#so grainy but at least the colors are nice

[paddysol]

I LOVE UR ART SO MUCH!!!!?!!?!! I love it when artists use bright colors and large brush strokes, I really like the cloud in ur payphone painting :D

Any tips? For like picking colors and how you paint

ONE! THANK YIU SO MUCH OH MY GOSH?? IM GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEET LIKE A FOOL <333

TWO! i made a general guide which i hope helps but im not really sure? my style varies a lot on the brush i use, which is currently the elder grainy from the gvw ink set (free btw!) and (at least in my head) bc it's so sketchy i can be a lot looser with my art, which is nice when i want to do a couple of quick pieces.

in terms of picking colours i kinda learned the basics of colour theory and then proceeded to kinda just say fuck that imma do my own thing (gotta learn the rules to break the rules 😔😔) and i tend to use both curves and the value option on procreate. i generally enjoy just throwing random lines of strongly hued colours around just to add a lil pop every now and then. i don't even know if this makes sense im so sorry 😭

[passionpeachy]

I have thoughts about your art and why it’s so recognizable to us!! I think it relates a lot to the soft/muted tones of the colors that kinda remind me of hard candy— like cream savers! It always comes off very nostalgic and stunning. Plus the grainy texture is very nice :3c

That’s what I notice, at least.

I do love muted colors and paper textures a lot. also creme savers

[confused-red-head]

These Curses We Bear

Chapter 1 - If these Walls Could Talk

Pro-Hero!Shouto Todoroki x Psychic Medium Detective!Reader

Masterlist

Previous - Current - Next

WARNING: dark themes, death, minor character death, descriptions of dead bodies(no excessive gore), paranormal activities, blood, violence, cursing, angst, angst WITH COMFORT(moreso in later chapters), mentions of trauma, mentions of illness, fem!reader, READER TALKS TO GHOSTS, ghost child in chapter 1, children in general, Reader being a dork, home break-in, slowish burn, pro hero au, aged up characters, strangers to friends to lovers, etc.

"Sorry, but I'm not an exorcist."

If you had one yen for every time you've said this exact phrase, you certainly wouldn't have found yourself with a weeping man begging on his knees in the middle of an ice cream shop.

But beggars can't be choosers.

"Please! So many people have gotten sick and we have no idea why! We've had the place inspected from top to bottom and they haven't found anything! We had to throw out all of our previous batches of ice cream! This is costing us so much and at this rate we will have to shut down! I didn't know what else to do!", the shop owner pleads, his hands clasped together with a tear-streaked face.

With a sigh, you pinched the bridge of your nose. It was already late by the time you received the call from the shop owner, Mr. Masuda. The conversation over the phone was frantic and garbled, enough so that you had rushed out of your apartment in pajamas and gray peacoat. Rookie mistake. Seeing how you had nothing to lose, you may as well try.

"Fine. Alright. I'll try, but there's no promise that if there is a spirit or that it will want to talk. On top of that, I can't promise I'll be able to get them to cease activity. If that's the case, I do have the contacts of some people who may be able to help you."

"Oh thank you! Thank you! You are a lifesaver!"

Mr. Masuda bowed even lower as you sidestepped around him. You took in the shop's atmosphere. The place was brightly colored, various walls painted pastel blue, pink, and yellow. The tables and seats were covered in similarly-colored patterns; while the walls were decked out with signs, photos, art, and flourishing plastic plants. You thought it would have been a nice place to wind down after a day of running errands. Unfortunately for you, today was not that day.

"Now, where did you say the activity occurred most?"

Mr. Masuda rose from his bow and clambered to stand on his own two feet.

"The ice cream display! We've had customers feel nauseous or even faint due to a sudden difficulty in breathing."

You hummed in response and wandered over to the casing, your eyes flickered to and fro; searching for even a single speck of dust out of place. You quickly slip on a rubber glove from your bag, swipe a finger over the surface of the casing, and rub two fingers together, searching for any unusual substances. 

Nothing. No grainy or oily texture from a foreign substance. Still, that doesn't rule out foul play from a neighboring business, competitor, or even just a particularly upset customer.

Some people are real fucking crazy…

"You clean and wipe down every surface at the end of the day, right?"

You strip off the glove, shoving it into your pajama pants pocket to dispose of later.

"Of course! I wouldn't dare leave the place filthy!", Mr. Masuda was obviously offended by your speculation.

"Alright! Okay! I'm just making sure. You'd be surprised with what some businesses cut corners on…", you crouched down to inspect the ground around and underneath the display case as you continued to ask questions.

"Do you know anyone who could possibly hold a grudge against you or profit from the shop closing?"

"Wh-what?! No! At least not that I know of. It's not like we are in a prime location and I haven't had any encounters that I can think of that would cause such a response.", Mr. Masuda wrung out hands at the thought of someone wanting to hurt him and his business. "Do you think someone may have cursed me?!"

You hummed in thought.

"Hmm perhaps… if it really is a spirit that is.", you rose from your place on the floor and turned to face the frantic shop owner, "You said an employee saw a ghostly form when she was locking up earlier tonight?"

"Yes! Miss Kimura! She's a very hard working girl and very kind too! She does well with the children who come in! It broke my heart hearing how terrified she was over the phone after she saw it."

"Did she describe it to you? Have you perhaps seen a similar figure yourself?" 

"I haven't seen anything like she described, but she said she saw a pale white figure, small like a child. She said it looked like it was looking into the display case, standing where the incidents keep happening."

You dug your hand into your messenger bag, one you bring to on-site investigations, and pulled out a UV flashlight. 

"Mind hitting the lights for me?"

"O-oh! Of course!", Mr. Masuda rushed over to the light switches near the shop entrance. As soon as the lights flickered out, you clicked on the flashlight and passed the shining purple light over the display case surface. Quickly, you find something interesting. Two small handprints make themselves known in the ultraviolet light. 

"And you said you wash the display case every night?"

"Yes! We clean the place thoroughly after closing! Kimura said she only saw the figure when she was locking up.", he perked up a bit, prideful of his shop's cleanliness.

"Well… either she missed a spot or these prints are fresh…", you flashed the light over the handprints again to show Mr. Musuda, who quickly looked shaken over the find.

"I… I'm sorry…"

A voice called out, sounding meek and guilty.

"Mama always said I shouldn't touch the glass, but the ice cream looks so good…"

You turned slightly towards the voice that came from right beside you. Your eyes landed on a ghostly figure of a young girl, looking no older than six years old and wearing a hospital gown. Her head hung in shame, clearly guilty of her actions. You slowly descended into a squat, careful not to scare the spirit girl. 

"Hey…", you spoke softly as if she were a lost child looking for their parents ,"It's okay. We can clean up again. May I ask for your name?"

The girl looked spooked at the fact I acknowledged her at all. Her eyes went wide with surprise.

"M-mama said I shouldn't talk to strangers… but I don't think anyone else can hear or see me…" 

"You're a smart girl to listen to your mama. She's right afterall. I understand if you're nervous, but I just want to ask you a few questions. Only if you're okay with that, of course, but I'd really like to try and help you."

The girl tugged at her gown nervously, looking down like she was contemplating whether you could be trusted or not.

"...Okay…", She whispered, "I'll answer your questions. My name is Chihoko Konuma."

"You have a very lovely name, Miss Konuma. My name is Y/N L/N, I'm a private detective," You turned to Mr. Masuda and gestured toward him,"and this nice man is Mr. Masuda. He's the owner of this shop."

"I know Mr. Masuda!", she perks up at the name

"Oh? How do you know him?"

"Me and Mama would come here every sunday! He's very nice! And Miss Kimura too!", and as quickly as it came her happy attitude disappeared. 

"I… I scared Miss Kimura,didn't I? Can you tell her I'm sorry? I really didn't mean to."

"I'm sure she will be fine. It's okay. She just… didn't understand." You trailed off.

You inhaled and clasped your hands together, tucking them under your chin.

"Do you remember what happened before you found yourself here?"

"I… I was in the hospital. Mama said my lungs didn't work right, that the doctors were going to help me… It hurt. It hurt a lot. And Mama was crying. I was so tired. All I wanted was to see Mama happy again. I just wanted to go out like before. Then we could get ice cream like we always did."

You could feel your throat tighten at the sight of tears welling up in the girl's eyes, hands in her gown tighten even further. 

"... Miss Detective… I'm not going to wake up, am I?"

Your heart dropped and you couldn't bring yourself to look her in the eye. This was the part you hated most. There were plenty of spirits who didn't understand what had happened to them. Many went on believing that they were still among the living, going about their day confined to a certain space or attached to a certain object. But, being the one to break the news never sat right with you.

"... No. I'm sorry, Chihoko." Your voice stayed steady and firm, yet gentle.

There was a heavy silence that settled. One that felt like it could drag you to the deepest depths of the ocean and never let up. From the corner of your eye you could tell even Mr. Masuda was affected by the intense wave of sadness in the room as he cupped his mouth to keep himself from choking up despite only catching half the conversation.

"...You said you wanted your Mama to be happy, right?" You started, forcing yourself to look at her again, "Well… I'm sure the thing that would make your Mama happiest… would be knowing that you were happy… that you don't hurt anymore…"

Chihoko looked up at you, ghostly tears fell from her eyes, but disappeared before they ever reached the ground. Her hands loosened their grip on her gown.

"... Chihoko, would you like some ice cream?"

She stayed silent, but nodded. You finally rose from your squat and held your hand out to Chihoko. 

"C'mon, you can choose where we sit."

She nodded again and took your hand. You felt a cold and wispy feeling envelope your hand as she began to lead you to the table in front of the windows.

"Mr. Masuda, you can go ahead and turn the lights back on. We're going to have ice cream if you don't mind." You smiled at the man who looked absolutely baffled by the situation.

"O-oh… yes! Of course!" He flicked the lights on and rushed back behind the counter.

"Is… is this part of the process?" He paused for a moment, looking for some clarity from you. 

"Uhhh yeah! Yes! Absolutely! The spirit demands an offering! And the offering must be ice cream!" You gave off a silly dramatic flare to your little speech and you heard a little giggle from the now seated ghost girl. 

"Psst, what do you want?" You leaned over slightly.

"Hmm… birthday cake ice cream with two scoops…"

"The mighty spirit demands two scoops…"

"No! Wait! Three! Three scoops!"

"Wait! Three scoops of birthday cake ice cream!"

"I also want rainbow sprinkles! Oh! And a cherry on top!"

"And make that with rainbow sprinkles and a cherry on top! So does the mighty spirit Chihoko demand it! All hail the mighty spirit!" You flare out your peacoat dramatically in emphasis, "... and uhh throw one in for me too, please."

You heard giggles erupt from the girl as Mr. Masuda quickly began putting together the orders, looking even more puzzled than before. Once finished he rushes over with two cups. You took one of the cups from his hands and raised it high above your head. 

"Dear mighty spirit! Please accept our offering!" 

You sat the cup in front of Chihoko, leaning slightly, you said softer, "May you find peace and happiness."

Chihoko smiled brightly and kicked her feet in her seat, "Thank you, Miss Detective."

"Anytime, Kiddo."

As you sat in the seat across from her and propped your head with your hand, you noticed a daydreaming look in her eyes. As if she were somewhere else completely. Where the sun was shining, the flowers were in bloom, and the beautiful birdsong rang through the air. Soon enough the ghostly girl's visage had dispersed, the seat she once occupied was once agin empty.

That knot in your throat appeared again. You bit the inside of your cheek and took slow breaths. With a hefty sigh, you rose from your chair and turned to Mr. Masuda. 

"So… so that's it? Is it coming back?" Mr. Masuda stuttered out, still very much confused.

"No. She most likely won't be coming back. If the events occur again, just call me up again and I'll take a look at it."

"Ah! That's good! Thank you so much, Detective! And uhhh about the payment-"

"Don't worry about it right now. It's late. I'll call you tomorrow and we can work something out. For now just worry about getting your business back in order." You take your ice cream cup in hand, "But I wouldn't mind taking this and a few more pints of ice cream home, if you don't mind…"

The plastic bag rustled as it swung into your leg with each stride. Mr. Masuda gladly agreed to give you some ice cream and sent you on your way with a promise of payment in the future. 

The ice cream shop may not have been far from your apartment, but each step felt heavier than the last. The streets weren't empty, but it was certainly quiet enough for your thoughts to ring louder than the idle chatter of the people on the street.

 You hated this feeling. The emotional exhaustion that came with interacting with spirits was sometimes too much to bear. All you wanted to do was have your tea and fall asleep while cuddling your cat. Maybe cry a little. Or cry a lot. Who knows? 

The thought of home was enough to will the energy to make the trek back. You felt your feet quicken the moment you saw your tiny apartment building come into view. 

Your hand blindly dug into your bag for your keys as you made your way up the strangely steep and uneven steps you have learned to navigate. The moment you pushed in the code and the door opened you heard whispers in your ears. 

Yes. Your apartment building was also haunted. 

Lucky you.

It was the reason you could afford a decent apartment for so cheap. You made a deal with the landlord to keep the spirits in check for a more affordable price on rent. Especially since the spirits were quite lively.

 They weren't aggressive exactly, but more curious and sociable. They especially liked to give you all the apartment building gossip. You can't lie, it was pretty entertaining. Like your own personal reality tv show.

And this time they came to you with news of someone breaking into your apartment.

Oh goodie. 

Your mood soured and you began to march up the stairs of the building. Of all nights some random asshole had to choose tonight. If someone was going to die tonight it certainly wasn't going to be you. You would be personally adding a new spirit to the apartment building's collection. 

It wasn't until you had reached your door had you caught the feeling of a familiar aura. Your sour mood lifted into a mix of relief and confusion.

You unlocked the door and let it swing open.

"I know we are friends and all, Shinsou, but at least give me a heads up before you go breaking into my apartment."

You reached the end of the hall and flicked on the lights to reveal the pro hero, his indigo hair tucked away under a black, slicked back wig, dark brown eye contacts over his natural purple, and heavy make-up distorting his natural features. He sat on your couch with your cat curled up in his lap, who clearly didn't seem deterred by his drastically different appearance.

That little traitor.

"Long time no see, Miss Nancy Drew. As always you are no fun to surprise."

Despite the lax nature of his words, there was a seriousness in his voice and a hard look in his eye. An uneasiness settled in your stomach. You closed your door and slipped off your shoes

"Something happened."

It was less of a question and more of a statement. He nodded. It was then you sensed a second presence. One unfamiliar to you.

"So… who's your friend hiding in my bathroom?"

You didn't like this. You had never seen Shinsou look so hesitant. Guilty almost. 

"Look. I need you to do me a favor…"

"First, I need you to tell me who the hell is in my fucking bathroom, Shinsou." Your voice had cut him off. Quick and angry you whispered. You were not in the mood to play these games. 

Shinsou let out a frustrated and defeated sigh. Your cat jumped off his lap as he leaned forward to press his intertwined hands to his mouth. 

"Shouto."

Huh?

"Number three pro hero, Shouto."

…

"WHAT?!"

Taglist: @andypantsx3

[sephesisweek]

Sephesis Week 2024 is Officially DONE!

Posts will continue to be reblogged to the main account until this Sunday, so it's fine if you're running a little behind! The Archive collection will also remain open for submissions until that time, so make sure your work is added before it closes on January 14th.

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I Participated in Sephesis Week 2024 ▏ For anyone who filled at least one prompt over the course of the event. This event literally wouldn't have happened without you!

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I Did Sephesis Week 2024 (and I was super spicy about it) ▏ This one is specifically for creators whose prompt fills were on the adult side, whether truly explicit or otherwise. Sugar is nice, but we all love some spice!

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[scribz-ag24]

Do you have a set process for coloring and rendering / adding texture to your art? If so, would it be alright for me to ask what goes into that process? I'd love to learn how an artist I admire goes about their work!

Omg I'm so flattered, I'll try my best to explain it!! ^^

Tho, okayyy, I apologize beforehand for how incoherent this might be, since I don't really have a set process at all and mostly I fake it 'til i make it haha. I'm the first to admit that I don't have a ver consistent method and that shows in how irregular in quality my art can look, even inside the general sketchy look.

(Btw sorry if some of the fanart i use for example doesn't make you comfortable but I've tried to find the best examples for each type of coloring haha)

I'll start with the brushes I rely on the most, tho I admit i made the mistake of downloading too many brushes and textures so I might use others on rare occassions xddd

These are basically the brushes I use the most. The "mezclador redondo" is just CSP's default paintbrush and I only tweaked it to find sth I liked and felt comfortable with for both lining and painting

As you can see here I only used one layer for lines and other three for each of the guys' colors. I colored it all with the default brush (tho unfortunately I lost the settings I used for this drawing in particular and haven't found them again rip). In drawings like this I just do a sketch, clean the lines (no lineart) and then paint it. After the base color I start laying out different hues to make the coloring more interesting.

This one was the same. One layer for coloring, manually adding lighter hues (see the more light and yellowish color on grovyle's left leg compared to the shadow) or darker tones. I try to add color to the shadows as well to make them feel less flat, and an airbrush in overlay tends to help with that (tho here I just used a brush).

Here you can see that I often paint over the lines on another layer to correct mistakes in the "lineart" lol. I also applied an airbrush (layer mode overlay) over celebi to make her more bright. I wanted to put this one to show that coloring doesn't have to be detailed to look nice enough. Here Celebi basically has no shadows at all but the tone of the drawing makes her look cute anyways imo ^^

In these two you can see adjustements over the full image again (yellow layer), but I also wanted to show that I don't have a set number of layers either, it depends on how many I feel like using. Again, sorry for the lack of consistency but im too lazy to have a proper method lmao

I will also use harder brushes and tone changes sometimes, instead of blending them with less dense brushes. I am also fond of adding hard lighting in some drawings. You can experiments with it on a top layer and delete it if it doesn't fit, so it's always worth a try.

Another thing I recommend is studying and copying artists you admire or like. Add things from their styles into yours, see how they work with proportions and try to use that in your own art. It has helped me a lot and, without looking to fully copy anyone's style, it does give you some ideas of how you wish your drawing would look, which motivates me (when it doesn't depress me lol)

Finally, the texturing isn't consistent either. I use one of CSP's/Downloaded texture packs, put a grainy texture on the canvas, set it to overlay and adjust the opacity until I'm satisfied. In these two images you can see I am not consistent in coloring even in the same comic lmao. But we are doing this for fun, so I think experimentation is always sth worth exploring ^^

And I think that's all I have to say. I don't control color theory at all, so I can't really explain how I choose colors. I look up some tutorials on youtube and pretend I understand lol. Ig the one thing I tend to do a lot is changing hues in a base color to make it look less flat, the same as with shadows.

Anyways I hope this was helpful or that it at least waas what you asked for haha. Thank you for the interest!! :DD

[thealogie]

so here's a little rant & i wanna gauge your opinion on the matter. i just finished watching civil war (it's finally available digitally) and... it doesn't look like ass. not that i expected it to but you know how everything looks overly HD right now and it's just awful? well it wasn't like that. and that got me wondering what's really happening with camera/lenses quality right now because i was beginning to think the move to everything looking overly crisp and awful was kinda forced by the way they make camera equipment/technology now, but there are many things that still look fine, not 80s-mid00s amazing, still a bit too HD for my taste, but fine. meanwhile there are things like good omens that look so bad it's legitimately triggering some kind of ocd for me and physically hurts my soul. like apart from lighting/director decisions it's just so damn sharp, it makes MS and DT look grotesque (even though they are objectively good looking, or at least on the nice side of normal looking, guys). do you have an opinion / some technical knowledge on the matter? why is this happening?????? if select movies can still get their cinematography looking nice then what's the deal with all these other productions being offensively ugly looking? i don't get itttttt. like obviously one assumption would be budget differences but you'd think then they would get older equipment that's not ultra HD shit. or is ultra HD shit cheaper. help me out here because i honestly can't watch most things made post-covid they are so terrible looking. iwtv is another example of something that looks too HD to me btw, just so you don't think my issue is like with bad direction (but rather image quality? idk how to put into words my hate of ultra HD in technical terms)

I had the same reaction when I watched challengers yesterday!

It’s film v. digital. I haven’t watched civil war but even to be untrained eye I could guess that challengers was shot on 35mm film, not digital. That’s why it has that beautiful warm grainy quality. I would say 95% of movies and tv shows are now shot digitally - it is much cheaper overall. No risk of the film being damaged or worrying about the literal cost of physical film you’re burning through. and in digital you can choose a lot of your setting when you’re shooting.

Now within digital, you have 2k and 4k (ultra high def) as you call it. And this is where we reach the limits of my technical knowledge because like…better call saul was mastered in 4k and it still looks fucking fantastic!! This is why I will still blame light design/directing because we have proof that 4k can look good. It’s just the way everyone else is color correcting/lighting the scenes that’s the problem

[pdouwes]

Hi, I'm a big fan of your blog and your gifs in general! I was wondering if you had any tutorial on how you color? Particularly your Wicked and Hadestown gifs look incredibly gorgeous and the colors really pop, and I'm so curious as to how you achieve those effects. Amazing work overall :D

hiii, oh my god thank you so much!! 🥺❤️

i'm happy to show you how i color my gifs but pls note that i basically have no idea what i'm doing, everything i know i taught myself via trial and error and this is just something i found works for me.

that being said, here's a quick (and very messy) bootleg coloring tutorial under the cut!

okay so, when it comes to making gifs and coloring in general, good source material is key. bright and clear videos make the coloring process SO much easier.

i picked an old 2010 wicked oberhausen boot for this tutorial. it doesn't have the highest resolution but the colors translate nicely and the lighting is pretty good as well.

now, this is our base gif cropped and sharpened. i usually want my gifs to look as natural and as close to their base version as possible with just colors and contrast enhanced slightly. baby steps are important here!

first thing i do is add a brightness/contrast layer. these are my settings for this gif:

i rarely ever go above 20 with either brightness or contrast. adding too much early on will make your gif look grainy in the end. our gif now looks like this:

not much has changed but a little goes a long way, trust me. next up is a curves layer. i click the little arrow to open the drop down menu and select increase contrast (rgb). afterwards i reduce the opacity. for this gif i set it to 52%.

this will darken the gif again but it also gets rid of these white spots on elphaba's dress which is great.

next, we start playing around with colors. i usually use 3 color fill and one or two selective color layers. this really is just playing around until you find the settings that you think look good. for this gif i wanted to enhance the green and neutralise some of the yellow, so i went with two color fill layers first.

green to slightly enhance the green of elphie's skin and blue to neutralise the yellow in glinda's hair.

next we're going with a selective color layer. think of the colors you want to pop. for this gif the obvious choices are elphie's skin and glinda's dress.

i added a second layer to further adjust the greens

and ended up with this gif

i then added another color fill layer, set it to multiply and reduced the opacity to 12

followed by a color balance layer

the purpose of these layers is to slightly "cool down" the gif, meaning they decrease orange/yellow undertones while enhancing the blue and purple ones.

next up is a levels layer to add a tiny bit more brightness

followed by a vibrance layer to make existing colors pop

and another curves layer for more brightness/contrast with the opacity set to 50%

our gif now looks like this:

almost done! we're finishing up with a black and white gradient map layer for some more depth

and a cooling filter to further reduce the yellow/orange tones of glinda's face and hair

and that's it!

so, here you go. this is my coloring process most of the time. sometimes i add more layers (on top or in between), other times i use less, it all depends on the specific scene and the mood i'm in lol.

now, could you leave out some of these steps? yeah, definitely. some layers probably don't even make that much of a difference but i like adding them anyway.

you can download the psd here. feel free to play around with my settings and add or delete layers as you see fit. hope this was at least somewhat helpful!

[the-golden-ghost]

All Right Honey Trial Time Let's Gooooo

Buckwheat: This one's really dark, almost black in color. It's mostly a moderately sweet honey that has an earthy and mollasses-y kick to it. It also smells different than it tastes and I don't know how to describe the smell other than earthy and... pungent. Not strong, but Distinctive.

Pumpkin Spice: It's whipped which means it's just a regular honey with spice in it. It's a dark orange color; not overly sweet and definitely spicy. I guess the only downside is that the texture is slightly grainy from the spices in it but otherwise it's a nice fall honey.

Manuka: This one was like 3 times the cost of the others cause it's apparently really rare or something idk. Is it good? Yes! Was it "3 times the price of regular honeys" good? No, honestly it's like... maybe slightly sweeter and smoother regular honey with a kind of nice aftertaste, and it's the best of the 3 I've tried so far. Not "some things that are expensive are worse" exactly, more "some things that are expensive are only so marginally better that it's not really worth the fuss." Still good, though.

Meadowfoam: This one appears to have dried out or crystallized during delivery because it's... dry. I don't think it's supposed to be. I imagine when I mix it into tea it'll be better because it'll be less dried but actually the dried texture is weirdly kind of good? It's almost like a very soft rock candy; no major loss. Another upside is it's SUPER good; very sweet but not cloying, almost vanilla-y. The color is a light golden yellow. A+ honey I like it; I wish I could see what it's like as a liquid.

Sourwood: Ambery brown color and the scent reminds me of something I can't place, some baking kind of smell. It doesn't taste like that though. The least sweet so far, bitter kick at the end and kind of a woody flavor. Actually probably my favorite of the bunch so far, it's very different but it's peak.

Chocolate: Reddish-brown color. This is another whipped one like the pumpkin spice, and a similar grainy texture, but this one I didn't mind as much. It's not very chocolatey; like the pumpkin spice one you could tell right away it was pumpkin spice but this is more like a chocolate hint with an overall honey flavor. It's definitely not bad though.

[elizabethplaid]

Technically, I -AM- in bed!

Had a leisurely shower Friday afternoon, then spent the evening on the phone. Painted my nails a nice dusty blue; very flat and opaque, though still a glossy finish. (It doesn't shimmer like most make-up and nail polishes do. Just a solid color.)

My phone's already asleep for the night, so we've got a low-light, grainy webcam pic. This gray floppy bunny is not my usual snuggle partner, but it was exempt from the plaster dust awhile back. Just haven't gotten to cleaning up the stuffed animals since then. (Shake them out outside, brush their fur for the older ones.)

Mom and I got our floppy bunnies for easter sometime in the 1990s. Mine was white; hers was this gray one. It somewhat mirrored how my Gund Spanky bear is white (Since) and hers was brown (Gus). They're very floppy, with bean-pellets in the hindquarters but not in the limbs. I'm tempted to restuff at least one of 'em, sans pellets, to substitute for a body pillow.

Think I should look into how best to wash the loose polyester fluff. I've got Since's old stuffing still (planned to make a little stuffed heart with it later), and I suppose it could be reused if washed. There's human and pet dander on stuffed animals, along with whatever skin oils and drool might've seeped through the fabrics. (My old cat Gizmo used to nurse on Since when she was a kitten, back in the 1990s.) So I understand there's a health hazard; I certainly wouldn't stuff anything I intended to sell with this recycled stuffing. It's just... I don't wanna be wasteful if there's a somewhat simple solution.

My best guess would be to stick it in a zippered pillow case (which I have!) and then try to let it air dry, spread out on a table? For pellets, I will either sew pouches or use pantyhose material (those cheap trouser socks you can get, for less than $1 a pair) to help keep them from shifting within the plush body. I bet I could wash those with dawn dish soap and warm water, just by hand.

It takes me a long time before I get around to doing different projects. I may sound ambitious, but it's just the planning process. I have plenty of other projects to do before I get around to this. I mean, remember how long ago I washed Since? Like 2020ish? Yeah, still haven't actually brushed her fur, even though I bought a slicker brush specifically to use with plush. I also misplaced it, then kept forgetting. I mean... *gestures around* This is just me.

[aceofwhump]

Hi lovely ace! I'm new to making gifs and was wondering if you have any tips for brightening darker scenes on photoshop? I usually don't do much at all in terms of coloring my gifs because it's kind of overwhelming for me. I'm not really interested in the gifs looking flawless I just want people to be able to at least see them and for them to not turn out looking too grainy. Thank you so much! x

Hi there! Yeah I can totally give you some tips! Thanks to whump scenes always being the darkest I've gotten much better at brightening scenes. I'm not amazing at it and I still have a lot to learn but I will happily share what I do know!

So your best friends when it comes to brightening a scene are these three layer adjustments: brighten/contrast, levels, curves. Curves is my absolute favorite layer for brightening gifs but using a combination of these will allow you to brighten up your gif nicely.

I usually start with the brightness/contrast layer. I'll increase the brightness and then add a little bit of contrast. Doing that helps me with the next layers. If you just want to do some basic brightening this is go to layer. Just use those sliders and it'll brighten it up for you.

If you want to go a little crazier, curves and levels is the next step. Levels is good at more pinpointed brightening. Just adjust the triangles in this area left or right to make the scene brighter or darker. It make take some trial and error before it comes out how you want it. Honestly I'm new at using levels so I don't have a lot of advice for this one.

Curves is my favorite though. I love curves. Curves saves my life. Curves allows you to set your white, black, and mid points. I pretty much just use the white point to brighten things up. Just click the little eye dropper with white in the middle and then select your whitest/brightest pixel and it'll adjust your colors and brightness according to what you selected.

It really just comes down to trial and error with this stuff. Sometimes the colors make this difficult and I have to turn it black and white, adjust the brightness, then remove the black and white before adjusting the colors.

Here's a couple of tutorials that I found super helpful and that you might as well. Some of these have much better explanations for the layers than I gave:

https://wadey-wilson.tumblr.com/post/185091955396/how-to-brighten-gifs-by-winston-wilson-mini

https://joel-miller.tumblr.com/post/646916430914322432/ive-found-that-i-often-work-with-weirdly-tinted

https://thepunisher.tumblr.com/post/162600425483/idk-if-i-already-asked-this-but-how-do-you-only

https://suibianjie.tumblr.com/post/667988387737845760/tutorial-using-curves-to-white-balance-a-gif

https://starpsd.tumblr.com/post/681701893961138176/hi-do-you-have-any-tutorial-on-how-to-brighten

https://maziekeen.tumblr.com/post/619230113953988609/maziekeens-coloring-tutorial-part-2-part-1

https://kylos.tumblr.com/post/179130963506

[flockofdoves]

help why is it so hard to find a webcam for my pc :/

its so weird bc every half decent webcam brags about having a wide field of view ans its like. why would i want to clean my whole room just to not feel embarrassed using my webcam????

but also simultaneously was thinking abt how wider fov would actually be useful if i brought my webcam to work meetings when people are sick and join by zoom..

so like. would be so cool to have adjustable fov that starts at 65 or less (my laptop webcam is 54 degrees apparently and i think thats great) but also has wider options. but i guess wider isnt Necessary but i def want narrower

and similarly, since its for my pc which im dual booting i want it to work well with both windows and linux. and then by the same optional criteria driving me wanting the option of wider fov for in my jobs meetingroom, since i have a macbook, mac support would also be nice

my current webcam on my laptop is a little grainy but fine idrc and is a 720p facetime hd camera (idk abt fps) so i guess i dont really care about stuff as long as its at least 720p but the option for 1080p could be cool too. beyond that just feels like overkill

autofocus seems cool, not necessary tho, and id ideally like the option to toggle off stuff like that and color correction and stuff too

microphone is nice but not entirely necessary i could use my gfs podcast mic but something more casual built in does seem convenient

any thoughts…

[farming-for-affection]

A Photograph

Stardew Valley WriteTober Day 29 (Prompt List)

The photographs had been buried for years, shoved in a box under his bed, kicked to the back. But now, Sebastian was leaving his room for good - he only needed the deposit to clear his bank account and he’d have his own apartment. He was tossing most of his things, keeping his books and his games, but most everything else was going in the trash. It felt liberating to be free of his past and the mistakes that went with it. His high school notebooks, his old clothes, his knickknacks. Gone. Now a blank space he could fill with something new. 

The box under his bed had been one of the last things he found. The box itself was nice, still sturdy after being left for so long. He remembered when his mother gave it to him. He’d been too young, the box holding too much for his young mind. At the time, though, he was desperate to understand and was grateful for the box, even if it ruined him at the same time. 

He was tempted to throw the whole box into the trash. Why should he keep it? He hadn’t looked at it in years. It wouldn’t hold the epiphany it had when he was young. But still, he sat on his bed and traced his name carved into the lid. He opened it. It looked just as he remembered it, the small, half filled album taking up most of the space. His pacifier and first pair of shoes. Three small ceramic molds of his hands taken at birth, then his first and second birthdays. He knew why there wasn’t more. 

He remembered how insignificant the box had felt when his mother had given it to him. He’d been eight. Maru was two. She had baby blankets and toys, her growth charted by month in pictures that hung in the kitchen. Sebastian had nothing of his younger years. The absence of those things grew inside his small body until he cried. First quietly. Then louder, until his mother sat him down and gave him the small box. 

Absently he flipped through the photo album. Most of the pictures were of him - hardly professional photos, they were grainy and poorly focused, but still, it was him as a baby. The earlier ones had pictures of his father - his rigid smile and long black hair. There wasn’t a single picture of his mother in any of the pictures; she’d been behind the camera, every time. He guessed she regretted that, as every year she took a picture with him on his birthday. Sometimes Maru was behind the camera and sometimes Demetrius, but every year since they’d moved to Pelican Town, he had a picture with her. 

In his youth, he might’ve held on to the anger that he and Maru’s upbringing were so different. But now, on the verge of starting his new life, he let it go, and accepted that his mother, at least, had tried to do better. Soon it was all going to be in the past, anyway, and he didn’t want to think about it anymore.

He dropped the shoes, pacifier and ceramics into the trash. He didn’t need them. He paused before dropping the album, but in the end, tossed it, too. He held the box. Black ash wood, stained to highlight the dark grains of the wood, his name carved and painted a light grey. It held more of his mother’s spirit than the pictures without her in it. He also rather liked the color, and gently placed the box in his keep pile.

[isaac-morey]

Changing Tides || Isaac and Avery

With the school year over and paperwork finalized, Avery finally moves in and Isaac starts the journey of being a foster parent.

A moment told, largely, through very small eyes.

TW: None

"S'very big." 

That had been the first observation of the rather small person standing in the doorway of a room that, to Isaac, didn't seem large at all. But he wasn't the one seeing it in quite the same way. Avery had a different view, and to him the walls looked quite towering, they were a nice blue color though, and the space was like many of the spaces for people who lived outside the water that he had seen before.

It was very square, he noticed, because houses above the waters were that shape. He didn't know why exactly but someone must have decided it; the same someone who decided that walls needed to be very hard and not very easy for light to come through either except from the cutout boxes they made in them. 

Why live in the sunshine if so much work was put into keeping it outside and use all the fake light that came from boxes and -lamps? was that the word?- instead? 

Avery considered that and, if given the choice, he would have rather lived in the water, yes, but that was quite hard to do lately and he couldn't blame the nice people who didn't understand that it was better. 

They couldn't even breathe in the water! That had been very impossible to imagine before he'd learned it was true. 

Sometimes breathing out of the water was hard for him, it was scary trying to catch his breath when he got too excited or ran around too much; and people on shore weren't even born knowing how to swim! 

He'd had to learn how to walk on land. Sometimes he still wasn't much good at it. 

So since they couldn't breathe there and missed out on living in water instead they lived in boxes rather than domed glassy structures or mossy caves and glowy places. 

Strange.

At least that box was nice to look at, colorful, outside and in, not at all like the terribly cold and empty feeling ones where everything was white and he had been afraid to touch anything because only the most delicate things were pale and softly colored back home.

The room did have some in common with others though, Avery decided. 

Things like beds with their tangling sheets and strangely fluffy pillows were a learned familiarity now, even if he sometimes woke up coughing because he forgot to use the parts of his lungs that were made for land when he rolled over at night and those pillows felt too much like soft sand and the blankets curled all up like seaweed. 

But he supposed it was a nice bed too; it didn't look so huge he felt lost in it like he had some places he had stayed. 

Those places hadn't been expecting him, Avery guessed, because they weren't put together very well for someone like himself; someone smaller and easily lost in large spaces. 

But that room was, he decided; the walls were blue like the ocean even though it wasn't really water, and the floor had something -he puzzled over the correct word for the the slightly spiky but soft texture that felt grainy under his bare feet- the color of sand on beaches. 

But it wasn't sand. A lot of things in the world above water seemed like things they were not. 

"It is big right now, but it'll start to feel smaller when you find things you want to add to the room. We can change whatever you want." The man, Mr. Isaac, teacher -he had a lot of names, Avery thought- explained and it immediately brought a question to mind. 

"Can I put the blue fish here?" He quickly asked. He liked all the fish -they also lived in boxes - but he liked the blue fish who lived alone the most. The times he had visited the house over the last few weeks had given him plenty of chances to get to know most of them, and he did have favorites. 

Avery had been very worried the boxes must have felt terrible for fish to live in, but all the ones he had talked to in the house had never even seen the ocean! He couldn't imagine that. And said the big boxes with clean water and lots of food were much better than the tiny boxes they'd lived in before the house. 

So it wasn't very different from himself. 

"Cobalt? Well, sure, we can move him over here to this shelf if you want." Isaac nodded; the little Betta usually resided in his tank in the living room but given how careful Avery had been around all the fish he couldn't imagine leaving the fish in his room would be a problem. 

The answer was one Avery wanted to hear and sent him headed over to said shelves to inspect the area for exactly where best to place the tank so that he could see it from the entire room. It would take up a whole shelf, so he had to pick carefully which one. 

"Here," he pointed to the one in the very center, mostly empty already.

While there he spotted several other things; books and a few odd creatures made of fabric set within his reach. 

"We can talk about things. Cobalt. He likes to hear about the water." Avery nodded, and at first explaining that fish talked had been quite difficult, but he hadn't been told not to make up stories there, not everyone could speak to fish, apparently, but at least he was believed that time. 

"What's this?" 

Strange, the nearly circular toy wasn't a very bright color when many other things in the house were, no, it was black with white rings like spots across its top and an ivory belly, he discovered, when flipping it over. Unable to decide if the flaps at its sides were fins or funny wings, he held it up, the long thin tail hanging down. 

"That's a stingray, it's a type of sea creature, sort of like a fish. They glide in the water." Isaac explained, having come to understand over the months that while the little boy was some manner of aquatic Magick, he wasn't one familiar with many of the oceans. 

That was one of the most perplexing things about Avery, but only one of an otherwise long list. 

"Ray," he repeated, giving the toy a squeeze and envisioning some great big fish gliding in the water as though it were flying; that sounded more like home than what he knew of fish in that new place. 

It was soft pressed to his face, like the tiny tendrils of purple algae that flowered on his own bed back home. 

"Can I keep it?" 

Isaac smiled, as though the question came more as a pleasant surprise. "Of course you can." 

Later, after Cobalt's tank had been moved, Avery had continued his curious inspection.

Hesitant at times, he discovered things that he couldn't help be excited over like the small box called a sound machine that filled his room with the echoes of water and waves. 

He had carefully carried it over to place on the table next to the bed as though it were too important to be out of sight for very long.

He didn't know what sort of magic it was, but it must have been magic if a whole ocean of sounds fit into that little white box with the buttons that lit up when touched. 

He'd pressed each one, seaglass green eyes going wide and bright as each offered a new version of waves rolling on the shore or bubbling deep in the depths, and even the haunting calls of creatures singing to each other. 

Or the copies of books that he had liked in the classroom because of their pictures of animals that lived in waters he was only just learning about stacked neatly on one of the shelves. He pulled each out and laid them across the floor so he could search more easily for pictures of stingrays to hold up for inspection by the newly named Ray. 

"Do your cousins look like this?" He asked, even though Ray didn't answer; but he'd already decided that since shore elves were his cousins that different colored stingrays must have been Ray's cousins as well. 

He wanted very much to go back to the ocean soon, but at least he had blue walls and fish to talk to until then. Maybe this time it would be for longer; he liked the house and the room, and of course all the fish, and Ray, and Mr. Isaac had been very nice to him as a teacher so he was certain living with him would be much better than any of the places that felt like a space for him hadn't been something planned. 

Hopefully the tides wouldn't change again too soon; it was awfully hard to know sometimes.

And it wasn't too different from what school had been; storytime would just be stories before bedtime instead of naptime, snack time wasn't that different from dinners or breakfast or lunch, and he could help feed the fish! And he didn't have to share those things with any of his school friends at all. 

"Do you like it here Ray?" He hugged the plush toy tightly to feel the softness of it pressed to his arms and face. "I think I do." 

[staticv1sion]

A story inspired by the painting by Juan Álvarez Cebrián

Rock on Camel Beach

Alani was only eight, but she felt much older. All her life she had been expected to take care of her dying mother while her father worked at the railroad, and she wasn’t allowed to leave the house. The laws of their town stated that girls couldn’t leave their property without their fathers, and her father only wanted a rest when he came back from work.

Luckily for Alani, her grandparents had saved up a lot of money that was eventually inherited by her father. All that to say that her property included part of the large Camel beach. Her mother, ever sick, would always lay down to rest around three o’clock, and Alani would run to the beach. The grainy sand would scratch its way up her legs, only to be washed swiftly away by the cold but comforting water crashing onto the land. Oh, how she adored the beach. Compared to it, the rest of her world felt so bland and boring.

On the fortunate days when her father agreed to take her to the town, it only disappointed the young girl. The wooden buildings all looked the same, and they towered over the streets (or maybe just over her, she was only a child). The dirt roads would be kicked up by the passing carriages, and would fall into her eyes and mouth, tasting like spoiled coffee beans. Inside the shops were better, but not as interesting as the beach. The candy store was her favorite, the vibrancy of the colors would leave her breathless as she sat and smelled in the sweet, enchanting scents. Her father never let her buy any candy.

Her least favorite store was the medicine store. The pills and bottles of mystery liquids all looked the same, and smelled like molasses or way too strongly of mint. The walls were a bland beige and the whole store felt cold. The medicine didn’t even help her mother, but her father insisted. Sometimes she felt like he didn’t want to admit that his wife had no chance.

Alani had no idea what tuberculosis meant, but it was bad, and her mother had had it for two years now. Everyday she was coughing and losing weight, sometimes she would begin to shake and sweat and Alani had to help her sit down. When her grandparents had died, her mother wasn’t sick, and eventually all that money was gone. Her father had to work to earn the money for the medicine himself.

One plain August day, Alani was sitting on the couch with her mother. Around her, the coffee table was covered in full and empty bottles or tissues and the wooden floors were splattered with the occasional blood drops her mother would cough up. From the couch, her mother continued to cough and shake.

“It normally doesn’t last this long does it?,” Alani asked, but she got no answer. Her mother turned onto her back, her breathing labored and her eyes beginning to become glossy.

“Sit here mom,” she said, starting to worry now. “Maybe I can go find Father.”

Jumping up, that is exactly what she did. It felt freeing to disobey the rules, even in this dire situation. She ran down those dirt roads, not minding so much when the dirt was kicked into her eyes. She continued sprinting until she reached the outskirts of her town, where she found her father hammering down a railroad track.

“What are you doing here?,” he asked, wiping his brow and setting down the hammer to walk over to her.

“Mother,” she panted, out of breath. “She’s..Her eyes..she..”

Her father didn’t seem to need more of an explanation, as he scooped her up into his arms and ran back the way she came. It felt nice, being held by him. Normally he was too busy to spend time with her or comfort her, but in his arms it was warm. It was almost like being at the beach.

They got home and her father set her down, running across the wooden floor to the sofa on which her mom was still laying. Alani’s father bent down and shook her mother, but there was no response.

The night ended, her mother was gone already. The doctors had taken her away, and she sat by her father in front of their fireplace for a few hours. For Alani, it hadn’t really sunk in. There was that thought that told her her mother couldn’t possibly be dead, and she would come back soon.

Eventually, around twelve am, her father fell asleep. Getting up, the young girl ran to the place that would truly give her comfort.

The beach silently greeted her like an old friend. The smell of the salt water in the air polluted her lungs, but she had grown to adore it. She ran towards the water, which was freezing since it was still dark out. The cold waves splashes against her skin, sending shivers down her spine. Lifting up her dress, Alani went further into the water than she had before. Her waist was fully submerged before she decided to stop walking.

Relaxed, she leaned her head back and absorbed the night. It was so easy to forget about it all out here. Her worries were washed away as the waves thumped against her chest.

“One more minute,” she said. “And then I’ll leave.”

Taking her final step deeper into the water, a rock forced her to trip over. Getting caught in her own dress, she wasn’t able to resurface.

Alani drowned.

[onlygirlasia]

4 Proven Ways To Take Amazing Photos

There is a sea of professional photographers on the internet and there’s also a population of inexperienced photographers that would just point and capture. If you belong to the former, then you already know how to take nice photos either using your phone camera or your DSLR. Now if you categorize yourself as the latter, then this article is for you.

As a content creator, you need to know at least the basics of how to capture appealing photos so your audience would want more of your content. Taking a photo is not simple, from choosing the right subject to locating a well-lit space, it takes a lot of factors to consider a certain photo a great one.

In addition, learning these basic ways not only leads to new opportunities but as a content creator, the more professional-looking your photos are, the more appealing your creator profile will be.

Now let’s try to determine some vital aspects of taking a great photo so you can apply it for your next photo session.

1. Learn the Essentials of Composition

Pick the Best Focal Point

If you have no idea what a focal point is, it’s the main point of interest in a photo. It could be anything from a building, a vast ocean, to a bird. Locating a strong principal focus is one of the essential steps of how to create professional photos. When you determine what the center of attention will be, you can try to adjust and make it as solid as it can be. The information below will guide you in taking that amazing photo that anyone would want.

Rule of Thirds

In photography, the rule of thirds is very important because you can make a more interesting composition using this instead of just positioning the attention at the center. The rule of thirds is when you place the most important elements in your photo off-center.

It’s like a tic tac toe on your screen, there are two lines dividing the frame into thirds vertically, and two more lines dividing it into thirds horizontally. Place the subject along these grid and other vital elements in your shot. It’s one of the simplest steps in learning professional photography. In this way, you can find a better balance between the main subject and its background.

2. Good Lighting

Nothing beats good lighting in a photo, it’s something that people always overlook. You have to ensure that your subject is visible and has enough light. If there’s none or the lighting is poor, your camera will wrestle to capture the details in the shot.

If your camera is on automatic settings, it will utilize a high ISO setting and you’ll end up with a grainy/blurry photo. Even if you enhance it using Photoshop, you’ll find it difficult and may take massive adjustments which will result in a low-quality image.

On the contrary, if the shot has too much light, it can also ruin the photo with unwanted shadows. So you really have to assess the location and which angle you will shoot to ensure good lighting.

3. Use Lighting Equipment

We can’t always depend on natural light when taking photos. If you want a good photo session for your next content, then you must consider spending time to plan out the lighting and use a range of lighting equipment.

Furthermore, you can use a light reflector. There are affordable light reflectors that come with reversible covers made from different types of reflective materials. One other light source is your camera’s flash. If the light may be too harsh for you, you can invest in an external flash. It will let you aim the light rather than have it point straight to your subject.

4. Edit Photos Like A Pro

Since we have hip technology, editing photos must be up in your arsenal too. Photoshop is our bestie when it comes to professional photo editing. Every image you post must have touch-ups, may it be adjusting the brightness, color corrections, or adding your personal preset. There are a lot of tutorials online that you can browse. If you don’t have access to Photoshop, there’s a ton of free alternatives that you can choose from.

Be The Next Hotshot Content Creator!

Join the newest platform on the web, OnlyGirlsAsia, and earn up to 80% of your daily exclusive content. You can promote your account and get your subscribers to engage with you via messages, live streams, or pay-to-view content. Get verified in just 15 minutes or less if you sign up now!

[jjsungie]

how do you make your gifs so clean?

Hello Anon Sorry for my late answer but I wanted to answer this in peace and with some thoughts behind it. So, for my gifs.... I think the biggest point for nice gifs is a good quality video but actually I often use some with not that amazing quality, but the gifs end up still okayish. Let me explain you in short, my steps I do for my gifs to look as they do.

I only use Photoshop. No avisynth or topaz. In the past I used topaz denoise but it kept killing my laptop, so I stopped using it. I cut the video scene in photoshop. For the sharpening, I use the selective sharpening. There I change the scale fitting for the video. Often between 0.2 to 1.00 rarely 1.2. The sharpening makes them much clearer at least in my eyes but also more detailed, what can cause problem for my coloring. Meaning they become grainy (like the little dots in them). This causes me to struggle with the coloring. Sometimes for a whole hour till I give up and just post the bad ones xD

To make it short. I sharpen them for more clarity and then fix the rest with coloring.

Idk if this is any help or just a mess xD Sorry. If you have any more question, feel free to ask.