#see if that challenges my workflow

[rawliverandgoronspice]

:D

I have finished the lineart of Thralls of Power Episode 1!!!!!!!*

🍾🥂✨

(*safe for a couple of reworks I want to do and also the end credits that I want to actually animate)

The current time for the episode is 40'19 and the current approximate number of frames I have drawn (minus a couple that are not in the actual episode, and some I have in double for Reasons, and some I haven't counted which have been done several times but I can't be arsed to do the maths right now) is 1168 frames (!!!), which, even if a lot of those are small adjustements, I AM going to pat myself on the back for because!!!! hell yeah!!!!!! heck yeah!!!!!!!!

the problem with lineart is, it's not super shareable without solid render, but have a Celebratory Messy Dorf as a bonus!!!!

(I have also finished the soundtrack EXCEPT for one track, which will be the most difficult to tackle, so !!!! oops, also my computer that can do music is dying and I need to learn a different music software but I don't have the time, so OOPS, truly Thralls has killed like, 2 different computers, maybe two and a half, insane)

[nouverx]

Day 1 and Day 2 of RadioStatic Week

First Meeting and Sharing a meal! I like the idea that Alastor is the one who approached Vox first because of how unique he looks eheh

[lynzishell]

The Past 💛 Atlas

I’ve finally reached a point where I can sit down and do some work on Ash’s game on my own. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. Not only because his workflow is incredibly chaotic, but also his design is incredibly complex, far more complex than anything we work on at Rainy Day, but it’s fun to feel challenged again.

I’ve spent every night this week in Ash’s living room while he walks me through everything he has so far, sorting out the design and the mechanics, his ideas for the worlds, characters, storylines, objectives, and so on. Yet, it feels like we’ve only scratched the surface.

We work well together, but we’re also easily distracted, often going off on random tangents and talking about everything from our families to school years and childhood friends to experiences we’ve had or want to have; we talk about how fun it would be to have our own indie gaming company one day, if only we could focus on the actual game for longer than an hour at a time.

Last night a song came on that inspired a whole conversation about music and all the songs we used to sing the wrong lyrics to, and some he still sings wrong just to annoy Lex. We started playing a game where we’d give each other a random word or category and the other would have to play a song they liked that fit. At one point I asked him what his guilty pleasure song is.

“Oh, I have dozens of those,” he said, “uh, but the first one that comes to mind is The Boys of Summer.”

“Your guilty pleasure song is an 80’s song?” I was shocked considering the amount of shit he gives me for the majority of my playlist.

“No no no no,” he shook his head, “I should clarify. The original sucks.”

“Of course you think so.”

“Obviously. Okay, but the one I’m talking about is the cover of The Boys of Summer by The Ataris.

“I like the name, but I have no idea who that is,” I admitted.

He laughed as he pulled up the song and told me, “You’re either going to love this or hate it. I’m not sure which.” When he pressed play, all I could do was watch in awe as he shamelessly enjoyed the song, complete with hand motions, air guitar and lip syncing. At one point he leaned in and sang directly to me, “But I don’t understand what happened to our love. But baby when I get you back, I’m gonna show you what I’m made of!” And then he spun away and started dancing to the chorus.  

Before I had a chance to think too hard about whether he was trying to tell me something through the lyrics, he pulled me off the couch to join him. We sang and danced with everything we had until we collapsed onto the couch, out of breath and wiping tears from our eyes.

When we finally calmed down, he pointed at me, “Your turn. What’s your guilty pleasure song?”

“Oh god,” I covered my face, “I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this.”

“Tell me.” He demanded.

“Dancing With Myself by Generation X. I can’t hear it and not sing and dance around my apartment like an idiot.”

“Oh, I have got to see this!” He sat up excitedly to find the song and turn it on… and then cheered when I began clapping my hands to the beat… and then completely lost it and fell over laughing when I sang along with my eerily accurate Billy Idol impersonation.

It’s become one of my favorite things, making him laugh. He has about a dozen different laughs from a rush of air through his teeth, to an infectious giggle, to a loud belly laugh… but my favorite is when he’s laughing so hard that no sound comes out aside from a series of clicks until he finally catches his breath.

It’s so easy with him, to get out of my head, to just relax and be myself.

Not everything is easy, though. I keep telling myself that eventually my feelings will fade, that it will get easier to just be his friend and nothing more, but if anything, it’s getting more difficult. Sometimes when we’re together, all I can think about is sliding my hand over to rest it on his leg, or to pick up his hand and interlace our fingers, or to reach up and hold his face, turning it toward me so I can kiss him. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about kissing him, his lips, his neck, that inch skin above his waistband that sometimes shows when his shirt rides up just enough, every part of him. Sometimes I let my eye contact linger just a little, desperate for him to give me a sign that he still feels the same way, but he never does. On some level, I’m grateful. It’s better this way. I’d only end up hurting him again.

I hear the front door open and close, bringing me out of my daydream and back to my computer screen. I look over what I’ve done so far to make sure I didn’t screw anything up while I drifted away.

A second later, I hear Dawn enter the room and flop onto my bed behind me and I glance at the clock, it’s only two.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

“Finished early. What are you doing? I thought you weren’t working on Fridays anymore.”

“I’m not. It’s just a side project I’m working on with Ash.”

“Ooooh I see.”

I roll my eyes and change the subject before she can inquire further. “So, why are you on my bed? What do you want?” As I say the words, I’m overcome by the feeling that we’ve done this before.

“For you to take a break and go do something with me." I'm antsy. "I’m antsy.” Her words come out like an echo from my own mind and my whole body feels fuzzy for a moment.

“Have we had this conversation before?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Hm. I’m having the weirdest déjà vu.”

“Maybe you’ve been staring at that screen too long. We should get out and do something.”

“What do you have in mind?”

I’m open to suggestions. “I’m open to suggestions.”

Weird. This conversation, the song playing through my speaker, Dawn laying on my bed, me at my computer… everything feels so familiar. “Where’s your boyfriend? Why aren’t you dragging him out?” Even as I ask the question, I know I’ve asked it before.

“He’s busy…” Having coffee with his ex-girlfriend. “Having coffee with his ex-girlfriend.”

Okay, I clearly need some fresh air, and she clearly needs my support right now, so I save my work, lock my computer, and spin around to face her. “Oh, that’s why you’re antsy. Okay, I can take a break, but let’s go outside. We can go for a jog, that’ll get your energy out.”

“Fine, I’ll go change.”

Prev // Deja vu // Next

[skysometric]

Skysometric Design Retrospective, Part 1

Where It All Started

somehow, after a decade on the internet, i've become one of those people who has a whole Personal Brand™. at first i leaned into it on purpose, partly because i wanted to make videos as my shtick (until i didn't), and partly because i didn't really know how else to express myself on the internet early on. these days, however, keeping up a personal brand is less about Who I Am and more that i just enjoy graphic design. making this stuff is fun!

so over the past few years since coming out and rebranding as Skysometric, i've put a lot of work into a new logo, website design, icons, video thumbnails, and even more besides. i'm pretty proud of how it all turned out! and now that most of the heavy lifting is done, i'd like to write about how it went and some things i've learned along the way. there's a lot to talk about, so strap in for a pretty long series!

but, to start, i can't talk about Skysometric without a quick history lesson about WillWare, the old me – the one who got the ball rolling on graphic design in the first place.

———

maybe this is obvious to the trained eye (or maybe not!), but i'm an entirely self-taught graphic designer. i've never taken any classes, studied design styles, learned the fundamentals, or even so much as had a single course teaching me how Photoshop works. (not that i use Adobe anymore, but you get my point!)

instead, everything i know, i learned by doing. i learned how image editing software works by making tiles and backgrounds for Mari0 levels. my fundamentals are deeply rooted in drawing mazes as a kid, so i quickly discovered how to set up grids in every image editor i got my hands on. i picked up other design techniques by attempting to imitate their logos or styles for personal projects over the years.

on the one hand, this means that i've developed a style and workflow that is wholly and uniquely my own! on the other hand, anytime i get stuck, i don't always have the tools to get un-stuck... or even the words to google it.

so instead of googling it, i used the tools i had to make all of this:

rest in peace, WillWare (the brand). clockwise from top left: logo, social media banner, video end slate, stream archive thumbnail.

what started as just a fancy logo to replace my old Sonic profile picture, snowballed into an entire branding suite across web and video! i learned a lot about graphic design as i gradually expanded these designs into my other creative pursuits. you can see so much of that self-taught style i described above in these few examples – geometric grids and graph paper, simple shapes and layers like my Mari0 work... and imitation of Google's Material Design guidelines, like drop shadows and color choices.

in fact, i leaned so hard on Material Design that, after some time, it no longer felt like my own style. anytime i wanted to branch out, i felt constrained by somebody else's design standards! so i challenged myself to find my own design style from scratch, which I called "New WillWare":

this neon light grid is still pretty dang inspired, but it's not "me" anymore.

it took a couple years of slow iteration to arrive at this neon-looking "light grid," and while it rocks, it also painted me into a corner. i had no idea how to make anything more than pretty promotional pictures in this style – i couldn't figure out how to make it work with video, webpages, or even just text, no matter how much i tried to go back to the drawing board. and my lack of formal experience made it that much more difficult to solve these problems!

so after a while, i felt pretty stuck. my old design didn't feel like my own, my new design was a dead end, and i felt like i was too invested in both to start completely from scratch again. i was simultaneously too burnt out to continue, and too scared to throw everything out and start fresh!

and then i transitioned, and started calling myself Sky.

in case you missed the *cough* subtle indicators, both of my old designs are centered around the letter W (being part of my old username and all). "Sky" does not have a W. so, uh, none of this fits anymore! even though i love this old work, and still consider it part of my history, it no longer accurately represents me or my identity. ready or not, it's time to design something new!

on one side, i felt pressure to get away from my old look, the product of a younger designer whose efforts were still the standard for my online presence. on the other side, i felt pressure to rise from the ashes of my redesign, make something of all the failures, successes, and lessons that i learned.

and thus, shedding my old brand identity and donning my new gender identity, i hit the sketchbook running.

to be continued...

[superlinguo]

New Research Article: Creating Inclusive Linguistics Communication: Crash Course Linguistics

This handbook chapter is a behind-the-scenes of how the Crash Course Linguistics video series came together. I’m really proud that this article includes contributions from the linguistics writing team, including my co-writer Gretchen McCulloch, and our fact checker Jessi Grieser, but also from members of the Complexly team, who produced the show, including Nicole Sweeney, Rachel Alatalo, Hannah Bodenhausen and Ceri Riley. As with the actual videos themselves, this was a dream team. Lingcomm that is inclusive doesn’t just happen as an accident - in this article we discuss some of the ways we set things up to make the best series we could.

This chapter is also a dream project, because it’s part of the excellent double feature: Inclusion in Linguistics and Decolonizing Linguistics, both edited by Anne Charity Hudley, Christine Mallinson, & Mary Bucholz for Oxford University Press. These books are both be available through digital open access. They include some of your new favouite classics about the state of linguistics in research, education and outreach, even if you don’t know that just yet.

Abstract

This case study vignette provides an insight into the choices made in the writing of Crash Course Linguistics (Complexly/PBS 2020). This series of sixteen 10-minute videos cover core introductory level topics for English speakers who consume online content. We discuss how the topics were selected and arranged into a series order. We also discuss the ways we actively built inclusion into the series workflow and content, including in the team that worked on the content, the language examples selected and topics covered. Throughout we discuss the challenges and benefits of working in a collaborative team that includes a media production company and linguists with a commitment to public engagement and communication linguistics to new audiences. Sharing these observations about putting Crash Course Linguistics together is part of our commitment to using public communication to advance the standard of public engagement with the field, and the field’s approach to inclusive practice.

Reference

Gawne, Lauren, Gretchen McCulloch, Nicole Sweeney, Rachel Alatalo, Hannah Bodenhausen, Ceri Riley & Jessi Grieser. 2024. Creating Inclusive Linguistics Communication: Crash Course Linguistics. In Anne H. Charity Hudley, Christine Mallinson, and Mary Bucholtz (Eds), Inclusion in Linguistics, 383-396. Oxford University Press. [Open Access]

See Also:

Open Access for the whole Inclusion in Linguistics volume

Crash Course Linguistics on YouTube

Mutual Intelligibility posts for Crash Course Linguistics

[darbyoakana]

An Overlord's Tail - Chapter 1

An Overlords Tail Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

Summary: Alastor X reader, F/M. You are new to the hotel staff working under Alastor. He spends his days pestering and tormenting you. But that pestering turns into a competition, one you want to win. Can you get the upper hand? Are you getting too close to him? Warnings: No real warnings for this chapter, just Alastor being a dick. This story is 18+, minors can fuck right off.

___________________________________________

Chapter 1: A New Start

It had been three months since you walked out of your job at VoxTek and you were starting to get desperate. Without work to focus on, everything else felt so much harder. You had nothing but stress to distract you and it wasn’t enough. You pushed your self-loathing to the side.

You rushed out the door, wanting to get to the interview early. The last interview you had went poorly. Perhaps it was the interviewer, or maybe it was the fact that you were covered by entrails from an incident out front. Hell is a wild place, expect the unexpected. But you were set, nothing was going to ruin this. You adjusted your plastic poncho, surprise bodily fluids or parts were going to get you today. The joke, per usual, was on you. You should have also worn rain boots you thought, as a large gush of blood filled your shoes. You groaned. Watching the still-gushing corpse being dragged down the alleyway next to you. 

The cafe door's bell dinged as you walked in, pulling off the poncho. Despite pouring your shoes out on the curb, they still made a soggy squish as you walked. The cafe was pretty empty except for one person sitting at a table. You froze. No way, you thought, that can't be who I'm meeting

Vaggie sat nervously at the booth waiting. She had lost track of how many interviews she had gone through for this position. She had hired eight people so far and none of them had lasted longer than a week. Why did Alastor have to be such a pain in the ass? The hotel needed help, since the last extermination and the elimination of Adam, sinners started to accept the hotel. Their residency numbers had shifted dramatically and more staff was needed to keep things running. But for whatever reason, the one position that needed to be filled was constantly challenged by the person Vaggie was trying to help in the first place. Vaggie looked up and waved at you, you hesitantly approached the table. 

"Hi! So nice to meet you!" Vaggie got up and shook your hand. You both sat down. Typical interview discussions ensued, past experience, general information about the hotel, etc. You could see that Vaggie was eager, maybe a little stressed. 

"So.. what exactly is my job position?" you asked.

"Well.... there's a lot of miscellaneous work that needs to be done until we figure out a better workflow for the hotel while it goes through these changes. But for the most part you'll uh..." her tone became painful. " Be assisting Alastor...." Your facial expression dropped to concern.

"That's uh, a hell of a job..." you said. 

"Well...." Vaggie's teeth were gritting together, knowing she needed to be upfront about the position. "...based on your resume, I think you are the most qualified person so far. And the pay is great! It kinda has to be at this point.” She sighed “Look, we’re getting desperate." 

Oh, you were qualified alright, six years at VoxTek putting up with the most insane bullshit you could imagine. If it wasn't Velvette being an absolute cunt, it was Valentino being a fucking nightmare, Vox surprisingly was the least painful to work with. Which is why you ended up in the position you did. He eventually made you his assistant, to keep you convenient and close. And frankly, if you could put up with Vox's boo hoo "Alastor doesn't love me" baby bullshit, how hard could this job be? At best, Alastor doesn't like you and you keep looking for jobs. At worst... you die a terrible and painful death. At least then the job worry wouldn't be a concern anymore. Fuck it, you thought. 

"Yeah, I do see your point." you sighed. "Alright."

"Can you start tomorrow?" she asked eagerly

They had offered you a room at the hotel. You felt it best to endure the trial period Alastor seemed to be implementing before you gave up your crummy apartment. You laid in bed both excited and dreading tomorrow. Vox was going to lose his shit, you thought. You knew WAY too much about his personal life concerning Alastor and there was nothing in Heaven or Hell that would convince Vox you weren't doing this just to hurt him. But that was his problem. In honesty, it was the last place you wanted to work. You wanted so badly to be free of your current situation. Let things go and move on. You hoped this wouldn't blow up in your face. But most things did, it was Hell after all. 

You woke early, the Hotel was a good distance from your apartment. You took a cab to be safe on time. You didn't bother with the poncho, Alastor struck you as someone who would enjoy you being uncomfortable covered in drying sticky blood. The lobby was large, you hadn't been to the Hotel before and you didn't know what to expect but you found yourself impressed. Most of Vox’s footage was from the outside of the hotel. 

Vaggie waved you down and welcomed you. Introduced you to the staff one by one. Charlie was thrilled to meet you. But you got the feeling she felt that way about anyone and anything. Vaggie went over the floor plan of the hotel, kitchen, dining room, and so on. You scribbled away on a notepad. Sounded like the dress code was relaxed here, you felt relief. Vox always made you wear these business suit-like outfits that surely came from Val's studio, they were so tight and short. You didn't mind at the time, it made your unprofessional activities much easier, but the idea of wearing your own clothes sounded nice.

"Here is your desk. You'll be using the computer to log complaints from the guests, ordering supplies, typical stuff." She looked down to see a shattered computer screen. "UGHHH pendejo! I recommend saving a backup copy of everything you do, Alastor is still protesting the use of the computer and keeps destroying it." It didn't surprise you, you knew for a fact Vox spends all his free time spying on the Hotel. And any electronic device was an in for him. "ALASTOR!!!!" She yelled. 

"No need to shout" Alastor was right next to her. She jumped. 

"Stop doing shit like this!" she pointed to the computer. "You are sabotaging the hotel!" 

"I'm doing no such thing." He looked at his nails, uninterested. 

"Uuugghhhhh! .. Whatever." Vaggie pinched her fingers between her eyes and collected herself. She took a deep breath. "Alastor, this is ---" She was cut off by the sound of Charlie calling for her, tears gushing from her eyes. "Shit. Sorry! I'll be right back!" She gave you a look of concern, and you gave her a reassuring nod, letting her know you'd be fine without her. 

"I assume you are the new replacement." Alastor said flatly.

"And hopefully the last." you said cheerily. 

"Mmm. Hope. So fun to destroy!" he spun his microphone. "Very well then. Follow me." 

You followed him through the hotel as he listed item after item that needed to be done. You scratched away at your notepad. He was clearly trying to overwhelm you, it didn't however. It felt similar to the days that you assisted Velvette. Constant list of demands that were consistently changing without notice. 

"Actually, Alastor sir, there's something I'd like to discuss before we go any further. If that's alright?" 

He leaned towards you, head tilted. "And what might that be, my dear?" 

"One of the reasons Vaggie thought I would be a good fit for this position is my previous experience." 

"I'm afraid I haven't looked at your resume, inlighten me, will you?"

"Well.." It was awkward and somewhat painful to say, but you knew it needed to be done. "For the last six years I've been employed at V Tower, the last three years I was Vox's personal assistant." You had previously been very confident up until this point, but this was uncomfortable. "I figured it was best to tell you right away, rather than you finding out later. I didn't want it to look like I was hiding something." 

"Hmm. Very wise of you. Why pursue new employment?" 

"There were a lot of reasons. But my relationship with Vox had become... unprofessional." You pushed the image of Vox fucking you on his desk back down into the pit it came up from. "He's pushy and controlling, both as a boss and... whatever else we were. Always wanting more, pushing boundaries constantly. But bottom line, he broke my trust.” 

Alastor knew exactly what you meant. Vox had constantly pushed for more from Alastor. And being set in his ways, Alastor often felt like he and Vox were sheets of sandpaper slowly wearing away at each other. He of course didn't tell you any of this, there he remained with his unnerving smile. 

"Hmm." He leaned in closer to you and placed the tip of his claw under your chin, tilting your head to an uncomfortable angle. "Quite a dangerous move, switching sides like this." Alastor was a bit taller than you, but right now it felt like he towered over you, you knew he was trying to intimidate you. Radio static hissed in your ears. You stood your ground, staring into his deep eyes. Eyes that felt like dark endless pits. He snapped back to his smiling self, straightening up. "Well, enduring those buffoons, maybe you will last longer than the others!" He chuckled. "I do however appreciate the disclosure. Come, come." You took an exhale of relief and followed. You hoped this information would make you more valuable in the long run.

You knew a lot, more than you should, about the inner workings of VoxTek. Vox was arrogant, he liked to boast. Showing you the newest upgrades that haven't been released, all the ways he spied on the city. One thing in particular, you savored. He left you alone in his penthouse once, you weren't snooping per se, but tucked away was a small ..shrine? For lack of a better word. Where Vox kept all his trinkets and photos from when he and Alastor were "friends". You felt, should the need call for it, you could be very helpful to the Hotel if Vox became a bigger threat. Though guilt did run through you, despite the bad parts, you missed Vox. A lot of those things were told to you in confidence. And you didn't have any intention of sharing them unless Vox forced you to. You knew it was only a matter of time before he got wind of your new job. And no doubt in your mind, Vox would indeed be a personal problem. 

_______________________________________________

The days following would be a struggle, Alastor wanted his coffee and paper by 7 AM. The hotel was at least a forty-five-minute walk and you didn't have much left in your account to pay for a cab. A room at the hotel sounded more and more appealing. Entering the gates you picked up the paper, putting it under your arm. You set your bag down at your desk and headed to the kitchen. Pulling out your notepad, you flipped to the page where you wrote down instructions on how to make Alastor's coffee the way he liked it. Hopefully, he wasn't the type to throw it at you if it wasn't right. Velevette threw her coffee at you once, burning your arm. You were ready to make some new memories that didn't involve the trauma endured by the V's. 

Coffee, cloth napkins, and paper were placed on a tray. You contemplated folding the napkin like a swan but decided against it. It was a silly thought, and you didn't want to come off as trying too hard, even though that was what he set you up for, to try hard and fail. You tapped your nails against the tray as the elevator ascended up to Alastor's room. It was 6:58 AM. You stood outside his door watching the clock. Only at 7 AM, on the dot, did you set the tray down in front of his door. Alastor was sitting in his chair reading, ready to scold you for being early and found himself slightly impressed. Getting rid of you the typical way might be harder than he thought. All the others were so easy to frighten. But if there was anything Alastor loved, it was a challenge. He had been bored out of his mind playing this hotel game. Unable to leave and pursue more interesting ventures. And the rest of the core group of hotel residents were getting annoyed with his antics. Maybe you could entertain him for a little while. Surely there had to be something that would break you. He waited for the elevator to descend before retrieving the tray. 

You snuck into the kitchen to make yourself some coffee, before anyone came in to make breakfast. You made yourself at home at your desk. The drawers were a mess from the previous employees. You sipped your coffee and organized your papers. Looking over previous orders for supplies and food, trying to get an idea of how much the hotel goes through monthly.

"Why good morning!" Alastor said, suddenly at your side, bent over, his face a bit too close to yours. You tried your best not to jump, you had a feeling that would be happening often. "At your desk already? Don't you want to join your new comrades at the breakfast table? Hmm?" 

"Good morning to you too sir. No, not today. Until I have a full understanding of my schedule, I don't want to add anything unnecessary to my plate." 

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, as they say." 

"I'm pretty sure that's a con cereal companies used to sell sugar to children." Alastor held in a laugh.  "Coffee is fine for now. Speaking of-" You looked up at him. "How was your coffee this morning? Did I make it correctly?" 

"It was passable I suppose." It was the best he could do without lying and without giving you praise. "There are some errands I need to be done." He handed you a list. Skimming over it, it seemed doable to get done by the end of the day. "I want it done by noon." 

"...noon?!" It was already 9 AM, here it was, an impossible task. Setting you up to fail. Maybe you could use some of your third-party contacts from VoxTek? "Alright.. I'll see what I-"

You were both suddenly interrupted by the boisterous sounds coming from the dining room. Leaning forward over your desk, you could see Charlie was singing. 

"Hmm. Glad I skipped breakfast...." you said flatly. You didn't see it but Alastor smirked. 

The tasks given proved to be a bit difficult. All things Alastor could have easily done himself, but where was the fun in that? You did take advantage of some of your previous contacts, which helped immensely. You took care of a few calls before heading to the city. Most of the errands were pick-ups and drop-offs. One task, in particular, you'd have to call in a favor for. Meanwhile, Alastor was eavesdropping, hoping to see you struggle and stress. 

"Frankie, listen, if this order isn't here by noon, I will personally come down there, pull your intestines out your asshole, and festoon them along the fence of this establishment. Do you understand?" Frankie babbled in your ear. "Great, I'm so glad we could come to an agreement. As always, a pleasure to work with you." 

Alastor couldn't help but have a genuine smile on his face, he wouldn't admit it, but he liked how you got things done. Threatening someone in such a creative way delighted him. 

You hoofed it around the city for hours, practically running from destination to destination. You were exhausted and sweaty when you arrived back at the hotel. It was a few minutes before noon, just in time to see Frankie's delivery truck be unloaded. 

"In the kitchen, please. Thanks, fellas!" You yelled to them.

Your arms were full as you dumped everything on your desk. Gently folding Alastor's dry cleaning over your chair, stacking some of the items. Including a few books. How does this help the hotel? You thought. Hoping these kinds of tasks would end once Alastor was bored with you. 

"Well- color me impressed. All with five minutes to spare!" Alastor appeared in front of your desk. "Though it does seem like something is missing. That's too bad. I had such high hopes for you, dear." 

You gave him the biggest shit-eating grin you could muster and pointed at the two men coming through the door hauling a freshly slaughtered deer to the kitchen. If you weren't already intensely looking at him you would have missed Alastor's eye twitch. Someone might as well handed you a trophy. It took everything in you to not showboat as you followed the delivery men into the kitchen.

The deer was laid on the large island in the middle of the kitchen. You signed their papers and the men were gone. Alastor, suddenly in an apron, was ready to go. A black tentacle sliced its head off with a sharp crack. 

"Hold this." 

He handed you the head. You held it by the antlers, dripping blood onto the floor by your feet. You stood there for a while, watching Alastor prepare. Realizing that he didn't need your help, this was just another task to pain you. The head was heavy and your arms were getting tired. As you adjusted, trying to give your arms a break, you felt the antlers texture in your hands, it reminded you of a gaudy hotel in Montana your parents took you to in the summer of '92. 

"If you do this often, which I get the feeling you do- you could save the antlers and make a chandelier. It would look good by the bar."

"Hmmm." Alastor glanced at you as he removed the skin. It wasn't a bad idea, however, he could just make one just like he made the bar itself. But an opportunity was found. "Very well then." He snapped his fingers and the head fell off the antlers. Landing on your feet with a splat. Filling your shoes with coagulating blood. 

You groaned. What the fuck, were these shoes cursed? Blood squished between your toes. The sensory overload made you want to scream. You swallowed it down. Instead, letting out a loud sigh. You sat the antlers down on the counter and picked up the head. Alastor couldn't help but to cackle.

"So glad you are amused." You said flatly. 

"Oh indeed I am." 

In truth, he was. But also disappointed. He didn't get so much as a yelp out of you. A measly groan? He was losing his touch. But the clear discomfort the drying blood in your shoes provided would have to be enough. At this point, the head you clutched to your chest was dripping down your front. You greatly regretted wearing a skirt today. Alastor watched the blood drip down your legs from the corner of his eye. Pooling further in your shoes. 

You stood there for what felt like ages. How long did it take to gut a deer? He couldn't be using the whole thing, could he? What was he even making? You got tired of standing and hopped on the counter, hugging the head now in your lap. You were already covered in blood, it didn’t really matter now that the base of the severed head was soaking into your lap. Thankful your skirt was at least black. Alastor would have to try harder than this to drive you out. He’d previously been relying too heavily on his reputation and the fear people felt from his presence. He would have to get more creative with you, how fun. 

"Hiiiiiii guuuuuuuys!" Charlie popped her head into the kitchen, breaking your concentration. "There is a short group activity we are about to do! Would you like to join us? " She glances at you, then at the glob of sticky at your feet. "Mayyyybeee we could get you some slippers...? Alastor?"

"You may go." You’d rather hold the deer, but you weren’t about to let him know that. 

You dropped the head in the sink with a thud and a squelch. Alastor smirked, enjoying the squishing sound your shoes made as you walked away. You were grateful to have clean feet and warm slippers. But the short group activity wasn't short at all. It had been several hours at this point and the deer head didn't seem so bad now. You sat slumped in a chair, waiting for your turn to share your “feelings”. Charlie had sung two songs now, she was a lovely person but this activity was making you want to claw your eyes out. You sat up straight when you saw the kitchen door open, pretending to be engaged in the activity. God forbid Alastor to catch on that this was torment for you, he’d end up signing you up for every activity Charlie came up with.  

The rest of the day was filled with busy work. By the time 5 PM rolled around you were exhausted. You grabbed your jacket and purse, heading out the front door. By the time you got home, you felt like you were going to collapse. Just get through this week, you thought, things will level out after that. You trudged up the four flights of stairs and as you approached your apartment you noticed a note on your door. EVICTION NOTICE in bold print. You ripped it off the door and crumpled it in your hand.

Great. 

[thestellarcartographer]

Another finished commission, completed over the course of several months, and with a fair amount of interesting changes during the process.

I'm going to put the process under the cut, and you can just enjoy a sample of the final renders above if you like.

So, as always, started out with simply 'blocking' of the scene based on the information provided by the commissioner, getting scale right, and making sure the particular consoles and key environment items like the Captain's chair, are in the right place.

I then move to the more detailed blocking, adjusting based on feedback, adding new elements and getting other details right. You'll notice early on that part of the changes so far have involved flipping the back-side consoles around, and changing the off-shoot corridors into walls with a door, as well as adding, altering, and removing some other details.

At this point, I also added in a stand-in ceiling, just to get the basic composition, shapes, and scale correct. This, again, went through a couple of iterations before the final version, and was drawing on the same visual cues on the Voyager bridge, with a little TNG mixed in. As you can see in the final version, this went through some revisions, but retained the same visual style.

With everything now looking as the commissioner wanted in block out, I started working on the actual build - starting with the Captain's and other Officer chairs, before moving onto the other main details, including consoles, railings, pillars, etc.

After this was a lot of iterative work, changing things here and there as we go based on feedback, or my own feelings on the composition or quality of what I'd done and how it meshed together. Eventually, I got the point of putting in test LCARS, before moving on to starting to generate custom LCARS based on the requested colour palette.

The MSD specifically went through a lot of variation between starting and final version - mostly just revisions to the LCARS colour bars, or location of some of the minor elements. It was my first completely from scratch MSD, and I really enjoyed the challenge of it.

By this point it was largely ensuring everything meshed nicely, fit the style-guide I was given to work to, and finalising the LCARS, doing final redesigns on the Operations and Security alcoves, and adding final touches.

Then the commissioner gave me their final sign-off, and we end up at the final images shown at the tops of the post!

All in all, it was an interesting comission, and as always, I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my workflow. Any questions, let me know!

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

If you were in a long-term relationship with Jungkook, how do think the sex would evolve? How different would the 50th time you fuck be from the first time?

the 50th time would be within two weeks tops, wydm

Actually, the answer is the same, by the 50th time we would know a bit more about each other. In that sense, the first time would be the "worst". But this is Jungkook we're talking about, so his "worst" is probably better than most. He does know good rhythm, heh.

I understand the romanticization of "the first time", because society trains humanity to crave new over old. "Old" carries the negative connotations of stagnant, repetitive, dull, whereas "new" evokes excitement, refreshment, shiny. But fixating on "first time" implies that a person is one-dimensional and can be fully explored within a single experience. Of course, some people are shallow and remain shallow, but most people are complex creatures whose charm comes from their continued learnings making him more interesting. Sex between two people also includes the third perspective of experiencing something together, which is different from facing it alone.

So, yeah, the first time would be fun but perhaps a little clumsy. That's the beauty of introductions; sex for the first time is introduction of body to body, similar to how the first conversation is an introduction of person to person. I know what I like and he knows what he likes (assuming he's not a virgin), but we have much to teach each other about ourselves. The 50th time we would have a better understanding of each other, so then the focus pivots to refinement and discovery as a unit. Learning to be better at what we know, teaching each other about what we've learned, adding / subtracting kinks, innovation and creativity, moving through phases of how we like to do it...

I don't see a point in having sex with someone else if you're only in it for yourself. That's why we have hands. (Or toys. And so on.) Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a better result is the definition of insanity. Besides, the chase is what I crave. Maybe even more than the orgasm itself. I want to find new, creative ways to make someone cum. I want to be the best at their favorite sex act and then become even better than that. I want to test my limits. I want to understand even more than I want to know. What is about that that you like? (That that I like that~) How can I apply it to something else? If you like this, then by association you might also like this. Or want to try that. And so on.

I'm someone that desires and constantly searches for improvement, from my daily life and workflow to topics I'm obsessed interested in. Such as sex. Sex is such a vast, complex topic that is always expanding. I think becoming old is when you begin to accept that you can no longer learn. And I always want to learn. Especially when it comes to Jungkook.

... 's.

Dick.

What?

Anyway.

He's playful. He's adaptable. He seeks new, enjoys challenges, likes aesthetics, take suggestions and constructive criticism as a chance to improve. He's not the type to think he's the best (even if he is) and he wants to be the best. In that sense, I think we would be on the same page when it comes to how we approach sex. So, whether it's the 50th or 7777777th time, the words we both want to hear from each other afterward are, "that was the best sex I've ever had". So we'll probably be constantly working towards that.

Side note, he's gonna make me work out, isn't he? Maybe it's time to pick up yoga. Or pilates. Increased flexibility always helps in the bedroom. ;)

[agathah]

What’s your process/workflow for pieces? Do you mainly work from references? I love how unique your work is, especially your amadeo/armand art.

Thank you!! I usually get hyperfixated on lots of things, specially books/shows/movies, and I get so many ideas of themed drawings inspired by those things, they come in my mind in a really intense flow, and I wish I could execute all of them, but they're SO many haha. One thing I love to do, as noticeable, is drawing book characters, specially the ones who don't have images or fanarts. Not only because I like a challenge, but because I genuinely see them so clearly in my head that i just feel the urgent need to put them on the canvas. My Armand, for example (and all of my book iwtv characters fanarts), is the representation of how I see in my mind. He's not inspired by a real person, that's just how I picture him. Sometimes I feel like I get visions sent from the Beyond lmaooo, there are times that I feel a bit insane. Anyway, I frequently use references that I find on Pinterest to guide me on clothing, poses, anatomy, expressions. They help me a lot, because sometimes I get stuck too haha. A lot of times I have this clear idea on my mind, but when I try to transfer it to paper/screen I get really lost on stupid things, like "how the fvck is a hand holding a knife supposed to look like?". Things like that. That's why reference pictures or real life references can be so helpful. I think my drawings would look 1627273x better if I just actually studied the fundamentals of color, anatomy, dynamics, but I get so used to being intuitive that it's kind of a hard behavior to change.

I don't know if that's really what you were asking haha but that's basically it

[citrus-seed]

31 days of Pokétober but only 30 pictures allowed per post, damn you Tumblr! Pokétober 2024 master-post!! I learned a lot about Clip Studio and my own workflow while doing this challenge and I'm glad I got to see it all the way to the end! I'm super proud of the golett and the basculegion!! Which one is your favorite? :D

[the-bifrost-blogger]

Requests Information and Guidelines

Hello and welcome! I'm thrilled to announce that I'm opening up requests for MCU content, including Loki-centric stories and more. While my main focus remains on my ongoing Loki series, I’m happy to craft unique stories featuring other Marvel Cinematic Universe characters as well. Below, you’ll find details about how requests will work, what information I’ll need from you to create the perfect story, and which characters I write for.

Request Workflow

I aim to complete 3 to 5 requests per week, but the timing may vary depending on the length and complexity of the stories, as well as my progress on the main series.

Please note: I do not write for anything post-Endgame as I haven’t seen those films yet.

How to Submit a Request

To help me create a story you’ll love, please provide the following information.

Mandatory Information

Character(s): Who is the story about?

Pairing: Are there romantic elements? If so, specify the pairing (e.g., Loki x Reader).

Plot/Scenario: A brief description of the situation or storyline you want to see. Be as specific as possible.

Tone: Is the story fluffy, angsty, humorous, smutty, etc.?

Setting/Timeline: Specify when or where the story takes place (e.g., present-day Earth, Asgard, pre-Endgame events).

Optional Information

Dialogue: Include any specific lines or conversations you want incorporated.

Background Information: Any backstory details or headcanons you want reflected.

Length: If you prefer a shorter or longer story, let me know.

Other Elements: Feel free to add additional requests, such as including specific side characters, holidays, or themes.

MCU Characters I Write For

Here’s a list of the characters I currently write for. If your favorite isn’t listed, feel free to ask!

Main Characters:

Loki

Thor

Tony Stark

Steve Rogers

Natasha Romanoff

Bucky Barnes

Bruce Banner

Clint Barton

Side Characters:

Wanda Maximoff

Pietro Maximoff

Sam Wilson

Peter Parker

Stephen Strange

Jane Foster

Valkyrie

Pepper Potts

A Few Notes

While I’m open to exploring different genres and tones, I always prioritize staying true to the characters.

Don’t hesitate to get creative! I love a good challenge and welcome unique ideas.

Let me know what stories you’d like to see—your imagination is the only limit! 😊

[midnighttrain-project]

Hello everyone! It’s time for another development blog!

Thank you very much for the support I received in the previous post! This time, the focus will be pixel art! In particular, we will talk about the creative process behind the new sprites of the remake.

As some of you may already know, MerúM is the artist in charge of the pixel art in Midnight Train. Let’s ask him some questions about it!

🌙🚂 Interview with MerúM 🚂🌙

Lydia: First of all, could you introduce yourself?

MerúM: I call myself MerúM. I am the pixel artist of Midnight Train: New Moon, and I am in charge of the sprites and animations of the characters. I also worked on Aria's Story and the previous version of Midnight Train doing the same job.

Lydia: The character sprites in Midnight Train: New Moon look quite different from the original version. Is there any reason for this change?

MerúM: Well, before the switch to RPG Maker MV, I was already working on the new sprites and animations for the Midnight Train remake. However, once we changed programs, I noticed that the character sprites were very small compared to the current screen dimensions. I decided that this was a perfect opportunity to redo the sprites from scratch as well, increasing their dimensions and detailing them more than the previous version allowed me, without wanting to move them too far away from the previous chibi style.

Lydia: Right now, you already completed all the characters sprites for chapter 1. Was there any challenge or something you’re really proud about? 

MerúM: After changing the sprites, the expressiveness of the characters has improved a lot. Characters now have many more unique animations and expressions, solidifying their personalities. I think this new style works very well with the aesthetic of Midnight Train’s world and makes them look quite unique from character to character.

Lydia: Could you describe your workflow and what programs you use to create your work?

MerúM: For my sprites, I use Aseprite. Before starting with a specific character, I tend to draw their base sprites and their walking animations. After this, I receive a list of events that will occur in the game related to those characters, and then I create the sprites and animations that fit into said scenes using the base sprites as a reference. Usually, I am in charge of designing how these scenes will look in pixel art, but with some more specific or complicated scenes I have received a quick sketch of how the sprite/animation should look like as a visual aid, and thus arrive at the version that best suits the scene.

Lydia: I’m just curious about something… Who is your favorite character from Midnight Train?

MerúM: I think all the characters are fantastic, maybe I could consider Neil Lawton my favorite. I think, in the end, we should all be a little like Neil. Even if you are afraid at first to move forward, just do it. This is what Neil does, he may be afraid, but he faces this fear to survive.

Lydia: Is there anything else you would like to tell us?

MerúM: What else could I say? I think Midnight Train: New Moon brings a story that will appeal to anyone who is passionate about mystery stories. By the way, it's fun to mention that in addition to Justice, Purity and some secondary characters, I have been the main designer of Larissa, one of the new characters in this remake. I hope you play Midnight Train: New Moon and get to know her!

🌙🚂 Progress 🚂🌙

I hope you liked the interview with MerúM! I wouldn't have been able to create my games without his help, as I'm pretty bad at pixel art. I'm excited to see all the sprites he will create for chapter 2! I personally can't wait to see Apollo's animations. Now, I want to report about the development of the game. I’m almost finished with the maps of chapter 2, so I expect to start programming this chapter very soon! Literally, there is only one map left…! I wanted to add a new puzzle to this map, so I’ve been stuck brainstorming ideas… Ahh, it feels like facing a final boss before proceeding to the next step.

Thank you a lot for your support and patience! See you next time~

[winxwiki]

Iginio Straffi Interview “With my fairies I challenge Disney” by Silvia Brena, translated from Io Donna (10/09/2005)

originally transcribed by Iku, translated by me

Straffi talks about inspirations, his wife, Rainbow's workflow in 2005, their lack of unions and more!

If Winx doesn't ring a bell, it's because you don't have any female daughters. And if you don't know Iginio Straffi from Macerata, don't miss the seven reasons (and the moral) for the success of this 40-year-old creative. Who by staying in the province and marrying a cosmopolitan manager has gone global. “Mr. Rainbow, how does it feel to be one of Disney's most hated people?” Mr. Rainbow, born Iginio Straffi, age 40, from Macerata, does not answer. “You don't feel anything at all?” “I would rather people didn't think badly.” “Tell the truth.” "All right, I feel a certain pride in having annoyed a titan. It's inspiring."

[...]

Sivia Brena: So, Mr. Straffi, who inspired you? Iginio Straffi: “Chatwin, Simenon, Sergio Leone, Ingmar Bergman, movies like Blade Runner. Do I go on?" No, stop. And let's start again. In search of the real reasons and rules behind a phenomenon. [Reason No. 1-the metabolism of speed.] IS: “The first person to diagnose it was my pediatrician. He told my mother, 'Ma'am, your son is healthy, but he has a problem: he goes at 1,000 rpm and never relaxes.'"

SB: Number of emails received per day? IS: “Approximately 200, all ‘processed.’ I attack in the morning with Japan and stop at night with the US. In between, every day is Germany, Singapore and China." SB: Yes, but many are answering e-mails all day long and have not become cartoon kings.... IS: “You want a reason? then I'll give you three. 1) We control the intellectual property of our products: that is, we own our ideas. 2) In order to defend our product, that is, our ideas, we turned them into licensing, this has granted us the rights to all our assets. 3) People working with us come from all over the world. Yes, we have been fast." [Moral: Don't drop your ideas left and right. Protect them, they are better than privacy."]

[Reason #2 - Joanne. That is, what does a tenacious woman do next to a tenacious man]. SB: Yeah, what does she do with him? IS: “She gets married. We did it at the beginning of June. She is my right hand, my support, even moral support. She was the one who opened the markets of Asia for us, who bet with me on the development of licensing."

SB: Nice statement. IS: “It is the truth. My greatest joy is in the evening, at home, summarizing the day together." SB: But aren't you a bit symbiotic? IS: “On the contrary. It's cathartic to be able to be angry or happy as a couple over a success." SB: Never a disagreement, a difference of views? After all, you dragged a cosmopolitan manager from Singapore, who studied marketing at the prestigious Madison college in Wisconsin, deep into the Italic province. IS: “Diversity of views yes, of course. She has an Eastern approach. And American. For her, hierarchy is sacred. For me it is not. She thinks a well-liked leader is not doing his job well. I love consensus."

SB: When don't you see each other? IS: “We write to each other. Emails have been to us what letters used to be. They have kept the relationship alive." [Moral: Find yourself a partner in crime and hard worker. It also helps to save a paycheck."] [Reason #3 - Trust. and shame.] SB: Who believed in you? IS: “The president of Rainbow, Don Lamberto Pigini, an over-80-year-old priest who had a printing business. With him we laid the first brick." SB: Then? IS: “Joanne.” SB: As expected. IS: “And then I work in an atmosphere of trust, it's beneficial. And do you know why? Because I'm not equipped to disappoint. Those who work for me know that." SB: Explain yourself further. Does it have to do with the shame one feels in the face of failure? IS: “It has to do with my mother, who used to repeat to me, ‘Don't shame me, don't make me look bad.’” [Moral: Re-evaluate moms; they're still needed.] [Reason #4 - The team.] SB: How much work is done in your company? IS: “A lot, but hopefully with pleasure.” SB: Is there a union? IS: “No.” SB: No because you don't need it or no because you don't want it? IS: “With us, the key word is passion. No one here is a cog. We are an 'ad personam' company." SB: Boom. IS: “That's how it is. Because everyone sees that their ideas can live. And you work together. Each series, which is developed in six to seven months, has a team of ten designers dedicated to it." SB: Do you yell with your guys? Any mistreating? IS: “I confront. I tend to explain. And I can change my mind after a chat with a collaborator." SB: Do you explain your decisions? IS: “Always. Reason for disagreements with Joanne. She argues that a decision of mine should not be confronted with the opinions of collaborators. But by character I need consensus." [Moral: Aim for the creative philosophy of consensus, helps.] [Reason #5 - Don't give up.] IS: “We went through very hard times. The beginnings, the clash with Disney who accused us of copying their Witch. But then we won, partly because we started thinking about Winx in 2000, with Rai. Witch, the comic book, came out in May 2001." SB: Did you ever feel like quitting? IS: “I didn't mostly because of the guys who work with me.” [Moral: Don't work for yourself alone; be responsible.] [Reason #6 - The creative process.] SB: How does a good idea come about? IS: “I'll tell you how Winx was born. I first got the idea from watching the Japanese Sailor Moon, the story of five little fairies..." SB: You copied! IS: “I was inspired. The creative process comes to life by processing the already seen." SB: I mean, nobody invents anything. IS: “The basic elements of narratives are always the same, the skill is in remixing them. Look at the Japanese: they did Pokémon, then Digimon, then Dragonball." (TRANSLATOR'S NOTE: Iginio probably refers to the italian airing of each show, NOT the japanese airing. We all know Dragon Ball came first, but it aired in 1999-2001 in Italy and then reran every year) SB: A master, a mentor of yours? IS: “Rodolfo Torti and Sergio Bonelli, two greats in the world of comics.” SB: Specifically, what do you do: do you sit down with a pencil in your mouth? IS: “The gestation is very long. It can last even years. I only write when inspiration comes to me." [Moral: Don't get anxious]. [Reason #7 - The Roots.] SB: Let's talk about Loreto. Strange location for a company with a global reach. IS: “We were born here.” SB: Yes, but people migrate. IS: “There's no reason for that. We live better here. We go to the beach on our lunch break. And in the middle of the green you work better." SB: Yes, but you are out of any trade route. IS: “We have e-mails, cell phones, faxes. From a business point of view, yes maybe Milan would be better. But we make it from here as well."

SB: How? IS: “We take young designers from schools like Urbino and train them internally. We hire people from all over the world, there are many foreigners, especially in marketing. They love living and working in the Marche region." SB: But do you feel like a provincial? IS: “Yes, I think so.” SB: Define provincial. IS: “When I can, I like to go to my parents for lunch on Sundays. It's a ritual, it makes me feel good." [Moral: Don't look for Zen and the art of better living in distant philosophies, go back to your own home].

[helielune]

Pls tell me about the perfect app that lives in your head rent free

hello!!!! ok!!!!! i am here to dump all my brain sludge right here now!!

to preface i know there's like a bajillion productivity apps out there with varying degrees of quality so the likelihood of this already existing is very much nonzero BUT i think the possibility of it not existing yet is also very nonzero so here it is!!

essentially, the main premise is that one post, which said 'if thinking naruto would be proud of you for brushing your teeth, then grab that toothbrush dattebayo' or something along those lines.

it's an app that gives you a character to motivate you and work alongside you and celebrate your successes with you and encourage you to get up when you're. currently not up

mockup images!

is this miku? maybe.

anyways so the basic user workflow is that you would open the app (perhaps through a morning notification, if you're into that) and be greeted by your beautiful and supportive character, as well as your daily tasks. then you get to work!

each task or work session you complete will earn you currency! and with that currency you can deck out your character in the shop! think of a picrew. you can change their hair. their clothes. their body type. you can turn them into naruto if that helps you. you can make a whole new character if you want! and then you'll have two supporting characters!! this will all cost you 'work' though.

notes about the to-do list area:

morning routine section. this would hopefully be sort of a built-in feature. it would give you a morning notification to do all this stuff and include an animation of your character doing routine stuff with you so you feel like you have a friend brushing ur teeth with you lol

the tasks all have a label attached but i guess you don't really need one if you don't want one

the little tag that says '25m' on laundry means that you think doing the laundry will take 25 minutes of focus time. if you click on the hourglass icon next to it, it'll take you to a timer for 25 minutes automatically.

if you don't set time it'll just give you the default pomodoro timer sessions, which you can change in your settings. i'm a freak for settings so if this actually gets made you can rest assured there will be enough minute settings to go around

it lets you do 'counter' type tasks too, see 'apply to jobs'. thanks to habitica for that idea

notes about the timer page:

basically it tells you to focus on a single task. if you clicked the timer button for a single task in your list on the homepage that will be the highlighted one. if you clicked the general timer button then it'll just pull the first or a random one or something. but it only shows you one.

unless you click the expand button because i'm not gonna lock you out of viewing your own todo list

you can also 'quick' add a new task! like y'know when you suddenly realize you need to do that extra thing on the side just WRITE IT DOWN instead of getting sidetracked. maybe if i feel like it i'll let you take photos for tasks or speech to text or y'know. just make it easy and quick

during the breaks it plays a little break animation to remind u to drink water or eat something or whatever

i think i need to move some buttons around and stuff but generally this is what so many hours of my life (like years of turning it around in my mind plus the past few days of making these images) has turned into. some other features i would ideally have are screen time checkers so your character pops in when you've been on your phone for too long and says Hey. plus other stuff but this is already long

am i ever actually going to make this? probably i'd only get to a super basic version of it. at least a todo list. but those apps already exist...

there are some super limiting/challenging problems that i haven't really been able to solve. like 1. the picrew. god damn i want to make a picrew so badly but i just do Not have the time or energy. and if i use animations inside this thing to make it cuter than i would essentially be making a whole picrew like FIVE TIMES (FOR THE FRAMES).

and it leads into the next issue 2. the continuous motivation. it's easy to be motivated when you're using a brand new cutesy app and have like a hundred things to buy but what if you run out?? how many things do i have to draw to keep up with the demand and keep it motivating?? especially if the items in the store are hit or miss (which is. inevitable, because no store can be 100% only things that you want to buy) then the pickings get slim REALLY fast.

3. the personalities of the characters. it's one thing to provide a character and make its personality myself (i would do that anyway, a small handful of default characters, because you do need to get started somewhere) but it's another thing entirely to make a billion different lines of text to minutely capture the possible words of encouragement that every fictional character you ever liked would say. so you can have an accurate replica of them in your motivational app for maximum motivational affect. is this actually important to people? idk but i feel like if ur productivity app said smth weird and u went like 'he would not fucking say that' it might break the spell. so

thats the basic rundown if u have any questions OR FEEDBACK (!!!!!!!) hmu if you want to use this app also hmu but maybe don't depend on me making it in full... so some alternatives i found while looking for inspo are

habitica (classic gamification, does a lot of similar stuff including personalization!)

finch (just a supportive buddy, mostly for habits and self care)

otto (it's really cute and basically you take care of a Creature by focusing, but it's only a browser extension i think)

someone on a reddit thread made a feature-heavy gamified habit/productivity browser extension here and it seems very useful!!!

also other resources:

Magic ToDo - GoblinTools breaks tasks down into subtasks for you! it's not always 100% accurate but can be a start :) especially since you can decide how many parts you want

forest (i used this a lot before, it's more of a screen time stopper but it's got a sort of fatal flaw in that you have to actively begin using it each time. sometimes i just need someone to kick me out of a scrolling loop.) (also after they started monetizing the prizes it got boring :( )

my friends used opal before for screen time reasons but it's paid. if u have money that's probably a good choice

'amazing marvin' is another productivity/habit browser extension which is also paid. if you're into paying. heard it's good and super customizable to you too

i once tried cold turkey to break my screen habits and at least i can say it is VERY effective at what it says it does. just be careful with what you block lol

if u made it this far here's an extra miku for ur troubles. i drew it bc. i was gonna make a sprite and then got lost in the sauce. these mockups are gonna singlehandedly make me a master at ms paint mouse/trackpad drawing

btw it's not wednesday september 11 right now unless it is for you in which case how is it living in the Future? or the Past. i don't make the time rules

[hellsite-yano]

2023 was good for me!!

(the wine's setting in so lemme make this quick) Continuing the self-improvement train by teaching myself to video edit so I could make this. It was nice to tangibly contribute to a community I've grown very fond of since 2021 and I'm planning on making some maps for 2024.

I drank lots of tea this year too and I think my palette has grown more sophisticated in the process (#1 rule while writing that was 'no irony', jokes are fine but actually engage with the tea and be honest with how you feel about it).

I also challenged myself to watch 3 episodes of anime a day which I managed to do with a surplus of 53, totaling 1148 episodes this year. This gave me a chance to watch things I've always been curious about like Violet Evergarden, Rozen Maiden, Cromartie, Alien 9, etc etc. Gonna do the challenge again this year and catch up on all the classics.

And THE GAINS. Wasn't too happy with how I looked in May so I really buckled down on the treadmill and weights and I'm really satisfied with the muscle definition and my body in general atm. Can't wait to see how I look in 12 months.

I've been messing about more with open source software, trying to find replacements for propriety apps on my phone. Switched from Whatsapp to Langis (degoogled Signal) and enjoyed better alternative apps like Gurgle (Wordle but not ad ridden) and Moelist.

I discovered Qownnotes this year too which has genuinely revolutionized my writing workflow. Hoping to apply this proper in 2024 and really get some work done.

The improvements I made to my social skills from the last couple years have also carried over. More assertive, more confident etc etc. I think I've got this all down so much I don't even need to bring it up anymore.

So yeah GOOD YEAR FOR ME. I think I've earned it <3

it is my cat

[antoniosvivaldi]

A YEAR IN REVIEW: CREATIONS OF 2023

Post your favourite and most popular post from each month in 2023.

I was tagged by @madeline-kahn & @bazkrekkers 💖

A short summary on 2023 as a content creator: This was one of my most prolific & fruitful years in terms of content creating since I've started using Tumblr in 2014 - both artistically and quantitatively. I look forward to what my creative muse will bring to me the coming year 🤩

January

Most popular: The Little Mermaid gifset — A relatively quick set that came together after experimenting with a handful of mermaid / aquatic themed Photoshop freebies that I've got!

Favourite: 2023 releases compilation gifset — Assembling this gifset made me realise how many anticipated media releases were coming out in 2023 & I've also discovered quite a few new musical artists to listen in the giffing process.

February

I've subscribed to Adobe Creative Cloud subscription & got my "bad boy" Max aka the trusty M2 Mac that I now primarily gif on! It's a night and day difference, what used to take a few days can be done within a single giffing session 🤩

Most Popular: Taylor Swift Lavender Haze gifset — My first gifset that I've giffed on Max and also my first attempt incorporating Neural Filters in my giffing workflow!

Favourite: Bridgerton characters + Certainly Not A Bot Description gifset — A highly entertaining gifset to assemble and I certainly had a lot of laughs while making this 😂

March

Most Popular: Rotoscoping Tutorial — I've finished my long overdue Rotoscoping Tutorial in March and it's the most popular post that I've made in 2023

Favourite: Assorted Female Musicians + Tropes gifset / playlists — I listen to music diversely and thought it would be fun to share a playlist set of the musical artists that I've discovered / listen to! This edit idea went through quite a few iterations and was very happy that it gets to see the light of the day!

April

Most Popular: Fantasia 1940 + animals gifset — Made under a bit of time crunch but enjoyed giffing a childhood favourite & playing around with Neural Filters!

Favourite: Taylor Swift + Four Seasons gifset — A remake of this gifset and inspired by my URL! Taylor Swift ft. Landscape Mixer Filter & Fantasia scenes that reminds me of the four seasons 🌸🌞🍁❄️

May

Most Popular: Olivia Rodrigo Sour anniversary gifset — May 2023 was a challenging giffing month for me, but making purple sets like this kept me going

Favourite: Kathony x Kanej gifset — A gifset to showcase two of my favourite fictional relationships (and I love that there are thematic similarities) 💜

June

Most Popular: Heartstopper characters rainbow gifset — One of the most wholesome shows that I've watched 🥺

Favourite: Gracie Abrams Good Riddance gifset — Originally, I was going to make a B&W Gracie Abrams gifset but ended up with something more colourful & something that I'm much happier with! A lot of videos Gracie Abrams released this year were in B&W / had horrific lightings, but I got around with the Colourise & Photo Enhancement Neural Filters ft. adjustment layers!

July

I took a break using Max this month and giffed on my Intel-based Macs from 2012 and 2015. This is to better gauge the performance required to comfortably run Photoshop's Neural Filters & to try out other Photoshop filters e.g. Adobe Camera Raw Filter.

Most Popular: Speak Now (Taylor's Version) gifset — A relatively quick purple gifset that I've made right before Speak Now (Taylor's Version) came out!

Favourite: Watch (Maisie Peters) x Sour (Olivia Rodrigo) gifset — Watch is one of the few songs that I've enjoyed back when standard version of The Good Witch came out and it struck me as a very Sour-coded song to me (and also something that's very neon pink & blue to me).

August

Most Popular: 1989 (Taylor's Version) gifset — Was very excited that Taylor announced that she's releasing the re-recorded version of 1989 💙

Favourite: Adaptations grand compilation gifset — I love making grand compilation sets! It's a fun way to showcase the things that I enjoy & do things as creatively as possible! In this set, I had a lot of fun experimenting with transition effects, as well as 3D text!

September

Most Popular: Olivia Rodrigo Guts gifset — I think Olivia Rodrigo's discography is very purple-coded to me and Guts is no exception 💜

Favourite: Maisie Peters YSUFT x Taylor Swift parallels gifset — A gifset idea that I held close to my heart for a while. Took quite some time to iron out the overall layout & it's one of the sets I've made on my Intel-based Mac to test Neural Filters performance, but I'm really happy with the pastel colour scheme produced from the Colour Transfer Neural Filter!

October

Most Popular: A more elaborate 1989 (Taylor's Version) gifset — This is very much a crunch time gifset that quickly came together 💙

Favourite: Kathony x BSC (Maisie Peters) gifset — The lyrics of BSC reminds me of Kathony. Then I came across a fun colour palette (that's a mix of purple & orange) and experimented with some fonts + organic shapes that I've recently installed. As always, the typography took a lot of time to grind out but had a lot of fun assembling the set & experimenting with the animated texts!

November

Max's sidekick aka Bailey (an M3-based Mac) arrived in late November & I've installed Topaz Labs plugins (very helpful for enhancing screencaps)

Most Popular: Taylor Swift Fearless anniversary gifset — Happy anniversary to Fearless 💛

Favourite: The Comfort Zone: The Joyful Issue + playlist + uquiz — I really enjoyed the creative process for this: I've learnt how to make 3D animations from scratch & had a lot of fun putting together the companion playlist + uquiz!

As an aside, the rendering process was so resource intensive that the workload was bifurcated between two computers, to ensure I was able to finish the set within the submission window.

December

This is one of my most inspired & prolific time in giffing since a while and I'm grateful that I'm able to wrap up my 2023 on a high note!

Most Popular: A Charlie Brown Christmas gifset — I've downloaded quite a lot of Christmas / holidays themed Photoshop resources in December and thought it would be fun to play around with those in a Christmas gifset! This Peanuts gifset is the end result 🎅

Favourite: Maisie Peters The Good Witch gifset — One of the biggest challenges giffing Maisie Peters is that most of the videos came from Youtube. I've got around experimenting with Topaz Labs (in addition to the usual Neural Filters) to enhance the gifs and have been very happy with the result!

As of the creative process of the set: I associate The Good Witch with blue & orange, played around with transparency in gif panels, and applied Neural Filters to bring out artistic effects for the component gifs.

Tagging (absolutely no pressure): @rogerhealey, @silversmists, @tayloralison, @laurabenanti, @fawad-khan, @goldrushkid, @cobbbvanth, @swearphil, @breakbleheavens, @imkindatheman, @miss-lauryn-hill , @muldery , @crushcrushcrushs , @matlillard , @deweyduck + anyone who wants to do this 💖