#the colors end up looking SOOO washed out

[kurosmind]

Clerics recommend to schnuggle your wizard first thing in the morning

[burningcomputerpersona]

also how is it that spanish love songs has such good merch??? i don't think I've ever been to a show before where I had to struggle so hard to pick just one thing, like in a lot of cases there's only really one thing that appeals to me or I just get something bc i love the band and need to have them on me regardless of what the design looks like. but i was spending ages just staring at the merch stand trying to pick one out of alllll the things i wanted

[tzuyusluv]

Fairy Of Shampoo

genre —> fluff, slight angst, suggestive

pairing —> txt x reader

warnings —> mc is insecure, Taehyun’s is extremely suggestive though no actual sex is written, Beomgyu’s part is female and mentions the mc being sexy

word count —> 509

summary —> this request right here

Yeonjun

You nervously shift around while Yeonjun stares at you. You look up towards him, asking if there was anything wrong. “You look absolutely gorgeous baby.” The words are spoken with so much love, love that you knew was just for you. “Are you sure? I’m not sure I like the darker color.” Yeonjun’s smile falls at the words that come out of your mouth. “Baby, even if you have bleached, black or even brightly colored hair, I would still think you’re the most beautiful person on the planet.”

Soobin

Your heart was beating incredibly fast that you thought it might jump out of your chest. Soobin had taken you to the salon when you expressed your love for his dark hair. It was something you had always thought about doing, but now that it was actually happening, you were second guessing everything. Once the dye was washed out and your hair was blow dried, the hairdresser let Soobin come over and see your hair. Waking over there, he was left speechless. “Sooo,,, how does it look?” You nervously ask. “You look so good baby.” His voice was barely a whisper. You then notice that he made a realization. “Now we have matching hair colors!”

Beomgyu

You wake up to the feeling of your boyfriend playing with your hair. Groggily, you asked what he’s doing but he doesn’t answer. He just continues to play with your hair. “What? Do you not like it or something? Do you prefer the blonde?” Beomgyu quickly shook his head no before backtracking. “Don’t get me wrong! I loved your blonde hair, it made you look so cute! But the black makes you look so sexy. My sexy girlfriend with black hair.”

Taehyun

While cooking dinner, you like to blare music so it’s no surprise that you didn’t hear the front door open and notice Taehyun was home until you felt something hold your waist in a back hug. “When did this happen, love?” You know he’s talking about your new hair color. “Just today, I impulsively decided to dye it but I’m not so sure about it.” Taehyun hums at that. “I think..that you look so hot. I loved your blonde but the darker color…” He trails off towards the end, wrapping himself tighter around you. “Taeeee.” You whine at the constriction, “I’ve got to continue cooking dinner.” Taehyun buries his head into your hair before leaning down to your ear. “I think I want something else for dinner tonight.”

Hueningkai

“Oh my god.” You can barely hear his whisper. “What? Is it that bad or something?” After you lost a bet, your friends decided to have you dye your hair as a punishment. “It’s amazing baby..” Kai just continues to look at you with lovestruck eyes. He pulls you down onto his chest and nearly shouts in your ear when he realizes something. “Oh my god! With my blonde hair and your black hair, we’re look like a penguin together!” He pulls down HueningKai Jr and smushes him up against you both. “We’re like a little family!

©️ tzuyuluvs | please don’t translate, rewrite or blatantly steal any of my content.

[sgminkiss]

i've been writing a seungmin fic but i'm struggling to find the motivation to finish it so i'm just going to post what i have please give me your thoughts and/or advice and i might finish it and post the whole fic!

“minnie?” you called into the empty house. the space was quieter than usual. you expected to see your boyfriend watching a sport you didn't understand on the tv, but you were met by darkness instead.

when you turned to walk up the stairs, you heard soft music playing from inside your shared bedroom “seung?” you called, trying your best to be heard over the music. you pressed your hand to the door, watching it swing open, your mouth dropped open when you saw what was waiting for you in your bed.

the sight was beautiful. golden light poured from the large windows, and your boyfriend was sprawled over the white bedspread you had recently washed. seungmin gasped when he saw you, horrified as he realized what you had walked in on.

kim seungmin was wearing dog ears.

this wasn’t something you’d expect from seungmin. he presented himself so conventionally, never asking for something kinkier than a pretty silk rope for his slim wrists, only pushing himself when you wanted something more. he liked to keep it vanilla, or so you thought.

“b-babe.” his hand released his cock. you hadn’t even noticed him touching it; you were too distracted by his pretty, brown puppy ear hair clips.

“seungmin.” you let out a little laugh as you invited yourself inside the room.

“please pretend this never happened,” he started, “like you never saw it. please?”

“why would I do that?" chuckling louder this time. his face flushed a pretty rose color. once he noticed your staring, he tossed a pillow in your direction, covered himself with the now soiled sheets, and reached across himself to turn off the speaker. he saw himself in the long mirror you had hanging on the bedroom wall, pulling the clips out of his matching brown hair.

“don’t take them out," you frowned and walked further into the room, stepping over the discarded pillow, sliding into bed with him, and tugging at the sheets. "you look so cute, puppy.”

“don’t say that.” he huffed as he pulled the bundled sheets out of your hands.

“did I upset you?” you hadn’t meant to make him uncomfortable. it’s okay for him to have his private interests, but you thought it would be fun to explore together.

“no,” he scowled, “it’s just embarrassing."

“seungmin.”

“what?” he looked up at you, his eyes glossy, the personification of shame.

“if you didn’t want me to find out, then why do it here?” you smiled. “i mean, i come home at the same time every day. you couldn’t have lost track of time; we both know how impatient you are.” seungmin continued to stare at you.

“that’s..” he started.

“are you sure you don’t want me to call you puppy?” you reached out your hand to tuck his sweaty, brown hair behind his ears. “puppy?” you whispered when he stood silent.

“please...”

“don’t be shy.” you reach for the dog ears, abandoned at the end of the bed. after combing through his messy hair with your fingers, you clip them where you thought they looked prettiest. you slid your hand down his face and cupped his jaw. he nuzzled into your hand and moaned, “m-mommy..”

“oh. that's new.” you laughed

“stop laughing at me.” he furrowed his brows and looked down at his covered crotch. he tilted his head back up to look at you when you spoke.

“you’re too cute, i can’t help it.” you giggled. you then pulled the covers off his lap. he let out a sigh when he felt the cold air hit his twitching cock. you ran your hands under his shirt and swiftly pulled it over his head, careful not to yank his ears.

“beautiful boy,” you leaned in to kiss his pink lips. seungmin was struggling to keep his hands to himself. it was hot. he missed you so much. he wanted this sooo bad. what was he supposed to do?

“relax seung,” you mumbled, removing his hand from your boob for the third time grinning, “or do you want me to tie you up?”

“n-no!” he shook his head, his cute little ears wiggled back and forth, “please, i’ll be so good. i promise i will. i'm always so good.” he was rambling, holding your hands, and visibly sweating. 

seungmin hadn’t had much experience, sex never being a priority for him. things changed after he met you. he found himself craving you when he didn't have you, and never having enough of you once he finally got you. suddenly, sex was high on his list of priorities. he took pride in the way you reacted to his body, the things he said, his dick even. so, why not put on a show for you?

you went back to kissing him, leaning over him and swinging your leg over his. now sitting on his thighs, you grab at his angry, red cock. he moans and you start slowly stroking him, squeezing lightly at the tip and running your thumb over the precum slicked head.

he pulled away from your mouth gasping for air and throwing his head back against the headboard with a loud moan, “oh god. please don’t stop mommy. it feels so good.. i need your mouth mama please?” 

“only since you’re being so polite.” you grinned, running your hands across his smooth skin, squeezing his hips, and scooting down to lay between his slender legs.

he raked his hand through your hair when you finally put your mouth on him. 

“oh oh oh..” he repeated breathlessly.

you drew your mouth off him to kiss his thighs, pulling at his cock with one hand and pinning his trembling legs to the mattress with the other.

“i need to be inside you.. mama please? now please..” you ignore him and start leaving little bites on his legs. he whines loudly and pushes your head away from him.

“i thought you promised to be good?” you looked at him arrogantly, seungmin felt so embarrassed.. so stupid.

“..im sorry. please are you mad? im sorry” his eyes welled with tears

“i could never be mad at you, love. please don’t cry, i hate when you cry, baby.” you wiped his cheeks and kissed him again. he sighed into the kiss as you pet him like a dog. 

“you want mommy’s pussy, pup?” you said once you finally pulled away.

“yes yes yes” he was panting 

[zombiezonurlawn]

Uhm. Hey guys. What if you had to spend five nights at Freddy’s but needed some training to get the hang of the (baldi’s) basics so you go on your computer and learn at the amazing digital circus but things go wrong and you die and end up at the hazbin hotel…

Here are my hazbin hotel redesigns

I already like Charlie’s design far more than the other very erm. Interesting characters in this show so I didn’t change much. I just streamlined her design a bit, I also think she could alternate between the pants and the skirt, I just thought the skirt kind of balances out the overwhelming amounts of red going on in the suit so I thought I’d balance it out with some leg color idk. Also just changed her eye color for a cool complimentary color and maybe tie to the fact her dad is a fallen angel? Still technically connected to heaven and stuff. She is just so silly :3

Vivziepop try to give a main character even an ounce of muscle challenge 🤯🤯 in all seriousness there has to a body type between stick thin and incredibly buff in her style. Vaggie’s design is just so incredibly busy and confused to me and the moth thing is stuppppiddd so I dropped it! Wanted to make her monochromatic grey with that bright pink contrast color to compliment Charlie? Like maybe representing the influence of Charlie in her life. Idk you come up with something. Also made her more masc presenting cuz I felt like it uhhh

Uhhh angel dust? Ermmm. He’s so annoying. But yeah here’s my redesign I got rid of his dumb head hair thing. I legitimately do not understand why he has that tuxedo getup going on. I know he’s supposed to be from the 20s and stuff but like— his design and attitude is so incredibly modernized in every single way just let him go full like y2k, say it’s the modernizing influence of being around the Vs, because the tuxedo and bow tie is NOT it (especially for every character!) had a lot of texture in mind for this, I wanted the soft sweater with the fur trim to contrast this latex to represent his initial cynicism vs his soft side. But maybe I’m putting too much thought into it.

Husks design is. So bad. It’s way way WAY too busy and he’s supposed to have died in his 60s? The artstyle is giving ‘person who can only draw people in their 20s drawing a character from breaking bad’ eemmm… so yeah I just wanted to make him look old and truly washed up.

Bonus him as an overlord

Im gonna do Alastor and some of the overlords and some stuff sooo yeah. Look forward to it 👍

This show still sucks btw im just a person who really wanted it to be good

[brokebonewritings]

omg please do a sequel to the anxiety request it was sooo cute and relatable tbfh

A SEQUEL YOU SAY?!! Absolutely 😩🤍 You guys seemed to really like that request and I appreciate it!

Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity

Matt Murdock x reader

Tags: 18+, First Date, Fluff, Falling in Love

Summary: You and Matt go to a candlelight concert for your first date. You learn something new about music, and he leaves you with a new sense of love.

Word Count: 2K

Navigation | Masterlist

You woke up with the same amount of pressure that was in your chest the night before. It wasn’t every day that you felt like this. Just today. 

Trying to justify your anxiety because you had a date was reasonable right? Wrong. Well that’s what your brain believed anyways. You reach for your phone charging on the nightstand and check the time.

Eight AM. Perfect. The concert was for another 11 hours. Just the right amount of time to freak. You notice a voicemail notification. Confused to see that it’s from Matt, your heart begins to pound.

‘He’s canceling’ You thought ‘I knew it was too good to be true’

Despite the anxiety coursing through your veins, you open the voicemail and raise the phone to your ear. Matt's voice came through the receiver smoothly, which eased some of the tension.

“Hey sweetheart.” He began. “I can’t wait to see you later. I’ll be there to pick you up around 5:30. Hope you have a good day.” 

That’s where the voicemail ends. No cancellation. No excuses. He was actually going to come! You close your eyes and smile. Probably looking like an idiot, you stay like that for a while.

You go about your day, cleaning, finishing a report to send to your boss, and remembering to hydrate. However, you begin to pace your apartment after finishing all of your chores. Checking the time just a bit too often.

4pm. That’s what the clock stated. You still had a few more hours left until Matt would come pick you up. But the thought of waiting was becoming unbearable. Your mind was racing with all the possible scenarios that could happen tonight and you couldn't help but feel nervous.

You walk over to your wardrobe and start rummaging through it. It didn’t have to be perfect, but you wanted to look nice. This was the first orchestral concert you had ever been to. You finally settle on a floral patterned dress. 

As you stare at yourself in the mirror, you can't help but feel a little proud of how you look. But the anxiety still lingers in your chest like a heavy weight. You take a deep breath and try to calm yourself down. Suddenly, your phone buzzes. It's a text from Matt.

Matty 4:48pm

I’m on my way, I’ll be there in 10 minutes.

You 4:50pm

See you soon!

You take one last look at yourself in the mirror, running your hands through your hair and finishing your makeup. A knock at your door causes your heart to  jump in your chest. Making sure you have the tickets in your wallet, you grab your purse and rush to the door.

As you open it, you see Matt standing there, a bouquet of roses in his hand. His dark hair is styled neatly, and he's wearing a sleek suit that fits him perfectly.

"Hi," he says with a smile.

"Hi," you reply, your voice shaking slightly.

"These are for you," he says, holding out the bouquet. You take them, inhaling their sweet scent. 

"Thank you," you say, feeling your face flush.

Stepping aside, you allow him to enter your apartment. He steps in as he leans his cane against your coat rack. Shutting the door, you take his hand and lead him to your living room. He takes a seat as you take the bouquet to the kitchen and set them in the sink for a brief moment. 

You open your cabinet and reach for the dusty vase on the middle shelf. After washing it off, you fill it with water and place the roses within it. They were gorgeous. A mix of colors among the red roses. You loved it. Once you finish, you set the roses on your dining table and walk back to Matt.

“Ready!” You say taking his hand timidly.

He rubs circles into your hand with his thumb as if to say it was going to be okay. That’s when you realized how fast your heartbeat was. You could feel it thumping against your chest.

This was your very first date ever. So of course your heart was running a million miles a minute. Matt was no stranger to this though. You appreciated his patience with you.

As you both leave the apartment and lock your door, you attempt to make idle conversation. Mostly about how his work week has been, how Karen and Foggy were doing, and if he was getting any more sleep.

Walking down to the street, Matt calls a taxi and you both are on your way.The ride to the concert hall is filled with light conversation, the butterflies in your stomach still flying high.

Upon arriving, you notice how small the venue is. Intimate. It was perfect, really. You had expected it to be a much larger production.

Looking at your watch, you both had made it early. It really was a miracle due to how much traffic there was. You and Matt make your way to your seats, noticing you were towards the back of the theater. Again, it was perfect.

The stage is decorated with a beautiful array of instruments, and the musicians are tuning their instruments. You take a deep breath and try to relax.

Matt notices the tension in your body and gently places his hand on your thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. You look over at him and he gives you a reassuring smile.

His touch and warmth help calm your nerves, and you're grateful to have him here with you. You had waited such a long time for this. Dodging other dates in hope you could catch Matt’s attention.

As the lights dim and the conductor takes the stage, the audience falls silent. The orchestra begins to play, and the music fills the room.

The sound is rich and beautiful, and it instantly transports you to another place. You close your eyes and allow yourself to be swept away by the music. 

There were pieces you had heard before, and some you were hearing for the first time. Every so often you would look over to Matt to see how he was doing. He sat silently throughout the concert.

“How are you liking it?” You lean towards him and whisper.

His lips curl upward into a smile, “It’s beautiful. You?”

“I was thinking the exact same thing.

The conductor turns towards the audience after the previous piece. She smiles and thanks everyone for joining them that evening. Introducing the last piece, you hadn’t recognized the name. It was part of the Planet Suite by Holst. 

“Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity” The conductor says, “It is big, and powerful. Such as this symphony orchestra. Enjoy.”

She turns back around and raises her baton. The music starts slow and quiet, building up with the sound of the strings and horns. The music is loud and grand, and it fills the room with a sense of wonder and awe.

As the piece continues, you begin to feel a strange sensation wash over you. It's like your entire body is vibrating with the music, and you feel as though you might explode at any moment.

You look over at Matt, wondering if he is feeling the same thing, but he seems completely still, his face calm and serene.

Suddenly, the music reaches a crescendo, and your heart feels like it's going to burst out of your chest. The entire orchestra is playing together, and the sound is almost too much to bear. You close your eyes and surrender yourself to the music, letting it wash over you in waves. 

The anxiety that filled you earlier in the day had seemed to go away once the concert started. You both already knew each other, you just needed to bask in each other’s presence. How music could affect you so much, you will never know. 

As the piece comes to an end, the audience erupts into applause. You open your eyes and look around, feeling disoriented and dizzy. Matt’s head is towards you as you notice others standing from their seats.

The concert was over. Which meant the date was almost over. His hand gives your thigh a slight squeeze. Your heart began to pick up pace.

“Are you alright?” He says barely above a whisper.

“I’m great.” You begin, “That was the most beautiful piece I had ever heard in my life.”

“It was beautiful, wasn’t it?

You watch his face as it softens from his worried look. Was he concerned because of you? Grateful for the concern, you rest your hand on his. It made you feel seen and cared for.

Making your way out of the theater, the cool night air hits you as you step outside. You shiver and wrap your arms around yourself. 

"Are you cold?" he asks.

"A little," you admit. “How did you know?”

He’s silent for a moment before responding, “Call it an instinct.”

Without another word, he takes off his suit jacket and drapes it over your shoulders, his hand lingering on your arm for a moment. You feel a jolt run through your body at the touch.

"Thank you," you say, smiling up at him.

He smiles back at you, and you feel your heart flutter. You can't believe that someone like him is interested in you. It feels too good to be true.

As you both walk down the street, enjoying the cool night air, Matt takes your hand in his. You squeeze back, feeling a rush of warmth and affection wash over you. 

The walk back to your apartment was filled with a long comfortable silence. You couldn't help but feel giddy inside. Matt was holding your hand. It was more than you could have ever hoped for.

As you approach your building, he stops and turns towards you. You look up at him, your heart beating rapidly in your chest.

"I had a really great time tonight," he says softly.

"I did too," you reply, feeling a blush creeping up your cheeks.

He leans in close, his breath warm against your ear. “Would it be okay if I kissed you?”

This was it. Something you had been waiting for since you were just a teen. Your first kiss. Leaning back, you give a slight nod. 

“Please.” Is all you managed to say. Your heart pounding in your chest. 

Matt's lips meet yours, soft and gentle at first, but then growing more urgent as the kiss deepens. Your heart feels like it's going to burst out of your chest, and you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him closer to you.

The kiss feels like it lasts forever, and when you finally pull away, gasping for breath, you can't help but feel a little lightheaded.

"That was amazing," you say, smiling up at him.

He grins back at you, “Was it worth the wait?”

“You have no idea.”

You both stand there for a moment, just staring at each other, and then he leans in to kiss you again. This time the kiss is more urgent, more passionate, and you feel your body responding to him in ways that you never thought possible.

Finally, he pulls away, his forehead resting against yours. You both are breathing heavily, and you can feel your heart pounding in your chest. 

“It’s getting late.” He finally says.

You nod in agreement. Pulling away from him your hand lingers on his chest for a minute.

“Thank you for tonight.” You say, “It was amazing.”

“I’ll see you soon. I promise.”

“Good. I was afraid you would ghost me or something.”

He chuckles. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Saying goodbye was a lot harder than you expected. It did happen eventually, and with that you walked into your building.

As you climb the stairs to your apartment, you can't help but replay the night's events in your head. The music, the kiss, the way Matt made you feel. You're filled with a sense of contentment and happiness that you haven't felt in a long time.

Opening the door to your apartment, you're hit with the familiar smell of home. You throw Matt's jacket onto the couch and collapse onto it, a wide grin on your face. You've never been one to believe in fate, but something about tonight felt like it was meant to be.

[vaggieslefteye]

hi! your gifsets are so beautiful, but do you mind if i ask HOW? how are they sooo sharp and clean and unfuzzy? i'm so discouraged about making gifs becos mine always end up looking like they were recorded with a potato :(

I sold my soul in exchange for powers To sum it up very quickly, I basically sharpen and denoise my screengrabs while they're still videos. I render them with those new filters applied before putting them in photoshop to turn them into gifs. Once they're in Photoshop I just ensure that my coloring is bright yet there's not too many colors going on in the color table, otherwise the diffusion makes them look terrible. I also use the Smart Sharpen feature when sharpening my gifs. I'll have a longer explanation under the cut.

I will say it took me a while to figure out what works for me here. Before I even posted my first ever gifs I spent a Not Normal amount of hours for an entire week before just trying to get them to look decent and not so washed out and grainy and sad.

I can be bad at explaining things so I will do my best. It's basically a combo of 4 things. I got a high quality torrent of Hazbin at 1080p. For Helluva, I actually screen record the episodes myself, and the recent episodes actually come out the best since they release them in 1440p. Having the highest quality base video is very important.

I get my screengrabs in Vegas Pro 18 using the torrents/videos, I have been using Vegas to make videos and edits as a hobby for years, so it's what I'm most used to using. I also have the Boris FX Continuum pluggins.

First, after I crop and neatly place all the clips I wanna use in a set together, I apply the pluggin's Sharpen feature.

After that, its Denoise feature.

I have presets I use for those but I tend to have to manually adjust them every time depending on the scene, which probably does not do much in the end but I am a stickler for little details. Once I am happy with how they look I render them, then import them to Photoshop. This helps the most, I think. I'm still learning but from what I was looking up, every gifmaker giving advice always said it's most important to have the clearest and highest quality starting vid before importing into Photoshop or your program of choice to make gifs.

Once they're in Photoshop the things that help me the most, I have found, is:

Smart Sharpen

Good coloring

I like the way Smart Sharpen works as opposed to the standard Sharpen feature. But I always sharpen at the very end of the process, right before exporting gifs. And with coloring I just try to make sure that the color palette doesn't have too many different colors going on, otherwise the diffusion makes it look SO, so grainy. I use a combo of different filters every time but I recently figured out how to use Selective Color and that one is really good at adjusting the finer details of certain areas.

There are a couple other small things I do but I'm gonna be a lil selfish and keep those magic tricks to myself, teehee. What I explained here is the bulk of it, honestly.

[moonchildstyles]

thinking about aster giving angel a piercing 😔 maybe she already has her ears done but she saw a really pretty picture on Pinterest of someone who had a little nose ring or stud and she just wants one 😔 she shows him and is all "look how pretty! isn't it so cute :(" and he agrees, looking over her shoulder at her phone and saying how he likes the stone 😔 then he glances over at her nose and says "i could do that for you, if you wanted" and she's looking up like "what? really? you do that?" and he nods, he says "it's not my main specialty, but I'm good at it" and he's a little smirky as always 😔 and she's a little surprised but definitely thinking about it, but he takes her silence as not liking the idea so he's quickly saying "or if you don't want me to, of course one of the other boys could do it so i could hold your hand" just being so sweet 😔and she says "no, if I got one I would only want you to do it, no one else" and he knows that's the same thing she said about her tattoo but he's still so 🥹 hearing her say that 😔 then she's really thinking about it, she's looking at different jewelery colors and gems really thinking about what she wants 😔 then one day after work she goes to the shop like usual and Harry's just finishing cleaning and getting locked up, he stops to give her a quick kiss then says "I'll be right with you, I just have to grab one thing from the back okay?" and he goes off to get whatever he needed, she's sooo nervous because she knows what she's about to ask for so she's trying to occupy herself by looking at the pictures on the walls 😔 he comes back with a few papers and gets them filed at the main desk then he's heading towards her saying "ready to go?" and she nods absently, not really listening, and ofc he notices she's a little off right away so he says "what's the matter sweet girl?" coming up to stand behind her and look at the pictures she's staring at 😔 (1)

she takes a deep breath and says all in a rush "will you pierce my nose for me?" and she's so nervous she's basically holding her breath waiting for his answer 😔 he puts his hands on her shoulders and turns her around slowly to look at her, he ducks down to meet her eyes and says "of course I will, told you I'd give you whatever you want didn't i?" and she nods, finally feeling brave she looks up at him and says "i want it tonight, please?" and he can tell she's so nervous but he's so proud of her for telling him what she wants even though it's scary 😔 he says "of course, let's go back to a room, hm?" and leads her down the hall 😔he helps her get settled on the chair and says "do you know which one you want? I know you were looking through some ideas, did you pick one out or not yet?" and she nods, pulling up a picture of what she wants😔 he's smiling saying "you're so prepared, you've been ready for this for a while haven't you?" and she nods, blushing a little, but he just says "I like that, it makes my job easier" trying to joke with her because he can tell she's a little bit scared 😔 but he goes to get the stud that matches the most closely to the picture she has, and ofc it's a little one with gold metal and a baby pink stone 😔 he's smiling because that's just soooo her and he comes back in the room saying "like this?" showing it to her and her eyes light up 😔 she says "yes, exactly like that!" and she's so excited 😔 (2)

he's smiling too and he says "okay, why don't you get comfortable for me and I'll get ready on my end?" so she does, and as he's washing his hands he calls over "if you want you can play some music, a lot of people like to do that" so she's going through her phone for a playlist that will be calming 😔 when she picks one and is all settled in, he comes back over and sits on the stool by her 😔 he's talking her through the whole process letting her know everything that's gonna happen so she feels less anxious 😔 he's putting the gloves on and he can tell she looks nervous so he says "we don't have to do this if you're not ready baby, we can do it a different day?" and she shakes her head saying "I'm ready, I want it I'm just scared" and he smiles gently saying "I know, and I think you're very brave" and that finally gets a little smile out of her 😔 then she says "okay I'm ready, can you just do it before I get too scared?" and he laughs again saying of course 😔 he has her lean her head against the chair, then makes the little dot with the marker and holds up a mirror for her to look 😔 she says it looks good, so he gets everything ready and ofc he hides the needle until the last second so she doesn't see it 😔he tells her to look at his face and not his hands, just telling her to focus on his eyes 😔he asks "want me to count?" and she thinks for a second before shaking her head saying "just do it, i don't want to know just do it" so he nods and says "keep looking at my eyes, I promise it'll be so so quick, just a little pinch okay?" and before she can do it she says "wait wait, let me-" and she puts her hand on his knee😔 she says "i know I can't hold your hand but is this okay?" and he says of course it is 😔 (3)

then he says "okay, i want you to keep looking at my eyes and wiggle your toes" and he'll never ever tell her but that's what he tells younger kids when he occasionally does ear piercings 😔 and she does what he says and then he goes for it 😔 she lets out a little whimpered gasp and he feels so bad, he's saying "i know, I know, I'm almost done, just keep wiggling your toes for me" and before she can even take another breath it's done and the needle is out 😔 her eyes are watering so much and she's kind of embarrassed saying "I'm not crying, it doesn't hurt too much my eyes are just-" and he cuts her off saying "that's totally normal, happens almost every time I do one of these" and that makes her feel better 😔 he gets the needle disposed of then says "ready to look?" and she's so excited, he holds up the mirror and he can see how much she loves it right away 😔she's tilting her head all different ways just so in awe of how pretty it looks 😔 she reaches up to touch it but he catches her wrist gently, pulling it away from her face and kissing the back of her hand saying "can't touch yet, we have to clean it off first" and she's a little embarrassed but he says "that's okay, I'd do the same if it were me, it looks so pretty" and she nods, still looking in the mirror 😔 (4)

when he's cleaning it off he sees her wince and he says "I know, promise this is the worst part" but it's over before she knows it and then they're all done 😔 he's so proud of her he can't help but give her a kiss and tell her how much he loves her 😔 the whole way home he keeps glancing over and smiling, when she says "what?" he just grins and says "you were already pretty, but this just- i don't know, it really... it's gorgeous on you" and she's blushing 😔 they home and he helps her clean it before bed, giving her so many kisses and telling her over and over how proud he is 😔 she can't stop looking in the mirror and she gets a little blushy when he notices but he just hugs her from behind and looks over her shoulder, giving her a little kiss on the ear and saying "it's perfect... you're perfect" 😔😔😔🤕 (last part istg this better go thru 😤😤)

wait:((((( while I don't think shed ever get her nose pierced or anything like that this really is so sweet:( like hes just so gentle w her and like asking her to wiggle her toes for him and he'd never ever tell her thats what he has younger kids do when they come in for ears or something:( and stopping her from touching it but its okay bc he thinks it looks sooooo pretty too:(((((((( AND HIM:((( JUST LOOKING AT HER WHILE HES DRIVING HOME;(((( AND SHES ALL SHY AND WHAT:( AND SHE WAS ALREADY SO PRETTY BUT.....SHE JUST....ITS SO GORGEOUS SO PERFECT FOR HER:((((((( im sooooo :( over how sweet he is him literally so sick 🤕 bestie you are....in the hall of fame:(

[causenessus]

🫧, 🧦, and 🌙!!

also, use this as an opportunity to gush abt a headcanon you have bc i want to know more abt you guys !!

MOLLY I LOVE YOU YOU'RE A LITERAL ANGEL THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THIS FREEDOM <333 I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ANY HCS ABOUT U AND AKAASHI AS WELL!!!

ask games (1 + 2 <3)

🫧- you're making a beaded bracelet for your f/o! what kind of beads do you use?

OKAY FUNNY STORY BUT I ACTUALLY DID MAKE EYE COLOR BRACELETS FOR SUNA AND ME <33 i'll probably rb this with a picture teehee <3 SO!!! i would totally use probably lots of wooden and metal beads that are definitely that are in a monochrome type color pallete. like probably lots of white beads (you'll see in the pic lmao), spacers are silver bc i'm a silver jewelry person <3 and wooden bc i love wood! and my eyes are brown so ig i'm just making him an eye color bracelet as well <33

🧦- which item from your wardrobe would you give to your f/o?

I'D GIVE HIM ANYTHING luckily all my clothes are like oversized so he probably lowkey borrows from it anyway. he sometimes steals my necklaces or most of the time will steal one of my rings and then wear it on a chain around his neck <3 if i'm not wearing it though i'd give him my old hs theatre hoodie or he can have my old senior pants LMAO they're like black dickies cargo pants that are WAY too big for me i looked like i had a boner (imaginary dick. sorry for the tmi but this is so funny to me) bc i'd have to wear a belt but yk like all the extra pant space just kind of sticks out awkwardly??? IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN IT SORRY but yeah he's walking around in black dickies pants that literally have handprints all over them on his ass :)

🌙- what is your f/o doing late at night when they can’t sleep?

answered here <3

extra headcanons

he washes my face for me sometimes. this is something i thought about last night which is what started this ALL but basically like i'll get home from work and i'm SO tired i just want to take off my makeup and fall into bed but he'll always follow me into the bathroom while i'm trying to clean up to keep me company and will say things like "but you'll feel sooo much better if you wash ur face rn instead of tomorrow morning" and he's right but i don't want to admit it </3 he'll end up resting his head on my shoulder and hugging me from behind whispering "i'll give u a kiss if u wash ur face rn :)" like he's not going to kiss me anyway but whatever ig. he'll help me put on a headband to keep my hair out of my face and either wash it for me or lets me if i'm up for it <3 then has to do my skincare bc that's one thing I'll refuse to do if he makes me wash my face (but then it ends up with me being like "no no. toner first. please use a cotton pad don't just slap it on my face. THEN moisturizer...") and then afterwards drags me to bed and he was right </3 i do feel better and usually pass out immediately, the last thing i feel being a kiss to the top of my head, wrapped in his arms <3

[joompheart]

My Voya Nui Velociraptors! The 2006 Bionicles are my favorite. It feels like they have the best of everything.

Tons of personal thoughts below.

The Toa Inikia strike the best balance between homogeneity (so that each set is as functional as the others) (and fun to have to full lineup of) and heterogeneity so that each set is unique and not just like the next (different ways of holding weapons, different feet, different forearms, different zamor and light up weapon colors, different gimmicks between multi-color armor pieces, translucent joints, and bonus claws or chains, not to mention slight differences in thigh and shoulder armor placement or even which slot the axle joint holding the head uses). They're incredibly dynamic and easy to pose in a lot of ways. Plus I think they have the best looking masks out of all the bionicles, period. Kongu and Hahli are personal favorites.

Brutaka is my favorite set out of all Bionicles, forever. That's partially nostalgia, he was the first one I ever got, but he would probably be my favorite on his own anyway. He's got a super cool personality and story in the lore (Seriously how badass is it that after exposure to pure liquid antidermis he gets so much stronger that his armor starts to crack from the increased size of his muscles!!), and his set strikes me as being the most functional of all the really good looking titans (though I've yet to get many of the titans).

The Matoran Resistance members are also my favorite of all the smaller set series. They have a bunch of unique construction techniques, cool tools, and badass lore. Plus they're about as mobile and articulate as any set their size, putting the Av-Matoran to shame. The Metru matoran might be contenders for their unique masks and disk launcher toys, but these will probably always be the matoran for my heart.

I actually put a lot of thought and effort into setting up this display, Trying to show off my favorites in the best light. There's a window to the right of these shelves, so as I think is clear from the pictures that Kongu and Brutaka get shown off really well. I tried to put Matoro and Jaller in the light as well to show off the translucent joints but it only half worked out I think. Hewkii can stand to be in the back because of his yellow, and Nuparu is in the middle distance because he's not my favorite but any further back and you can barely see him at all because of all the black. Hahli is kinda unlucky and in shadow most of the time which is unfortunate but still fine because of how up front she is I think. The contrast with Velika works well. In the future I'll try to get her more light to show off the blue, she's definitely one of the most muted blue characters in all of the original run I think. But its sooo cool with the white and blue wash!

I would put the Piraka up there too but because of their spines they don't fit. In the end it's fine because this way they get a shelf to themselves which they fill really well. Probably better this way.

I really want to get Vezon and Fenrakk is the last set I really want from this chapter, I used to not like him because I thought the cape looked out of place and I didn't really like the idea of a "discount piraka" riding some random beast technically counting as much as Brutaka or Axonn. But now I really like him a lot from the lore and want to get as much as I can stand from 2006. More Skakdi is more good, after all!

[legoiscrying]

please i beg you staig or steek or stcreek (your choice) headcanons

I chose steek because I already had some headcanons in my head :D

- Okay listen they dyed their hair together. Tweek wanted to dye his hair but was too scared because he had no idea how to do it by himself & though he'd ruin his hair completely. So he wanted to go find one of these fancy salons and go there, but once he shared his idea with Stan he was like. Dude. There's no way you're doing that. Sooo Stan explained to Tweek that he's experienced and could help, and also how it's much cooler to do it in your boyfriend's house than at the expansive salon. Tweek agreed, but still was very scared. Then Stan decided to suggest they dye their hair together, which somehow made Tweek calmer. I'd imagine them either both dyeing their hair in bright colors OR Tweek in black and Stan in blond...

- One time Tweek's dad was very sick, so it was only Tweek and his mom who were able to work at the cafe. Obviously Tweek was very busy for an entire week, so Stan decided to volunteer to help him. What can go wrong, right? It was the day when Stan found out what Tweek is capable of. Stan couldn't keep up with him, not even close. Tweek managed to talk with customers, deal with things in the pantry, run his mom's errands and sometimes even help her with the coffee. Meanwhile Stan? All he could keep up with is helping Tweek with his "come and give" tasks and sometimes washing the dishes. And Stan was already pretty fucking exhausted! When the workday ended Stan was looking very tired, but Tweek? He was looking the same as he always does. The word "impressive" would not even be enough. Tho, Tweek couldn't stop thanking Stan, saying how much easier he made it for him. Stan couldn't really agree, considering how much work Tweek had done compared to him, but seeing Tweek happy was enough. (Would he do it again? Probably not)

- Ohhh I imagine them finding each other's troubles kinda relatable and because of that managing them perfectly. Tweek would listen to Stan's 2 AM vents, comfort him and talk to him in the morning. With Tweek himself...Like, at first Stan would try to "help" Tweek, but then he realized that there's not much you can do with his anxiety attacks, so instead of this he would also try to be extra cautious and observant when Tweek needs that. I CAN'T REALLY EXPLAIN IT, but Tweek would feel the relate and it'd comfort him a bit :(

[away-ward]

Who is your dream cast?

Personally Shaelah Mcgilton is my perfect Emory Scott.

Will Grayson always looked like Chase Mattson in my head.

Matthew Daddario is what I imagine Damon too like.

Ricka meanwhile really gives me Gigi Hadid vibes.

Jacob Elorid would make a great Michael Christ he certainly has the height.

Candice Swanepoel is what I see Winter as.

Hideo Muraoka would make a perfect Kai Mori.

Adriana Lima is my Banks.

Megan Fox is so Alex.

And Dylan Sprouse in After is so Trevor.

But what Dou think? 😊

I like all your picks! That's a great cast. I really love your Emory. She's sooo cute.

(poor dylan sprouse but it works)

Let's talk about faces!

My brain does one of two things when reading. It either completely ignores what is written on the page and picks a face and says "That's them" and I have no choice but to think of them that way the entire time.

Or it merges multiple faces together until I end up with split features/faces that it morphs between scenes, which means I'm never able to settle on a face.

Both have happened with Devil's Night characters. Sometimes I have a face in mind, and sometimes it's just

~Vibes~

PD didn't give face claims because they wanted the readers to picture the characters themselves. But also, as a writer, sometimes it's just hard to give your characters faces. No one fits perfectly what you have in your head, but they're your babies so it has to be perfect.

Anyway, here's what I have. For the most part, I don't have specific names/faces.

Michael and Rika:

I also pictured Jacob Elorid as Michael. It probably is the height and the hair. Plus, doesn't he usually play territorial jerks?

I don't know how to explain that in my head, Rika is pretty but...like an average pretty. Not like drop dead, sultry, gorgeous. But like. Wealthy pretty. But a wealthy pretty that tries to pretend she's neither pretty nor privileged, so she plays it down. At least until she gets with Michael and then she starts leaning into it more.

I usually picture a smaller, more delicate face, soft blond hair. Later, I feel like she'd wear red lipstick because it's Michael's favorite color and a color of power. Plus, she's a blue-eyed blond. What else is she gonna wear?

Kai and Banks:

I don't have a face for Kai. I know he has strong Japanese features, but his mom is Italian and I just feel that there would be some of that in his face as well. I can't find it, so maybe I made it up, but I could have sworn he had his mom's smile....

Hideo Muraoka works really well though and I've seen him used a lot. He works a lot better than some of the others I've seen, which give Kai a narrower face. Kai does not have a narrow face in my head.

For me, Banks does though. She also has fuller lips and Sharp eyes (green because at least one love interest has to have green eyes. it's law). I liked the hat picture cause it gave me tomboyish vibes compared to the other two which are...woah.

But once Banks dresses up, she is Woah. so.

Damon and Winter:

And for Damon...I hate to say it, but a tik-tokker (?? how are we spelling that?) that gives me vibes is Eduard Martirosyan. It's probably just they're both Russian, but I can't help but think if his hair and eyes were darker, I'd get stronger Damon vibes.

As for Winter, I'm not sure how similar to Rika she needs to look, or if it was just the blond hair and blue eyes that everyone was talking about. How close do they have to be to look like sisters?

Anyway, Scarlett Leithold is as close as I've gotten to how I picture Winter, but only specifically this look:

Everything should be paler, and more washed out than Rika. Those two girls don't look anything alike to me but then who cares. They're fictional.

Will and Emory:

Do I think Trevor Wagner looks like how I pictured Will?

NOoooo.

Do I get the strongest Will vibes whenever I see his tik-toks.

Ab-so-lutely.

It could just be his personality also feels like Will to me??? So whenever I find someone else that gives me Will-vibes, all it takes is a scrolling pass a Trevor and it's erased.

(There was one tik-tok where I thought he was driving a raptor and I was like "nooooo it couldn't be that similar." but it's not. It's a dodge. Yeah, I did the research. I had to know.)

I, for one, do imagine Emory having long wavy/slightly curly hair similar to the texture on the left. And I imagine her having fuller cheeks, rather than sharp angles...or the most part, any of the pinterest girls seem okay. As for this girl, she's close but for me her nose is smaller than how I imagined emory. but the basic structure is there.

Can I say, I really appreciate Will going out of his way to describe this girl any chance he can? I have such a clear vision of her in my head, but I can't find a face to match because, like Will, I now see her as perfect. And she doesn't even exits!

Alex

I thought I had a good handle on Alex until Emory tossed out that she looked like a character from whoville in NF and I was like the Dr. Suess characters???????

It just...really threw me off. But I think what she meant was the Alex's nose is small and kind of turned up at the end?

Whatever. I picture her mostly just chilling in Will's passenger seat before NF. The right and middle is Victoria Bronova and from what I've seen, she works for the most part. I mean, no one's perfect.

See what I mean about random features just filtering through while I'm reading? Nothing is consistent. It's rarely a constant "this is who I picture when I read" but more of a "when I see their face at this angle, I think of this other character."

It's just vibes.

Feel free to wildly disagree and offer up your own. I'm not tied to any of these and will happily drop one in favor of something that matches better to what I see in my head.

Thank you!

*if you know any of the names of the faces here that I didn't, please feel free to let me know.*

[plasticrabbits]

Process for making a modern Howl Pendragon jacket. I'm wearing this for Halloween this year and think process shots are cool.

Was going to order a hoodie based off the jacket from the movie, but the listing was a little suspect, and everyone who had reviewed the item was leaving reviews for a cape... I'm not into a cape sooo I ordered a jacket off Amazon to DIY. While it looks considerably shittier IRL than the listing image, I figured it would, no love lost there. It looked sort of like shiny satin online but it's just swishy polyester. The wrinkles are impossible to remove so I'm choosing to ignore them.

Initially I tried to make cardboard templates for the diamond pattern, but in the end used big brain technology to measure with string to try and keep shit symmetrical. Taped up the diamonds that I wanted to remain pink with painters tape. Then removed the string guides, leaving a small amount of room around the edges to be filled in as I went.

Mixed about 1 to 1 ratio of white Tulip puffy fabric paint and gesso. The jacket is polyester (basically plastic) so acrylic paint should stick OK, but to be sure I wanted some of that fabric paint medium in there too. This is my first time painting on a jacket so we'll see how long it lasts. I don't plan on washing it honestly... ANYWAY.

Using a 1 inch paint brush I went around the edges of the diamonds and then filled them in. With any project I'm beginning to accept that the prep is more important than doing the actual thing. Especially with paint. Three coats of tulip/gesso primer should be opaque enough that the color over top isn't splotchy. But it is still drying and I may have to do another layer of touch up before I add color.

Beyond the diamond pattern, my plan thus far is to buy some fancy gold trim and line the jacket edges to better resemble the movie jacket. I'll either apply ribbon or just paint the cuffs and bottom elastic white before lining them in gold as well. Debating on if I care enough to gesso the entire back and paint it blue/periwinkle. If I somehow finish this on time maybe I will...

In addition to the jacket I'm going to make a belt or two that have similar colors. Modern wizard vibes. IDK maybe it will be a shit show or maybe it will be cool. Time will tell!

Ideally I would like to make a little Calcifer companion with a tea light inside buuuut I haven't exactly worked out how to do it economically with what I've already got around the house. Hot glue keeps coming to mind but IDK. Anyway I'll update as I make progress.

[the-mother-of-lions]

hi, your overlay tutorial is sooooo beautiful! I wonder if you could make tutorial for overlaying image and gif as seen in this Natasha edit /post/693119366952288256/pscentral-event-06-favorite it's sooo beautiful!

Hi there! I just want to make sure you know that I am not the same creator of that gifset, but I can definitely explain how this person made that gifset.

This is the Natasha gifset, as you can see it’s gorgeous.

Before I begin I want to start by saying it’s totally fine to take inspiration from other gifs, to see something that someone has done and replicate it in your own way. With giffing, at the end of the day, we’re all using the same source material, the same amount of scenes and minutes of screen time to create something so there are going to be similarities in gifs across the same fandom. However, it is never okay to steal someone’s gifs and repost them as your own, nor is it okay to directly and blatantly copy someone’s gifset frame for frame to post even if you make the gifs yourself. Copying to learn a technique is fine so long as that gifset stays in your drafts or stays in your groupchat.

It is always a good idea to give credit where credit is due when giffing, in that if you use a text post/tweet/a specific set of graphics or theme, to credit the person you got the idea from by linking back to where you got it.

I’m assuming you’re asking specifically about the third gif. The process is going to be similar to the one I detailed here, however the gif on the left has either a grayscale or black and white filter on it, or you can even open a Hue/Sat layer and take out as much saturation as you want. It all depends on the look you’re going for!

The gif on the right has cyan added to it, whether they did that with a brush or layers idk and I’m not going to try to recreate it exactly, so if you want to know for sure I recommend asking them. But I can show you a similar process with Photopea, which is what I’m assuming you’re wanting (although to be completely honest I primarily use Photoshop now😂😭)/

Lately in my own gifs I’ve been doing blend types other than Lighten (like Screen for example), and this kind of looks like that but I could be wrong! Again, it all just depends on what kind of look you want, the vibe or aesthetic you’re going for.

The tutorial I make for you will use Lucas from Stranger Things S4 because that is the only live action on my hard drive at the moment😂😭 I mainly gif anime now (anime sideblog: @icythot-bakubitch) and I could absolutely do a tutorial with it but it won’t come out the same as what you’re wanting to see.

This tutorial is made on the basis that you already know 1) how to make a gif 2) how to make overlays and 3) have a good sense of familiarity with photopea/photoshop.

If you don’t have those things, you’re welcome to look at my other tutorials:

Make A Gif | Anti-White Washing (BBC Merlin) (OFMD) | Overlays

Please remember that this gif is made with Photopea and not Photoshop, so there is going to be a deficit in quality compared to the set you’ve shown me. Your quality will come out much better if you’re able to use Photoshop.

Basically all I really did was add a Black and White layer to the bottom gif, making adjustments to keep as much quality as possible and adjusting the brightness to my taste. The original gif is already pretty dark, I probably should have picked something else but for a tutorial I’m not that pressed.

On the top gif, I used Selective Color and Hue/Sat to change the cyan of his background to purple.

Using a soft round brush I cleaned up their faces and got rid of any parts of the background that I felt was too distracting.

Attached below is a side by side of the original and recolor respectively, and then a screenshot of my layers.

Again, this is my way of doing things. It’s going to look different from someone else’s. Focus on finding a style that you like and that works for you. Just because a style of giffing is popular or something a lot of people are doing doesn’t mean that you have to do that.

I’m sure there are better or more efficient ways of doing things as well! And there isn’t one set way of doing things, this is not a be all end all of doing overlays or giffing.

If you have questions regarding the Natasha set more specifically, I highly recommend asking the creator personally. All I’m doing is explaining the recoloring process when it comes to overlay gifs as it applies to Photopea.

[darklovecat]

Todays outfit?

A white wrap top.

I am literally obsessed with this top. It look so feminine and delicate and it flatters my body in all the right ways and in a very tasteful way. I love the way this top wraps around my slim waist, I am a big fan of cute and playful cuts that are not too juvenile and I love wrap tops so this blouse is perfect. You can also style it in a lot of different ways depending on what look you are going for and again I love how versatile it is. I am planning to purchase this product in other colors as well, I'm thinking black and maybe red. It is rather low cut so I obviously need to wear something underneath it and it is see through as well because it's white so that's something to keep in mind.

A grey hijab.

I wear the hijab and since since it is in such close proximity to my face, it is essential that the color I'm wearing looks good on me. However, some colors just don't look good on me, they wash me out and bring out my facial imperfections, but I can easily make those colors work for me by strategically using makeup products and placing colors in certain shades on my face. This is one of my meh colors, this shade of grey does not look THAT bad on me, but it's still not my best color so I make sure that I apply heavy skin makeup to even out my skin tone, blush across my midface and lots of curling and mascara and eyeliner to make my eyes stand out more. I also blur my lip lines and use lip tints and lip gloss on top to make my lips look fresh and full. The end result is I look good with a product color would otherwise look meh on me without any makeup.

A basic navy blue pencil skirt.

I will never shut up about my pencil skirts, they are lovely and they are perfect. The thing is walking in maxi skirt is an art in itself it's really not easy because your movements are restricted and you can't take steps too big, but I have been wearing them for years now so I am used to that. It gets easier when they are high waisted because then your legs will be more free to move. Anyways, pencil skirts are an essential part of my look, I hate looking too casual and I never want to look frumpy or lazy because I visit a lot of different places every day and I have to interact with all sorts of people. I want to make a positive impression and I want to be taken serious so I dress accordingly, I hate looking like a mess. That's why pencil skirts comes in handy, it is next to impossible to look too casual with a navy blue skirt and they are always appropriate. When I buy pencil skirts I make sure that they are very structured and show just a little bit of ankle.

UGG Womens Classic Tall Grey Boots

These are the comfiest (and uggliest) shoes that I own, they are literally the most hideous shoes on earth (after Sketchers. And Crocs) but you just can't deny the fact that they are sooo cozy it's like putting your feet in a blanket, it gives me that cute comfortable feeling that makes me feel safe. They've been through hell and back and they look a hell of a lot more worn out than this but that's what why they're my comfort shoes, I know they do the job and they're ready to go whenever, wherever. One of my favorite things in the world is leaving the dance studio, rushing to the changing room and literally just jumping into these in seconds instead of having to deal with stupid ties or killing my feet. They provide warmth, comfort and love. They also ruin all of my outfits but that's okay.

Love,

Cat.

[negative-ease]

sunrise... sunset... sangria... dance sweat

project diary cast on entry follows ~

oooooo it's driving me crazy how uneven that square is!!! but that's just test square #1 so it's ok. I sort of figure I'll redo it at the very end -- I never crochet and I've just picked it up again after many years, so my tension is bound to improve over the course of the few dozen of these I'm about to make.

Here are the stats.

-it's a throw. it's for my sister's bday in 4 months.

-it uses the bones of the citrus slice pattern from "the modern guide to granny squares"

-all squares will have the same background (same color as the pith) and a gradient border

-after assembly, the blanket will reverse the gradient border, so another sc row of yellow going back out to the darker pink

-squares are 8x8. to make throw-sized i believe it'll be 6x7, or 42 squares. this feels very doable; i can easily do one square in a day without any clue what i'm doing. once i have the hang of it, 2-3 squares in a day would be fine.

-the yarn is "scheepjes soft fun". i looked at sooo many options before going with this one, but i'm really happy with it. i just couldn't find any natural yarn that had all the specific colors i wanted... i didn't want to mix and match, and i was also wary of price because crochet is so yarn thirsty compared to knitting. the scheepjes skeins are less than $4 for 140m which is fantastic. it's 60% cotton and 40% acrylic. i never work with cotton and i never work with acrylic. but i am enjoying it and really happy with my choice.

-to start with i ordered 5x of the pith/bg and 3x of all other colors. i know i will need more. according to my kitchen scale, after the first test square i'd used about 10g of the pith/bg and about 5g of the slice color. i'll need to do a little more before i'm confident enough to make a second (hopefully final) order. i'm not too worried about dye lots because the squares are discrete, so if i wash before assembly (for example) i should be able to offset any color variance during assembly.

-here was my planning before the yarn search... after confirming i could actually crochet this, i mocked up a really basic diagram and then pulled out the colored pencils. was testing on 2008 babette blanket cascade 220 yarns.... yuuuuup!

-the book has been great to practice reading charts & written instructions, which were always sort of bewildering for me. because i've made a few changes in the outer rounds, i figured i'd try to rewrite the chart (also there are a few minor errors in the printed charts I think? not positive. but to my untrained eye it seems so.) so i've been messing with stitch fiddle with... interesting results lol. placing symbols individually..... i'm sure there's a better way to do it but what am i gonna do, read a manual? grow up. i might just bust out the colored pencils again.

just showing a small part because i'm only rewriting, but... lol. god it's a mess. but i'm learning!

-the lime green i have is on the yellowish side so i think it will work. that's the second test square i'm working on now.

-fun fact: the real reason i picked crochet up again was that i am desperate to make this mosaic throw. but my first attempts were awful, so i decided i needed a lot more practice to get the muscle memory back (and TENSION!!!! ugh). so that's how i ended up here. there's a couple other stashbusting projects i have in mind, too. i'll try the mosaic again eventually!

-last thing for now, it feels criminal that this book, which is super colorful - and does not use varigated yarns in its examples - does not even discuss methods to avoid or mitigate weaving in ends. come on! in my first square, i didn't weave in any. in my second test, i'm working over the ends to see how that looks, works, and how secure it is. so far so good! thank you to the many reddit posts about the pros and cons of all these methods... for me... i know i will die if i'm weaving in 20+ ends per square. ...x42... and it's going to a childless, catless adult so like. i think it will be safe.

everything else about the book is lovely and i'd recommend it to beginning & intermediate crocheters in a heartbeat! i'm a sucker for rainbow colors... the charts and instructions are great and the reference in the back is also very clear.

ok... bye until there is fun or interesting progress to report!