter version of that color. I am also going to add a drop shadow for readability.

The color I used for the text is #acfffe and I actually ended up adding two drop shadows, just because I needed something subtle that doesn't overwhelm the text, especially since it's a delicate font. Here are the settings for both layers:

And here's what my gif looks like now:

Now, before we move on to the lines, just check the adjustment of all these text layers, see if there's anything you want to change. It's easier to change now than after the lines are added, since you'll most likely have to redraw them if you move the boxes after the fact.

To draw the lines, we're going to use the Line Tool. I just freehand all of this, and I try to go from center to center of the boxes when I can. It all depends on your angles.

My lines are 2px thick, but you can change these depending on your preference. Here's what mine look like right now:

We're going to do the same lazy hack that we did for the color fill, and put all three line layers into a group. Move this group below the text layer and the color fill layers. The reason for this is so that the lines look like they're coming seamlessly from the box, rather than from on top of them or something.

Then, set the group to opacity 50%. I like more subtle, simple looks in my gifs, so I don't like super high opacities.

And that's it! This is our final gif:

Some final notes:

Absolutely play around with the blending modes of the color fill layers for this effect. These two gifs are the exact same color we've been using, just two different blending modes. You can see how drastically different they look. The first one is Linear Dodge (Add) and the second one is Vivid Light:

It can change how your gif looks in a BIG way, so play around with it, see what you like, especially if you don't really like the "two toned" thing going on.

Sometimes, I also like playing with the width and height of the text in the font settings, making it shorter and wider, or making it taller and more compact. You can play with the letter spacing as well. The world is your oyster, etc etc.

One other thing I've started doing is erasing the lines with a big brush, just to fade them from his face a little, like this:

To do that, use a layer mask on the line layer folder, and a brush that's 0% hardness, and at least 200px big. For this gif, I also changed the opacity of the lines back to 100% so the fading effect is a little more pronounced:

(this gif isn't the best example for this, but oh well. Anywho, hope this helps, Nonnie! Let me know if you have any questions.

Enjoy!

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 1/30/2024

a good 60% of my brain is screaming in unemployment terror at all times so these will be somewhat abbreviated until that situation resolves itself

listening

sleeping on the ceiling by friday pilots club. this is a song by a five-piece alt-rock band from chicago that could EASILY open for mid-aughts fall out boy. i would like to think it is from the point of view of a freshly-turned vampire. listen this slot isn't about the best song i heard this week it's about the one that got stuck in my head the most

Hey, I swear I'm okay Honey, I been sleepin' on the ceiling all day Yes way, like hey I swear I feel great Looky, looky, love the feeling of being okay Yes way

spotify.

reading

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and the Amulet of Power by Mike Resnick. it was in a dollar book bin and i got it as a joke gift for a friend. mike resnick is a remarkably prolific writer who's done a lot of tie-ins. i don't have anything particularly notable to say about his star wars books but they are a sort of minimum viable product? they feel star warsy and don't annoy me on every page.

this book was published in 2003 and treats the people of the Nile delta and their beliefs with all the delicacy you might expect from a 2003 video game tie in novel. i do think the twist is being telegraphed way too hard. perhaps i should say instead of sending a telegram mr resnick has simply set the telegraph office ablaze as a signal fire. the titular triangle-pointed woman herself ms croft is VERY insistent she's just as good as the boys. this is pretty on par for my experience of 2003 empowering womens' feminism AND my experience in a male-dominated field so i can't really ding it too hard? aside from the racism, in the notably racism-free fields of archaeology and video games and archaeology video games, this book is aging a little strangely overall. i do not know if i will finish it before i mail it out to my friend, but despite its sins it is a very fast read.

watching

watched the four dungeon meshi episodes. it's cute! ProzD was an unexpected delight! it made me want to make something fancy for dinner but alas i still have to go food shopping!

some posts on my dash were talking about how the episode with the mollusks inside the living armor really got them hooked and i have to agree. i also saw the full potential of the show's speculative biology unspooling before me. i don't know if i currently have the brainwidth for the manga but it is going on my reading list for after i finish berserk. which is kind of like saying i'm going to watch chopped after i finish up hannibal

playing

forgot i had an original gen switch, given to me through a complex series in a complex series of friend barters back in uhhhh late '21? early '22? i got through 3/4 of the divine beasts the first time around and then could not crack the camel. it was well past time to create a new switch profile so i could start a new game without losing the old one.

omg twinnsssssssss

i did forget how goddamn big the map is. i have just now unlocked the camera and the memory quests, i have not really. done much more than basic tutorial and beginning of game stuff.

making

anxiously junebugging between a whole bunch of shit. finally figured out the correct charger/extension cord setup for my bedroom. replaced all the fluorescent lightbulbs and took them to be recycled. fixed the hall door enough so it latches closed and an irritated cat can't claw it open. tidied up the balcony and patio and repotted the surviving houseplants.

in textile news, started this cross stitch. this is a Bless This Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy Star Wars themed sampler, i have made two as gifts and had to throw out a mostly-completed one i made for me bc of the moths. but i now know exactly where this will go in this apartment and i already have the frame and i bought all the floss pre-being fired, so might as well? the real bitch of the situation here is backstitching the buildings. it's so start and stop. it's so much tan. i talked about this on the weekly siblingchat facetime and now my brother has requested one lmao. that's his christmas gift settled. i suppose.

i had somehow forgotten how loadbearing textile crimes are for me. i haven't done much of anything since the moth debacle, and that was almost two years ago. last night i found some suspicious holes in a camisole and i'm really really hoping it's just cat claws and not moths or carpet beetles or any other fun things that eat clothes.

[rosanna-writer]

rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky

Summary: Five times Rhys and Feyre stared at the stars (and one time they painted their own). Warnings: None Rating: General Audiences Word Count: ~2.2k

This is for @star-captain, my bonus giftee for @acotargiftexchange! I had a lot of fun writing some Feysand stargazing fluff for the fandom's resident astrobiologist <3

And again, a HUGE thank you to the event organizers for all their work putting this together!

You can find it Here on AO3 or under the cut!

Taking girls stargazing worked every time. Rhysand had made countless exes melt over how romantic it was to sit out under the stars, especially when there was just enough of a chill in the night air that they'd cuddle closer as he pointed out constellations one by one.

He should have known it wouldn't work on Feyre.

Really, it had seemed like a miracle that she'd even agreed to go out with him in the first place—Rhys had never met anyone so dead-set on calling him a prick. For a long time, the blush that stained her freckled cheeks every time he'd purred Feyre darling seemed like the most he'd ever get.

But on the drive out to a park far enough from the city to see the stars properly, the conversation had flowed easily between them. Rhys had itched to put his hand on her thigh as she she'd adjusted the radio and jokingly criticized his taste in music the whole way.

Now she'd settled in a camping chair, a light blanket around her shoulders and a thermos of coffee in hand, her head tilted back to look at the sky. Feyre was the most beautiful woman Rhys had ever seen, but somehow, she looked even better in the moonlight, and he was tempted to spend the whole night staring at her and not the stars they'd come to see.

And Rhys suspected if he spent hours just gawking at her, there wouldn't be a second date.

He settled into the chair next to her and started with the same routine he always used when he took someone stargazing. "We're facing north. That bright star directly in front of us is Polaris—"

"I know. And the Big Dipper is right there," Feyre said pointing.

So she'd done this before, then. Rhys relaxed, glad that he wouldn't spend half the night mapping out the basics of the night sky. He would have done it gladly for Feyre, but there were better ways to spend a rare perfectly clear night providing a tutorial.

"Which is your favorite?"

As she started telling him about Orion's belt Feyre's smile was bright enough to light up the entire night. Rhys hung on her every word, memorizing exactly why she'd always loved the hunter, because there was nothing that seemed more important than knowing her inside and out.

By the end of the night, Rhys was sure he was going to marry her some day.

***

Feyre woke to the feather-light brush of Rhys's fingers in her hair. Making a low noise in the back of her throat, she buried her face deeper into the pillow. He chuckled, sweeping his thumb along her cheek.

"I know the bed is comfortable, but I promise the surprise is worth waking up for," he said softly.

Feyre cracked open one blue-grey eye. "There's a surprise?"

"When it's your birthday and the longest night of the year? Of course."

Feyre sat up slowly, pulling the quilt with her. She blinked at Rhys owlishly, taking in the layers he was dressed in. Only an hour before, he'd been in bed with her, wearing nothing at all. "Are we…going somewhere?"

"Yes, stargazing. So bundle up."

Feyre shot out of bed like a cannonball and dug out one of Rhys's sweatshirts from the closet. "I didn't think you'd want to go," she said, shrugging it on over her t-shirt.

"Last year, you said no one would go on your birthday because December was too cold."

"You remembered that?"

Rhys wasn't sure he could have forgotten—she'd looked so heartbroken over something easily remedied by a good coat, thick socks, and hand warmers. The temperature might have plunged, but they'd been lucky enough to have another clear night, as if the stars wanted to shine their brightest on Feyre's birthday.

And beyond that, he'd been panicking for months over what to do for her first birthday since they'd started dating. She'd struggled to accept gifts gracefully for as long as he'd known her, and he hated seeing her stammer and insist whatever she'd been given was too much.

But Feyre didn't need to know how long he'd been agonizing for. He picked at an invisible piece of lint on his sweater as she rooted around in a drawer for a hat. "There isn't much about you that's easy to forget."

An hour later, they'd managed to get the telescope set up, even with their hands wrapped up in thick gloves. Their breath made clouds in the air as they took turns adjusting it and peering up at the stars.

By the time they tumbled back into bed, the sun had nearly risen. It had taken the last of Feyre's energy to peel off her coat and all the layers under it, and she'd nearly fallen back to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Rhys's arms banded around her, pulling her close as she whispered, "This was the best birthday I can remember."

***

After nearly a year of dating, they'd planned their summer travel around the Perseids. The late-August heat cooled off enough to make nights perfectly comfortable for watching the annual meteor shower. For months, Feyre had been looking forward to getting out of the city and watching it with Rhys.

But of course, a summer thunderstorm had gotten in the way of their plans.

In the days leading up to the trip, Rhys had been watching the weather obsessively, fretting over every last change in the predicted cloud cover. More than once, Feyre had nudged him to stop refreshing the page and just come to bed.

In the end, they'd decided not to cancel. Partial cloud cover, chance of rain low. It seemed worth risking it for the chance to watch shooting stars streak across the sky all night.

But the cloud cover turned out to be quite a lot worse than just partial. They'd only just gotten settled when a storm rolled in, and the rain began to pour.

Rhys and Feyre packed up their things in record time and made a mad dash back to the car. Feyre sighed with relief once they were out of the rain—only to shriek in surprise at the droplets that hit her as Rhys shook his head like a dog.

"Sorry," he said, pushing a wet lock of hair out of his eyes.

Feyre shrugged. "It's not as if I was dry anyway."

Now that she'd caught her breath, she let her gaze roam over him. Rhys's t-shirt had been stark white against his warm brown skin, and now it clung to his chest, the swirling tattoos that covered it showing through the material.

He was beautiful, and sometimes Feyre couldn't believe her luck that he was hers.

Even if he was smirking at her as if he could read her thoughts.

In the end, they'd attempted to salvage the evening by finding a place to eat. Not that there were many options this late. It took a while to find a place that stayed open all night, a diner called Rita's that seemed to be the only one for miles.

They were still waterlogged when the waitress showed them to their table. Feyre caught the hungry stares at Rhys and had nearly growled a warning to back off. Something in his eyes glittered.

When they were alone in their booth, he'd leaned in close and whispered, "You know I'm yours and yours alone, Feyre darling."

She'd shivered, not just because of the cold air on her wet skin.

***

Feyre hadn't thought much about how entwined their lives had felt until the solar eclipse was approaching. Hotels in the path of totality filled up well in advance—years in advance, even. But somehow, it didn't feel like wishful thinking to assume she'd be going with Rhys.

And she'd been right, of course. They shared a townhouse now, and Rhys was the person she came home to every day. I f Feyre had her way, that would be true for the rest of her life.

So a few weeks before the trip, Feyre found herself buying a ring.

By some miracle, she'd kept it hidden for weeks, tucked away in the back of a closet and the pocket of her coat. Throughout the drive, checking into their hotel, and dinner, Rhys hadn't seemed to suspect a thing.

But still, as darkness fell the next day and the moon moved in front of the sun, Feyre's heart leapt into her throat. She couldn't imagine he'd say no, but….a small part of her still worried Rhys might.

Her fingers curled around the box in her pocket, clutching it as if to steady herself. She took a deep breath and watched the sky through the tinted glasses they'd bought for the occasion.

Rhys's fingers brushed her other hand. The moon was nearly directly in front of the sun. It was now or never. Feyre dropped to one knee, pulling the box from her pocket, and tugged on Rhys's hand for his attention.

Only to find that he'd just done the same thing.

For a moment, they just stared at each other in shock, both kneeling with a ring in hand, then burst into laughter. Feyre launched herself into Rhys's arms.

"Should I take that to mean the answer is yes?" he said, kissing her.

"Of course it is."

"So is mine, if that wasn't obvious."

***

Eloping in the middle of the night was tempting. And with every frustration over finding a caterer and a photographer and a baker and every other task that seemed to be piling up as the wedding approached, it seemed even more tempting.

But they'd both been far too set on the idea of a ceremony in a planetarium to let all the planning to go waste.

Feyre tilted her head back and looked up at the stars as she waited to walk down the aisle. The planetarium had arranged them to replicate the sky on the first night they'd gone stargazing together. Just as she had then, she found Polaris with ease, right above the altar where Rhys was waiting for her.

Her worries about tripping on her dress or stumbling over the words in her vows melted away. Like so many had before her, Feyre looked up at the stars and knew with certainty exactly where to find home.

The rest of the day felt like a dream—when the music started, Feyre felt as if she'd floated down the aisle, pulled to Rhys by a string nestled next to both their hearts. In some ways, they'd always belonged to each other, but declaring it in front of their loved ones had her nearly glowing with happiness.

***

Long before the pregnancy test had come back positive, they'd both known the nursery would be covered in stars. And once they'd heard the name Nyx, Rhys and Feyre had agreed that nothing else sounded quite right.

Feyre had resolved to paint the nursery ceiling well before she started showing and standing too long on swollen feet became impossible. As early as possible, she'd bought several cans of glow-in-the-dark paint and printed out a map of the stars.

Rhys leaned against the doorframe and watched her—the meticulous way she painted each star, her tongue peeking out from between her lips as she focused, and the delicate curve of her fingers around the paintbrush. Given the opportunity, he could watch Feyre paint for hours.

When her concentration finally broke, he said, "Is there anything you need my help with?"

"Do you mind opening the can of paint near my feet?"

He did as she asked, stepping closer to pick up the can of paint that was sitting next to the ladder. As Rhys pried the lid open, flecks of paint splattered across his face. He blinked in surprise, and Feyre giggled.

Rhys went to wipe the paint from his face, but Feyre said, "Wait, no! Not yet."

She climbed down the ladder and crossed the room to turn off the lights. The paint began to glow, making Rhys look like he was covered in stardust.

He tipped his head back to admire the half-finished mural on the ceiling. "It's already beautiful."

"You think so?" Feyre came closer, wrapping an arm around his waist as she surveyed her work. Mapping the sky had been a meticulous, painstaking process, but she could see the final result beginning to come together. It would be worth it, if only just to have the soft glow illuminating midnight feedings when Nyx arrived.

"Everything you make is beautiful." Rhys pressed a kiss to her temple, which distracted Feyre enough that she didn't notice his fingers dipping back into the can of paint. He flicked some onto her, so she looked like she was covered in stardust, too.

"Rhysand," she squeaked, moving to wipe the paint away.

He caught her wrist before she could. "Don't. It looks like your freckles are glowing."

Feyre started to say that if he wasted any more of the paint, she'd be sending him back to the craft store, but the way he was looking at her stole her breath. Rhys leaned in to kiss her, under the stars as always.

[certified-tatsugiri-enjoyer]

You’re a shiny hunter? What are your thoughts on shiny breeding?? There’s discourse on both ends and you seem like you’d know your stuff

Well, so here's the thing. There are good and bad ways to do both shiny hunting and shiny breeding. Your focus should be on the health and safety of all the pokémon involved, whether that's a wild shiny or a domesticated breeding pair.

There are a couple of big differences between the two methods of getting a shiny. To start, anyone can shiny hunt. You don't need good luck or anything, just patience and a willingness to be out in the wilds for days at a time. So to that end you need to have at least basic survival skills, which most people get if they do a trainer journey as a teen, but there are also wilderness survival classes you can take if you don't already have those skills for whatever reason.

You also have to have knowledge of wild pokémon behavior--you need to be able to tell when a pokémon is nervous or scared! Scared pokémon react poorly and can hurt you if you're not careful. It's best to observe groups of pokémon from a distance for a time instead of immediately approaching them directly. Give them a few days to get used to your presence!

Shiny hunting can be a daunting task, but as long as you have basic skills, you can do it safely. Even I was a beginner once, and now I've found dozens of shinies!

Shiny breeding, on the other hand, is emphatically NOT for everyone. Because shinies are so rare, you have to be prepared to take care of a lot of non-shiny offspring, and that means having a lot of space, time, and money to provide adequate housing, food, and enrichment for them. You have to take them to the vet! You have to socialize them! You also have to have a way of adopting out or selling the non-shinies and not everyone has the skills or contacts to market themselves like that. That's so much work for one person to do!

Sometimes people think they'll just grab a ditto and breed for shinies without realizing how much effort goes into it, and that's how you get situations that fuel discourse about whether shiny breeding can even BE ethical to begin with.

It totally can be--but again, you have to do it right. Like I said earlier, the safety and health of the pokémon should always come first--BEFORE any potential profit you're going to make from selling shinies. A lot of people just see dollar signs!

And on that note... there's no shame in leaving the work up to professionals. People like me and @harteofthehart-ayyy are happy to put our skills and knowledge out there to get people shinies. I won't speak for every breeder, but a lot of them are willing to set up payment plans for a buyer. They WANT their shinies to go to a good home! And there are also people like me who do this for free because they love it. It doesn't hurt to shop around a little and see what your options are!

In conclusion: good education is key to both shiny hunting and breeding! You have to know what you're doing, not just THINK you know what you're doing, and that means you can't just watch a video tutorial on the internet and go. Obtaining as shiny takes hard work, whether you're hunting or breeding, but there are people out there who are willing to do that hard work for you. You've just gotta ask!

[luyepiaofeng]

˖⁺‧₊˚✦ ways to make your laptop aesthetic feat. some extensions, websites & apps for students

i created this cause i found some time to finally upgrade and properly personalise my laptop, it took me almost an entire day watching youtube videos, researching for these and setting them up. so... i'm basically posting this for myself lol, but i also feel like sharing cause these are actually really good hehe

i'm using a windows laptop but i think most of these should work on mac too. most of these are free but there are maybe like less than five that require to be paid.

those that are marked with an asterisk (*) are the ones that i'm currently using while others are recommended or alternatives!

here is what my home screen looks like now:

i. screen saver

fliqlo (ios & win) * flipit (win, an inspired & alt ver of ^) flix clock (mac & web, paid ver comes with colours other than black) aura gradient clock (mac & web) retro anime desk clock (mac) flocus (web) * studywithme (web) note: remember to right-click the file and select "install", then ensure that the wait time (e.g: 5 mins) is less than your "turn off your screen" and "put my device to sleep after" (e.g: both 15 mins) in power settings

ii. tab themes

kluk: a clock tab theme * angry study helper: a tab theme that gets angy at u whenever u open a new tab gratitutab: a minimalistic tab theme that works as a to-do list prioritab: a tab theme that shows priorities that u had set for the day, week, and month

iii. extensions

tldr this: summarizes long docs, websites, articles, etc. with just a click * paperpanda: download research papers by clicking on it, it searches on domains like google scholar, semanticscholar, aodoi, and more * coffeelings: mainly a mood tracker that also saves mini journal entries colorzilla: an eyedropper colour picker * whatfont: click on it and hover on any text to show what font it is * mybib: an apa, mla, harvard, and more styles citation generator * read aloud: a tts reader that supports more than 40+ languages * notion web clipper: creates a website into a bookmark into notion * noisli: lets u listen to relaxing playlist while u study/work

iv. websites

lofi.cafe i miss the office i miss my cafe i miss my bar i miss my library a soft murmur patatap tomato timers animedoro lifeat coolors blush designs untools fontjoy zenpen decision maker museum of endangered sounds future me

v. apps

virtual cottage chill corner notion *

vi. rainmeter skins

mond * lano visualizer amatical * small clean weather animated * ageo sonder * cloudy harmattan note: if you're new to rainmeter, it can be a bit overwhelming, u may check out this short and simple tutorial on it, make sure to read the instructions if you're using complicated skins like weather (may require u to edit in txt), i also highly rec watching techrifle's videos

vii. misc.

wallpaper engine * (highly rec getting from chillhop) my live wallpaper (free alt of ^) translucenttb * roundedtb note: u can disable your shortcut icons to be invisible by right-clicking on your home screen, go to "view", and untick "show desktop icons", this is optional and i would always enable it whenever i'm working and gaming for easier access, i also set the icons to small

[surrealliberosis]

Hi, Tumblr. It's Oni.

TW: Mild Violence, for the following content showcases physical combat. All movements shown should not be imitated.

I haven't thought of putting actual effort into a real blog compared to the short ones sourced within the site (reposts and screen recording), nor do I have any intention to frequently do such content, so think of this as some sort of biographical experiment. I hope you enjoy the rambling.

So what happened earlier was that I visited the town center mall, and I grabbed my hands on one of the arcade cabinets to play...

Yeah. I played Street Fighter VI.

This isn't my first time though. I played it once a few weeks ago, and it's EXCITING. It felt like a dream come true. It's really surprising how experiencing the game by hand is different from passively appreciating it. It made me very happy cuz' it's an opportunity worth taking to play this game.

The first gameplay I've made is just pure improv - mashing buttons without understanding the fundamentals; Now, revisiting the game, I got the opportunity to practice in Tutorial Mode. I learned about the basic attacks and new gameplay mechanics, which took a little while but got a slight hang of it.

Short comment: Classic controls are hard for a fighting game noobs like me. Glad I selected the tutorial set for the Modern control scheme. Easier to learn and grasp with the controls.

Once I'm done understanding how to practically use and memorize the basics, I've started learning how to play my favorite character. Juri Han.

Short disclaimer: this post is not meant for anybody who likes grippers (ew). Sorry, not having that. Careful, kids.

Playing as Juri is quite different from playing as Luke (the tutorial character), cuz she has a tricky moveset that can seize opening vulnerabilities within close attack range and her moveset is unpredictable (at least from what I can precisely remember during the tutorial). I looked up at her character guide in-game to practice basic attacks and fundamental combos. The attack animations are satisfying to watch because of how fluid and dynamic her moves are, and how there's this splash-like woosh effect that empasizes strong movement. It took me a while to let the unique basic attacks sink in my head until I can independently make up some decent combos.

I have a few clips of live gameplay since I wasn't initially going to stay at the mall for very long, so here's a short clip of me basically experimenting with Juri's moves in practice mode (along with the random button-mashing).

I could also show more, but I just found out that I can only share 1 video per post. Okay, Tumblr.

That's basically about it lol. It overall cheered me up when I felt down earlier this morning due to tons of schoolwork. Hopefully I'll come back to visit and play again next time.

Hm. Maybe I'll actually get the game one day. Heh.

Okay. Bye now.

Edit: I can't play A.K.I waaaaaahhh 😭