#this was mainly to test out new markers

[axel-mania]

Huge discovery just came out. There is likely now a reliable biomarker for the disease I probably have, which has lead to nerve damage that has affected me in a variety of ways. Ehlers-Danlos is mainly known for being a genetic disease of improper collagen production, which ends up fucking with most body systems.

There are many subtypes, but the most common, hypermobile, had no genetic marker. This meant that it was almost impossible to get a diagnosis, with most doctors not even acknowledging its existence, and anyone without obvious enough dysfunction getting told they didn't "really" have EDS, just hypermobility, so there's no point in treating them. But now it seems that there is no such distinction between just hypermobility and EDS, as the same biomarker was found in the blood of everyone with that set of symptoms.

If we have an easy blood test a PCP can order to tell whether or not you have EDS, then things get easier as far as accessing specialists, getting disability payments, etc. But treatment is in a pretty bad place for us with or without a diagnosis, so it's not exactly a huge hurrah. Obviously plenty of genetic diseases with obvious markers are still associated with heavy medical malpractice and just getting told to exercise and take Tylenol. Still, this feels really good. I hope I live to get this test done.

[herdsworldbuilding]

City Grime.

so world building a city.

It’s a complicated subject, involving things of how the city came to be, who made it and why? Where is it located and why is it located there? A city trends to thrive on trade or defense. Where dose the city get it’s food and water and where dose it’s waste go? Who holds the power, who are its people? what shapes it’s streets? Is it planed down or did it grow naturally over time? These are all good things to ask about world building a city… but that’s not what this is about.

I’m here to ask about some small scale things you can ask yourself about these cites. 

Specifically about Graffiti

- what is graffiti in the city like?  cities have a lot of graffiti, sometimes its small, sometimes its rare, in some places graffiti mainly takes the form of writing. in other places in the form of drawings.

Is graffiti big and bold or is it small and intimate? Is it both? Is it generally found out in the air or indoors? Graffiti out in allies and on walls vs the small stuff you find in bathroom stalls, school desks and on benches.

what sort of writing is favored? is it short phrases, “like Gorgeio was here.”  is it Tags (small words or names written on objects to claim something in some sort of competition, used by individuals or groups, to show territory or just to show off by getting them in the oddest places.) or perhaps graffiti is away to spread news about something, a bit like how graffiti in Pompeii was used. is grafiety used as markers and cyphers for people in the know?

Do people use graffiti to communicate in an indirect manner?

Think phone numbers written on toilet doors.

Is graffiti used as a more direct form of communication? Such as hobo signs that where used to tell eachother where it was safe to rest, or perhaps thieves guilds to quietly signal to eachother where a target or safe house is. Or perhaps it’s used by magic users for instructions or tests or pointing out the local supernatural hot spot. or wandering cultures telling eachother stories and warnings about the city they are passing through or even as sighn posts that only they can read. Like trail trees.

street art.

stickers, posters, and flyers.

Sometimes more physical things like a wall of gum, flags, shoes hung up places, necklaces strung up high where no one can easily reach them or locks chained to bridges.

I have even heard of small constructions; like fairy or mouse doors and little statues glued to trash cans or in cracks in the wall.

It can be a drawing and paintings or even something more physical like scraps of cloth tide to poles, yarn woven around trees or stickers slapped onto trashcans and signs.

In one place I have lived most graffiti is in the form of spray painted tags on everything and stickers. While in another place tags are rare as the buildings are painted with murals and art and trees with knitting tied around the branches. In another place most of the buildings where wood so graffiti was carved into it.

What kind of things are often drawn? What imagery do people use?

Graffiti will look different depending on what era of history it is, but it will still be around. It might be smaller in earlier time periods.

Is all the graffiti in this city you are building visual? Perhaps some of it is auditory, like wind chimes in a park, or poles carved to whistle as the wind blows through it, or perhaps it invokes a sense of smell or touch? Is the graffiti only able to be sensed or seen by the magical?

-what dose your city smell like? Do different districts in the city have different smells?

-what dose your city sound like? Is it mostly quiet humming of conversation and rustling of leaves, is it car horns and loud construction, is it water lapping on brigades and electricity buzzing through wires. Is it street musicians and local bird? Are some areas of the city different in sound pollution and how dose that contribute to graffiti?

Dose a certain kind of graffiti have a certain kind of well known meaning? Like initials carved into a tree surrounded by a heart, meaning romantic or sensual love.

- is there a code of conduct for graffiti? 

note that I am far from an expert in graffiti, I know like shiltz about it. im simply going off my observations.

I know that there is a loose hierarchy of tags.

If you can’t outdo it don’t tag over it, and if it is a memorial then do not tag over it. These guidelines are not enforced in the same way everywhere, but breaking them will get the other people that tag to come after your tags with a vengeance.

Or at least that’s what I have heard…

Another guideline that might exist is what can and cannot be tagged.

Street signs, utility walls, underpasses, abandoned buildings, train cars are free game.

While things like windows, cars and residential homes are often off limits (though I have seen plenty of exceptions to this too)

Trees and natural rocks seem to me a hit of miss on if they are in limits or off limits. - how dose the city deal with graffiti? 

Do they paint over it? Wash it away? Leave it to be.

Is it the city or private residents who deal with it? Dose the city even think it worth dealing with or do they let it alone?

Are there certain things that get graffiti more than other thing? Such as benches, utility boxes, lampposts, under bridges or one specific wall.

Dose the city do something to prevent this graffiti such as have anti graffiti seats in tram and rail carts.

If a city doesn’t have graffiti why is that? Are punishments so harsh that no one dares or are things allowed elsewhere so no one bothers or is it covered up as soon as it’s thrown up?

Dose the city install public works of art? And if so for what purpose? Public art is usually political in some form or another, be it from a statue to commemorate some historical event or another statue to be an ego bust to a certain people in political power or as a pice to try appease one group or another. It can also be used to hide things that the city dose not want it’s citizens paying attention too. Either in a benign way such as hiding vents or utility wires from view or more malicious things like Anti-vagrancy architecture hidden as “art”.

Dose the city encourage certain kinds of graffiti in certain places. Think street art vs graffiti Tags. Or the before mention news walls in Pompeii.

Is some graffiti seen as vulgar while other kinds of graffiti are tolerable or even encouraged?

What is the legal punishment for graffiti, if any?

Is some graffiti seasonal? Such as graffiti that occurs during certain festivals. For example beads caught in things after Mardi Gras or toilet paper during Halloween.

Do cities see vandalism in the same light as graffiti or are they viewed in a different way?

Is morality ascribed to graffiti? Is it seen as a symbol the degradation of civilization or is it just an active that is seen as fun? Is it something in between?

- how dose the graffiti interact with the citizens?

Is graffiti used in political messaging? Who in your world or city tends to use it that way?

Dose graffiti contain hate speech? Are there other groups who go around covering up the other groups messaging?

What groups tend to make what certain graffiti and who is the other group that tries to cover it up? Is it a gang? A secret society? A political activist group? A cult? Or just a group of petty artist trying to one up each-other?

Dose advertisement interact with graffiti? In example posters that advertise an event or painted art and words on a cross walk advertising a local concert.

Do people steal posters or graffiti when they can? Are there collectors of graffiti or is it seen as only something vulgar?

For example Alphonse mucha the most recognizable artist in the art nouveau movement did a lot of work in advertising. The main form his advertisement took was posters. I have heard that these posters where stollen at such a high rate it was difficult to actually get the advertisement out… though that may have been for an other artist. I also know some people who steal advertisement posters.

Are there any famous graffiti artists or is it an anonymous work for fear of harsh legal action.

How much attention do the average person walking the street notice the graffiti or pay attention too it?

Is there a specific pice or tag that everyone in the city knows about or is especially well known for one reason or another. Like wings painted on a city wall.

Is there a certain graffiti that is found in multiple cities or even travels to multiple countries.

In example; Kilroy was here, a small pice of ww2 graffiti that is still making its was across the world.

(I will not be confirming or denying if I have added to the collections of world wide Kilroys)

Is there graffiti that a person from one city in your setting wouldn’t recognize as graffiti if they traveled to another city?

Are there certain areas of the city that has more graffiti than others? Is there a city district know for its murals or a famous ally or street. Or something seen as a curiosity like the island of dolls in Mexico City.

Is there a certain group of people in your world known for a specific type of graffiti? If so why do they make this graffiti?

Is there religious graffiti? Either invoking or dameing one group or another?

Is religious motifs used in graffiti?

Is there graffiti involving superstitions?

For example (blue) bottles hung up in order to trap spirits, copper coins wedged into wood to ward against good luck. Pices of paper tacked to walls or posts with the wishes of the citizens.

What about public memorials? Do people make small plaques or remembrance? Do people create make-shift shrines? Have candle lit vigils? Or paint a mural? Do different communities in the city grive different ways?

How do the different cultures of your world, especially those living in any given city influences the kinds of graffiti found there? Do the patterns and styles of art change depending on what culture is more dominant in any given area of the city?

What kind of vibe dose the cities graffiti give? Is it chill and relaxed? Is it rebellious and provocative? Is it artistic and hopefully? Is it desperate and territorial? Hostile and hateful? Helpful and fun? Dose the over all vide of the graffiti change from one city district to another or is the city rather harmonious in its cloterr?

After all a sticker for a favored sports team slapped on a sighn post has a very different vibe from a sigh post littered with bullet holes.

-is there magical graffiti?

If you have a magic system, would people use it to make graffiti? Would there be something unique about graffiti made using the magic system?

Is there enchanted graffiti that changes and moves? Graffiti that looks different for everyone who sees it? Paintings of laughing women, chalk fish that swim on sidewalks or tags that translate themselves into many languages?

Can graffiti be organic in nature? Living pods and biological bits used as gag inducing decoration or bones hung up carved in runes? Sculpture made of feathers and fur.

Are magic users used to get rid of graffiti? Or are they the ones who make the most graffiti?

Is it used as protective wards? As a way to put a curse on someone?

And so much more!

As I mentioned I am no expert in graffiti, I don’t even know a lot about it.

But I hope I could at least make you consider about thinking of the very small details of your world, the slight and insignificant.

[r0ttkins]

It was mainly to better test my new warm brown ecolins, ofc while the lectures on academy. Tbh I still need many other colors to be fully happy but ecolins had the best formulas and are not as invasive on other pages and irritating for me by smell than for example pro markers that I just go bonkers cuz MY GOD Usopp has some color finally. Even if I suck in coloring, what ever. Viva random entering the art shop and zoning out between trying to remember why I even got there and remembering that I do need more things to draw with.

Also I try to find good palette for that revolutionary Usopp design of mine lol.

They called Usopp's nose stupid btw and it is related to one thing I work on 🫠

[blogmusicz]

Creating the video with some example frames

This is my process of making my final video. For this i used premiere pro again to export all of the individual frames . I tried to choose videos and make the frames slower when exporting these ones as the videos i used in the first test were very fast and i need some longer ones to balance it out for the viewers. I printed these frames on a4 by mistake at first which was very frustrating but i overcome this issues, i had an idea to rip and collage the small frames on top of the big ones to create new textures and visuals within the outcome. I used this technique mainly for the indie band ones and where there is a particular viewing point eg the collage made the rapper stand out above the crowd on this bit. But i also playing around with order so it could have some reversing and some forward parts overlayed. This created more texture and vibes of the music more. I used oil pastel , collage bits from nmes , charcoal and stanley knife and acrylic paint this time to add more experiment visuals.

For the metal band scene i used a lot of scrapping marks to create the texture of roughness of the atmosphere but in contrast for the female bass player i chose oil pastel to emphasise the calmness of the music. I used paint splotches to show energy through heat spots and colours in relation to the energy. In the crowd video i used the posca markers in a different way rather than outlining as i feel there’s already enough of that but also it took away the detail of the musicians itself. I splashed the paint on to the frames which looks more interesting but communicates ideas of busyness And magical atmosphere of the gig. I believe these scenes went way better than the original. I scanned the frames in and then exported them to procreate . This time i exported as pngs at 400dpi (last time 200dpi) and this meant the quality was a lot better this time too Rather than the last ones.i blended both the tests from video 1 to this one too and i think they work really well together. I arranged the videos back onto premixer pro to edit. I am overall happy with this animation and i think the oil paint animated parts worked well too but i am not fully happy with the way the video flows and lack of effects . This is something i need to develop better and the same with sound design.

I chose this punk soundtrack to overlay but i felt it was too much and i need something calmer slightly. Please look on my blog and YouTube for tests and development also putting all of my findings and mixed media made my

Sound link:https://youtu.be/Xip-iSKLUeo?si=I0WWczvkyOMxloWD

Without sound - https://youtu.be/5-FepL524Uk?si=-ZR0smGJfaQk_PRY

With sound - https://youtu.be/D5G8PzrpLDw?si=NOXzO5YD1e5Yt8kR

[iconicfitnessae]

What is the IDEAL burpee approach for YOU? How to Boost Your Movement Economy and Achieve New Heights

Pros and cons of different burpee variations – Burpees are mainly used as a full-body calisthenics workout that aims to build muscle-endurance and strength-endurance in both your lower and upper body. A standard burpee exercise targets mainly the muscles in your legs, hips, buttocks, abdomen, arms, chest, and shoulders. Using burpees as an assessment tool is a very useful way of discovering new weaknesses and performance markers.

Burpees as a test

Burpees can be more than just a full body exercise. I personally use burpees with my clients for 2 main reasons:

1 – Economy of movement – having the control to breathe and move correctly rep after rep as the heart rate increases, is a great way to conserve energy and teach clients about the economy of movement. I’ve used the 7 min burpee tests with a few of my clients and their earliest results were around 50 burpees in 7 min. Those same clients can now push 90-100 burpees in 7 min without major changes in body weight.

2 – Working capacity in specific considerations in training – I mainly have 2 types of clients, 1- the client that wants to lose unwanted body fat, improve their overall body composition. 2- clients who have performance goals in either CrossFit, Triathlons, marathon running, cycle events or team sport while recovering from training niggles, recurring injuries or persistent long term injuries. Both sets of clients can be tested every 8-10 weeks on a 3 / 7 min burpee tests. This test pushes them far enough to assess their working capacity in a test where the whole body is required in a own body weighted setting without additional equipment. This test does so repeating the same movement over and over again and requires them to perform outside their comfort zone. Getting used to being uncomfortable brings out the ‘best’ in people.

What is the ideal burpee approach for YOU?

I propose 3 variations:

Normal / fast / aggressive:

This is the burpee as we know it. The version where we go all out and see how many you can do in a short amount of time. This is the one where people usually cheat on their movement by not completing a full rep or cheat on the number of burpees they claim to have completed. It’s demanding, taxing and no one’s favorite. A full rep count as having both your hips and chest on the floor and coming up to full hip extension. Many coaches add a jump because its not possible to jump correctly without fully extending the hip. If you add a jump it’s a full rep and hard to cheat that.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/TPT4fERGAXI?feature=oembed Normal burpee / fast burpee / aggressive burpee

Pros:

Great for short workouts where you have to give it your all.

Great to get as many reps as possible in a given time , preferable a short time of less than 3 min.

Cons:

Incredibly taxing on the arms and shoulders due to you needing to catch yourself and your full weight coming down on the ground. It’s also very taxing because the faster you move the more oxygen you are sending to the working muscles. The entire purpose is to work as fast as possible but this means you burn out quick.

2. Paced / gentle:

This version still requires you to complete a full rep with chest and hips touching the floor and coming up into a fully extended way. Notice how I’m falling with less effort onto my hand. This dramatically decreases the eccentric load on my arms and shoulders therefore pacing my efforts and enabling me to do more burpees in the long run.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/kzexxHsZwjc?feature=oembed Paced burpee / gentle burpee/ step in burpee

Pros:

Ideal for setting up a large amount of burpees where max burpees are required over periods longer than 3 min. In some cases 7 min where pacing and the amount of burpees per minute and maintained over a period of time is essential.

Cons  :

Your burpee count here per minute is much lower than the fast and aggressive burpee. Although you can do more reps over time you simply cannot match the number of burpees per minute vs a fast burpee.

3. Low risk / rehab specific:

This is a very handy version to specific exercise considerations. I use this version for clients who have a history of lower back issues, knee and hip considerations. Notice how one leg is always straight , this is typically the leg or joint that has specific considerations and the amount of flexion to extension need to be limited. Keeping 1 leg straight also lessen the strain on the SI joint in the hip and lower back area and helps the lower back remain straighter than normal burpees where constant flexion to extension is not ideal and leads to further irritation of the joint.

Pros:

It’s a great version to test clients with consideration how their working capacity if coming on during later phases of rehab. It also a great way to test and push clients with considerations a bit further who are used to doing burpees and feel they want to get back into it.

Cons:

Its very slow, but for these clients that’s a good thing, its still challenging and a very handy version.

Norms for testing the 3 / 7 min burpee tests

Over the past decade I’ve used these norms to test hundreds of client’s working capacity in either a 3 min for beginner / intermediate / specific training considerations and 7 min versions for the more advanced and elite athletes. These markers provide insights into the performance and state of my clients and provides a good base for you to compare your number with others.

Compare your test scores with the table once you have completed either the 3 min or 7 min burpee test with the burpee variation of your choice. This will give you an indication of where your current abilities lie. I’ve seen a massive performance carry over from this test to other short-medium performance based test especially in CrossFit. I recommend retesting after 10 to 12 weeks and compare your stats with your 1st attempt. The goal is to move up in a performance ranking every 3 months.

Click this link if you want to join Coach Hannes’ 12-week Body Transformation Program.

[paulkellyiaatpa]

Vitamin K Could Help With Lung Health

A new study suggests that people who have low levels of vitamin K also have less healthy lungs. They are more likely to report having asthma, COPD and wheezing. Vitamin K (found in leafy green vegetables) may boost lung health.

New Study on Vitamin K

Researchers recruited more than 4,000 participants, ages 24 to 77.

Study participants underwent lung function testing, which measures the amount of air a person can breathe out in one second (forced expiratory volume or FEV1) and the total volume of air they can breathe in one forced breath (forced vital capacity or FVC).

Participants also gave blood samples and answered questionnaires on their health and lifestyle. The blood tests included a marker of low levels of vitamin K in the blood.

People with markers of low vitamin K levels had lower FEV1 and lower FVC on average.  

The study was published in “ERJ Open Research.”

Vitamin K and Your Body

You typically get enough vitamin K through food, occurring mainly in plant-based foods.

Vitamin K plays a role in:

Blood clotting: Vitamin K assists with the blood clotting process. It makes four of the 13 proteins needed for blood clotting. Blood clots stop your injuries or wounds from bleeding so they can heal.

Bone health: Vitamin K strengthens bones. It does this by helping make osteocalcin, which helps prevent low bone density.

What IAA has to Say

Insurance Administrator of America is here to keep you informed in the world of health. IAA wants you to think about adding some green to that dinner plate!

[lusciakoushiro]

March

I think I have mentiones this before, that during my down time at the office I draw at my desk. Well after posting Love Eternal I couldn't get the desire to draw Shiro and Keith dancing out of my head. It's honestly the first time I have wanted to draw something from my own fic, so I knew I had something special, at least in my eyes.

I don't remember exactly when I started going down the rabbit hole of art YouTube, but I remember binging a lot of Moriah Elizabeth's videos, mainly dollar store makeover and art things to do when your bored; when I saw she made her own pins and charms. And what did she use? Shrinky Dinks aka shrink plastic. I was absolutely floored when I heard Shrinky Dinks because I totally remembered these from when I was a kid, but back then (this could have been just my local shops) Shrinky Dinks were just kits with stencils, colored pencils,etc and not just single sheets.

After watching her videos I searched on YouTube and saw a bunch more and went; "yes, I can make my own pins/charms! Have things of my ocs? Hells yeah!" And thanks to Moriah's videos I knew the size of paper I would need for the proper size and started tearing my scrap paper at my office to said proportion.

I set about doing a couple designs and watching a few more videos on what worked best on the plastic while keeping in mind that the colors would desaturate and become quite dark. I enjoy using alcohol markers so I wanted to try them but most of the research I did said that Sharpies were the best suited, so why not both?

Eevee was done with my alcohol markers and Hythlodaeus was done with the Sharpies. Notice some of the muddiness? I didn't figure this out till later, but that was my fine liner basically getting reactivated by the inks.

Other little designs for pins/charms got done as well, this time of my avatar/oc Luscia and what quickly became an otp for, Emet-selch and Hythlodaeus from FFXIV

And while I knew what these would be for (sorta) I couldn't help but think "how big could I go with the shrink plastic" So I did a chibi of my oc Sora as well.

Of course with that thought also came "can I make a standee with the shrink plastic". This required more research and shockingly only 2 videos popped up; one for the shrink plastic and the other for resin. The resin actually intrigued me and since I was lucky enough to get Nerdecrafter's Not Another Crap Kit I had a small thing of UV resin. The video had used 2 part resin, would UV resin work?

Yes, yes it does. Though I did make an error in doing this which I'll talk about next time. But I used this block of wood as the base because I wanted to test out a flower mold, but also because I had an interesting idea and if it worked I would use it for another project I started back in 2021.

But this was where I really amazed myself. It was only March and I had done this much? I was longing to try new materials and new techniques? I hadn't felt this way in a long time and I was more than excited to see where I would go.

[petnews2day]

Best dog DNA test 2022: Explore your dog’s heritage and health

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/pet-news/dog-news/best-dog-dna-test-2022-explore-your-dogs-heritage-and-health/

Best dog DNA test 2022: Explore your dog’s heritage and health

Dog DNA tests are more popular than ever before, and with technology and science ever evolving, they’ve become pretty sophisticated. Not only can a dog DNA test tell you which breed or breeds make up your dog’s genetics, it can also tell you which group of wolves your dog’s DNA stems from and where in the world they were from. You can unearth all manner of interesting information, such as their age in human years, how inbred your dog is, and whether they might be prone to particular health problems.

There are a few brands out there on the market right now, so we created our own little science experiment to find out which of the most popular dog DNA tests is best. Here’s what we found.

READ NEXT: The best dog trackers

Best dog DNA test: At a glance

How to choose the best dog DNA test for your pooch

Does my dog need a DNA test & how does it work?

No dog needs a DNA test, but they can be a useful and fun way to learn more about your dog – especially if you’ve got a mixed breed dog whose backstory you don’t know in detail. You’ll be able to learn their age, breed make-up and other intriguing facts about their genetic make-up and ancestry.

Dog DNA tests are harmless and don’t carry any risk for your dog. With most tests, you’ll receive a swab which you need to take samples from your dog’s mouth, and a pre-addressed envelope to send it off to the lab.

Usually, postage on the envelope is included but not all tests offer free postage from the UK. Once the swab is received, you’ll get updates about progress until the results are ready.

What sort of things can I learn in a DNA test?

Dog DNA tests can help owners of rescue dogs learn more about where their pet came from, how old it is and what sort of breeds make up its DNA. Most dog DNA tests include a breed breakdown for mixed breed dogs, an ancestry tree and information on relatives within the DNA database. Many DNA tests also include health checks, looking for up to 250 conditions or markers that could indicate your dog has health problems. This is particularly helpful for purebred dogs who are often more at risk of genetic diseases due to inbreeding. If you’re interested mainly in breed, choose a cheaper breed DNA test, but if you’d like a fuller picture of your dog’s make-up and health, choose an all-encompassing service that will give you both health and bread information.

READ NEXT: The best dog harnesses

The best dog DNA tests you can buy in 2022

1. DNA My Dog: Best budget dog DNA test

Price: $69 (£62) | Buy now from DNA My Dog

DNA My Dog is one of the original dog DNA tests. Based in Canada, DNA My Dog actually performs the testing in-house, rather than sell a test they then send off elsewhere to be analysed like some other brands do. This makes it far cheaper than most other tests, however, it’s a somewhat rudimentary experience.

The test itself has a soft swab which is good news – it won’t hurt the dog when you’re gathering the sample. But their website and results were less than satisfactory in our experience. The website is somewhat clunky and unsophisticated – like something from the early 2000s – while the results, which came back in a record two weeks, were inaccurate.

We tested this kit on a three-year-old cockapoo whose mother was a spaniel and father was a poodle, and yet nowhere in his results did it mention the spaniel breed. Instead, it included estimates for poodle, which were as expected, but also golden retriever (less than 9%) and miniature schnauzer (less than 9%). We tested this same dog with an alternative brand (the Wisdom Panel Basic test) and the results came out differently, this time including spaniel.

Results come in the form of a PDF via email, rather than a web portal, and there are no health checks done with this dog DNA test. You do get a printable certificate with a photo of your dog and their dominant breeds.

Key features – Breed test: Yes; Soft swab: Yes; Health check: No

2. Embark: The best dog DNA test for health assessments

Price: $139 (£125) | Buy now from Embark Vet

I tested Embark’s dog DNA test on a two-year-old purebred Manchester Terrier who is particularly highly strung and doesn’t enjoy being manhandled too much. Thanks to the soft swab included with the Embark kit, it wasn’t too difficult to collect a sample from his cheek and it went off to the lab fairly quickly.

Unfortunately, as Embark is very geared towards North American customers, postage isn’t included for UK customers. Results were around a week slower to come back compared with other brands, but once they did it was a fascinating insight into my dog’s health.

The report is incredibly thorough and confirmed that my dog is 100% Manchester Terrier. It also had an extensive report on his health, which picked up a gene that could change how his liver function is presented when tested. This wasn’t picked up in other DNA tests done on the same dog, so this health assessment may be more reliable and thorough than the Wisdom Panel check.

Another great thing about Embark is that you can send health reports directly to your veterinarian through the results portal, and download the full detailed report as a PDF. Embark offers a number of different DNA tests for dogs, including breed and health tests, gut health tests, age tests and breed-only tests.

Key features – Breed test: Yes; Soft swab: Yes; Health check: Yes

3. Wisdom Panel Essential: The best dog DNA test for mixed breed dogs

Price: $80 (£72) | Buy now from Wisdom Panel

The Wisdom Panel dog DNA tests offer an incredibly slick experience, from their slim packaging that’ll easily go through the letterbox to the swish website and results portal that offers detailed insight into your pet’s DNA.

Wisdom Panel claims to be 98% accurate and, having used three of their tests with great success, I was impressed by how specific their breed identification was – especially compared with the DNA My Dog test which incorrectly identified the same dog as part golden retriever. Wisdom Panel found five breeds within the three-year-old cockapoo’s DNA, including two types of poodle and three types of spaniel. It also found extended family from Baxter’s line of dogs, including a two-year-old cavapoo called Lily.

The Essential test also looks for 29 conditions that could affect the dog’s health. This found no issues in his DNA, and it recommends an ideal weight for his type of breed.

The major drawback of this DNA test is the swab, which has a metal end with bristles a little bit like a pipe cleaner, which was uncomfortable for the dog to have against his gums when collecting the sample. If your dog is tolerant, though, ultimately this is a largely reliable and interesting DNA test for if you want to learn a little more about them.

Key features – Breed test: Yes; Soft swab: No; Health check: Yes

[kyjust]

Daymap aphs

#DAYMAP APHS UPDATE#

Clicking on a blue marker will displayĪ window containing the corresponding directions step. Segment, and each blue marker designates where a directions step is happening. Each red marker with a letter in it represents a destination and the end of one route Which contains the destination name, distance to destination, and time to destination for each route segment, along A directions panel pops up after a route has been created, The route is displayed when the user clicks "Route". On the right there is a destination list panel where the user can select the destinations they'd like When the Map page initially loads, it geolocates the user and displays a window showing the user their current Know that their selection has been added to their Destination List. When aĭestination is selected and the "Add to Destination List" button is clicked, an alert is shown letting the user Matching their selected city and roughly matching their text input appear on the search results page. When a user searches for a destination using the search bar in the upper right hand corner, a list of destinations To the right of the profile picture and username are the user'sĭestinations they have already added to their Destination List, sorted by city and arranged by alphabetical order La descripción de Daymap Starting Term 3 2020, this application will be replaced by 'Daymap Mobile', an all new mobile app for connecting to your Schools Daymap.

#DAYMAP APHS UPDATE#

The user profile includes a profile picture that, when hovered over by the mouse, displays a modal that can beĬlicked on to update the user's profile picture. Usando la aplicación de APKPure para actualizar Daymap, rápido, gratis y ahorra datos de Internet. Important Terms of Service that must be viewed and agreed to before a user account can be created. Includes a toggle button that allows the user to either view or hide their password. The signup and login pages both feature a video of the Golden Gate Bridge as the background. Server routes are tested using the Python unittest module. The map is built using the Google Maps Directions API and displayed using the Google Maps JavaScript API. The front end templating uses Jinja2, the HTML was built using mainly CSS with a little Bootstrap, and the JavaScript uses jQuery and AJAX to interact with the backend. TechnologiesĭayMap is an app built on a Flask server with a PostgreSQL database, with SQLAlchemy as the ORM. Learn more about the developer on LinkedIn. About the DeveloperĭayMap was created by Ellen Lawrence. This lets users figure out the order in which they should visit each sight they had planned for a day on vacation, and also provides them with step by step directions for each leg of their customized route. DayMap is a vacation day-planning site that allows users to search for and select sights they would like to visit in various cities across the U.S., and then creates and displays the most efficient route from the user’s location passing through each sight and ending back at the user's original location.

[mcrmadness]

Teaching myself more about drawing techniques was definitely a double-edged sword.

Pros: I know how to draw photorealistically now.

Cons: It's very boring to draw, in the end; and seeing art videos that blow other people's minds just doesn't do it for me anymore. Simply because I already know what it's going to look like, and what techniques they use to make it look realistic. Most of these videos start when the midtones are already in place, and it's always the shadows and highlights that make the finished piece to stand out.

Like. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, I guess. I actually find it hard to find what to do next to keep my art interesting and entertaining enough for me to do. I'm constantly trying to find new mediums and methods to use so that it would be something new and different and not always the same old from start to finish.

Every time I make a pencil drawing, and if I'm happy with how it looks like, I will feel good about it. But only for a short while, until the "but what now?" mood hits. That's when I just feel like what I do is waste of time, especially if there was nothing new to learn. And I'm afraid of not finding new stuff to learn. I don't want to master anything because then it all will be so boring, but I learn so fast that I have to constantly switch mediums so that I can keep learning because doing something I already "mastered" is just BORING AF. I love my comics, tho, because with them I will never be ready and they'll keep evolving until I start drawing them. I have minor learning processes every time I start drawing those, so they are much more pleasant for me to WORK WITH vs. photorealistic drawings with mediums I already know how to use as those are mainly just about the technique and not whatever the drawing is about.

I hate it that it took me exactly 1 drawing to do a photorealistic drawing with ProMarkers to really master the markers. Working with them is still lots of fun for different reasons, but it just sucks that there's nothing for me to learn anymore. Same with graphite pencils. Nothing really to learn anymore. Also already figured out watercolours with just a couple of sketches, one test drawing and one proper drawing. It's still quite new for me so I'll be having fun with that one for some time to come, tho.

And right now I'm already considering making something from silk clay despite being really bad at handicrafts. But I just wanna try something new and different and LEARN THINGS all the time.

[seesboy]

traditional art is simultaneously a million times easier than digital art yet fucks me over so much more. anyways my first formal contribution to the saw community

[larkart]

Out of context twdg ocs

[cage-cat-yt]

Testing out my alcoholic markers

I tested my new alcohol markers today and I really like them. Though I'll have to figure out color scheme colors for characters since some colors I'm not happy with that much (mainly Jack Walten, he feels very dark compared to my digital colors for him). But I still love how it turned out, and plan on doing more to cope with stuff

Anyway, thanks for reading! Remember to hydrate and I hope you have a good day :)

[labarch]

Witch Hats and Prejudice Part II

<-- Part I

Olruggio, my love, my man, I’m sorry your proposal to Qifrey in chapter 40 didn’t go as you hoped, let’s sit down and discuss your workaholism, temper issues and saviour complex, yes? Yes. It’s couple therapy time at last, we’ll have a look at Qifrey and Olruggio’s relationship and at chapter 40 in particular through the following points:

-Panelling in the Orufrey conversation in chapter 40

-Prejudice and power imbalance in Qifrey and Olruggio’s interactions

-Help as a collaboration between equals (spoiler: they haven’t made it to that stage yet)

-What Olruggio wants from Qifrey

 Panelling in the Orufrey conversation in chapter 40

The conversation in chapter 40 is never framed as a happy reunion. If we reuse the analysis of the panels from Coco and Qifrey’s conversation I made in my previous post, we find the same markers of unease between Olruggio and Qifrey. Most of the panels are narrow, and get darker and darker as night falls. Qifrey and Olruggio rarely share a panel, and even when they do, they rarely make direct eye contact: Qifrey looks down, or Olruggio walks away from him, or they are curled in on themselves or standing on a slope at different eye level. For a while Qifrey is up in the air and mostly talking to himself. Oh yeah, and there’s a hat that gets in the way at some point.

It gives the sense that they are having two separate conversations, and that they never truly achieve the connection that we saw between Qifrey and Coco. On top of that, while the conversation is supposed to be about comforting Qifrey and earning his trust, Olruggio never manages to get a smile out of him, except for wobbly, miserable little grimaces. So what’s going through both of their heads, and why are they failing to meet halfway?

The chapter has an outward pull to it. The scene takes place on a slope that leads away from the atelier. The chapter opens with a herd of dragons flying away and into the night. Then Qifrey takes flight to look into the distance, while giving a very contradictory speech about how fulfilling yet dull his life is here, how happy yet trapped in an illusion he feels. He has to hold on to his cape as it flaps in the wind. It brings those dragons back to mind, like they are a metaphor for the side of him that wishes to escape. Qifrey’s migration season is just starting folks, it’s a confusing time for him okay.

In contrast to Qifrey looking ahead into a dark wilderness, Olruggio in this chapter is almost always looking back. He walks away from Qifrey to talk to him over his shoulder, or he looks back towards the atelier. In the only scene where he faces Qifrey full-on, the past is so present on his mind that he de-ages them both. It’s interesting, because it adds a caveat to his pledge of listening to everything Qifrey has to say: he is not so much trying to adapt to Qifrey’s new situation as he is trying to bring them back to the childhood stage of their friendship, when they were always together and kept no secret.

This whole looking ahead / looking back dichotomy brings me back to the mentality of the Great Hall, a society obsessed with keeping itself in an insulated bubble, wrapping itself in good intentions and noble ideals, and ignoring its own inner darkness and complexity. Qifrey, because of his inability to be content and stay in place, threatens that delicate balance. That sends the other witches around him into such a state of panic and outrage that even those who genuinely love him end up lashing out at him with uncharacteristic brutality.

Prejudice and power imbalance in Qifrey and Olruggio’s interactions

I have described in my previous post how vicious and oddly personal Beldaruit got in his attacks against Qifrey in chapter 36, but you can make the same case for Olruggio, especially since the two scenes run in parallel. There is something excessive about the violence with which Olruggio confronts his friend. For one, he is choosing a hell of a time to do it: the girls are safe, there is no urgency to press Qifrey for answers right this instant – except if he is hoping to shock Qifrey into honesty while he’s disoriented. Qifrey has just woken up from a three-day coma; he is half-naked in a place Olruggio knows worsens his nightmares; his scar is exposed; he is half-blind because Olruggio has taken his glasses; Olruggio is literally an angry dark blob looming over him. I’ve often heard it say that Qifrey is manipulative towards Olruggio, but in return Olruggio isn’t above using intimidation tactics against him, consciously or not.

There is also the staggering lack of empathy of the approach: what started this whole thing is that Olruggio learnt about Qifrey’s impending blindness. And his knee-jerk reaction was to attack Qifrey about it. Like, um, my dude, your friend almost died, he is going to go blind and lose his job, you wanna try being sensitive about it? (Note that Qifrey running after the Brimhats didn’t trouble Olruggio that much at first: after his interview with the Knights Moralis he is mainly concerned with “getting his story straight with Qifrey”; it’s only later on, when we see him staring at the glasses he’s just repaired, that he starts voicing his doubts about Qifrey’s intentions). He may be right to suspect that Qifrey is hiding things from him, but there’s a pretty big leap between “you are keeping secrets” and “you are wilfully using your own child as bait”.

This whole suspicious climate, that makes Olruggio jump straight to the ugliest conclusion possible, is once again a feature of the Great Hall mentality. The mind of a person who has been in contact with forbidden magic is forever corrupt, and his actions are forever suspect. Had Qifrey been anyone else, he would probably have been given the benefit of the doubt for losing track of his students while he was, you know, extremely concussed and suffering from blood loss. Interestingly, Olruggio’s concern – whether, when faced with a chance to go after the Brimhats, Qifrey would choose his quest over his students’ safety – is addressed as early as chapter 22: after an instinctive movement to rush into danger, Qifrey pulls himself back and takes measures to keep Coco and Tetia safe, and even plans to call Olruggio and the Knights Moralis as reinforcements to help rescue the others. Then he gets hit in the head by a giant snake golem, and the rest is history.

In general, Beldaruit’s and Olruggio’s accusations that Qifrey is using Coco as bait without caring for her wellbeing just don’t hold up. First, all the attacks by the Brimhats so far have occurred in completely mundane, teaching-related settings with other adults present (at the stationary shop, or during an exam), so pushing blame onto Qifrey clearly comes from prejudice rather than evidence. Second, if Qifrey’s sole aim was to get clues on the Brimhats, he would pressure Coco into taking the Librarian test as early as possible, but we keep seeing the opposite: he encourages her to take breaks and to enjoy her training rather than be laser-focused on her goals. Hilariously, out of the two tests Coco passed so far, Qifrey gave his approval for none, thinking it was too early for her (extra-hilariously, Beldaruit is the one who speed-ran Coco through her second test). I’m just saying, if Olruggio hasn’t noticed any of this and can’t take it in consideration before bringing out the accusations and threats, maybe he’s not doing that good a job as a Watchful Eye.  

Another thing about this climate of suspicion, added to the power imbalance between Qifrey and Olruggio, is that it prevents them from having a healthy fight. Olruggio invokes his duties as Watchful Eye to berate Qifrey whenever he steps out of line, but when Olruggio lets his temper carry him too far and misuses his own power (when he drags Coco out to the Knights Moralis even though she had already been officially accepted as an apprentice in volume 2, or when he accuses Qifrey of using Coco as bait in volume 7 without proof), Qifrey never criticises him for doing so. It’s not that he is shy about speaking up to power – he is more than happy to yell at Beldaruit and Easthies when they mistreat his students. But when it comes to Olruggio, Qifrey is compelled to shoulder as much blame as he can, and seems almost afraid of saying anything negative to him.

It would have been justified for Qifrey to start chapter 40 by getting mad at Olruggio for his earlier accusations: Olruggio had been insensitive, unhelpful and completely out of line. But instead Qifrey pretty much encourages Olruggio to attack him again: from his “I thought you might be mad at me” to frantically denying that Olruggio might have ever done anything wrong. In return, there is something defensive in Olruggio’s delivery during the “I’m angry that I wasn’t someone you could trust” segment: he walks away from Qifrey as he gives the non-apology, and it comes out sandwiched between criticisms of Qifrey for being reckless and a long speech of Olruggio praising himself, and how everything would be alright if only Qifrey behaved himself and relied on him more. It’s an issue that this old distribution of roles is so well-entrenched between them, with Olruggio as the golden student and Qifrey as the eternal problem child.

Qifrey’s exaggerated gentleness and praise towards Olruggio participates in the feeling of wrongness that weighs on chapter 40. The memory erasure scene is framed like a kiss, and Qifrey keeps complimenting him even after sending him into an unnatural sleep. It would come across as condescending and manipulative, except for how fervently Qifrey seems to want to believe that Olruggio is perfect, and that any dysfunction in their relationship has to come from him.

Qifrey, focused as he is on his own dark secrets, is utterly unwilling to see any darkness in Olruggio. It makes sense when you consider that Qifrey has also been absorbing the prejudices of the Great Hall: he thinks very little of himself, and has probably been looking up to Olruggio as a moral compass ever since Olruggio took him under his wing as a child. He must also comfort himself with the thought that, when/if his quest drags him away from the atelier, Olruggio will be a perfect teacher for the girls. Having to come to terms with Olruggio’s flaws must be terrifying to him. But what about Olruggio’s perspective in all this?

Olruggio is an example of how even those who materially benefit from an elitist, close-minded society are damaged by it in some way. He grew up in the Great Hall as a bright-eyed, idealistic genius, and even as an adult he clings to the principles of that society like a mantra: “bring the blessings of magic to the people”. He is successful and respected by his peers, popular with the nobles and well-liked among the commoners. Yet somewhere along the way he became a ragged, workaholic hermit.

I have mentioned in previous posts that I suspect Olruggio of grappling with his own, deep-seated fear of being unwanted and left behind. He betrays that fear in the way he is attacking Qifrey: his concerns about Qifrey’s treatment of Coco aren’t based on evidence, and underneath that veneer he is mostly complaining that Qifrey is neglecting him. “Be straight with me”, “Don’t lie to me”, “You wouldn’t even tell me about it”, “You took her as a student without a word to me first”. There again, Olruggio is being a bit hazy on how far his influence goes as Watchful Eye: from what we know, Watchful Eyes are meant to ensure that students don’t get mistreated, but they don’t get a say in who teaches whom: it’s the disciples who choose their masters. Olruggio grumbling about Qifrey adopting more and more children behind his back is cute when we treat them as a couple. But from the perspective of their professional relationship, Olruggio is claiming the right to veto Qifrey’s students and take them away from him without any evidence of abuse.

The problem is that Olruggio is very bad at expressing his feelings without using his job, and therefore his authority, as a crutch. It’s endearing when he uses it to explain away his gifts to the girls (“I just want them to test a prototype”) or his marks of affection and care (“Drying your hair so you don’t catch a cold is part of my duties as Watchful Eye!”). However, it adds a layer of threat to his arguments with Qifrey, because he is constantly dangling that authority over his head, even when he is urging Qifrey to trust him. In his more agitated moments, it turns into a one-man good-cop / bad-cop performance (“Step out of line and I’ll report you” / “Why won’t you confide in me? I’m your best friend!”). Sure, he is willing to side with Qifrey against the Knights Moralis when he deems it appropriate, but here’s the catch: Olruggio gets to decide where the line in the sand lies, and that line seems to shift depending on how hot his temper is flaring at any given time.

It’s no wonder their conversation lends them in a dead-end when it is so one-sided. Thourghout the manga, and in volume 8 in particular, the author explores the idea that help should be a collaborative effort between equals, that encourages both parties to grow and learn more about themselves. Trying to unilaterally “save” someone is almost guaranteed to miss the mark and come across as condescending; it might even cause further harm.

Help as a collaboration between equals

Therefore, Qifrey and Olruggio can’t really come to any connection unless they make it clear that they are helping each other, not just endlessly acting out their roles as the golden student who knows all the right answers, and the problem child who must be saved from himself.

Aside from the framing, help as an equivalent exchange is the other key difference between chapter 40 and Qifrey and Coco’s dialogue earlier in the volume. In order to counter Coco’s doubts and growing self-hatred, Qifrey reinforces everything he admires about Coco: from her social skills and capacity for teamwork to her practical skills and her straight lines. He reminds her of all the things that she achieved so far. He also strongly hints that her fight is his fight, too, and that they should hold onto hope for each other’s sake. Finally, he makes a (pretty dramatic, unnecessarily literal and definitely unsafe, but still awesome) leap of faith by letting her decide what direction she wants to take next. His support isn’t conditional on Coco making the “right” choice, but freely offered. In return, Coco makes a display of saving Qifrey as well, saying she wants him right by her side while she figures out her path. The rescue itself is symbolic (it would actually have been safer for Qifrey to go back on his own), but Qifrey’s gratitude is genuine, because Coco made him feel valued, irreplaceable, just as Beldaruit and Olruggio were making him doubt his place as a teacher.

By contrast, Olruggio’s speech of friendship contains a grand total of ONE compliment, served in such a back-handed way that it sounds almost like a warning: “To Coco, you are a good teacher, so don’t betray that trust”. This is weighted against a slurry of criticisms about Qifrey’s recklessness, and heaps of self-praise. Olruggio is making a case for why Qifrey needs help and why Olruggio is best-qualified to deliver that help, like he is making a sales pitch to a client. It’s probably not a coincidence that Olruggio is remembering his successful bout of diplomacy in chapter 39 as he gears himself for his conversation with Qifrey. Olruggio, look, I get that you have more faith in your professional persona than in your regular self, but you can’t talk to your best friend like you are doing customer service, it just doesn’t work that way.

The help that Olruggio offers leaves no room for Qifrey’s input: once Qifrey has confided everything and laid himself bare, Olruggio will pick apart “where he needs the help” and “when he is about to do something stupid”, and either support or stop him as he judges appropriate. It reinforces Qifrey’s inferiority complex and interiorised guilt, by implying that his moral compass can’t be trusted. It also places the blame for Qifrey’s rash actions solely on his lack of judgement, rather than on having to grapple with complex, life-threatening situations and being caught in a pincer between a terrorist group and an oppressive system. There’s no mention that the definition of what’s “lawful” and “responsible” and “just” has gotten a bit messed up lately, and that Olruggio himself has had to compromise with his duties to cover for the kids. Olruggio fakes confidence in his capacity to fix everything, and pretends that things can go back to the way they were, but it would have been more honest of him to ask Qifrey to work with him so they can form a united front to face their new, complex reality.

Instead, by claiming that he is helping Qifrey out of a sense of duty, as Watchful Eye and as a friend, Olruggio reinforces the feeling that Qifrey is a burden to him. This gives Qifrey more incentive to keep his friend away from his investigations, and to see himself as expendable. In that light, since their friendship brings Olruggio so much trouble and so few benefits, betraying him and stealing the memories that relate to Qifrey’s secrets start to look like the lesser evil.

The only way that the conversation in chapter 40 could have gone well is if they both freely admitted to needing each other. However, it is too early in Olruggio’s character arc to be honest about his own feelings and worries. And it is too early in Qifrey’s character arc to see past his own self-loathing and recognize that his “perfect” friend also needs support and guidance. Yet, when they do, it is hinted that Olruggio can draw inspiration from Qifrey, and help Qifrey in a more meaningful way by highlighting how Qifrey matters to him, letting them reach this stage of true collaboration.

What Olruggio wants from Qifrey

I think Olruggio is repressing a sense of disillusionment about his work, the fairness of the system, and his usefulness as a witch. We see glimpses of his anxiety in chapter 39 notably. While he says that his true role is to help the commoners, circumstances keep reminding him that like it or not, his main function is decorative. He gets dragged in on short notice to be yanked around by petty nobles and arrange light shows at weddings; he has to act in secret to help the destitute, and even then can only do so much before the rules of magic society get in his way. So far he manages to keep his head above water, using his talent for diplomacy and showmanship to keep the nobles appeased, and finding small, creative ways to help commoners without breaking any law. But it leaves him with the feeling of being trapped in an increasingly constraining role, and is slowly pushing him towards a burn out.

He seems to feel a kinship with princess Mia, who like him is used as a tool in petty squabbles between nobles. He even metaphorically puts himself in her shoes: after likening her situation to being trapped in the spotlight in a dance she doesn’t want, he applies the same metaphor to himself and his inability to act outside the narrow constraints of witch rules, of being constantly watched and judged. And then, adorably enough, Olruggio actually brings Qifrey into the metaphor. He muses that Qifrey, who has gone against established rules before, might be the key to escaping that dance.

For all that the “problem child” / “star student” dichotomy has been weighing on Olruggio and Qifrey and warping their friendship, there is a flip side to it as well. As a prodigy who always pressures himself to perform perfectly (to the point where he will work himself to a zombie-like state and then hide behind a mask to look perfect and pristine in front of his clients at parties, Olruggio no), Qifrey provides a chance at escapism. For all that he berates him for causing trouble, Olruggio seems to fondly remember their old adventures. It’s possible that he valued the opportunity to do rebellious, forbidden things without having to jeopardise his reputation. His fear of being left behind by Qifrey is then also a fear of losing his hope that, when the pressure of being the perfect witch becomes too much to bear, Qifrey will be there to break him free.

In summary, Olruggio wants Qifrey to be his rebellious prince who breaks him free from the ballroom, and we respect him for it. Qifrey had his reasons for not being able to confide in him, and they both have a lot of character development to do before they can reach a stage of actual collaboration and trust. But I don’t dispute that taking his memories was a dick move. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.  

[joyfulness03]

I wrote this whole thing once already and tumblr deleted it so! Fuck me i guess! Sorry if this is less detailed 😔 

Anyways it’s orange! I try to do each of them justice but every time i look at him my brain goes ‘hee hoo funny little man’ so prepare for this one to be a little shitposty- Maybe more shitposty than spamton honestly. Don’t have a name for orange yet either so i’ll come back to that.

Orange Goner_Addison

-The deal-

Okay so, I have a lot of thoughts on Orange, mainly that he is just... an absolute himbo. Complete dumbass (affectionate). The thing is, he’s still REALLY good at advertising because people (read: me) just love the heck out of him. He has one (1) braincell and it is used exclusively for sales, so when a mysterious stranger calls telling him he can get Orange ANYTHING he could ever want, for just a favor??? Absolutely sign him up, let him check those terms and conditions and he is all for it!

My other thought on Orange though, is that he is, inwardly, extremely observant. So he realizes he’s walking into a sketchy situation, but decides to ride it out anywhere and see where it takes him- abandoning ship if it starts going south. 

-The rise-

I don’t think Orange would ask [Him] for anything specific actually. I think he would kind of test the waters, see what [He] can actually do for him- and set up everything in a way where he can basically leave at any time until he fully agrees to [His] deal. It starts off slow, with [Him] giving Orange a piece of advice that boosts his sales exponentially in a week. A good start for sure, but not enough to fully sell him. However, as the months go on, [He] starts to get him things that he could never have arranged on his own- Like interviews with top fashion designers such as the Swatchlings or even Swatch himself, or sponsorship deals with crafting companies who want to enable his creative clothing designs. This is when Orange finally decides that [He] is worth trusting in, and immediately he starts to help out [Him] however he can as a repayment for waiting so long. 

The problem with this slow and gradual increase is that none of the other addisons notice that something is wrong. Orange was always the best at picking up small things like nonverbal cues when something was up with the others, so with him distracted, no one notices anything is wrong until it’s far too late. In fact, the other addisons are overjoyed! If anyone was going to make it big, they always figured it would be either Pink or Orange, so it doesn’t seem unusual- not to mention, Orange is more prosperous, has more time for is passions, and generally just happier than he’s ever been before!  Unfortunately, that just makes it much worse when one of them finally realizes that something is very, very wrong.

-The fall-

It’s hard to even call it a fall, really. It’s like riding a water slide, but there’s no water in the pool. You’re having an amazing time, but before you even get the chance to look down, you’re slamming into the concrete. 

Orange is turned into a mannequin. There’s not a lot more to it than that. He can barely move- it cripples him. He can’t keep his head above water because he can’t do anything. He has four (4) joints total, two at his shoulders which move his arms, one at his hip which swivels his legs, and one at his neck that turns his head. His head and arms are white, his body is black, and his legs are blue and yellow. Being unable to craft makes it so he can’t keep up any business, so his numbers drop off the face of the earth. Thankfully, since he never fell out with his brothers, they take him in as fast as possible.

Kinda funny, he’s not wearing clothes actually. He drew them on with marker while he still had bodily autonomy. It was his favorite outfit idea, but he never got the chance to make it. He hopes one day someone will make it for him, but none of his brothers are as good at clothing as he is. Shoemaking skills don’t translate easily, unfortunately.

-After the fall-

Great news about this one is that there is no acid incident! 🎉 or at least if there was it was a complete accident and it didn’t do anything more to him than hurt a lot. He did lose his features turning into a mannequin, kind of like the AU pink, but hey hey it’s okay! He drew them back on, he’s all good! Plus he has an awesome little crown now guys! It’s okay! I’m doing great... hey, hey... it’s going to be okay, alright? I’m gonna be okay...

Orange is a lot more optimistic about his situation than his brothers are surprisingly, but it’s still difficult. It’s like discovering he has a terminal illness, or something else severe they can’t fix. The only parts of the Orange they knew that still exist are his lovable personality and the bright orange spots on his cheeks. 

Important! One perk he actually did get from this happening to him was that his magical ability increased SIGNIFICANTLY. Enough so that, if he concentrates hard enough, he can actually float himself or small objects around. So he can levitate to move himself sometimes, but it is straining.

I was thinking of what Orange’s version of the Dealmaker would be like in the event of some kind of NEO thing still taking place (which i have ideas for >:D) and basically he just gives you His Mannequin. Like, him. Since i based him off of the mannequin he sells you in the game, you LITERALLY just- Equip him. How the fuck that works no one has any goddamn clue, but it’s funny as fuck. As for what it would do, it definitely boosts your defense and magic, but i don’t know what the side effect is. He also is one of the Key Items like lancer/rouxls/starwalker, and he has fun flavor dialogue and just absolutely having a great time chilling in your pocket.

His vocal tic idea i had was that his speech kind of comes out garbled and incomprehensible sometimes, but you can just barely make out the words if you strain for it, and visually his tic dialogue looks either like scribbles or just Supremely shitty incomprehensible handwriting.

Orange: Girl help i can’t move my legs

-Pink- >Orange< -Blue- -Yellow- -Spamton- Please do not repost this thanks!

[riisinaakka-draws]

part 2/6

2nd part of my old Black Sails scraps and doodles from 2016–2021. Not in any particular order.

This time the drawings are short comics that were abandoned for a reason or another, mostly because I lost the interest or felt like there was too much to redraw compared to the satisfaction of finishing something else more interesting. There’s also some talk about rigid mindset and how overthinking can lead to stagnation.

Contains early silverflint moments, specks of dust, rackham's glasses are found, jealous-Billy spying, desk-Flint gets caught, "squint-squint", a quiet moment and its bird dilemma etc.

And please do not steal and repost elsewhere. But if you do get inspired, feel free to make your own interpretations!

Long-ish post under the cut!

“What are you thinking about?”

“Specks of dust.”

“Liar.”

The idea was to show how much they and their relationship had changed. This was around 2016 when the season 3 began and I was still re-learning to draw with a tablet. Another art from the same time period (and idea) is this art: The Dynamic Duet. 

And for some reason I was really stuck up thinking that I’d have to first do the sketch, then the clean line art, then planes underneath, then shadows etc. and I have always struggled with that kind of approach! Mainly because I hate doing clean line work, lol. And I was a fool for trying to start with a white canvas! It’s so much harder to find values and plan things, or at least in my opinion..

“Rackham’s glasses are found”

To celebrate their new pirate alliance, they share the four lenses of Rackham’s sunglasses as they were also found at the time (because I wanted it to resurface and they could be made into jewellery you know...). This was right after the episode where Anne fights and hurts her hands (here wearing protecting mittens from Max even though she’s not trusted at the moment). Uh, this doesn’t spark joy interest me much and it’s quite stiff and would recuire a lot of redrawing faces, so - discarded!  

I somewhat like the idea still (them having something to share, although it’s on Jack’s detriment). I tried to find a stylished comical easier doodlier? way to draw them and draw clean lines etc, but it just wasn’t for me. Also here too, the background is blank and too bright. Later I started to think things as scenes and draw everything at the same time instead of adding the bg later or trying to show everything (and everyone) at the same time.

Here’s also Billy in the same story:

He’s spying on them and since it’s so bright he’s wearing his diy “sunglasses” and being envious to the others. *cough* uhhh...Idk? Also people were shipping Ben Gunn (and cheese) with Billy, so that bled into this too... Charles’ spirit is riding the “big white bird” that was mentioned in Teach’ story and in this case it’s a pelican.

As you can see, I also wasn’t using the brushes that I use nowadays. A hard (or soft) round brushes with no change in opacity just aren’t for me. For example, in traditional art, I struggle with markers and copics, but really enjoy charcoals and watercolours. I prefer ragged edges, layering and thus blending things into each other (and leaving the viewer to fill in the gaps) instead of having stark or definite things. I also struggle with vector drawings, although I have decided to finally start learning to use them...somedayyyy.

Also, I wasn’t paying attention to anatomy, like, at all LMAO. I was just so happy to be able to put something on the canvas.

This is one of my first ink drawings, but I cannot find the original anymore. Again, I like the idea, but not how things look art-wise. And I was so adamant, that I have to get everything right in the traditional drawing and not fix anything later on on photoshop because then it would be cheating. And thus, I was never able to move on or finish this properly the way I liked it (idiot).

BUT! It was a good practise to just draw and test things on paper and gain confidense on drawing things in overall (as I was still getting back into art). To get over the fear of blank paper you know, and try to find my style whatever it would start to form into.

Oh, yeah, Desk Flint.

Desk Flint was a thing for a while (still is, lol). Another drawing from that time is this Slingshot Pirate (2016). And Desk Flint keeps repeating in many later works too. The point is mainly “Flint sitting behind his desk and people interrupt him and I don’t have to draw him fully”

Well, anyway... moving on.

Here’s a plan that has been stuck for years. It’s name is “Squint-squint.” Left is the sketch (with another sketch underneath because the expressions were clearer in the old one). On the right is the continued piece with colour scheme but I cropped the eyes panel and faces out (it was so ugly for some reason) but if I ever continue/finish this, it will be redrawn there in the middle.)

Left. “On that moment their eyes were literally open(ed).”

Right. “After squinting on the shore for days, they had actually forgotten how pretty the other idiot’s eyes were.”

I still like it, quite a lot, but my perfectionist ass only sees too much “boring” things to draw and get right, so it hasn’t been a priority for a long time and other works have kept me occupied and more interested in them.

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“Quiet Moment.” 2018 (a wordless comic happening after the events of Charles Town)

I’m going to explain after these pictures, but see how big the difference is when you start to look at references and plan things together (the space, “camera” movement, background etc). I also started to colour with coarser brushes:

I drew this around early 2018. A lot of improvement! Still quite a lot of negative space (empty white backgrounds), but it fits this work. A few things tell where we are (the ship’s cabin and the balcony). Changing distances and how things are cropped/framed make things more moving and focused (and less to draw, lol). Colours and brush strokes are softer, more layered and so on.

But guess why it’s still a wip!

I couldn’t decide what bird is flying over there.

Yeap! At first it was an albatross (doesn’t go to Bahamas?). Then a seagull (but which seagull? there’s so many subspecies! Is the ship at sea or at the harbour? what birds are there on the open water/ close to the shore?? oh noo...) So, yeah, wayyyy too much over-thinking.

At some point I ended up with white-tailed-tropic-bird which was a plus! because it sounds like the bosun’s whistle, but at that point I was so tangled and frustrated and still had so much to finish with this that I left it be. Also Flint’s face looks different in every frame so I would’ve had to change some parts, lol. And then I forgot it for a couple of years! And then I had learned to draw a bit differently and again saw too much things to do, so it’s quite hard to take on this again, especially when there are so many other interesting wips waiting...

But I still really like the feeling of it! And the colour scheme. So I might just limit the things I’m allowed to fix and then post it as it own someday. I mean, it’s 90% finished, but the last reach just feels like miles.

And that’s what usually happens with my wips. They reach a certain point and it suddenly becomes really hard to finish or get back into.

But every time I learn things and then use the information in another work! :D

Final note for this post (altough this has been said hundreds of times): use references and look how things go and try to see the structure and form beneath things. And think where it is happening and how the light and surroundings affects the characters and/or spaces. And maybe think what you’re trying to convey with the art, what idea? what emotions? what purpose? or like, what are you trying to learn with the piece? and so on...

Thanks for checking this out, I hope you had fun <3