#these drawings range from 1 day old to 6 months old

[humans-are-tasty]

[icedmetaltea]

I've been feeling discouraged about my art recently. Could you possibly give me some tips?

Ok I wanna preface this by saying I am by no means a professional or even "good" artist, BUT I shall try!

These are all tips by a digital artist so I can't help much when it comes to other forms

This got long so under the cut, 20 ART TIPS TIME LETS GOOO

1.Try to draw most days, or at least once a week. The more often the better BUT I don't mean like hardcore, a complex drawing every single day (recipe for burnout right there). I mean like even just 30 seconds of SOMETHING. You can draw shapes, maybe fill a page with circles. There are programs u can find online that give you like a min to sketch something and challenge yourself in a really short time frame. Guess what?? When you draw often you're building those neural pathways (I think) and the more you do it the easier it'll get

2. Don't obsess over making stuff look perfect on the first draft... or at all. I recommend making a "draft" layer or 2... or 3 over the initial sketch. The more you go over it and change stuff, the better it'll be. Also, If you spend hours on it and still hate it?? Who cares! You put in the work and now you have an idea out on paper that you can go over some time in the future and improve if you chose to.

3. DON'T DELETE STUFF!!! Unless it's literally just mindless scribbles, save everything you draw. Like I said, you can go over it again and improve it someday. You can also look back at it in like a year and compare your art to see where you've improved! I deleted all my old art from beyond like a year ago and regret it so much. Don't berate yourself for the stuff you need to work on, be proud of what improvements you've still made

USE REFERENCES!!!!!!! Please just do it, I know it's annoying but I promise it helps so so much

4. Invest drawing tablet, preferably one with buttons that you can map to undo, sketch, fill and such. This will make drawing sooooo much easier (and faster). My quality of art has improved just from drawing the same thing and redoing it like 20 times at a time, and it takes way less time when I can just click a button to do that. It might seem daunting at first but it quickly becomes instinctual. This is the one I got and I'm quite happy with it! It's got good sensitivity, a pen you don't have to replace batteries for or even recharge, and it's mid-range so not wayy too expensive. However, if you're just starting out, I'd recommend this (I got the corded version but I assume it's about the same) since it's small, cheap and you can focus on just learning basics like improving lines n such.

5. Use a bigger canvas size. I started out with 1000x1000, and that's still fine for smaller stuff and doodles, for better quality I recommend bigger sizes. If it's too small it'll look all weird and pixel-y

6. THERE ARE LITERALLY SO MANY FORMS OF ART, maybe the one you're trying just isn't something you vibe with! There's mosaics, digital, traditional (and all the many sub-categories of that), sculpture, photography, etc. All are equally valid and you will improve in your craft if you choose something that 1. you enjoy, 2. are consistent with it!

7. SEGEMENT OUT THE LIMBS drawing DCA stuff for over a year has helped me improve on anatomy sooo much literally just because it forced me to think of each part of a limb in terms of segments, shapes- for instance, instead of an upper arm, I think of a tube which connects to a circle that allows it to rotate and another tube... followed by a weird shape for a hand that connects 5 smaller tubes, whiCH ARE THEN SEPERATED IN TO 3 TUBES EACH. Yes it sounds confusing but breaking it down like that instead of just trying to figure things out helped an absolute shitton

8. Have some kinda hobby that makes you draw frequently. For instance I have a discord sona I draw a new pfp for every month or so. It's a simple design and since the pfp won't show many flaws I can pump out lots of art for it in a small timeframe and I find it relaxing. I've actually improved a shitton just drawing pfps This is one of my first pfps from maybe 2 yrs ago compared with one of my most recent ones

(yes I'm a bit of a furry deal with it) It's cute, there's nothing wrong at all with it! However, you can see how things have changed.

See how the lines are a lot more even, less jagged? The proportions of the shoulders are much wider, the ears aren't just popping out of the hair, the shading makes a bit more sense and isn't just thrown around at random. There's also a broader range of color, with a few bright highlights to catch the eye, colored shading I think as well. The former is just like 3 simple colors. These are all things I learned from drawing pfps consistently.

9. CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! And FUN, if you have fun drawing it'll be a lot easier to do frequently

10. Whether it's drawing pfps, blorbos or landscapes, find something that brings you joy and it'll be MUCH easier to stick to. Draw, draw a lot, do not worry about "good" art and "bad" art cause there's literally no such thing. Compare what you draw now with what you do in like a year or two from now and I promise, if you're consistent, use references and are patient, you WILL amaze yourself with how much you improve.

11. Challenge yourself! Join secret santas (assuming you know you can complete it within the allotted timeframe), draw your friends' sona/ocs (if they're cool with it), do palette challenges, do monthly stuff like drawtober or whatever it's called (BUT I don't recommend doing something every single day for a month cause again, gonna cause mega burnout)

12. Draw when the inspiration comes, it will move your hand. These days I make much better quality art that I'm proud of when I just let inspiration flow through me instead of begrudgingly making myself draw. You shouldn't be forcing yourself!! If you are, you probably are burned out by either drawing too much, feeling a lack of confidence or some other stuff going on irl. Inspiration comes naturally, and when it doesn't it's prolly your mind trying to communicate that something's up. If resting a week or two doesn't help, take a deeper look at your life and see if the artblock is a symptom of something else (for me it's most often depression).

13. At the same time, sometimes you just need to start. Kinda on the previous point of lacking confidence, often we scare ourselves out of even trying. It might feel insurmountable. Nah, try. If all you can do is a wobbly, vague sketch?? You got the idea out!! Start drawing fuckin eyeballs or something, just start. Sometimes the hardest part is just facing a blank canvas and putting a couple lines on it

14. Not all brushes are equal. Some just make drawing easier- at least for me. I dunno the science behind it but when I use my sketch brush (it's got a similar look to pencil) rather than my lineart brush it makes drawings just... look better. Also using thicker lines in general helps. Why?? NO CLUE, maybe thinner ones just show flaws easier or intersect better or something.

15. Music or some other distraction can help, idk why. Some days I like to have a movie/show/podcast going in the background for a mild distraction that keeps me slightly stimulated on other stuff even as I draw- maybe it increases brain activity or??? No idea. Sometimes just listening to music. Sometimes I need total silence. Do what works for you! Give lots of different stuff a try, you may love drawing while listening to a podcast in the background

16. Take breaks!! The pomodoro method works with art as well. Every 25 mins or so, take a 5 min break. Get up, stretch, get some water, maybe watch a yt vid. Call ur friend and tell them you love and cherish them. Then get back to it and you will feel oh so refreshed. After maybe 3 rounds take a 15 min or longer break and then repeat if you still feel like it

17. SLEEP IS INCREDIBLY FUCKING IMPORTANT you will see a deep decline in the quality of your art when you're tired, plus you just feel like shit and art is about feeling good and expressing yourself. Sleep is important, even tho yes I stay up too late drawing most nights, I do my absolute best to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night, as should you!!

18. DO NOT BE SCARED OF STICK FIGURES AND MESSY SKETCHES, they're actually the best way to start bc 1. it's a quick way to get an idea out before you forget it 2. the finished piece will actually look a lot more fluid since you weren't spending all that time obsessing over making the first draft look perfect- which often just makes it look stiff. You can do a whole lot with stick figures. Focus on that good ol' line of action.

19. Random but when drawing the face, I like to first make a circle and then like a "mask" over it for the actual face. For me it just makes sense. Then two lines, one up/down and one left, right, it'll make it easier to align the eyes and ears. In general, the ears usually go where the "mask" begins and just below the left/right line

20. Finally surround yourself with people who encourage you. I grew up in an environment where people would gawk at stuff my sibling drew and ignore me bc they were ~naturally talented~ and it made me not want to draw at all.

Well guess what?? Now that I spend time with people who encourage me and genuinely care about my interest in art I've improved a lot bc I have the motivation, the joy of showing ppl who care about me new pieces. If people in your life aren't encouraging you, or gods forbid insulting your art (excluding constructive criticism that you've explicitly asked for) then TOSS EM OVERBOARD THE BOAT OF LIFE and find people who will treat you with the love and respect you deserve

P.S

This isn't a tip, just a recommendation: Chicory, a colorful tale. It's a game where u play as a cute lil dog who gets a magical paintbrush that lets you color the world. The only issue? You have no ~talent~. My gods, this game struck a cord with me.

Feeling like you don't have any talents that come naturally to you. Being overlooked even when you try your best. Feeling like a complete joke when you try to pick up the brush (or in this case stylus) because there are so many "real" artists and you're not one of them.

Also the things people say and how they can affect you even when not intentional. Damn. It's just a beautiful game. It's made by the same people who made Wandersong, another absolute banger game with a character who is seen as a joke and I cannot recommend them enough.

bonus tip bc why the fuck not: OVERLAYS!!!!!!! In clip paint studio you have all these layer options, I can never memorize what they all do so I just make like an ombre color layer over my base colors and try all of them to see what looks cool

[trenchcoatsbi]

Happy Trenchcoat Day! Please click the read more to see my work for this month. Warning I decided to be sappy and personal this month. I hope it’s at the very least interesting to look at. BTW since I hand wrote everything instead of using fonts I decided to add a transcript of the words on each panel to the very end of this post

[Transcript Start]

Page 1: 

i am a lucky man.  i have a house there’s always food on my plate i have clothes worn by love and time.  they might not be new but they are mine.

Page 2:

i have a quiet room i still apologize to it for making it so lonely. i have a family that cares enough. i have friends.

Page 3:

home: the place one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household HOME. now that i have NEVER had Nary a person, place or thing for which that word rang true.

Page 4:

still… like ATLAS holding the sky, i carry it upon my shoulders. it’s in my head. it is memories I am haunted by. home is a dance.  and it’s her hand in mine.

Page 5:

and home is the birds outside the window and music from down the hall and it’s my sons laughing

Page 6:

Home is something I will craft in my head a million times one day i’ll get it right i am a lucky man.  i have a house.  i am: warm  clothed fed

Page 7:

i am busy i am tired and i have NEVER had more fun

Page 8:

There’s a cabin somewhere bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.

Page 9:

I’ve learned that this is just what love does to a place. and i’m glad i’ve been here to love it.

[Transcript End]

Thank you for half a year of the trenchcoat. I wrote the original paragraph I adapted into this comic? drawing thing in the middle of the night sometime last month though the original was uh certainly a lot less coherent. I hope I distilled everything down well enough to get my point across. It's clunky but it's done at least. Idk we made something nice here and it’s very special to me so yeah I did all this about it lmao

If you’re wondering the winged demon fella is one of my old sona designs, I’m in the middle of redesigning my current one so I just grabbed an older one I’m still fond of.

BTW Voidling & Vale are the two I drew there with tommy cause they're still the top two anon tags on the blog!!

[best-fnaf-song-competition]

As of me sending this ask, A Pizza The Action is at 44.1% and I Can't Fix You is at 55.9%

A Pizza The Action is losing </3 so here's my propaganda >:]

I myself am a big TLT fan! I love their old songs, covers, remixes, and even TLT's newer songs! (Discord, September, Epoch, My Ordinary Life, Druck and all just a few faves that immediately come to mind for me) And AS a big TLT fan. I don't want the next round to be 3 TLT songs. I definitely don't want the finale to be ALL TLT songs

Also?? A Pizza The Action is SO SO good. It's so so good please go watch and listen to it.The production quality?! The Talent?! The Music Video?! The song itself?! It all SO GOOD

(And then listen to more Stupendium songs that aren't Fnaf bc they all slap. I love their Poppy Playtime song and I don't even like Poppy Playtime. The songs. And the costumes!! It's all so good it's so so good oh my gosh (other Stupendium songs I enjoy are The Most Fashionable Faction, What A Fowl Day, and sometimes I listen to the horror holiday songs for silly fun. And!! Android Hell Blues! Which doesn't seem to be on their channel but was written and composed by the Stupendium. Man I absolutely adore that one)

OK ok back to A Pizza The Action-

A PIZZA THE ACTION IS ONLY 9 MONTHS OLD!!! EVERY OTHER FNAF SONG LEFT IN THIS COMPETITION RANGES FROM 6-8 YEARS OLD!!!! A Pizza The Action is completely nostalgia free babey, so I'm always really proud of its progress as i know its something people aren't just voting for bc it's a familiar friend :,]

Additional notes:

1: I think it'd be really fucking cool if A Pizza The Action vs Fnaf 1 was the finale. Imagine. I wouldn't even care who won it'd be so fun

2: Sorry I keep insulting I Can't Fix You, I don't actually mind it all that much, but it killed alot of my faves, and I genuinely do feel like nostalgia has been affecting the votes for it (I think thats whats happening for pretty much any song that's 6+ years old so yknow) (don't take me seriously) (I'm just willing to die on really small hills) (and I love hating things) (I Can't Fix You is real good tho when I'm in the mood for it)

Additional propaganda (if A Pizza The Action wins)

1: More cat and kitten pictures

2: I'll show yall pics of my room which I have been working for awhile to paint like a fnaf location. I should have a floor by the time this poll is over (hopefully)

3: (bonus) I will Draw Cosmo and Circus Baby hanging out. I don't draw animatronics all that often so I can't promise much, but I will try my very best

Closing Notes: Music good. And goodnight

Okay at this point everyone has to vote a pizza the action just from the sheer amount of art people have offered to make if it wins oh my GOD

We respect artists in this house!!! Stupendium puts their whole heart into everything!!! If you didn't vote for a pizza the action please go appreciate the art that is the video and song itself because holy shit holy shit holy shit

Also! While we're talking about the other bangers they've made! My personal favorites are Find The Keys (it took me ages to realize the title was a pun and I'm an animator), The Fine Print (I don't even know the source material, the lyrics here just go Hard), and Why Did I Say Okie Doki? (HOW DO THEY SO PERFECTLY MATCH THE STYLE OF THE GAME WHEN MAKING VIDEOS also the song just slaps)

[liarian]

Weirdos

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9

Shigeo observed the street between the slats of his shutter. His last customer crossed the road, disappearing from his field of vision. The ground was still damp from the previous day's rains. Without much spirit, he sat down in front of his desk and opened the log book to update the record of the consultation. When Taka had given him the "Business Management for Dummies" book he hadn't expected to find anything useful but the yellow and black spine was still watching him along with his calculator and a pencil holder. Taka had even underlined and marked with post-its the most important things.

In his own way, Taka was a very strange kid. Maybe that was why he kept insisting on helping him in the office when there were a million more interesting things for a thirteen-year-old to occupy his afternoons with. For months, Shigeo had been convinced that sooner or later he would eventually tire of it but it hadn't happened yet. After almost a year, Shigeo was beginning to have doubts that it would ever happen.

The first time Taka didn't show up at the office, Shigeo didn't think anything of it. It wasn't like the office was the best place for a kid. Neither on the second day.

Or the third.

It had been two weeks since Shigeo had heard from Taka when he finally started to worry. Arataka Reigen was no idiot. There was no way anything bad could have happened to him. Although sometimes, the kid had the virtue of being too smart for his own good. 

"Phone's off or out of range."

Shigeo cursed himself. Perhaps he should have done well to remember much earlier how he had met him. If something had happened to the kid and Shigeo hadn't been there to protect him he was never going to forgive himself.

Without a second thought, he grabbed his coat from the hanger and didn't bother to put it on before running downstairs.

Shigeo didn't know how long he had been wandering around the neighborhood when he finally spotted Taka, all alone, sitting on the swings in a park nearby.

"Kageyama-san!" the kid stood up drawing a smile as soon as he saw him. "What are you doing here?"

Shigeo noticed the knot in his stomach untie. In the last few hours, a dozen horrible scenarios had crossed his mind, each one more gruesome than the last.

"Your cell phone was off and I hadn't heard from you for many days."

"Oh, it's dead and mom can't buy me another one until she gets paid." Taka gave herself a little push. The chains squeaked with the swinging. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything."

"That's all right. If you have other plans, you don't have to come." Shigeo shrugged. "But the office isn't the same without you."

"Did you miss me?" Taka dug his feet into the ground, bringing the swing to a complete stop. " So what would you do without me, right?"

"Right." Shigeo ruffled his hair. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Kageyama-san, can I ask you something?" Taka's voice sounded tremendously small.

Shigeo nodded his head. 

"Have you ever hated having powers?" It was the first time Shigeo had seen him so serious.

"It's not always easy and not everyone is able to understand what it means. Sometimes I'd rather not have them but they're as much a part of me as the color of my skin or the black of my hair. Why that question all of a sudden?"

"It's nothing, just curious." Taka looked away, letting his gaze wander. "It doesn't matter anymore either."

"Why the long face?" Shigeo sat down on the swing that was still empty. "How about I buy you ramen and you tell me what happened?"

"Oh! Yeah! Ramen!" Taka jumped up, raising his arms, any worries completely forgotten for the moment.

[ajentmm]

FEH Refine Theorycraft June '24

Ah! I almost forgot to do this. I have some much more important things to do but fuck it. Fallen Ike is great but I imagine to everyone will skip the rest. And where's male Kris? Well he would be color sharing with Ike on the new powers banner so next month. And where is the 3-4 star refine?

Ike: Zeal Unleashed

So for this specific unit that I already blogged about, I got some criticism and reworked it from what you will find in the old blog. I've been sitting on this revision for this very day. I then retooled it to match Fallen Lloyd's weapon, namely the increased range of the debuff. Now that we have Emblem Ike, we might see something different but I think is good.

Chaos Ragnell: Unit can counterattack regardless of foe's range. At the start of combat, if unit's HP ≥ 25% or Penalty is active on unit, grant Atk/Spd/Def/Res+X during combat (X = 5 + current penalty on each of unit's stats × 2. (Example: if unit has -7 penalty to Atk, grants Atk+14, for a net bonus of Atk+7.) Calculates each stat bonus independently.

At the start of turn, inflict Atk/Def-7 and [Panic] on unit and closest foes and any foe within 2 spaces of those foes through their next actions. If foe initiate combat or foe's HP ≥ 75%, grant Atk/Spd/Def/Res+5 to unit and inflict Atk/Spd/Def-X on foe during combat (X = number of [Bonus] and [Penalty] effects active on unit × 4; max 16; excludes stat bonuses and stat penalties), reduces the effect of [Deep Wounds] by 50% during combat, and also, before unit's first attack, grants Special cooldown count-X (X = 50% of unit's max Special cooldown count value, rounded down) to unit.

Summer! Selena

Lvl. 40 5 ☆  36/37/37/17/23       Max Invest: 46/47/47/26/33

Exotic Fruit Juice: Grants Atk+3. Inflicts Spd/Res-6 on foes within 2 spaces during combat.

Draw Back - Atk/Spd Push 4 - Spd/Res Snag 3

Selena, how is this a perf weapon? This is just the same as the inheritable tomes on this same banner. Do better girl.

Exotic Fruit Juice: Grants Atk+3. Inflicts Spd/Res-6 on foes within 3 rows or 3 columns centered on unit during combat and also, if those foe’s Spd < allies’ Spd, neutralizes effects that guarantee those foe's follow-up attacks and effects that prevent allies’ follow-up attacks during combat with those foes. At start of combat, if foe initiate combat or foe's HP ≥ 75%, deals damage = 15% of unit's Spd (excluding Area of Effect Specials).

Okay, know she is getting something closer to the new Spd/Res Crux, expect instead of giving a follow-up to allies, she grants the Spd check NFU. She then just get true damage base on her Spd.

At the start of turn, if unit HP ≥ 25%, grants the following to unit and allies within 2 spaces: Atk/Spd+6, [Canto 1], and “When initiating combat, 40% DR on first hit” for 1 turn. At start of combat, if unit's HP ≥ 25%, inflict Spd/Res-6, neutralize foe’s bonuses on Spd/Res, and neutralize effects that inflict "Special cooldown charge -X" on unit during combat.

To continue with the ally support, she also grants Atk/Spd+6, [Canto 1] and some DR to herself and allies. Then, she gets more Spd/Res debuffs along with half tempo and lull Spd/Res for herself. This is similar to past mage cavaliers that we got on special banner, but definitely better than what we have now.

Nemesis: King of Liberation

Dark Creator S: Grants Def+3. During combat, boost unit's Atk/Def by number of allies with HP ≥ 50% × 2 (max 6). At the start of combat, if it’s the unit's first combat in player phase or enemy phase, or if unit's HP ≥ 25%, grant Atk/Def/Res+5 to unit and reduces damage from attacks during combat and from area-of-effect Specials (excluding Røkkr area-of-effect Specials) by percentage = 30 + number of allies with HP ≥ 50% × 10 (max 60%).

Foes with Range = 1 cannot move through spaces adjacent to unit, and foes with Range = 2 cannot move through spaces within 2 spaces of unit (does not affect foes with Pass skills). At the start of combat, if foe initiates combat or foe’s HP ≥ 75%, grant Atk/Def/Res+5, a guaranteed follow-up attack, restores 7 HP to unit after combat.

Julian: Tender Thief

Tender Knife: Effective against cavalry foes. At start of combat, if unit's HP ≥ 25%, grant Special cooldown charge +1 per attack, inflict Atk/Spd/Def-4 on foe, neutralizes effects that guarantee foe's follow-up attacks and effects that prevent unit's follow-up attacks, and disables unit’s and foe’s skills that change attack priority during.

If unit or foe initiates combat after moving to a different space, inflict Atk/Spd/Def-4 on foe, neutralizes effects that grant “Special cooldown charge +X” to foe or inflict "Special cooldown charge -X" on unit during combat, further inflict Atk-X% on foe (X = the number of spaces the unit that initiated moved x 5, + 5, Max 25%), and reduces damage from foe's first attack by 40% ("first attack" normally means only the first strike; for effects that grant "unit attacks twice," it means the first and second strikes).

Anna: Secret Seller

Apotheosis Spear: Grants Spd+3. Unit can move to a space within 2 spaces of an ally within 2 spaces. At start of combat, if foe's HP ≥ 75%, grants Atk/Spd+6 to unit, and also, reduces damage from foe's first attack by 40% and unit's next attack deals damage equal to total damage reduced (by any source, including other skills). Resets at end of combat.

If unit initiates combat or is within a 2 tile radius of an ally, grants Atk/Spd+6 to unit, reduces the percentage of foe's non-Special "reduces damage by X%" skills by X × 30%, and grants Special cooldown count-X to unit before unit's first attack during combat (X = number of spaces from start position to end position of whoever initiated combat, max 3; if [Penalty] effects are active on foe, then the value is treated as 3).

[maplepalette]

Vanilla Bean Energy - A Speedy First Term

Well, I am officially in my last 2 weeks of my first term in 2D animation. That blew by so fast!

I began this course October 3rd of 2023, I have been hard at work for the past 59 days (yes we're being exact with that) and I already feel myself improving!

Firstly I would like to share my Youtube with you all! I have been posting all my latest animations there! Of course they aren't incredible, entertaining, or beautiful works like Helluvaboss or The Amazing Digital Circus (Both are incredible by the way! go check them out!). However I think sharing my beginner level work is important! That way when I look back, I'll be able to see how much I've improved! You can find my channel here or look up Haileythemoose on Youtube!

Now back on track!

My course at CATO is very compressed. We have class 7 days a week with classes ranging from 3 - 6 hours a day. On average we're looking at doing 7 assignments a week. This includes life drawing, classical animation, digital painting, and professional growth. I will admit, it's been a lot to take on, yet I still push forward!

I wanted to make a post today to show you guys all the amazing work I've done this term! Well not ALL, But the ones I'm most proud of! You can view all my work on my Instagram!

I never realized how much I struggled with anatomy and posing until taking this class. over the last 2 months my art has improved a ton! I look back at my old art and I can see exactly what I was doing wrong.

Makes me want to try remaking some of my old art <3

(Line art NOT done by me)

(Line art NOT done by me)

(Line art NOT done by me)

I may not be the best at digital art, but I am improving. However I have found that I'm pretty good at graphic design and photoshop! That might be a good career to look into if art and animation don't work out... eh let's not lean on that!

Due to Tumblr's upload limit I cannot show all of my animations on this blog. You can check out this google drive folder with all my term 1 animations on it, though! These can also be found on my Youtube channel!

But to give you a taste! Here's my latest animation (finished today!) of a flour sack! The goal was to give it some personality!

I'm so happy to be in this course and am so excited to continue learning and growing as an artist and animator! I'm so proud of my work thus far and I'm so happy to see that what I'm learning is reflected in my personal projects!

Now lets get cozy, make a mug of hot cocoa, and get ready for the holidays! only 2 weeks left until winter break! Lets give it our all!!

[thetwentyfourminutes]

Make your shopfront stand out

You’ve probably spent some time working out what to put on the home page of your website, but how much time have you invested in planning what goes into your shopfront display of your bricks and mortar business?

Your shopfront will quite often be the first impression you get to make – so make it a great one! You want to encourage people to enter your premises, and when customers or potential customers walk or drive past, you have just seconds to grab their attention.

If you’re ready to put in a little time and creativity into your window display to maximise your impact, here are some quick tips to help.

1. Go window shopping

Rather than simply lining up products in your front window, work out how to create a scene to engage customers - tell them a story about your brand or business. People relate to stories and by setting a scene, they can imagine how your products would fit into their lives. Look at any large department store window display and you’ll see how the visual merchandising team weave together a range of products and elements. They create a visual story to attract and draw customers in. Make looking into their shopfront an experience to remember.

2. Give it a topical twist

You could plan your display around the seasons, special events on the calendar or even use specific colours for inspiration. You can have a lot of fun with theming and even if your products don’t directly relate to a season or particular celebration you could still use a theme to catch people’s attention and keep your display current. Get creative and look up some not so obvious dates to celebrate and use as a theme for your display.

3. Remember - “eye level is buy level”

One of the best-known principles of displaying merchandise is putting what you want to sell at eye level. Work out where eye level is when looking into your shop window from the outside and display your best or newest products there. Display smaller items in the foreground and larger ones in the background, then build your display using different levels or layers to keep things interesting.

4. Keep it clean

Make sure your shopfront is clean and tidy for maximum street appeal – don’t let the dust gather on an old display. Some other tips to create the right impression include:

Keep your signage current and well presented.

Don’t feel the need to display all your latest products – feature a selection so your display doesn’t look cluttered.

If you or your staff can be seen by people looking into your shopfront, remember to always look friendly and professional so potential customers will want to come through the door.

5. Light it up

The right lighting can make a big difference to your shopfront display. You might need to install overhead lighting or spotlights to make your products stand out and look their best. If your shopfront can be seen after hours, consider lighting it up at night to make the most of your display and get the attention of potential customers you might miss during the day.

6. Keep an element of surprise

Stay current and attract the attention of passers-by by updating your window display. Plan ahead and refresh your display every couple of weeks or at least once a month to keep your existing customers interested and appeal to new ones. Include an element of surprise – such as balloons or different textures – to keep it interesting.

Overall, have fun creating your window to the world. It’s a great chance to share your products and invite people in to find out more.

[rainbowdelicsunshine]

All 49 of the weird asks!! Go crazy go stupid. Also hi Fozz! 💚

Hello hello my dear friend!! It's been so long since I last spoke to you so I'm really happy you're here! Let's get started!!

1. If you have a lighter, what color is it?

It is currently a bright yellow lighter that I've gotten while I was in Weed, California on my way home from Universal Studios/LA!

2. Pepsi box blue or cheetos bag orange?

Honestly, why not both? Both are really wicked shades of both colors so I think they have a pretty good tie here! (Though I really miss the blue that Pepsi used to be in the 90s-early 2000s)

3. Do you like pasta?

I FRICKIN LOVE PASTA!!!!!!!

Noodles are the absolute best and my favorite kind of pasta if I had to pick, ramen, spaghetti, alfredo, whatever comes with noodles, I'll love it!

I also love macaroni pasta, bow tie pasta, shell pasta, rigatoni pasta, rotini pasta and ravioli pasta as well!

4. How often are you on tumblr?

Since it's pretty much the only form of social media I have (my Artstagram got hacked a little over a year ago and I didn't try getting it back after no response from the staff since I hated Instagram anyhow), I'm pretty on here a lot of the time I'm on my phone if I'm not drawing, watching YouTube, or otherwise having IRL responsibilities and obligations take my attention away from being on Tumblr

According to my phone, the time I spend on here can range around 3-4 hours a day for the past two months, so hopefully that helps answer your question too!

5. Are you only doing this because you’re bored?

I mean,,,,, why else would ask games like these even exist??

Of course I'm doing this cuz I'm bored lol!!

6. What blogs do you mostly interact with?

Im not too good at any naming specific users since I feel I have so many of them pass through here (I'm bad with names and faces at times sorry y'all), but I do know for sure I talk to a lot of mutuals/users that follow me and send things/asks to my inbox a lot of the time I'm online haha!

7. Can you swim?

Yep I sure can my friend!! It's one of my most favorite things to do in the entire world, if there's a body of water anywhere and I have a swimsuit on me (esp rivers, lakes and indoor pools), I will run and be right in the water before you know

I've been able to swim since the age of 3 and started swimming as a whole at 1 year old with my mom and grandma!

Myself and a lot of people I know (including my parents and my grandparents) think I was a mermaid in a past life due to how good I am at swimming since I was super young and because every time I'm swimming and am under the water, I feel like I'm in a way at home!

8. Have you had water today?

I have not!

As controversial and a bad habit as it is, I don't really drink water all that often, I do occasionally drink a cup of water since really feeling up to it

And I also drink water in a water bottle I carry on me for hot weather in case I go walking somewhere!

9. Which do you prefer, cotton candy or funnel cake?

I would have to pick cotton candy for this one, because despite me loving funnel cake and wanting to eat more of it one day, I only ever got to have one once back when I was around 16 when I lived with my bitch aunt at the time and was at the fair with her!

She wouldn't let me have my own funnel cake (since I wanted one with strawberries, but she didn't since she hated sweet things), so she got a sugar and cinnamon one she shared with me instead

(she also didn't get me my own at the time cuz I was around 200 pounds at the time due to taking Abilify at the time as well and kept blaming it on me ""eating too much"")

Also I just really love cotton candy as well, hehe!

10. Have you ever eaten a starfruit?

(inserted my own question for this, hee hee!)

I have not!

But it's on my top list of fruits to try in my life before I die, because it's yellow and I just always wanted to eat a fruit shaped like a star!

11. Bass or drums?

DEFINITELY DRUMS!!

I love bass, but drums are in general easier on my hands and I can actually pick up on it pretty quickly than I could bass

I've messed with them with a friend of my dad that also plays drums and plays bass and everyone thought I was pretty damn good (esp at keeping rhythm) even though I felt like I didn't really know what I was doing lol!

12. Favorite tv commercial?

Already has been answered!

13. Can we be friends?

We already are friends, Beetle my pal!! Of course we can be friends!

14. Do you admire the clouds and color of the sky?

I now have a question for you!

Can you feel my heart?

15. What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to you?

Already been answered!

16. A netflix series that’s your favorite?

It would definitely be Kotaro Lives Alone!! It's so heartbreaking and sad, yet so adorable and fun to watch! The characters are all absolutely wonderful and the plot is handled really well (plus the dub is pretty good too)!

17. An earliest obsession you remember?

Definitely animals and animation!!

They've been a huge part of my life ever since I can remember!

18. Do you play video games?

I do on occasions that Im able to have access to them, I used to play lots of video games when I was a child/teen back when I used to have quite a few consoles like the Wii, Xbox 360 and the original Xbox, the Nintendo 3DS, and the PS2

But now since my brother only has a PS4 with barely any games and gaming is now so expensive, I don't really play as many video games as I would like to!

19. Zombies or vampires?

Already been answered!

20. Have you listened to System of a Down?

(also inserted my own question for this here too)

YES!!! Back when I was 13-14, they were one of the bands I listened to the most, so this band has a big place in my heart!

I absolutely love BYOB, Sugar, Chopped Suey, and Hypnotize especially!

21. Your first celebrity crush?

It's really hard for me to tell if I even have celebrity crushes in the first cuz I mainly just crush on the character/s they're acting as if anything

But the closest to a celebrity crush I have is Ryan Reynolds (esp when he was in Van Wilder, holy cow)

He's both funny and he's hot af, he's still hotter than Chris Pratt will ever be!

22. Do you have a collection of cool rocks?

I do somewhat since I have a Royal Crown bag full of them that someone I knew gave to me, other than that I don't really collect rocks so I don't really have much on that topic!

23. Five words that describe you?

AAAAAAA THIS IS HARD AS HELL WHY????

Anyways, here's my best guesses I can pull outta my ass lol!

Ambivert

Easy Going

Misfit Toy

Compassionate (???)

Honest

24. What have you learned about yourself?

That I am very much DRASTICALLY different from how I was when I was 18/19

I definitely feel like I've matured a lot in a short period of time, which feels pretty odd to me ngl!

25. Can you tie a cherry stem with your tongue?

I don't think I've ever actually tried doing this before, so I would have to try next time I have cherries lol!

26. Do you believe in aliens?

I do in fact believe in both aliens and the multiverse theory due to the entirety of space and the galaxy being WAY too big to have us and Earth be the only life in this, the odds just aren't plausible for us to be the only ones!

27. Books or films?

I LOVE both books and movies, but if I had to pick it would be movies since I consume those a lot more than books these days!

28. An unusual song that’s your favorite?

Shit Like That - Butthole Surfers

This song is one of Butthole Surfers' most bizarre and weird sounding songs that they have in their later catalog of work, but God is it a lotta fun!

29. The last thing you ate?

As of right now, I have been eating crackers with spicy honey mustard and hot honey with chilli as dipping since my dad had set a plate of them!

30. Do you have a favorite animator(s)?

(inserted my own question here as well)

Gosh, since I have WAYY TOO many animators to list off, I'll just give off a quick tip five!

Don Bluth

Milt Kahl

James Baxter

Ralph Bakski

Retta Scott

31. Have you gotten bit by a dog?

I have a couple of times in my lifetime, just never to the point of injury or anything that can be made into a big deal!

Mostly recently was over a year ago when I was visiting a friend of someone I knew and the person's pitbull had nipped me in the thigh due to not knowing me and being high strung

It only caused a small bruise that healed really quickly, so nothing to worry over!

32. Do you write better with a pen or a pencil?

Definitely a pencil since they come with erasers I can erase my spelling errors and mistakes with!

33. A song that gets stuck in your head?

Cardigan - Don Toliver

I just always really loved the overall vibe the song and the singer go for and it's just really catchy!

34. When you hear “ peace ” what do you think of?

The peace symbol/sign that basically translates to "hippie logo" ngl!

35. A school subject your good with?

English/Literature! They were pretty much always the best grades I've ever had in all my time in cool, getting As most the time!

I think I only had one B for one semester in high school in all that time!

36. How many alarms do you have set?

As of right now, none!

I only ever set an alarm if I need to go somewhere early or at a certain time, so not much need for alarms on a daily basis!

37. Do you shop at thrift stores?

Of course I do!!

In fact, a good chuck of my DVD collection and a Takashi Murakami flower hoodie I got for six bucks from Goodwills I've managed to go to with my mom!

38. What’s the meaning behind your url?

It is a portmanteau of two of my most favorite words/aesthetics: Rainbow and Psychedelic!

39. Is there wise words you live by?

There's actually quite a few I go by so it's really hard to pick, but here's one that comes to mind

I got it from the first episode of Human Resources (yes that spinoff show of Big Mouth shoot me), and it actually really does help me personally when I hear it for possible obstacles I may face in the future and it's this:

"You'll never be ready, but you have to fucking try"!

40. What’s your favorite fast food place?

(inserted my own question here too)

There's quite a few places, but nothing will ever top Carl's Jr for me when it comes to their burgers and fries, God they're the best!

Plus I actually miss the commercials they used to have with Jessica Simpson, they weren't afraid to have beautiful looking women eating delicious food and I kinda miss it since it makes me feel like they and yourself don't need to have the self confidence to have a beautiful body and to still eat the things you love!

41. You gotta have a favorite beatles song, what is it?

It would be a definite tie between Elenore Rigby and Norwegian Wood!

They're both beautiful sounding and well written songs that have their own unique vibes that make them both well known respectfully

Such as Elenore Rigby's dark, brooding, and gothic themes and sounds and Norwegian Wood's ethereal, nature themed, and hippie inspired vibes!

42. Earphones or a speaker?

DEFINITELY HEADPHONES BY A LONGSHOT!!

I want to keep what I'm watching/listening to to myself unless I feel like showing something to someone and I hate disturbing other people with whatever sounds are coming out of my phone

That's just rude!

43. What do you remember from your childhood?

I think I remember about,,,,,, 30%-40% of my childhood due to many many key factors and appointments such as autism-driven (is that the word??) childhood amnesia and much more

The most that I can remember are my years in elementary school and middle school (if you discount my teenage years from around 15-17) and it's all pretty scattered and comes to me randomly on random days piece by piece so it can take YEARS for me to properly recall past memories from my childhood!

44. Do you collect anything?

I have answered this question before on this post here!

45. Favorite tea?

I usually really love me my sweet/fruity teas like Constant Comment and berry flavored teas

But a current favorite of mine that I used to replace coffee is Morning Thunder Black Tea

Basically it's if they turned coffee into tea, its really good with sugar and creamer!

46. A christmas song you secretly like?

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas - Gayla Peevey

I know it's a super old, ridiculous, and silly song that's sung by a literal little girl!

But I think it has a cute charm to it and I have really good memories of it playing over the speakers at a Christmas Party that friends of my Dad's were throwing in the fire station in the super small highway-township when I was around 13 (plus that party had an amazing fondue and chocolate fountain courtesy of my Dad's friends who were throwing the party)!

47. Book stores or record stores?

Book stores since I actually have a book collection and I go to book stores on the occasions I'm able to find them!

Plus I've just been to book stores more so far since I've only ever been to one record store!

48. How weird were these questions?

These have actually been really fun and of substance, so I don't find them weird at all!

The only weird part is I've already answered questions on here before lolol XD

49. What scents do you like?

Mostly sweet smells (like cotton candy, birthday cake, marshmallows), fruity scents (strawberries, apples, berries), savory scents (fried foods like fried chicken, pizza, steak), herbal/ scents (sage, cloves, basil), "pungent" smells (garlic, onions, horseradish), and burning wood that smells like a BBQ going on!

And many, many, many more!

50. Is there a doctor in the house?

(last question inserted by me lol)

Nah, it's just me, Fozz, your favorite misfit toy!

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

Thank you soso very very much for sending EVERY. SINGLE. ASK from this ask game Beetle (added a 50th one for ya since that was the actual amount)! It took a lot of time and effort, but I hope it was all worth it!

I hope you have a blast reading through this despite how long it is, have an amazing evening my good good amazing bestest friend!!

[229zmi]

PAIRING: Iwaizumi Hajime/Reader

SUMMARY: Chronicles of you and Hajime, from the ages of thirteen to twenty-three.

THEMES/CONTENT: slice of life, coming of age, classmates to friends to lovers, fluff, tiny bit of angst if u squint reeeally hard, minor original characters, lots of timeskips ranging from a few weeks to several months, reader is referred to with they/them pronouns + gender neutral terms

NOTES: i was 15 when i started writing this, def not my best work, pacing is HORRIBLE, there isn’t really an overarching plot bc i wrote this mainly for funsies n to explore my writing style, i am sorry if there are any inconsistencies

WORD COUNT: 40k

Part 1: Kitagawa Daiichi, years 1-3 (17k)

You're no stranger to him.

Iwaizumi Hajime, like most of your other classmates, has always known you to be the designated art kid™. Your classmates ooh and aah whenever you showcase your artwork and boo when you decline their requests to draw them for free. They rush to be your partner for visual-based group projects even when they've never spoken to you before, but you've always preferred working alone anyway, initiating another boooo reaction.

But he also knows you're someone to avoid. Oh, don't bother talking to [L/N], they're not fun to talk to, he hears. You’re rude and unfriendly and conversation with you is always deader than a graveyard. And of course, Iwaizumi isn't one to indulge in such juvenile rumours, but considering the amount he's heard about you over the years, he's not entirely sure what to make of you.

Part 2: Aoba Jōsai, years 1-3 (20k)

When Iwaizumi thinks of time, it’s not quantified by the dates on a calendar, or a constant ticking clock counting every second of every day. Rather, he tends to imagine it in the form of a long, shallow stream that trickles down the earth, undemanding and deliberate; one adorned with all kinds of natural twists and turns and timeworn, flattened rocks that he’d use as stepping stones to get across because when he’s younger and hardly meeting the height requirements for all the big kid rollercoasters at amusement parks, everything always appears much more vast with neither beginning nor end in sight.

However, that was then; this is now.

It’s like this: he blinks and his first year of high school passes by in a blur. Another blink and there goes his second year. Seventeen is a fickle age, vicious and wayward. It is the age of in between and change, the cusp of adulthood. And Hajime — seventeen years old and fearing what lies in the future ahead of him — isn’t so sure what to do, though there’s one thing that he’s certain won’t change. It starts with your name and ends with his.

[L/N] [Y/N] and Iwaizumi Hajime — like two peas in a pod. (Maybe, just maybe, he’s liking the sound of that.)

Part 3: After High School Graduation, 4 years (3.2k)

Four years pass. Yet in the swinging pendulum of life and the theme of out with the old and in with the new, neither of you are willing to let go of one another any time soon.

PLAYLIST | April 6, 2021 - May 26, 2023

[notesfromwall]

Worldbuilding Wednesday

At last! The stars have aligned for me to draw maps. I’m not prepared to swear by the scale of these because I am not by any stretch and experienced mapmaker, but hopefully it will give a little supplement to the in-text descriptions. I’ll probably come back to this post to update the location markers as other points of interest (or anything east of the wall) come up in the story.

City Layout

Early Settlement Period

The earliest iteration of Wall was a carefully planned community intended to use the available space as efficiently as possible while still allowing some room for future expansion. Despite having a habitable area of only about 3 acres, the use of high-density housing complexes meant the town was expected to be able to support approximately 8,000-10,000 people comfortably.

Points of interest:

1) Central distribution facility - direct elevator access between the city and the primary warehouse complex inside the seedfield, which sits at a higher elevation than the rest of the city.

2) City hall - situated in the center of the city, this was intended as a meeting place for the citizens for various events and programs, as well as an open forum for people to voice their interests and opinions on city operations.

3) Hydroelectric dam - a primary source of electrical power for the city, also often used as an outdoor gathering place due to the atmosphere of the waterfall and abundance of flora and open space around it.

4) Courier stations - city authorities had a three-checkpoint courier service which was responsible both for transporting resources throughout the city as well as facilitating communication between citizens.

5) Auxiliary storage and record-keeping - a dual-purpose complex which took advantage of the cooler temperatures at the city’s perimeter to store perishables and maintain a server farm holding a library of preserved old-world knowledge.

6) School campus - a full block of the city was dedicated to educational services, intended to raise citizens from childhood to working age and then provide trade education

7) Theater - a secondary public meeting space, less official than city hall and used largely for holiday gatherings and entertainment.

Hub entrances - the hubs themselves are underground and connected through a network of foot tunnels, with entrances from the street at regular intervals throughout the city. The cooler underground space allows the hubs to operate more efficiently, while the heat they output is channeled upward to provide warmth to the city overhead.

Present Day

Although the exact details are no longer widely agreed on, disagreements over Wall’s operations led to a schism in leadership some 250 years ago, which compounded into a complete breakdown of the “planned community.” Despite gradual cooling of the terrain and a marked decrease in soil viability, the population has continued to grow exponentially, and although no census has ever been taken, estimates of the current population range anywhere from 300,000 on the conservative end to potentially as high as 700,000.

Points of interest:

1) CenFac and keeper barracks - the seat of keeper authority in the market district, and the only line of access to the city stores on the other side of the wall.

2) River distribution checkpoint - the main point of trade and communication between the keepers and river district representatives. Despite any conflict elsewhere in the city, an uneasy truce exists at this location.

3) Outer distribution checkpoint - the main point of contact for trade and communication between the keepers and the outer district residents. Also typically serves as salvage storage while the value of outer district trade goods is being assessed.

4) Night market - once a month, three streets are converted into an outdoor market for four nights. This is an incredibly popular social event in the market district, as well as a highly sought-after opportunity for tradespeople to reach new customers.

5) Kaori’s shop

6) Ozzy’s home and workshop

7) Temple’s studio

8) “The bottleneck” - generally regarded as the furthest western point in Wall that is still comfortably livable, although there are believed to be at least two hundred people living beyond this point.

Hub entrances - as surface area became more scarce, many people moved below ground to make their homes in the tunnels around the hubs, where it is often slightly warmer than above. As a result many of the foot tunnels are now inaccessible.

District Territories

Market District: roughly the northern half of the city, fully under the jurisdiction of the keepers. The market district contains six hubs, as well as the entirety of CenFac, and keeper patrols ensure that no new construction can obstruct the major arteries allowing passage between CenFac, the hubs, and the distribution checkpoints.

River District: roughly the southern half of the city, with no centralized authority. The river district contains eight hubs, as well as almost the entirety of the river which flows from the hydroelectric dam (note: they do not have any control of the dam itself, as the height of the wall exceeds the maximum 12 stories of the structures around it). The major arteries in the river district are not strictly maintained and have been known to shift over time, however a clearance of 15 feet over the river is generally enforced to allow clear passage by skiff from the east to west end.

Contested Areas: The border between the market and river districts is somewhat nebulous, and can often come down to who is present in a particular area on a given day. A block at the eastern end has been a point of conflict, as both sides would like to secure control of one of the major core structures and the nearby hub. At the moment, the keepers have strengthened their hold on the core structure by populating the building with their own employees, however the river district maintains control of the hub. At the western end, the keepers have tentatively pushed their way south in an attempt to control the entire outer district border, in order to minimize salvage trade going into the river district. The incursion has been largely not tolerated by the river district.

The Outer Districts: Although the divisions are less clearly defined, the outer districts are generally split into the bottleneck, and the outer edge. The outer edge will sometimes be split between the northern and southern halves for ease of referencing where particular salvage originated.

The Dead Zone: Permafrost outside the seed’s influence, where the walls of the canyon fall away enough for the winds to reach up to 30mph. Inhospitable to life.

[fruitcoops]

Could we please have a prequel to the praise kink fic? Because i really want to know why were Sirius and Remus not together and what did Remus send him. I really need context

I was hoping somebody would ask for this!! The aforementioned fic is here for any curious souls (18+ please) and SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for spicy texts (not exactly nudes), and smutty feelings with nothing explicit

The bus went over a bump and Sirius winced as his shins knocked against the back of the seat in front of him, connecting with the metal brace inside. “Fuck.”

“You sure you don’t want to switch?” James asked next to him. Sirius glanced down at the veritable wall of gear and empty snack bags between them, then back to James in disbelief. He shrugged, then set his headphones back over his ears. “Worth a shot.”

“Merde,” Sirius hissed as a pothole nearly took off his kneecap. He gritted his teeth and readjusted, drawing his legs closer to his chest. I want to be home, he thought, allowing himself an internal moment to whine.

He checked his phone—not even ten in the morning. It was a Saturday, so Remus would probably just be rolling out of bed, still sleepy and soft with his hair sticking up like a disgruntled cat’s. Sirius sighed heavily and stared out the window at the small town rolling past in the distance; there was little he wouldn’t give to be back with him instead of on the way to a full week of conferences.

“Why did we have to win the Cup?” he grumbled.

James lifted one side of his headphones. “What?”

“Nothing.”

It wasn’t like they had had much time to themselves before that, either—Sirius’ schedule was packed with interviews that felt more like interrogations, and Remus had been running the PT department mostly by himself while Moody took a well-deserved vacation. They were dead on their feet every night, worked to the bone with little energy left to do more than cuddle and fall asleep. Still, Sirius was grateful for every second of it.

He waited ten more minutes before giving in.

New Message To: Re

Bonjour mon loup <3

There was no immediate response, which made sense, though he was a little bit disappointed. Sirius closed his eyes and tried to make himself relax; it would be at least another six hours before they arrived at their destination, and the bad weather gathering overhead didn’t bode well for quick travel.

His phone buzzed gently and he scrambled to answer. Don’t be Reg, don’t be Reg, don’t be Reg—

New Message From: Re

Morning love!

Thanks for the bagels <3

“Fuck yes,” Sirius said under his breath. The bagels had been a last-minute decision as he crept through the house in the early hours of the morning after carefully detaching himself from Remus with a final half-asleep farewell kiss. There was no guarantee he would remember breakfast with everything going on, so Sirius figured it was a safe bet to toast them and leave them on the countertop before heading out.

Message To: Re

Pas de problem

Sleep well?

Message From: Re

Decent

Missed you :(

Sirius rested his temple against the cold window with a soft sound. He hated leaving at different times, but that was just how their life worked at the moment.

Message To: Re

Missed you too <3

Three small dots appeared for a long moment before vanishing without a trace just as his heart rate began picking up. Where’d you go? he almost wondered aloud. Something bumped his arm and James raised a quizzical brow. “Loops,” Sirius said by way of explanation.

“I figured. He okay?”

“I think so? He just…disappeared on me.” Sirius was well-aware of how plaintive he sounded—James’ teasing smile was completely unnecessary.

“Aw, Cap,” he laughed, reaching over to mess with his beanie until Sirius slapped his hand away. “It’s alright, buddy, it’s just a couple days.”

Sirius jammed his hat back on his head and flicked James on the unprotected bit of his ear, making him yelp. “Fuck off, I know you’ll be a mess as soon as Lily FaceTimes with my godson.”

“He has a name, you know.”

“Sorry. You’ll be a mess as soon as she FaceTimes with Pocket Pots, who happens to be my godson.”

James rolled his eyes. “I regret giving you that title.”

“Nah, you don’t.”

As if on cue, his phone lit up again; Sirius ignored James’ snickering as he quickly unlocked it.

New Message From: Re

When will you be at the hotel?

“That’s it?” he muttered.

Message To: Re

That was a lot of typing for one sentence

6-7 hrs, if the weather holds

Why?

Message From: Re

Sorry lmao Reg came in for a bit

Just curious :) Keep me updated?

Message To: Re

Will do <3

Tell Reg he needs to wash his sheets. It’s been over a month.

A small thumbs-up emoji was his only answer, and he tried not to be too bummed. Remus liked having things to do; sitting there and texting Sirius while he slowly got further and further away was probably not his preferred way to spend a morning. With a sigh that was likely a bit too dramatic for the situation he was in, Sirius faced the window once more and buckled in for a long ride.

He chatted off and on with the others when they stopped for lunch, but everyone was exhausted from the combination of a packed week and an early morning. Even Talker stayed fairly quiet, and James kept his headphones on for most of the trip.

Sirius finally succumbed to his tiredness and put some music on, then dozed for an hour or three while they traveled through yet another field. A few halfhearted calls of “cows” made their way around the bus, though nobody seemed particularly enthused about being packed in with double the gear due to a broken storage compartment. Donuts and gas station coffee could only do so much.

“Just crossed the state border,” Arthur called from the front of the bus as Sirius tried to ignore the cramping in his thighs. Three hours. Just three more.

His music was interrupted by a soft jingle alert and he pulled his phone out, hoping against hope that Regulus hadn’t caused a fire anywhere. It was unlikely given the…well, everything about him, but with Sirius’ luck it could happen.

New Message From: Re

How far?

Message To: Re

About 3 hrs. Ran into some detours

Good day?

Remus remained silent on the other end and Sirius frowned. That was rather rude, and highly unusual. Between the two of them, Remus was the one who kept conversations going past the initial question to be answered.

Message From: Re

Attachment: 1 Image

Love you! Call me when you get there : )

Sirius opened the attachment and almost threw his phone in utter shock. Skin. Bare skin everywhere, its smooth edges broken up only by tight black fabric that may as well have been painted onto the curve of Remus’ ass. “Oh my god,” he whimpered, voice barely audible even to his own ears. It had been taken in their bedroom mirror; Remus looked over his shoulder, and Sirius caught the corner of a devious smirk on his lips. “Oh, you fucker.”

Message From: Re

Thoughts? They’re cozy

Message To: Re

Did you miss the part where I said three (3) hours

Message From: Re

Nope

Second one is a guessing game and u get a prize if u get it right : )

The second photograph was more zoomed-in than the first and Sirius wracked his brain, running through his mental catalogue of Remus’ body to figure out the answer. It did absolutely nothing to calm the situation in his pants.

He had no idea what the promised prize was, but anticipation made his hands shake slightly as he carefully scanned the picture. The shadows caught it at an odd angle—it wasn’t the steady slopes of his face or neck, nor was it the strong curve of a shoulder. Not enough freckles, either, he thought.

A lightbulb lit in the back of his mind.

Message To: Re

Right hip

Another thought connected half a second later.

Holy fuck you took them off

Is that my prize?

Re?

Remus Lupin I swear to god

TEXT ME BACK

Message From: Re

Bingo!

Christ you’re impatient, I was gone for like 2 mins

He chanced a look toward Pots, whose head lolled to the side as he snored.

Message To: Re

Hey quick question why are you like this

It’s a good thing Pots is out cold bc this bus is too small to hide anything

Message From: Re

Haha sux to be you

Sirius’ cheeks heated with a whole cocktail of different emotions as he furiously typed a response.

Message To: Re

‘Sux to be you’???

Are you 13 yrs old????

Message From: Re

Do you want your prize or not u horndog

Message To: Re

YOU MADE ME THIS WAY

He took a deep breath through his nose and flexed his fingers.

Yes please

A simple smiley face—Sirius would never see those things the same—popped up, followed by an audio file. He triple-checked that his headphones were plugged in before tapping ‘play’ with an unsteady thumb.

His face went very, very hot before all the blood went straight to his groin and he closed his eyes, covering his mouth with his hand. Breathy sounds came through the heavy earphones, a little more crackly than they would be in-person; he heard Remus’ gasp catch in his throat and crossed his legs as best he could in the too-small seat, torn between thanking and cursing any higher power. He could practically see Remus’ face in his mind’s eye as the noises continued, intermixed with fragments of desperate words.

The file came to an end after what felt like the blink of an eye and a hundred years, and Sirius did not look away from the violently red seat cushion in front of him for a long moment as his brain came back online. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so turned on.

He took a few deep breaths, though it did nothing to erase the poorly-muffled whines that still rang between his ears like church bells. Sirius huffed and turned to grab his waterbottle out of his duffel, only to make direct eye contact with Finn across the aisle.

Sirius froze.

Finn grinned.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” he hissed, too low to wake James but just loud enough to carry over the four feet separating them. Finn’s smile widened. “Stop it. Stop it right now.”

“How’s Loops?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“That good, huh?”

“O’Hara, I swear to god—”

“Oh, is Cap spilling secrets?” Kasey asked, poking his head over the back of the seat.

Finn opened his mouth, but the force of Sirius’ glare must have been enough to at least intimidate him a little, because he shook his head. The smug Cheshire grin remained. “Nah, just having a chat about our plans when we get home.”

Kasey groaned. “You’re a lucky man, O’Hara. Both your people get to come with you. Nat sent me a promise, like, twenty minutes ago and I can’t stop thinking about it. I won’t be available tonight from six to eight if anyone was wondering.”

“Did she really?” Finn looked back to Sirius, who bit the inside of his cheek and tried to keep his cool. Two and a half hours, and then he would be safe. Just two and a half more hours.

[niseamstories]

10 Lessons on Realistic Worldbuilding and Mapmaking I Learned Working With a Professional Cartographer and Geodesist

Hi, fellow writers and worldbuilders,

It’s been over a year since my post on realistic swordfighting, and I figured it’s time for another one. I’m guessing the topic is a little less “sexy”, but I’d find this useful as a writer, so here goes: 10 things I learned about realistic worldbuilding and mapmaking while writing my novel.

I’ve always been a sucker for pretty maps, so when I started on my novel, I hired an artist quite early to create a map for me. It was beautiful, but a few things always bothered me, even though I couldn’t put a finger on it. A year later, I met an old friend of mine, who currently does his Ph.D. in cartography and geodesy, the science of measuring the earth. When the conversation shifted to the novel, I showed him the map and asked for his opinion, and he (respectfully) pointed out that it has an awful lot of issues from a realism perspective.

First off, I’m aware that fiction is fiction, and it’s not always about realism; there are plenty of beautiful maps out there (and my old one was one of them) that are a bit fantastical and unrealistic, and that’s all right. Still, considering the lengths I went to ensure realism for other aspects of my worldbuilding, it felt weird to me to simply ignore these discrepancies. With a heavy heart, I scrapped the old map and started over, this time working in tandem with a professional artist, my cartographer friend, and a linguist. Six months later, I’m not only very happy with the new map, but I also learned a lot of things about geography and coherent worldbuilding, which made my universe a lot more realistic.

1)  Realism Has an Effect: While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with creating an unrealistic world, realism does affect the plausibility of a world. Even if the vast majority of us probably know little about geography, our brains subconsciously notice discrepancies; we simply get this sense that something isn’t quite right, even if we don’t notice or can’t put our finger on it. In other words, if, for some miraculous reason, an evergreen forest borders on a desert in your novel, it will probably help immersion if you at least explain why this is, no matter how simple.

2)  Climate Zones: According to my friend, a cardinal sin in fantasy maps are nonsensical climate zones. A single continent contains hot deserts, forests, and glaciers, and you can get through it all in a single day. This is particularly noticeable in video games, where this is often done to offer visual variety (Enderal, the game I wrote, is very guilty of this). If you aim for realism, run your worldbuilding by someone with a basic grasp of geography and geology, or at least try to match it to real-life examples.

3)  Avoid Island Continent Worlds: Another issue that is quite common in fictional worlds is what I would call the “island continents”: a world that is made up of island-like continents surrounded by vast bodies of water. As lovely and romantic as the idea of those distant and secluded worlds may be, it’s deeply unrealistic. Unless your world was shaped by geological forces that differ substantially from Earth’s, it was probably at one point a single landmass that split up into fragmented landmasses separated by waters. Take a look at a proper map of our world: the vast majority of continents could theoretically be reached by foot and relatively manageable sea passages. If it weren’t so, countries such as Australia could have never been colonized – you can’t cross an entire ocean on a raft.

4)  Logical City Placement: My novel is set in a Polynesian-inspired tropical archipelago; in the early drafts of the book and on my first map, Uunili, the nation’s capital, stretched along the entire western coast of the main island. This is absurd. Not only because this city would have been laughably big, but also because building a settlement along an unprotected coastline is the dumbest thing you could do considering it directly exposes it to storms, floods, and, in my case, monsoons. Unless there’s a logical reason to do otherwise, always place your coastal settlements in bays or fjords.

 Naturally, this extends to city placement in general. If you want realism and coherence, don’t place a city in the middle of a godforsaken wasteland or a swamp just because it’s cool. There needs to be a reason. For example, the wasteland city could have started out as a mining town around a vast mineral deposit, and the swamp town might have a trading post along a vital trade route connecting two nations.

 5)  Realistic Settlement Sizes: As I’ve mentioned before, my capital Uunili originally extended across the entire western coast. Considering Uunili is roughly two thirds the size of Hawaii  the old visuals would have made it twice the size of Mexico City. An easy way to avoid this is to draw the map using a scale and stick to it religiously. For my map, we decided to represent cities and townships with symbols alone.

 6)  Realistic Megacities: Uunili has a population of about 450,000 people. For a city in a Middle Ages-inspired era, this is humongous. While this isn’t an issue, per se (at its height, ancient Alexandria had a population of about 300,000), a city of that size creates its own set of challenges: you’ll need a complex sewage system (to minimize disease spreading like wildfire) and strong agriculture in the surrounding areas to keep the population fed. Also, only a small part of such a megacity would be enclosed within fantasy’s ever-so-present colossal city walls; the majority of citizens would probably concentrate in an enormous urban sprawl in the surrounding areas. To give you a pointer, with a population of about 50,000, Cologne was Germany’s biggest metropolis for most of the Middle Ages. I’ll say it again: it’s fine to disregard realism for coolness in this case, but at least taking these things into consideration will not only give your world more texture but might even provide you with some interesting plot points.

 7)  World Origin: This point can be summed up in a single question: why is your world the way it is? If your novel is set in an archipelago like mine is, are the islands of volcanic origin? Did they use to be a single landmass that got flooded with the years? Do the inhabitants of your country know about this? Were there any natural disasters to speak of? Yes, not all of this may be relevant to the story, and the story should take priority over lore, but just like with my previous point, it will make your world more immersive.

 8)  Maps: Think Purpose! Every map in history had a purpose. Before you start on your map, think about what yours might have been. Was it a map people actually used for navigation? If so, clarity should be paramount. This means little to no distracting ornamentation, a legible font, and a strict focus on relevant information. For example, a map used chiefly for military purposes would naturally highlight different information than a trade map. For my novel, we ultimately decided on a “show-off map” drawn for the Blue Island Coalition, a powerful political entity in the archipelago (depending on your world’s technology level, maps were actually scarce and valuable). Also, think about which technique your in-universe cartographer used to draw your in-universe map. Has copperplate engraving already been invented in your fictional universe? If not, your map shouldn’t use that aesthetic.

9)  Maps: Less Is More. If a spot or an area on a map contains no relevant information, it can (and should) stay blank so that the reader’s attention naturally shifts to the critical information. Think of it this way: if your nav system tells you to follow a highway for 500 miles, that’s the information you’ll get, and not “in 100 meters, you’ll drive past a little petrol station on the left, and, oh, did I tell you about that accident that took place here ten years ago?” Traditional maps follow the same principle: if there’s a road leading a two day’s march through a desolate desert, a black line over a blank white ground is entirely sufficient to convey that information.

10) Settlement and Landmark Names: This point will be a bit of a tangent, but it’s still relevant. I worked with a linguist to create a fully functional language for my novel, and one of the things he criticized about my early drafts were the names of my cities. It’s embarrassing when I think about it now, but I really didn’t pay that much attention to how I named my cities; I wanted it to sound good, and that was it. Again: if realism is your goal, that’s a big mistake. Like Point 5, we went back to the drawing board and dove into the archipelago’s history and established naming conventions. In my novel, for example, the islands were inhabited by indigenes called the Makehu before the colonization four hundred years before the events of the story; as it’s usually the case, all settlements and islands had purely descriptive names back then. For example, the main island was called Uni e Li, which translates as “Mighty Hill,” a reference to the vast mountain ranges in the south and north; townships followed the same example (e.g., Tamakaha meaning “Coarse Sands”). When the colonizers arrived, they adopted the Makehu names and adapted them into their own language, changing the accented, long vowels to double vowels: Uni e Li became “Uunili,” Lehō e Āhe became “Lehowai.” Makehu townships kept their names; colonial cities got “English” monikers named after their geographical location, economic significance, or some other original story. Examples of this are Southport, a—you guessed it—port on the southernmost tip of Uunili, or Cale’s Hope, a settlement named after a businessman’s mining venture. It’s all details, and chances are that most readers won’t even pay attention, but I personally found that this added a lot of plausibility and immersion.

I could cover a lot more, but this post is already way too long, so I’ll leave it at that—if there’s enough interest, I’d be happy to make a part two. If not, well, maybe at least a couple of you got something useful out of this. If you’re looking for inspiration/references to show to your illustrator/cartographer, the David Rumsey archive is a treasure trove. Finally, for anyone who doesn’t know and might be interested, my novel is called Dreams of the Dying, and is a blends fantasy, mystery, and psychological horror set in the universe of Enderal, an indie RPG for which I wrote the story. It’s set in a Polynesian-inspired medieval world and has been described as Inception in a fantasy setting by reviewers.

Credit for the map belongs to Dominik Derow, who did the ornamentation, and my friend Fabian Müller, who created the map in QGIS and answered all my questions with divine patience. The linguist’s name is David Müller (no, they’re not related, and, yes, we Germans all have the same last names.)

[usafphantom2]

IMAGES: Mirage 2000C RDI jets pass the baton to the Rafales in France

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 06/26/2022 - 8:33 PM in Military

The Mirage 2000C specially painted for the end of flight operations of this type in the French Air and Space Force. (Photo: Katsuhiko Tokunaga)

The Mirage 2000C specially painted for the end of flight operations of this type in the French Air and Space Force. (Photo: Katsuhiko Tokunaga)

On June 23, the Mirage 2000C was withdrawn from service in the French Air and Space Force, an aircraft that received support on June 9 from two single-seat Rafale fighters in Orange.

The 2/5 Fighter Squadron, known as the French Air Force's "Île-de-France" closed this historic "circle" with an "elephant walk" (below) and is now waiting for the integration of the new generation 4+ Rafale, a process that will be implemented from 2024. The Mirage 2000C RDI, where C stands for Chasse (Hunting) and RDI stands for Impulsions Doppler Radar, entered service in 1988.

To mark the farewell of the Mirage 2000C fighters, the squadron painted one of its aircraft black and silver in a special drawing, with the words "Mission Fulfilled" written on the fins (photo from the opening above).

The withdrawal of the Mirage 2000C has been underway for a long time as part of the restructuring of the French Air Force, while this Squadron has significantly reduced its activities recently, carrying out about 20 missions per week.

Air defense is a permanent and priority mission of the French Air and Space Force. Its goal is to ensure the sovereignty of French airspace and protect the French against any air threat, whether military aircraft, hostile civilian aircraft or drones. It permanently dedicates significant resources to ensure the safety of French airspace 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the system has been strengthened to allow the interception of any aircraft in France in a few minutes. For the southeast neighborhood, it is the Mirage 2000C RDI of the 2/5 fighter squadron "Île-de-France" that has fulfilled this mission brilliantly since 1989, demonstrating daily the extent of its many qualities. But the time has come for these fighters to pass the task to more modern fighters.

Since June 9, 2022, two single-seater Rafales have taken off from Mont-de-Marsan to land in Orange in order to permanently alleviate the task of the operational mission of permanent security posture made by the Mirage 2000C, which secured this operational mission to the end. As part of these missions, the last Mirage 2000C in service was armed with only two Magic II short-range air-to-air missiles, combined with two 30-millimeter guns.

The day of withdrawal from service is scheduled for June 23, and air activity is suspended with the exception of training for the July 14 parade. This will be the true last day of flight of the Mirage 2000C in the French Air and Space Force, as can be seen in the flight scale above.

Tags: Armée de l'air - French Air Force/French Air ForceMilitary AviationDassault Mirage 2000

Previous news

Record altitude in helicopters reaches 50 years old

Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in a specialized aviation magazine in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

Related news

Pakistani Air Force JF-17 jets. (Photo: www.PAFwallpapers.com)

MILITARY

Having visited Pakistan and China, is Argentina ready to buy the JF-17 jet?

06/26/2022 - 1:51 PM

MILITARY

U.S. Poseidon aircraft flies over Taiwan Strait to contain China's military expansion, analysts say

06/26/2022 - 12:04 PM

Two Turkish Air Force A400 transport aircraft have been detained in Ukraine for four months. (Photo: Turkish Ministry of National Defense)

MILITARY

Two Turkish A400s have been detained in Ukraine since the Russian invasion

06/25/2022 - 6:00 PM

A LANCA crewless "loyal wing" operating with an RAF F-35B. (Photo: UK Ministry of Defense)

MILITARY

United Kingdom cancels demonstrator program "loyal wing" Mosquito

06/25/2022 - 4:00 PM

Chinese Army Z-20 helicopters, a possible copy of the U.S. Black Hawk.

MILITARY

Former U.S. military pilot admits to selling aviation information to China

06/25/2022 - 3:10 PM

MILITARY

Netherlands confirms purchase of 6 more F-35 fighters and 4 Reapers

06/25/2022 - 12:38 PM

HOME Main Page Editorials Information Events Collaborate SPECIALS Advertise About

Cavok Brasil - Digital Tchê Web Creation

Commercial

Executive

Helicopters

History

Military

Brazilian Air Force

Space

SPECIALS

Cavok Brasil - Digital Tchê Web Creation

[playboysaleen]

Love Malady.

Part 2.

Part 1.

Summary: Daughter of the notorious gang of thieves. One day your brothers group kidnap a nobel woman. Feeling guilt you gave her warm clothes, tended to her injuries, and helped her escape. instantly the world falls under a deadly pandemic and is killing/infecting people left to right and you are the only one who is immune. All because you saved a girl years ago coming to find out... it was the goddess of death(Famine).

Warnings- cursing i think, violence.

___________

Present.

February 12th, 2021.

The night Buck got sick changed everyone's life. I waited hours for my phone to ring giving me the ‘okay homeboys fine.’ but Jaime walked into my room with tear-stained cheeks telling me Buck didn't make it.

Then a couple days later after Bucks death one of the guys found Adam dead with the same symptoms. Then Pedro, then Jackson, then Shelli, and it killed off almost all of my fathers gang. The disease spread like a wildfire. From our home town to the city, the state then just did this hopscotch move and expanded around the whole world.

The first year the doctors tried to keep it a secret but it flared so fast that society called it the ‘Sinister Ash’. There was no cure when the officials realized it was airborne, literally nothing could cure anyone. Some were lucky with similarities of a stomach virus and a mild headache, and there were the less fortunate. Headaches, stomach bugs, fever and cancer like symptoms. The strong can work through it but it was permanent. The rest who had it worst? Died off just like Buck and Adam.

“Why are you not eating?” My fathers voice rang me out of my thoughts with his thick Venezuela accent, I peeked at my father shrugging my shoulders. Grumbling, he focused his attention to Jaime as they went over the next move for their ‘purloins’. I grabbed my plate walking towards the kitchen running the hot water over the greatest plate, a thud sounded in the dining room which caused my brother's name to boom out my fathers mouth. I ran towards the other side of the table to grasp my brother's shaking body, cursing under my breath. I dialed 911.

“The ambulance is on the way, go Pa.” I instructed my father watching his face fall, he sighed placing his hand on my shoulder.

“Our time has come, I love you, my child.” he whispered, placing a soft kiss on my forehead making his way out the back. I cooed into Jaime’s hair as I held him in my arms praying to the man above if he could not let this disease invade my brother's body. ________________________________________ “Did you at least get the girls number?” Jaime stated in disbelief when he woke up and saw the EMT worker reeling him into the ER. I chuckled, shaking my head playfully, pushing his shoulder.

“She was pretty..” I mumbled causing Jaime to widen his eyes pushing me back-

“I TOLD YOU!” he laughed out loud when the doctor walked in with a clipboard. A man around his 50’s with a look that masked his face of light, but we all knew he was trying to survive like the rest of us.

“Good afternoon, I am Doctor Nives.” The man spoke ever so gently but his beard gave me Cap vibes. I nodded my head looking at Jaime slipping my hand into his.

“So there’s news, I do not know how you both will take it but-“ he grabs the x rays placing them onto the screen that took up half of the wall next to Jaime. I watched as the deeper detailed body of my brother's chest caged clouds of red, black, and green.

“As you can see you have stage 2 of the Ashen, the red that covers this area here-” Dr. Nives circled the red that surrounded the upper left of my brother's chest.

 “Covers your heart, but after running the test I see your red cells are fighting the virus and it knocks more time for you.” A lump formed in my throat as the last 4 words flew out his mouth.

“Wait, what do you mean more time?” His eyes soften sending me a sympathetic look, Jaime gasped softly looking down at his hands.

“Well from the lab work it shows that you had 3 months, but at how good your cells are handling the virus you have 6 months to a year.” He finished taking his gloves off and applying hand sanitizer,

“Since you ma’am we’re around him can we run some lab work for your safety?” He asked looking between Jaime and I. I looked at my brother to see him nodding my way, turning to the man I nodded as he clasp his hands together. 

“Great. We can move you right next door so you can stay close to your brother.” Reassuring the both of us, I placed a kiss against his forehead following the doctor out. I took a seat onto the bed leaning against the back of the wall holding out my arm. 

For the last 4 years I’ve noticed a big change in my appearance that it actually scares me on the inside. First year, I lost a tremendous amount of weight, the extra weight turned into bulk in the places I always wished for.. huh..

 During the first year, the acne on my face disappeared in thin air. One minute I’m trying to clean the pores with three different facial cleansers, I go to bed, then the next I wake up and my face is so clear. I was changing for the better, yet the world was changing for the worst. That first year we lost almost 2 million lives, including a lot of the people around me. 

The second year is what sparked my curiosity of my body. One night, I was cooking dinner for Jaime and I, having a heavy debate with who is better at shooting the knife slid through my palm causing Jaime to spring off the island placing his hand against the deep gash trying his best to stop the bleeding. We knew we couldn’t head to the hospital for the sake of our fathers identity and the groups, so Jaime wrapped my hand the best he could and called it a night. I didn’t like his Tostadas anyways. Next day, I woke up to change my bandage. I opened the wrap to see no gash from the night before. Eyebrows furrowing together I question my own body for the first time in my life.. I can’t be immortal, that’s only in books. Then I noticed it. From small paper cuts to bruises- my wounds healed faster than any other person. From taking days for a wound to close, a couple minutes and it’s gone. Clean. Like it was never there to begin with. 

Last year, an incident had happened; Traumatizing to say. Snuck out with an old friend of mine, talking around the den says she’s been trying to make a move on me but me being me I waved them off knowing she’s not the type. Met up with her, got a couple drinks in headed back to her place, got a couple kisses in. The kissing escalated until this small beautiful voice that I heard years back echoed in my ears, jumping back, I stopped what we had and went home. Next day I received the news that she passed away AND GET THIS- JUST like Buck. Since then, her voice echoes in my ear. It’s been quiet the last month, I miss it though. 

A pinch brought me out of my thoughts when the nurse smiled my way explaining what the blood was for and Dr.Nives will be in shortly to give me the news. I snooped around heading to my brothers room when my name was said from the doctors a couple rooms down from me. 

“That can’t be possible, it’s only been 5 minutes and she’s literally clean from head to toe.” A nurse quarreled, a couple more murmurs were heard but Dr.Nives voice caught my attention-

“Let’s do Code A.” A gasp was heard from within their circle with multiple disagreements, confusion flashed my face until a ‘yes sir’ and footsteps were heard coming my way. I sprinted towards my room taking a seat sending Jaime a small text message. 

“Heya Y/n, do you mind if I give you some antibiotics just in case you are diagnosed with the Ashen?” The nurse requested which I nodded extending my arm watching her place the small plate next to me. I squinted my eyes examining the shot that contained a weird dark substance. 

“Why is the stuff black? Isn’t medicine a clear color for safety purposes?” I blurted out, watching the nurse grab the shot striking the needle into my vein. I grunted feeling the warm liquid enter my body, I huffed lightly leaning my head against the wall. Then, it hit me. 

“Wait, what if my test comes back negative? Why do I need antibiotics?” I glanced at the nurse feeling my heartbeat raise as the room began to shrink.

“What’s… what’s happening to me?.” I whispered watching the nurse draw more blood from the previous spot. I felt like I needed to throw up, once the nurse left I wobbled towards my brothers room next door, 

“Man bro we need to get some take out when we leave this place- Y/n? Are you okay?” Jaime rambled out then his face washed with concern as I stumbled onto his bed. 

“I don’t feel so good Brother..” I breathed out looking up to lock eyes with his own. He gasped, wrapping his arms around me, rocking me back and forth. 

“Y/n…” he whispered, watching my contacts with my brown eyes slowly drain into this grey/golden color. 

“What the hell happened?” He asked turning towards the door making sure no one came in.

“They gave me the Sinister Ash.. I can feel it in my chest. We have to go.” I grunted using all my strength to push myself off my brother's bed wobbling towards the door. A cough formed in my throat falling out my mouth, my hand flew to my mouth watching the black and red substance pool into my hands. 

“Y/N?” Jaime shouted running to my side, I grabbed him for support walking out the room. I felt the fire in my chest pass when a small burp lashed out my lips. Sighing deeply I stood up straight facing Jaime. 

“I… I feel better.” I mumbled opening the doors to the emergency waiting room. My body collided with another grabbing them instantly- I gasped at how quick my reflexes were, even Jaime’s eyes widened. 

“Why thank you, I’m so sorry I- Y/m? Why are you not in your room?” Doctor Nives questioned looking between the both of us, I felt warm liquid on the side of my mouth. Quickly wiping it, a fake smile formed on my face slowly stepping back towards the exit just a couple feet from us. 

“Sorry Doctor, but I think it’s time my brother and I head home- our father must be worried sick.” I bluffed, gripping my brother's wrist, giving him the signal.

 “Y/n. We know who you both are.”

_______________

Thank you for the wait<3

taglist- @xxxtwilightaxelxxx​

[funkin-news]

ninjamuffin ama summary - 9/28/2021

you know the drill, purple text is me paraphrasing, everything else is direct (or almost direct) quote, FNF-related stuff only

Q: What is one common misconception about FNF or its development that you wanna clear up?

A: im not the sole creator, im not some sole director. Each of the boys have very important roles with the game. This isn't just 1 dude having tunnel vision about a game, its generally all us coming to similar conclusions on where we want to take the game and what we wanna do wit it

Q: why

A: because I love video games and I love newgrounds

Q: Do you or the team plan to go back and make the older weeks higher quality?

A: that will definitely happen. both for general polish, and things leading up into future weeks / story or whatever

Q: Why did everyone think Week 8 was gonna come out on the 22nd?

A: accidental "teases" (Dave's MC-related doodle), madness day, general anxiousness bc the devs haven't been sharing much

Q: What kind of QOL changes are being added in the future?

A: charting editor improvements is one

Q: What is the most insane, most likely impossible to happen person you would like to collaborate with, could be Funkin related, could be just a personal project

A: the girl reading this

Q: Is Cassette Girl week 8?

A: no

Q: Is there concept art for the characters, or did they look the same during development?

A: GF looks exactly the same as the first ever drawing PhantomArcade did. There's a few small lil variations for a good chunk the other MAIN characters, one day u will see all them

R: can you explain the old bf icon? or is it just a dumb placeholder?

A: just a cool ass lil icon evilsk8r did during the game jam weekend

Q: Are you letting yourself getting inspired by more different genres of music for future weeks?

A: i think that more a Q for kawaisprite, but that man loves music, and can and does get inspired by anything he listens to in regards to music

Q: Why has the team been so silent about update progress?

A: They do better working in silence than hyping things up; when Week 6 was teased working on it became really stressful for them. Also, element of surprise

R: but youve been silent abt week7 on desktop for months, half a year. & week 8 is like….. nonexistant

A: week 8 isnt nonexistant, we just absolutely do not want to talk about it whatsoever. i said all the week 7 stuff will come with week 8 update

Q: what do you genuinely think about the people thinking you guys scammed people out of $2 million? just curious is all, i’ve seen lots of people talking about it rn

A: i think people are a bit wary about kickstarter, and makes sense when people's coin is on the line. if u want a breakdown of what we used KS coin so far, we spent maybe 2K of it on some development stuff we needed, most other expenses been paid from our savings / donations, etc.

Q: When does the OST come to the backers?

A: Kickstarter vinyl OSTs still need to be manufactured, which would take at least 6 months because of a global PVC shortage, completely out of our control. what is in our control is that we also still need to finish up and finalize artwork for it, the boys wanna make it all perfect. Same goes for CDs, but those should be done way sooner

Q: You got a date range of when Tshirt / Poster / or Pin surveys will be out by any chance? 👀

A: kickstarter tshirts / poster / pin stuff have been coming along nicely and hopefully those surveys should be coming soon, prob next few weeks

Q: Do you guys think you'll experiment with other artstyles in future weeks?

A: yes, cuz we've already done that (week 6) theres a lot more where that came from

Q: if you could isolate one part of the game and say it’s your favorite what would it be

A: the fact that FNF is our pure creative vision, with absolutely nothing getting in the way of that. Open source free Newgrounds rhythm game with crazy zany kawaisprite music, and stylish and charismatic animation and art style. and game been successful because of all of that.

Q: what do you think about people compiling the full ass game and playing it without paying anything

A: that makes me happy

Q: what do you think of all the mods and stuff people has made about your game

A: mods make me happy

Q: any inspiration from doki doki literature club for the weird stuff in week 6?

A: no, but some of the cool lil programming things DDLC did do interest me

Q: How do we know you're working on the game

A: you don't, and really it doesnt matter all too much. we being productive and things are moving forward, and people not believing that doesnt change that

And now, a speech:

i think trying to focus on keeping hype and keeping game popular can very easily be hollow. We have no worry about trying to keep hype or relevancy or anything like that. If FNF popularity shrunk to 0.1% of it's size, we'd be content, cuz that's still like 1000% more than before

"before" referring to anything we did before FNF.

you can lose success just as easily as you got it, and for FNF, it got successful INCREDIBLEY fast. With that in mind, it's just the nature of things if it all loses relevancy.

So far FNF doing good through the year, but if it wasn't, it's no real sweat off our back.

Although it's uhhh easy to look at it that way from our perspective. Get back to me and see if my thoughts on this has changed if FNF is forgotten from all memory.

Q: will there be a sequel to the full ass game? Like 'the full a2s game' or something clever like fast & furious movies do

A: friday night funkin: tokyo drift